Kiev: 'Suspend Russia's membership in the IAA'. Kremlin: stop raids until 1 February on Kiev only

"We paid special attention to the situation at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has already been deprived of its external power supply twelve times since the beginning of the large-scale offensive," Shmyhal continued.

The minister also expressed his appreciation to the director general of the agency, Rafael Grossi, and Ukraine's 'partners', who, according to him, 'strongly condemned such acts and pledged to support Ukraine's energy and nuclear security'.

Zelensky indicated that one of the main priorities for the new Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, will be to address the structural problems that Kiev has long been experiencing in the compulsory conscription of the population. During a press briefing, Zelensky explained that 'resolving the issue of busification' will be the minister's second priority, after airspace closure and the management of military contracts.

The term 'busification' refers to the practice of forcibly detaining men of draft age in public places and transferring them in minivans to conscription offices. It is a tactic that has caused great controversy in Ukraine as the country seeks to increase the number of soldiers to repel the Russian offensive. So widespread has the phenomenon been that in 2024 the Myslovo dictionary included it among the words of the year.

The shortage of frontline personnel is in fact one of the factors most affecting Kiev's resilience. Immediately after his appointment, Fedorov himself raised the alarm about a serious personnel crisis, stating that around two million Ukrainians are wanted for draft evasion, while another 200,000 soldiers are registered as absent without leave.

According to the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), the difficulties for the Ukrainian army got even worse in 2025, when many frontline units had to operate with only 30% of their planned strength. The Swedish institute estimates that Ukraine needed around 300,000 new recruits at the beginning of 2025 to replenish units and restore combat capability, but only enlisted around 200,000, a number insufficient to compensate for losses due to casualties, injuries and desertions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian monthly recruitment ranges between 17,000 and 24,000, while Russia enlists around 30,000 men per month, further widening the personnel gap. Zelensky stated that in key areas of the frontline, such as Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops are outnumbered eight to one by Russian forces, a figure that illustrates the serious imbalance caused by the shortage of soldiers.

Last but not least, as Fedorov points out, is the soaring desertion rates. According to estimates, tens of thousands of soldiers are absent without justification, a phenomenon that reflects not only the fear of falling in combat, but also a deep social fatigue, declining morale and growing distrust in combat units. In some cases, the SCEEUS explains, deserters abandon their assigned unit and move to other formations.

The 33rd meeting of the member states of the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group will be held on 12 February at NATO headquarters, at the request of the UK and Germany. This was announced by the Atlantic alliance in a statement. The group, created at the initiative of the United States in April 2022, brings together some 50 countries, including the 32 NATO member states. It normally meets at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany.

Meanwhile, the Russian army's attacks on Ukraine continue. The governor of the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, said that Russian troops carried out a drone attack on the villages of Kushuhum and Komyshuvakha in which three people were injured. This was reported by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. "The attack damaged a pharmacy and two civilian vehicles," Fedorov further said. Earlier, Ukrainian authorities, reported by Ukrainska Pravda, reported restrictions on rail traffic between the cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia due to attacks in the area.

In the past few hours, Moscow has launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 111 attack drones, including Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas and other types of aircraft, onto Ukrainian territory, according to the Kiev Air Force. In its usual morning bulletin, the Ukrainian General Staff also reported that 279 clashes have occurred along the front line in the past twenty-four hours and that Russian forces have conducted air strikes against settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions.

Some 378 buildings in Kiev are still without heating, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported on his Telegram channel today. "About 378 buildings in Kiev are still without heating. Most of them are located in Troyeschyna. Some are located in several other districts of the capital. During the course of yesterday, the first 100 buildings in Troyeschyna were connected to the heating network. Tonight, another 50,' the mayor of Kiev specified on Telegram.

On the other hand, overnight Russian air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 18 Ukrainian drones over regions of the Russian Federation. This was reported - as reported by Tass - by the Russian Defence Ministry, specifying that five were over the territory of the Republic of Crimea, two over the Black Sea, two in the Rostov region, one in the Astrakhan region and one in the Kursk region. Only a few hours ago, US President Trump had announced a halt to the conflict in view of an incoming wave of frost over Ukraine.

On the attempts to end the war in Ukraine 'I think a lot of progress has been made. I asked Russia not to launch attacks for a certain period of time. We asked (Russian President Vladimir) Putin if he can stop the attacks for a week, because of the cold weather, which is terrible in Ukraine. And he agreed, and we appreciate it very much. It's a very, very bad war,' Trump said during a press conference at the White House.