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Ukraine's war a few days before 27 January 2025
Summary
Reported events from 24 January 2025 show mobilisation changes, cross-border drone strikes and the human cost of the war.
What did the war look like on the eve of 27 January 2025? Reports from 24 January, the most recent days in view, point to pressure on several fronts at once: manpower, long-range strikes and civilian losses.
Manpower and mobilisation
On 24 January, Ukraine finalised military reforms aimed at recruiting 18- to 25-year-olds to the armed forces. The changes also penalise draft dodgers and lower the minimum compulsory military service age to 25 from 27.
Strikes across the border
The same day, a Ukrainian drone strike targeted an oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It was reported as one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia of the conflict to date. The Russian military said it had shot down at least 121 drones over 13 regions overnight.
Civilian and military losses
Russia's attacks continued in Ukraine. A Russian drone struck a ten-storey apartment building in Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast, killing at least three people.
Also on 24 January, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced that, with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the bodies of 757 Ukrainian soldiers had been returned to Ukraine.
What the pattern showed
Taken together, the reports describe a war in which Ukraine was adjusting its recruitment rules while also striking targets deep inside Russia. Civilians in Kyiv Oblast remained exposed to drone attacks, and the return of hundreds of fallen soldiers' bodies underlined the scale of military losses.
