This week, Ukraine returned 25 Ukrainians from Russian captivity, signed a 100-year partnership with the UK, and imposed new sanctions on propagandists working for Russia, people who defected to the enemy, and those who help Russia continue the war. Meanwhile, South Korea detained its president, and the United States first blocked TikTok, then restored it.
Babel has collected the main news of the week to keep you up to date.
Returned from captivity
25 people have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity — these are military personnel and one civilian. The military defended the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk directions, the city of Mariupol, in particular the “Azovstal” plant. The youngest released person is 24 years old, the oldest is 60. All of them have health problems: loss of vision, amputations, complex bullet wounds, tuberculosis, oncology, gangrene.
Shelling of Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih
On the morning of January 18, the Russians attacked Kyiv, killing three people. The “Lukyanivska” metro station, a McDonaldʼs near it, houses, cars, and a business center were damaged. Russia struck with ballistic missiles. The Air Defense Forces shot down two “Iskander” missiles.
In Kryvyi Rih, 4 people were killed and 14 others were injured in a Russian strike on January 17. They were hit with two ballistic missiles. Among the dead were a 20-year-old student and his grandmother.
New aid packages and a 100-year partnership
Germany announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, including drones, howitzers, and ammunition for Leopard tanks. The Netherlands is providing several aid packages, including military and energy. Meanwhile, the European Commission has provided €148 million in humanitarian aid to Ukrainians, and Lithuania said it had delivered 4 500 drones in a week.
Ukraine and the United Kingdom have signed a historic 100-year partnership agreement that includes deepening defense cooperation. It stipulates that by 2025, London will “provide Ukraine with more military support than ever before” and launch a new £40 million economic recovery program for Ukraine.
Transfer of the Air Force to the Infantry
Aviation technicians of the 114th brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that their military unit received an order to transfer 218 people, that is, almost all the brigadeʼs aviation technicians, to the infantry. The new order actually jeopardizes the maintenance and technical support of MiG-29 fighters. The General Staff responded that the urgently needed specialists of the aviation engineering service of the Air Force who service the aircraft will not be transferred to infantry units.
The Ukrainian Air Force has created a commission to study this problem and work to prevent the transfer of servicemen of scarce specialties. President Volodymyr Zelensky also called for the transfer of specialists from the engineering and aviation service of the Ukrainian Air Force to infantry units. Subsequently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Air Force Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that he had banned the transfer of highly qualified personnel of the Air Force, who have undergone training and specialize in aircraft maintenance, to the infantry.
New sanctions
Ukraine has imposed sanctions against 18 citizens of Ukraine and Russia, including the deprivation of state awards. The sanctions list includes MP Yuriy Boyko, former deputy editor-in-chief of the pro-Russian publication "Strana" Svitlana Kryukova, MP Nestor Shufrych, former MP Yevhen Murayev, actress Ruzhena Rublyova, and others.
Israel-Hamas agreement
On the evening of January 15, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. This could ease tensions in the Middle East, where conflicts continue in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. The agreement came into effect on January 19. At that time, Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, who were met by the Israel Defense Forces and returned home. As a result of the agreement with Hamas, three Israeli ministers resigned.
Media reports say that in the first phase, IDF will withdraw to within 700 meters of the Gaza Strip, Israel will release approximately 2 000 Palestinians and Hamas will release 33 Israeli prisoners. Israel will allow the wounded in Gaza to move through the territory to receive medical care and will open the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The IDF troops will begin to withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor.
TikTok in the USA
TikTok stopped working in the United States late on the evening of January 18, and resumed on the evening of January 19. The restoration of work began after the statement of US President-elect Donald Trump that he was going to "revive" TikTok on the first day of the presidency (January 20), but wanted the social network to be at least half owned by American investors.
The law banning TikTok in the US came into effect on January 19. It was banned for national security reasons. The Chinese government could demand data on users from the US from TikTokʼs Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Trump promises to delay the law for 90 days, and he can only do it once.
The death of David Lynch
The famous American director David Lynch, who managed to find a balance between mainstream and bizarre cinema, passed away at the age of 78. Lynch went from experimental student shorts to the success of his first feature film, "Eraser Head". His other films, such as "Blue Velvet", "Wild at Heart", "Mulholland Drive", and the television series "Twin Peaks", have won several awards.
In August 2024, David Lynch wrote that he had emphysema due to years of smoking.
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