War in Ukraine: civilian bus attacked, tensions in Kursk, “problems” with a brigade trained in France … an update on the situation

Un véhicule endommagé dans la région de Koursk en Russie le 22 novembre 2024. MAXPPP – RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Monday, January 6, 2025, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Ukrainian army acknowledges “problems” in French-trained brigade

Ukrainian land forces commander Mikhail Drapaty acknowledged on Monday “problems” in the “Anna of kyiv” brigade, partly trained and equipped by France, after press revelations about cases of abuse of power and desertions.

“I confirm of course that there were problems with the command and the training process”, he admitted to several media outlets, including AFP. “As far as possible, all these problems are being resolved”, he continued, assuring that the number of desertions of soldiers trained in France was “minimal”.

The Ukrainian army says it is “inflicting losses” on Moscow's forces in Russia's Kursk region

The Ukrainian army said on Monday it was “inflicting losses” on Moscow's forces in Russia's Kursk region, where it has controlled hundreds of square kilometres of territory since August 2024, at a time when Moscow claims that kyiv has launched a new offensive in this area border.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

“In the Kursk region, we inflict losses without ceasing”to the Russians, Ukrainian ground forces commander Mikhail Drapaty told several media outlets, including AFP, without giving further details on the ongoing operation.

Civilian bus attacked by Russian drone in Kherson, one dead

A Russian drone attacked a bus carrying civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Monday, killing at least one person and wounding nine others, the regional governor said.

The governor posted a video of the bus on Telegram, with windows shattered and the floor covered in pools of blood. A 49-year-old man was killed, the regional prosecutor's office said.

Civilians in Kherson are constantly under attack from Russian drones. Officials report casualties from the strikes almost daily, with Russian military bloggers regularly posting videos of them.

Ukraine must take 'realistic' stance on territorial issues, Macron says

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Ukraine must take a “realistic” stance on territorial issues as part of efforts to convince Russia to come to the negotiating table.

“Ukrainians have to have realistic discussions on territorial issues and only they can do that,” Macron said at the annual ambassadors' conference French.

Referring to US President-elect Donald Trump's promise to quickly end the war in Ukraine, the French head of state said: “There will be no quick and easy solution in Ukraine”.

The role of the United States in the peace process is to “help us change the nature of the situation and convince Russia to come to the negotiating table” and that of Europe is to “build security guarantees”, added Emmanuel Macron.

Ukraine's allies must ensure that it has sufficient support to be able to enter the negotiations from a position of strength, he said, without giving more details. “We cannot, as Europeans, let Russia win in Ukraine, we cannot do it for the international order, we cannot do it for our own security,”, he said.

Moscow, which annexed Crimea in 2014, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls about a fifth of the country, including most of the eastern Donbass region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously conditioned any negotiations with Russia on the return of occupied territories, recently acknowledged that a diplomatic outcome would save lives, toning down his previous demands for Moscow's forces to withdraw from all territories Ukrainians.