Russian propaganda
EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas announced the strengthening of critical infrastructure after damage to underwater cables between Estonia and Finland. The EU will invest in new cables, enhance surveillance, and counter Moscow's shadow fleet.
On January 1, Ukraine celebrated the 117th anniversary of the birth of OUN leader Stepan Bandera. Ceremonies took place in cities in the west, south and east of the country.
The Center for Countering Disinformation has uncovered a new Russian tactic on TikTok: mass registration of accounts before holidays with emotional AI content. After gaining an audience, the profiles change their theme, promoting manipulative narratives.
Russia is preparing for the militarization of children, including adding drone control to GTO standards and expanding state regulation of military-sports training. Militarization has been extended to New Year's events, where children are given rides on military equipment and allowed to shoot.
Defense Forces have eliminated over 7,000 Russians and wounded over 2,600 in the Pokrovsk agglomeration over the past 5 months. Ukrainian soldiers destroyed hundreds of enemy equipment, thwarting attempts to capture Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
The commander of the "Russian Volunteer Corps", Denis Kapustin, is alive, and the Russian special services paid $500,000 for his elimination. The GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine conducted a special operation, saving Kapustin's life and receiving funds that will strengthen special forces.
From February 1, the Bulgarian lev will cease to be legal tender. From August 2025, all stores will display prices in both currencies.
The SBU detained a 64-year-old resident of Makiivka in Kyiv, who had been working for the Russian occupation administration since 2014. She headed a kindergarten and implemented Russian educational standards, as well as agitated parents to cooperate with the occupiers.
Explosions were heard in Kharkiv on January 1; preliminarily, Russian occupiers launched a KAB attack on the suburbs. One person is known to have been injured as a result of the strike.
The CIA assessed that Ukraine did not attack Putin's residence during a recent drone attack, refuting the Russian leader's claims. CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump on the assessment.
On the night of January 1, a number of Russian regions, including Krasnodar Krai and Kaluga Oblast, were subjected to drone attacks, which caused fires at an oil refinery and an oil depot. The mayor of Moscow reported repelling two UAVs that were allegedly flying towards the capital.
US national security officials said Ukraine did not attack Putin or his residence, refuting Moscow's claims. The CIA confirmed that Ukraine attempted to strike a military target in the same region, but not near it.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine seeks peace, but not at the cost of its own statehood. He emphasized that only pressure can force Russia to end the war, which has been ongoing for 1407 days.
Trump reposted a NY Post article claiming that Russia is the only obstacle to ending the war. The material states that Putin systematically opposes Trump's policies, and his statements are a manipulation to disrupt peace initiatives.
The Center emphasizes that Russia needed more than two days to fabricate this 'evidence'. The photographs of metal fragments laid on the snow, published by the Russian Ministry of Defense, do not prove anything by themselves.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope that the leaders of these countries would express deep concern about Russia's real attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine and solidarity with Ukraine, against which Russia has been waging an unjustified and unprovoked aggression for the fourth year.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine noted that the concern about the fabricated attack on Putin's palace is particularly surprising against the background of the absence of reactions from the respective countries to regular and real Russian strikes on civilians in Ukraine.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not seek peace in Ukraine. The Kremlin aims to restore the empire, ignoring Russia's deteriorating military position.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, commented on photos of drone debris that allegedly flew to attack the residence of the Russian dictator. He stated that this is traditional Russian lies.
The State Duma of the Russian Federation announced possible disconnections of mobile internet on New Year's Eve, explaining it as concern for citizens. Throughout 2025, mobile internet was disconnected more than 11 thousand times in Russian regions.
The US Coast Guard has suspended its pursuit of the tanker Bella 1, suspected of violating sanctions against Venezuela. The ship's crew painted a Russian flag on board, complicating the seizure operation.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has cost Russian taxpayers approximately $550 billion, which is equivalent to 24 annual Russian higher education budgets. A significant portion of these expenditures is hidden, and the financing of the war is shifted to the population through new taxes and rising prices.
EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said that Russia's statements about Ukraine's attack on government facilities are a deliberate distraction. She emphasized that Moscow seeks to disrupt the progress of Ukraine and its Western partners towards peace.
The Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved a resolution codifying the Kremlin's foreign policy course for long-term confrontation with the West. The document provides for the reorientation of foreign relations to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that Putin is trying to withdraw from the peace process. He believes that Russia has already lost geopolitically, becoming a raw material appendage of China.
The settlement of Rodynske, Pokrovsk urban community, Donetsk region, remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The 14th National Guard Brigade refutes the occupiers' statements, destroying enemies who penetrate the city.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has ordered the expansion of the buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions by 2026. This statement was announced by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the Russian-Ukrainian war is part of the Kremlin's plan against other European countries. He emphasized that this aggression directly threatens the freedom and security not only of Germany but of all of Europe.
The German government shares Ukraine's concern that Russia's claims of an alleged drone attack on the president's residence could be used for escalation. President Zelenskyy rejected the accusations, and the Kremlin threatens to strengthen its negotiating position.
The Kremlin has not provided evidence for its claims of a Ukrainian drone attack on Putin's residence on December 29, denying the need to do so. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that "no evidence is needed" and also could not answer whether debris remained.