Ukraine

The Parliament supported the extension of the deadline for the voluntary return of servicemen from the NWC until March 1, 2025. The law provides for the resumption of payments and social guarantees for those who voluntarily return to service.

The Ministry of Health plans to establish rehabilitation units in every community in 2025. UAH 5.8 billion has been allocated for the program, which will increase the number of sessions to 12,000 per day.

The Verkhovna Rada supported a draft law on a 50% discount on the fine for late updating of military registration data. More than 6 million people liable for military service did not update their data in 2024.

One laboratory-confirmed case of human metapneumovirus has been recorded in the capital. The incidence of HMPV is lower than in previous years. A total of 14 cases have been detected in Ukraine since the beginning of the epidemic season.

The Hub for Women Entrepreneurs in Brovary continues to operate, refuting rumors of moving to Kyiv. All initiatives and intensives to support women's business in the community will continue as usual.

Will the hryvnia continue to devalue in 2025 and what will happen to the dollar exchange rate - an economist's forecast.

The new head of the State Tax Service should change approaches to working with business, according to the European Business Association.

The Verkhovna Rada did not support draft law No. 12368 on the establishment of the Supreme Administrative Court with only 218 votes in favor. This is the second failure of the draft law, which is a beacon of the IMF and should be adopted by the end of 2024.

The BES exposed a tax evasion scheme by a group of companies of the GNT Group holding during wheat transshipment. Searches are ongoing at the Olimpex grain terminal, and company representatives are actively opposing investigators.

Lloyd Austin said that achieving Russia's goals in Ukraine will lead to significant losses for it in the future. To maintain the occupied territories, Russia will have to spend huge resources and engage significant ground forces.

The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law on peculiarities of military registration. Women will be able to undergo basic military training on a voluntary basis, and 18-year-old boys abroad can register remotely.

Alexander Smirnov admitted that he lied about $5 million in bribes from Burisma to Joe and Hunter Biden. A Los Angeles court sentenced him to 6 years in prison for attempting to influence the 2020 elections.

Over 81 thousand Ukrainians fell ill with SARS last week, down 19. 7% from the previous week. Since the beginning of the epidemic season, 1.6 million cases of SARS, influenza and COVID-19 have been recorded.

The state is ready to offer Ukrainians abroad jobs at defense companies with the possibility of reservations from mobilization. There are plans to create special job centers in Ukraine and abroad.

Electricity consumption in Ukraine has stabilized and is in line with seasonal levels. Restoration work at power facilities continues after 13 massive attacks by Russia last year.

In Uzhhorod, a man put his pants to dry in a gas oven and went to rest, which led to a fire. Neighbors who smelled smoke helped the owner put out the fire.

A grant competition “Culture in Focus of Communities” with a budget of UAH 10 million has been launched to develop cultural initiatives outside regional centers. Projects can receive from UAH 500 thousand to UAH 1 million to implement cultural initiatives.

The Ministry of Energy announces no plans to revise electricity tariffs for households. The Ministry warns of disinformation from the enemy.

Ukraine's Defense Minister discusses with the Pentagon chief a roadmap for military assistance for the coming years. Eight areas of cooperation will be approved at the Ramstein meeting, and Zelenskyy is expected to attend.

The State Border Guard Service does not record the movement of Belarusian military equipment and personnel near the Ukrainian border. SBGS spokesperson Demchenko said that Belarus is only escalating the situation with constant exercises.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy reported that the coasts of Odesa and Mykolaiv may have been contaminated with fuel oil from Russian tankers. The accident has already killed about 15-20 thousand birds and more than 30 dolphins off the coast of Crimea.

Vehicular traffic at the Solotvyno-Sighetu-Marmaciei checkpoint will be restricted from January 10 to February 28, 2025. The restrictions will be in effect daily from 9:00 to 15:30, and pedestrians will be able to cross the border without obstacles.

At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with 70 Shahed drones and imitator drones from different directions. The defense forces destroyed 46 attack UAVs, while 24 imitator drones were lost without consequences.

The Ukrainian Embassy protested Andriy Danko's plans to visit Moscow with a parliamentary delegation. Diplomats urged Slovakia to refrain from contact with Russia and reminded of the historical consequences of such decisions.

The United States and its allies have provided more than $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. The Ramstein meeting will discuss Ukraine's urgent arms needs.

There were 192 combat engagements registered in the frontline, most of them in the Kursk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove sectors. The enemy carried out 35 air strikes and fired over 5,000 times, using 2,333 kamikaze drones.

Russian troops successfully attacked Ukrainian positions in Bilohorivka in the Siversky sector. The enemy is also conducting assault operations at the Lyman, Kupyansk, Pokrovske and Kurakhove directions.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has announced the losses of the Russian occupiers over the past day. 1430 soldiers, 17 tanks, 16 armored combat vehicles and other enemy equipment were destroyed.

On January 9, cloudy weather is forecast in Ukraine with clearings, sometimes with precipitation in the form of rain and sleet. The air temperature will range from +2 to +15 degrees, with the warmest temperatures in the south of Odesa region and Crimea.

Tigran Keosayan, the husband of Margarita Simonyan, is in a coma after clinical death due to heart problems. Simonyan called for prayers for his recovery.