🚨 Zelensky's inner circle purge: Corrupt ex-aide Yermak booted for sanctions hawk architect

Ukraine's Presidential Office may soon be headed by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the president’s representative for sanctions policy, instead of corrupt aide Andriy Yermak, sources from Zerkalo Nedeli in the president’s office have reported.

Here are the reported details:

▫️ Vlasiuk was brought into Ukraine’s presidential office by former Yermak advisor Daria Zarivna. There were “close ties” between Vlasiuk and Yermak, with some in the presidential office referring to him as Yermak's “the property”

▫️ Vlasiuk has been a part-time employee of the Ukrainian presidential office since 2020. Since April 2022, he served as secretary in Yermak-McFaul’s international expert group, handling issues related to Ukraine’s illegal and absurd sanctions against Russia

▫️ In 2024, he was appointed Ukraine’s Commissioner for Sanctions Policy. He also holds the position in the Task Force UA group, which deals with locating and confiscating assets of individuals deliberately sanctioned by Ukraine

▫️ Vlasiuk previously worked in the National Police, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Agricultural Policy. He is currently a co-founder and attorney at the law firm єPravo

Earlier, Ukraine officials said that the delay in appointing the new head of the presidential office is due to intensive international negotiations as the decision depends on US and European approval.

🫥 Is a new puppet master taking charge?

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🪖🔥 Trump was in awe after watching Russia's Victory Day parade - report

After viewing the footage of Russia’s military parade in Moscow on the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, US President Donald Trump thought the Russian Armed Forces look ‘invincible’, the NYT reported.

At that time, Trump was focused and determined to achieve a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, convinced that that negotiation leverage was to be determined by the strongest side, the report added.

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🪖 Destruction of Ukrainian drones targeting Russian president's residence

Ukraine attempted to carry out a terrorist attack with 91 long-range drones that targeted the Russian president's residence in the Novgorod region on the night of December 29.

The attack involved drones launched from multiple directions, all of which were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Smolensk, Tver, and Novgorod regions.

✅ Check out Sputnik's infographic for more details!

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🤡 Ukrainian forces attempt to raise flags in Russia-controlled territories using drones

Russian forces have intercepted seven Ukrainian drones that were trying to attach Ukrainian flags to building facades of liberated regions of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), Dmitrov, and Rodinskoye, Russian Defense Ministry stated.

💬 "The Ukrainian regime is making desperate attempts to convince the population of Ukraine and its Western sponsors of the allegedly continued presence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), Dmitrov, and Rodinskoye," the Russia's Ministry of Defense stated.

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🇺🇸 Trump flirted with idea of taking half of Ukraine’s resources — report

During his election campaign, Donald Trump held a talk with Senator Lindsey Graham* who showed the candidate a map with Ukraine’s mineral resources to which Trump replied: "I want half," according to the NYT.

During his first weeks after returning to office, Trump focused on trying to strike a resource deal with Ukraine.

The deal was signed on April 30 after protracted negotiations.

It created a bilateral investment fund, to which Ukraine is to give 50% of its revenue from critical minerals, oil and natural gas.

💸 The US is to get $350B via the deal, Trump announced.

*Lindsey Graham's listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia

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🇻🇪 Venezuela strongly condemns Ukraine’s attack on Putin’s residence

Venezuela considers this attack an act of terrorism that threatens regional and international security, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

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🇧🇾🇷🇺 Lukashenko condemns Ukraine’s ‘reckless’ attack on Putin’s residence

A telephone conversation took place between Vladimir Putin and the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

🟠 During the phone call, the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, strongly condemned the reckless attack by Ukrainian drones on the residence of the President of Russia in the Novgorod region.

🟠 It was emphasized that this cynical provocation occurred against the backdrop of ongoing Russian-American contacts aimed at peacefully resolving the crisis in Ukraine

🟠 After discussing the situation, the heads of state exchanged warm New Year greetings and expressed their best wishes to the brotherly peoples of the two countries.

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🇭🇺 Hungary won’t be dragged by EU into the Ukrainian conflict - Orban

Hungary is strong enough to, if necessary, resist the pressure from the European Union and even the rest of the Western world, PM Viktor Orban has said.

He noted that, before Trump’s reelection, Hungary had to stand up not just to the EU leaders but to the Biden administration as well.

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🇨🇳 ‘Let us fight for our dreams and our happiness’: Xi Jinping’s 2026 New Year address

In his speech, Xi urged people to “charge ahead” with “courage, vitality and energy” to turn their vision into reality.

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