Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov will head the Presidential Office to strengthen defense and contacts with the United States. This appointment moves one of Ukraine's most prominent generals into a political role.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko will present new candidates for the position of the head of the State Border Guard Service. Serhiy Deineko, who has headed the service for over six years, will continue to work within the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
In 2025, Ukraine raised over UAH 569 billion from the sale and exchange of domestic government bonds at auctions, and in total, since the beginning of martial law, this figure has reached almost UAH 2. 03 trillion. The portfolio of war bonds owned by individuals and legal entities as of January 1, 2026, reached the equivalent of UAH 181.6 billion.
Russian troops shelled the Kherson CHP more than 10 times with artillery and drones during the first two days of 2026. The last attack resulted in 4 hits on the station's territory, Naftogaz delivered a thousand electric heaters for residents.
The number of victims of the missile attack on Kharkiv has risen to 30 people. Among them, 19 sustained blast injuries and wounds, and another 6 experienced an acute stress reaction, including a 6-month-old boy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is appointing Oleh Ivashchenko to a position in Ukraine's military intelligence. This happened after Kyrylo Budanov agreed to head the Presidential Office.
In early January 2026, the capacity for electricity imports from the EU to Ukraine-Moldova increased to 2450 MW. This was the result of cooperation between transmission system operators and increases the resilience of Ukraine's energy system.
As a result of a Russian missile strike on the center of Kharkiv, a shopping center was destroyed, and high-rise buildings and an educational institution were damaged. One woman is in critical condition, while the rest of the injured are in moderate condition.
In Prykarpattia, a law enforcement officer was notified of suspicion of large-scale fraud. He appropriated 2.7 million hryvnias of state aid intended for the father of a fallen National Guard servicewoman who died defending Azovstal.
A new quarter of the "Veteran Sports" program has started in Ukraine, providing veterans with UAH 1,500 to pay for gyms. Applications are accepted until January 20, said Mykhailo Fedorov.
As a result of a Russian missile strike on residential buildings in the center of Kharkiv, 19 people were injured, including a 6-month-old infant. The strike, according to the prosecutor's office, was carried out by an "Iskander" missile around 2:30 PM.
During the day, 45 combat engagements were recorded, with the enemy actively operating in the Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, and Huliaipole directions. Ukrainian units repelled an assault in the area of the Antonivskyi Bridge.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has again declared RDK commander Denis Kapustin wanted. He was заочно found guilty of "treason" and "terrorism" and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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.
The enemy struck a five-story residential building in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv. The number of injured has risen to 15, one woman is in serious condition.
On Friday, January 2, explosions were heard in the Russian city of Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. This was reported by Russian "media".
Russian troops struck Kharkiv with two missiles, damaging residential buildings. The exact number of casualties is still unknown, and a rescue operation is underway.
Over the course of 2025, sappers of the State Special Transport Service inspected and cleared over 45,000 hectares of Ukrainian territories of explosive ordnance. A total of 52,499 explosive devices were neutralized, with the largest number found in the Kherson region.
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, accepted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to head the Office of the Head of State. He thanked him for the trust and called it an honor and a responsibility.
The number of injured in the Russian strike on the center of Kharkiv has risen to 12. This was reported by the city mayor Ihor Terekhov.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said that Russian athletes will not be able to represent their country at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. They will only participate as individual athletes without a national flag or anthem.
Russian troops struck a residential high-rise building in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv. According to preliminary information, there are casualties and significant destruction.
On January 3, from 00:00 to 06:00, planned technical work will be carried out in the "Oberih" register. During this period, the Reserve ID update and service provision will be temporarily unavailable in the "Reserve+" application.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a telephone conversation with Donald Trump regarding the peace process in Ukraine and the Palestinian issue. The Turkish leader is also in contact with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders on these issues.
The Russian army launched an attack on the center of Kharkiv. The consequences of the attack are currently being clarified by Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heard a report from Pavlo Palisa on preparations for meetings with security advisors and the work of the Coalition of the Willing. The modernization of military education, taking into account the experience of a full-scale war, was also discussed.
More than 53% of Ukrainians are categorically against territorial concessions to the Russian Federation, while 33% are ready for certain losses. 39% of respondents agree to freeze the front line without official recognition of the occupied territories as Russian.
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.
President Zelenskyy met with Kyrylo Budanov and offered him to head the Office of the President of Ukraine. Budanov should focus on security issues, the development of the Defense Forces and the diplomatic track, as well as update the strategic foundations of defense.
In 2025, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, together with partners, intensified personnel training for the Air Force and unmanned systems units. As a result, over 5,000 UAV operators and almost one hundred cadet pilots were trained.
