This week, the Verkhovna Rada supported the appointment of new Ministers of Defense and Energy — Mykhailo Fedorov and Denys Shmyhal — and also extended martial law and mobilization in Ukraine.
The head of the “Motherland” faction Yulia Tymoshenko was declared suspected of bribing MPs, and in Kyiv, amid a state of emergency in the energy sector, new curfew rules were introduced.
Babel has collected the main news of the week to keep you up to date.
Dismissal of the heads of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Digital Affairs, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)
On January 13, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed two ministers — the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Denys Shmyhal and Mykhailo Fedorov, as well as the head of SBU Vasyl Malyuk.
Moreover, the Verkhovna Radaʼs Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence supported Malyukʼs resignation only on the second attempt. Vasyl Malyuk will remain in the Security Service system, but it is not yet known in what position. The duties of the SBU head are currently temporarily performed by the head of the Special Operations Center "A" Yevhen Khmara.
New Ministers of Defense, Energy, and Head of the State Property Fund
On January 14, the Verkhovna Rada supported the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense of Ukraine. The Ministry of Digital Transformation will now be temporarily headed by Oleksandr Bornyakov, who was Fedorovʼs deputy.
In addition, the deputies voted to appoint Denys Shmyhal as Minister of Energy and First Deputy Prime Minister. And the former deputy from the “Servant of the People” party Dmytro Natalukha became the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
Дмитро Наталуха / Facebook
Continuation of martial law and mobilization
On January 14, the Verkhovna Rada extended martial law and general mobilization in Ukraine for 90 days — until May 4, 2026, starting on February 3.
This decision has been made for the 18th time since the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion.
Suspicion of bribery of Yulia Tymoshenko
On January 13, NABU and SAPO stated that the head of one of the factions in the Verkhovna Rada offered to “buy” the votes of MPs from other factions. It turned out that this was Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the “Motherland” faction.
The investigation claims that in December 2025, the MP initiated negotiations with individual deputies in order to regularly pay them for the necessary votes in the Rada. NABU published audio recordings in which Tymoshenko allegedly discusses this process with an unknown colleague.
Tymoshenko herself confirmed that searches were conducted at the “Motherland” office throughout the night of January 13-14. The MP denied all charges and added that her phones, parliamentary documents, and “personal savings” were taken from her.
On January 14, Yulia Tymoshenko was charged with bribery. The penalty is imprisonment for five to ten years. The court later set bail for the MP at 33 million hryvnias.
State of emergency in the energy sector and new curfew rules in Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on January 14 that a state of emergency would be introduced in the Ukrainian energy sector. Already on January 16, the Cabinet of Ministers approved changes that allow regions to introduce flexible curfew rules for this period.
Businesses that perform the functions of Points of Invincibility have been allowed to operate at night. These include shopping malls, establishments, shops, pharmacies, and gas stations that have autonomous power supply, heating, stable communication, and free hot tea. Citizens can come and go in their cars at any time without passes.
In particular, such rules have already come into effect in Kyiv, where the situation with electricity and heating is the most difficult due to Russian shelling and cold weather. Also, starting January 17, taxis in the capital were allowed to operate during curfew hours.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Donald Trumpʼs new threats over Greenland
On January 13, Republican Congressman Randy Fine introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives that would annex Greenland and make it the 51st state of the United States. The document authorizes US President Donald Trump to “take any action” to annex or acquire Greenland.
The media reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had already been instructed to prepare a proposal to purchase the island, which could cost the US $700 billion. At the same time, Trump said that Greenland was necessary for the US to create the "Golden Dome", and stressed that NATO should facilitate this.
After another threat from the US president, Denmark initiated military exercises together with European partners.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on countries that do not support US control over Greenland. In particular, he said that starting in February, the US will impose tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland.
The first launch of 5G communication in Ukraine
On January 12, 5G mobile communication with a data transfer speed of about 500 Mbps officially started operating for the first time in the center of Lviv.
In the future, the network is planned to be expanded — in January, a pilot 5G will be launched in Borodyanka, in February — in Kharkiv, and later in other cities of Ukraine.
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