"Unprecedented" military assistance to Ukraine, former head of Naftogaz charged: highlights of the day

"Tallinn Pledge"

Defense ministers of nine countries announced new military aid packages the day before the meeting of the "Ramstein" contact group on Ukraine's defense.

The joint statement, dubbed the "Tallinn Pledge," was signed by Estonia, the United Kingdom, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Slovakia.

Estonia will provide 155-mm FH-70 and 122-mm D-30 howitzers, thousands of 155-mm artillery rounds, hundreds of Carl-Gustaf M2 anti-tank grenade launchers, and more.

Latvia plans to supply dozens of man-portable air defense systems Stinger and additional air defense elements, two Mi-17 helicopters, dozens of machine guns with ammunition

Lithuania's new support package consists of dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft systems, while Poland will provide C-60 anti-aircraft systems.

On January 19, it was also reported that Ukraine would receive 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled artillery systems as a gift from Denmark. These are all the Caesar self-propelled artillery systems that Denmark currently has.

And the Lower House of the Netherlands General States supported the transfer of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.

Death toll in Dnipro rises

According to updated information, 46 people were killed when a Russian missile hit a residential building in Dnipro.

As a result of the strike, 80 people were injured. Of these, 24 remain in Dnipro hospitals. Three are in serious condition, including a 9-year-old girl.

Helicopter crash in Brovary

The SES helicopter that crashed in Brovary on January 18 had 10 people on board, not nine as previously reported. All of them died.

The police confirmed that 14 people died in the crash, including one child. It is also known that 25 people were injured, 11 of them children.

Former head of Naftogaz charged

On January 19, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office charged former Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev with embezzlement of over UAH 229 million ($8.42 million) in 2018.

The prosecutor requests that Kobolyev be held in custody as a pre-trial restriction with an alternative to bail in the amount of UAH 365 million ($9.93 million).

Threat of new Russian offensive

The Ukrainian authorities ask all partner countries that have already provided military assistance or are planning to provide it to significantly increase their practical contribution to strengthening Ukraine's ability to defend itself.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov emphasized that there is a threat of a new full-scale Russian offensive.

Special tribunal for Putin and Lukashenko

The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a special tribunal to bring the political and military leadership of Russia and Belarus to justice for crimes against Ukraine.

Refusal to interview because of Ukrainian language

Yulia Zavadska said that in Kyiv, the Budhouse Group company refused to give her an interview because of her requirement to speak the state language.

The company said that the interview was canceled not because she asked to speak Ukrainian.

Taras Kremin, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, promised to investigate the company in a commentary.

Kiryeyev's death

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, said that the death of banker Denys Kiryeyev was due to poor coordination of Ukrainian special services at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. He emphasized that Kiryeyev was not a Russian agent.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal found out that Kiryeyev, who was shot dead in March 2022, warned the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov about Putin's decision to launch a full-scale invasion, as well as the Russian offensive against Kyiv.

Meta promises not to block Azov

The Ministry of Digital Transformation has asked Meta to revise its content moderation policy so that it does not block or delete posts about the war by Ukrainian users on social media.

Now, Meta will not block Azov Regiment's pages and content about the military unit.

Ban on religious organizations affiliated with Russia

The Cabinet of Ministers has registered a draft law in the Verkhovna Rada that would ban the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine whose governing center is located in a state that is carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine.

Other news:

• Soldiers of the 25th separate airborne brigade dove into the Siverskyi Donets River in the liberated Svyatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast, on the Christian holiday of Epiphany.
• The Serbian government has decided to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine to support the Ukrainian energy system. Recently, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that his country does not support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and that the occupied Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are an integral part of Ukraine.
• Germany's population has grown to a record level, in part due to refugees from Ukraine.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran does not recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea and four other regions of Ukraine.
• In Sweden, a court convicted a former member of the country's Security Service and Armed Forces, as well as his younger brother, of spying for Russia.
• Estonia has launched the mRiik app based on Ukraine's Diia state service portal.