Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of an “act of terrorism” after an attack on a Ukrainian passenger train killed at least five people.
"In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism," Zelensky said.
The war-time president said there was no "military justification" in Russia’s targeting civilians. He added that there were 18 people in the carriage that was hit and over 200 on the train in total.
The attack was in contrast to US president Donald Trump’s remarks just a few hours earlier when he said “very good things” were happening in efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, as US-brokered peace talks are set to continue this Sunday.
His comments follow trilateral discussions in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, which Zelensky said were "constructive".
A source familiar with internal discussions told Reuters on Tuesday that the US has told Ukraine that it must sign on to a peace deal with Russia if it wants to get US security guarantees.
I was caught in a Russian attack last night – this is Ukraine’s brutal reality as talks grind on
Trump is a bigger threat to Nato than Putin, says alliance’s former commander
Russia’s desperate recruitment drive as Putin frees prisoners and lures foreigners to war
Bangladeshi workers lured to Russia for jobs tricked into fighting brutal war in Ukraine
Key Points
- Zelensky accuses Putin of 'act of terrorism' after train attack
- Russia's war sees nearly 2 million military casualties so far – report
- Russian attacks kill five on train in northeast and three in Odesa
- Trumps says 'very good things' happening in efforts to end war
- Nato warns Ukraine faces 'harshest winter' as Russia targets energy grid - watch
Russia and India to hold joint naval drills next month – report
07:02 , Arpan RaiRussia and India will hold joint naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean in February, officials in Russia’s maritime college press service said.
The press service statement, cited by TASS news agency, said a frigate of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet would leave the port of Muscat in Oman to take part in the Milan-2026 exercises, and then make an unofficial visit to the Indian port of Vishakhapatnam from 18 February to 25 February.
Ukraine says Lukashenko must be held accountable for 'complicity' in war
06:40 , Arpan RaiBelarus should be held accountable for its role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said, announcing sanctions against the neighbouring country’s president Alexander Lukashenko.
"The Lukashenko regime, and (Lukashenko) himself, must bear responsibility for their complicity in Russian aggression," Sybiha told news outlet European Pravda.
Sybiha said he shares the view of much of the West that Lukashenko has rigged elections to remain in power.
“This is the so-called president. Ukraine, like other European countries, does not consider him the legitimately elected president of Belarus,” he said.
Sybiha said Lukashenko’s Belarusian regime is responsible for providing territory for attacks on Ukraine.
“This makes them complicit in the aggression against Ukraine. And now we see new elements of support for Russian aggression from the Lukashenko regime. They are providing their infrastructure for drone attacks on Ukrainian territory,” he said.
In photos: Putin's deadly strike on passenger train kills five in Kharkiv
06:08 , Arpan Rai
I was caught in a Russian attack last night – this is Ukraine’s brutal reality as talks grind on
05:46 , Arpan RaiIn the early hours of Tuesday morning I was at the receiving end of one of the deadly Russian mass drone attacks that regularly terrorise Ukrainian cities.
Much of my hotel near the centre of the Black Sea port city of Odesa was wrecked when Shahed drones hit close by, setting buildings opposite ablaze and blowing out walls, shattering windows and collapsing ceilings where I was staying.
I had slept through the sirens warning of an approaching attack and was wrenched out of my slumber by the first enormous explosion, which blew out windows in my room in the Hotel Alarus at around 2.20am.
Askold Krushelnycky was asleep in Odesa when Shahed drones partially destroyed his hotel, illustrating how Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine continue during one of the country’s harshest winters:
I was caught in a Russian attack last night – this is Ukraine’s brutal reality
Watch: Carriages burn following deadly Russian drone attack on Ukraine passenger train
05:20 , Arpan RaiRussia's war sees nearly 2 million military casualties so far – report
05:01 , Arpan RaiThe Russian invasion of Ukraine has left nearly two million military personnel killed, wounded, or missing, a US think tank’s latest study shows.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies says the war has resulted in about 1.2 million Russian casualties and between 500,000 and 600,000 Ukrainian casualties.
In a new report published yesterday, the think tank said Russian forces have suffered as many as 325,000 killed since the war began nearly four years ago, accounting for the majority of the losses.
Russia is the first major power in the world to have seen this scale of casualties or fatalities since the Second World War.
Russian forces have continued to advance "remarkably slowly on the battlefield" despite the scale of the losses, it said.
Children and pregnant woman wounded in Russian attacks on Odesa
04:36 , Arpan RaiAt least three people were killed and 25 were wounded after Russian drones hammered the southern city of Odesa overnight.
Odesa governor Oleh Kiper said two children and a pregnant woman were among the wounded in the strikes on the city. Dozens of residential buildings, a church, a kindergarten and a high school were damaged, he said.
By midday on Tuesday, rescue workers were still digging through a mountain of rubble outside a building where emergency officials said two residents had been killed.
It was ripped open across several floors. Resident Denys Tsybulskiy stood outside the building trying to reach his neighbour, who he said was trapped under the debris but had showed signs of using his phone.
Odesa, on Ukraine's strategically critical Black Sea coast, has come under increasing attack in recent months.
Watch: Firefighters battle blaze after Russian shelling hits Kherson building
04:00 , Arpan RaiZelensky accuses Putin of 'act of terrorism' after train attack
03:43 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of an “act of terrorism” after an attack by Moscow on a Ukrainian passenger train killed at least five people.
"In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism," Zelensky said.
The war-time president said there was no "military justification" in Russia’s targeting civilians. He added that there were 18 people in the carriage that was hit and over 200 on the train in total.
Photographs posted online showed at least two carriages in flames next to a snow-covered railbed.
"Our cause – and this is what should unite all normal people in the world – is to ensure the progress of protecting life. This is possible through pressure on Russia.” he said.
Today, Russia struck a passenger train in the Kharkiv region with attack drones. In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism. There would be no doubt about the classification, neither in Europe, nor in… pic.twitter.com/J7UqQV70QG
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 27, 2026
Russian attacks kill five on train in northeast and three in Odesa
03:22 , Arpan RaiA Russian drone strike on a passenger train in northeastern Ukraine killed five people, prosecutors said.
The attack set a train ablaze hours after Russian drones hammered the southern city of Odesa overnight, killing three people and wounding 25 as Moscow intensified its strikes aimed at pushing Kyiv to give up fighting.
In northeastern Kharkiv Region, prosecutors said fragments of five bodies had been found at the scene of the strike on the train by a village.
Photographs posted online showed at least two carriages in flames next to a snow-covered railbed.
The attack has been denounced as terrorism by president Volodymyr Zelensky as he called for intensified pressure on Moscow.
"In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be considered in exactly the same way – purely as terrorism," Zelensky said.
"Our cause – and this is what should unite all normal people in the world – is to ensure the progress of protecting life. This is possible through pressure on Russia.” he said.
US wants Ukraine to cede territory before confirming security guarantees, say reports
03:01 , Arpan RaiUS officials have suggested that they are more amenable to backing Kyiv if the Donbas region is surrendered to Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
More weapons were offered to Ukraine in peacetime if it agreed to withdraw forces from the eastern region, two sources told the publication.
Ukrainian and European officials suggested that the moves were an attempt to strongarm the country into ceding the entirety of the territory.
Russia currently controls 90 per cent of the Donbas region, while Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said that the surrender of the area is the only “path to peace”.
Ukraine has said it will not give up any territory that Russia has failed to take by force.
Watch: NATO warns Ukraine faces 'harshest winter' as Russia targets energy grid
02:00 , Harriette BoucherSpecial dispatch: I was caught in a Russian attack last night – this is Ukraine’s brutal reality as talks grind on
01:00 , Harriette BoucherIn the early hours of Tuesday morning I was at the receiving end of one of the deadly Russian mass drone attacks that regularly terrorise Ukrainian cities.
Much of my hotel near the centre of the Black Sea port city of Odesa was wrecked when Shahed drones hit close by, setting buildings opposite ablaze and blowing out walls, shattering windows and collapsing ceilings where I was staying.
I had slept through the sirens warning of an approaching attack and was wrenched out of my slumber by the first enormous explosion which blew out windows in my room in the Hotel Alarus at around 2.20am.
I was caught in a Russian attack last night – this is Ukraine’s brutal reality
Russia’s desperate recruitment drive as Putin frees prisoners and lures foreigners to war
00:00 , Alex CroftFor average wage earners in Russia, it's a big payday. For criminals seeking to escape the harsh conditions and abuse in prison, it's a chance at freedom. For immigrants hoping for a better life, it's a simplified path to citizenship.
All they have to do is sign a contract to fight in Ukraine.
This desperate recruitment drive is part of Moscow's strategy to replenish its forces in the nearly four-year conflict, while simultaneously avoiding an unpopular nationwide mobilisation. The bloody war of attrition has also seen foreign combatants join the fray. Following a mutual defence treaty in 2024, North Korea reportedly sent thousands of soldiers to help Russia defend its Kursk region against a Ukrainian incursion.
Read the full report:
Russia’s war recruitment drive as Putin frees prisoners and lures foreigners
Slovakia to file lawsuit against EU ban on Russian gas imports
Tuesday 27 January 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftSlovakia will file a lawsuit challenging the European Union’s ban on Russian gas imports, after the policy won final approval on Monday.
European countries agreed to completely ban the imports by late 2027, but Slovakia and Hungary both voted against. Russian gas imports make up 90 percent of Hungary’s imports in the sector.
Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, is reported to have confirmed the news of the lawsuit, according to news website Dennik N.
Trumps says 'very good things' happening in efforts to end war
Tuesday 27 January 2026 22:44 , Harriette BoucherJust days after trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, President Donald Trump told reporters that “very good things are happening on Ukraine and Russia.”
His comments come as Kyiv and Moscow negotiators are set to meet again this Sunday, as US-brokered peace talks continue.
US officials said progress had been made towards an agreement, as envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner came away from the talks feeling optimistic that a deal could be reached soon.
Firefighters battle blaze after Russian shelling hits Kherson building
Tuesday 27 January 2026 22:02 , Alex CroftPutin's envoy says Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbas is the 'path to peace'
Tuesday 27 January 2026 21:01 , Alex CroftPresident Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donbas region is the solution to the conflict raging between Russia and Ukraine.
Dmitriev, who has been part of high-stakes negotiations being held between the US, Russia and Ukraine, said on Tuesday: “Donbas withdrawal is the path to peace for Ukraine,” in a statement on X/Twitter.
Russia currently controls 90 per cent of the region and Putin has insisted on Ukraine surrendering the rest of it or Russia will take the region by force.
Russian ally accuses Ukraine of election meddling
Tuesday 27 January 2026 20:15 , Alex CroftPrime minister Viktor Orban said Hungary would summon Ukraine's ambassador over what he claimed were attempts to interfere in a Hungarian parliamentary election due on 12 April.
Orban has intensified his anti-Ukraine campaign in the past weeks, and has sought to associate Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar with Kyiv and the EU executive in Brussels as the campaign heats up.
In a campaign primarily targeting rural voters, Orban has portrayed Ukraine as unworthy of financial support, framing the April vote as a choice between war and peace and echoing his past anti-migrant campaigns.
Orban, who has kept close ties with Moscow, has repeatedly refused to support European Union aid for Ukraine, and has launched a "national petition" asking voters to sign up to say they do not want to help pay for the war."
Last week, Ukrainian leaders and even the president himself made grossly insulting and threatening statements against Hungary ... Our national security services have ... concluded this is a coordinated attempt to interfere in Hungarian elections," Orban said in a video.
Philippines investigating claims its national died fighting for Russia
Tuesday 27 January 2026 19:30 , Alex CroftAuthorities in the Philippines said they were verifying reports of a Filipino national said to have died on the front lines fighting for Russia.
Ukraine’s military intelligence yesterday claimed that a Filipino national, identified as John Patrick, was killed fighting for Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
The man had served in Russia’s 9th Battalion, 283rd Regiment, 144th Motorized Rifle Division in the 20th Combined Arms Army of the Russian military, Ukraine claimed.
Trump is a bigger threat to Nato than Putin, says alliance’s former commander
Tuesday 27 January 2026 18:45 , Daniel KeaneThe American leader imperilled the future of the alliance with repeated threats to seize Greenland and attacks on European allies. General Richard Shirreff tells Maira Butt that the US President has turned the international order into a ‘dead duck’.
Trump is a bigger threat to Nato than Putin, says alliance’s former commander
US wants Ukraine to cede territory before confirming security guarantees, say reports
Tuesday 27 January 2026 17:45 , Maira ButtUS officials have suggested that they are more amenable to backing Kyiv if the Donbas region is surrendered to Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
More weapons were offered to Ukraine in peacetime if it agreed to withdraw forces from the eastern region, two sources told the publication.
Ukrainian and European officials suggested that the moves were an attempt to strongarm the country into ceding the entirety of the territory.
Russia currently controls 90 per cent of the Donbas region, while Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said that the surrender of the area is the only “path to peace”.
Watch: Nato warns Ukraine faces 'harshest winter' as Russia targets energy grid
Tuesday 27 January 2026 16:45 , Maira ButtRussian drones injure Ukrainian children and a pregnant woman as Zelenskyy urges swifter diplomacy
Tuesday 27 January 2026 16:15 , Maira ButtA heavy Russian drone bombardment of Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa injured 23 people, including two children and a pregnant woman, officials said Tuesday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for U.S. efforts to end Russia's almost 4-year-old invasion of his country to move faster.
The Odesa attack involved more than 50 drones, some of them models recently upgraded by Russia to improve their range and strike power, according to Ukrainian authorities. The drones targeted the power grid, which Russia has repeatedly bombarded during the coldest winter in years, and also hit five apartment blocks, officials said.
Russian drones injure Ukrainian children and a pregnant woman as Zelenskyy urges swifter diplomacy
Norway approves $2bn artillery plan to boost deterrence against Russia in the Arctic
Tuesday 27 January 2026 15:45 , Maira ButtNorway’s parliament has approved a $2bn procurement plan for long-range artillery to boost the country’s defences against Russia in the Arctic as the two countries share a border.
“These are weapons that can reach far behind enemy lines... this is decisive in modern warfare,” Peter Froelich, the defence policy spokesperson for the opposition Conservatives, told parliament on Tuesday.
It is the latest development in a pattern of European countries increasing their defence spending amid political and economic uncertainty.
Special dispatch: I was caught in a Russian attack last night – this is Ukraine’s brutal reality as talks grind on
Tuesday 27 January 2026 15:15 , Maira ButtIn the early hours of Tuesday morning I was at the receiving end of one of the deadly Russian mass drone attacks that regularly terrorise Ukrainian cities.
Much of my hotel near the centre of the Black Sea port city of Odesa was wrecked when Shahed drones hit close by, setting buildings opposite ablaze and blowing out walls, shattering windows and collapsing ceilings where I was staying.
I had slept through the sirens warning of an approaching attack and was wrenched out of my slumber by the first enormous explosion which blew out windows in my room in the Hotel Alarus at around 2.20am.
I was caught in a Russian attack last night - this is Ukraine’s brutal reality
Zelensky says Russian strikes 'eroding diplomacy' as two killed in Odesa overnight
Tuesday 27 January 2026 14:45 , Maira ButtAt least two people have been reported killed in the Black Sea hub of Odesa in Ukraine after Russian strikes overnight.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 50 drones were launched at Odesa in a “brutal” attack on the city.
Officials said that at least 23 people had been wounded in the onslaught.
Trilateral talks brokered by the US are set to continue this weekend, but Zelensky hit out at Russia for continuing the attacks amid the diplomatic efforts.
“Every such Russian strike erodes the diplomacy that is still ongoing and undermines the efforts of partners who are helping to end this war,” he wrote on X/Twitter.
Russia carries out 15th deliberate attack on Naftogaz infrastructure since start of 2026, says company
Tuesday 27 January 2026 14:20 , Maira ButtRussia has continued to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with another attack on state oil and gas firm Naftogaz, according to a statement by the company on Tuesday.
It said that a Russian strike had targeted one of its facilities in the western region of the country, marking the 15th deliberate attack on its infrastructure since the start of 2026.
Ukraine should join EU by 2027, says Zelensky
Tuesday 27 January 2026 13:52 , Maira ButtPresident Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine should join the EU as part of its post-war security guarantees in the event of a peace deal.
“That is why we are speaking about a concrete date – 2027 – and we count on partners' support for our position,” he wrote on X/Twitter on Tuesday after holding a phone call with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
Russian military chief visits troops in Ukraine
Tuesday 27 January 2026 13:15 , Maira ButtRussia’s army chief of staff visited troops fighting in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, according to Moscow’s defence ministry.
Valery Gerasimov visited the soldiers to “inspect the progress of combat missions”.
The visit comes as Russian officials including Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, insist that the surrender of Ukraine’s Donbas region is the “path to peace”.
In pictures: Aftermath of Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine
Tuesday 27 January 2026 12:45 , Maira ButtRescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building hit by Russian strikes in Odesa, Ukraine.
Over 80 per cent of battlefield hits against Russia carried out by drones, says Zelensky
Tuesday 27 January 2026 12:15 , Maira ButtAt least 80 per cent of ever successful battlefield hit against Russia was carried out by drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office has confirmed.
In 2025, Ukrainian troops struck nearly 820,000 targets with drones, a statement said, with the “overwhelming majority” of those manufactured locally.
“Each of these strikes is recorded, which helps not only with hit verification but also with the operation of the bonus-based system for assessing military performance,” the statement continued.
China calls for closer ties with Russia over defence
Tuesday 27 January 2026 11:40 , Maira ButtChina’s defence minister has said he is willing to enhance strategic coordination with Moscow to jointly improve their capacity to respond to risks and challenges, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
“China is willing to work with Russia to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen strategic coordination, enrich the substance of cooperation, and improve exchange mechanisms,” defence minister for China, Dong Jung said in a video call with Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov.
Russian strikes leave 80 per cent of Kharkiv without power
Tuesday 27 January 2026 11:15 , Maira ButtHundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been left without power in Kharkiv after Russian strikes caused serious damage to the region’s energy system.
Two people were injured in the attacks, and a school, nursery and apartment buildings were also hit.
“Our energy system came under attack and there was quite serious damage,” Kharkiv's regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a video posted on Telegram on Tuesday.
“All crews are at work to eliminate all the negative consequences quickly. About 80 per cent of the city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv region are without electricity.”
The city is Ukraine’s second-largest and temperatures have plummeted to -14C in one of the country’s coldest winters on record.
Last week, over 800,000 people in the country’s capital Kyiv were left without power.
Slovakia to file lawsuit against EU ban on Russian gas imports
Tuesday 27 January 2026 10:50 , Maira ButtSlovakia will file a lawsuit challenging the European Union’s ban on Russian gas imports, after the policy won final approval on Monday.
European countries agreed to completely ban the imports by late 2027, but Slovakia and Hungary both voted against. Russian gas imports make up 90 percent of Hungary’s imports in the sector.
Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, is reported to have confirmed the news of the lawsuit, according to news website Dennik N.
Russian attack damages energy facility in Ukraine
Tuesday 27 January 2026 10:22 , Maira ButtA Russian attack has damaged an energy facility in the southern city of Odesa in Ukraine, the country’s major Black Sea port.
“The damage is extensive and repair work will take a long time to restore the equipment to working order," DTEK, a major power company in the country said on Facebook.
"Our teams began emergency restoration work after receiving permission from rescue workers and the military. Specialists are inspecting the equipment, clearing debris, and then beginning repairs."
