Day: January 5, 2026

Reaction to effectiveness of US operation contrasts with loss of key ally for Putin, whose priority remains Ukraine

Russia’s regions and ethnic republics have borne a disproportionate share of the burden in supplying manpower for the front lines in Ukraine since the onset of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.  With no peace deal in sight, regional officials are buckling up for yet another year of trying to fulfill the Kremlin-imposed military recruitment quotas — an increasingly difficult task.  The Moscow Times spoke to Maria Vyushkova, a leading researcher of regional and ethnic disparities in Russia’s war casualties, to understand how and where Moscow will search for fresh manpower in 2026. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday ousted the country’s security service chief iin the latest change to Kyiv’s top intelligence positions, almost four years into the Russian invasion.

KYIV, Jan 5 (Reuters) – ‌Ukrainian President Volodymyr ‌Zelenskiy said on Monday that he wanted to replace ‍the head of the country’s SBU ⁠security service, Vasyl Maliuk, part of a wider reshuffle that has also seen the presidential chief ‌of staff replaced. Zelenskiy said on X ‌that he had …