How the blaze took hold with such ferocity, killing at least 40 people and leaving many more critically injured, is now a key focus for officials.

The investigation into the fire that killed 40 people will consider whether criminal prosecutions are necessary, officials said.

Russian troops shelled and attacked the Synelnykove and Nikopol districts of Dnipropetrovsk region with artillery, UAVs, and FPV drones, injuring two people and damaging civilian facilities.

In Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts, as of 19:00 on Friday, January 2, damage to at least 27 buildings was recorded as a result of a Russian ballistic missile attack.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Kyrylo Budanov from the post of Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and appointed him Head of the Presidential Office. Oleh Ivashchenko has officially become Chief of the HUR.

The number of people injured as a result of Russian strikes on Kharkiv on January 2 has increased to 31.

Ukrainian diplomacy does not interfere in the internal affairs of the Czech Republic, but cannot fail to respond to the rude statements made by a representative of the Czech authorities.

As part of the forced evacuation from 44 frontline settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, more than 3,000 children will be taken away with their parents.

Families are appealing for information about children as young as 15 who are thought to have been at the bar.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, Security Advisor to the Polish Prime Minister Robert Kupecki will head the Polish delegation at the talks of national security advisors of the Coalition of the Willing, which will take place on January 3 in Ukraine.