Russia launched a drone strike in Kyiv on New Year’s Day, killing two people and injuring six others. The Ukrainian military shot down 63 out of 111 drones, while electronic jamming took down another 46. Several buildings in Zaporizhzhia caught fire after overnight attacks, with one woman rescued.
Ukraine’s Commander-in-chief said the Russian army had lost over 34,000 soldiers. In a significant development, Russia suspended gas transit through Ukraine to Europe, citing no legal or technical means to pump gas due to Kyiv’s expiration of a contract. President Zelenskyy hailed this as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats.”
The move has been welcomed by Poland and other countries, which see it as a victory after NATO enlargement. Russia’s Gazprom also suspended supplies to Slovakia following the end of a transit deal.
This marks another significant blow to Russia’s efforts in Ukraine, with Putin having spent billions on building the Nordstream pipeline to circumvent Ukraine and blackmail Eastern Europe. The cutoff of gas supplies through Ukraine directly affects Russia’s ability to export gas to the EU.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/2/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-1043