United 24 Media:
🔹 Finland continues to detect attempts to export sanctioned goods to Russia despite closing the border a year ago due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Over half of the violations are minor and resolved with fines, often involving individuals crossing the border with small amounts of luxury items.
The more serious cases typically involve planned efforts to smuggle goods that could support the Russian military.
⚡️ The Center for Countering Disinformation has confirmed an offensive by Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.
“The Russians in the Kursk region are very worried because they were attacked from several directions, which caught them by surprise. The defense forces are working,” said Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Preliminary reports indicate fighting near the village of Berdyn, northeast of Sudzha.
There have been 42 military clashes in the Kursk region so far, with 12 still ongoing, according to the General Staff.
🔹 North Korea may have sent another 30-40 thousand soldiers to war against Ukraine, or even 500 thousand, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Lex Fridman.
🔸 “I really hope Trump will be able to end the war. I believe our people support his idea. It seems to me that Trump’s goal is not to lose Ukraine. He has all the capabilities to stop Putin and provide Ukraine with strong security guarantees,” Zelenskyy stated.
🔹 Zelenskyy on Russia’s development and global technology
"Do you think you can talk about technology with Putin? He once told a story about a tribe in an interview. Do you understand? Where is this person in his country, and where are Musk, Mars, and AI? And here he is, standing with nothing to offer, talking about tribes," Zelenskyy remarked.
The Ukrainian president also stressed that before any ceasefire, Ukraine needs strong security guarantees and weapons.
"What will happen to Trump if he agrees to a ceasefire, and three months later, Putin launches a new attack? What will Trump and Ukraine look like then? Why will Putin attack? Because he fears Trump today. But if Trump agrees to a ceasefire without serious security guarantees for Ukraine, it will hand Putin an opportunity," Zelenskyy explained.
🔸 Zelenskyy: Ukraine Needs Reliable Security Guarantees Beyond Paper Promises
President Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine requires trustworthy security guarantees to end the war, highlighting the failure of the Budapest Memorandum, where the guarantors ultimately disregarded Ukraine’s security.
He revealed that he had discussed the Budapest Memorandum with the U.S. president-elect and stated, “We haven’t finished this conversation yet; we will continue it.”
Zelenskyy described Ukraine’s history with security guarantees as a “trash train,” with the second car being the failed Minsk agreements.
🔹 Excerpts from Zelenskyy’s Interview:
▫️ Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s NATO membership would allow the Alliance’s actions to extend to the territories under its control, describing it as a fast track to peace.
▫️ He mentioned that after the war, Donald Trump could be the first world leader to visit Ukraine on his plane.
▫️ On corruption, Zelenskyy highlighted the imprisonment of Ukraine’s most influential oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, noting that while the U.S. and Europe accused him of “withdrawing money,” they were unable to take similar action.
▫️ When asked about a second presidential term, he called it a “difficult issue,” saying the decision depends on how the war ends, what the people want, and his family’s opinion.
🔸 “Putin wants to make me quarrel with President Donald Trump and end the occupation of Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Putin’s goal is to create conflict between me and Trump. His goal is to end the occupation of our territory—but it’s all in his sick head, I’m absolutely sure of that. So don’t wait for Putin’s desire—force him to stop the war,” Zelenskyy stated in an interview with Lex Fridman.
🔹 Chisinau on Offering Gas Assistance to Transnistria
In December 2024, Moldova's Ministry of Energy proposed an alternative to Tiraspoltransgaz in case Russian gas supplies were cut off, suggesting the purchase of gas on the Romanian exchange.
On January 2, Moldovagaz and Energocom introduced a mechanism for purchasing gas from regional markets. Additionally, the Moldovan State Regional Electric Company, Transnistria's main electricity producer, offered to convert the gas purchased by Energocom into electricity.
"To date, we have not received any response to these proposals. Tiraspoltransgaz declined cooperation on the very same day, January 2," a Moldovan official stated.
🔸 Blinken on Ukraine's Positions and Russia-North Korea Cooperation
The positions held by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region are crucial, as they will play a significant role in any negotiations in the coming year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Blinken also noted that Moscow is reportedly expanding its cooperation with Pyongyang in space technology in exchange for North Korea sending soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
"The DPRK is already receiving Russian military equipment and training. Now, we have reason to believe Moscow plans to share advanced space and satellite technologies with Pyongyang," Blinken stated during a press conference in Seoul.
He reiterated remarks from U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who in December suggested Russia might be nearing recognition of North Korea as a nuclear state.
🔹 IAEA reports explosions near Zaporizhzhia NPP.
The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission recorded two explosions and machine gun fire on January 5. This coincided with reports of a drone attack on the station’s training center.
🔸 Biden Administration Prepares New Sanctions on Russian Oil Transport
The Biden administration is planning to impose additional sanctions on tankers transporting Russian oil sold above the $60-per-barrel price cap, aiming to implement these measures before the new president is inaugurated, Reuters reports.
A source familiar with the plans described the sanctions as “a big package,” potentially including actions against individuals involved in networks trading oil above the cap.
Last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated that further sanctions on tankers were under consideration, and sanctions on Chinese banks had not been ruled out. The measures are designed to curb Russia's oil revenues and restrict its ability to access foreign resources for its war in Ukraine.
The Biden administration's moves come as uncertainty grows over how Donald Trump, should he take office, will handle sanctions on Russia.
🔹 Communication Operators, Banks, and Internet Services Down in Russia
Users of Downdetector report issues with MTS, MTS Bank, and Kion streaming services. Customers of T-Bank, Alfa-Bank, and Sberbank cannot access online banking. Additionally, users are facing problems with Google, Yandex, Vkontakte, YouTube, and other services.
The cause of the outage is still unclear.
🔸 Serbia Ready to Buy Russian Stake in Energy Firm NIS
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that Serbia is ready to buy Gazprom and Gazprom Neft’s shares in the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) if the United States imposes sanctions.
The Russian companies currently own 56.15% of NIS, worth around 700 million euros. Vučić stated that Serbia has the necessary funds to complete the purchase, highlighting the country's commitment to securing its energy independence amid geopolitical tensions.
🤡 Medvedev: The Russian People’s Revenge on Zelenskyy Should Not End After His Removal From the Post
This was Dmitry Medvedev's response to an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where he stated that he does not respect "the leader of Russia or its people."