Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1045.
kyiv region. On New Year’s Day, a drone strike carried out by Russian forces in the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, hit a multi-story apartment building and a National Bank of Ukraine building, killing two citizens and injuring another six.
Donetsk region. Since the start of 2025, two civilians have been killed by Russian attacks on Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, according to regional governor Vadym Filashkin.
Kherson region. On January 1, Russian airstrikes killed a resident of Kherson, the region’s eponymous capital, in the south of the country.
Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian vegetable fuel through its territory on January 1, after its deal with Gazprom, Russia’s largest state-owned fuel exporter, expired. The resolution cuts the last section of the oil pipeline from Moscow to Europe. It provided around 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) of fuel in 2024 and was in operation for decades. Despite recent pressure from Slovakia, which remains heavily dependent on Russian fuel imports, to extend the contract, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained firm in rejecting any renewal of the contract. The European Commission said it was confident its energy security would not be affected by the resolution, citing the shift by most of its members towards alternative resources and renewable energy to upgrade Russian energy supplies.
In 2024, Ukraine increased its electricity imports more than five-fold year-over-year, with Hungary supplying the largest share at nearly 40%. Other major suppliers were Slovakia, Romania, and Poland. The surge in imports was supported by European Union agreements, including an increase in import capacity from 1.7 to 2.1 gigawatts. This increase in imports proved essential as Kyiv faced 12 major Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, including missile barrages. Despite damage, Ukraine’s energy grid has remained resilient, maintaining relative stability, though substantial efforts will be needed to fortify it in 2025.
A recent survey reveals a sharp decline in optimism among Ukrainians about their country’s future. Conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, a private think tank, the survey shows a decrease in the share of Ukrainians who believe the nation will be prosperous and a member of the European Union within 10 years, from 73% in December 2023 to 57% in December 2024. At the same time, the share of respondents who anticipate a devastated economy in the next decade surged from 5% to 28%. The survey also indicates growing pessimism among Ukrainians about increasing internal political divisions, and a decrease in optimism about Ukraine’s prospects as a united nation, from 69% to 53%. Despite this, optimism still outweighs pessimism, with a majority holding on to hope for the nation’s future.
In 2024, Russia will seize 1,252 square miles of Ukrainian territory, or 0. 5% of Ukraine’s total, with a staggering load of more than 420,000 troops and $34 billion in equipment, according to a Forbes Ukraine study. Ukraine has managed to liberate up to 7% of its territory since the full-scale invasion began, adding 185 square miles in Russia’s Kursk region, with Russia relying on foreign mercenaries and 10,000 North Korean soldiers until the end of the year.
Russia has intensified its air movements, launching more than 1,700 missiles and drones against Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure, with record attacks in August. By the end of the year, monthly drone movements reached unprecedented levels, used as decoys to overwhelm defenses. Supported by Western aid, Ukraine withstood the pressure, but Russia’s relentless weapons production allowed its attacks to continue.
The United States provided $61.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine, but delays and political challenges eroded trust in President Biden, whose approval among Ukrainians dropped 27 points to 55.2%. Europe led in overall support, countering U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s narrative that Washington bears the main burden, as Ukraine navigates a complex geopolitical landscape.
The United States has provided $3. 4 billion in direct budget to Ukraine, the most recent tranche of the bipartisan Ukraine Security Appropriations Act for 2024, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced Dec. 30. reforms in governance, law enforcement, and anti-corruption efforts. Since 2022, more than $30 billion in the U. S. budget has stabilized the Ukrainian government’s operations amid the war, ensuring monetary stability.
Additionally, on December 30, President Biden announced about $2. 5 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, adding $1. 25 billion in Pentagon stockpile draws and $1. 22 billion under the Security Assistance Initiative. Security of Ukraine (USAI), which budgets materials for the rapid and long-term recovery of Ukraine. battlefield needs. long-term defense capabilities.
Cultural front.
Ukrainian-American stars, Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actress and director Vera Farmiga, and two-time Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe winner singer Barbra Streisand, presented the story of Shedryk, a Christmas song known in the United States as Carroll of the Bells, composed nearly a hundred years ago by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych. who was murdered in Russian special facilities in his own home in 1921. Artists from other countries conducted Shchedryk in 50 other venues. Farmiga and Streisand shared the story of the composition to remind the world of the Ukrainian heritage of the famous Christmas song.
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
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