At least four people have been killed in Kyiv following a deadly nighttime attack which saw Putin’s forces launch a barrage of drones and missiles in the early morning on Saturday.
The four were killed after a shot-down missile fell over the Shevchenkivskyi district, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Timur Tkachenko. There was also falling debris in the Desnyansky district, he said.
Overnight, Russia launched 39 Shahed drones, other simulator drones and four ballistic missiles, many of which were shot down by Ukraine’s Air Force.
It comes as France accused Russia of “intimidation” after its air defenses locked onto a French patrol plane over the Baltic Sea.
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The French maritime patrol plane was part of a NATO operation and was locked onto by the control radar of an S400 ground-to-air defence system, French defense minister Sebastien Lecornu said on X.
“This aggressive Russian action is not acceptable. Our armies will continue to act to defend freedom of navigation in international air and maritime spaces,” Mr Lecornu added.
Key points
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Strikes in Kyiv kill four and damage water pipeline in latest attack on the capital
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French patrol aircraft victim of Russian intimidation, Paris says
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Russian forces have retaken 63.2 percent of territory captured in Kursk, Moscow claims
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Starmer considers UK troops in Ukraine in peacekeeper role
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North Korea may lose all 12,000 soldiers in Russia by April – ISW
Industrial sites in Russia targeted by Ukrainian drones
08:49 , Holly Evans
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Industrial sites in Russia’s Kaluga and Tula regions were set ablaze Saturday by Ukrainian drone attacks, local officials said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said that 46 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed across the country overnight.
In the Kaluga region, a drone strike sparked a fire in the town of Lyudinovo, Gov. Vladislav Shapsha wrote on Telegram. Residents said on social media that the attack had targeted a local oil depot.
A fire was also reported in Tula region, where Gov. Dmitry Milyaev said a fuel storage tank had been set alight. He warned residents to stay away from fallen drone debris.
No casualties were reported in either case.
North Korea troops fighting for Putin ‘could all be dead or wounded by April’ as casualties mount
08:00 , Alex Croft
All of the roughly 12,000 North Korean troops fighting with Russian forces may be dead or wounded by mid-April, a leading war monitor has said.
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North Korean troops have suffered an estimated 92 casualties every day since significant fighting in Russia’s border Kursk region began in early December, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in early January that 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded in Kursk, where Russia is trying to reclaim territory following Kyiv’s lightning offensive last August and a second push late last year.
“The entire North Korean contingent of roughly 12,000 personnel currently in Kursk Oblast may be killed or wounded in action by mid-April 2025 should North Korean forces continue to suffer from their current high loss rate in the future,” the ISW said.
Read the full report:
North Korea troops fighting for Putin ‘could all be dead or wounded by April’
Strikes in Kyiv kill four and damage water pipeline in latest attack on the capital
07:53 , Holly Evans
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Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital with a barrage of drones and missiles in the early morning on Saturday, leaving at least four people dead.
Russia launched 39 Shahed drones, other simulator drones and four ballistic missiles according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down two missiles and 24 drones. A further 14 drone simulators were lost in location, the statement said.
The three were killed after a shot-down missile fell over the Shevchenkivskyi district, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Timur Tkachenko. There was also falling debris in the Desnyansky district, he said.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said that in the Shevchenkivskyi district, windows were broken and there was smoke at the entrance of a residential building, adding that a water supply pipeline was also damaged.
AP journalists at the scene saw a man lying dead amid the debris in a pool of blood. Water flooded the streets as firefighters put out the blaze from the attack.
The cost of war is so great that compromise should not be a dirty word
07:30 , Alex Croft
Today, we stand with the Ukrainian people in their brave resistance against Vladimir Putin’s aggression, and we welcome Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Kyiv to express that solidarity in person. But there are limits to that support: we are not prepared to commit British troops to the defence of Ukraine and, while we believe that the Ukrainians should be supplied with long-range missiles, we are wary of anything that looks as if Nato members are being drawn into direct conflict with Russian forces.
The Independent has, since its founding, been resolute in its support of human rights, self-determination and national security. It has always argued that democracies must be prepared to take military action as a last resort in defence of those principles. We supported – with reservations – the aerial campaign against Slobodan Milosevic’s forces to protect the people of Kosovo from “ethnic cleansing”. And we opposed the US-British invasion of Iraq because we thought the cost would be too high for any good that removing Saddam Hussein would do.
Read The Independent’s editorial:
The cost of war is so great that compromise should not be a dirty word
A close look at Britain and Ukraine’s partnership deal
07:01 , Alex Croft
Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Britain has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, with prime minister Keir Starmer’s predecessors visiting Kyiv in the early days of their tenure.
As the war against Russia approaches its three-year mark, Ukraine is on the backfoot on the frontlines. Ukrainian forces are suffering from manpower shortages and losing ground in the eastern Donetsk region as Russia’s troops continue their advance.
It took a little longer for Sir Keir to make the trip, but he comes armed with a 100-year partnership with Kyiv to deepen security and cultural ties.
The treaty and political declaration aims to boost military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and deter Russian aggression.
The treaty will also cover areas such as energy, critical minerals and green steel production, the prime minister’s office said.
“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure,” Sir Keir said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.”
Britain has provided £12.8bn in support to Ukraine since in 2022, a sum dwarfed by Washington’s $63.5bn in security assistance, underscoring the importance of Donald Trump’s actions over Ukraine.
The partnership announced on Thursday, which provides £40m for Ukraine’s economic recovery, includes additional support around grain verification and trade with Ukraine’s thriving technology sector that has produced battle-ready equipment.
Blinken says he is worried about Trump’s policies on his last working day
06:58 , Shweta Sharma
In an interview with the Associated Press, outgoing secretary of state Antony Blinken said that he hopes the incoming Trump administration will press forward with key points in president Joe Biden’s foreign policy, including on the Middle East and Ukraine.
He expressed concern that the Trump team might abandon all or some of those policies on his last working as secretary of state on Friday.
“When we came in, we inherited partnerships and alliances that were seriously frayed,” he said. “So if past is prologue, yes, it would be a concern.”“I don’t know — can’t know — how they approach things,” Blinken added. “I do think that there is, there could and I believe should be, some real continuity in a couple of places.”
Photos show aftermath of Kyiv attack
06:30 , Shweta Sharma
Russia says any British military role in Ukraine under new 100-year deal would be worrying
06:19 , Shweta Sharma
Russia said that any placement of British military assets in Ukraine under a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London would be of concern to Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the possibility of Britain setting up military bases in Ukraine under the agreement announced on Thursday by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British prime minister Keir Starmer.
“Given that Britain is a NATO country, the advancement of its military infrastructure towards our borders is certainly a rather worrying element. In any case, it will be necessary to further analyse what will happen,” Mr Peskov said.
At Thursday’s talks in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he had spoken to Mr Starmer about Kyiv’s desire for Western peacekeeping troops to be deployed in Ukraine if the war with Russia ended.
Asked if Britain would contribute troops, Mr Starmer said in an interview with Sky News that he had discussed this with Mr Zelensky and other allies and Britain would “play our full part”.
Mr Peskov said Moscow also took a “negative” view of the prospect of British cooperation with Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, which he described as Russia’s “internal sea”.
The Azov Sea is bordered by southwest Russia, parts of southern Ukraine that Russia has seized in the war, and the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Trump and Xi discuss Ukraine war in phone call
06:01 , Alex Croft
Trump and Xi discuss Ukraine war in phone call
Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke with US president-elect Donald Trump over the phone on Friday, according to Chinese state media.
The pair discussed international issues of common interest, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and war in Ukraine.
Death toll in Kyiv rises to four after series of Russian strikes
05:58 , Shweta Sharma
At least four people have been confirmed dead in the centre of Kyiv following deadly nighttime Russian attacks, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.
Mr Tkachenko posted on the Telegram messaging app that the deaths had occurred in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
He said falling debris had also hit the Holosiivskyi district on the west bank of the Dnipro River that runs through the capital and in the Desnyanskyi district on the opposite bank.
Public broadcaster Suspilne posted on Telegram pictures of emergency crews working amid piles of shattered glass.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defences were in operation around the city.
Mr Klitschko said windows had been shattered in Shevchenkivskyi district, including at a metro station which had been closed. He said smoke was coming out of an apartment building and repair crews had been dispatched to repair a damaged water main.
Authorities had warned of the danger of attack drones and missiles in the run-up to the attack. The air raid alert on the capital was lifted after it had been effect for a little more than an hour.
Putin hails ‘real breakthrough’ after partnership treaty with Iran
05:44 , Shweta Sharma
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions.
Russian and Iranian officials say the “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” covers all areas – from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture. The 20-year treaty could be extended further.
Mr Putin praised the deal as a “real breakthrough, creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran and the entire region.”
He said the amount of trade and economic cooperation was still insufficient, voicing hope the new treaty will help clear bureaucratic hurdles and expand ties.
Mr Pezeshkian said the projects are feasible, adding that experts were working to resolve remaining obstacles.
“We witness a new chapter of strategic relations,” the Iranian president said, adding that the countries were set to expand trade ties and also boost the “level of security cooperation.”
Drone attack at a oil dipot in Russia’s Kaluga causes fire
05:23 , Shweta Sharma
A Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire late on Friday in Russia’s Kaluga region south of Moscow, Moscow officials said.
Social media sites showed video footage of what they described as an oil storage depot ablaze.
Kaluga regional governor Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram that a fire had broken out after an industrial site was hit in the city of Lyudinovo.
In a later posting, Mr Shapsha said seven drones had been downed, with one landing in a “non-residential area.”
The fire, he said, had been brought under control with no casualties.
A video posted on unofficial Russian social media sites showed firefighting vehicles speeding off in the direction of a large blaze at what they said was an oil storage depot in the city.
Russia’s Defence Ministry and the governor of Bryansk region reported that air defence units had destroyed a total of nine Ukrainian drones over the region on the border. No casualties were reported.
The governor of Smolensk region, bordering Russian ally Belarus, said air defences had downed five Ukrainian drones with no casualties.
Ukraine’s military said on Thursday at least three drones had hit an oil depot in Russia’s southern Voronezh region, and on Friday said its own air defences had downed 33 of 50 drones launched by Russia.
Three killed after nighttime attack in Kyiv
05:10 , Shweta Sharma
Three people were killed early on Saturday in the centre of Kyiv in a nighttime Russian attack, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.
Mr Tkachenko posted on the Telegram messaging app that the deaths had occurred in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
He said falling debris had also hit the Desnyanskyi district on the other side of the Dnipro River that runs through the capital.
Navalny’s lawyers jailed as Putin’s crackdown on dissent reaches new heights
05:04 , Alex Croft
Three lawyers who represented the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been sentenced to years in a Russian penal colony, as part of Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on dissent that has reached levels unseen since Soviet times.
Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser – already in custody – have been jailed from three-and-a-half to five years after being arrested in October 2023, charged with involvement with extremist groups, which is what the Russian state designates opposition groups as.
Before his sudden death in a penal colony last year – which Western leaders have blamed Putin for – Mr Navalny slammed the arrests of his lawyers as “outrageous”, describing it as a plan to further isolate him in jail. Despite his imprisonment, Mr Navalny was able via his lawyers to post on social media and file frequent lawsuits over his treatment in prison, using the resulting legal hearings as a chance to keep speaking out against the government and the war.
Full report here:
Navalny’s lawyers jailed as Putin’s crackdown on dissent reaches new heights
Russia hopes for stability in Middle East after ceasefire, Putin says
04:02 , Alex Croft
Russia hopes that a ceasefire in Gaza will lead to long-term stability in the Middle East, president Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin said it was important not to weaken efforts towards a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Pezeshkian expressed hope that the ceasefire would be implemented.
Ukraine Kursk offensive: What Kyiv stands to gain and lose in surprise counterattack on Russian soil
03:01 , Alex Croft
Ukraine has launched a fresh counterattack in the Russian border region of Kursk as it looks to gain the most territory it can ahead of possible peace negotiations – with US president-elect Donald Trump saying he wants to end the war as soon as possible.
The attack started over the weekend, with unverified footage circulated by Russian military bloggers showing a column of Ukrainian tanks and armoured personnel carriers heading towards the village of Berdin, a small area outside of what Ukraine currently controls in Kursk.
Tom Watling reports:
What Kyiv stands to gain and lose in surprise counter-attack on Russian soil
Don’t expect Trump’s US to stop supporting Ukraine, says Germany’s Scholz
02:00 , Alex Croft
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned Russia not to expect the US to stop supporting Ukraine’s defence after president-elect Donald Trump takes power.
Mr Scholz has spoken twice with Mr Trump since the election, he said, adding that there is an “intensive” diplomatic dialogue between Germany and the incoming administration.
“We can therefore hope that good cooperation between Europe and the USA will continue to be successful in the future, including on the issue of support for Ukraine,” Mr Scholz added.
“So I don’t expect the U.S. to stop supporting Ukraine in its defence.”
Starmer: UK will ‘never let up’ on support for Ukraine
01:01 , Alex Croft
Ukraine must be put in the “strongest possible position” in 2025, Sir Keir Starmer said as he made his first trip to Kyiv as Prime Minister.
The visit comes just days before Donald Trump enters the White House, potentially signalling a shift in US support for Ukraine’s war effort in favour of a push for a peace deal.
In a sign of the dangers facing Ukrainians on a daily basis, reports from Kyiv indicated a Russian drone flying over the city shortly after Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at a site of remembrance for those killed since the 2022 invasion.
The Kyiv Independent reported explosions were heard during an air raid alert.
Full report here:
Starmer: UK will ‘never let up’ on support for Ukraine
At least 12 Indians killed fighting with Russian army
00:03 , Alex Croft
At least 12 Indians have been killed while serving in Russia’s armed forces, India’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Another 18 are still serving in the army – but Russia has categorised 16 of them as “missing”.
Last year, India said it had uncovered a major human trafficking network which was luring young men to Russia with the promise of jobs – before forcing them into fighting Russia’s war with Ukraine.
UK should ‘only’ host Trump visit if he ‘delivers’ on Ukraine says Sir Ed Davey
Friday 17 January 2025 23:22 , Alex Croft
The UK should only host a state visit with Donald Trump if he “delivers” on support for Ukraine, Sir Ed Davey has said.
The Liberal Democrat leader described the idea of a state visit as “leverage” the UK would have over the president-elect when he returns to office next week, in an address in central London.
There have been concerns over what Mr Trump’s return to the White House will mean for US support for Kyiv. He had previously laid out a desire to bring an end to the conflict in his first days in office.
In the same speech, Sir Ed called on the Government to “negotiate this year a brand new deal with the EU” that would have “at its heart, a new UK EU customs union”.
Full report here:
Death toll increases to four in Russian attack
Friday 17 January 2025 22:41 , Alex Croft
At least four people have been killed in a Russian strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih in southern-central Ukraine, the regional governor said.
Three people are in a serious condition in hospital with at least two others injured in the attack, Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram.
Two five-storey buildings were damaged, including a residential building and an educational facility, and one caught fire, Mr Lysak added.
Witnesses described on social media hearing several explosions in the city after Ukraine’s air force warned of a ballistic missile threat from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Russia has not commented on reports of the attack on Kryvyi Rih, which is Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
Russia does not expect US to soften sanctions when Trump takes White House
Friday 17 January 2025 22:03 , Alex Croft
Russia does not expect the US to soften sanctions on Russian oil when president-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Kremlin has said.
It comes after Mr Trump’s choice for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said he “100 per cent” supports raising sanctions on Russian oil producers if the incoming president asked him to.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says Russia does not expect the US to fundamentally change its stance.
33 Russian drones downed overnight, Ukraine says
Friday 17 January 2025 21:20 , Alex Croft
Ukraine’s air defences downed 33 out of 50 Russian drones launched overnight, the air force said on Friday.
Nine drones were “lost”, it said, referring to Ukraine’s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones. Another left Ukraine in the direction of Romania.
The military said on Telegram: “Hostile attack drones hit enterprises in Odesa region, and buildings of institutions, private businesses and households in Kharkiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv regions were damaged as a result of the fall of downed enemy drones.”
Port infrastructure in the Danube region came under attack, they added. An official in Kyic said a child was wounded due to falling debris from downed targets during an attack.
Russian drone breaches Romania’s airspace
Friday 17 January 2025 20:35 , Alex Croft
Romania’s airspace was breached during an overnight Russian drone attack on neighbouring Ukraine, its defence ministry said this morning.
The likely impact zone of a drone was found near the border in the southeastern county of Tulcea, Romanian officials said.
Nato member Romania scrambled two fighter jets to monitor the attack from the air. Drone fragments and air space breaches have occurred regularly over the past year and a half as Russia has attacked Ukraine’s Danube river port infrastructure.
Drone attack sparks fire in Russia’s Kaluga region, reports say oil depot ablaze
Friday 17 January 2025 20:33 , Tom Watling
A Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire in Russia’s Kaluga region south of Moscow late on Thursday, the regional governor said, and social media sites said an oil storage depot was ablaze.
Governor Vladislav Shapsha said an industrial site in the city of Lyudinovo had been hit, but did not identify it.
Unofficial Russian social media sites posted video of what they described as a blaze at an oil storage depot in the city.
Trump-Putin deal forcing Ukraine to give up territory would breach international law, lawyers say
Friday 17 January 2025 19:53 , Alex Croft
The incoming US president Donald Trump could risk violating international law – as well as sending a “chilling” message to aggressors around the world – if he forces Ukraine to give up territory as part of a peace deal with Russia, human rights lawyers have warned.
What to do about Ukraine will be one of the most pressing questions facing Mr Trump when he returns to the White House on Monday, having promised to end the war in a day. His campaign advisers are already slowly backtracking from that particular promise.
On Wednesday, Russia showed the first signs of warming up to the Republican leader and convicted felon, praising his remarks about the crisis in Europe and saying Moscow is ready for talks with Mr Trump.
Ukraine and its allies fear Mr Trump will want to force a quick peace deal by making Kyiv give up some or all of the territory it has lost since being invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Full report here:
Trump ‘would breach international law’ if he gives up Ukrainian land
Russia open for talks with Trump after Putin’s diplomat praises his attack on Nato
Friday 17 January 2025 19:15 , Alex Croft
Russia’s top diplomat said that Moscow is open for talks with President-elect Donald Trump and praised him for attacking Nato’s plan to embrace Ukraine.
Any prospective peace talks should involve broader arrangements for security in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at his annual news conference Tuesday.
Lavrov specifically praised Trump’s comments earlier this month in which he said that Nato’s plans to open its doors to Ukraine had led to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Full report here:
Russia open for talks with Trump after Putin’s diplomat praises his attack on Nato
Watch: Zelensky and Starmer lay flowers at memorial to fallen Ukraine soldiers
Friday 17 January 2025 18:40 , Alex Croft
ICYMI: Sheffield-made artillery to be sent to Kyiv
Friday 17 January 2025 18:07 , Alex Croft
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to deliver 150 artillery barrels to Ukraine as part of a “100-year partnership” with the country.
Sir Keir vowed to uphold the treaty signed with Ukraine on Thursday – a “historic” deal set to bring in more economic and military support for Kyiv in the future.
Struck by the “grim reminder” of war while visiting a burns hospital unit in Kyiv earlier today, the prime minister promised the UK would “play its full part” in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.
The Sheffield-made guns will be delivered to Ukraine’s military over the next few weeks as part of this deal, Sir Keir said.
In pictures: Southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih reels after devastating Russian strike
Friday 17 January 2025 17:39 , Alex Croft
A close look at Britain and Ukraine’s partnership deal
Friday 17 January 2025 17:11 , Arpan Rai
Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Britain has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, with prime minister Keir Starmer’s predecessors visiting Kyiv in the early days of their tenure.
As the war against Russia approaches its three-year mark, Ukraine is on the backfoot on the frontlines. Ukrainian forces are suffering from manpower shortages and losing ground in the eastern Donetsk region as Russia’s troops continue their advance.
It took a little longer for Sir Keir to make the trip, but he comes armed with a 100-year partnership with Kyiv to deepen security and cultural ties.
The treaty and political declaration aims to boost military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and deter Russian aggression.
The treaty will also cover areas such as energy, critical minerals and green steel production, the prime minister’s office said.
“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure,” Sir Keir said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.”
Britain has provided £12.8bn in support to Ukraine since in 2022, a sum dwarfed by Washington’s $63.5bn in security assistance, underscoring the importance of Donald Trump’s actions over Ukraine.
The partnership announced yesterday, which provides £40m for Ukraine’s economic recovery, includes additional support around grain verification and trade with Ukraine’s thriving technology sector that has produced battle-ready equipment.
North Korea’s suicide soldiers pose a new risk on the Ukraine battlefield
Friday 17 January 2025 16:47 , Alex Croft
After a battle in Russia’s snowy region of Kursk this week, Ukrainian forces scoured the bodies of more than a dozen dead North Korean enemy soldiers.
Among them, they found one still alive. But as they approached, he detonated a grenade, blowing himself up, according to a description by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces on Monday.
The forces said their soldiers escaped the blast uninjured.
It is among mounting evidence from the battlefield, intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors that some North Korean soldiers are resorting to extreme measures as they support Russia’s three-year war with Ukraine.
Read the full report:
North Korea’s suicide soldiers pose a new risk on the Ukraine battlefield
Ukraine fires six US-made ATACMS missiles into Russia, Moscow claims
Friday 17 January 2025 16:26 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian forces fired six US-made ATACMS missiles on Thursday, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday, as it threatened to retaliate to the move.
All the missiles were intercepted and no casualties or damaged buildings were reported.
Moscow has said it will respond every time Ukraine fires ATACMS or British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia.
Over the past week, Russia has shot down 12 ATACMS, eight Storm Shadows, 48 U.S. HIMARS rockets, seven French-made Hammer guided bombs and 747 drones, the defence ministry said. The figures have not been independently verified.
Trump and Xi discuss Ukraine war in phone call
Friday 17 January 2025 16:04 , Alex Croft
Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke with US president-elect Donald Trump over the phone on Friday, according to Chinese state media.
The pair discussed international issues of common interest, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and war in Ukraine.
North Korea troops fighting for Putin ‘could all be dead or wounded by April’ as casualties mount
Friday 17 January 2025 15:39 , Alex Croft
All of the roughly 12,000 North Korean troops fighting with Russian forces may be dead or wounded by mid-April, a leading war monitor has said.
North Korean troops have suffered an estimated 92 casualties every day since significant fighting in Russia’s border Kursk region began in early December, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in early January that 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded in Kursk, where Russia is trying to reclaim territory following Kyiv’s lightning offensive last August and a second push late last year.
“The entire North Korean contingent of roughly 12,000 personnel currently in Kursk Oblast may be killed or wounded in action by mid-April 2025 should North Korean forces continue to suffer from their current high loss rate in the future,” the ISW said.
Read the full report:
North Korea troops fighting for Putin ‘could all be dead or wounded by April’
In pictures: Iranian president meets Putin in the Kremlin for first time
Friday 17 January 2025 15:15 , Alex Croft
Russia hopes for stability in Middle East after ceasefire, Putin says
Friday 17 January 2025 14:53 , Alex Croft
Russia hopes that a ceasefire in Gaza will lead to long-term stability in the Middle East, president Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin said it was important not to weaken efforts towards a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Pezeshkian expressed hope that the ceasefire would be implemented.
Navalny’s lawyers jailed as Putin’s crackdown on dissent reaches new heights
Friday 17 January 2025 14:30 , Alex Croft
Three lawyers who represented the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been sentenced to years in a Russian penal colony, as part of Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on dissent that has reached levels unseen since Soviet times.
Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser – already in custody – have been jailed from three-and-a-half to five years after being arrested in October 2023, charged with involvement with extremist groups, which is what the Russian state designates opposition groups as.
Before his sudden death in a penal colony last year – which Western leaders have blamed Putin for – Mr Navalny slammed the arrests of his lawyers as “outrageous”, describing it as a plan to further isolate him in jail. Despite his imprisonment, Mr Navalny was able via his lawyers to post on social media and file frequent lawsuits over his treatment in prison, using the resulting legal hearings as a chance to keep speaking out against the government and the war.
Read the full report:
Navalny’s lawyers jailed as Putin’s crackdown on dissent reaches new heights
German foreign minister criticises Scholz for blocking more Ukraine aid, report says
Friday 17 January 2025 14:07 , Alex Croft
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock indirectly criticised chancellor Olaf Scholz for his reluctance to approve a further €3bn ($3.09bn; £2.5bn) in additional military aid for Ukraine.
“To be honest, it hurts me a lot,” she said without mentioning the chancellor’s name in an interview with Politico released today, adding that for some politicians gaining a few votes was more important than securing Europe’s peace and freedom.
Ms Baerbock said in the interview that for her, responsible politics means not to blow with the wind, then act the other way around in election campaigns, adding that Mr Scholz’s behaviour also harmed the trust of the European allies in Germany.
Earlier this week, Scholz said he had suggested expanding the currently earmarked €12bn (£10.1bn) for this year, but the additional money must not be provided at the cost of cutting social spending.
Ms Baerbock’s Greens party and Mr Scholz’s SPD party are currently partners in the minority government after the ruling coalition collapsed in November, but both parties are also competing in the snap elections on 23 February.
Russian drone breaches Romania’s airspace
Friday 17 January 2025 13:48 , Alex Croft
Romania’s airspace was breached during an overnight Russian drone attack on neighbouring Ukraine, its defence ministry said this morning.
The likely impact zone of a drone was found near the border in the southeastern county of Tulcea, Romanian officials said.
Nato member Romania scrambled two fighter jets to monitor the attack from the air. Drone fragments and air space breaches have occurred regularly over the past year and a half as Russia has attacked Ukraine’s Danube river port infrastructure.
Ukraine Kursk offensive: What Kyiv stands to gain and lose in surprise counterattack on Russian soil
Friday 17 January 2025 13:30 , Alex Croft
Ukraine has launched a fresh counterattack in the Russian border region of Kursk as it looks to gain the most territory it can ahead of possible peace negotiations – with US president-elect Donald Trump saying he wants to end the war as soon as possible.
The attack started over the weekend, with unverified footage circulated by Russian military bloggers showing a column of Ukrainian tanks and armoured personnel carriers heading towards the village of Berdin, a small area outside of what Ukraine currently controls in Kursk.
Kyiv’s military has not officially acknowledged a fresh offensive, months after an initial incursion that caught Russia off guard and allowed Ukraine to capture a swathe of Russian territory in the region. The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said: “Kursk region, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves.”
Tom Watling reports:
What Kyiv stands to gain and lose in surprise counter-attack on Russian soil
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