**Ukraine and Poland Reach Breakthrough Agreement on Volyn Tragedy Exhumations**
President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Poland on January 15 to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This comes after a breakthrough agreement was reached between the two countries over exhumations related to World War II.
The Volyn massacre involved violence that killed tens of thousands of Polish and Ukrainian people. Poland considers it genocide by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, while Ukraine wants shared acknowledgment of responsibility.
Polish officials have announced that exhumations will begin as early as April 2025. Zelensky and Tusk previously met in December 2024 to discuss historical reconciliation.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate. Explosions were reported in Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky Oblast, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Russian forces suffered 1,580 casualties over the past day.
Local residents said a fire broke out at a distillery near a military training ground. Moldovan officials condemned recent remarks by an aide to Vladimir Putin, saying Moldova “will either become part of another state or cease to exist” due to its “anti-Russian policy.”
**Other Developments**
Slovakia’s opposition parties announced plans to initiate a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government. Seoul plans to hold consultations with Kyiv regarding the transfer of captured North Korean soldiers.
The German government is still discussing a proposed 3 billion euros aid package for Ukraine. Metinvest, Ukraine’s largest steel producer, has suspended operations at a mine due to worsening security conditions and power outages.
Ukraine will transfer military personnel to reinforce Ground Forces’ combat brigades in early 2025. President Zelensky said the focus is on adequately equipping the military rather than reducing the draft age.
**International Response**
NATO’s “Baltic Sentry” mission aims to monitor, deter, and respond to potential threats. Up to 10 NATO vessels will patrol the Baltic Sea until April.
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) counterintelligence officer Vladimir Feshchenko was found dead in a Russian Defense Ministry building in Moscow. The US delivered a message to Putin to put an end to suspected plans to smuggle incendiary devices onto cargo planes.
**Other News**
Canberra is making “urgent inquiries” about the status of Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins, who was captured by Russia in Ukraine. Sixty-five oil tankers paused operations following recent U.S.-U.K. sanctions against Russia’s oil industry and shadow fleet.
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