Kyiv residents explain how they are surviving the cold as Russia weaponizes winter Sergei Gapon / AFP / Scanpix / LETA A boy on a bus. Kyiv, Ukraine. January 15, 2026. After months of massive Russian strikes on power plants and distribution networks, residents of Ukrainian cities are freezing in their homes. Many have had little to no electricity or heating since the start of the year, and in some places, there’s no running water either.

French authorities will ban government employees from using American video conferencing platforms, including Google Meet, Zoom and Teams, Politico reported on January 27, citing a French government official. The Prime Minister's Office will notify officials in the coming days that they should use the French platform Visio for video conferencing, the publication indicates. As Politico notes, France made this decision amid growing concerns in Europe about its deep dependence on US services.

At least four people were killed and two were injured as a result of a Russian drone strike on a passenger train in the Kharkov region, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on January 27. According to him, rescuers are looking for four more people. One of the drones of the Russian Armed Forces, as Zelensky said, hit a train carriage in which there were 18 people. In total, more than 200 people were traveling on the train.

Anna Rivina was the face of Russia’s fight against domestic violence. Former employees are accusing her of emotional abuse. Nasiliu.net Domestic violence was rampant in Russia even before Vladimir Putin signed a law decriminalizing it in 2017. Left unable to press criminal charges against their abusers, the aid group Nasiliu.net became a lifeline for thousands of victims. The organization’s founder, Anna Rivina, was regarded as a hero within Russia’s human rights community.

The President of the Czech Republic, retired NATO general Petr Pavel, announced possible extortion on the part of the country's Foreign Minister Petr Macinka due to the fact that the head of state refused to appoint a candidate from the minister's party to a government post. Speaking to reporters on January 27, Pavel said Matsinka was texting his top adviser after the president refused to appoint Filip Turek as a cabinet member.

In Italy they said they were not happy with agents. The authorities reassure: this is not the “arrival of the SS men” Leah Millis / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will ensure the safety and security of United States representatives at the Olympics in Italy, AFP reports, citing a statement from the department. The XXV Winter Olympic Games will be held in the Italian regions of Veneto and Lombardy from February 6 to 22.

E-commerce giant Amazon has announced that it will close all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh offline stores, the company announced on its website on January 27. Some of the closing stores are being converted into Whole Foods Market stores. Amazon said it plans to open more than 100 new stores under the brand over the next few years. The company added that this year it will expand its same-day grocery delivery service, which is currently available in more than 5,000 US locations.

Roskomnadzor blocked the online encyclopedia of anime and manga "Shikimori", as follows from the materials of the register of prohibited sites. The site was blocked based on two department decisions made on January 22 and 23. The reason for the blocking is unknown.

The defendants in the Crimean Bridge bombing case appealed to Trump, Putin and Zelensky EPA / Scanpix / LETA Accused in the case of the explosion on the Crimean Bridge in the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, November 27, 2025 Eight defendants in the criminal case regarding the explosion on the Crimean Bridge in October 2022, sentenced to life imprisonment, appealed to the presidents of the United States, Russia and Ukraine, as well as international human rights organizations.

The hands of the Doomsday Clock, which symbolizes the threat of global catastrophe, have been moved forward four seconds. Now they show 23:58:35. There are 85 seconds left until nuclear midnight. The clock hands have never been so close to midnight - the symbol of a global nuclear disaster. Before this, the Doomsday Clock showed 23:58:31. The Doomsday Clock is a project of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists magazine, which has existed since 1947.

At the center of the story is his wife, masterfully played by Jessie Buckley. Focus Features Hamnet, a drama by Chloe Zhao about the family of William Shakespeare (but not about him at all), is being released worldwide. After the Oscar triumph of the film “Nomadland” with Frances McDormand, Zhao tried her hand at directing blockbusters - and released “The Eternals” for Marvel Studios; That film was not successful.

Federal agents killed two people there. The president's ratings are falling Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Scanpix / LETA A window in Minneapolis that was hit by a bullet during the incident that led to the death of Alex Pretty The conflict in Minnesota has become a major political problem for US President Donald Trump and his administration. There is a large-scale operation underway to identify and deport immigrants without legal status.

The Moscow prosecutor's office approved the indictment against Mikhail Khodorkovsky in the case of “fake news” about the army and sent it to court, the department’s press service reported.

A court in Moscow fined sociologist and demographer Salavat Abylkalikov in absentia for participating in the activities of an “undesirable” organization due to his collaboration with Meduza. Abylkalikov himself told OVD-Info about this. One of the reasons for the record was Abylkalikov’s participation in an episode of the YouTube show “We Don’t Know,” which discussed the demographic crisis in the Russian Federation.

One thousand four hundred and thirty-fourth day. France is blocking the purchase of Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine. Almost half of Kharkov is without electricity Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters every day because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Share with us your thoughts about the war. What feelings are you experiencing?