Russian intelligence funded Taliban attacks on U.S. forces, investigation reveals. An investigation by The Insider and Spiegel has revealed that Russian intelligence maintained close ties with the Taliban in Afghanistan and financed terrorist attacks targeting U.S. military forces in the 2010s. Between 2016 and 2020, the Taliban launched a series of attacks on U.S. military bases and carried out bombings in their vicinity. These attacks resulted in casualties among American soldiers, Afghan military personnel, and civilians. The investigation alleges that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) orchestrated these assaults. For each U.S. soldier killed, the attackers reportedly received up to $200,000, with Russia potentially paying the Taliban around $30 million during this period, according to former Afghan National Security Directorate officials.
Ukraine Defense Contact Group to meet at Ramstein to strengthen military plans through 2027. According to the Pentagon, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) is set to meet at Ramstein Air Base to develop long-term plans for strengthening Ukraine’s military capabilities through 2027. Led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the group includes eight coalition leaders focused on areas such as air power, drones, and missile defence. The upcoming meeting will solidify plans to support Ukraine’s security needs amid uncertainties over the incoming U.S. administration’s policies. Officials remain confident in the group’s multilateral structure, which has already facilitated over $126 billion in security aid since its creation.
Intensified Russian attacks reported in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove regions. Ukraine’s General Staff reported a significant uptick in Russian military activity in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhiv regions, with 111 combat encounters since the morning. By 16:00, the General Staff confirmed that Russian forces had launched 26 attempts to dislodge Ukrainian defenders from key positions in settlements like Myrolyubivka, Baranivka, and Yelyzavetivka. Ukrainian forces successfully repelled 21 of these attacks, with five ongoing skirmishes. Intense fighting is also taking place in the Kurakhiv direction, particularly near Dachne, Kurakhove, and Shevchenka, where 18 out of 25 enemy assaults have been fended off. Clashes are reported across several other fronts, including Kharkiv, Kupiansk, Lyman, Siversk, and Toretsk. Meanwhile, the mine in Pokrovsk is closed, but a few shops, a branch of Ukrposhta mail service, and the city hospital, which is operating in a limited capacity, remain open. The entire city, however, is under constant artillery fire and targeted by FPV drones, as confirmed by Serhiy Dobriak, head of the Pokrovsk City Military Administration, in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
DeepState: Kurakhove capture gives Russia a strategic foothold for the westward push. According to DeepState, the situation in Kurakhove has deteriorated, with most of the city now under Russian control, according to analysts at Deepstate. Capturing Kurakhove gives Russia a strategic foothold for pushing further west, with some Russian units being redeployed to ramp up assaults near Myrnohrad. The few remaining observation points on the city’s outskirts have little impact on Ukraine’s ability to retake control. Deepstate suggests that Russia’s advances in Kurakhove could pave the way for broader offensive operations.
Ukraine strikes Russian fuel depot in Engels. On the night of January 8, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck the “Kombinat Krystal” fuel storage base in Engels, Saratov region, Russia, causing numerous explosions and a large-scale fire. This fuel depot had been supplying fuel to the “Engels-2” military airfield, where Russia’s strategic aviation is based. The strike is reported to create significant logistical problems for Russian strategic aviation, limiting its ability to launch attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian targets. In the morning, the governor of Saratov region, Roman Busargin, confirmed a massive UAV attack on the region, causing damage to an industrial enterprise, though he did not specify which one.
