Russian leader Vladimir Putin
Tuesday’s Coverage: Trump’s Aid Freeze Threatens NGOs
Map: Institute for the Study of War
UPDATE 2135 GMT:
In his nightly video address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has highlighted his direction to the Government — amid the 90-day freeze on US foreign aid — to identify domestic and European funding sources for key projects in energy infrastructure, veterans’ affairs, and border checkpoints.
“I have already instructed some key things to be done at our own expense, as well as to talk to the Europeans,” Zelensky said, having received an initial report which he commissioned on the suspended US-funded programs.
UPDATE 1751 GMT:
In addition to striking a major oil refinery inside Russia (see 1120 GMT), Ukraine’s drones have hit an oil pumping station and missile arsenal overnight, says an officials of the Ukrainian State security agency SBU.
The drones hit the Andreapol station, part of the Baltic Pipeline System-2 operated by Russian State-owned oil pipeline company Transneft.
The official said the filtration pumping area and additive tanks were damaged at the station, around 750 km (466 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
“The Russians even had to shut down the main pipeline that supplies oil to the Ust-Luga terminal in the Leningrad region,” the official said.
UPDATE 1128 GMT:
Two women have been killed by a Russian missile strike on Mykolaiv city in southern Ukraine.
The women, aged 54 and 56, were employees of a food industry facility that was hit.
"People had very little time to react to the air raid alert. Everything happened almost simultaneously: both the air raid signal and the missile strike," Illiana Patsiuk* told Suspilne.
A Russian Iskander-M missile struck a private food enterprise in Mykolaiv on 28 January,… pic.twitter.com/8aWbS4jjax
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) January 29, 2025
Two people were killed and 14 injured in Russian strikes on the neighboring Kherson region on Tuesday, and a 23-year-old man was slain by shelling on Wednesday morning.
Air defenses downed 29 of 57 drones launched by Russia overnight, and another 14 were lost to electronic counter-measures.
The Russians also fired an Iskander-M ballistic missile from occupied Crimea.
UPDATE 1120 GMT:
Ukraine’s drones have struck another major Russian oil refinery, says a Ukrainian military intelligence official.
The Lukoil oil refinery in Kstovo in the Nizhny Novgorod region was targeted early Wednesday by four drones, all of which struck their target and caused “significant damage”.
The official said the refinery “supports the activities of the Russian occupation forces” and was “attacked at around midnight local time”.
The Lukoil refinery of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, in Russia has been severely hit by UAVs. Flames are consuming large parts of the facility, which processes annually 15 million tons of crude oil. It is the forth largest refinery in Russia in terms of production. pic.twitter.com/ZAhUTpbDqL
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) January 29, 2025
UPDATE 1037 GMT:
Facing intense criticism over the threat to vital progams — including for the defense of Ukraine against Russia’s invasion — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has backtracked on the Trump Administration’s almost-total suspension of US foreign aid.
Last Friday, Rubio issued a command halting the aid, except for Israel and Egypt, for 90 days. It followed Donald Trump’s executive order demand a review of aid programs to ensure they align with “American interests” and “American values”.
On Tuesday, he wrote aid organizations that there would be a “waiver” for “core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance”.
Maintaining Trump’s assault on transgender and women’s rights, Rubio says programs not covered by the waiver include “abortions, family planning conferences…transgender surgeries, or other non-life-saving assistance”.
Despite the Administration’s retreat, many organizations funded by the US aid budget of around $60 billion are confused whethey they qualify for the waiver.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “instructed government officials to provide a report on those American support programmes that are currently suspended”.
He said, “We can provide part of this funding through our state finances, and we will discuss some of them with Europeans and Americans.”
Priority will be given to programs concerning Ukrainian children, veterans, and protection of infrastructure.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has chided Vladimir Putin for being “afraid of negotiations” to end Russia’s 35-month full-scale invasion.
On Tuesday, Putin rejected any discussion on the pretext that Zelensky is “illegitimate” and has no right to sign any documents.
Zelensky replied on social media:
Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war. Every move he makes and all his cynical tricks are aimed at making the war endless.
In 2014, Russia started a hybrid war against…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 28, 2025
The President emphasized:
World leaders should take into account the mistakes of previous years, as well as the mistakes of those leaders who are no longer on the stage. Putin has significant capabilities to disrupt global stability, but he is too faint-hearted to withstand real pressure from strong leaders.
That is why we must act decisively and in unity—all those who have the courage to believe in peace and bring it closer through strength. True peace is possible, if Russia is forced into it.