Victory Chronicles-DAY 1434

A Russian drone attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa on Jan. 27 damaged schools, apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure and killed at least three civilians, local officials said. 

An educational facility and a kindergarten were among the sites hit, with blast waves shattering windows, damaging doors and sparking fires that firefighters quickly contained.

Authorities said the vocational lyceum for construction and architecture, one of the city’s leading technical schools, was struck for the second time in recent weeks after earlier drone attacks destroyed more than 200 windows and damaged training labs. Emergency services later recovered the bodies of three civilians from the rubble of a residential building. Officials said six children were among the injured, with nine civilians were hospitalized, one in serious condition.

Nearly 50 apartment buildings were damaged across the city of 1 million people, officials said, as rescue crews continued searching debris and evacuating residents following strikes Ukrainian authorities said deliberately targeted civilian areas.

Russian strike leaves most of Kharkiv region without power. About 80 percent of the northeastern region of Kharkiv and the surrounding area was left without electricity after a combined Russian missile and drone attack on Jan. 26, regional officials said. Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said emergency outages were imposed after strikes damaged energy infrastructure, forcing authorities to cut power across much of the area.

Syniehubov said two people were injured and were receiving medical care. He added that the attack also damaged two schools in one of the city’s districts, compounding disruptions for residents who already face bruta; winter conditions.

Russian strike hits apartment building in Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih. Russian forces struck an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was born. OnJan. 26, the strike caused a fire and prompted an emergency rescue operation, local officials said. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s Defense Council, said firefighters and rescue teams were working at the scene as smoke plumed from the damaged building and residents were being evacuated.

Ukraine’s Air Force had earlier warned that Russian drones were heading toward the city, shortly before the strike was reported. Regional officials said the situation was still being assessed as crews searched the building and worked to extinguis the fire.

Kryvyi Rih has been repeatedly targeted during Russia’s all-out invasion, with residential areas increasingly coming under attack as Moscow continues to use drones and missiles to target urban centers.

Ground drone captures three Russian soldiers in remote operation. A Ukrainian ground drone captured three Russian soldiers during a fully remote combat mission, underscoring how robotics is reshaping frontline warfare, a Ukrainian defense company said Jan. 27. The operation was carried out using the Droid TW-7.62, a reconnaissance and strike unmanned ground vehicle built on the NUMO platform and developed by DevDroid, according to video released by the firm.

The footage showed the robot approaching Russian positions and forcing three servicemen to surrender without Ukrainian troops entering the area. DevDroid said the mission was completed without risk to Ukrainian personnel and added to the pool of prisoners of war available for future exchanges.

The Droid TW-7.62 is fitted with a 7.62 mm machine gun and a ballistic computer designed to improve accuracy and fire control. The system also uses elements of artificial intelligence to autonomously detect, track and engage targets. 

Key Takeaways

1. The United States and Europe are finalizing security and economic guarantees with Ukraine that aim to deter future Russian aggression and rebuild Ukraine’s post-war economy.
2. The Kremlin continues to exploit the lack of clarity about the outcome of the August 2025 US-Russian Alaska summit to falsely portray Ukraine — not Russia — as the unwilling negotiating partner.
3. The Kremlin is reviving its use of nuclear arms control rhetoric to push the United States to make concessions on Ukraine in return for normalizing US-Russian relations.
4. Russian forces are increasingly using Starlink satellite systems to extend the range of BM-35 strike drones to conduct mid-range strikes against the Ukrainian rear.
5. Russia’s domestic populace is increasingly bearing the economic costs of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
6. Russian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, in the Dobropillya tactical area, and near Slovyansk.

• Nearly 1,000 Kyiv apartment buildings still without heat
• Ukraine’s Naftogaz says Russia struck its facility in western Ukraine
• Ukraine’s General Staff: Ukrainian forces hit Russian air defence asset in occupied Crimea
• German foreign minister calls for stronger action against Russia’s shadow fleet
• Germany prepares for Russia to attack Nato in two years
• FT: US security guarantees for Ukraine will depend on troop withdrawal from Donbas