Victory Chronicles-DAY 1426

Ukraine has been planning offensive operations for this year while maintaining a strategic defense, its top military commander said, arguing that holding the initiative was essential to forcing Russia to expend troops and weapons. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said mobilization and force generation has improved markedly compared with seven months earlier, while Ukrainian casualties fell by 13 percent in 2025.

Syrskyi said Russia’s overarching aim is still to control all of Ukraine, with timelines and resources shifting but objectives unchanged. He said Ukraine would continue asymmetric actions alongside defense, using active operations to compel Russian forces to respond. Improvements in staffing at recruitment centers, training and how commanders’ treat personnel was seen, he said, adding that absent without leave figures have dropped.

Syrskyi said Russian losses rose sharply, estimating more than 850,000 total casualties over 2024 and 2025, a sign, he said, of the effectiveness of Ukraine’s operations.

Poles raise funds for power generators for Kyiv. Volunteers in Poland raised more than 1 million zlotys ($275,000) to purchase power generators for Kyiv, as the Ukrainian capital faced growing strain from Russian attacks on its energy system. The fundraiser, reported by European Pravda, drew wide attention on Polish social media and was shared by Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar.

The campaign, called “Heat from Poland for Kyiv,” launched around Jan. 15 had a goal to raise 2 million zlotys ($550,000) to purchase and deliver 100 generators. Organizers said freezing nighttime temperatures, dropping to about minus 1 degree Fahrenheit, left many residents without electricity or heat.

More than 8,800 people donated within three days. Organizers said the generators would help heat shelters for elderly people and children and provide basic access to hot water. Bodnar thanked the donors, calling the effort a lifesaving act of solidarity during winter.

Ukrainian intelligence unit stages raid deep into Russian positions. Ukraine’s military intelligence said its special operations unit Artan carried out a combat raid deep into Russian-held positions along the Lyman front, releasing footage that showed close quarter fighting and cleared enemy shelters. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, the operation targeted Russian field fortifications that are used to hold territory in eastern Ukraine.

According to the agency, the raid involved coordinated movement through contested ground, where Ukrainian fighters eliminated resistance and secured several dugouts. The unit also captured Russian servicemen during the operation, adding them to Ukraine’s pool of prisoners for potential exchanges.

Lyman, a strategic rail and road hub near the front line, has seen repeated clashes as both sides seek to control supply routes and pressure opposing defenses. Ukrainian officials said such raids were intended to disrupt Russian positions and gather intelligence while keeping pressure on enemy forces.

Ukrainian intelligence unit stages raid deep into Russian positions. Ukraine’s military intelligence said its special operations unit Artan carried out a combat raid deep into Russian-held positions along the Lyman front, releasing footage that showed close quarter fighting and cleared enemy shelters. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, the operation targeted Russian field fortifications that are used to hold territory in eastern Ukraine.

According to the agency, the raid involved coordinated movement through contested ground, where Ukrainian fighters eliminated resistance and secured several dugouts. The unit also captured Russian servicemen during the operation, adding them to Ukraine’s pool of prisoners for potential exchanges.

Lyman, a strategic rail and road hub near the front line, has seen repeated clashes as both sides seek to control supply routes and pressure opposing defenses. Ukrainian officials said such raids were intended to disrupt Russian positions and gather intelligence while keeping pressure on enemy forces.

Key Takeaways

• Russian forces are reportedly preparing to conduct long-range strikes against substations powering Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
• This warning comes as Russia continues its long-range strike campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, resulting in widespread blackouts.
• Russian state media amplified a Kremlin-affiliated former Ukrainian politician’s statements to prepare the Russian domestic populace for the Kremlin’s rejection of peace in the near-team amid ongoing US, Ukrainian, and European negotiations.
• Russian forces recently advanced in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

• Ukrainian intelligence: Russia considering strikes on substations serving Ukraine’s nuclear power plants
• Spanish Prime Minister: If Trump invaded Greenland, it would make Putin extremely happy
• Russia exported over two million tonnes of grain from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories in 2025
• Kremlin says Putin has been invited to Trump’s “Board of Peace”
• Reuters: Putin’s envoy Dmitriev to travel to Davos for meetings with Americans
• New Russian Geran-5 drone can fly 950 km (roughly 590 miles)
• Zelenskyy: If Russia wanted to end the war, it would not seek to threaten our nuclear power plants