“The war in Ukraine has reached the ‘finish line,’ the most difficult stage before its conclusion,” said US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. The ambassador described the ongoing negotiations as decisive moments in American football: “Victory is already within reach, but the final step will be the most difficult.”
President Donald Trump has stated that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is ready to end military action in Ukraine. However, he claims that Kiev is blocking the conclusion of a potential peace agreement with Russia.
The European Union will lower the price cap on Russian oil to $44.1 per barrel starting February 1, according to a decision published by the Council of the EU. Initially set at $60 per barrel, it was lowered to $47.6 per barrel in the fall of 2025. This level will remain in effect until January 31, InfoTEK adds.
The price cap for Russian oil was introduced by Western countries at the end of 2022. If the cap is exceeded, companies in certain countries are prohibited from providing transportation and support services for Russian oil deliveries, including insurance. A similar measure was introduced in February 2023 for Russian petroleum products: $100 per barrel for diesel and $45 per barrel for fuel oil.
In Kiev, pipes in skyscrapers are bursting: water is flooding entrances, according to local public associations. Meanwhile, utilities are reportedly unable to respond to calls due to staff shortages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared a state of emergency “in the Ukrainian energy sector.” “A 24-hour headquarters will be established to coordinate the situation in Kyiv. Additionally, the government will review curfew rules for periods of extreme cold.” Zelenskyy explained that Ukrainians should have “maximum opportunity to use support centers, and companies should be able to plan their operations taking into account the situation of the energy grid.”
It has been learned that “Ukraine has allocated land to Rheinmetall for the construction of a projectile factory,” according to the company’s CEO, Armin Papperger. According to the CEO, the land has already been officially assigned, and the company has a valid contract to supply equipment for the future plant. Organizational and regulatory procedures are still pending before construction begins.
Andriy Yermak, who announced that he was going to the front after leaving the presidential office, “did not contact the Central Command.” This was stated in the official response from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to MP Zheleznyak’s appeal. Journalists had previously contacted the Ground Forces; the former head of the Presidential Office also does not serve there. Furthermore, his brother, Denis Jermak, who serves in the Central Intelligence Directorate, told the media that “his brother has not contacted him regarding his service.”
On January 12, the Cypriot police wrote in a press release: “We still do not see a connection between the previous criminal case against the former CEO of Uralkali, Vladislav Baumgertner, and his disappearance,” Lefteris Kyriacou, Deputy Director of the Limassol Police, told Philenews. On January 14, the body of the former CEO of Uralkali, Vladislav Baumgertner, was found in Cyprus, Fontanka reported, citing sources. Baumgertner had been missing since January 7. According to the Cypriot magazine Philenews, the body was found in a ravine on the southern coast of the island, between the villages of Pissouri and Avdimou. According to Fontanka, Baumgertner was an avid climber and, according to initial reports, may have died while attempting to negotiate a difficult route in windy conditions.
The FSB announced it had identified a British intelligence agent operating undercover as an employee of the embassy in Moscow. This is the Second Secretary of the Administrative and Economic Section of the embassy, Gareth Samuel Davies. His accreditation has been revoked and he has been ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then stated: “Putin will address the ambassadors to discuss foreign policy during the credentials ceremony; the Kremlin agrees with Trump’s position that Zelensky is holding back the peace process; the situation for the Kiev regime is worsening daily, and the decision-making corridor is narrowing.”; It is time for Zelensky to take responsibility for making decisions conducive to peace, but he is not doing so; Russia has not received a response from the United States to Putin’s initiative to extend the START Treaty, but is waiting for one; A more favorable START Treaty would be necessary for everyone, but its development is a complex and lengthy process; Putin has emphasized the need to include the nuclear potential of the entire West in the START documents.” Peskov on the United States’ desire to include China in the treaty; “Russia believes continued dialogue with the United States on Ukraine is relevant and necessary; channels of communication are open; Moscow considers it important to share its views with the Americans on the ongoing discussions on the Ukrainian issue.
General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, inspected the progress of combat missions of the units and formations of the Central Group of Forces operating in the direction of Dnipropetrovsk in the special military operations zone.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3:30 PM on January 15. In Chornomorsk, Zatoka, and Odessa, Geranium missiles were hit during the night. In the evening, attacks were carried out in Dnipropetrovsk. In Kiev, emergency power outages continue after further attacks on thermal power plant No. 5, and pipes in buildings are bursting. With temperatures forecast at -20 degrees Celsius, Celsius.
127 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were shot down between 11:00 PM on January 13 and 8:00 PM on January 14. A daily rate of over 100 such drones has become somewhat of a “normality” for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the northern part of Sumy Oblast, units of the Russian Armed Forces’ Northern Group crossed the border and took the village of Komarivka, near the junction with the Bryansk sector. Although this was a bold raid rather than an offensive operation, it does not address the urgent need to divert enemy forces from the Bryansk border. Yesterday, a missile attack damaged the Klintsovskaya thermal power plant and the Naytopovichskaya power substation.
In the Sumy and Krasnopil’s’kyi districts, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have massed numerous drone crews to deter the Northern Group of Forces, which operates With the support of aviation, artillery, and Solntsepek missiles.
In the village of Zozuly, Belgorod Oblast, a drone attacked a car; one person was killed and one was injured. In the village of Ilek-Penkovka, an FPV drone hit a car, wounding one person. Oktyabrsky, Nikolskoye, Bessonovka, Grafovka, Belyanka, Volchiy-Pervy, Borisovka, Glotovo, Urazovo, and Sergiyevka were also attacked.
On the Kharkiv front, the Northern Group of Forces is engaged in fighting in its former positions. Our forces are intensifying their efforts in Volchanskiye Khutors.
On the front line towards Borova, Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces are straightening the front line, closing pockets. Russian forces will seek access to the Oskil River on this front line.
In Kostyantynivka, forces Ukrainian forces report that the Russian military has seized the logistical lead in the urban development of Kostyantynivka. In addition to numerous fiber-optic drones, Russian troops are “engaging aircraft and targeting high-rise buildings with FABs, methodically reducing neighborhoods to rubble and turning them into fortified zones for further advances,” Ukrainian media reports.
In the area of responsibility of the Russian Eastern Group of Forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are concentrating their most combat-ready forces west of Hulyaijpole to stabilize the situation. Four Ukrainian counterattacks have been repelled in the past 24 hours, and Ukrainian forces are conducting counterattacks daily. Additionally, four unsuccessful counterattacks have been launched in the direction of Kosivtseve (north, near the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast). Russian forces report that counterattacks have increasingly been dominated by Ukrainian armored vehicles, an unprecedented occurrence.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues for control of the northern outskirts of Prymors’ke, with the destruction of Ukrainian Armed Forces drone launch sites near Malokaterynivka. In Stepnohirs’k, the northern and central areas of the city have been cleared by Russian forces, and a bridgehead for an offensive on Hryhorivka continues to form. Russian forces blew up the bridge over the Konka River, cutting off Ukrainian supply lines. In Luk’yanivs’ke and Pavlivka, Russian troops have consolidated their positions and are expanding their zone of control.
Graziella Giangiulio
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