An oil tanker heading to Russia was hit by a drone in Black Sea
An oil tanker bound for the Russian port of Novorossiysk was hit by a drone in the Black Sea on January 8, Reuters reported, citing Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
The Palau-flagged tanker Elbus experienced an attack involving an unmanned marine vehicle and a drone after departing from Singapore. None of the 25 crew members was injured, and the vessel proceeded to the Turkish port of Inebolu following the incident.
The attacker has not been identified. However, Ukraine has recently stepped up strikes on vessels linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet — ships with opaque ownership, flags of convenience, and irregular shipping practices used to transport Russian oil despite Western sanctions.
In late November, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it struck two sanctioned Russian oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, off Turkey’s Black Sea coast. On Dec. 10, the SBU reported using Sea Baby naval drones to critically damage another shadow fleet tanker in the Black Sea, and on December 19, it claimed to have hit a similar vessel in the Mediterranean Sea.
Ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih injured at least 13, including a child
At least 13 people, including a child, were injured after a Russian ballistic missile strike hit residential buildings in Kryvyi Rih, in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Regional Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko said a 57-year-old man is in serious condition.
Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the attack was another deliberate act of terror against civilians, accusing Russian forces of intentionally targeting homes, hospitals, and energy infrastructure. She also thanked emergency responders and public services for their rapid response and assistance to the injured.
Russians attack Kherson and Kherson Oblast, killing four people
Russian forces attacked central Kherson and the area near the village of Tarasa Shevchenka in Kherson Oblast on January 8, killing four people and injuring four others, according to the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office and regional authorities.
Around 11:30 a.m., Russian troops dropped an explosive device from a drone onto a civilian car near Tarasa Shevchenka, killing a 63-year-old man and injuring two other people who were inside the vehicle. About an hour later, Russian forces struck central Kherson, killing two men on the spot and wounding three residents who were taken to hospital. One of the injured, a 57-year-old man, later died from his injuries despite doctors’ efforts to save him.
Western troops in Ukraine would become "legitimate military targets" - Russia
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has criticized the Coalition of the Willing’s declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, saying it is far removed from any peaceful settlement and warning that Western troops deployed in Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets.
Speaking after the declaration was signed in Paris on January 6, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the document does not aim to achieve lasting peace or security, but instead promotes further militarization, escalation, and expansion of the conflict. She stated that any deployment of Western troops or military infrastructure in Ukraine would be viewed by Moscow as direct intervention posing a security threat. According to Zakharova, such forces and facilities would be treated as legitimate military targets.
She also claimed that the plans of Ukraine and its Western partners are becoming increasingly dangerous and destructive, not only for the region but for Europe and its population as a whole.