Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, massive shelling of Kyiv, and a new deputy commander of the Air Force. Weekly digest

This week, two days of talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States took place in the United Arab Emirates. The World Economic Forum was held in Davos, Switzerland, and created US President Donald Trumpʼs "Board of Peace" on the Gaza Strip.

In Ukraine, a new deputy commander of the Air Force and advisors to the Minister of Defense have been appointed, and suspicions have been declared against former deputy head of the Presidentʼs Office Rostyslav Shurma and former head of the State Border Service Serhiy Deyneko.

Babel has collected the main news of the week to keep you up to date.

Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi

On January 23 and 24, negotiations were held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) with the participation of representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. The main topic was the possible conditions for ending the war.

Following the meetings, the parties agreed to discuss all issues in their capitals and coordinate further steps with the leaders. The next round of talks will take place in Abu Dhabi next week.

Russiaʼs massive attacks on Ukraine

On the night of January 20, the Russians launched 373 aerial targets over Ukraine. These were attack drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and the “Zircon” anti-ship missile.

The main target of the attack was Kyiv and the region. In the capital, more than 5 000 high-rise buildings were left without heating, and the Left Bank was left without water supply.

One woman was injured in Kyiv. A 50-year-old man died in the Bucha district of the region. Two women were injured in Dnipro.

The Russians carried out another massive strike on the night of January 24. Russian drones attacked Kyiv and Kharkiv. One person was killed in the capital, four others were injured. Again, almost 6 000 homes were left without heating.

In Kharkiv, the attack lasted almost two and a half hours. During this time, the Russians fired 25 "Shaheds" that hit residential buildings. Among the injured was a child.

Pavlo Yelizarov appointed new deputy commander of the Air Force

Pavlo Yelizarov (“Lazar”) is the commander of the “Lasarʼs group” special forces unit. He is considered one of the first commanders to systematically implement modern drone tactics on the battlefield, combining technology with practical combat experience.

Under Yelizarovʼs leadership, “Lasarʼs group” became one of the most productive units in the Defense Forces — the team destroyed enemy equipment worth over $13 billion. Now they plan to scale this experience to the entire country.

In the Air Force, “Lazar” will be responsible for the development of small air defense and the direction of drone interception. The Minister of Defense emphasized that the goal is to build an anti-drone dome over Ukraine.

Former Deputy Head of the Presidentʼs Office (OP) Rostyslav Shurma was served with a suspicion

Law enforcement officers announced the discovery of a scheme to seize funds intended for payments under the "green" tariff. It operated in favor of a number of enterprises in the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Babelʼs sources confirmed that among the suspects is Rostyslav Shurma, the former deputy head of the OP and former member of the supervisory board of “Naftogaz”.

According to the investigation, the enterprises controlled by the suspect continued to receive payment for electricity at the "green" tariff, which they did not actually produce. Solar power plants in the occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region lost connection with the power grid and were damaged after the start of a full-scale war.

This scheme caused losses of UAH 141.3 million to the state.

In addition to Shurma, eight more people have been suspected in this case. These include his brother, the owner of a network of Ukrainian and foreign companies, Shurmaʼs confidant, managers and employees of controlled enterprises, and the former commercial director of “Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo”.

NABU and SAPO exposed top officials of the State Border Service in bribery

Among them are the former head of the State Border Service of Ukraine Serhiy Deyneko, the head of the checkpoint department, and a former official. Deynekoʼs house was also searched.

Investigators claim that in 2023, with the assistance of the suspects, the perpetrators organized the smuggling of cigarettes from Ukraine to the EU. The passengers of the cars carrying the contraband were relatives of Ukrainian diplomats in the EU. They had diplomatic passports, so such cars were not inspected at the border.

The suspected border guards previously served with diplomats whose relatives became participants in the scheme.

The suspects now face five to ten years in prison.

Donald Trumpʼs "Board of Peace" was formed in Davos

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, 20 nations signed the charter of the Gaza Board of Peace, led by the US President Donald Trump, becoming a new international organization.

In addition to the United States, the organizationʼs charter was signed by the leaders and representatives of: Azerbaijan, Albania, Argentina, Bahrain, Armenia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, UAE, Pakistan, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Hungary, and Uzbekistan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also received an invitation to the "Board of Peace", but it is difficult for him to imagine how Ukraine could be in a particular Council, where Putin and the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko are also invited.

Former Minister Kubrakov became presidential advisor on infrastructure issues

Oleksandr Kubrakov was appointed as a non-staff advisor to the President of Ukraine on infrastructure and interaction with communities.

Kubrakov was the Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction — Minister of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development since 2022. He was dismissed in May 2024. And in January 2025, he became an advisor to the then Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov.

The Defense Minister appoints new advisors

Military expert Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov has been appointed as an advisor on technological areas of defense. At the Ministry of Defense, he will be involved in developing solutions against Russian strike and reconnaissance UAVs, analyzing their captured equipment, and providing expert assessments of new military developments.

Volunteer and public activist Serhiy Sternenko has joined the Defense Ministerʼs team as an advisor on the use of drones at the front. Sternenko will be responsible for increasing the effectiveness of UAV use.

France seizes Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean

On the morning of January 22, French naval forces, with the support of allies, stopped and searched an oil tanker that had arrived from Russia, was under international sanctions, and was likely sailing under a false flag.

After inspection, the tanker was diverted from its route, and French authorities opened a judicial investigation.

Already on January 24, the tanker captain was taken into custody. According to the investigation, he is an Indian citizen.

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