Ukraine war latest: Ukraine, UK sign 100-year partnership agreement

January 16, 2025

By Ukraine

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Key developments on Jan. 16:

Ukraine, UK sign 100-year partnership agreement, pledges $3.6 billion in military support
Ukrainian drones strike oil depot, gunpowder factory in Russia
Ukrainian paratroopers capture 27 Russian soldiers in Kursk Oblast
Ukraine extends cooperation with Norwegian NASAMS systems supplier
Ukrainian military releases footage of rare Russian reconnaissance drone downing

President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a 100-year partnership agreement during their meeting in Kyiv on Jan. 16.

The wide-ranging deal encompasses cooperation in military, energy, scientific, cultural, economic, and other sectors.

The agreement builds upon the trade and partnership agreement signed by the two countries in 2020 and the bilateral security deal penned in January 2024.

The document, published by Ukraine's Presidential Office, includes 10 main pillars from strengthening defefense capabilities and supporting Ukraine's NATO aspirations to cooperation in trade, energy, and justice and accountability.

"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure," Starmer said in a statement.

"Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level."

The United Kingdom will also provide new military aid for Ukraine, including 150 artillery barrels, a mobile air defense system, and an expanded training initiative with allied nations, the government announced on Jan. 16.

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This year, the U.K. plans to deliver unprecedented military support to Ukraine, with 3 billion pounds ($3.6 billion) already committed for lethal aid.

"This funding will not only support Ukraine but also bolster the U.K.'s defense industry, creating jobs across the country," the statement reads.

The first 1.5 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) of a 2.26-billion-pound ($2.7 billion) loan, part of the G7 loan program to Kyiv, will also be released for major procurement projects. The loan will be repaid using profits from immobilized Russian assets.

The military aid includes artillery barrels manufactured by Sheffield Forgemasters, the first such production in the U.K. in over 20 years. The barrels are expected to be delivered to Ukraine within weeks.

The U.K. will also provide a mobile air defense system developed in partnership with Denmark, aimed at enhancing Ukraine's ability to counter Russian missile and drone attacks.

The training initiative builds on the success of Operation Interflex, which has trained over 51,000 Ukrainian recruits in the past two years. The U.K. plans to expand this effort in collaboration with international allies.

`Ukrainian drones strike oil depot, gunpowder factory in Russia`

Ukrainian soldiers struck the Liskinskaya oil depot in Voronezh Oblast and gunpowder factory in Tambov Oblast with drones overnight on Jan. 16, Ukraine's military said.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, the targeted oil depot stored fuel used for the needs of the Russian army. The statement came after Russian reports of the oil depot on fire in Voronezh Oblast.

The village of Liski in Voronezh Oblast lies over 150 kilometers (98 miles) east of the Ukrainian border.

In an attack conducted by the Special Operations Forces and other units of Ukraine's Defense Forces, at least three drones hit the facility, causing a large-scale fire, the General Staff said.

A Ukrainian drone strike also reportedly targeted a Russian gunpowder factory in the village of Kuzmino-Gat in Tambov Oblast overnight on Jan. 16.

Eyewitnesses in the nearby city of Kotovsk heard the sound of a drone engine as it was passing over their houses, presumably heading to the factory, the Shot Telegram channel reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces downed 27 Ukrainian drones over various regions overnight, including three in Tambov Oblast.

Russian authorities said there were no casualties as a result of the attack in Tambov Oblast and that the roof of a house was damaged by drone debris. It is not immediately clear whether the plant suffered any damage due to the attack.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

The Kuzmino-Gat gunpowder factory is "one of the key facilities of the Russian military-industrial complex involved in the war against Ukraine," said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.

"The gunpowder produced here is used for various types of small arms, artillery, and rocket launchers." The plant also produces colloxylin, which is used to manufacture explosives and other products, Kovalenko added.

Kuzmino-Gat lies roughly 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of the Russia-Ukraine border.

`Ukrainian paratroopers capture 27 Russian soldiers in Kursk Oblast`

Ukrainian paratroopers and other units captured 27 Russian service members during hostilities in Russia's Kursk Oblast, the Airborne Assault Troops' press service said on Jan. 16.

"Among them are officers, sergeants, and privates from motorized rifle units, Marines, airborne troops, and other units, coming from various Russian regions and the occupied city of Sevastopol," the press service announced on its Telegram channel.

Ukraine has been fighting in Russia's southwestern Kursk Oblast since August 2024, hoping to use its positions there as a trump card in potential negotiations with Russia.

Moscow has ramped up its efforts to throw Ukraine out of its territory, deploying North Korean troops and reportedly retaking around half of the area initially taken by Kyiv.

"We call on other Russian soldiers not to resist and surrender!" the Airborne Assault Troops' press service said, promising to treat Russian prisoners of war (POW) in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Only a day earlier, Ukraine's National Guard announced the capture of 23 Russian soldiers during combat operations near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine and Russia regularly hold prisoner exchanges, most recently on Jan. 15 when 25 Ukrainians, including Azovstal defenders, were released.

`Ukraine extends cooperation with Norwegian NASAMS systems supplier`

Kyiv is extending its cooperation with Norwegian defense company Kongsberg, one of the suppliers of NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Jan. 16.

The defense minister met with Eirik Lie, executive vice president of Kongsberg Gruppen ASA and president of Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace. The two discussed anti-drone systems and the possibility of localizing their production in Ukraine, as well as the development of maritime capabilities.

Ukraine and Norway also discussed the possibility of integrating Ukrainian-made air defense systems into NASAMS "to increase its effectiveness," Umerov said.

The NASAMS systems have been in service with Ukrainian forces since November 2022, when the U.S. delivered the first batteries amid escalating Russian airstrikes.

Ukraine has lobbied international partners for more air defense capabilities in the wake of intensifying Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure.

Norway has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in Europe. According to Umerov, Oslo allocated 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) for military aid to Ukraine in 2025.

`Ukrainian military releases footage of rare Russian reconnaissance drone downing`

The 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade shared a video on Jan. 16 purporting to show the downing of Russian forces' rare reconnaissance drone Merlin-VR.

Throughout the full-scale invasion, drones have become pivotal for both Ukraine and Russia, used on and off the battlefield for attack and reconnaissance purposes.

"A rare bird was shot down by anti-aircraft gunners and pilots of the 63rd Brigade — a Russian experimental Merlin-VR reconnaissance drone," the brigade's statement read.

The Merlin-VR was shot down by a Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drone. The brigade did not specify where the air battle took place.

Russian developers presented the Merlin-VR in 2021, and the Russian army has been using it on the battlefield since 2022.

The drone reportedly has a hybrid engine, which reduces its noise while in motion. It can also fly for up to 10 hours and reach altitudes of up to 5 kilometers (3 miles).

Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks by Ukrainian troops.

Kyiv has delivered more than 200,000 domestically-produced drones to front-line units so far in December, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.