Ukraine updates: Drones attack gunpowder factory in Russia

A major Russian gunpowder factory in the Tambov region and an oil depot in the Voronezh region were attacked by drones overnight, Ukrainian officials and Russian Telegram channels reported.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a "landmark" 100-year partnership agreement with Ukraine during an unannounced visit to Kyiv.

Here are the latest developments from Russia's war in Ukraine on January 16, 2024.

01/16/2025January 16, 2025

Russia offers Transnistria 'help' after gas cut-off

The Kremlin said it was ready to supply gas to Transnistria after Russia's cutoff this month plunged the breakaway region of Moldova into an energy crisis.

But it gave no details of how, whether or when it would be ready to resume supplies to the pro-Moscow region, which has been without heat and hot water for more than two weeks.

"Moscow is ready to provide help to Transnistria," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, without offering specific details.

"But purely logistically, actions must be taken from the Moldovan side to ensure the supply of gas. So far, we have not heard any statements about their readiness," he said.

Russia cut off gas supplies to Transnistria on January 1 over a debt dispute with the Moldovan government.

01/16/2025January 16, 2025

Starmer and Zelenskyy sign '100-year' partnership treaty

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a "landmark" 100-year partnership agreement with Ukraine during an unannounced visit to Kyiv.

The treaty covers the areas of security, science, energy and trade. It aims to strengthen military cooperation to enhance security in the Baltic, Black and Azov Seas and deter Russian aggression.

"Together we signed a landmark agreement, the very first of its kind, a new partnership between the UK and Ukraine that reflects the huge affection that exists between our two nations," Starmer told reporters.

"Today is a truly historic day, our relationship is closer than ever," Zelenskyy told media after the signing.

Read more: Ukraine: UK's Starmer signs '100-year' treaty

01/16/2025January 16, 2025

Kremlin denies Polish claim it planned airline attacks

Russia denied Warsaw's accusations that Moscow was planning acts of "air terror" against global airlines, a day after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made the claim.

"This is nothing more than another completely unsubstantiated accusation against Russia," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. 

During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Warsaw a day earlier, Tusk said that "Russia had planned acts of air terror, and not only against Poland, but against airlines all over the world."

Polish-Russian relations are historically tense and, since the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022, Poland has become an important ally for Kyiv.

01/16/2025January 16, 2025

Ukrainians can file claims for death of close relatives

Ukrainians who lost a close relative in the war can now submit claims for compensation to an international register.

The Register of Damage for Ukraine said this was an important step in recognizing the extent of human suffering in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a way for families to "seek justice and recognition for their profound loss."

Claimants must provide information about the person killed and the circumstances of their death. The register said they do not have to provide evidence of direct financial losses, such as loss of financial support, and can submit their claims digitally.

Previously, Ukrainians could only file claims for property damage caused by Russian attacks, such as the destruction of homes.

01/16/2025January 16, 2025

Ukrainian drones attack Russian gunpowder factory, oil depot

A major Russian gunpowder factory in the Tambov region has been attacked, a Ukrainian official said. He did not directly claim Ukrainian responsibility or specify the consequences of the attack.

"The enterprise is one of the main suppliers of explosive materials for the army of the Russian Federation," Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram.

The attack on a gunpowder factory was reported by the Russian Telegram channel Shot, but there was no further information about the damage done to the factory.

Separately, the Ukrainian military said it struck the Liskinskaya oil depot in Russia's Voronezh region overnight.

"According to available information, at least three attack drones hit the target. A large-scale fire broke out at the facility," a military statement on the Telegram app said.

Russian authorities had earlier said that debris from the fall of Ukrainian drones had been the cause of a fire at the facility.

dh/rc (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)