These are important developments since day 1,429 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Published January 23, 2026
Here’s what happened on Friday, January 23rd.
finding
Two volunteers delivering bread were killed in a car attack by a Russian drone in the border area of Derkhach, Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, regional military governor Vyacheslav Zadorenko wrote on the messaging app Telegram. Russian troops launched a drone attack on a high-rise residential building in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, injuring at least seven people, the city’s mayor, Boris Filatov, announced. One person was killed and four others injured in a Russian glide bomb attack on Komyshvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya region, Governor Ivan Fedorov announced. Twelve people, including four children, were injured in a Russian attack on the city of Kryvyi Rikh in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, the head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Hanza, announced. Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian military shot down 31 Ukrainian drones overnight and early Thursday, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.
sanctions
The French navy has seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, which officials say belongs to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” aimed at circumventing international sanctions. French President Emmanuel Macron said the oil tanker “comes from Russia, which is subject to international sanctions and suspected of raising a false flag.” He added that the operation was carried out in “strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” and in cooperation with allies.
energy crisis
Ukraine’s energy system suffered its most difficult day on Thursday since widespread power outages hit the network in November 2022, but the situation remains “extremely difficult,” the country’s Energy Minister Denis Shmyhal said. Shmyhal said nighttime temperatures could drop to -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), with conditions worst in the capital Kiev, surrounding areas and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 2,600 apartment buildings were still without heat two days after the latest Russian nighttime attack, and heating had been restored in 600 buildings.
politics and diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian negotiators were heading to the United Arab Emirates for talks with Russian and US negotiating teams.
“Our team is currently heading to the Emirates for talks with the American and Russian sides,” President Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram after a day of talks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. “We are waiting to see how the situation develops and will decide on our next steps.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin began talks late Thursday with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum to discuss plans to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
After meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos, US President Donald Trump reiterated that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky want a deal to end the nearly four-year war.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an interview with Channel 4 News on Thursday that he was “obviously” concerned about Putin joining Trump’s proposed “peace commission”. “He’s waging war on European countries. They’re raining bombs on Ukraine,” Starmer said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas said ahead of Thursday’s emergency meeting of EU leaders that relations between the United States and the European Union had “taken a big hit” over the past week.
“Disagreements between allies, such as Europe and the United States, only benefit our adversaries, who are enjoying the view,” Karas told reporters.
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told reporters that the two Russian soldiers whose bodies were returned as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine late last year were alive and unharmed when captured in May 2025. Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify this report.
military aid
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik said his country “in cooperation with the United States and others” “rapidly delivered air defense missiles to Ukraine at a critical stage so that the NASAMS system can continue to protect the Ukrainian people from deadly airstrikes.”
