What the war looked like on 21 January 2025

What was the security picture in Ukraine on 21 January 2025? It was shaped by a week of heavy Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, by Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russia, and by a new long-term partnership with the United Kingdom.

Strikes on cities and power

On 15 January 2025, Russia launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine. It targeted energy production and compelled the authorities to shut down the power grid.

Three days later, on 18 January, at least four people were killed in Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. The same day, a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih killed four people and injured 14 others, according to the Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Serhiy Lysak. Kryvyi Rih has been hit repeatedly by Russian artillery fire and air raids during the war, a pattern that made the strike part of a longer series rather than an isolated event.

Drones reach Tatarstan

On 20 January 2025, Ukrainian drones attacked industrial facilities in Tatarstan, Russia. The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency temporarily suspended flights at Kazan International Airport in Kazan and at Begishevo Airport in Nizhnekamsk. The episode showed civilian aviation in Russian regions being disrupted by the fighting, in addition to the industrial sites that were targeted.

A 100-year agreement

On 16 January 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Kyiv to sign a 100-year agreement with Ukraine. It was intended to formalise British economic and military support for Ukraine. Coming in the middle of a week of strikes on Ukrainian cities and the power system, the visit placed a long-term commitment alongside the immediate pressure of the air campaign.

The picture on 21 January

By 21 January 2025, then, the war ran on several tracks at once: Russian missiles and drones aimed at energy supply and urban areas, Ukrainian drones reaching industrial targets far from the front, and a political commitment from London framed in terms of a century. The reports from those days describe the casualties and disruptions, but they do not settle how any of these tracks would develop next.