Ukraine updates in English

[N0TZU]

Hi Brady, no worries! Yeah Harris was a weak candidate playing a very weak hand from Joe hanging on to the office far too long. I do agree with some of Trumps aims, but have major problems with the way in which most of it is being pursued. It’s almost always a very “mixed bag” with any politician or administration.

Anyway, one thing I am liking right now is the interdiction of sanctioned oil in tankers especially those that Russia thought they could protect with a fishy reflagging under Russia. When it came down to it, their naval escort stood by and did nothing, it was merely more bluff and bravado from them, as usual.

But this is still aimed at Venezuela and only indirectly at our major adversaries. Trump needs to be doing the same thing to Russia’s shadow tanker fleet under the sanctions relating to the their invasion of Ukraine. He needs to get much more realistic about Putin in many ways and take more action.

[US7IGN]

I think the person who was shot in Minneapolis should have known that interfering with law enforcement is, by its nature, a high-risk pastime. But, seeing as how the policeman probably was traumatized by having a near-death experience with a criminal using an automobile only six months ago, in combination with his previous wartime experience, made the situation even more volatile. Setting aside who's to blame, the whole thing is a terrible tragedy.

Many different factors really came together. First, the shooter was not a policeman, but an ICE employee, who has a completely different status for citizens and should not touch them at all. Second, that woman was an activist who had been getting on ICE's nerves before, and it was obvious to everyone that she was being pushy, so ICE should have called the police, not shot her. The main thing is that this woman was probably sure that the Constitution is not a simple piece of paper, and that she has certain rights. Well, it reminds me so much of Ukraine...

At night, there was another large-scale attack on the Ukrainian power system and explosions were heard in Kyiv. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c1m7gmxx87lo

The situation has worsened again and many people have no heat or electricity. Electric transport is now partially out of service on the right bank of the city. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350798-bez-tramvaev-i-trolleybusov-iz-za-problem-so-svetom-kak-ezdit-pravyy-bereg-kieva

Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said that Kyiv has a shortage of electricity even to provide critical infrastructure. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350800-situatsiya-slozhnaya-v-kieve-defitsit-elektroenergii-dazhe-dlya-obespecheniya-kriticheskoy-infrastruktury-klichko

Problems begin with supermarkets and schools. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c9wx1rgn5zko

There is still a long way to go before the spring, and russia has received hundreds of missiles worth almost $3 billion from Iran, writes Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-12/iran-is-said-to-have-sent-russia-2-7-billion-worth-of-missiles

Iran’s digital blackout has now deployed military jammers, reportedly supplied by russia, to shut down access to Starlink Internet. This is a game-changer for the Plan-B connectivity frequently used by protesters and anti-regime activists when ordinary access to the internet is stopped.. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2026/01/12/kill-switch-iran-shuts-down-starlink-internet-for-first-time/?ctpv=searchpage&streamIndex=0

The head of the British Armed Forces says he "won't deploy our armed forces [to Ukraine] if we're not happy that they're going to be safe." https://news.sky.com/story/politics-latest-starmer-labour-trump-lammy-vance-tankers-greenland-threats-nato-12593360?postid=10838345#liveblog-body

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, who had been in this position for six months, and did not appoint a new minister. https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-shmyhal-rada-vidstavka/33646918.html

It seems that in Ukraine there is only one irreplaceable person under any circumstances. And all other changes are irrelevant, since this is more and more reminiscent of rearranging beds in a brothel, only the number of girls is gradually decreasing...

[US7IGN]

Today I woke up again to the sound of explosions. The windows were closed because of the frost, but I could hear both the work of air defense nearby and explosions from the hit a little further away. There is almost no information in the media about the consequences and destruction except for one drone hit in a residential building. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350845-na-oboloni-vrazheskiy-bpla-popal-v-16-etazhnyy-zhiloy-dom-klichko
https://armiya.novyny.live/ie-vluchannia-24-droniv-iak-pratsiuvala-ppo-v-ukrayini-tsiieyi-nochi-305859.html I am sure that this is not all.

Kyiv continues to suffer from the consequences of previous attacks. Residents of new high-rise buildings are especially affected, as they have no elevator, no electricity, no running water or heating due to blackouts. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgm4w1g3dggo

Still, during disasters, it is better to live in old buildings that have gas or wood heating and don't need to climb to the 20th floor.

Denys Shmyhal, a former Prime Minister, stated before the vote to appoint him as Minister of Energy that Kyiv was not prepared for power outages, referring to political opponent, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. https://hromadske.ua/kyyiv/257880-kyyiv-buv-nepidhotovlenyy-zovsim-shmyhal-i-svyrydenko-rozpovily-pro-sytuatsiiu-z-enerhetykoiu-u-stolytsi?traffic_source=ukr.net

The Verkhovna Rada today appointed Mykhailo Fedorov as the new Minister of Defense. The decision was supported by 277 deputies. Before that, he was the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology and First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, as well as one of the few associates of Zelensky who remained with him since 2019. Mykhailo Fedorov noted that the Ministry of Defense falls into his hands with a budget deficit of "minus" 300 billion, 2 million Ukrainians who are wanted (evading service) and 200 thousand deserters. "We need to solve these problems," Fedorov noted.

Mykhailo Fedorov added that today there are a large number of problems that need to be solved: a "paper" army, Soviet approaches, excessive bureaucracy and failures in providing the front. The minister also said that today it is impossible to fight with new technologies with the old organizational structure. Comprehensive changes are needed. "Our goal is to change the system: to carry out army reform, improve infrastructure on the front lines, eradicate lies and corruption, and make leadership and trust a new culture," he said. https://expres.online/podrobitsi/noviy-ministr-oboroni-ozvuchiv-kilkist-ukraintsiv-yaki-perebuvayut-v-rozshuku-ta-szch

No one knows what will change after the appointment of a person very far from the army as the new minister (if we do not take into account his strange activities related to the supply of drones), but the problems are really serious. The war that the state has declared against evaders may become a second front.

In Lviv on January 11, a man stabbed a serviceman of the mobilization center in the stomach, and today in the village of Rudno near Lviv, an unknown person fired at a mobilization center vehicle. https://censor.net/ua/n3595232
https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350886-pod-lvovom-obstrelyali-avtomobil-ttsk-politsiya-razyskivaet-napadavshego

Interestingly, before these votes, searches were conducted and criminal prosecution was initiated against the head of one of the parliamentary factions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for the proposal to provide illegal benefits to deputies for voting. This is again the work of the NABU and the SAPO, and the head of the faction turned out to be Yulia Tymoshenko - one of the old-timers of Ukrainian politics, who even ran for president and was prime minister before. She is known for agreements with putin on gas supplies to Ukraine and corruption schemes. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350864-nabu-i-sap-soobschili-lideru-fraktsii-batkivschina-yulii-timoshenko-o-podozrenii

The searches were conducted at the home of her partner, MP Serhiy Vlasenko, who stated that he considers the actions of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau to be pressure on him because of his political and public position. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350896-sergey-vlasenko-nazval-obysk-v-ego-kabinete-nabu-popytkoy-davleniya-na-vsk

Unfortunately, I do not know any of the members of the current parliament well enough to talk to them about this, but I remember Vlasenko as a successful lawyer whom I met in the courts 20 years ago.

A friend of mine put forward a version that this is not a coincidence, but a systematic work of the US special services to establish influence over Ukrainian politicians at the highest level. He believes that the US has direct influence on the leaders of the NABU and SAPO.

The New York Times wrote on January 2 that the new head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Budanov, has a strong relationship with the United States, which could be important in Ukraine’s peace negotiations with the Trump administration. He was trained as part of a C.I.A.-backed program, and after he was injured fighting in eastern Ukraine, he received treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/world/europe/zelensky-budanov-ukraine-chief-of-staff-yermak.html?searchResultPosition=1

Also today, the Verkhovna Rada extended martial law in Ukraine for the 18th time for another 90 days. Such restrictions will be in effect from February 3, 2026, to May 4. https://news.novyny.live/rada-prodovzhila-voiennii-stan-v-ukrayini-305672.html

Yesterday, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed General Vasyl Malyuk from the post of head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). I have heard conflicting reviews about this person, but it is he who is associated with effective military operations on the territory of russia, although it is not clear why this service, whose task is counterintelligence on the territory of Ukraine, is engaged in this. https://suspilne.media/1212494-rada-pidtrimala-zvilnenna-maluka-z-posadi-golovi-sbu/

Deputies are also invited to amend the Criminal Code of Ukraine and establish criminal liability for public calls or public incitement to violence against state or public figures. https://sud.ua/uk/news/publication/350860-za-ugrozy-chinovnikam-v-internete-mogut-lishit-svobody-do-10-let-zakonoproekt

Also on the agenda is such an extremely important issue for a country at war as the creation of a legal glossary and the introduction of a national font for laws and state documents. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350848-natsionalnyy-shrift-dlya-zakonov-i-gosdokumentov-i-pravovoy-glossariy-chto-izmenyat-v-zakonodatelstve

Meanwhile, a russian reconnaissance drone is flying freely over Kyiv, which means preparations for another air attack...

[US7IGN]

The change in weather and sleepless nights have worsened my condition again. Yesterday I had to take additional medication to lower my blood pressure. Air attacks are repeated every day and people say that the russians are now attacking electrical substations in small towns, which can be destroyed by 2-3 drones.

A week after the last major shelling, it turned out that businesses no longer use generators. Supermarkets simply close when there is no electricity, and even McDonald's, which used to be a place where you could warm up and charge your phones, closes.

A family of three died in Kyiv from carbon monoxide poisoning. The tragedy was caused by a generator in an apartment. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/350923-u-desnyanskomu-rayoni-kiyeva-simya-zaginula-cherez-robotu-generatora-v-kvartiri-foto

In Lviv, two women were caught on surveillance cameras clearing snow near the Bandera monument when a drone hit a nearby playground. One of them even fell from the blast wave, but they continued their work. https://rubryka.com/2026/01/15/upav-na-dytyachyj-majdanchyk/

Also disgusting videos regularly appear where several young men in masks grab people on the streets. https://www.facebook.com/reel/776422614770559

By the way, my friend drew attention to the change in the repertoire of local radio stations. If previously they broadcast sad or heroic songs about the war and fighters, sung by men, now they have been replaced by positive songs performed by women about the imminent peace and the return to Ukraine from abroad. It seems that a reflashing of the citizens' brains has begun.

[N0TZU]

Sorry you are feeling worse. I hope the medications will help.

The one person in a position to stop Putin immediately if he chose to, the President of the United States, said (unsurprisingly to me) that Putin wants peace and is ready for peace but that the problem is Zelensky.

One of many references https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-trump-zelensky-putin-ukraine-russia-war-peace-deal/

[US7IGN]

The one person in a position to stop Putin immediately if he chose to, the President of the United States, said (unsurprisingly to me) that Putin wants peace and is ready for peace but that the problem is Zelensky.

One of many references https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-trump-zelensky-putin-ukraine-russia-war-peace-deal/

This is what I've been saying for a long time. Whatever Zelensky does or says, for Trump it's personal and Zelensky is the biggest problem for Ukraine because of it. Although of course not only because of this. The point is not who caused more harm to Ukraine - the russians or the regime, but that it was this regime that contributed to the fact that the russians caused so much harm to Ukraine.

Young marketers joke on LinkedIn that their dream is to repeat the success of a guy who went from being a social media marketer to becoming the Minister of Defense in 10 years.

[N0TZU]

Yes, you and me both. It started when Zelensky didn’t do his bidding regarding Hunter Biden.

[US7IGN]

They laughed when the presidents in the USA changed, but the same putin remained. Someone joined the club of leaders who end badly ...

[N0TZU]

I don’t quite understand your meaning.

[US7IGN]

I don’t quite understand your meaning.

There was a lot of talk about the fact that presidents in democratic countries change, while people like putin or North Korean leaders remain in power until death. Among other things, there were jokes that in 25 years, six presidents have changed in Ukraine, and in russia, it's still the same putin. But it seems that something went wrong in Ukraine too...

[US7IGN]

Troops and vessels from European Nato allies arrive in Greenland
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c0q4lplxzzlo
putin and Xi could only dream of this!

The Dutch cabinet has decided to send a single naval officer to Greenland as part of preparations for Nato exercises on the Arctic island, foreign minister David van Weel said on social media on Thursday. https://www.dutchnews.nl/2026/01/dutch-to-decide-this-week-about-sending-troops-to-greenland/

[N0TZU]

Ah, thanks for the explanation. Yes, too many “lifers” (and wannabes) in office.

[US7IGN]

I guess I'm lucky to have heating, water, and almost always electricity. Sergiy UT3UFD has been without heating for 10 days now, and the snow that has frozen on his windows inside is not melting. The air temperature in his apartment rises to +17C only when he lights a camping stove, but from the smoke and cold he already looks as bad as his banana and other plants, which is why he actually refuses to come to my place, even to spend the night in the warmth. Also, maintaining heat in this way every day is quite expensive. He says that the burning gas in the pipes of his stove in the kitchen immediately gives him a headache. At least the pipes in his house didn't burst like in some other houses. The huge icicles from water that leaked and froze from someone's balconies in high-rise buildings look terrible. Apparently such apartments are no longer suitable for living at all.

There have been no flights arriving in Kyiv in recent days, but I still sleep poorly and feel unwell.

russia is considering the possibility of strikes on nuclear power plant substations to force Ukraine to sign surrender demands to end the war, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reports. https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-rosiya-hur-ataky-aes/33652531.html

Meanwhile, russia is using Starlink satellite communications to control its drones, which increases the threat to Ukraine. https://internetua.com/rosiya-vpershe-keruvala-bm-35-cserez-starlink-csomu-ce-nebezpecsno-dlya-ukrayini?utm_source=ukrnet_news

The European Commission presented a plan to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan on January 14, which was agreed at a summit in mid-December. According to the plan, €30 billion will go to budget support and €60 billion to Kyiv's defense needs. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_90

Earlier, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko reported that by 2026, Ukraine needs more than $45 billion in additional funding from international partners. https://rayon.in.ua/news/854061-verkhovna-rada-ukhvalila-byudzhet-na-2026-rik

The UK has dispatched a military officer to Greenland, aligning with Denmark's intensified military presence across the Arctic and High North. The deployment follows repeated calls by US President Donald Trump for the United States to assume control of the territory. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greenland-trump-denmark-uk-military-b2900863.html

France has already sent 15 soldiers and Germany 13. Some countries have even sent one soldier each. Will NATO's reaction to russia's invasion of the Baltics be the same?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/15/european-troops-arrive-in-greenland-as-talks-with-us-hit-wall-over-future
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0ydjvxpejo

On Sunday, January 18, a group of 15 German military personnel led by Rear Admiral Stefan Pauli unexpectedly left Greenland and flew out of the island's capital, Nuuk, Bild reported. https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland-und-internationales/groenland-hier-macht-die-bundeswehr-heimlich-den-abflug-696cc1784bea5ecfebee9d64

[N0TZU]

I’m very concerned about Sergiy, constant cold is bad enough but CO poisoning is insidious and very dangerous. Even at sub-lethal levels, long term exposure can cause serious heart and brain damage.

I hope his normal heat will be restored soon.

There are catalytic gas heaters that emit very little CO, is there any practical way to acquire one there?

[US7IGN]

I told him all about it, but some people behave like stubborn little children. Since I even left the right to my own children to make decisions and be responsible for them on their own, I don't think it's necessary to act differently with other people's)

Yesterday my friend returned to Kyiv and told me that every time she comes, there is heavy shelling. She was not mistaken. I woke up to a loud explosion nearby, then the sounds of powerful air defense and the specific sounds of ballistic missile hits, which made the house shake. The night sky was clear and I saw that smoke was no longer rising from the pipes of my power plant. Soon the heating was turned off, and in the morning there was no water either. I still have electricity, but it seems that the energy sector has suffered again. It is good that the sun is shining and it is only -11C outside.

This winter has once again proven the importance of considering the orientation of the house and its windows. All of Sergiy's windows face north, while mine face southeast, which allows the apartment to be heated at least half of the day solely by the sun. I recently read an interesting article about this - An Elizabethan mansion's secrets for staying warm https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260116-an-elizabethan-mansions-secrets-for-staying-warm

The BBC wrote this morning that on the night of January 20, russia launched a massive missile and drone strike on Kyiv and a number of other cities in Ukraine - Rivne, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Odesa and many other important energy centers. Throughout the night, the russians struck with ballistic missiles and shaheds, and in the morning the russians attacked with cruise missiles from Tu-95MS bombers.

According to the Air Force, Kyiv was attacked with drones and ballistic missiles during the night, the Kyiv authorities reported the destruction and disappearance of heating, water and electricity - mainly on the left bank of the capital. Half of the city's houses were again without heat in the severe frost. There will be problems with the operation of the metro. One injured person is in the hospital. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c8x9dlly482o

Emergency power outages have been imposed in several regions of Ukraine due to the consequences of russian attacks on the power system. Energy workers are working to restore stable power supply, Ukrenergo reports. https://unn.ua/news/nyzku-oblastei-perevely-na-avariini-vidkliuchennia-svitla-ukrenerho

Kyiv residents are advised to close their windows and stay indoors due to the smoke. https://bigkyiv.com.ua/kyyanam-radyat-zachynyty-vikna-i-ne-vyhodyty-na-vulyczyu-cherez-nichnu-vorozhu-ataku-utvoryvsya-smog/

This is certainly timely and appropriate advice, given that many people do not have heating and their windows have long been not only closed, but also covered with something to preserve heat.

But not a single day passed without air attacks. On the night of January 19, explosions thundered in Odesa. As a result of the attack, residential buildings and infrastructure were damaged. https://glavred.net/ukraine/v-odesse-progremela-seriya-vzryvov-povrezhdeny-zhilye-doma-i-infrastruktura-10733435.html?utm_source=ukrnet_news