Ukraine War - Intel News

On the night of January 10-11, 2025, Ukranian drone strikes targeted the port infrastructure in Novorossiysk, where Russian Navy ships are based. The attack resulted in a significant fire at the port. Witnesses reported explosions and the activation of air defense systems in the area as Russian forces attempted to repel the drone assault.

The United States is interested in acquiring the underground Norwegian naval base Olavsvern, primarily due to increased Russian activity in the Arctic. This strategic move aims to bolster US military capabilities in the region, particularly for submarine operations. Discussions are ongoing, but Norway has not yet approved the transfer, reflecting the complexities of international military agreements and regional security concerns.

The Russian Armed Forces conquered Kurakhove — Ukrainian military channel DeepState. In addition, the Russian soldiers are surrounding a piece of territory where the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are located after Kurakhovo. If the they passes through and gain a foothold in Shevchenko, things will be bad, because in the bed of two rivers it will be difficult to repel attacks from there, which will complicate the already far from best situation of the Ukrainian units in the Dachny area.

Putin's goal in talks with Trump is new security agreements that ensure Ukraine never joins NATO and the US military alliance reduces eastern deployment - Financial Times.

Ukraine has a real chance to win – US President Joe Biden. He hopes that Congress will not stop military aid to Ukraine during the Trump administration. He also reported on the significant losses of the Russian Federation and the DPRK in this war:

"Over 600,000 Russian military dead and wounded".

One of the largest attacks by Ukrainian UAVs occurred during the night: explosions were heard in Kursk, Voronezh, Crimea, Anapa. Dzhankoy, Berdyansk, Slavyansk on the Kuban, Feodosia, Kerch, Novorossiysk.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blocks €3 billion in aid for Ukraine – Spiegel. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius proposed allocating an additional €3 billion in urgent military aid for Ukraine, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes the initiative. According to Der Spiegel, Baerbock and Pistorius began working on this aid package shortly after the collapse of the ruling coalition in Germany in early November, aiming to secure the funds before the snap Bundestag elections scheduled for February 23. However, the Chancellor’s Office has made it clear that Scholz does not support the idea of additional military assistance. The chancellor “does not want to bind the future federal government” and does not see the need for “urgent measures”. The publication speculates that Scholz may be reluctant to announce new military deliveries for Ukraine during the election campaign, as it could alienate potential voters.

Trump will need to get approval from Congress if he wants to lift sanctions against Russia after coming to power, the White House said.

Ukraine is not ready for negotiations with Russia, John Kirby stated.

The British Prime Minister will visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to discuss the deployment of international peacekeeping forces after the end of the war. According to Bloomberg, Starmer plans to visit Kiev as "Europe intensifies preparations for the return of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House". The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment, Bloomberg adds.

Denmark sacrificed its army to support Ukraine and will not be able to resist the possible annexation of Greenland to the US by military means — Politico. Denmark has only 17,000 soldiers.

Putin is ready to meet with Trump without conditions, this requires US political will — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Italy: he was accompanied by fighter jets. A meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled here.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened Ukraine with "tough measures" due to the suspension of gas transit from the Russian Federation. He stated that he was ready to apply a number of political and economic sanctions against Ukraine to force it to transport Russian gas to the EU.

Canada is providing over $300 million in military aid to Ukraine. The funds will be directed towards the Czech initiative for ammunition procurement, shells purchased from Canadian industry, support for drone production in Ukraine, and winter gear for the military.

"Foreign forces in Ukraine are one of the best tools to force Russia to make peace" Ukrainian President Zelensky said at the 25th meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in the Ramstein format.

Germany will supply Kiev with nearly 50 guided missiles for IRIS-T air defense systems, the German Ministry of Defense reported.

UK wants to spend 2.5% of its GDP on defense.

The United Kingdom, together with NATO allies, will supply Ukraine with 30,000 new drones, UK Defense Secretary John Healey announced during the Defense Contact Group meeting at the Ramstein Air Base. The funding for the new drones comes from the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Latvia, and Sweden.

The halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine is one of Moscow’s most costly defeats, said White House advisor John Kirby. According to him, this decision will deprive Russia of approximately $6.5 billion in annual revenue from gas sales to Europe.

“Of course, we welcome Ukraine’s decision and its determination. Twenty-five years ago, when Putin came to power, over 130 billion cubic meters of gas were transported through Ukraine to Europe, and today it’s zero” Kirby stated.