Ukraine hit a Russian plant manufacturing ballistic missiles in a missile strike in the remote Udmurtia region, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Saturday.
Ukraine said its forces attacked the plant manufacturing Russian missiles, including the short-range Iskander and intercontinental Topol-M, in Votkinsk, east of Moscow and about 1,400 km (800 miles) from Ukraine.
It said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainian forces used domestically produced ground-launched Flamingo cruise missiles. The attack caused a fire on the site, the Ukrainian military said.
Alexander Brechalov, the governor of the Udmurtia region in Russia, had earlier said a site there had been attacked overnight with drones.
&#8220;There has been damage and injuries as a result,&#8221; Brechalov said in a video posted on the Telegram app. He provided no other details.
The airport in Udmurtia&#8217;s main city, Izhevsk, and those in cities in nearby regions suspended operations, the civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said.
The unofficial Russian Telegram channel SHOT, which often quotes contacts in the security services, said residents in Votkinsk reported hearing at least three explosions and the humming of drones.
Russia uses its ballistic missiles to reinforce its drone attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, knocking out electricity and heating supplies for millions across Ukraine during the cold winter months.
Ukraine is increasingly targeting military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. Kyiv says that hitting the weapons producers and the energy system that fuels Russia&#8217;s military is the best way to gain leverage over its bigger enemy as the war enters its fifth year next week.
The Ukrainian military said it also hit a gas processing plant in the Russian Samara region. Russian officials in the Samara region issued no report of such an attack.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash, Editing by Alex Richardson)

Missile

Ukraine Strikes Ballistic Missile Producer Deep Inside Russia, Kyiv Says

Global Politics

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

World

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got into a heated spat with Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Clinton and Macinka, a right-leaning populist, disagreed on a number off issues — but the trouble really began when Clinton accused President Donald Trump of effectively conspiring with Russian President Vladimir Putin to exploit Ukraine.
&#8220;I think that the effort to force Ukraine into a surrender deal with Putin is shameful. I think that the effort that Putin and Trump are making to profit off the misery and death of the Ukrainian people is a historic error, and corrupt to the nth degree,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;I believe Ukraine is fighting for our democracy and our values of freedom and civilization on the front lines, losing thousands of people, and having their country destroyed by one man’s mania to control them, and I think Trump either doesn’t understand or could care less about that suffering.&#8221;
Macinka, when asked whether he would agree with Clinton&#8217;s assessment, turned to the former Secretary of State and said, &#8220;I think you really don’t like him.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
REALITY CZECH: Hillary Clinton clashes with Czech Deputy PM Petr Macinka after he says President Trump reacted to policies that went &#8220;too far.&#8221;
MACINKA: &#8220;We saw the woke revolution. I don&#8217;t agree with the gender revolution, the climate alarmism&#8230;&#8221;
CLINTON: &#8220;Which gender? Women… <a href="https://t.co/bCCYKXqvWa">pic.twitter.com/bCCYKXqvWa</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2023159967310590332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Clinton gave no argument to that: &#8220;That is absolutely true. Not only do I not like him, I don’t like him because of what he’s doing to the United States, and the world, and I think you should take a hard look at it if you think there is something good that will come out of it.&#8221;
Macinka defended Trump then, arguing that he was only attempting to push back against policies that the people believed had gone too far to the Left — &#8220;too far from regular people, too far from reality.&#8221;
&#8220;We saw the cancel culture, we saw the woke revolution, I don’t agree with the gender revolution, the climate alarmism,&#8221; Macinka offered examples when asked, but then Clinton interrupted him.
&#8220;Which gender revolution? Women having their rights?&#8221; Clinton asked, apparently misunderstanding his comment.
Macinka explained that he was not talking about women&#8217;s rights, but radical gender ideology, replying, &#8220;I think there are two genders.&#8221;
Clinton once again attempted to commandeer the narrative: &#8220;How about half of us, can we have our rights?&#8221;
Macinka was undeterred, however, and continued, &#8220;Some of us think there is more than two genders. I think there is male and female, and the rest, probably, is a social construct. This is something that went too far.”
“But does that justify selling out the people of Ukraine who are on the front lines dying to save their freedom and their two genders, if that’s what you’re worried about?” Clinton tried once more.
&#8220;Can I please finish my point? I’m sorry that it makes you nervous‚&#8221; Macinka shot back.
Clinton protested, &#8220;It doesn’t make me nervous, it makes me very, very, unhappy.&#8221;

Hillary Clinton Appears At Women Transforming Global Security Event

Watch Hillary Clinton Panic When Czech Leader Declares There Are Only Two Genders

Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton

Munich

Politics

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump has reunited even more Russian and Ukrainian children with their families today, the First Lady&#8217;s office announced on Thursday.
The news marks the third time that the First Lady has helped to bring children back to their families after these children were separated due to the Russia and Ukraine war.
&#8220;I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,&#8221; Melania Trump said in a statement on Thursday. &#8220;Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians.”
“Today marks the third reunification since I have been working strategically with both nations,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I have no doubt more progress will come.”
The First Lady and her representative helping with the negotiations &#8220;continue to engage&#8221; in these conversations with both Russia and Ukraine.
In October, the First Lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/melania-trump-persuaded-putin-to-help-her-reunite-children-displaced-during-russia-ukraine-war">revealed that she had been in frequent contact</a> with Russian President Vladimir Putin as she sought to bring home children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war, sharing at the time that she had reunited eight Ukrainian children with their families.
“President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children,” the first lady explained during a press conference at the White House, sharing that Putin responded to her August plea to help the children with his own letter, and willingly agreed to engage with her. “For the past few months, both sides have participated in several back channel meetings and calls, all in good faith.”
“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine,” she said. “Three were separated from their parents and displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict, including one young girl who has now been reunited from Ukraine to Russia.”
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-narration-ignore="true" data-testid="ad-wrapper"></div>
<div id="attachment_1043309" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/for-the-third-time-melania-trump-reunites-russian-ukrainian-children-with-their-families/melania-trump-meets-with-released-american-israeli-hostage-keith-siegel" rel="attachment wp-att-1043309"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043309" class="wp-image-1043309 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The First Lady has been unusually public-facing this year, partially due to the release of her documentary film, &#8220;Melania,&#8221; which premiered at the Kennedy Center with an elegant black and white soiree attended by top members of the president&#8217;s administration and many staff.
On February 4, the First Lady met with Keith and Aviva Siegel at the White House, where they had a private, sit-down conversation before bringing in the press. Hamas forcibly took the Siegels from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, and held them hostage. The terrorist group held Aviva Siegel hostage for 51 days, and Keith Siegel for 484 days.
Hamas released Aviva Siegel during the first hostage deal in November 2023, then released her husband on February 1, 2025, during a ceasefire brokered by the president before he even took office. Keith Siegel&#8217;s release came after his wife met with both Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
One of these meetings, between Melania Trump and Aviva Siegel, was included in the first lady’s new film, “Melania.&#8221; The film showed footage of Melania Trump and Aviva Siegel sharing an emotional moment in Manhattan. Melania Trump hugs Siegel as she weeps into her shoulder, and the first lady promises to pray for her husband, who was still in captivity.
One of the final title cards in “Melania” states that the first lady “played a key role in securing the release of Keith Siegel after 484 days as a hostage in Gaza, just 12 days after the inauguration.” And the First Lady states in the film: “I will always use my influence and power to fight for those in need.&#8221;

First Lady Melania Trump Meets Freed Israeli-American Hostage Keith Siegel

For The Third Time, Melania Trump Reunites Russian, Ukrainian Children With Their Families

Melania Trump

Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukrainian energy facilities overnight on Saturday, targeting electricity generation and distribution, Kyiv said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the overnight attack involved more than 400 drones and some 40 missiles of various types, targeting the grid, generation facilities and distribution substations.
Nearly four years into the war that began with Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine&#8217;s battered energy sector is crumbling under the Russian strikes, accumulated wartime damage and bitterly cold winter weather.
&#8220;Every day, Russia could choose real diplomacy, but it chooses new strikes,&#8221; Zelensky posted on X. &#8220;It is crucial that everyone who supports the trilateral negotiations respond to this. Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine.&#8221;
Moscow did not immediately comment on the attacks.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the strikes hit two thermal power stations in Ukraine&#8217;s western regions and core elements of the Ukrainian electricity distribution system &#8211; substations and key electricity distribution lines.
&#8220;Russian criminals carried out another massive attack on Ukraine&#8217;s energy facilities,&#8221; Shmyhal said on the Telegram app. &#8220;Energy workers are ready to start repair works as soon as the security situation allows.&#8221;
The strikes were launched as temperatures began to drop and are forecast to fall to minus 14 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days.
The new Russian attacks on the energy system also come just days after the latest round of the U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia on how to end the war.
Despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration and rounds of talks, diplomatic efforts have so far brought no tangible results.
Since autumn 2025, Moscow has intensified its attacks on the Ukrainian power grid and other energy infrastructure, forcing frequent blackouts across Ukraine and plunging millions into darkness for hours.
Ukrainian officials said that emergency power cuts were introduced across the country. Shmyhal said the government asked Poland for emergency power imports to help the Ukrainian grid.
Regional officials reported attacks across the country, including in the western regions of Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv.
The Burshtyn and Dobrotvir thermal power plants in western Ukraine were hit, officials said.
DTEK, Ukraine&#8217;s largest private energy company, said that equipment was damaged significantly at its thermal power plants in different regions. DTEK said it was the 10th attack on its thermal power stations since October 2025.
&#8220;Since Russians have been targeting energy facilities in various regions of our country, power outages may last much longer,&#8221; said Maksym Kozytskyi, the Lviv regional governor.
He said air alerts lasted more than six hours in the western Lviv region, close to the Polish border.
Polish authorities said two airports in southeastern Poland were suspended from operations as a precaution due to Russian strikes on nearby Ukrainian territory. The airports in Poland later resumed operations.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by)

Severely damaged Darnytska CHPP in Kyiv after massive Russian attack

Russia Launches Massive Attack On Ukraine’s Energy System, Zelensky Says

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

A gunman shot and seriously wounded a senior Russian intelligence official in his Moscow apartment building on Friday in yet another assassination attempt that the Kremlin is blaming on Ukraine.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, a deputy head of Russia&#8217;s military intelligence arm, was taken to the hospital after the shooting and remains in critical condition, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-military-official-hospitalised-after-being-shot-agencies-report-2026-02-06/">reported</a>, citing Russian investigators. The gunman fled the scene and has not been identified as of Friday morning.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the shooting a &#8220;terrorist attack&#8221; and claimed that Ukraine was attempting to derail talks between Moscow and the United States, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia/senior-russian-military-general-vladimir-alekseyev-shot-moscow-rcna257748">reported</a>. The shooting took place just one day after U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials concluded another round of peace talks in the United Arab Emirates. Ukraine and Russia agreed to another prisoner swap during the negotiations, but no breakthroughs on a potential peace deal or ceasefire were announced.
Alekseyev, 64, is a highly respected military official in Russia and was honored by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the &#8220;Hero of Russia&#8221; award, which recognizes exceptional service for the country. The United States has sanctioned the Russian general for his role in Russian cyberattacks. Alekseyev was also sanctioned by the European Union after Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in England in 2018.
In 2023, Putin sent Alekseyev to negotiate with Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin after Prigozhin started a mutiny and attempted to overthrow the Russian dictator. The coup attempt ultimately failed, and Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash that U.S. officials <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/wagner-prigozhin-russia-assassinated-intelligence-3e456fab">believe</a> was caused by a bomb on board &#8220;or some other form of sabotage.&#8221;
Russian news media cited law enforcement sources who said the gunman was waiting for Alexeyev outside of his apartment and opened fire when the military official left to go to work. Alekseyev reportedly sustained gunshot wounds to the chest, along with one of his arms and a leg. Following the assassination attempt, some Russian journalists questioned why top military leaders are not better protected, Reuters reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to some of those criticisms, saying, &#8220;It is clear that military commanders and high-level specialists are at risk during wartime. But it is not the Kremlin that should be deciding how to ensure their safety. This is a matter for the special services.&#8221;
Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the assassination attempt, which comes just two months after another Russian general was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-russian-general-taken-out-by-car-bomb-on-moscow-street?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Another+Russian+General+Taken+Out+By+Car+Bomb+On+Moscow+Street">killed</a> in a car bombing in Moscow. In December, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, who was head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed along with his assistant in a blast that Russian authorities blamed on Ukraine&#8217;s intelligence agency.
Sarvarov was the third high-ranking Russian military leader to be assassinated since late 2024. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for the assassinations of multiple Russian generals since the beginning of the war.
During the trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates this week, the White House agreed to resume high-level military dialogue with Russia, something that has not happened since before Moscow invaded Ukraine. The agreement comes as the nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nuclear-caps-gone-as-u-s-russia-treaty-expires">expired</a> on Thursday.

Top Russian Military Intelligence Lt.Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev Wounded In Moscow

Top Russian Military Official Shot In Moscow Shortly After Trilateral Peace Talks Conclude

Kremlin

U.S. envoys met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for over three hours to discuss a potential deal aimed at ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Trump confidants Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with newly-appointed Board of Peace senior advisor Josh Greunbaum, met with Putin at midnight Thursday as the World Economic Forum in Davos comes to a close.
A video clip shared by the Kremlin on Telegram showed Putin, joined by his foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, and special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, shaking hands with the envoys prior to the meeting.
The group discussed the 20-point peace plan to end the Russian invasion, which has been held up due to key disagreements on Russian demands for land in Eastern Ukraine, much of which Ukraine has successfully defended at this point in the war.
The outcome of the meeting was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the talks, which were held shortly after President Trump said a deal was &#8220;reasonably close&#8221; and Witkoff <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-meets-us-envoys-late-night-talks-ukraine-2026-01-22/">said</a> a deal hinged on one last issue, according to Reuters.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hours earlier at Davos, describing the conversation as &#8220;good&#8221; to reporters aboard Air Force One.
&#8220;We&#8217;re discussing things that have been discussed for six or seven months, and he [Zelensky] came, and he said he wants to make a deal because I wasn&#8217;t necessarily sure. I think he should want to make a deal,” Trump said. “President Putin would like to make a deal. I think that President Zelensky would like to make a deal.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his meeting with President Zelensky in Davos: &#8220;We&#8217;re discussing things that have been discussed for six or seven months and he came and he said he wants to make a deal because I wasn&#8217;t necessarily sure. I think he should want to make a deal.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/89LxjlmJTs">pic.twitter.com/89LxjlmJTs</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014494433190817922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Zelensky blasted European leaders during his Davos speech on Thursday for what he called their inaction against Putin.
&#8220;Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today,&#8221; Zelensky <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-22/putin-starts-kremlin-talks-with-us-envoys-witkoff-and-kushner">said</a>. &#8220;Where is the line of leaders who are ready to act?&#8221;

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-US-DIPLOMACY

Trump Pushes Ukraine Peace Deal As Kushner, Witkoff Hold Talks With Putin

Davos

Jared Kushner

Steve Witkoff

KYIV, Jan 2 (Reuters) &#8211; Russian missiles struck a multi-story apartment building in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Friday, leaving the building in ruins and killing at least two people and injuring about 25 more, officials said.
Russia denied the attack had taken place, suggesting that an explosion at the site was caused by Ukrainian ammunition.
Photographs and videos posted online showed smoke rising from an area of destruction, with emergency crews making their way through rubble and large chunks of building materials.
Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov, writing on Telegram, said that according to preliminary information the bodies of a woman and her son were found under rubble.
Speaking earlier on Ukrainian television, Syniehubov said two ballistic missiles had struck the area and &#8220;nearly destroyed a five-story dwelling.&#8221;
&#8220;Rescue teams are on site,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They are primarily clearing rubble and searching for people underneath.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1022717" style="width: 868px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1022717" class="wp-image-1022717 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-858x576.jpg" alt="" width="858" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-858x576.jpg 858w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-1536x1031.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-2048x1375.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px" />Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia&#8217;s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy</div>
Ukraine&#8217;s state Emergency Services said it was deploying find people it believed were still trapped under the ruins of the building.
Syniehubov earlier said 25 people were injured, with 16 in hospital, including a woman in serious condition. He said customers may have been at shops and a cafe on the building&#8217;s first floor when the explosion occurred.
<div id="attachment_1022719" style="width: 871px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1022719" class="wp-image-1022719 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-861x576.jpg" alt="" width="861" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-861x576.jpg 861w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-768x514.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-2048x1370.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px" />Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia&#8217;s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi</div>
Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry, writing on Telegram, said reports of an attack were untrue and suggested the blast at the site had been caused by the detonation of Ukrainian ammunition.
&#8220;Published video footage seconds before the explosion shows thick smoke of unknown origin which, to a high probability, would indicate that a detonation of stored Ukrainian military ammunition occurred at the &#8216;Persona&#8217; shopping centre,&#8221; it said.
The ministry said the reports sought to distract world attention from a New Year&#8217;s Eve strike, which it blamed on Ukraine, on a hotel in a Russian-held part of Kherson region in southern Ukraine. Ukraine responded by saying its strikes were aimed at Russian military and energy targets.
The area&#8217;s Russia-installed governor, Vladimir Saldo, told TASS news agency on Friday that the death toll in that incident had risen to 28.
Located 30 km (18 miles) from the border, Kharkiv withstood Russian advances in the early weeks of Russia&#8217;s February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbor.
With Russia&#8217;s forces focused since on capturing eastern regions of the country, the city has been a frequent target of aerial attacks.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Ron Popeski, Gareth Jones and Alistair Bell)

REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi

Russian Strike On Ukraine’s Kharkiv Kills Two, Injures 25; Moscow Denies Attack Took Place

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of targeting civilians over the New Year, with Moscow reporting a deadly strike on a hotel in territory it occupies in southern Ukraine while Kyiv said there had been another broad attack on its power supplies.
The reports coincide with intensive talks overseen by U.S. President Donald Trump and aimed at bringing an end to the nearly four-year-old war. Each country has said the other is doing all it can to influence his views and shape the outcome.
&#8220;On New Year, Russia deliberately brings war. Over 200 attack drones were launched onto Ukraine in the night,&#8221; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, saying energy infrastructure in seven regions across Ukraine had been targeted.
Russia accused Ukraine of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone strike on a hotel and cafe where civilians were seeing in the New Year in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine&#8217;s military, which has accused Russia of killing many civilians in its own attacks on Ukrainian cities, said it targeted strictly military and energy targets, but made no specific reference to accounts of the strike on the hotel.
Zelensky said that Russia&#8217;s holiday season attacks showed Ukraine could not afford delays in air defense supplies.
&#8220;(Our) allies have the names of equipment which we are lacking. We expect that everything agreed with the United States at the end of December for our defense will arrive on time,&#8221; he said, without clarifying further.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, said three Ukrainian drones had hit the celebrations in Khorly, a coastal village, in what he said was a &#8220;deliberate strike&#8221; against civilians. He said that many people had been burnt alive.
Russia&#8217;s Foreign Ministry said that as well as the 24 dead, 50 people had been injured.
It said the strike, as well as other drone attacks blamed on Ukraine, sought to &#8220;divert attention from the failures of the Ukrainian military at the front. The Kyiv regime is trying to prove its viability through terrorist acts.&#8221;
On Monday, Moscow accused Kyiv of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian and European officials have said the incident did not happen and U.S. security officials were also reported to have found that Ukraine did not target the residence.
A senior Russian military chief handed to a U.S. military attache what he said was part of a Ukrainian drone containing data he said proved that the Ukrainian military had targeted the residence.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported Kherson region attack or photographs of what Saldo&#8217;s press service said was the aftermath on Thursday. Saldo said he had briefed Putin on the details of the attack.
The images showed at least one dead body was visible beneath a white sheet. The building showed signs that a fire had raged and there were what looked like blood stains on the ground. Russia&#8217;s TASS news agency published video showing drone fragments, some with Ukrainian writing on them.
Ukrainian officials regularly report civilian deaths from Russian air attacks, including in the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, which lies near the front line.
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The Ukrainian governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said that one man had been killed and an 87-year-old woman injured in attacks on the city on Thursday.
Ukraine&#8217;s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said rail facilities had been attacked in three regions.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday its strikes had hit military targets, as well as energy infrastructure which it claimed was being used to support Ukraine&#8217;s military.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia&#8217;s Security Council, told TASS that those who carried out the hotel attack and their commanders should be targeted.
Kherson is one of four regions in Ukraine which Russia claimed as its own in 2022, a move Kyiv and most Western countries denounced as an illegal land grab.
Moscow&#8217;s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said Russian air defence units had downed 35 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours. He reported no casualties or damage.
(Reporting by Max Hunder and Reuters bureaux; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Ros Russell and Ron Popeski)

Russia And Ukraine Trade Allegations Of Civilian Attacks On New Year’s Day

A CNN panel discussion quickly veered off the rails when one guest claimed that Israel had invaded Gaza in much the same way that Russia invaded Ukraine.
The conversation took place on &#8220;CNN NewsNight,&#8221; hosted by Abby Phillip, and spiraled out of control when &#8220;The Majority Report&#8221; host Emma Vigeland argued that the United States lacked credibility in addressing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine after supporting Israel.
&#8220;I do think that the kind of elephant in the room here is the United States completely losing, and the Biden administration is immensely complicit in this as well, moral standing throughout the world due to our complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Which has made it very difficult for us to speak to Ukrainian sovereignty and having a bully like the Russian government invading their sovereign territory&#8221; she said.
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings was clearly taken aback, but when he attempted to debate the point, Phillip called him off and said there wasn&#8217;t time. Jennings pressed onward regardless, undeterred.
&#8220;We have to debate this, Abby. Oh, we don&#8217;t have time for the anti-Israel propaganda?&#8221; he began, and everyone at the table began talking at once. &#8220;Unbelievable. October the 7th was fine? Yeah, unbelievable.&#8221;
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&#8220;Oh well, we let it unspool for two minutes. But sure. I mean, honestly, I don&#8217;t understand. Israel is our ally. Not a single word in your speech for the atrocities that were committed on October the 7th. Not a single word,&#8221; Jennings continued.
&#8220;There shouldn&#8217;t be,&#8221; Vigeland doubled down. &#8220;We should cut off arms tomorrow.&#8221;
&#8220;Not a single word for the idea that Israel has every right to defend itself,&#8221; Jennings said, and Vigeland could be seen laughing as he added, &#8220;Not a single word for the fact that Hamas right now is killing people inside of Gaza — their own people. You seem to lay it all at the feet of Israel. Israel, a democratic ally, and your own country, and you have no negative word for the terrorists who raped and murdered and kidnapped, zero.&#8221;
Vigeland protested, saying that B&#8217;Tselem, an Israeli &#8220;human rights group&#8221; that has a clearly anti-Israel agenda, had referred to the situation in Gaza as a &#8220;genocide.&#8221;
&#8220;None, none,&#8221; Jennings said. &#8220;And you still don&#8217;t. You still don&#8217;t!&#8221;

ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-GAZA-HOSTAGES

CNN Panel Explodes When Liberal Guest Claims Israel Invaded Gaza Like Russia Invaded Ukraine

Gaza

Israel

Media

October 7

Scott Jennings

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. This piece features Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro&#8217;s exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on U.S. taxpayer dollars being spent in the war with Russia.
As taxpayers raise concerns about corruption in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ben Shapiro he would be open to an audit into the use of American funds.
In a face-to-face exclusive interview with Shapiro in war-torn Kyiv, Zelensky said he is prepared to allow inspectors to review how the more than $174 billion in American aid has been used to support Ukraine’s war against Russia.
“We’re always ready for any audit,” Zelensky said. “There’s nothing to hide. We are absolutely open, transparent, and that is what’s happening.”
Zelensky said that U.S. inspectors have had oversight following Russia attempting to “undermine the support and assistance coming from the United States” through “fake news and other tools” at the start of the war.
Zelensky added that he is “grateful to all the U.S. taxpayers.”
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“We are grateful to the bipartisan support in Congress,” he said. “We are grateful to the unity around the fight of Ukraine for independence … and the great contribution of the United States in the defense of our people.”
He added that he has his own “internal audit” where his government is “documenting how much assistance was provided.”
According to Zelensky, Ukraine has received $104-$105 billion in assistance, most of which comes in the form of military support.
“The money was paid to the transportation of those weapons,” Zelensky said. “Ukrainian companies were not allowed to transport this money. That&#8217;s why we haven&#8217;t received it — not in the public, not in the private sector — the money for the transportation.”
According to the <a href="https://www.gao.gov/ukraine-oversight">U.S. Government Accountability Office</a>, Congress appropriated more than $174 billion for Ukraine. The funds have been used for security assistance and weaponry, or for economic and humanitarian assistance, including direct budget support for the Ukrainian government, aid for refugees, improving the health sector, and repairing infrastructure such as the energy grid.
Zelensky said he is not attempting to argue with the United States by claiming he is getting nearly $70 billion less than the United States government is reporting.
“It&#8217;s important that both countries and — the taxpayers know — where their money is,” he said. “In terms of the use of that money primarily, it was for the weapons that were used on the battlefield.”
In total, the Ukrainian government was directly given $22.9 billion by USAID for direct budget support, mostly for reimbursing salaries for teachers, civil servants, and health care workers, according to the GAO.
“We are very grateful for all that,” Zelensky said. “The United States has to know that they were not feeding our pensioners and our soldiers with regards to the salary or the compensation. Surely you&#8217;ve provided the most important aspects — that is the weapons.”
The GAO recommended several ways to improve oversight of funding in Ukraine, including tracking the unprecedented amount of military equipment given to the country, making training initiatives more efficient, properly assessing the value of assets given, and more.
The report also points out that the State Department does not have a “systematic, comprehensive approach to specifically track funding that federal agencies have provided for economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.”
Zelensky argued that the United States benefited from providing financial support to Ukraine because it has received intel about weaponry, including drones being used in the current conflict.
Zelensky added that Ukraine is keeping Russia from invading NATO countries that would pull the United States into a much larger war.
“I’ve mentioned it many times before, the U.S. will have to protect the other NATO countries, because such an agreement exists, or the U.S. will have to leave NATO,” Zelensky said. “So as long as Russians are not in any single NATO member nation, your families are not facing this question. So that will be a major question for your families: Are they going to send your child to war?&#8221;

Ben Shapiro

Best Of 2025: Zelensky Tells Ben Shapiro He’s Open To An Audit On How Ukraine Spends U.S. Taxpayer Dollars

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. In this piece, originally published in April, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the opportunity to respond to accusations that Christians are being persecuted in Ukraine.
Ben Shapiro confronted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over allegations of Christian persecution and forcibly conscripting men off the street in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-probes-zelensky-in-ukraine-as-clock-ticks-on-peace-deal?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ben+Shapiro+Probes+Zelensky+In+Ukraine+As+Clock+Ticks+On+Peace+Deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">face-to-face interview</a> in war-torn Kyiv this week.
Shapiro questioned Zelensky on the concerns that he has cracked down on the religious freedom of the Russian Orthodox Church — marking one of the first times the Ukrainian leader has been pressed on such issues by a member of the American media.
“There have been a lot of accusations that there&#8217;s been a crackdown on religious freedom in Ukraine, particularly with regard to the Russian Orthodox Church,” Shapiro said. “Maybe you can respond to the accusations that there&#8217;s a restriction on religious freedom with regard to Russian Orthodox in Ukraine.”
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Zelensky started off by observing that Shapiro witnessed him moments before the interview holding a meeting with the leaders of 15 different religious sects who make up the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations.
“We have a meeting like that a couple of times per year, and I truly visit some of the churches’ sites,” he said. “I believe that what Ukraine has is the largest council of churches in Europe. All of our churches are united — different religions, different believers, and everyone is united.”
Zelensky said that there is no pressure on religious institutions generally, but admitted that the Ukrainian government has cracked down on some churches that he believes are working on behalf of Russia’s intelligence agency.
“The Moscow church is just another agency of the KGB,” Zelensky said. “Everyone knows that Russia’s special services are in control of the church.”
Zelensky said that the churches must be free of influence and that “Moscow cannot be in control.”
“The legislative changes in Ukraine are related to the fact that there could be no connection between Moscow and the church,” Zelensky said, referring to a 2024 law <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/30/ukraine-new-law-raises-religious-freedom-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banning religious organizations</a> with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/30/ukraine-new-law-raises-religious-freedom-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Rights Watch</a> raised concerns about the law&#8217;s broad scope and its potential to target the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the country’s main religious body, founded in 1990 when it split from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Zelensky denied that any churches were closed but pointed out that he and Shapiro were outside the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in 1011.
“Sophia is older than Russia&#8217;s capital city and any churches they have,” Zelensky said. “That&#8217;s the answer. We shouldn&#8217;t be having any disputes. We have scientific evidence. We are just saying that our church should be free from any authorities. It&#8217;s free for the people.”
“Nobody closed anything or anyone. But it can&#8217;t be the case that Russia&#8217;s KGB is in control of the church in Ukraine. Everyone is against these legal ties.”
Shapiro also pressed Zelensky on the reports that Ukrainian men have been kidnapped off the streets and forcibly recruited into the military — a claim that Vice President JD Vance brought up during Zelensky’s contentious <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-vance-clash-with-zelensky-in-fiery-white-house-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oval Office meeting</a> in March.
“There have been reports online that people are being picked up off the streets and in places in eastern Ukraine and recruited into services,” Shapiro asked. “How do you respond to accusations and videos like that?”
In response, Zelensky called the act “military mobilization” and said that it’s a policy created in accordance with martial law after the 2022 Russian invasion.
“The country is at war,” Zelensky said. “That is why we do have mobilization. We want the war to end…but as long as there is war, as long as we have the law, there is still mobilization.”
Zelensky downplayed the accusations, claiming that there are “different approaches&#8221; to military mobilization and that taking men off the streets is not “the main thing that describes Ukraine today.”
“No, Ukraine has 800,000 right now, or 600,000 people who volunteered to go to the army,” he said. “That was the law on mobilization, but the people were volunteering to go and defend Ukraine.”
Zelensky added that the issue is “not massive” and that he believes law enforcement should be “making sure that everything would be transparent” and that there is “no coercion.”
“We shouldn&#8217;t be hiding that like a corruption,” he went on. “If we are fighting with this on an everyday basis — well, of course, you can hide it, like everything, as in [the] case in Russia or in some European countries — but Ukraine clearly shows that it is fighting on a constant basis against aspects like that. But those are kind of singular cases. This is not massive. That&#8217;s more important, and that should be reducing on a daily basis. We&#8217;re doing that.”

Best Of 2025: Ben Shapiro Confronts Zelensky On Christian Persecution And Conscription In Exclusive Interview

President Donald Trump talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, as the United States seeks to finally bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia war.
Trump&#8217;s discussion with Putin on Monday was &#8220;positive,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/2005668576771051870">according</a> to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who did not reveal any details of the phone call. Trump also <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115798213364038844">said</a> he spoke to Putin in a &#8220;productive telephone call&#8221; just prior to his meeting with Zelensky on Sunday.
During a press conference alongside Zelensky following their meeting, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-peace-deal-in-ukraine-is-closer-than-ever-save-a-few-thorny-issues">said</a> that he believes a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is &#8220;closer than ever,&#8221; adding, “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other.” Zelensky added that Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to about 90% of Trump&#8217;s 20-point peace plan, while Trump said Ukraine agreed to 95% of it. Trump proposed a 28-point peace plan last month, but it was reduced to 20 points during negotiations.
“Our meeting was excellent, we covered — somebody would say 95 percent, I don’t know what percent — but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,” Trump said on Sunday.
While Trump remains optimistic about the peace negotiations, Putin has shown no signs of slowing down his campaign to take over Ukraine.
Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with missiles and drones over the weekend, just ahead of Trump&#8217;s meeting with Zelensky. Kyiv, along with other parts of Ukraine, was targeted with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday. At least two people were killed, and 46 others were wounded in the attacks, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drones-missiles-pound-ukraine-before-zelenskiy-trump-meeting-2025-12-27/">reported</a>. Zelensky argued that Russia’s aggression was a direct response by Putin to Ukraine’s negotiations with Trump.
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&#8220;Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia&#8217;s war against Ukraine,&#8221; Zelensky said on Saturday.
Russia also accused Ukraine of targeting a presidential residence in a drone attack that was thwarted by Russian defenses. Zelensky denied the accusation, calling it a &#8220;new lie&#8221; from Moscow.
Russia has signaled that it does not agree with some of Trump&#8217;s peace plan, including how large Ukraine&#8217;s military would remain under the conditions, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/trump-putin-held-positive-call-on-ukraine-white-house-says">reported</a>. Another major sticking point in the negotiations is Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is largely under Russian control despite continued fighting by Ukrainian troops.
Zelensky, meanwhile, said on Monday that he wants security guarantees from the United States to last up to 50 years if he agrees to the peace deal. Under the current proposal, the United States and Europe would provide security guarantees for 15 years, with the possibility for an extension.
“I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said. “We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a historic decision by Trump.”

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