Russian and North Korean forces suffered heavy losses in Russia’s southern Kursk region, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said, as a Kyiv’s forces begin a counter attack.
“In battles yesterday and today near just one village, Makhnovka, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address yesterday, calling the losses “significant.”
Ukrainian and Western sources estimate about 11,000 North Korean troops are stationed in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces gained territory after a cross-border incursion in August.
Russian troops repelled two Ukrainian counter-attacks in Kursk on Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said according to state media.
A Russian military blogger has described Ukraine’s movements in Russia’s Kursk region as part of a “last resort counteroffensive”, according to the Telegraph.
The direction of the main counteroffensive is not yet clear and movements in Kursk may be a “diversionary” attack, the Rybar Telegram channel, another Russian military blog, said.
Ukrainian forces are possibly planning wider a counteroffensive on other areas of the frontline, such as in the Donetsk region, where Russia has steadily advanced for months.
The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation confirmed the Kursk attacks.
Key points
- Ukraine begins ‘last resort counteroffensive’ - Russian military blogger
- Russian and North Korean troop suffered heavy losses in Kursk, Zelensky says
- Reporter killed in drone strike in eastern Ukraine, says Russian media
- Ukrainian brigade struggles amid mass desertions
- Russia launched 300 drones in first three days of 2025, Zelensky says
Ukraine begins ‘last resort counteroffensive’, Russian military blogger says
11:28
Alex Croft
A Russian military blogger said Ukraine has begun a “last resort counteroffensive”, as it launches attacks on Russian positions in the Kursk region.
The counteroffensive in Kursk may be a “diversionary” move preceding a wider counteroffensive, another Russian military blogger, the Ryber Telegram channel, said.
Ukrainian forces could be looking to move in other frontline areas, such as the Donetsk region, where Russian forces have been advancing for months, slowly but steadily.
Surprise attacks had been launched against Russian positions in Kursk, it was confirmed by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation.
Nine injured in Russian strikes on Kherson
11:14
Alex Croft
Nine people were injured after Russia attacked Ukraine’s southern Kherson region on Saturday, the local military administration said.
Social infrastructure, including a gas pipeline and a garage, and residential buildings were hit by the Russian strikes, authorities added.
Around 34 villages and cities came under Russian fire on Saturday, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Report: Russia-appointed officials in Crimea declare emergency as oil spill reaches Sevastopol
10:27
Alex Croft
Russia-appointed officials in Moscow-occupied Crimea announced a regional emergency on Saturday, as oil was detected on the shores of Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest city.
Fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers nearly three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, close to eastern Crimea — some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Sevastopol, which lies on the southwest of the peninsula.
“Today a regional emergency regime has been declared in Sevastopol,” regional Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev wrote on Telegram.
Oil was found on four beaches in the region and was “promptly eliminated” by local authorities working together with volunteers, Razvozhaev said.
“Let me emphasize: there is no mass pollution of the coastline in Sevastopol,” he wrote.
Read the full report:
Four Russian airports reopen after drone risk
09:48
Alex Croft
Four Russian airports have reopened after suspending flights to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.
Airports in the cities of Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Izhevsk and Perm - all east of Moscow - halted flights temporarily on Sunday morning.
Rosaviatsia did not specify a reason for the pause in flights, but airports have previously closed due to the risk of Ukrainian drone activity.
All restrictions were lifted by 11am, the watchdog said.
Ukraine downs 61 of 103 Russian drones overnight, air force says
09:07
Alex Croft
Ukrainian forces shot down 61 of the 103 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on Saturday, its air force said.
The force added that 42 other drones were “lost” referencing Kyiv’s use of electronic warfare.
There have so far been no reports of major damage or casualties.
Analysis | From Poland’s ‘iron dome’ to boots on the ground: How Europe is preparing for a Third World War
08:30
Stuti Mishra
More than 1,500km (900 miles) from London, frenetic activity is underway in the countryside of Poland, Finland, and the Baltic States: bulldozers and diggers are constructing field defences. Anti-tank ditches, tank traps, and pillboxes are being built and installed. In all these countries, laying minefields – even controversial anti-personnel minefields – is under active consideration.
Poland is spending at least €2.5bn (£2.1bn) on its border defence system, including building a sky shield system akin to Israel’s “Iron Dome” to protect its eastern border from a growing threat from Russia.
In May, during a meeting with European leaders in Warsaw, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk stated: “Creating an iron dome against missiles and drones is necessary ... There is no reason for Europe not to have its missile defence shield,” confirming that work on the project had begun. He added that it requires little imagination to understand that Europe, like Israel, is also in the danger zone.
Francis Tusa writes:
Russian forces take control of eastern village
08:00
Alex Croft
Russian forces have taken control of the village of Nadiya in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agencies cite Moscow’s defence ministry as saying on Saturday.
The battlefield report has not been independently verified.
ICYMI: Zelensky says Trump can be decisive in helping stop Putin
07:30
Stuti Mishra
President-elect Donald Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky, facing advances by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, said in an interview with Ukrainian television that Mr Trump had told him he would be one of the first to visit Washington after the presidential inauguration this month.
The Ukrainian president also said a priority was to stabilise the frontline early in the new year. Mr Putin, he said, feared negotiations as they would be tantamount to a defeat for Russia.
“He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” he said. “Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing,” he said in a televised interview.
“His qualities are indeed there,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump. “He can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.”
Russian forces attacking near Pokrovsk, Ukrainian military says
07:00
Alex Croft
Russian forces launched attacks near the city of Pokrovsk, a key strategic road and rail hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday.
Capture of Pokrovsk could create serious problems for the Ukrainian army on the eastern front, and may allow Russia to advance its frontline to the west.
“The Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest and there the Russians attacked 34 times (in the past 24 hours) and tried to break through our defences south of Pokrovsk,” a spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces told national television.
Russian forces seek to cut off supply routes to Ukraine’s troops, the military added. They send small groups of soldiers to settlements south of Pokrovsk to block supplies.
“They (Russians) don’t go directly into the city because it means heavy urban fighting. So they first try to bypass the city and interrupt the logistics chains,” Trehubov said.
Russia denounces drone strike that killed reporter as 'deliberate murder'
06:30
Stuti Mishra
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, denounced the drone strike that killed a Russian reporter in eastern Ukraine as “deliberate murder”.
Ms Zakharova described it as “another brutal crime in a series of bloody atrocities” of president Volodymyr Zelensky’s government “which openly resorts to terrorist methods to eliminate its ideological opponents”.
Data previously provided by the Committee to Protect Journalists counted at least 15 journalists killed since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ten wounded in Russian attack in Ukraine's Sumy region
06:00
Stuti Mishra
A Russian guided bomb attack yesterday wounded 10 people, including two children, in a village in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, near the Russian border, local authorities said.
The region borders Russia's Kursk region and has been regularly shelled by Russian forces for months.
Video posted by president Volodymyr Zelensky showed parts of a building in the village of Svesa reduced to rubble. Rescue teams ferried residents out of the building on stretchers.
"An entire block of the building, from the ground to the fifth floors was destroyed," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "Neighbouring houses were also damaged."
Mr Zelensky said guided bomb strikes hit two other villages in Sumy region and also neighbouring Kharkiv region.
Russian and North Korean troop suffered heavy losses in Kursk, Zelensky says
05:30
Stuti Mishra
Russian and North Korean forces suffered heavy losses in fighting in Russia's southern Kursk region, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
Ukrainian and Western assessments say that some 11,000 North Korean troops are deployed in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces occupy swathes of territory after staging a mass cross-border incursion in August.
In his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky quoted a report from top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi as saying that the battles had taken place near the village of Makhnovka, not far from the Ukrainian border.
"In battles yesterday and today near just one village, Makhnovka, in Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops," he said. "This is significant."
He didn't provide any specific details. A battalion can vary in size but is generally made up of several hundred troops.
Reporter killed in drone strike in eastern Ukraine, says Russian media
05:00
Stuti Mishra
A Ukrainian drone strike killed a reporter near the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Russian media outlet Izvestia said on Saturday.
"The Ukrainian army launched a drone strike on a civilian car carrying Izvestia's freelance correspondent Alexander Martemyanov," the daily reported on its Telegram channel.
"The car was located far from the line of contact."
Izvestia said the car was travelling on a highway linking Donetsk, the Russian-held main town of Donetsk region, and the city of Horlivka to the north.
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline as 2025 begins?
04:30
Stuti Mishra
By the time February 2025 arrives, marking three years since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the front line could look very different.
Currently, Russian forces are advancing in the east, slowly but surely, and they are shrinking Ukraine’s partial hold of the border region of Kursk.
That the Russians haven’t been more successful is a testament, above all else, to the resilience of Ukraine’s troops on the ground, many of whom have been fighting continuously for years. Dysfunction in the Russian military, with Mr Putin as its de facto commander-in-chief, is another.
But US president Joe Biden has sent the final military package of his tenure to Ukraine, ending the support (for now) of Kyiv’s most heavily-armed ally. US president-elect Donald Trump will soon re-enter the White House on the promise of ending the fighting altogether, even if that potentially means rewarding Mr Putin for his illegal land grab.
Tom Watling reports:
Ukraine ends Russian gas pipeline to Europe – but how much will it cost Moscow?
03:00
Alex Croft
Russian gas is no longer flowing to EU states through Ukraine following the expiration of a five-year deal, closing an energy route that has existed since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the move means Russia can no longer “earn billions on our blood”.
His energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, confirmed on Wednesday morning that Kyiv had stopped the gas flows “in the interest of national security”.
“This is a historic event,” he wrote on the social media platform Telegram. “Russia is losing markets and will incur financial losses.”
The deal had allowed for Russian gas to travel through Ukraine’s pipeline networks into European countries, primarily Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.
The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian reports:
ICYMI: Ukraine’s flagship brigade struggles amid mass desertions as 1,700 soldiers go AWOL
01:00
Alex Croft
A Ukrainian brigade trained in France and equipped with advanced Western military hardware has been disbanded after mass desertions.
About 1,700 soldiers from the 155th Mechanised Brigade went absent without leave before the unit’s first deployment in eastern Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.
The brigade, a high-profile initiative announced by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron last year, was meant to showcase Western support but reportedly suffered from inadequate training and equipment shortages.
Around 50 members of the unit, known as the “Anne of Kyiv” brigade, went missing during training in France, and the problem grew worse as over 1,700 troops eventually went absent without leave before the unit’s first deployment in eastern Ukraine, the newspaper reported.
The unit’s initial battle in Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, led to significant losses, including tanks and armoured vehicles.Analysts have criticized Kyiv’s strategy of forming new brigades instead of reinforcing experienced units.
Zelensky says Trump is ‘strong and unpredictable’
Saturday 4 January 2025 23:59
Alex Croft
President-elect Donald Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky, facing advances by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, said in an interview with Ukrainian television that Mr Trump had told him he would be one of the first to visit Washington after the presidential inauguration this month.
The Ukrainian president also said a priority was to stabilise the frontline early in the new year. Mr Putin, he said, feared negotiations as they would be tantamount to a defeat for Russia.
“He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” he said. “Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing,” he said in a televised interview.
“His qualities are indeed there,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump. “He can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.”
US to send additional security assistance to Ukraine, White House says
Saturday 4 January 2025 22:55
Alex Croft
The United States expects to make announcements about additional security assistance for Ukraine in coming days, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.
Mr Kirby said future announcements were expected after Washington last week announced $5.9bn in additional military and budget assistance for Ukraine and a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Germany will be held on 9 January.
“You can also expect additional security assistance announcements coming with respect to Ukraine ... in coming days,” he said, without providing any specifics.
2,600 UK personnel to join Nato exercise
Saturday 4 January 2025 21:52
Alex Croft
More than 2,600 UK personnel are heading to Nato’s eastern flank as part of the government’s “unshakeable commitment” to the military bloc, the armed forces minister has said.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Exercise Steadfast Dart 25 will showcase the alliance’s readiness, capability and commitment to defend Nato territories.
The UK’s 1st Division - headquartered in York - will be in command of all of the alliance’s land forces while they are in eastern Europe.
The exercise marks the first deployment under the bloc’s new Allied Reaction Force, which replaced the Nato Response Force last year to deal “swiftly and effectively” with “any threat in an evolving security environment” during peacetime, crisis and conflict.
Luke Pollard said: “This Government wants the UK to be Nato’s leading European nation.
“Exercise Steadfast Dart demonstrates our unshakeable commitment to Nato and highlights the UK’s key leadership role in the alliance.
“As we approach the three-year anniversary of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we must continue to strengthen our collective defences together to deter (Russian president Vladimir) Putin effectively.”
Along with more than 2,600 personnel, the UK government has said it will contribute 730 vehicles to the exercise.
Foxhound patrol and Jackal high mobility weapons platform vehicles will be among the deployments, and they will return to the UK once two exercises are complete at the end of February.
ICYMI: Three killed in cross-border attacks between Ukraine and Russia
Saturday 4 January 2025 20:49
Alex Croft
Attacks across the Ukraine-Russia border left three people dead on Friday, according to local officials.
In northern Ukraine, three missiles struck a residential area near Chernihiv, killing one person, injuring five, and destroying two homes.
Regional governor Viacheslav Chaus shared images showing the shattered façade of a private home.
In the Kyiv region, five people were injured in a drone attack, while four more were hurt in shelling near Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.
On the Russian side, officials reported two fatalities. Roman Starovoyt, governor of the Kursk region, said on Telegram that a man walking along a road was killed in a drone strike.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said it carried out a precision strike on a Russian command post in the Kursk region.
In the Bryansk region, another Russian border area, a mortar attack killed one civilian, the regional governor said.
Russian military and local officials said that approximately 10 Ukrainian drones had been shot down on Friday, including six over the Bryansk region.
Ukrainian engineers restore power to more than 7,000 customers
Saturday 4 January 2025 19:50
Alex Croft
Ukrainian power engineers restored the power supply to 7,022 customers on Friday and Saturday.
It comes as Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s power grid as it looks to increase pressure on Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said, according to Ukrainska Pravda: "We encourage all consumers to use electricity responsibly throughout the day. Efficient consumption helps reduce strain on the power grid.”
Watch: Footage of Ukrainian air defences shooting down Russian drones
Saturday 4 January 2025 18:56
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has shared footage showing air defence against “over 300 attack drones and around 20 missiles” fired by Russia in the first three days of the new year.
“In just the first three days of the new year, the Russian army has launched over 300 attack drones and around 20 missiles, including ballistic ones, against Ukrainian cities and villages,” he said.
“A large amount was shot down or neutralized by our forces using electronic warfare means.
“However, unfortunately, there have been hits, resulting in casualties and injuries. My condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.”
In just the first three days of the new year, the Russian army has launched over 300 attack drones and around 20 missiles, including ballistic ones, against Ukrainian cities and villages. A large amount was shot down or neutralized by our forces using electronic warfare means.… pic.twitter.com/yF0HgOXLSs
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 3, 2025
Russia shoots down eight US-made ATACMS missiles, defence ministry says
Saturday 4 January 2025 17:58
Alex Croft
Russian forces shot down eight US-made longer-range ATACMS missiles, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
Air defences also shot down 10 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory on Saturday morning, including three over the northern Leningrad region, the ministry added.
The reports have not been independently verified.
Blinken heads to Asia, Europe on last expected trip as top US diplomat
Saturday 4 January 2025 17:00
Alex Croft
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on what is expected to be his final overseas trip in office this weekend, traveling to South Korea, Japan and France.
The State Department announced Friday that Blinken would visit Seoul, Tokyo and Paris beginning Sunday. He will return to Washington early Thursday in time to attend funeral services for former President Jimmy Carter, officials said.
In South Korea, which is in the midst of political turmoil following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japan, Blinken intends to highlight the expansion of U.S. cooperation with both nations as part of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
That strategy is primarily intended to blunt Chinese ambitions in the region but also to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea. Political developments in South Korea, however, after Yoon declared martial law and was later impeached, have raised questions about the stability of Washington-Seoul relations.
Read the full report:
2024 was a year of triumphs and setbacks for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Here's how it unfolded
Saturday 4 January 2025 16:03
Alex Croft
In 2024, President Vladimir Putin further cemented his grip on power and sought to counter Russia’s isolation from the West over the war in Ukraine. But he faced continuing challenges, with a deadly attack by gunmen in Moscow and an incursion by Kyiv‘s troops on his territory.
As Russia’s nearly 3-year-old war in Ukraine enters a new, potentially pivotal phase amid a new U.S. administration and its uncertain support for Kyiv, here’s a look back at how the year unfolded for Putin:
More than 86,000 oil-contaminated sand cleared after Black Sea oil spill
Saturday 4 January 2025 15:06
Alex Croft
Russian rescue workers have cleared more than 86,000 metric tons of contaminated sand and earth after an oil spill in the Black Sea last month, emergency ministries said.
Oil leaked from two ageing tankers after they were hit by a storm in mid-December. One of the tankers sank while another ran aground.
More than 10,000 people have been shovelling viscous fuel oil from sandy beaches around Anapa, a popular summer resort, where environmental groups have reported deaths of sealife including dolphins and porpoises.
Around 2,400 metric tons of oil products spilled into the sea, a smaller spill than was initially feared, Russia’s transport ministry said this week.
Russian forces take control of eastern village
Saturday 4 January 2025 14:09
Alex Croft
Russian forces have taken control of the village of Nadiya in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agencies cite Moscow’s defence ministry as saying.
The battlefield report has not been independently verified.
Russian forces attacking near Pokrovsk, Ukrainian military says
Saturday 4 January 2025 13:13
Alex Croft
Russian forces launched attacks near the city of Pokrovsk, a key strategic road and rail hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday.
Capture of Pokrovsk could create serious problems for the Ukrainian army on the eastern front, and may allow Russia to advance its frontline to the west.
"The Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest and there the Russians attacked 34 times (in the past 24 hours) and tried to break through our defences south of Pokrovsk," a spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces told national television.
Russian forces seek to cut off supply routes to Ukraine’s troops, the military added. They send small groups of soldiers to settlements south of Pokrovsk to block supplies.
“They (Russians) don’t go directly into the city because it means heavy urban fighting. So they first try to bypass the city and interrupt the logistics chains,” Trehubov said.
Zelensky says Trump can be decisive in helping stop Putin
Saturday 4 January 2025 12:19
Alex Croft
President-elect Donald Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky, facing advances by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, said in an interview with Ukrainian television that Mr Trump had told him he would be one of the first to visit Washington after the presidential inauguration this month.
The Ukrainian president also said a priority was to stabilise the frontline early in the new year. Mr Putin, he said, feared negotiations as they would be tantamount to a defeat for Russia.
“He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” he said. “Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing,” he said in a televised interview.
“His qualities are indeed there,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump. “He can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.”
Analysis | From Poland’s ‘iron dome’ to boots on the ground: How Europe is preparing for a Third World War
Saturday 4 January 2025 11:24
Alex Croft
More than 1,500km (900 miles) from London, frenetic activity is underway in the countryside of Poland, Finland, and the Baltic States: bulldozers and diggers are constructing field defences. Anti-tank ditches, tank traps, and pillboxes are being built and installed. In all these countries, laying minefields – even controversial anti-personnel minefields – is under active consideration.
Poland is spending at least €2.5bn (£2.1bn) on its border defence system, including building a sky shield system akin to Israel’s “Iron Dome” to protect its eastern border from a growing threat from Russia.
In May, during a meeting with European leaders in Warsaw, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk stated: “Creating an iron dome against missiles and drones is necessary ... There is no reason for Europe not to have its missile defence shield,” confirming that work on the project had begun. He added that it requires little imagination to understand that Europe, like Israel, is also in the danger zone.
Francis Tusa writes:
Zelensky says Ukraine is preparing to resume diplomatic ties with Syria
Saturday 4 January 2025 10:47
Alex Croft
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was preparing to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria, less than a month after the overthrow of the Russia-backed government in Damascus.
Zelensky spoke after a visit to Syria by his Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, and by Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval who said earlier Ukraine had already sent a shipment of food aid.
“We are preparing to resume diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation in international organisations,” Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Syria in June 2022 after the then government in Damascus said it recognised the “independence” of the Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Since rebels overthrew Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad last month, Ukraine has been moving to build ties with the new Islamist rulers there. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, was a staunch ally of Assad and has given him political asylum.
Moscow has also said it is in contact with the new administration in Damascus, including over the fate of Russian military facilities in Syria.
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline as 2025 begins?
Saturday 4 January 2025 10:11
Alex Croft
By the time February 2025 arrives, marking three years since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the front line could look very different.
Currently, Russian forces are advancing in the east, slowly but surely, and they are shrinking Ukraine’s partial hold of the border region of Kursk.
That the Russians haven’t been more successful is a testament, above all else, to the resilience of Ukraine’s troops on the ground, many of whom have been fighting continuously for years. Dysfunction in the Russian military, with Mr Putin as its de facto commander-in-chief, is another.
Tom Watling reports:
Ukraine downs 34 Russian drones overnight
Saturday 4 January 2025 09:35
Alex Croft
Ukrainian air defences downed 34 out of 81 Russian drones overnight, the air force said on Saturday.
Of the other drones, 46 were “lost”, referring to Ukraine’s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones.
Ukraine ends Russian gas pipeline to Europe – but how much will it cost Moscow?
Saturday 4 January 2025 09:03
Alex Croft
Russian gas is no longer flowing to EU states through Ukraine following the expiration of a five-year deal, closing an energy route that has existed since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the move means Russia can no longer “earn billions on our blood”.
His energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, confirmed on Wednesday morning that Kyiv had stopped the gas flows “in the interest of national security”.
“This is a historic event,” he wrote on the social media platform Telegram. “Russia is losing markets and will incur financial losses.”
The deal had allowed for Russian gas to travel through Ukraine’s pipeline networks into European countries, primarily Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.
The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian reports:
Ukraine’s flagship brigade struggles amid mass desertions as 1,700 soldiers go AWOL
Saturday 4 January 2025 08:32
Stuti Mishra
A Ukrainian brigade trained in France and equipped with advanced Western military hardware has been disbanded after mass desertions.
About 1,700 soldiers from the 155th Mechanised Brigade went absent without leave before the unit’s first deployment in eastern Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.
The brigade, a high-profile initiative announced by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron last year, was meant to showcase Western support but reportedly suffered from inadequate training and equipment shortages.
Around 50 members of the unit, known as the “Anne of Kyiv” brigade, went missing during training in France, and the problem grew worse as over 1,700 troops eventually went absent without leave before the unit’s first deployment in eastern Ukraine, the newspaper reported.
The unit’s initial battle in Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, led to significant losses, including tanks and armoured vehicles.Analysts have criticized Kyiv’s strategy of forming new brigades instead of reinforcing experienced units.
Zelensky says Trump is 'strong and unpredictable'
Saturday 4 January 2025 08:30
Stuti Mishra
President-elect Donald Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky, facing advances by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, said in an interview with Ukrainian television that Mr Trump had told him he would be one of the first to visit Washington after the presidential inauguration this month.
The Ukrainian president also said a priority was to stabilise the frontline early in the new year. Mr Putin, he said, feared negotiations as they would be tantamount to a defeat for Russia.
“He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” he said. “Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing,” he said in a televised interview.
“His qualities are indeed there,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump. “He can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.”
St Petersburg airport suspends flights amid reports of drone activity
Saturday 4 January 2025 08:00
Stuti Mishra
Russia’s Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg temporarily halted flight operations on Saturday morning to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, the country’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
The suspension began at 7.45am (4.45am GMT), and while no specific reason was given, Russian airports have previously been closed in response to potential Ukrainian drone threats.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, which includes St Petersburg, said Russian forces had shot down two drones near Luga Bay in the Gulf of Finland.
“The airport is temporarily not accepting or dispatching flights,” a Rosaviatsia representative wrote on Telegram. “Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services are taking all necessary measures to ensure flight safety – this is the top priority.”
US to send additional security assistance to Ukraine, White House says
Saturday 4 January 2025 07:30
Stuti Mishra
The United States expects to make announcements about additional security assistance for Ukraine in coming days, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.
Mr Kirby said future announcements were expected after Washington last week announced $5.9bn in additional military and budget assistance for Ukraine and a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Germany will be held on 9 January.
"You can also expect additional security assistance announcements coming with respect to Ukraine ... in coming days," he said, without providing any specifics.
Russia lost 420,000 soldiers to gain 4,168sq km in Ukraine and Kursk last year, ISW says
Saturday 4 January 2025 07:00
Jabed Ahmed
Russian forces gained 4,168sq km of land, largely fields and small settlements in Ukraine and the Kursk region, in 2024 but suffered over 420,000 casualties in the process, an American think tank monitoring the war has claimed.
The Institute for the Study of War cited Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi’s remarks last week that Russian forces suffered 427,000 casualties in 2024.
“ISW has observed geolocated evidence to assess that the Russian forces advanced 4,168 square kilometers in 2024, indicating that Russian forces suffered approximately 102 casualties per square kilometer of Ukrainian territory seized,” it said in an assessment released on Wednesday.
Russian forces made 56.5 per cent of their 2024 territorial gains between September and November period, it added.
2,600 UK personnel to join Nato exercise
Saturday 4 January 2025 06:30
Stuti Mishra
More than 2,600 UK personnel are heading to Nato's eastern flank as part of the government's "unshakeable commitment" to the military bloc, the armed forces minister has said.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Exercise Steadfast Dart 25 will showcase the alliance's readiness, capability and commitment to defend Nato territories.
The UK's 1st Division - headquartered in York - will be in command of all of the alliance's land forces while they are in eastern Europe.
The exercise marks the first deployment under the bloc's new Allied Reaction Force, which replaced the Nato Response Force last year to deal "swiftly and effectively" with "any threat in an evolving security environment" during peacetime, crisis and conflict.
Luke Pollard said: "This Government wants the UK to be Nato's leading European nation.
"Exercise Steadfast Dart demonstrates our unshakeable commitment to Nato and highlights the UK's key leadership role in the alliance.
"As we approach the three-year anniversary of Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we must continue to strengthen our collective defences together to deter (Russian president Vladimir) Putin effectively."
Along with more than 2,600 personnel, the UK government has said it will contribute 730 vehicles to the exercise.
Foxhound patrol and Jackal high mobility weapons platform vehicles will be among the deployments, and they will return to the UK once two exercises are complete at the end of February.
Ukraine navy says it destroyed over 37,000 Russian drones last year
Saturday 4 January 2025 06:00
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine’s navy has destroyed more than 37,000 Russian drones in the year 2024, it said.
The downed platforms include Russian strike drones, operational and tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, first-person-view drones, and Shahed-type attack drones, the navy said in a Facebook post. Ukrainian naval forces also destroyed five Russian ships and 458 watercraft, it added.
Russia’s drone losses included 35,670 destroyed FPV drones and 1,140 strike drones, the navy said. Ukraine’s naval units also eliminated 192 operational and tactical drones and another 164 Shahed-136/131 drones.