Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron the deployment of Western contingents to Ukraine.
“We … discussed the deployment of partner contingents and the training of our military,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.
Mr Macron has previously said he is open to the idea of sending French troops to Ukraine. He and other Western nations have since discussed the involvement of using their soldiers as part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
It comes as the last written notes of a North Korean soldier revealed that Pyongyang’s troops are being used as bait by Russian troops to lure out Ukrainian drones on the battlefield.
The diary described how North Korea soldiers are ordered to stand within seven metres of Kyiv’s drones as covering soldiers try to shoot them down.
On one notebook page, a crude drawing shows a stickman soldier breaking cover to attract the attention of a drone, while his two comrades lie in wait to shoot it down.
“When the bait stands still, the drone will stop and it will be shot down,” the soldier wrote in scrawled handwriting, translated by The Wall Street Journal.
Key points
- German police probe Russian drones over base
- North Korean soldiers used as bait, diary reveals
- Trump call with Putin expected soon, adviser Mike Waltz says
- Zelensky proposes North Korean prisoner swap
- Watch: Ukraine interrogates captured North Korean soldiers
Nato chief says Ukraine must be strengthened before talks with Russia
03:36 , Arpan RaiNato secretary general Mark Rutte has called on the alliance to solidify Ukraine’s position before any potential peace talks with Russia.
“At this moment, clearly, Ukraine is not there,” Mr Rutte told the European Parliament’s foreign affairs and defence committees yesterday.
“Because they cannot, at this moment, negotiate from a position of strength. And we have to do more to make sure, by changing the trajectory of the conflict, that they can get to the position of strength.”
The peace talks, he said, have to grapple with Ukraine’s future relationship with Nato. “But it’s too early now to exactly sketch out what that exactly will mean, also something we have to discuss with the incoming US administration,” he said. “But let’s hope that we will get to that point as soon as possible.”
His remarks come just a week before US president-elect Donald Trump enters the White House, with questions over continued American support for Kyiv.
“We all want this war to end, but above all, we want peace to last. Peace will not last if Putin gets his way in Ukraine, because then he will press ahead… I am convinced that peace can only last if Ukraine comes to the table from a position of strength,” he said.
Zelensky and Macron discuss deploying foreign boots in Ukraine war
03:19 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the battlefield situation and deployment of foreign troops in the Ukraine war with French president Emmanuel Macron over a phone call last night.
“We had a detailed discussion about the situation on the battlefield and the progress of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk operation,” he said in a post on X.
“We also agreed to work closely with key allies on achieving peace and developing effective security guarantees. As one such guarantee, we discussed the French initiative to deploy military contingents in Ukraine. We addressed practical steps for its implementation, potential expansion, and the involvement of other nations in this effort,” Mr Zelensky said.
The French leader has floated the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine before, including last month when he and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk discussed the possibility of stationing peacekeepers there in the event of a ceasefire.
I spoke with President of France @EmmanuelMacron. We had a detailed discussion about the situation on the battlefield and the progress of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk operation.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 13, 2025
I expressed gratitude to President Macron and the French people for their unwavering support, which… pic.twitter.com/z7SYj4U85H
Biden jokes about Putin capturing Kyiv as he defends Ukraine policy
03:03 , Arpan RaiThe outgoing US president Joe Biden took a swipe at Russian president Vladimir Putin as he joked about his Moscow counterpart’s failed ambition to capture Kyiv.
“When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought he would capture Kyiv in a matter of days. In fact, after the war started, I was the one who visited the centre of Kyiv, not him. Putin did not,” the president joked.
“It was a long train ride, but I’m the only (US) commander-in-chief to visit a war zone not controlled by US forces,” he added, touting the visit as historic.
In response, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Mr Biden’s address confirmed Moscow’s suspicion that the “US support for Kyiv created the risk of triggering a nuclear confrontation with Russia”.
“Today’s statement by Biden is an admission of a deliberately executed provocation,” Ms Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel. “The Biden administration knew it was pushing the world toward the brink and still chose to escalate the conflict.”
German police investigate suspected Russian espionage at military bases
03:00 , Alexander ButlerGerman police have launched an investigation into suspected cases of Russian espionage after drones were spotted over several military installations in Bavaria, according to a statement on Monday.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine, it could not be ruled out that German military installations and defence companies were being spied on by drones, Bavaria’s State Office of Criminal Investigation said.
The latest incident occurred late on Sunday when a drone was spotted over a military base near Manching, police said, referring to a vast facility where the German forces test new manned and unmanned aircraft.
Trump says he will meet 'very quickly' with Putin
02:52 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has said he is going to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin “very quickly” after he takes office next week.
When asked about his strategy to end the war, Mr Trump told Newsmax: “Well, there’s only one strategy and it’s up to Putin and I can’t imagine he’s too thrilled about the way it’s gone because it hasn’t gone exactly well for him either.”
“And I know he wants to meet and I’m going to meet very quickly. I would’ve done it sooner but... you have to get into the office. For some of the things, you do have to be there,” he said.
The American president-elect, who vowed to end the war within a day, did not provide a timeline for the meeting.
If confirmed, this would be the first meeting between leaders from the two countries since Russia’s war with Ukraine started in February 2022.
Zelensky urges Trump not to abandon Ukraine to Putin as US pledges $500m in military aid
02:00 , Alexander Butler
Zelensky urges Trump not to abandon Ukraine as US pledges $500m in military aid
If the West gives an inch when it comes to Ukraine, Putin will take a mile
01:00 , Alexander Butler
If the West gives an inch when it comes to Ukraine, Putin will take a mile
Putin has ruled Russia for 25 years – but what has he really got to show for it?
Monday 13 January 2025 23:00 , Alexander Butler
What 25 years of Putin has done to the world, in a presidency bookended by war
Watch: North Korean soldiers claim they didn't know they we being sent to Ukraine in interrogation
Monday 13 January 2025 22:00 , Alexander ButlerNorth Korea benefiting from troops fighting alongside Russia, US warns
Monday 13 January 2025 21:00 , Alexander Butler
North Korea benefiting from troops fighting alongside Russia, US issues grave warning
Ukraine captures first North Korean prisoners of war as Russia advances in Donetsk
Monday 13 January 2025 20:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine captures first North Korean POWs as Russia advances in Donetsk
British troops should join post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine, former defence ministers say
Monday 13 January 2025 19:00 , Alexander Butler
Ex-ministers call for UK to join post-war Ukraine peacekeeping force
Zelensky ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war
Monday 13 January 2025 18:00 , Alexander Butler
Zelensky ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war
Trump’s call with Putin set for the next few days
Monday 13 January 2025 17:00 , Alexander Butler
At least 300 North Korea soldiers killed fighting with Putin’s forces in Ukraine, South Korea says
Monday 13 January 2025 15:44 , Alexander ButlerAt least ‘300 North Korea soldiers’ killed fighting with Putin’s forces in Ukraine
Russia gives up on key Ukraine stronghold in fresh bid to cut off supplies
Monday 13 January 2025 14:13 , Alexander Butler
Russia gives up on key Ukraine stronghold in fresh bid to cut off supplies
German police investigate suspected Russian espionage at military bases
Monday 13 January 2025 13:38 , Alexander ButlerGerman police have launched an investigation into suspected cases of Russian espionage after drones were spotted over several military installations in Bavaria, according to a statement on Monday.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine, it could not be ruled out that German military installations and defence companies were being spied on by drones, Bavaria’s State Office of Criminal Investigation said.
The latest incident occurred late on Sunday when a drone was spotted over a military base near Manching, police said, referring to a vast facility where the German forces test new manned and unmanned aircraft.
Sweden to test new drone swarm technology
Monday 13 January 2025 12:40 , Alexander ButlerNato’s newest member Sweden will test new drone swarm technology developed by defence equipment group Saab and the Nordic country’s armed forces, defence minister Pal Jonson said.
Mr Jonson said the army would test the technology, which was developed over the past year, during the upcoming Arctic Strike exercise.
“We will need to take some risks to build a stronger defence capability faster than we normally do,” Mr Jonson said.
He added that the technology allows swarms of drones of different sizes to form and then solve tasks autonomously.
“With these drone swarms it is possible to conduct both reconnaissance, positioning and identification,” he said.
British troops should join post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine, former defence ministers say
Monday 13 January 2025 11:39 , Alexander ButlerEx-ministers call for UK to join post-war Ukraine peacekeeping force
At least 300 North Korean troops killed
Monday 13 January 2025 10:29 , Alexander ButlerHundreds of North Korean troops have been killed fighting against Ukraine over the last few months, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea said 300 of Pyongyang’s troops have been killed and another 2,700 wounded since joining Vladimir Putin’s forces last year.
Kim Jong Un has sent at least 11,000 soldiers to Russia since October to help the Russian military fight off Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into Kursk which began in August.
The “massive casualties” of North Korean soldiers was due to their “lack of understanding of modern warfare” and “useless” tactic of shooting at long-range drones, the NIS said.
North Korean soldiers ‘used as bait'
Monday 13 January 2025 09:18 , Alexander ButlerNorth Korean soldiers are being used as bait by Russian troops to lure out Ukrainian drones on the battlefield, a diary has revealed.
The last written notes of a North Korean soldier described how Pyongyang’s troops are ordered to stand within seven metres of Kyiv’s drones as covering soldiers try to shoot them down.
On one notebook page, a crude drawing shows a stickman soldier breaking cover to attract the attention of a drone, while his two comrades lie in wait to shoot it down.
“When the bait stands still, the drone will stop and it will be shot down,” the soldier wrote in scrawled handwriting, translated by The Wall Street Journal.
Watch: North Korean soldiers claim they didn't know they we being sent to Ukraine in interrogation
Monday 13 January 2025 08:59 , Alexander ButlerUkraine tried to attack TurkStream pipeline infrastructure in southern Russia, Moscow says
Monday 13 January 2025 08:18 , Jabed AhmedRussia said on Monday it had downed nine Ukrainian drones that tried to attack part of the infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline, through which Russian gas flows to Turkey and Europe.
The Russian defence ministry said the attack was aimed against a compressor station in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia, but the facility was working normally and there were no casualties.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
TurkStream and Blue Stream, which run under the Black Sea to Turkey, are Russia's last routes for supplying pipeline gas to Europe, after Ukraine at the start of the year refused to renew a five-year transit deal that had allowed Russia to keep pumping gas across its territory despite the war between the two neighbours.
The Russian statement said falling fragments from one drone had caused minor damage to the building and equipment of a gas metering station at the compressor, but emergency teams had quickly repaired it.
Trump call with Putin expected soon, Trump adviser says
Monday 13 January 2025 07:34 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin and Donald Trump are expected to speak in the coming days or weeks, a top Trump adviser said.
Mr Trump, who will return as US president next week, styles himself as a master dealmaker and has vowed to swiftly end the war in Ukraine but not set out how he might achieve that.
Answering a question about contacts between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, US Congressman Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser, said: “I do expect a call for, at least in the coming days and weeks. So, that would be a step and we’ll take it from there.” He, however, said it was unrealistic to aim to expel Russian soldiers from every inch of Ukrainian territory.
He added that the war had become a World War One-style “meat grinder of people and resources” with “World War Three consequences”, according to ABC.
“Everybody knows that this has to end somehow diplomatically,” Mr Waltz, a Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a colonel, told ABC.
“I just don’t think it’s realistic to say we’re going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil, even Crimea. President Trump has acknowledged that reality, and I think it’s been a huge step forward that the entire world is acknowledging that reality. Now let’s move forward.”
Latest pictures from Ukraine
Monday 13 January 2025 07:00 , Athena Stavrou
Zelensky ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war
Monday 13 January 2025 06:42 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was ready to return the North Korean soldiers that his forces allegedly captured last week if Kim Jong Un could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Mr Zelensky said on Sunday.
“In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others.”
Zelensky ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war
British troops should join post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine, former defence ministers say
Monday 13 January 2025 06:29 , Arpan RaiTwo former UK defence secretaries have joined calls for British troops to form part of a peacekeeping force in a post-war Ukraine.
Boris Johnson, who was prime minister when Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, is among those to have recently suggested that British troops should form part of a European force sent to guard Ukraine’s border under any future ceasefire with Russia.
France’s Emmanuel Macron reportedly travelled to Warsaw in December to discuss the idea with Donald Tusk, as Europe braces for Donald Trump’s incoming US administration to potentially upend Western support for Kyiv. But Poland’s PM was quick to clarify that no such plans were on the table.
Ex-ministers call for UK to join post-war Ukraine peacekeeping force
North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine haven’t shown desire to defect
Monday 13 January 2025 06:29 , Arpan RaiTwo North Korean soldiers who were captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region haven’t expressed a desire to seek asylum in South Korea, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers said today.
In a closed-door briefing at South Korea’s National Assembly, the National Intelligence Service confirmed its participation in the questioning of the North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian authorities. The agency said the soldiers haven’t expressed a request to resettle in South Korea, according to two lawmakers who attended the meeting.
A video released by Ukrainian government indicated that at least one of the captured soldiers expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine.
Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said facilitating the asylum of the North Korean soldiers would require “legal reviews, including on international law, and consultations with related nations.”“There’s nothing we can say at the current stage,” Mr Koo said.
The agency said memos found on dead North Korean soldiers indicated that they had been ordered to die by suicide before being captured. The agency said one North Korean soldier, facing the threat of being captured by Ukrainian forces, shouted “General Kim Jong Un” and tried to detonate a hand grenade before he was shot and killed.
Ukraine captures North Korean POWs as Russia advances in Donetsk
Monday 13 January 2025 06:03 , Athena StavrouUkraine captures first North Korean POWs as Russia advances in Donetsk
North Korean soldiers asked to commit suicide to evade capture, says South Korean intelligence
Monday 13 January 2025 05:52 , Arpan RaiNorth Korean authorities reportedly called for the country’s troops to “self destruct” to evade capture, Lee Seong-kweun, a lawmaker on the South Korean parliament intelligence committee, said citing the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
“It was also found in the memos carried by those killed that North Korean authorities emphasised self-destruction and suicide before capture, and that soldiers vaguely expect to join the Workers’ Party (of North Korea) or be pardoned,” Mr Lee said.
Captured North Korean soldiers had not shown an intention to come to South Korea, though South Korea would cooperate with Ukraine if there was a request, Yonhap news agency reported also reported citing NIS.
Photos: Shelling and missile attacks inside Donetsk, Ukraine
Monday 13 January 2025 05:45 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine captures first North Korean prisoners of war
Monday 13 January 2025 05:14 , Arpan RaiUkraine has captured two North Korean soldiers and taken them prisoner, transporting them to Kyiv for questioning in what the country’s security services say is “irrefutable evidence” of Pyongyang’s involvement in Russia’s war.
Both soldiers were captured on 9 January in the Russian border region of Kursk, Kyiv said.
Volodymyr Zelensky posted pictures of the two, saying “the world needs to know the truth about what is happening”.
Ukraine’s security service, known as the SBU, said one of the two had fake Russian identification documents. A third North Korean soldier was captured last month but died from injuries.
Ukraine captures first North Korean POWs as Russia advances in Donetsk
Taking North Korean soldiers alive ‘not easy,’ Zelensky says
Monday 13 January 2025 05:06 , Athena StavrouSo far, Ukrainian troops have managed to capture alive only two North Korean soldiers fighting with invading Russian forces due to Pyongyang’s no surrender policy.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said taking North Korean soldiers alive “was not easy” because of efforts by Pyongyang to conceal the North Koreans’ presence and avoid their interrogation.
They avoid surrendering at all costs, says Mr Zelensky.
Analysts explain that this may be due to internal North Korean propaganda which portrays capture as disgrace.
“To be captured alive is considered a betrayal of the country, the leader and everything they stand for,” said Seongmin Lee of the Human Rights Foundation in New York who defected from North Korea in 2009.
“Because of the disgrace associated with the capitulation, heroic soldiers are supposed to save the last of their bullets to kill themselves,” Mr Lee said.
Russian strike on Kherson leaves thousands without power
Monday 13 January 2025 04:35 , Arpan RaiAbout 23,000 households were left without electricity after Russian shelling of Kherson in southern Ukraine damaged power equipment in the city, the local military administration said yesterday.
The attack targeted the Dniprovskiy district along the Dnipro River, an area of Kherson that is regularly shelled by Russian troops on the opposite bank.
Kherson’s governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Kherson city and around 50 settlements in the surrounding region had been shelled by Russian troops over the past 24 hours.
“The Russian military shelled social infrastructure and residential areas of the region’s settlements, in particular, damaging 2 multi-storey buildings and 8 private houses,” Mr Prokudin said on Telegram.
North Korean troop casualties exceed 3,000 in Ukraine, Seoul says
Monday 13 January 2025 04:18 , Arpan RaiNorth Korean troop fatalities and injuries in Ukraine have likely exceeded 3,000, including about 300 deaths and 2,700 injuries, a South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country’s spy agency said today.
North Korean authorities appear to have called for its troops to commit suicide by blowing themselves up to evade capture, the lawmaker said citing the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Captured North Korean soldiers had not shown an intention to come to South Korea, though South Korea would cooperate with Ukraine if there was a request, Yonhap news agency also reported, citing NIS.
Britain must learn from Ukraine and use AI for warfare, MPs say
Monday 13 January 2025 04:04 , Athena Stavrou
Britain must learn from Ukraine and use AI for warfare, MPs say
Watch: Ukraine interrogates captured North Korean soldiers in this video
Monday 13 January 2025 03:46 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has said North Korea can take its soldiers from Kyiv in a prisoner swap for Ukrainian soldiers held inside Russia.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” he said.
Watch the video here:
In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others. There should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North… pic.twitter.com/4RyCfUoHoC
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 12, 2025
Ukraine interrogates captured North Korean soldiers
Monday 13 January 2025 03:27 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has posted a short video showing the interrogation of two men who are presented as North Korean soldiers.
The video shows one of the captured North Korean soldier lying on a bed with bandaged hands, while the other is sitting with a bandage on his jaw.
One of the men said through an interpreter that he did not know he was fighting against Ukraine and had been told he was on a training exercise.
The North Korean soldier claimed he hid in a shelter during the offensive and was found a couple of days later. He said that if he was ordered to return to North Korea, he would, but that he was ready to stay in Ukraine if given the chance.
“One of them (soldiers) expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, the other to return to Korea,” Mr Zelensky said in a televised statement.
The Ukrainian president said that for North Korean soldiers who did not wish to return home, there may be other options available and “those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in the Korean (language) will be given that opportunity.”
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fire towards Russian troops
Monday 13 January 2025 02:58 , Athena Stavrou
Ready to swap captured North Koreans for Ukrainians held in Russia, says Zelensky
Monday 13 January 2025 02:49 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is ready to hand over North Korean soldiers to their leader Kim Jong Un if he can facilitate their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Mr Zelensky said.
“In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others,” Mr Zelensky said.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian president said his forces have captured two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region. This is the first time Ukraine has announced the capture of North Korean soldiers alive since their entry into the nearly three-year-old war last autumn.
Ukrainian and Western assessments say that some 11,000 troops from Russia’s ally North Korea have been deployed in the Kursk region to support Moscow’s forces.
Trump says meeting with Putin being planned
Monday 13 January 2025 01:20 , Athena Stavrou
Trump says meeting with Putin being planned as fight over Arctic set to begin
Solution to ending war is Ukraine joining Nato, says Boris Johnson
Sunday 12 January 2025 23:55 , Athena StavrouFormer UK prime minister Boris Johnson says the solution to ending the war in Ukraine is for the country to join Nato.
Speaking to the Lithuanian news platform Delfi, Mr Johnson said the West must convey to Russian president Vladimir Putin that “Russia is no longer an empire.”
“What Putin is doing is archaic and barbaric, and he needs to understand that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania – none of these countries are part of the Russian imperium anymore, and nor is Ukraine. It’s over,” the former UK prime minister said, adding: “No more empire, Vladimir, you f**king idiot!”
“I don’t hear anyone saying that when this catastrophe is over, the solution should be Ukraine’s membership in NATO. People have stopped talking about it. And I think it’s a big loss because the West is retreating again,” he said.
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains?
Sunday 12 January 2025 22:21 , Athena Stavrou
Ukraine-Russia war map 2025: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline?
Afghanistan was largest importer of Russian flour in 2024 - report
Sunday 12 January 2025 20:54 , Athena StavrouTaliban-led Afghanistan emerged as the largest importer of flour from Russia in 2024, according to a new report by the Kremlin’s state agricultural export agency Agroexport.
The report notes that Afghanistan’s purchases doubled last year to about $80 million compared to numbers in 2023.
This is in line with the Taliban’s growing ties with Russia, including Moscow’s steps to officially recognise the regime.
Ukrainian family learns son is alive after nearly 3 years of captivity
Sunday 12 January 2025 19:30 , Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian family learns son is alive after nearly three years of captivity in Russia
Zelensky says Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers in Kursk - ICYMI
Sunday 12 January 2025 18:20 , Athena StavrouUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the country’s military has captured two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia, adding that they had survived and were communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” Zelensky said on X.
Ukraine’s inflation rose to 12 per cent in 2024 – report
Sunday 12 January 2025 17:00 , Athena StavrouInflation in Ukraine rose to 12 per cent in 2024, Ukraine’s statistics service Derzhstat has said, considerably higher than the central bank’s most recent estimates in November.
The country’s economy has been hit hard by the Russian invasion with inflation skyrocketing to over 25 per cent in 2022, up from 10 per cent in 2021.
The rate has since steadied, and Ukraine’s National Bank estimated the country would end 2024 at just under 10 per cent. But the new estimates suggest that the target has been missed.
The increasing cost of groceries and electricity have been pointed to as key drivers of inflation.
By effectively threatening to invade a Nato nation – and steal it – Trump has done Europe a favour
Sunday 12 January 2025 16:18 , Athena StavrouThis week, the president-elect refused to rule out using economic or military force to seize the Panama Canal and (or) wrestle Greenland away from Denmark, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
He’s taught Europe an important lesson:
By threatening to invade a Nato nation – and steal it – Trump’s done Europe a favour
Thousands without power after Russian strike on Ukraine's Kherson, officials say
Sunday 12 January 2025 15:29 , Tom WatlingAbout 23,000 households were left without electricity after Russian shelling of Kherson in southern Ukraine damaged power equipment in the city, the local military administration said on Sunday.
The attack targeted the Dniprovskiy district along the Dnipro River, an area of Kherson that is regularly shelled by Russian troops on the opposite bank.
Kherson’s governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Kherson city and around 50 settlements in the surrounding region had been shelled by Russian troops over the past 24 hours.
“The Russian military shelled social infrastructure and residential areas of the region’s settlements, in particular, damaging 2 multi-storey buildings and 8 private houses,” Prokudin said on Telegram.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr earlier on Sunday called on allies to honour their promises to supply Ukraine with weapons, including systems to counter Russian air attacks.
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline as 2025 begins?
Sunday 12 January 2025 14:45 , Tom WatlingUkraine-Russia war map 2025: Where are Putin’s forces making gains on the frontline?
Zelensky calls on allies to honour promises on arms supplies to Ukraine
Sunday 12 January 2025 14:09 , Tom WatlingUkraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies on Sunday to honour all promises to supply Ukraine with weapons, including those to counter Russian air attacks.
Zelensky said that over the past week Russian forces had launched hundreds of strikes on Ukraine and nearly 700 aerial bombs and over 600 attack drones were used.
Ukrainian air defences downed 60 out of 94 drones launched by Russia overnight, the air force said on Sunday. It said that 34 drones were “lost”, in reference to Ukraine‘s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones.
“Every week, the Russian war continues only because the Russian army retains its ability to terrorise Ukraine and exploit its superiority in the sky,” Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.
He called on Ukraine‘s allies to fulfil agreements already made.
“The decisions made at the Nato summit in Washington, as well as those adopted during the Ramstein meetings regarding air defences for Ukraine, have still not been fully implemented,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine‘s leader this week said he had discussed with partners and the United States the possibility of granting Ukrainelicenses to produce air defence systems and missiles.
Mapped: Russia’s advance in Donetsk
Sunday 12 January 2025 13:41 , Tom WatlingBritain must learn from Ukraine and use AI for warfare, MPs say
Sunday 12 January 2025 13:00 , Tom WatlingBritain must learn from Ukraine and use AI for warfare, MPs say
Mapped: Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk
Sunday 12 January 2025 12:18 , Tom WatlingTrump says meeting with Putin being planned
Sunday 12 January 2025 11:38 , Tom WatlingTrump says meeting with Putin being planned as fight over Arctic set to begin
Mapped: Ukraine-Russia frontline
Sunday 12 January 2025 11:06 , Tom WatlingRussia claims control of village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region
Sunday 12 January 2025 10:33 , Tom WatlingRussian troops claim to have taken a village in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry reported their forces had seized the village of Yantarne in the Donetsk region. The village is located four miles south of the recently captured Kurakhove and is in the path of advancing troops.
The Kremlin often prematurely claims control of towns and cities in Ukraine.
DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker that maps the frontline and is known to have close ties to the military, recorded the town of Yantarne as not under Russian control.
But Ukrainian military blogger Bohdan Miroshnikov claimed yesterday that Russian forces crossed the Sukhi Yaly river to the south of the village and had approached its outskirts.
He claimed that the question of withdrawing forces from that wider area would start being considered soon.
Ukraine captures North Korean POWs as Russia advances in Donetsk
Sunday 12 January 2025 10:00 , Tom WatlingUkraine captures first North Korean POWs as Russia advances in Donetsk
Ukraine's air force says it downed 60 Russian drones launched overnight
Sunday 12 January 2025 09:31 , Tom WatlingUkrainian air defences downed 60 out of 94 drones launched by Russia overnight, the air force said on Sunday.
It said that 34 drones were “lost”, in reference to Ukraine‘s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones.
