Live: Russian military chief visits troops in eastern Ukraine

27/01/2026 – 09:03

‘Massive’ Russian drone attack on Odesa leaves 23 injured, local officials say

Russia carried ​out a “massive” drone attack on the southern city of Odesa overnight, the head of the city’s military administration, Serhiy Lysak, said on Telegram.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper said that ‌among 23 injured by the strikes, nine people including two children and a pregnant woman had been hospitalised.

People could still be trapped under the ‍rubble, he said.

Dozens of residential buildings, a church, a kindergarten and a high school were damaged in the attack, which caused large fires in several locations, Kiper added.

27/01/2026 – 08:45

Russian attacks knock out 80% of Kharkiv’s electricity, local officials say

The Ukrainian air force said on Tuesday Russian troops had launched 165 drones – 135 of them neutralised by air defence units.

“Our energy system came under attack and there was quite serious damage. All crews are at work to eliminate all the negative consequences quickly,” Syniehubov said in a video posted on Telegram.

“About 80% of the city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv region ‍is without electricity,” he added.

27/01/2026 – 08:24

Putin envoy Dmitriev says Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas is the path to peace

Russian President ​Vladimir Putin’s special ⁠envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said on Tuesday that Ukraine’s ​withdrawal ‍from the Donbas ​region was the path ​to peace.

“Donbas withdrawal is the path to peace for Ukraine,” Dmitriev said on X.

Russia ‍controls about 90 percent ​of the Donbas region and Putin has repeatedly ‌said that if Ukraine ‍does not give up the rest, then Russia will take it by force.

27/01/2026 – 08:09

Russia attacks infrastructure facility in Ukraine’s Lviv region, governor says

An ‍infrastructure ​facility in Ukraine’s ⁠western region of Lviv came under ​Russian ‍attack, Regional Governor ​Maksym Kozytskyi said ​on Telegram.

Kozytskyi did not specify what type of ‍facility was attacked, ​adding that all relevant services were ‌working at the scene.

According to ‍preliminary information, no one was hurt in the attack, ‍he said.

27/01/2026 – 06:47

Russia’s top general visits troops in west Ukraine, claims territorial gains

Russian ​forces captured ⁠17 settlements and took control of more than ​500 ‍square kilometres of ​territory in Ukraine so ​far in January, Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, said in a video released on Tuesday.

Gerasimov made the claim while visiting troops in western Ukraine, where he “inspected the progress of combat missions conducted by formations and units of the Zapad (West) force group”, the ministry wrote on Telegram, without providing details on when or where the visit took place.

In a video of Gerasimov’s visit aired by the defence ministry, he said that Russian troops “continue their offensive along all lines”.

FRANCE 24 was unable to immediately verify battlefield accounts from ‍either side.

27/01/2026 – 06:46

US links security guarantees for Ukraine to peace deal ceding Donbas, FT reports

The ‍Trump administration ​has signalled to Ukraine ⁠that US security guarantees would depend on Kyiv first ​agreeing to ‍a peace deal likely ​requiring it to cede the ​Donbas region to Russia, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing eight people familiar with the talks.

Washington ‍has also indicated it ​could offer Ukraine more weapons to strengthen its peacetime ‌army if Kyiv agreed to withdraw‍ forces from the parts of the eastern region it controls, the newspaper said.

27/01/2026 – 06:45

Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in Ukraine.