Disney casts Ukrainian actress in ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’

8:11 PM

SBU detains metro engineer who allegedly directed Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, Kharkiv.

The engineer allegedly led a network of agents who tracked the movement and positions of Ukrainian troops in order to coordinate Russian aerial attacks, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.

7:20 PM

Russia used chemical weapons 434 times in December, Ukraine's General Staff says.

These included K-51 and RG-VO munitions, anti-riot weapons that are prohibited for use in warfare, and ammunition loaded with chemicals of "unspecified type."

6:16 PM

'Direct threat' — Ukraine's 48th Separate Assault Battalion denounces commander replacement.

"Changing the commander at a critical moment is a direct threat to the unit's combat capability and undermines the trust of the fighters," the statement read.

4:55 PM

Lukashenko frees 23 more Belarusian political prisoners.

Nearly 1,300 prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

3:47 PM

Ex-MP, leader of Russia-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church charged with treason.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers charged former lawmaker and businessman Vadym Novynskyi with high treason and incitement to religious hatred in absentia, the State Bureau of Investigation said.

2:34 PM

Former pro-Russian lawmaker charged with treason resurfaces in China.

Former Ukrainian pro-Russian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev published a two-hour propaganda interview on Jan. 17, marking his first public appearance after almost three years of Russia's full-scale war.

10:47 AM  (Updated:  January 18, 2025 1:19 pm)

Ukraine hits 2 oil depots in Russia overnight.

Ukrainian forces attacked oil depots in Russia's Tula and Kaluga oblasts overnight on Jan. 18, according to the General Staff and a Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).

12:39 PM

24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier killed in action near Bakhmut.

Maria Zaitseva joined the Ukrainian army after the start of Russia's full-scale war and fought with the 2nd International Legion Battalion.

6:20 AM  (Updated:  January 18, 2025 12:07 pm)

3 killed, 3 injured following Russia's attack on Kyiv.

Russia launched an attack on Kyiv early in the morning on Jan. 18, killing three people and injuring three others, Kyiv city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported.

10:30 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 8, injure 38 over past day.

Russia launched 39 drones, including Shahed-type, and four ballistic missiles of either the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 model overnight, the Air Force reported.

9:09 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 817,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,340 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:33 AM

Hungary's Orban defends ally Antal Rogan sanctioned by US, media reports.

Sanctions imposed by the outgoing U.S. administration against Antal Rogan, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet chief and overseer of the secret service, have only strengthened Rogan's position, Orban said during a state radio interview on Jan. 17.

3:15 AM

Fire reported at oil depot in Russia's Tula Oblast following drone attack.

A fire erupted at an oil depot in the town of Uzlovaya in Russia's Tula Oblast following a Ukrainian drone attack on the facility overnight on Jan. 18, regional Governor Dmitry Milyaev said.

2:54 AM

Media identifies nearly 89,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

Journalists have identified the names of 88,726 Russian soldiers who died during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a joint investigation by BBC Russia and Mediazona.

12:55 AM

Debris from Russian drones found in Romanian border town, defense ministry confirms.

Romania's Defense Ministry confirmed on Jan. 17 that it had found Russian drone fragments in two communities situated on the Romania-Ukraine border.

11:44 PM

French patrol aircraft was 'target of Russian intimidation' over Baltic Sea, French defense minister says.

A French maritime patrol aircraft was the target of intimidation tactics over the Baltic Sea overnight on Jan. 17, after the aircraft was locked onto by the radar of a Russian ground-to-air defense system, France's Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on social media.

10:56 PM

Fire erupts at oil depot in Russia's Kaluga Oblast following drone attack.

A fire erupted at an oil depot in the city of Lyudinovo in Russia's Kaluga Oblast following a Ukrainian drone attack on the facility on Jan. 17, regional Governor Vladislav Shapsha said.

10:23 PM

US imposes sanctions against Russian oil tankers under construction for 1st time.

The latest sanctions, imposed last week, targeted over 180 oil-carrying vessels of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, a group of aging tankers routinely used for sanction evasion.

10:21 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia, Iran sign strategic partnership deal; Ukraine strikes Russian S-400 radar equipment.

9:44 PM

Four Russian officers reportedly killed in Kursk Oblast by Ukraine's Dec 30 strike.

Alexander Khinshtein, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, previously did not mention any losses among the military.

8:44 PM

Joe Biden

'It's not enough' — Ukrainians react to Biden's farewell speech

8:25 PM

Ukraine ready to help Slovakia achieve energy stability, Zelensky says.

"We are ready to help the Slovak people in ensuring their energy stability and security," Volodymyr Zelensky said.

1:36 PM  (Updated:  January 17, 2025 7:54 pm)

Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih kills 4, injures 14, including children.

Russia launched a missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, on Jan. 17, killling four people and leaving 14 others injured, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

7:09 PM

Biden administration secretly funded Ukraine's drone industry, NYT reports.

U.S. intelligence officers reportedly assisted in advancing Ukraine's drone capabilities, helping to design a new generation of drones intended to revolutionize modern warfare.

5:54 PM

Basic military training to start in Ukrainian higher education institutions in September 2025.

The course will consist of 90 academic hours of theory study and 210 academic hours of practical training.