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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would like to hold a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Slovakia near the border with Ukraine "as soon as possible." "Okay. Come to Kyiv on Friday," Zelensky responded.
The Pokrovsk coal mine, one of the largest in Eastern Europe, is located 10 km (6 miles) west of Pokrovsk. The mine produces coal for coke production needed in steelmaking, which is Ukraine's second-largest export after agriculture.
Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers as prisoners of war (POWs) in Russia's Kursk Oblast on Jan. 9. The Kyiv Independent's Anna Belokur breaks down everything we learned from the POWs' interrogation video released by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Germany delivered the first batch of the promised 54 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers, the country's Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius said during a news conference on Jan. 13. Six out of the 54 howitzers will remain in Germany to train Ukrainian personnel.
Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee Elena Ilyukhina reportedly sent a letter to Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller, outlining the need for cost optimization due to "challenges facing the Gazprom Group."
The government was originally expected to spend over 11 billion rubles ($106 million) by 2028 to equip 31 airports, including those in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, and other major cities, with drone defense systems.
The European Union is allocating an additional 140 million euros ($143 million) in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, the European Commission said in a statement on Jan. 13.
Ukraine's government has approved a measure allowing foreign companies to participate in modernizing military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Defense Ministry announced on Jan. 13.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, will sign a strategic partnership agreement during the latter's official visit to Russia on Jan. 17.
The countries argue that a lower cap would further restrict Russia's ability to finance its war against Ukraine while avoiding significant disruptions to global oil markets.
A Ukrainian mopping-up group encountered one surviving North Korean fighter who had set an unsuccessful trap. The soldier attempted to mislead the Ukrainian soldiers and then detonated a grenade to avoid capture, fatally injuring himself, according to the Special Operations Forces.
Three sanctioned tankers carrying over 2 million barrels of Russian crude oil are floating off China's coast after they were hit by fresh U.S. sanctions last week, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 13.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, there is no sense in "speculating on the point" that the war may not end in Ukraine's favor under the new administration.
Sakaliene's statement came shortly after the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reported that thousands of drones, which were to be delivered to Ukraine several months ago, are still in Lithuanian warehouses as their delivery is delayed by bureaucratic obstacles.
Russian forces launched 110 drones at Ukraine overnight from the directions of Millerovo, Bryansk, Orel, and Primosk-Akhtarsk in Russia, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
"We didn't refuse the flight; the Slovak side simply sent us incomplete documents... when they were asked to complete them, they informed us about the change of route," the Polish Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said.
The NIS attributed the high casualties to the soldiers' "lack of understanding of modern warfare," including their "useless" attempts to shoot down long-range drones.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius denied media reports that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blocked a proposal for an additional military aid package for Ukraine worth 3 billion euros ($3.09 billion), adding that a decision on the funding awaits.