Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia ‘drafts 180,000 convicts’ as Zelensky says decisive Trump can stop Putin
Trump ‘capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin’, says Zelensky
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Your support makes all the difference.Russia has enlisted between 140,000 and 180,000 prison inmates to fight in the war against Ukraine, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) said, according to the Kyiv Independent.
A Russian government decree abolishing the one-time payment of £2,842 to prisoners for signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry to participate in the war against Ukraine came into effect on 1 January.
“The legislative abolition of the one-time payment is evidence of the deepening crisis in the Russian economy and the shortage of financial resources,” Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed.
The Independent could not verify these claims.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky auded incoming US president Donald Trump saying he could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Vladimir Putin.
“He can be decisive in this war,” the Ukrainian president said. “He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.”
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Russia has recruited up to 180,000 convicts for war against Ukraine - reports
Russia has enlisted between 140,000 and 180,000 prison inmates to fight in the war against Ukraine, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) said, according to the Kyiv Independent.
There were about 300,000-350,000 prisoners in Russian prisons in 2024, which is half as many as in 2014, according to the Ukrainian intelligence agency.
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ICYMI: Russia launches new barrage of drones at Ukraine, killing one, Kyiv says
Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine on Friday, killing one civilian and injuring four others in the Kyiv region, the military and regional officials said.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 60 out of 93 Russian drones, the air force said. It also said that 26 drones were “lost”, in reference to Ukraine‘s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones.
One Russian drone was still in the air, the air force added.
Mykola Kalashnyk, acting governor for the Kyiv region, said that a truck driver was killed by drone debris. The debris also damaged several private houses, injuring four people, including a 16-year-old boy, he said.
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ICYMI: Zelensky says Ukraine is preparing to resume diplomatic ties with Syria
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was preparing to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria, less than a month after the overthrow of the Russia-backed government in Damascus.
Zelensky spoke after a visit to Syria by his Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, and by Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval who said earlier Ukraine had already sent a shipment of food aid.
“We are preparing to resume diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation in international organisations,” Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Syria in June 2022 after the then government in Damascus said it recognised the “independence” of the Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Since rebels overthrew Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad last month, Ukraine has been moving to build ties with the new Islamist rulers there. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, was a staunch ally of Assad and has given him political asylum.
Moscow has also said it is in contact with the new administration in Damascus, including over the fate of Russian military facilities in Syria.
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Russian court tells Yandex to hide images of oil refinery after Ukrainian attacks
A Russian court has ordered internet company Yandex to hide access to maps and photos of one of Russia’s largest oil refineries due to constant attacks by Ukrainian drones, state news agency TASS reported.
Yandex, often referred to as “Russia’s Google”, operates the country’s largest search engine and other online services like maps, translate and email, as well as ride-hailing and food delivery.
The court in Moscow ordered Yandex to exclude information about the refinery’s infrastructure from its search results by removing and editing images of workshops, compressor stations and other parts of the plant from Yandex Maps, TASS reported.
It was not clear which refinery the court decision referred to, but TASS said the facility had been attacked four times by Ukrainian drones in 2024.
Ukraine has staged numerous strikes on Russian oil storage facilities and refineries, responding to Moscow’s February 2022 invasion and repeated attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The court’s decision can be appealed. Yandex did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The refinery had tried to resolve the issue directly with Yandex before taking the matter to court, TASS said. The claimant argued that the availability of information about the refinery online undermined Russia’s defence capability and negatively impacted the armed forces.
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