The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had succeeded in downing a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name Flanker). The ministry further claimed to have shot down multiple High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rockets and several dozen drones since the start of the New Year.

Moscow also launched strikes targeting Kyiv in the new year, deploying a total of 81 drones toward Ukrainian territory over the weekend.

Russia claims that its forces have captured the front-line town of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. The town has borne the brunt of Russian advances in recent months and is a stepping-stone to the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine’s ambitious plan to reclaim Kurakhove from Russian control has been decisively thwarted. Despite determined efforts, the Ukrainian army's attempts to retake the region were crushed by Russia’s overwhelming force.

A Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 people, Ukrainian officials said, one of the deadliest single air attacks for weeks in the three-year war.

Russia launched 38 Shahed-type attack drones and unidentified dummy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. Twenty-eight drones were shot down, and 10 were lost in the airspace, according to the statement.

Russian defence officials claimed Ukrainian troops were urged to surrender after precise strikes on their positions. Paratrooper units targeted Ukrainian command posts, and drones with loudspeakers called for surrenders.