These are the important thing developments from day 1,408 of Russia’s struggle on Ukraine.
Printed On 2 Jan 2026
Right here is the place issues stand on Friday, January 2:
Preventing
Ukraine and Russia have traded allegations of assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure over the New 12 months, with Kyiv saying there had been one other broad assault on its energy provides, and Moscow reporting a lethal strike on a lodge in territory it occupies in southern Ukraine.
- Russia stated a minimum of 24 individuals, together with a toddler, have been killed in a drone strike on a lodge and cafe the place civilians had been seeing within the new 12 months in a Russian-controlled a part of the Kherson area in southern Ukraine.
- Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the area, stated three Ukrainian drones had hit the celebrations in Khorly, a coastal village, in what he stated was a “deliberate strike” in opposition to civilians. He stated many individuals had been burned alive.
Requested concerning the strike on Kherson, a Ukrainian navy spokesperson instructed the Interfax-Ukraine information company that Kyiv’s forces solely focused Russian navy or vitality websites.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a message on Telegram that Russia launched greater than 200 assault drones in opposition to Ukraine, concentrating on vitality infrastructure in seven areas throughout the nation.
Russian air defence items have downed a complete of 29 Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow over a 20-hour New 12 months interval, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated. Restrictions had been in place on the night of New 12 months’s Day for 2 Moscow airports. Sobyanin made no point out of casualties or injury.
Ukrainian drones struck vitality and industrial targets throughout the Russian areas of Krasnodar, Tatarstan and Kaluga in a single day, Russian officers stated on Thursday. The Ukrainian navy confirmed it had carried out two of the three assaults.
Alleged assault on Putin’s residence
A senior Russian navy chief, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, stated he had given a United States navy attache what he claimed to be a part of a Ukrainian drone. He stated information from the drone proved that the Ukrainian navy focused a residence of President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s northern Novgorod area this week.
Ukraine has denied Russia’s declare. US intelligence sources instructed reporters on Wednesday Kyiv was not behind the assault.
- Ukraine staged the loss of life of an anti-Kremlin Russian fighter, Denis Kapustin, to stop his killing ordered by Moscow’s particular forces, Ukrainian navy intelligence introduced. Kapustin’s Russian Volunteer Corps claimed that he was killed on the entrance line, however he later appeared in a video briefing with the pinnacle of Ukrainian navy intelligence (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov.
- Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence stated it had deployed two new Patriot air defence programs obtained from Germany as a part of a beforehand introduced navy support provide.
Diplomacy
Ukraine’s high negotiator in US-brokered peace talks, Rustem Umerov, stated he met with Turkish International Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara. Umerov stated he mentioned with Fidan the negotiation course of and subsequent steps, with explicit consideration to humanitarian points and the return of Ukrainians held by Russia.
In his New 12 months’s tackle to the nation, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy stated he needed the struggle to finish, however not at any price. He added he wouldn’t signal a “weak” peace settlement that may solely extend the struggle.
- Zelenskyy additionally stated that weeks of US-led diplomacy, together with his talks final weekend with US President Donald Trump in Florida, had produced a peace deal that was practically prepared. “A peace settlement is 90 p.c prepared, 10 p.c stays,” he stated.
