London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2026

Ukraine war: Zelenskyy admits it's 'impossible' to completely force Russia out of country - amid fears of Korea-style split

Ukraine war: Zelenskyy admits it's 'impossible' to completely force Russia out of country - amid fears of Korea-style split

In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said local counterattacks have hampered Russian attempts to reorganise its forces, amid fears Chernihiv could become the next Mariupol.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has admitted it would be "impossible" to completely force Russian forces out of Ukraine, amid fears Vladimir Putin is seeking a Korea-style split.

The head of military intelligence in Kyiv said the Kremlin wanted to split the country like "North and South Korea", securing itself a region controlled from Moscow after failing in its bid for a complete takeover.

Speaking hours later, Mr Zelenskyy appeared to acknowledge his government would have to concede territory.

He said attempting to completely force Russia out "would lead to a Third World War".

Mr Zelenskyy said he was seeking a "compromise" with Moscow over Donbas, the region which has been partly controlled by Russian-backed separatist groups since 2014.

It's been suggested that the Kremlin wants to hold "referendums" in such areas to determine whether the people living there want to be part of Russia.

But Mr Zelenskyy wants Russian troops out of parts of the country they've occupied since last month's full invasion, saying a deal is "only possible" if they are withdrawn.

Despite reports of continued shelling, Russia's advance appears to have stalled


Fallout from Biden's remarks continue


Elsewhere, Emmanuel Macron has distanced himself from Joe Biden after the US president said Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power".

In a powerful speech in Poland on Saturday evening, Mr Biden said stopping the war in Ukraine is "the task of our time" as he appeared to call for his Russian counterpart to be replaced.

The White House later denied he was calling for regime change, and a Kremlin spokesman responded by saying "that's not for Biden to decide".

Speaking on France-3 television on Sunday, Mr Macron said: "I wouldn't use those terms, because I continue to speak to President Putin, because what we want to do collectively is that we want to stop the war Russia launched in Ukraine, without waging war and without an escalation."

The French president also stressed that the US remains an important ally, but added: "We share many common values, but those who live next to Russia are the Europeans."

'Guerrilla warfare' to be launched against Russian forces


Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's defence intelligence chief, said they would soon launch guerrilla warfare in Russian-occupied territory.

In remarks released by the Defense Ministry, he said Putin realised "he can't swallow the entire country" and would likely try to split the country under "the Korean scenario".

Mr Budanov added: "The occupiers will try to pull the occupied territories into a single quasi-state structure and pit it against independent Ukraine."

He cited Russian attempts to set up parallel governments in occupied cities and attempts to bar people from using the Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia.

Referendum on joining Russia


A separatist leader in eastern Ukraine said his region wants to hold a vote on joining Russia.

Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said it could hold a referendum "in the nearest time" asking voters whether they support making the region a part of Russia.

Russia has supported separatist rebels in the region, and nearby Donetsk, since an insurgency erupted there in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea.

A spokesperson for the Ukraine foreign ministry said all "fake" referendums held by Russia in occupied territories will have no legal basis.

It follows the latest intelligence update from the UK's Ministry of Defence which said the battlefield in northern Ukraine remains "largely static" but Russian troops are concentrating efforts on the "encirclement" of Ukrainian forces in the east.

The MoD said local counterattacks have hampered Russian attempts to reorganise its forces.


There are fears Chernihiv, in the north, could become the next Mariupol, with 44 severely wounded people - including three children - unable to be evacuated for treatment, the city's mayor has said.

The city has been cut off by Russian forces.

Lviv, in the west, has also come under fire, with Putin's forces striking a fuel depot with high-precision cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, two humanitarian corridors have been agreed for Sunday, according to Ukraine's deputy prime minister.

Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the corridors, used to evacuate civilians from frontline areas, will run from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and include people leaving Mariupol in private cars.

Sanctions could be lifted if invasion ends


The foreign secretary has said sanctions against oligarchs, banks and businesses could be lifted if Russia ends its invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Liz Truss said "snapback sanctions" would be retained if the Russian president did attack again.

Ms Truss said a "negotiations unit" had been established in the Foreign Office to aid possible peace talks.

As Kremlin troops continue to struggle, her comments could be seen as an incentive for Vladimir Putin to cut his losses and agree a deal with Ukraine.

Her comments mirror those made by US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who said travel bans and asset freezes are "not designed to be permanent".

Nadhim Zahawi told Sophy Ridge on Sunday the "Russian military has miscalculated" its invasion of Ukraine.

"The Ukrainians have fought like lions," he said. "They've defended their country. They believe in their freedom."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
Maduro’s Arrest Without The Hague Tests International Law—and Trump’s Willingness to Break It
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
The U.S. State Department’s account in Persian: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know it until now, now you do—do not play games with President Trump.”
Fake Mainstream Media Double Standard: Elon Musk Versus Mamdani
HSBC Leads 2026 Mortgage Rate Cuts as UK Lending Costs Ease
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
×