Live blog: Russia claims control of a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region

Monday, January 29, 2024

1300 GMT — Russia has claimed that it took control of a village situated in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said that units of the “Western” troops took control of the village of Tabaivka near the city of Kupiansk, a point of major clashes in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The statement also claimed that Russian forces “repelled ” three Ukrainian attacks near the village of Synkivka.

Ukrainian officials denied Russia’s claims with Volodymyr Fito, a spokesman for the country’s ground forces, saying on national television that clashes have been taking place not far from Tabaivka.

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1321 GMT — ICJ to rule on jurisdiction in Russia-Ukraine 'genocide' case

The United Nations' highest court will rule on Friday whether it will hear a case in which Ukraine has accused Russia of violating international law by saying its military campaign was launched to stop an alleged genocide.

Ukraine brought the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, days after Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

1250 GMT — Hungary proposes 'compromise' in Ukraine EU aid row

Hungary has proposed a "compromise" with the European Union regarding billions of euros in aid for Ukraine that it has blocked, a government official has said, ahead of an EU summit on the issue on Thursday.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in December vetoed $54 billion in EU aid for Kiev. Orban is the only EU leader to have maintained close ties to the Kremlin since Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

But this month he expressed willingness to allow the support for Ukraine, which would be given over four years, provided the support is kept separate from the EU's budget and is reviewed annually.

1247 GMT — Ukrainian strike kills civilians in Russian-controlled Donetsk: mayor

A Ukrainian rocket strike on the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine has killed at least three civilians, Alexei Kulemzin, the city's Russian-backed mayor said.

Unverified images circulating on social media showed a car on fire and what appeared to be two bodies lying in a street.

Reuters could not immediately verify Kulemzin's assertion.

1247 GMT — Putin’s visit to Türkiye planned for February: Russian presidential aide

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Türkiye is planned for February, a presidential aide has said.

“Yes, a visit is being prepared,” Yuri Ushakov told reporters in St. Petersburg in response to a question on the visit.

Ushakov said Ukraine, where Russia launched a "special military operation" nearly two years ago, will be one of the key points of the meeting between Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

1120 GMT — Ukraine to build four nuclear reactors as war hits power supply

Ukraine's Energy Ministry has said that it will begin building four new nuclear reactors this year to compensate for Russia's seizure of the country's largest nuclear plant.

Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in televised comments that all four new reactors would be at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine, eventually making it the largest in Europe.

Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, currently Europe's largest, has been under Russian control since March 2022 and its six reactors have been shut down.

1052 GMT — Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warns of World War III risk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for stronger military support from Western countries, warning that if Ukraine cannot defeat Russia, the conflict would escalate into a third world war.

Speaking to German media, Zelenskyy said Chancellor Olaf Scholz has better understood the real nature of the threat following their meeting in Berlin last year, and that Berlin has started to increase its military support.

"If Russia hits this or that NATO country, it would in any case mean the beginning of the third world war,” he said.

0958 GMT — Ukraine says it aims to expand foothold on bank of Dnipro

Ukraine said its troops were trying to expand their foothold on the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro River despite fierce resistance from Moscow's forces.

Kiev has managed to hold a thin bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river in the southern Kherson region since November, but its forces have not claimed substantial progress since.

Ukraine will "continue measures aimed at expanding its bridgehead" on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro, the army said in a daily briefing. "Despite significant losses, the enemy continues to try to drive our units from their positions," it said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it downed eight Russian attack drones across the country overnight on Monday, including in western regions.

Russia fired rockets at Ukrainian army positions and civilian areas a total of 86 times over the past day and launched at least seven missile strikes, Ukraine's army said.

0926 GMT — Ukrainian President Zelenskyy makes public 2-year income

Zelenskyy declared his income over 2021 and 2022, a period which also coincides with the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A statement published by the Ukrainian presidency on Sunday said that Zelenskyy and his family's income for 2021 amounted to approximately 10.8 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($284,660).

This income mainly consisted of salaries, bank interest and income from renting out real estate. His income decreased by 11.9 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($313,653) compared to 2020.

For 2022, Zelenskyy and his family's income was 3.6 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($94,886), which decreased because of "the temporary termination of lease agreements on the territory of Ukraine" due to the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The statement went on to say that the cash balance of Zelenskyy's family at the end of 2022 decreased by almost 1.8 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($47,443).

For our live updates from Sunday, January 28, click here.