“Service members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. 139 of them had been held captive since 2022.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . 157 Ukrainians have just returned home from Russian captivity!

Service members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. 139 of them had been held captive since 2022.

The youngest freed Ukrainian defender is 23. He was captured at 19 while defending Mariupol and was illegally sentenced by a Russian court to life imprisonment. The oldest defender released today is 63.

Today’s exchange took place after a long pause, and we thank everyone working to make these exchanges possible. We must, and we will, bring everyone back.

17h

More morale-boosting news for Ukraine! Every day in every way, Ukraine is getting stronger and stronger! 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukrainian forces have stabilized the situation in Sumy Oblast and pushed the Russian army further away from Sumy, the region’s capital, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on June 30.

Moscow launched its new summer campaign in May, aiming to push deeper into Ukraine’s northeastern and eastern regions and disregarding Kyiv’s calls for an unconditional ceasefire.

Ukrainian troops advanced near the village of Oleksiivka, located less than 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the city of Sumy, and liberated the village of Andriivka, which had been captured by Russia in early June, the statement read.

In the meantime, Ukraine also stopped the Russian advance along the Yunakivka-Yablunivka-Novomykolayivka-Oleksiivka-Kindrativka line and the border with Russia near Kursk Oblast, according to the General Staff.

Read today’s full report at the link in bio.

Photo: Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images

9h

“Symbolizing the children abducted by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, 20,000 teddy bears 🧸 appeared on the National Mall near the U.S. Congress. Each one reflects the scale of Russia’s crime.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦🧸😢💙💛👏🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost ・・・ 🇺🇦🇺🇸 In the very heart of Washington, D.C., a major action took place in support of Ukrainian children who have been deported or forcibly transferred by Russia during its war against Ukraine.

Symbolizing the children abducted by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, 20,000 teddy bears 🧸 appeared on the National Mall near the U.S. Congress. Each one reflects the scale of Russia’s crime.

The opening of the installation, organized by Razom for Ukraine in partnership with the American Coalition for Ukraine, was joined by the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States. More than 120 volunteers helped set the installation up.

Ukraine has already managed to bring back over 2,100 children thanks to the @bringkidsback_ua initiative, but thousands still remain far from home. We are grateful to our American partners for bipartisan and bicameral support on this issue in Congress, as well as to everyone who continues to draw attention to the return of Ukrainian children and the inevitability of accountability for Russia.

13h

“On the occasion of Passover, we send our warmest wishes to the Jewish community in Ukraine, Israel, and around the world.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦✡️💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . On the occasion of Passover, we send our warmest wishes to the Jewish community in Ukraine, Israel, and around the world.

This holiday tells a story of the journey from oppression to freedom. At a time when so many people are marking this holiday amid the realities of war, it is essential to make every effort to ensure safety, peace, and the protection of life.

We wish you a happy and peaceful Passover! חג פסח שמח!

11h

Prayers have been answered for another 200 Ukrainian defenders who’ve just been released from Russian captivity. 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @ukraine.ua with @use.repost_ . . . 200 Ukrainian defenders are returning home from Russian captivity. Among those released are defenders of Mariupol and soldiers who fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Each exchange brings our people closer to home. Ukraine continues working to return everyone from Russian captivity.

So grateful to all who make these exchanges possible – and to our defenders whose strength brings our people back 🇺🇦

18h

“Around 70% of Kyiv is without electricity after yet another Russian mass strike overnight on Jan. 13, with Ukrenergo, the state-owned grid operator, saying Moscow’s forces aim to ‘disconnect the city.’” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦❄️🥶💙💛❤️‍🩹😥🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . This winter in Ukraine is harsh. Not just because of snow and freezing temperatures (up to -23°C / -4°F tonight), but also because of a deliberate Russian campaign against civilian life.

Russia continues to strike energy infrastructure, choosing the coldest days, when electricity and heat mean survival. This is cynical, life-denying terror.

As missiles and drones hit power plants, substations, and heating facilities, Ukrainian rescuers, engineers, and energy workers work relentlessly – often under the threat of repeated Russian attacks – to restore light, heat, and water. We are grateful for their immense work.

More pressure is needed on the aggressor right now to stop Russia’s war against civilians.

9h

In celebration of Ukrainian Armed Forces Day, as a result of this Ukrainian cyberattack by BO Team and HUR, the Eltrans+ group of companies — a Russian company responsible for shipping sanctioned goods and military components — has to say bye-bye to 165 terabytes of critical data. 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukrainian hackers launched a massive cyberattack on a Russian company responsible for shipping sanctioned goods and military components, wiping out 165 terabytes of critical data, sources within Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 6.

The hacker group BO Team, working alongside HUR, targeted the Eltrans+ group of companies, a logistics and transportation firm used by over 5,000 Russian businesses. The cyberattack took down over 700 computers and servers and deleted accounts of more than 1,000 Eltrans+ users,” HUR claimed.

Following the attack, the company’s website congratulated Russian users on Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day, a celebration of the military on Dec. 6. The hack also reportedly deleted surveillance footage and cargo declarations.

“Eltrans+ is engaged in the delivery of sanctioned goods, as well as various electronic components from China, which are used by the Russian military-industrial complex,” HUR said.

Ukraine and Russia both regularly exchange blows on the cyber battlefield as well as the physical frontline.

In October, a cyberattack carried out by HUR caused over 66 million rubles ($800,000) in damages to Orion Telecom, one of the largest internet providers in Siberia.

In turn, Moscow has targeted not only Ukraine but also its allies, including the U.S. and the EU. In August, Russia was believed to be behind a breach of the United States federal court filing system, days before U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Photo: HUR

13h