The total number of Russian soldiers who have been killed, injured or gone missing since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has reached over 1.2 million, according to a new report published on Wednesday.

The Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), gathered its data from information from military personnel, intelligence agencies and various governments.

The report also predicted that the combined number of losses for both sides could reach 2 million by April if fighting continues at its current intensity.

https://www.dw.com/en/12-million-russian-soldiers-killed-injured-in-ukraine-report/a-75699453

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THIS FANTASIST REPORT BY THE CSIS IS PURE BS... IT IS DESIGNED TO TELL THE WESTERN SUPPORTERS OF YUCKRAINE — ESPECIALLY EASILY FOOLED GERMAN MEDIA —  NOT TO GIVE UP SUPPORTING THE NAZI THIEVES IN KIEV.... 

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of corruption, hypocrisy, and double standards in relation to international law and US foreign policy, calling him a "confused clown".

In a post on X, Araghchi accused Zelensky of having been "rinsing American and European taxpayers" to benefit corrupt military figures/

https://staging-en.almayadeen.net/news/politics/world-has-had-enough-of-confused-clowns--araghchi-to-zelensk

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIhC3XBEFWU

Claims that a Russia–Ukraine peace deal is “90% ready” are dismissed as propaganda and “Kabuki theater.” According to Professor John Mearsheimer, there is no meaningful progress toward peace, because the two sides remain fundamentally far apart on non-negotiable issues.

Russia’s position—unchanged since June 2024—demands:

Ukrainian neutrality and no NATO membership

No U.S. or NATO security guarantees (Article 5–style guarantees are unacceptable)

Ukrainian withdrawal from all four annexed regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia)

Broader demilitarization and political conditions

Western claims that “only territory remains” or that Ukraine merely needs to give up Donbas are described as misleading. For Russia, the core issue is NATO, not just land. Any U.S.–Ukraine bilateral security guarantee is seen by Moscow as NATO in disguise and therefore a deal-breaker.

Zelensky’s assertions that Ukraine is “100% aligned” with the U.S. on security guarantees are not backed by Washington, whose silence suggests the opposite. U.S. policy, according to Mearsheimer, is to gradually disengage, shift the burden to Europe, and pivot strategic focus toward East Asia, not deepen commitments in Ukraine.

Russia’s references to earlier talks (Istanbul 2022) reflect its insistence on a “common” security guarantee, meaning Russia would have veto power—something Ukraine rejects outright.

Bottom line:

No real negotiations are happening

Diplomatic signaling is mainly public relations

The war is likely to be decided on the battlefield

Russia keeps the diplomatic door rhetorically open to appear reasonable, especially to the U.S., but expects no acceptable deal under current conditions

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Moscow has handed over the bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers to Ukraine while receiving the remains of 38 of its own troops, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky has announced.

The development was initially reported on Thursday by State Duma member Shamsail Saraliev, who is part of the parliamentary coordination group on issues related to Russia’s special military operation. 

Medinsky later confirmed the move, saying it was part of humanitarian agreements approved last year during direct Moscow-Kiev negotiations in Istanbul.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has confirmed that Moscow returned the bodies, without commenting on how many soldiers’ remains Kiev handed over to Russia.

https://www.rt.com/russia/631700-russia-ukraine-soldier-body-swap/

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US President Donald Trump has claimed that Russia will not attack targets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities “for a week.” Trump said that the decision came after he “personally asked” Russian President Vladimir Putin to suspend the strikes. 

“Because of the extreme cold…I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kiev and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Putin “agreed to do that,” Trump continued, adding that “we’re very happy” with the decision.

Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on rumors that Moscow and Kiev had reached a co-called ‘energy ceasefire’. Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko claimed that while “there is an agreement on an energy truce,” there “is no date for the start of this truce.”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly called for an energy ceasefire, during which both sides would cease targeting each others’ power plants and electrical grid. These calls intensified this week, after repeated Russian strikes on power infrastructure left nearly a million households in the dark in Kiev on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian Energy Minister Denis Shmigal.

Russia maintains that it targets only those facilities used by the Ukrainian military and military industrial complex, and that its attacks are a direct response to Kiev’s deep strikes on Russian civilians and critical infrastructure. 

Temperatures in the Ukrainian capital are predicted to dip to -13 Celsius (8 F) this weekend. 

Russia agreed to an energy ceasefire last March, following talks with Trump’s administration. However, Ukrainian forces broke the ceasefire within days, launching attacks on Russian oil refineries and gas infrastructure. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow chose not to retaliate in kind, preferring to honor the ceasefire. 

After both Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron called for another truce last month, Peskov said that Russia seeks a permanent peace, rather than another temporary pause. “We are working on peace, not on a ceasefire,” he said. “A stable, guaranteed, long-term peace, achieved through the signing of appropriate documents, is an absolute priority.”

https://www.rt.com/news/631732-trump-putin-strikes-ukraine/

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"...Lots of good things happening between the counterparties discussing the land deal. We have a security protocol that's largely finished, a prosperity agreement that's largely finished, and I think the people of Ukraine are now hopeful and expecting that we're going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon," Witkoff said.

Trump said he'd personally asked President Putin to temporarily halt Russia's tit-for-tat campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure amid freezing temperatures.

"He agreed to do that, and I have to tell you that was very nice," the US president said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20260129/trump-touts-progress-in-russia-ukraine-talks-as-witkoff-says-lots-of-good-things-are-happening-1123550450.html

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