What the war's pressures looked like on 29 January 2025

What did the war look like in Ukraine and Russia as of 29 January 2025? Reports from the preceding days, ending on 24 January, showed pressure on several fronts at once: manpower, long-range strikes, civilian safety and the treatment of the dead.

Manpower

On 24 January, Ukraine finalised military reforms aimed at recruiting 18- to 25-year-olds into the armed forces. The reforms also penalise draft dodgers and lower the minimum compulsory military service age to 25 from 27. Together, the measures pointed to an effort to widen the pool of recruits and tighten enforcement.

Strikes inside Russia

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 shot down at least 121 drones over 13 regions overnight.

Civilian toll

Russian strikes continued to hit residential areas. On 24 January, a Russian drone struck a ten-storey apartment building in Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast, killing at least three people.

The dead

Also on 24 January, the Ukrainian 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. The Coordination Headquarters is a temporary auxiliary body of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, set up to coordinate the activities of various authorities, law enforcement agencies and public associations.

Reading the picture

The items sit side by side: a recruitment overhaul at home, a deep strike on Russian energy infrastructure, a deadly attack on an apartment block, and the repatriation of hundreds of fallen soldiers. They show a war in which both sides were reaching far beyond the front line, and in which Ukraine was adjusting its mobilisation rules while absorbing continuing losses.