Shipments from Ukraine. Day 1045.
Kyiv region. A New Year’s Day drone strike by Russian forces on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, struck a multi-story apartment bloc and a National Bank of Ukraine building, killing two residents and injuring six others.
Donetsk region. Since the beginning of 2025, two civilians have been killed by Russian attacks in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to regional governor Vadym Filashkin.
On January 1, Russian shelling killed a resident of the capital of the same name, Kherson, in the south of the country.
Ukraine halted the transit of Russian natural gas through its territory on Jan. 1, after the expiration of its agreement with Gazprom, Russia’s largest state-owned gas exporter. The decision cuts Moscow’s last remaining pipeline route to Europe. It supplied about 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in 2024, and had been in operation for decades years. Despite recent lobbying for an extension by Slovakia, which continues to rely heavily on Russian gas imports, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has remained firm in rejecting any contract renewal. The European Commission has expressed confidence that its energy security would not be affected by the move, citing the shift by most of its members toward alternative sources and renewable energy to replace Russian energy supplies.
By 2024, Ukraine will more than quintuple its electricity imports compared to last year, with Hungary offering the largest share, almost 40%. The other major suppliers were Slovakia, Romania and Poland. The increase in imports was supported through European Union agreements, adding an increase in import capacity from 1. 7 to 2. 1 gigawatts. This increase in imports proved imperative as kyiv faced 12 primary Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, adding missile bombardments. Despite the damage, Ukraine’s power grid has become resilient and maintains relative stability; Truly extensive efforts will be needed to strengthen it in 2025.
A recent survey shows a sharp drop in Ukrainians’ optimism about their country’s long-term future. Conducted by the kyiv International Institute of Sociology, a private think tank, the survey shows a reduction in the percentage of Ukrainians who believe the country will be filthy rich and a member of the European Union within 10 years, from 73 percent. in December 2023. to 57%. % in December 2024. At the same time, the percentage of respondents anticipating a devastated economy over the next decade rose from 5% to 28%. The survey also shows growing pessimism among Ukrainians about growing internal political divisions, and a decline in optimism about Ukraine as a united country, from 69% to 53%. Despite this, optimism still prevails over pessimism and the majority remains hopeful for the long term of the country.
In 2024, Russia captured 1,252 square miles of Ukrainian territory—0.5% of Ukraine’s total—at a staggering cost of more than 420,000 troops and $34 billion in equipment, according to an analysis by Forbes Ukraine. Ukraine managed to free 7% of its land area from occupation since the onset of the full-scale invasion, including 185 square miles in Russia’s Kursk region, with Russia relying on foreign mercenaries and 10,000 North Korean troops by year-end.
Russia has stepped up its air movements, launching more than 1,700 missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with record attacks in August. By the end of the year, monthly drone movements had reached unprecedented levels, lures to overwhelm defenses. Backed by Western aid, Ukraine has resisted the pressure, but Russia’s relentless arms production has allowed its attacks to continue.
The United States provided $61.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine, but delays and political challenges eroded trust in President Biden, whose approval among Ukrainians dropped 27 points to 55.2%. Europe led in overall support, countering U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s narrative that Washington bears the main burden, as Ukraine navigates a complex geopolitical landscape.
The United States has provided $3. 4 billion in direct budget aid to Ukraine, the latest tranche of the bipartisan Ukraine Supplemental Security Appropriations Act for 2024, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on December 30. This investment reforms governance, law enforcement and anti-corruption efforts. Since 2022, more than $30 billion from the US budget has stabilized the operations of the Ukrainian government in the midst of the war, ensuring monetary stability.
Additionally, on December 30, President Biden announced about $2. 5 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, including $1. 25 billion in draws from Pentagon reserves and $1. 22 billion under the Security Assistance Initiative. the Security of Ukraine (USAI), which budgets materials for Ukraine’s fast-paced battlefield and its long battle. -term needs. long-term defense functions.
Cultural front.
American stars of Ukrainian origin, actress and director Vera Farmiga, nominated for the Oscar and Emmy awards, and the actress, singer, two-time Oscar winner and winner of the Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe awards Barbra Streisand, presented the Shedryk story – Christmas song known in America as Carroll of the Bells, composed almost a hundred years ago by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, murdered in special Russian facilities in his own home in 1921. Artists from other countries led Shchedryk in 50 other places. Farmiga and Streisand shared the Christmas song to remind the world of Ukrainian heritage.
By Danylo Nosov and Karina L. Tahiliani
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