Russian propaganda
The U. S. Department of State has updated its recommendations for citizens planning to travel to Russia, urging them to prepare wills and funeral wishes. This is due to the danger of the ongoing war, the risk of persecution, and the limited ability of the U.S. government to provide assistance.
The court заочно sentenced Oleksandr Kobets, the former head of the occupation administration of Kherson, to life imprisonment with confiscation of property. He was found guilty of treason and collaboration.
A 74-year-old pensioner in Kyiv gave more than UAH 1. 4 million to fraudsters who introduced themselves as SBU employees. They promised to check her savings for involvement in the aggressor country.
The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kovalenko, believes that the Russians pursued two goals in this way. One of them is to create a rift between Ukraine and the United States.
In the occupied Luhansk region, reservists from the mobilization reserve will guard critical infrastructure facilities, including oil depots, instead of Russian military personnel. The document came into force on December 30, providing for six-month training for citizens with the promise of financial assistance to the unemployed.
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine warns of the Kremlin's preparation of an armed provocation with significant human casualties. It may occur on the eve or during Christmas according to the Julian calendar, likely in a religious building or another symbolic object.
The share of oil and gas revenues in Russia's budget will decrease to 23% this year, compared to 50% a few years ago. The reason is the war against Ukraine and sanctions that force Russia to sell oil at significant discounts.
Vasyl Zvarych, Ukraine's Ambassador to the Czech Republic, called the anti-Ukrainian statements by Czech Parliament Speaker Tomio Okamura disgraceful. Okamura spoke out against providing weapons to Ukraine, calling the war "senseless," and expressed unwillingness to see Ukraine in the EU.
The head of the Russian GRU handed over to the representative of the US military attaché materials with decrypted routing data of a Ukrainian drone. Russian special services claim that the target of the attack was Putin's residence in the Novgorod region.
Russia stated that it had decrypted a file from a Ukrainian drone, which, it claims, indicates that the target was the residence of the Russian dictator. These materials will be handed over to the American side through established channels.
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.