Moldovan President Maia Sandu stated that she would vote for unification with Romania if a referendum were held. She believes this would help protect the country's democracy from Russian pressure.
In Bukovyna, a driver of a foreign-registered Range Rover injured a border guard during an attempted border breach. The serviceman sustained severe injuries, but his life is not in danger. Six passengers have been detained.
People's Deputy Iryna Gerashchenko stated that Russia will try to interfere in Ukrainian elections using social networks and messengers. She proposed to start working on legislative changes, including a law on the de-anonymization of Telegram channels.
Border guards rescued a man from Dnipro who had been wandering in the mountains for five days, trying to illegally cross the border with Romania. He was found exhausted after a 12-hour search operation, provided with assistance, and an administrative protocol was drawn up.
The Honorary Consulate of Romania was officially opened in Lviv, headed by Rostyslav Vovk. The Lviv Regional Military Administration is committed to constructive partnership in various fields.
In Switzerland, 24 of the 40 victims of the bar fire at the Crans-Montana ski resort have been identified. Among the deceased are citizens of Switzerland, Italy, the UAE, Romania, France, and Turkey, aged between 14 and 39. A national day of mourning is scheduled for January 9, 2026, with a minute of silence and church bells ringing.
After the New Year holidays, the longest queues at the border are observed in the Polish direction, which complicates crossing for drivers and passengers. The State Border Guard Service advises taking into account the possible unstable operation of electronic systems of control services at checkpoints.
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.
The Ministry of Energy reported that Ukraine transported 6. 9 billion cubic meters of gas through interstate entry points in the year following the cessation of Russian gas transit. This concerns the needs of Ukraine and other countries through the Ukrainian GTS.
Since PURL was launched in August, 24 countries have joined it, and the total amount of contributions is $4. 3 billion. This allows for the purchase of American weapons, including missiles for Patriots, and strengthening Ukraine's defense.
Romania has contributed 50 million euros to the PURL initiative, aimed at purchasing American weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This step, according to Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu, will strengthen regional security and is in line with Romania's NATO commitments.
New Year on the planet lasts almost a day, starting from the Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean and ending in Samoa. Find out the exact time of the 2026 New Year celebration in different countries of the world according to Kyiv time.
Romania deployed F-16 aircraft to monitor the airspace situation on the border with Ukraine during the Russian drone attack on the Odesa region. Russian drones did not violate Romanian airspace.
Ukraine completed the 2025 harvest, gathering 57. 6 million tons of grain and 17.3 million tons of oilseeds. The total grain production is expected to be around 60 million tons after the corn harvest.
Ukraine has successfully held its first joint auctions for allocating cross-border interconnection capacity with Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. Electricity imports from the EU will become more predictable, and supplies will begin in January.
The draw for the group stage of the 2026/2027 Nations League will take place on February 12, 2026, in Brussels. The Ukrainian national team will compete in League B.
The Moscow clinic AltraVita offers women under 37 free artificial insemination with the sperm of Pavel Durov, who personally pays for the procedures. The billionaire has over 100 biological children in 12 countries and promises them an equal share of his $17 billion inheritance.
Romania declared an alert in the border region due to a Russian drone attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure near the Romanian border. Radars detected two aerial targets moving towards Reni and Kiliya, and then another group of drones.
On the eve of the holidays, there is a significant increase in passenger and transport traffic at the border with Ukraine. In one day, 15,000 more people entered Ukraine than left.
A drone, approximately two meters wide and equipped with a parachute, was found in a forest near the Romanian commune of Lerești. Police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of its appearance and origin.
New cases of leprosy have been detected in Croatia and Romania, with Croatia's being an "imported case" in a worker from Nepal, and Romania's involving two confirmed and two suspected cases among massage parlor employees. Medical professionals assure that the disease is highly treatable with antibiotics, and there is no risk of widespread transmission.
The American Bombardier ARTEMIS II electronic reconnaissance aircraft is operating over the Black Sea. It is capable of detecting the operation of Russian radar stations and occupied territories of Ukraine at a distance of up to 600 km.
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.
Hungarian state energy company MVM Group and Romanian E. ON Group have mutually agreed to terminate the agreement for the acquisition of a 68% stake in E.ON Energie Romania and a 98% stake in E.ON Asist. The Romanian government did not support the deal due to concerns about MVM's ties with Russia.
Russia has decided to terminate military agreements with 11 European countries, concluded in 1992-2002. These agreements regulated bilateral military cooperation after the collapse of the USSR.
The Danube Commission has decided to create a Register of Damages from Russian aggression on the Lower Danube. This will ensure systematic collection of data on the damages caused and their transfer to the Council of Europe and the EU for compensation.
The Latvian government will allocate 2. 42 million euros to strengthen the protection of Riga Airport from unauthorized drone flights. The project envisages the introduction of modern technologies for detecting, identifying, tracking and neutralizing drones.
Leaders of eight EU countries bordering Russia will demand targeted defense funding in the next long-term budget of the bloc at a summit in Helsinki. This is due to growing concerns about Russia's aggressive actions, which are testing their borders.
Border guards at the Porubne checkpoint detained a motorcyclist who tried to break into Romania at high speed.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is convening a summit in Helsinki to develop concrete measures to strengthen EU defense. Leaders of eight countries will discuss cooperation and forming a common position to secure funding.
