US State Department says Russia continues to escalate war in Ukraine

7:36 PM

Donald Trump

As Trump prepares to take office, Kyiv awaits his team's next moves

7:01 PM

Fico accuses Slovak opposition leader of 'kissing Zelensky's ring.'

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused opposition leader Michal Simecka of "kissing Zelensky's ring" during his recent visit to Kyiv and said the pro-Western MP wanted to stage a coup d'etat in Bratislava.

5:53 PM

Syria bans goods from Russia, Iran, Israel.

Syria's new administration has banned all Russian, Iranian, and Israeli goods from entering the country in a new decree issued by the country's Minister of Finance on Jan. 17.

4:12 PM

Lack of medical treatment, problems with unit transfers are most common causes of appeals, new military ombudsman says.

Twenty days into her new post as Ukraine's military rights commissioner, Olha Reshetylova said that she had already received 3,876 appeals.

3:28 PM

Zelensky slaps sanctions on Ukraine's top pro-Russian politicians.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing new sanctions on Ukraine's top pro-Russian politicians, he announced on Jan. 19.

2:41 PM

Slovenia provides Ukraine's State Emergency Service with specialized demining, transport vehicles.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service announced Jan. 18 that it received three specialized demining vehicles from Slovenia.

2:04 PM

Officials believe Baltic Sea cable damage caused by accidents, not Russian sabotage, WP reports.

Amid a series of incidents that have damaged critical cables in the Baltic Sea, intelligence services in the U.S. and Europe are increasingly convinced that accidents led to the incidents, according to a new report by the Washington Post on Jan. 19.

11:08 AM

Ukraine downs 43 Russian drones overnight, Air Force reports.

Ukrainian forces shot down 43 Russian attack drones overnight, the Air Force reported on the morning of Jan. 19.

9:11 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 818,740 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,580 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:55 AM

Merkel highlights NATO's role in supporting Ukraine, urges transatlantic unity, media reports.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that a united NATO, bolstered by strong U.S. leadership, is essential to counter Putin's ambitions and safeguard Ukraine's sovereignty, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

6:42 AM

Russia condemns 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and UK.

Russia criticized a newly announced 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and the U.K., rejecting any cooperation between the two nations in the Azov Sea.

4:39 AM

Trump eyes China visit amid strained ties, WSJ reports.

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed interest in visiting China shortly after assuming office, potentially within his first 100 days, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

1:45 AM

Russia's Jan. 18 attack damages Ukraine's oldest McDonald’s in Kyiv.

A Russian missile strike on Kyiv early on Jan. 18 damaged Ukraine's oldest McDonald’s, located near the Lukianivska metro station in the city's Shevchenkivskyi district. Open since 1997, this is the first McDonald's restaurant in the country.

11:51 PM

Germany may consider sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, defense minister says.

"We're the largest NATO partner in Europe. We'll obviously have a role to play," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Jan. 18 when asked about the possibility of sending troops to monitor a ceasefire in Ukraine.

11:05 PM

Students who fail military exam or refuse oath cannot continue higher ed, official says.

"If students cannot pass the exam ... if they refuse to take the military oath, they will not be able to study in higher education institutions in the future," Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Melnyk said.

10:15 PM

Ukrainian troops withdraw from, launch attack on Chasiv Yar refractory plant.

Ukrainian forces launched an aerial attack against a Russian-occupied refractory plant in the embattled city of Chasiv Yar, confirming earlier reports that Ukraine had withdrawn from the site.

9:10 PM

Dnipropetrovsk firm helped Russia build nuclear weapons labs, SBU says.

The company allegedly shipped a large-scale batch of stainless steel profiles to Russia after the full-scale invasion. These products were used to outfit the Russian Institute for Nuclear Research, the SBU said.

8:11 PM

SBU detains metro engineer who allegedly directed Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, Kharkiv.

The engineer allegedly led a network of agents who tracked the movement and positions of Ukrainian troops in order to coordinate Russian aerial attacks, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.

7:20 PM

Russia used chemical weapons 434 times in December, Ukraine's General Staff says.

These included K-51 and RG-VO munitions, anti-riot weapons that are prohibited for use in warfare, and ammunition loaded with chemicals of "unspecified type."

6:16 PM

'Direct threat' — Ukraine's 48th Separate Assault Battalion denounces commander replacement.

"Changing the commander at a critical moment is a direct threat to the unit's combat capability and undermines the trust of the fighters," the statement read.

4:55 PM

Lukashenko frees 23 more Belarusian political prisoners.

Nearly 1,300 prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

3:47 PM

Ex-MP, leader of Russia-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church charged with treason.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers charged former lawmaker and businessman Vadym Novynskyi with high treason and incitement to religious hatred in absentia, the State Bureau of Investigation said.

2:34 PM

Former pro-Russian lawmaker charged with treason resurfaces in China.

Former Ukrainian pro-Russian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev published a two-hour propaganda interview on Jan. 17, marking his first public appearance after almost three years of Russia's full-scale war.

10:47 AM  (Updated:  January 18, 2025 1:19 pm)

Ukraine hits 2 oil depots in Russia overnight.

Ukrainian forces attacked oil depots in Russia's Tula and Kaluga oblasts overnight on Jan. 18, according to the General Staff and a Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).

12:39 PM

24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier killed in action near Bakhmut.

Maria Zaitseva joined the Ukrainian army after the start of Russia's full-scale war and fought with the 2nd International Legion Battalion.