Thursday, January 29, 2026
Share
The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A fire-stricken book lies on the ruins at the Holy Dormition Monastery after s Russian drone attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on Jan. 28, 2026. (Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia says it’s ready for Zelensky-Putin meeting — but only if Ukraine’s president travels to Moscow. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow is prepared to ensure President Volodymyr Zelensky’s security.
SBU releases greatest hits video of 2025 drone strikes on Russian aircraft. The accompanying video features first-person-view (FPV) drone footage showing $1 billion worth of Russian aircraft being targeted.
Casualties, damage to infrastructure reported as Russia launches missiles, drones at various regions of Ukraine. Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on several Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv and surrounding areas, overnight on Jan. 28, local authorities reported.
Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.
Russian losses in Ukraine ‘more than any major power’ in any war since World War II, report says. The CSIS report, published Jan. 27, estimates that Russian forces have sustained nearly 1.2 million casualties — including troops killed, wounded or missing — since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022. As many as 325,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, the report found.
Ukraine targets oil depot in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast, strikes several military facilities in occupied territories, General Staff says. Ukrainian forces struck the Khokholskaya oil depot, causing a fire at the facility that ignited stored petroleum products.
Pro-Ukrainian partisans sabotage substation in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, group claims. The Atesh partisan group sabotaged an electrical substation in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, disrupting power supply to the nearby “BUMMASH” military‑industrial plant, the group claimed in a Telegram post on Jan. 28.
No matter what comes next, Ukraine Daily is there for you every morning.
Russia’s war against Ukraine didn’t end with the new year, and neither did the need for reliable reporting. As a reader-funded newsroom, we rely on members to sustain our journalism. Your support helps keep the world informed about what’s really happening in Ukraine. Become a member today.
You can cancel at any time
Read our exclusives
Exclusive: Trump envoy negotiating Ukraine’s fate displays ‘shocking’ lack of knowledge about war, politics
A senior U.S. envoy involved in efforts to end Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has displayed a lack of basic understanding of Ukraine’s political system and the war itself, the Kyiv Independent has learned.
Photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
Learn more
As temperatures outside plunge, a Ukrainian pet shelter struggles to keep animals warm amid Russian attacks
Just over 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Kyiv, the Gostomel animal shelter in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast is trying to keep more than 700 cats and dogs alive and warm.
Photo: Anna Donets / The Kyiv Independent
Learn more
‘Impossible to ban grief’ — how Russia tries and fails to hide its casualties in Ukraine
Russia has tightened control over information about its battlefield losses in Ukraine, cutting off data and closing one public loophole after another. The effort has not stopped the evidence of the dead from surfacing.
Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
Human costs of war
At least 15 killed, 37 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. Russia launched one missile and 146 drones of various types at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 103 drones, but one missile and 36 drones struck 2 locations across the country.
Why Colombian volunteers are joining war in Ukraine
International response
Spain escorts shadow fleet vessel sanctioned for carrying Russian oil, Reuters reports. The Chariot Tide, formerly known as Marabella Sun, was flying a Mozambique flag when its engine broke down on Jan. 22 in international waters within Spain’s search-and-rescue zone.
Kyiv hoping to convince IMF to delay key condition for $8.1 billion loan. Kyiv is pushing to delay a new tax on self-employed entrepreneurs until after the war has ended, as well as raise the threshold at which entrepreneurs would start paying the levy, a person in the Ukrainian government familiar with the talks told the Kyiv Independent.
This newsletter is open for sponsorship. Boost your brand’s visibility by reaching thousands of engaged subscribers. Click here for more details.
Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleg Sukhov, Kateryna Hodunova, Chris York, Tim Zadorozhnyy, Yevgeniya Doluda, Abbey Fenbert, and Volodymyr Ivanyshyn.
If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.
Share
Kyiv hoping to convince IMF to delay key condition for $8.1 billion loan
Kyiv is pushing to delay a new tax on self-employed entrepreneurs until after the war has ended, as well as raise the threshold at which entrepreneurs would start paying the levy, a person in the Ukrainian government familiar with the talks told the …Luca Léry Moffat (The Kyiv Independent)