**Drone Attack Hits Ukraine**
On January 27, explosions were heard in the western Ukrainian cities of Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi. Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine overnight.
The air raid alert had been active in the region for over two hours. Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv urged residents to stay in shelters. The city had previously been targeted by Russia on January 15, with no casualties reported at that time.
**Damage Reported**
A drone attack also damaged a multi-story residential building in Dnipro, affecting the technical floor, windows, and doors on the upper levels. Vehicles parked nearby were also damaged. No immediate reports of injuries or fatalities have been confirmed.
**International Reaction**
EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said that the January 26 election in Belarus was “neither free nor fair”. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly secured 86.82% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by the country‘s Central Election Commission.
**Ukraine Strikes Back**
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as the head of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group on January 26. Ukrainian Air Force units and Defense Forces struck drone storage facilities in Russia’s western Oryol Oblast on January 26.
**Underwater Cable Damaged**
An underwater fiber optic cable belonging to the Latvian State Radio and Television Broadcasting Center (LVRTC) was significantly damaged on January 26, reportedly due to external impact.
**Aid Freeze Imposed**
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been told to stop projects in Ukraine following a 90-day foreign aid freeze imposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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