Freed prisoners likely tortured, increased mobilization discussed, Kyiv death toll rises

Your slice of the headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Friday, January 5, 2024.

●       Former Ukrainian POWs require extensive treatment, suspected as having been tortured

The Ukrainian service members and civilians freed in the latest prisoner swap with Russia all lost extreme amounts of weight and require medical and psychological treatment after suspected torture, reports Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on the national telethon.

●       Ukraine releases video of burning Russian Su-34 in Chelyabinsk

Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) has shared a video of a Russian Su-34 fighter jet burning at an airfield in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on the night of Jan. 4.

●       ‘Europe will be subject to a direct Russian attack in the next few years’ — Polish PM Tusk

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has issued a warning that Russia may launch an attack on Europe in the next few years, reported Polish news outlet Rzeczpospolita.

●       ‘Objective component of war’: Zaluzhnyi and Umerov comment on increased mobilization at Parliament Committee

Increased mobilization is an "objective component of the war," Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko wrote on Telegram on Jan, 4, citing comments made by Chief Commander of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov during the Parliamentary Committee's review of the new conscription law.

●       How Ukraine fortifies its energy facilities from Russianmissile and drone strikes

Ukraine made moves to fortify the country’s energy infrastructure in October 2023 in advance of Russia’s expected targeting in mass missile strikes during colder weather.

●       White House finds no evidence of widespread corruption or misuse of US-supplied weapons in Ukraine

There is “no indication of wide-scale corruption or misuse” of weapons provided to Ukraine by the United States, White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said during a press briefing on Jan. 3.

●       Russian hackers had access to Kyivstar network at least since May 2023, says SBU

Russian hackers breached the network of Ukrainian telecom operator Kyivstar at least as early as May 2023, Illia Vitiuk, head of the cybersecurity department of Ukraine’s SBU security service, said in an interview with news agency Reuters on Jan. 4.

●       Deadliest civilian strike on Kyiv of the war – Russia’s Dec. 29 missile attack death toll rises to 32

Two more bodies have been discovered in Kyiv at the site of the Russian strike on Dec. 29, bringing the death toll to 32, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.

●       US and allies continue discussions on transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine — Kirby

The United States, along with its allies, is still in discussions regarding the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said during a press briefing on Jan. 3.

●       Finance Ministry to pause tax code reform until taxpayer trustincreases, says minister

The Finance Ministry will not implement changes to the tax code as proposed in the National Revenue Strategy without gaining taxpayer trust, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said during a discussion panel hosted by the Center for Economic Strategy on Jan. 3.

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