Zelenskyy agrees to meet with Fico, Ukrainian military to elect head of Sahaidachnyi Academy: January 13 highlights

Zelenskyy agreed to meet with Fico

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has invited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet near the border with Ukraine to discuss the situation with the suspension of Russian gas transit.

Zelenskyy agreed, but suggested that Fico come to Ukraine: "Ok. Come to Kyiv on Friday."

Military personnel will elect a new head of the Sagaidachny Academy on the Army+ app

Five professional military personnel are applying for the position of head of the Petro Sahaidachnyi National Academy of Ground Forces. Ukrainian military personnel can support one of them in an online survey.

The survey will last until January 17 inclusive on Army+.

The mine in Pokrovsk has stopped coal production

Reuters, citing sources, wrote that Ukraine has stopped coking coal production at a mine near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, due to the proximity of Russian troops.

This enterprise is the only mine in Ukraine that produces coking coal, necessary for the country's once gigantic steel industry, which ceased operations after the full-scale Russian invasion.

The Ministry for Strategic Industry is aware of three cases of low-quality mines

The Ministry for Strategic Industries is aware of three cases of detection of substandard mortar shells. Two of them have been made public, and one has been "processed in working order."

Conflict with a serviceman in a Kyiv restaurant

A soldier said that he was refused service at the capital's Noice restaurant when he wanted to drink coffee. First, the security guard stopped him, saying that the owner forbade military personnel from entering. And then the employee of the establishment confirmed that he would not serve the soldier, because this was an order from the management.

Subsequently, the police initiated criminal proceedings, and are currently investigating all the circumstances of the conflict.

Another 5 billion hryvnias allocated for "Zelenskyy's thousand"

The government allocated additional funds for the Winter e-Support program. Another 5 billion hryvnias ($118 million) were allocated from the budget reserve fund for this. This was done to fulfill all applications for assistance submitted by Ukrainians.

The first RCH 155 howitzer from Germany and British funding for weapons production in Ukraine

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius handed over to Ukraine the first new RCH 155 self-propelled howitzer out of 54 ordered.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom announced that it would finance Ukrainian production of air defense and long-range weapons.

Other news

• The exhumation of the remains of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy, buried in the former village of Puzhnyky, Ternopil Oblast, will begin in April.
• Lithuania has assured that 4,500 drones purchased from Lithuanian manufacturers for Ukraine will be shipped this week. Initially, Vilnius promised to deliver them by the end of 2024.
• Bill No. 10242, which was criticized by investigative journalists, was again included in the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada.
• The police stated that the scandalous videos, where young men allegedly blocked a street in Kyiv and allegedly had a police escort, are staged.
• Iryna Farion's daughter is demanding compensation of 15 million hryvnias ($354,000) in moral damages for the murder of her mother.
• Russia and Iran will sign an agreement on a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” Moscow has already concluded a similar agreement with North Korea.