Russian forces continue to make costly but consistent gains in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. They are steadily grinding down a pocket of resistance around the town of Kurakhove and are also fighting to envelop the larger nearby city of Pokrovsk, Ukrainian soldiers and officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russia had suffered heavy losses in five months of fighting Ukrainian forces in southern Russia's Kursk region, with nearly 15,000 killed.

Russia sent one of its top generals, General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, to organize Russia’s defense in Kursk Oblast against a renewed Ukrainian attack, The Telegraph reported on Jan. 5.

Russia has launched a new offensive on Kyiv, the Ukrainian military reported late Wednesday (Jan 8). Of the 64 Shahed-type drones, Ukraine air defence has reportedly shot down 41 with 22 enemy decoy drones lost locally.

Russia has intensified its offensive against Ukraine by launching a series of missile and drone attacks targeting critical energy infrastructure across the country. These strikes have led to widespread power outages,