{"id":197580,"date":"2026-01-21T08:16:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:16:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelenskys-new-defence-minister-vows-to-kill-50000-russians-a-month-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T08:16:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:16:48","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelenskys-new-defence-minister-vows-to-kill-50000-russians-a-month-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-zelenskys-new-defence-minister-vows-to-kill-50000-russians-a-month-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky\u2019s new defence minister vows to \u2018kill 50,000 Russians a month\u2019 – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mykhailo Fedorov says Russia is already struggling with troop shortages as he sets new kill target
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Ukraine<\/a>‘s new defence minister has set an objective for the country’s military of killing at least 50,000 Russians per month.
Mykhailo Fedorov said the top two priorities in his new role include improving oversight in the military and inflicting massive losses on Vladimir Putin<\/a>\u2019s forces.
“Last month, 35,000 were killed; all these losses are verified on video. If we reach 50,000, we will see what happens to the enemy. They view people as a resource, and shortages are already evident,\u201d he said.
Ukraine is seeing its major cities battered by overnight Russian strikes, with Moscow targeting energy infrastructure as night-time temperatures in Kyiv<\/a> hit -13C.
Ukraine’s parliament<\/a> building was among thousands left without electricity, heating or water after an overnight strike, officials said on Wednesday.
An estimated one million residents of Kyiv were facing power cuts and had no heating after a major drone and missile strike.
And in a major setback for plans to rebuild the country’s battered infrastructure, a deal to fund Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction will no longer be signed in Davos<\/a> today with Europe and Donald Trump<\/a> now at loggerheads over Greenland.
A major deal to fund Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction will no longer be signed in Davos with Europe and Donald Trump now at loggerheads over Greenland, according to the FT.
Six officials aware of the disagreements between European capitals and Washington confirmed that a planned announcement of an $800bn “prosperity plan” for Ukraine will now be delayed.
The agreement was going to be between Ukraine, Europe and the US, the report added.
While one of the officials confirmed \u201cno signing as of now,\u201d another said \u201cnobody is in any mood to stage a grand spectacle around an agreement with Trump right now”.
Another official told the FT that European capitals could not simply ignore the US president\u2019s actions on Greenland while trying to make progress on other Trump-related matters such as Ukraine.
One of the officials said Greenland and the Board of Peace controversy \u2013 with Trump inviting Putin to join despite his ongoing aggression against a European neighbour \u2013 had \u201ceclipsed\u201d a previously planned focus on Ukraine at the Swiss meeting.
Oleksandra Oliynykova, the Ukrainian tennis player, made a distinctive impression at the Australian Open<\/a>, not only for her unconventional playing style and striking body art but also for a poignant message subtly conveyed after her first-round loss to defending champion Madison Keys<\/a>.
Following her defeat on Rod Laver Arena<\/a>, Oliynykova appeared at a post-match news conference wearing a T-shirt<\/a> emblazoned with a powerful plea: “I need your help to protect Ukrainian women and children but I can\u2019t talk about it here.”
This statement navigated the Grand Slam<\/a> guidelines, which typically discourage players from using competition venues for political declarations.
The player said she came close to being hit in an attack before coming to Australia to play. “There was an explosion just near my home and a drone hit the home just across the road,” she told Melbourne Age newspaper. “My apartment was literally shaking because of the explosion.”
She has also called for a ban on world number one Aryna Sabalenka and other Belarusian and Russian players from tennis, saying their presence was “very wrong” with the war going on.
Drone fragments caused a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia\u2019s Krasnodar region without inflicting any injuries or damage, local emergencies centre said this morning.
The fire was extinguished, it said.
Ukrainian drones struck towns in southern Russia, injuring 11 people and prompting the evacuation of several residents, local officials said.
The refinery, which has been frequently attacked by Ukrainian drones in recent months as part of Kyiv’s campaign to degrade Russia’s vast energy infrastructure, is mostly focused on exports. It processed 7.2 million metric tons of crude oil (144,000 barrels per day) in 2024.
Ukraine’s priority is to inflict as many losses on Russia as possible and the aim is to deplete their forces by at least \u201c50,000 Russians per month\u201d, new defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said.
Fedorov was sharing his top two priorities in his new role and said his first objective was to improve oversight in the military.
“Management must be built around those capable of achieving defined goals. If people don\u2019t demonstrate measurable results, they can\u2019t remain in the system,” he said.
\u201cThe second strategic objective is to kill 50,000 Russians per month,” he said.
“Last month, 35,000 were killed; all these losses are verified on video. If we reach 50,000, we will see what happens to the enemy. They view people as a resource, and shortages are already evident,\u201d he said.
Ukraine’s parliament building is among thousands left without electricity, heating and water after Russia\u2019s overnight strikes on Ukraine\u2019s energy grid, officials said.
“After another Russian missile and drone attack, Ukrainian cities have been left without electricity, water, and heating. The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine is currently without these basic services as well,” Ruslan Stefanchuk, the parliament\u2019s speaker, said.
Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a lawmaker from the Holos party, said on the Telegram app that parliament’s support office would work remotely today due to a lack of water and heating in the building. There were no parliamentary sessions scheduled on Tuesday.
Yesterday, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Russian attacks cut heating supplies to 5,635 multi-storey residential apartment buildings.
Wayne Jordash KC, president of Global Rights Compliance, has warned of Russia\u2019s calculated weaponisation of infrastructure during the Ukraine\u2019s harshest winter since the start of the full-scale invasion.
He said: “Russia’s widespread and systematic strikes on Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure are creating brutal conditions inside Ukraine during the freezing winter, with temperatures more severe than usual.
\u201cThese callous attacks bear the clear hallmarks of inhumane acts constituting crimes against humanity, and they are certainly war crimes, intentionally condemning many of Ukraine’s civilian population to cold, dark conditions for most of the day and night.
\u201cElectricity, heating, and water are essential, not only for household tasks such as cooking, washing, and keeping households warm, but to ensure the safety of children, the elderly and the handicapped at home and in healthcare who are particularly at risk from the cold and the deprivation.
\u201cRussia\u2019s continued weaponisation of infrastructure is part of a calculated plan to fracture communities, paralyse Ukraine\u2019s economy, and push the population to the brink. As anybody who knows Ukrainians, it will not work. But Ukraine\u2019s European allies must ramp up their support with urgent energy aid packages to enable the country to weather these cruel attacks and avoid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.”
Organisers say a record of nearly 400 top political leaders, including more than 60 heads of state and government, and nearly 850 chairs and chief executives of many of the world’s leading companies.
Headlining the lineup is US president Donald Trump, who’s set to deliver a speech on Wednesday, and several Cabinet ministers and top advisers including secretary of state Marco Rubio, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
President Emmanuel Macron of France, European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, president Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, president Felix Tshisekedi of Congo, and vice premier He Lifeng of China are among the who’s-who of top attendees.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine will not be attending.
A major deal to fund Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction will no longer be signed in Davos with Europe and Donald Trump now at loggerheads over Greenland, according to the FT.
Six officials aware of the disagreements between European capitals and Washington confirmed that a planned announcement of an $800bn “prosperity plan” for Ukraine will now be delayed.
The agreement was going to be between Ukraine, Europe and the US, the report added.
While one of the officials confirmed \u201cno signing as of now,\u201d another said \u201cnobody is in any mood to stage a grand spectacle around an agreement with Trump right now”.
Another official told the FT that European capitals could not simply ignore the US president\u2019s actions on Greenland while trying to make progress on other Trump-related matters such as Ukraine.
One of the officials said Greenland and the Board of Peace controversy \u2013 with Trump inviting Putin to join despite his ongoing aggression against a European neighbour \u2013 had \u201ceclipsed\u201d a previously planned focus on Ukraine at the Swiss meeting.
US president Donald Trump said he has been unable to end Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine, blaming both sides for failing to agree to a deal.
\u201cI’m trying to resolve the issue of Russia and Ukraine. And when Russia is ready \u2013 Ukraine is not ready. When Ukraine is ready \u2013 Russia is not ready,\u201d he said at the White House, before departing for the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Trump said he is trying to end what he described as the \u201clast conflict,\u201d but has not yet succeeded.”But on average, they lose 25,000 people a month. And I’m trying to bring this matter to an end.”
With president Donald Trump not due to address the elite global gathering until Wednesday, it fell to his treasury secretary to take up his defence in Switzerland.
\u201cI think our relations have never been closer,” Scott Bessent said, playing down the rift among Western countries over Greenland. “Calm down the hysteria. Take a deep breath.”
He added: “We are in the middle of President Trump’s policies. And of course, Europe is an ally, the US-Nato membership is unquestioned. We are partners in trying to stop this tragic war between Russia and Ukraine, but that does not mean that we cannot have disagreements on the future of Greenland.”
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