Russia-Ukraine War: Key Developments on Day 1,057
A car drives past a burned military vehicle near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, as conflict intensifies.
Fighting Escalates
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched a major strike on the western part of the country, firing 43 cruise and ballistic missiles and deploying 74 drones. Russian authorities confirmed the assault, stating that the attack was retaliation for Ukraine’s aerial assault on Russian military factories and energy facilities, which used US-supplied ATACMS missiles and UK-made Storm Shadow missiles.
In response to the attack, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s targeting of critical energy infrastructure, calling for increased foreign security assistance and advocating for the use of nearly $250 billion in seized Russian assets to purchase weapons.
Meanwhile, Russia's regional Governor, Alexander Gusev, reported that debris from destroyed Ukrainian drones caused a fire at an oil storage facility in southern Russia, though no casualties were reported.
Russia-Iran Partnership
In a significant development, Russia and Iran are expected to sign a partnership treaty that will define their bilateral relations for the next two decades. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are scheduled for talks in Moscow on Friday to finalize the agreement.
Political and Diplomatic Moves
President Zelenskyy announced that 25 Ukrainians, including several who had fought at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol—captured by Russia in 2022—will return to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia is planning "acts of terrorism" against Poland and other countries. Zelenskyy also expressed confidence that the US would continue supporting Ukraine's military efforts after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump next week.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte urged member states to adopt a "wartime mindset" to better prepare for ongoing global threats. "To prevent war, we need to prepare for it," he stated.
Trump's advisers have acknowledged that resolving the Ukraine conflict could take months or longer, with plans to offer a peace deal on Trump’s first day in office. They are also reportedly in favor of removing Ukraine’s NATO membership from the negotiating table and freezing the current front lines, potentially establishing a demilitarized zone monitored by European troops.
Financial Support for Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz revealed that Germany could only provide an additional $3.1 billion in arms deliveries to Ukraine by borrowing funds, citing limited financial resources.
Russian Oil and Gas
In Moldova, Vadim Krasnoselsky, leader of the pro-Moscow breakaway region of Transnistria, stated that the region expects Russia to resume supplying "humanitarian gas" to meet the heating and power needs of both the population and industrial enterprises.
As the war rages on, the international community remains on edge, with both sides continuing their military and diplomatic efforts to gain leverage.