Kharkiv hit by Russian strike, Budanov appointed head of Ukraine's presidential office - Friday brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
Kyrylo Budanov has been appointed the new head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian troops have struck a high-rise building in Kharkiv.
For more details on what happened on Thursday, January 1, see the report on RBC-Ukraine.
Ukraine's intelligence chief accepts Zelenskyy's offer to head President's Office
The head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, has accepted President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to head the Office of the President.
"I have accepted the proposal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to head the Office of the Head of State. I will continue to serve Ukraine," Budanov writes.
Russian army strikes central Kharkiv with ballistic missiles, people under rubble
Last afternoon, January 2, Russian forces struck Kharkiv, hitting residential buildings. Preliminary reports indicate two missiles were launched at the city.
According to the OVA, the number of injured in Kharkiv has risen to 16.
Russia prepares large-scale provocation with casualties to disrupt peace talks - Ukrainian intelligence
The Kremlin is preparing a large-scale provocation with human casualties as part of an ongoing operation to derail peace talks mediated by the United States.
"The operation in question is comprehensive in nature. After the so-called attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, we are recording the Kremlin's dissemination of new fabricated information pretexts to prepare Russian and foreign audiences for further escalation," the Foreign Intelligence Service said.
Ukraine's intel reveals staged assassination of Russian Volunteer Corps leader
Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) staged the death of Denys Kapustin, commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, as a result of a drone strike.
"To save the life of the commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, part of the Timur Special Forces Unit of the HUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and to expose Russia's intelligence network, military intelligence officers carried out a complex multi-stage special operation, during which his death was staged," the post says.
