Ukrainian drone flies to St. Petersburg, Hrynkevych's son is wanted: January 18 highlights
Law enforcers are searching for the son of Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, who is suspected of fraud on a large scale. A Ukrainian—made drone hits an oil depot in St. Petersburg. Ukrainian hackers stole technical documentation for 500 facilities of the Russian Ministry of Defense. We have collected the main news for January 18.
Hrynkevych Jr. was put on the wanted list
Law enforcers have put the son of Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, Roman, on the wanted list. Both are suspects in the procurement case of the Ministry of Defense.
Yesterday, on January 17, law enforcement officers served notice of suspicion to members of a criminal organization led by Hrynkevych, who, according to the investigation, caused almost a billion hryvnias in damage to the state. Only Hrynkevych Jr. is currently in hiding.
A Ukrainian drone flew to St. Petersburg
On the morning of January 18, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its air defense systems had allegedly intercepted one drone over the territory of the Leningrad region and destroyed another over the Moscow region.
Later, a source in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed the morning drone attack on the oil terminal. According to our source, targets were hit.
Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin said that a Ukrainian-made drone had flown to St. Petersburg.
Mobilization of convicts and those who went abroad
Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska said that since the beginning of the great war, there have been "thousands of appeals" from convicts who wanted to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but current legislation prohibits them from mobilization. The Ministry of Justice has already drafted amendments to the law, which are now being considered by parliamentary committees.
At the same time, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov believes that Ukraine cannot forcibly mobilize conscripts living abroad because of the specifics of other countries' legislation.
Kyivstar estimates losses from cyber attack
"Kyivstar and its parent company Veon have estimated the financial losses caused by the cyber attack in December last year. According to Veon, the losses amount to about UAH 3.6 billion. In 2024 they may increase due to compensation for customers.
Hackers break into Russian state corporation
Hackers from the Blackjack group, probably affiliated with the Security Service of Ukraine, have hacked into one of the Russian state corporations that builds military facilities throughout Russia. They stole technical documentation for 500 facilities of the occupying Defense Ministry.
Wiretapping of journalists
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics (CJE) said it was outraged by the cases of pressure on investigative journalists Yurii Nikolov and Denys Bihus. Against this background, the organization called on law enforcement agencies to conduct a transparent investigation and on the parliament to monitor the case.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officers in the Kyiv region opened a criminal investigation following a complaint from Bihus.Info journalist Maria Zemlianska. The journalist stated that unidentified persons had illegally collected and distributed confidential information about her.
Third checkpoint has been blocked in Romania
On the morning of January 18, Romanian transporters and farmers blocked the Halmeu-Diakove checkpoint on the border with Ukraine. They are also blocking the Siret-Porubne and Vicovu de Sus-Krasnoilsk checkpoints.
Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu invited the protesters to a meeting, stressing that “the doors of the ministry are always open, and farmers will always find a partner for dialogue”.
Other important news of the day
- Occupiers attacked an apartment building in Kupiansk — there were dead and wounded.
- A scheme was exposed in Poltava region during the repair of a hospital shelter. Law enforcement officers counted bribes worth UAH 1.2 million.
- In Zaporizhzhia, a gang of racketeers kidnapped people and “extorted” fictitious debts from them.
- Another case against former Prime Minister Azarov was sent to court.
- The European Parliament adopts a resolution calling for Hungary to be investigated for violations of EU values.
- NATO is preparing to conduct its largest exercise since the end of the Cold War. The scenario is to repel a Russian attack.
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