The Presidential Office published decrees on the appointment of the heads of Poltava, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Natalia Zabolotna, Oleksandr Hanzha, Vitaliy Dyakivnych, and Ruslan Osypenko headed the respective regional state administrations.
On Friday, January 9, difficult weather conditions are expected in Ukraine: strong winds, heavy snow, blizzards, and black ice. Forecasters from the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center have declared a Level I danger.
Due to difficult winter weather conditions, a ban on freight transport has been introduced on sections of highways M-06 and H-22 in Rivne and Zhytomyr regions. Roads are covered with snow, heavy snow and blizzards make movement difficult.
The cyclone entered Ukraine through Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, causing difficult winter weather conditions. In Prykarpattia, traffic is ensured, in Bukovyna drivers were urged to limit trips, and Ukrzaliznytsia is strengthening connections with both regions.
Tomorrow, January 8, Ukraine may experience unscheduled power outages due to snow accumulation on power lines. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that the Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a number of decisions to minimize the consequences of bad weather.
Starting January 8, an operational headquarters will begin work to eliminate the consequences of emergencies on state roads. Significant snow, blizzards, and ice are forecast in many regions of Ukraine.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine interviewed candidates for the positions of heads of Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Poltava, and Chernivtsi regional military administrations. The government submitted proposals to the President regarding the appointment of these candidates.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held interviews with candidates for the positions of heads of regional administrations. Appointments will take place in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions in the near future.
On January 5, most of the western and northern regions of Ukraine will be under the influence of high atmospheric pressure with no precipitation. A southern cyclone will bring rain to the south and snow to the central regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Chernivtsi regions, and the Carpathians.
Personnel changes are ongoing in Ukraine at the level of regional administrations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced consultations regarding the appointment of new heads in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions.
On the evening of January 1 and throughout January 2, gale-force winds up to 25 m/s are forecast in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, mountainous areas of Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions. Level I danger (yellow) has been declared, which may complicate the work of enterprises.
In 2025, Russians used over 60,000 guided aerial bombs, about 2,400 missiles, and over 100,000 drones. Air raid alerts sounded at least 19,033 times across Ukraine.
In Bukovyna, an official of the Service for Restoration and Infrastructure Development is suspected of abuse of office. He signed acts of acceptance of work for the construction of a bridge, which led to an overpayment to the contractor of more than UAH 2.5 million in budget funds.
Snow is observed in most regions of Ukraine, in some places up to 30 cm. The situation is difficult in Prykarpattia, traffic on the R-24 highway is blocked, and traffic on the T-02-3 highway in Vinnytsia region is complicated.
In Chernivtsi region, rescuers extinguished a large-scale fire at a poultry farm in the village of Zamostya. The fire destroyed a building with an area of 975 square meters and led to the death of about 5,000 birds.
In Ukraine, due to bad weather, roads are snow-covered in 9 regions and wet in 12, but passage on state-level roads is ensured. To ensure passage, 1312 units of equipment and 1484 workers have been deployed.
As of December 26, 2025, 97% of local budgets in Ukraine have been approved, which provides a financial basis for communities for 2026. Budgets in 55 communities still need to be approved for stable funding of educational, medical, and social institutions.
In Ukraine, due to snow and black ice, 404 road accidents were recorded, 66 of them with casualties. In Kyiv, there were 45 accidents, 6 of them with casualties.
Snowfalls have begun in the Carpathians, which will allow the ski season to open, which usually starts at the end of November. However, despite the late start of the season, housing prices remain unchanged, and demand is lower than last year.
The Ministry of Development has decided on the mandatory evacuation of children from 19 settlements in Donetsk Oblast. About 200 people with limited mobility are also being evacuated from Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
7,826 churches of the Moscow Patriarchate remain in Ukraine, despite a law prohibiting their activities. Only 934 religious communities have transferred to the OCU in almost 4 years of full-scale war.
After the resumption of traffic on the Odesa-Reni highway, border guards are recording an increase in passenger and transport flow on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. No checkpoint stopped working, despite the complications of movement after the Russian attack on the bridge near Mayaky.
International passenger and cargo carriers can cross the border with Moldova and Romania through checkpoints in Odesa region. Access is via the M-15 highway ("Odesa – Reni"), but due to the limited capacity of the road, additional time should be factored in.
Due to traffic restrictions in the mentioned directions, the Mohyliv-Podilskyi – Otach checkpoint on the border with Moldova in Vinnytsia region is currently overloaded.
Citizens heading to Odesa are informed about restrictions and redirected to alternative routes due to complicated traffic on the Odesa-Reni highway. It is recommended to choose checkpoints in Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi regions.
Due to the enemy's attack on a critical infrastructure facility, traffic on the Odesa-Reni highway has been stopped. Passage through the checkpoints "Mayaky-Udobne-Palanka" and "Starokozache-Tudora" on the Ukrainian-Moldovan section is temporarily suspended.
On December 15, 2025, an earthquake with a magnitude of 2. 2 on the Richter scale occurred in the Dniester district of Chernivtsi region. The tremors were recorded at 06:12 at a depth of 2 km.
Cyberpolice exposed a resident of Bukovyna who hacked social media accounts and sold them on a hacker forum. The man created malicious software, administered a bot farm, and became an "arbitrator" of the forum; he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The SBU exposed two agents of Russian military intelligence who committed arson of an administrative building in Chernivtsi region. The attackers planned a series of similar arsons in western Ukraine.
SBI employees exposed a large-scale extortion scheme in the field of labor protection, organized by the head of the South-Western Interregional Department of the State Labor Service. Officials demanded money for free services and concealed violations, offering entrepreneurs a choice between a fine and a bribe.
