Slovak opposition leader arrives in Kyiv to 'reopen door Fico slammed'
"Our goal is clear — to reopen the door that Robert Fico slammed with his aggressive outbursts," pro-Western opposition leader Michal Simecka said on social media.
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Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in international journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
"Our goal is clear — to reopen the door that Robert Fico slammed with his aggressive outbursts," pro-Western opposition leader Michal Simecka said on social media.
"There has been no transfer of the body (of Oscar Jenkins)," Ukraine's Ground Forces Command told a Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Slidstvo.Info.
The bomber drones were created during Russia's full-scale invasion and operate mainly at night. They can also remotely disperse mines or transport ammunition, food, and medicine to Ukrainian positions.
"The termination of the functioning of the 92H6 radar station of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system was recorded, which indicates a successful target hit," the statement read.
Ukrainian forces downed 33 out of the 50 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Another nine were "lost," and one more drone flew in the direction of Romania, according to the statement.
"(The military aid package) is already on its way to Ukraine. This is modern weaponry that will help our soldiers to deliver powerful strikes against the enemy," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.
The drone was spotted and heard buzzing above the Mariinsky Palace, a presidential residence, located not far from the Presidential Office, The Guardian reported.
At least three drones hit the facility, causing a large-scale fire, the General Staff said.
"These are his (Trump's) messages, both public and non-public. And he is a capable leader to put pressure on Russia," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine and Norway discussed the possibility of integrating Ukrainian-made air defense systems into the NASAMS systems "to increase its effectiveness," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.
According to the Kommersant's sources, gas may be purchased from January to April in the amount of up to 3 million cubic meters per day. The outlet estimates the price at $164 million. The costs are likely to be compensated by the Russian budget, the newspaper reported.
Ukrainian forces downed 34 out of 55 drones, including Shahed-type ones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Another 18 were "lost," it added.
In December, Russian troops advanced to within a mile of mine No. 3, raising fears that they could seize it and use its tunnels to outflank Ukraine's positions, according to the NYT.
U.S. President Joe Biden will be passing around $3.8 billion in the so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to his successor — Donald Trump. On the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for providing Ukraine with military assistance, including through military shipments using the PDA. Countering Trump's
Ukrainian drones "overloaded" Russian air defenses, with a Neptune missile hitting the site shortly after, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent.
Russia deployed "a huge number of soldiers," with Ukrainian forces killing 45 troops and injuring 53, Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade claimed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings during the summit, which could be the group's last meeting in the current format.
Russia keeps on advancing in eastern Donetsk Oblast, taking hold of Kurakhove, which would become the first major town to fall into Russian hands in 2025. Russian troops are continuing to push on the Lyman, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove axes, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update.
"Such fire damage is an integral part of combat operations of Ukraine's Defense Forces units, which are engaged in combat operations on the territory of the Russian Federation," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.
When asked about whether such a move caused any kind of emergency in Slovakia, European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said that the Gas Coordination Group held talks last week and concluded that "there are no security supplies issues or concerns for the European Union following the end of the transit."
The Kyiv Independent's source shared a video purporting to show one of the drones hitting gas condensate tanks. One tank was heavily damaged, and three others suffered by explosive debris, they added.
"No apologies have been made by the Belarus president to Zelensky, for the simple reason that we have nothing to apologize for," Lukashenko's spokesperson Natalia Eismont said.
"Still, of course, they (Russia) are taking maximum measures to protect this illegal construction (the Crimean bridge)," said Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy. "And so far, there are no tendencies to reduce their activity."
The boy, disguised as a Ukrainian soldier, was allegedly instructed to plant explosives at an entrance to a military facility premises in December 2024. The plotters then intended to detonate the explosives remotely, killing the boy as well, the Prosecutor General's Office said, adding that the boy was not aware he was to be killed as part of the attack.
The order for a new batch of rounds of HEI-T ammunition (High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer) was booked in December 2024 and is funded by the German government.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi’s statements came following a media investigation claimed that soldiers of the unit, now deployed near Pokrovsk, have suffered losses and went AWOL (absent without leave) in large numbers due to poor command and organization on Ukraine's side.
Roderich Kiesewetter, defense spokesperson for Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said earlier that "there are increasing indications that Chancellor Scholz will travel to Moscow and meet Putin before Feb. 23."
Russian troops launched more than 630 attack drones, around 740 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 50 missiles of various types this week, targeting settlements across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
A total of 49% of the targets were struck by kamikaze drones, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Ukrainian troops attacked Russian forces in several directions in Kursk Oblast, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s counter-disinformation center, claimed on Jan. 5. Reports by Russian pro-war Telegram channels have echoed the statement, saying that a new Kyiv offensive is underway.
Ukrainian Kraken unit killed Sergei Melnikov, the chief of staff of Russia's Storm Ossetia battalion, and his driver in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in late December, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Jan. 5.
Ukrainian forces downed 61 out of 103 drones, including the Shahed-type ones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Another 42 drones were "lost," it added.