Many Ukraine-based humanitarian projects are in limbo after Donald Trump ordered an immediate freeze on all US aid.
Ukraine has been providing for the humanitarian needs of millions through foreign aid, with the US contributing the largest chunk.
The aid freeze is impacting organisations supporting veterans, removing land mines, providing healthcare and aiding the recovery of injured soldiers. Maria Vorotylo, a soldier’s wife who had been receiving help from Veteran Hub, wrote on Facebook that its closure was “a very severe blow”.
On the battlefield, North Korean troops have withdrawn from the frontline in part of Russia’s Kursk region after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian commander said.
Another commander, codenamed “Puls”, told Sky News the North Koreans were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first fierce clashes or waiting for reinforcements.
And Volodymyr Zelensky has defended the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fighting in the war against Russia, stating that if half his army is disbanded then Vladimir Putin “will kill us all”.
Key Points
- Russia fired 100 drones in overnight attack, says Kyiv
- Trump’s ban on USAID shocks Ukraine charities
- North Korea partially withdraws forces from Kursk frontline – report
- EU renews sanctions on Russia after Hungary’s hold up
- Zelensky defends mobilisation, says Putin 'will kill us all’
North Korean troops withdraw from Kursk, claims Kyiv
11:48
,
Tom Watling
North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia near the Ukrainian border have temporarily withdrawn following weeks of heavy losses, Kyiv’s military has claimed.
A Ukrainian special forces commander tasked with retrieving DNA samples from North Korean soldiers claimed Pyongyang’s troops had retreated from one of the axes of the Kursk region, where they have been mobilised since last December, for roughly a fortnight.
It follows claims by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week that around a third of the 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to Kursk have already been wounded or killed.
Claims of the withdrawal, initially told to Sky News, were confirmed by Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson of the Special Operations Forces, to the Kyiv Independent.
“[They] will be back soon,” the commander, who goes by the call sign “Puls”, reportedly said.
Danish leader on European tour as Copenhagen moves to strengthen presence around Greenland
11:34
,
Tom Watling
Russia claims control of northeast Ukrainian town
11:07
,
Tom Watling
Russia’s defence ministry has claimed it’s forces have taken control of the northeast town of Dvorichna in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.
The town is near the city of Kupyansk, which has come under intense Russian attacks for months.
DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker known to have close ties to the military, records Dvorichina as not under Russian control, though Moscow’s troops have made significant advances on both flanks of the town.
Russian drones cross into Belarusian territory
10:40
,
Tom Watling
Nine Russian drones used in it’s attack last night on Ukraine accidentally crossed into Belarusian airspace, a monitor has reported.
At least 9 Shahed drones flew into Belarus from Ukraine on the night of January 27-28.
— Belarusian Hajun project (@Hajun_BY) January 28, 2025
The drones were flying towards Loyeu, Naroulia, Mazyr, Homiel and entered the “Belarusian corridor.”
The first drone flew in at 23:54, flying towards Loyeu. Further flights were at: 00:24,… pic.twitter.com/NcDav59ZsZ
Russian drone attacks injure eight, damage residences, Ukraine officials say
10:21
,
Tom Watling
Overnight Russian air attacks wounded eight people, set a private business on fire and damaged residential buildings around Ukraine, local officials said on Tuesday.
Ukraine‘s air force said it shot down 65 drones and 28 more did not reach their targets in the barrage.
A 62-year-old woman was hospitalised and a 66-year-old man injured when drone debris damaged several houses in Kharkiv district that includes the city of the same name, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Emergency services were called soon after midnight to a private business that caught fire in Kharkiv due to the Russian drone attack, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
Ukraine‘s state emergency service said the fire engulfed production facilities. Two people suffered acute stress reactions, including a child, the emergency service said.
It was not immediately clear what facility was burning. Video footage showed massive flames coming from what looked like an industrial building.
Russia also launched a drone attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa, damaging several residential buildings and cars, and injuring four people in the city and the nearby area, its governor Oleh Kiper said.
After the attack impacted power and heating in the central town of Uman in Cherkasy region, local services were working to restore the supply, according to mayor Iryna Pletnova.
The drone attack on the Kyiv region destroyed nine vehicles and damaged 27 more in the vintage car museum. It also damaged residential houses and cars around the region, without causing any casualties, the local authorities said.
There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the nearly three-year war that Russia started with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
As Trump returns to the White House, and Putin’s forces advance – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
09:51
,
Tom Watling
Europe must boost security against Russian hybrid attacks, Danish PM says
09:26
,
Tom Watling
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that Europe must boost its security and defence to counter Russian and Chinese influence on the European continent, pointing to recent incidents in the Baltic Sea and the war in Ukraine.
“We see Russian hybrid attacks in Europe, in the Baltic Sea... We need a stronger and more resolute Europe standing increasingly in its own right,” Frederiksen said ahead of a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka,’ Oscar winner takes viewers back to Ukraine’s frontlines
09:00
,
Tom Watling
In pictures: Kyiv hit by Russian drones
08:31
,
Tom Watling
Russian drones have damaged a vintage car museum in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, pictures have shown.
Russia fired 100 drones in overnight attack, says Kyiv
08:15
,
Tom Watling
Russia fired 100 drones at targets across Ukraine overnight, Kyiv has reported, damaging apartment blocks and residential homes in three major Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine’s air force says they shot down 65 Russian drones, while 28 failed to reach their targets.
Damage has been reported in the capital of Kyiv, the city of Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine and in the southern city of Odesa.
Further damage was recorded in Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy and Chernihiv.
NATO is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect vital cables. Here's why and how
07:51
,
Tom Watling
Four injured in Russian aerial attack on Odesa
07:27
,
Tom Watling
At least four people have been injured after a Russian drone and missile attack hit the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa.
Oleh Kiper, the governor of the wider region, said four residential high-rise buildings and five summer houses were hit by fragments of downed Russian drones. A 91-year-old man was among the hospitalised.
Ukraine’s state emergency services said that one person was rescued from a blocked apartment on the 19th floor of one of the buildings.
They added that 15 people were receiving psychological assistance.
‼️Внаслідок ранкової атаки на Одесу постраждало 4 людини!
— DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) January 28, 2025
Горіли 10 автівок, поруч пошкоджено скління в трьох 9-поверхівках.
Із заблокованої квартири на 19 поверсі одного із будинків врятовано людину.
Психологи ДСНС надали допомогу 15 особам. pic.twitter.com/zDNAzC44Z0
Russian air attacks injure several in Kharkiv, Ukraine officials say
06:44
,
Arpan Rai
An overnight Russian air attack injured four people, set a private business on fire and damaged several houses in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said today.
A 62-year-old woman was hospitalised and a 66-year-old man was injured when debris from a destroyed Russian drone fell, damaging several houses in the Kharkiv district that includes and surrounds the city of Kharkiv, the regional governor said.
Emergency services were called soon after midnight to a private business that caught fire in Kharkiv in result of a Russian drone attack, mayor Ihor Terekhov said on his Telegram channel.
Ukraine’s state emergency service said the fire engulfed production facilities. At least two people suffered acute stress reactions, including a child, the emergency service said.
It was not immediately clear what facility was burning. Video footage showed massive flames coming from what looked like an industrial building.
Photos: Daily life for Ukrainians in Dnipro amid backdrop of war
06:30
,
Arpan Rai
Freezing aid to Ukraine shows Trump is no ally to the West
06:30
,
Arpan Rai
Why peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are not as simple as Trump makes out
06:10
,
Arpan Rai
North Korea partially withdraws forces from Kursk frontline – report
05:45
,
Arpan Rai
North Korean troops have withdrawn from the frontline in part of Russia’s Kursk region after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian commander said.
The North Korean troops, who have been fighting alongside Russia, have temporarily withdrawn from one of the axes of Kursk oblast where Ukraine’s 73rd Special Operation Forces (SOF) centre is deployed, colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, an SOF spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent.
His comments came after another commander, with codename “Puls”, told Sky News that the North Korean troops were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first fierce battlefield clashes with Ukrainian soldiers or waiting for reinforcements.
Special report: The fatal lengths North Korean soldiers will go to to avoid capture by Ukraine
05:45
,
Arpan Rai
The North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Vladimir Putin’s military have shown ferocious commitment, brutality – and a determination to kill themselves rather than face capture, The Independent has been told.
A Ukrainian military source with direct knowledge of these troops has disclosed in brutal detail the extraordinary lengths to which they will go to prevent being caught.
Since news of their presence in Russia emerged in October, just two North Korean soldiers have been captured alive amid varying claims from Ukraine of heavy losses among their ranks.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Sumy:
Trump’s ban on USAID shocks Ukraine charities
05:29
,
Arpan Rai
The immediate freeze on US aid ordered by the Trump administration has hit many Ukraine-based humanitarian projects, leaving them with a struggle to find funding.
“Most of the projects have received an order to stop,” a source at the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission in Ukraine told AFP.
War-battered Ukraine has been providing for the humanitarian needs of millions through foreign aid, with the US contributing the largest chunk. Ukraine also faces the likely prospect of the Trump administration cutting economic aid worth billions.
The aid freezes is impacting organisations that support veterans, remove land mines, provide healthcare and aid the recovery of injured soldiers. Maria Vorotylo, a soldier’s wife who had been receiving help from Veteran Hub, wrote on Facebook that its closure was “a very severe blow”, AFP reported.
Local media organisations will also be hit and some announced on social media that they would have to close as a result.One humanitarian worker at an American NGO told AFP a project that was about to launch assisting Ukrainian aid groups has been “put on hold”.
“We don’t know if it will be completely cancelled or reduced,” they said on condition of anonymity.
EU renews sanctions on Russia after Hungary’s hold up
05:11
,
Arpan Rai
The European Union has renewed its wide-ranging sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, after Hungary briefly held up the move in return for a declaration on energy security.
“Europe delivers: EU Foreign Ministers just agreed to extend again the sanctions on Russia,” Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, posted on social media.
“This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war,” she added. “Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing,” she said.
Officials from other EU countries had warned that failure to roll over the sanctions before a 31 January deadline would have consequences, such as the unfreezing of Russian assets in Europe that are being used to help Kyiv.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who maintains close ties with Moscow, had first called for consultations with the Trump administration before a renewal decision. He also said it was time for a “sanctions-free” relationship with Russia.
But president Donald Trump has not backed the Hungarian position. He said last week he was ready to increase economic pressure on Russia to strike a peace deal. Budapest then cited its complaints about Ukraine ending a transit deal that brought Russian gas to Hungary.
Mapped: Russia’s war in Ukraine
05:00
,
Tom Watling
Lammy discusses Ukraine with Trump's secretary of state Rubio
04:56
,
Arpan Rai
Foreign secretary David Lammy spoke with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, with the pair saying they look forward to meeting in person soon, the UK government said in a statement last night.
“They both welcomed the opportunity for the UK and the US to work together in alignment to address on shared challenges including the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, the challenges posed by China and the need for Indo-Pacific security,” the statement said.
The fatal lengths North Korean soldiers will go to to avoid capture by Ukraine
04:30
,
Arpan Rai
The North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Vladimir Putin’s military have shown ferocious commitment, brutality – and a determination to kill themselves rather than face capture, The Independent has been told.
A Ukrainian military source with direct knowledge of these troops has disclosed in brutal detail the extraordinary lengths to which they will go to prevent being caught.
Since news of their presence in Russia emerged in October, just two North Korean soldiers have been captured alive amid varying claims from Ukraine of heavy losses among their ranks.
One of those was so determined not to be held as a prisoner of war that he tried to bite his own wrists after being wounded in the Kursk region, according to the senior military source in Sumy, northern Ukraine, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sam Kiley, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor, reports from Sumy:
Desperate Ukrainians using illegal routes to bring children to UK
04:00
,
Tom Watling
Nato chief calls for defence spending above 2%
03:56
,
Arpan Rai
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has asked alliance members to step up defence spending beyond their common goal of two per cent of national output, saying this was now too low because of new challenges.
“We know that the goal of two per cent, set a decade ago, will not be enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” Mr Rutte said. “That means we need to spend more on our defence now.”
Nato allies will discuss whether they should raise the current two per cent target at a summit in the Hague this summer, amid pressure from US president Donald Trump for Nato allies to raise defence spending to five per cent of GDP – a target no Nato member currently meets.
Mr Rutte was speaking in Lisbon alongside Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro, who reiterated his country’s pledge to meet the two per cent goal by 2029. In 2023, Portugal spent 1.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.
The Nato chief warned Russia was trying to destabilise Nato member states with acts ranging from assassination attempts to cyber attacks and sabotage, while waging a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Why peace talks are not as simple as Trump makes out
03:23
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump’s pre-election promises to end the war in Ukraine in less than 24 hours – and before his inauguration – have proved empty.
Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, says the administration’s new goal is to stop the fighting in 100 days.
But details on how this will be achieved remain scant. Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed this is because speaking openly about his plans would undermine his negotiating position. His detractors, however, say this is a cover for a lack of plan.
Below, The Independent looks at the factors at play and why a peace deal could prove elusive.
Russian school textbooks say it was ‘forced’ to march into Ukraine
03:18
,
Arpan Rai
Moscow has presented a new school textbook that compares Russia’s war in Ukraine to the Soviet struggle against the Nazis and says Russia was “forced” to send troops into Ukraine.
The three-volume “Military History of Russia” was edited by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Mr Putin who headed a delegation that held unsuccessful peace talks with Ukraine in 2022, in the early months of the war, and has already co-authored Russia’s main history textbook.
The third volume, likely to be dismissed by Ukraine’s leadership as propaganda, is designed to be taught to children aged 15 and older.
In a chapter entitled “Professionalism, indomitability and courage: Russian troops in the Special Military Operation”, the book tells schoolchildren that Russia was “forced” to send its troops into Ukraine in 2022.
It says the West had for years ignored Russia’s security concerns – a reference to the eastward expansion of the Nato military alliance, and to what the book described as the Western-backed toppling of a Russia-friendly Ukrainian president in 2014, which had turned Ukraine into an “aggressive anti-Russian bridgehead”.
Nato and Ukraine deny ever posing a threat to Russia.
The book also purportedly claims to explain why the Kremlin believes the war started and how it is being fought, highlights what it regards as incidences of battlefield heroism, and describes how the modern Russian army is sometimes employing techniques used by the Soviet army during the Second World War.
Zelensky defends mobilisation, says Putin 'will kill us all’
03:02
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky defended mobilisation of Ukrainians fighting in the war against Russia, stating that if the army goes back home then Vladimir Putin “will kill us all”.
“The wartime situation calls for mobilisation of people and all the resources we have in the country. Absolutely all of them,” Mr Zelensky said in the interview, excerpts of which were posted on the president’s Telegram channel.
“And, unfortunately, that is the challenge of this war and that is why we have to speed things up to the maximum to end it, to oblige Russia to end this war,” he said.
“Today, we are defending ourselves. If tomorrow, for instance, half the army heads home, we really should have surrendered on the very first day. That is how it is. If half the army goes home, Putin will kill us all.”
Ukraine approved legislation last year lowering the age of mobilisation for Ukrainian men from 27 to 25 years, narrowing exemptions and imposing penalties on evaders.
Mapped: Russia advances in eastern Ukraine
03:00
,
Tom Watling
Russia’s air attacks spark fire in Kharkiv, says mayor
02:50
,
Arpan Rai
An overnight Russian air attack set a private business on fire in Kharkiv, said the mayor of the city in northeastern Ukraine.
“There is a large-scale fire,” mayor Ihor Terekhov said. “All emergency services are on site. There is no information about potential casualties at this time,” he said on his Telegram channel.
Kharkiv city has been under intermittent Russian fire since the start of the war and has been the scene of some of the hottest clashes on the frontline.
Freezing aid to Ukraine shows Trump is no ally to the West
02:00
,
Tom Watling
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
01:00
,
Tom Watling
Explained | Why does Russia want to capture the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk?
00:00
,
Tom Watling
Russian forces are closing in on the strategically important eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after capturing a string of villages to its south, and Ukraine has halted production at its only coking coal mine nearby due to the advance.
Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which had a pre-war population of some 60,000 people. While most people have fled, Ukraine estimated last month that up to 11,000 still remain in the city.
It lies on a key road used by the Ukrainian military to supply other embattled eastern outposts including the towns of Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s only mine that produces coking coal - used in its once vast steel industry and vital for the country’s pre-war economy - is just a 20-minute drive to the west of Pokrovsk, and open source data shows Russian forces are less than 2 km (1.24 miles) from one of the mine shafts.
Moscow says it has annexed Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and sees taking control of Pokrovsk as an important stepping stone to incorporating the entire region into Russia. Kyiv and the West reject Russia’s territorial claims as illegal and accuse Moscow of prosecuting a war of colonial conquest.
Control of the city, which the Russian media call "the gateway to Donetsk", would allow Moscow to severely disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and boost its campaign to capture Chasiv Yar, which sits on higher ground offering potential control of a wider area.
Squeezing the Ukrainian military’s access to the road network in the vicinity would make it harder for Kyiv’s troops to hold pockets of territory either side of Pokrovsk, which could allow Russia to advance the front line.
Ukraine welcomes Trump’s threat to sanction Russian oil and gas harder
Monday 27 January 2025 23:30
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Tom Watling
Ukraine to offer financial incentives to boost military recruitment
Monday 27 January 2025 23:00
,
Tom Watling
Nato chief says support Ukraine or stopping Putin will cost trillions
Monday 27 January 2025 22:30
,
Tom Watling
Russia hit Zaporizhzhia region with glide bombs, injuring four
Monday 27 January 2025 22:00
,
Tom Watling
❗Запорізька область: російські війська обстріляли Степногірськ, постраждали 4 людей
— DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) January 27, 2025
Сьогодні ворог здійснив масований обстріл селища, використовуючи керовані авіаційні бомби. Одна з бомб влучила у 9-поверхівку. Вогнеборці оперативно загасили пожежу. pic.twitter.com/r4Or5w1DGS
North Korea ‘to send more troops to Russia despite heavy casualties’
Monday 27 January 2025 21:30
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Tom Watling
Hungary wants the EU to intervene in a gas dispute with Ukraine
Monday 27 January 2025 21:00
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Tom Watling
Russians could face jail for divulging movement of sanctioned goods
Monday 27 January 2025 20:30
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Tom Watling
Europe considers sending troops to Ukraine if there's a ceasefire. But would Russia accept?
Monday 27 January 2025 20:00
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Tom Watling
Trump describes Ukraine war as 'bullets whacking and hitting men‘
Monday 27 January 2025 19:30
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Tom Watling
Putin ‘open for talks’ with Trump on Ukraine war and calls for meeting
Monday 27 January 202