Notices by NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (noelreports@mstdn.social)

Zelensky’s evening speech:

Today’s visit by the UK Prime Minister marks the signing of a historic 100-year agreement—a groundbreaking new format of relations. Ukraine and the UK now share the closest ties, with elements of this agreement serving as a model for other partnerships.

$6.6B in UK military aid this year, with $3B guaranteed annually long-term. Expanded cooperation: defense, security, economy, tech, education (schools & universities). Classified provisions for resilience and growth.

Border violations are decreasing, down 40% since July, – Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's Border Guard.

'Dozens of violators are caught daily, mostly near the borders with Romania & Moldova. Fewer attempts near Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.'

Overnight, Ukrainian air defense repelled a Russian shahed drone attack. In total, 55 were launched towards Ukraine, 34 were shot down and another 18 were supressed by electronic warfare.

🇺🇦 Sir Keir Starmer & Emmanuel Macron are discussing sending UK & French peacekeepers to Ukraine after a potential war-ending deal, per The Telegraph. Macron supports the idea, UK sources say Starmer is cautious, due to risks & escalation concerns.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/15/uk-france-talks-peacekeeping-troops-ukraine-war-russia/

Belarus claims the West plans to seize its border region with "extremists" and deploy so-called peacekeepers, per State Sec. of Belarus' Security Council, Volfovich. He alleges a command center in Poland is training fighters for this.

⚡️🇺🇦 UK PM Starmer has arrived in Ukraine. The purpose of the visit: strengthening defense cooperation and economic ties.

Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Zaluzhnyi: "The key goal is signing the 100-Year Partnership Agreement and resuming the Strategic Partnership Dialogue."

Ukrainian paratroopers, alongside other AFU units, captured 27 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region. Among the captives are officers, sergeants, and soldiers from motorized rifle units, naval infantry, airborne forces, and other divisions—hailing from various regions of Russia and occupied Sevastopol.

South Korea is set to consult with Ukraine about bringing North Korean soldiers captured during the war to the South if they wish to defect. This comes after one soldier expressed a desire to live in Ukraine.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250114008800315?section=nk/nk

🇸🇪 Sweden reports signs of anchor damage to the Nordbalt energy cable, linking Sweden and Lithuania. The damage is believed to have been caused by the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 in November, which severed cables between Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, and Finland. Investigators suspect sabotage.

https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/pasaulyje/6/2459049/svedija-ant-nordbalt-kabelio-baltijos-juroje-aptiko-apgadinimo-zenklu

Overnight, Russia once again attacked Ukraine with Shahed drones. Out of 110 launched, 78 were shot down by regular air defense and another 31 were supressed by electronic warfare.

⚡️ For the first time since 2022, Ukraine may have a tank advantage over Russia – Forbes. Thanks to drones, Russian tanks are forced to retreat far from the front line, firing from hidden positions. This limits their effectiveness, turning them into makeshift howitzers and stripping them of their assault capabilities.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2025/01/12/for-the-first-time-since-2022-ukraine-may-have-a-tank-advantage-over-russia/

Ukraine and Russia are increasingly using fiber-optic drones, Newsweek reports. These drones bypass EW systems, transmitting data and power via light pulses in glass fibers. The signals can’t be jammed or intercepted, have superior video quality for operators and is undetectable via radio signals. Downsides: Costly, heavier, and reduced payload capacity.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-fiber-optic-drones-kursk-2010960

The fire at the Engels oil depot has reportedly been extinguished, according to Saratov governor Roman Busargin. Footage this morning shows that there is still a fire despite the claims. Almost a week ago, Ukrainian drones struck the oil depot, inflicting severe damage.

🇺🇦🇸🇰 Zelensky claps back at Fico: Betting on Moscow was a mistake

The Ukrainian president said he offered support to Slovakia, but “Fico arrogantly refused” and is now trying to shift blame with “PR, lies, and loud accusations.”

“The problem is, he bet on Moscow, not his country, not a united Europe, nor common sense. It was a losing bet from the start,” Zelensky added.

🇺🇦 Zelensky: Russia launched nearly 700 air bombs and over 600 attack drones in just one week.

"Their war continues only because of their advantage in the skies. NATO and Ramstein summit decisions on air defense for Ukraine remain partially unrealized. We’ve discussed with the U.S. the possibility of licensing Ukraine to produce air defense systems and missiles. This is achievable and crucial for lasting peace. Russia won’t stop its wars voluntarily—it must be forced to peace."

Despite sanctions, the U.S. became the largest foreign taxpayer in Russia in 2023, paying over $1.2B in taxes — Newsweek writes.

https://www.newsweek.com/us-companies-pay-over-1-billion-taxes-russia-amid-ongoing-ukraine-war-2012473

President Zelensky met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and involving NATO countries in weapon procurement via the Danish model. The shared goal is to ensure Ukraine’s strong position for a fair and lasting peace. They also discussed how the NATO platform can be used to achieve this.

🇺🇸 A new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives calls to recognize Russia's actions in Ukraine as genocide, says Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova.

The bill condemns the genocide, urges NATO/EU support to prevent further crimes, and backs tribunals to hold Russia accountable.

https://unn.ua/en/news/a-draft-resolution-to-recognize-russias-actions-against-ukraine-as-genocide-has-been-submitted-to-the-us-congress

"Take $300 billion from frozen Russian assets—we'll take them and buy all the weapons from the U.S. We don’t need gifts. It will benefit your industry and the U.S. We’ll invest Russian money, not Ukrainian or European," – Zelensky.

⚡ Drones are flying over Kuban in Russia, while Russian helicopters attempt to shoot them down.