In the night and morning of January 15, Russian troops attacked Ukraine's energy and gas infrastructure. They used 117 missiles and drones for this assault. A total of 23 X-101/X-55 cruise missiles, three "calibers," four X-59/X-69 missiles, and 47 drones were intercepted. Additionally, 27 drones disappeared from radar.
As a result of the attack, Ukrainian energy facilities were hit, particularly gas infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
Ukraine secured the release of 25 citizens from Russian captivity — 24 military personnel and one civilian. Among them are defenders from Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as from the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. They are suffering from severe injuries and illnesses.
In the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, it was reported: today's exchange is the result of Ukraine achieving a separate format for the return of severely ill and injured prisoners.
The Verkhovna Rada voted to extend martial law and mobilization for another 90 days — until May 9. A total of 315 members of parliament voted in favor of Law No. 12404 regarding the extension of martial law.
If President Volodymyr Zelensky signs the law, this will mark the 14th extension of martial law and mobilization since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
In social media, information has spread claiming that a law intended to tighten guarantees for journalists supposedly obliges media outlets to delete negative comments from their readers. The initiator of the bill, Yaroslav Yurchyshin, asserts that this is false.
The Institute of Mass Information writes that the obligation for media to moderate comments on their platforms has existed in Ukraine since at least 2009. Thus, this law does not create new obligations for media but merely clarifies an already existing norm.
Now, media can avoid liability if they delete a comment within three days not only from the moment they receive a directive from the National Council but also from the moment they receive a court ruling on initiating proceedings, which will help prevent legal delays.
Throughout 2024, the SBU and National Police detained over 450 individuals who were involved in arson in Ukraine at the behest of Russian handlers.
Law enforcement emphasizes that arson of property belonging to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, government institutions, or their mining is classified under the Criminal Code of Ukraine as terrorism or sabotage. Strict criminal liability even for minors is provided for these actions. Russian special services actively target minors on the internet, offering "side jobs."
Senator Marco Rubio, appointed by Donald Trump as Secretary of State, stated that it is unrealistic to believe that Ukraine can expel Russian troops from its territory, and therefore Kyiv will have to make concessions just like Moscow.
According to the senator, in this war, Russia cannot seize all of Ukraine, but at the same time, "it is unrealistic to believe that a state the size of Ukraine can defeat the Russian Federation."
Additionally, Rubio noted that what is running out in Ukraine is not money, but people. At the same time, the future Secretary of State acknowledged that ending the Russian-Ukrainian war will be a "difficult endeavor," but it "requires bold diplomacy."
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and the release of all Israeli hostages.
No official announcement regarding the agreement has been made yet, but it is expected to occur soon. As noted by Reuters, it includes an initial six-week ceasefire phase and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, along with the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
Lesya Pavliuk, a primary school teacher from Ivano-Frankivsk Lyceum No. 7, who previously won the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine 2024, made it to the list of the 50 best educators in the world.
According to the organizers, while teaching in conditions of war and the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesya faced extraordinary challenges. Air raid alerts and internally displaced students became part of her daily reality, but as noted, "she adapted to them with remarkable ingenuity".