Oleksandr Syrskyi claims in interview that 150,000 Russian soldiers died last year; Ukraine shoots down 43 Russian drones. What we know on day 1,062.

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Russia suffered 434,000 casualties in 2024, the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has claimed , saying it was more than the previous two years combined. Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview broadcast on Sunday evening that the figure included 150,000 deaths. Syrskyi did not give a figure for Ukrainian casualties. Ukraine’s General Staff also reported over the weekend that almost 819,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, captured or wounded since the start of the war. In December 2024, Kyiv said 2,200 Russian soldiers died in the space of 24 hours, its worst toll since the start of the war. Western tallies for Russian casualties are lower , with an assessment in October last year stating up to 115,000 had been killed and 500,000 wounded since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Moscow has opened a criminal investigation into claims Ukraine killed civilians in the western Russian Kursk region . Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, alleged Ukrainian troops “committed the murder of at least seven civilians, who were sheltering in the basement of a residential house” in the village of Russkoe Porechnoye, 20km (12 miles) from the border. Ukraine did not officially respond to the allegations. Both Ukraine and Russia regularly accuse the other of attacking non-combatants, and both deny the claims. Russia’s foreign spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, accused Ukraine of the “cannibalistic massacre of civilians”. After launching a surprise offensive attack in the Kursk region, Ukraine has controlled dozens of border settlements, and says around 2,000 civilians live in occupied areas. Several Russian state media outlets published video, supplied by the army, that they said showed Russian troops discovering several dead bodies in a dark basement. AFP could not immediately verify the claims or the video. Russian forces are accused of having murdered hundreds of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, during a month-long occupation at the start of the conflict.

Ukraine shot down 43 out of the 61 drones launched by Russia on Sunday night, its airforce said. It also said that 15 other drones were “lost”, after being redirected by Kyiv’s use of electronic warfare. No major damage or casualties were immediately reported by officials.

Russian troops have captured the village of Vozdvyzhenka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine , the Russian Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, citing the Russian defence ministry. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield reports.

Ukrainians celebrated Orthodox holiday Epiphany on Sunday, despite the war sparking a religious divide . “There’s explosions here, bangs there, we always expect something bad. But now we just stood still, forgot about everything, and prayed to God,” military medic Natalya told AFP. Ukrainians have largely moved away from the Ukrainian Orthodox church – which sits under the Moscow Patriarchate – since the invasion, with the majority now following a Kyiv-led church. The Ukrainian Orthodox church remains controversial for not formally breaking away from Moscow’s leadership, though it has denounced the war and denied it depends on Russia.

Rapper says he is honoured to perform for the US president after he and other acts, including Village People and Billy Ray Cyrus, faced criticism

Nelly has defended his decision to perform at US president Donald Trump’s inauguration ball after a backlash, saying it is “an honour for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office”.

The Hot in Herre singer is booked to perform alongside country singer Jason Aldean and the Village People on Monday at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, one of three official balls marking Trump’s return to office. Other acts who are performing at Trump’s various inauguration events include Carrie Underwood, Gavin DeGraw and Billy Ray Cyrus, who have also faced a backlash from fans.

Prisoners speak of their joy as they are greeted by thousands of people in occupied West Bank despite Israeli attempts to prevent ‘public displays of joy’

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About 90 Palestinian prisoners have been released in exchange for three Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas to Israel, as part of the ceasefire deal aimed at ending 15 months of war.

The prisoners, most of whom were freed in the early hours of Monday from Ofer prison in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, were welcomed by thousands of people celebrating, waving the flags of Palestine and Hamas.

President-elect tells thousands of supporters at rally: ‘You’re gonna have a lot of fun watching television’

An exultant Donald Trump has promised to act with “historic speed and strength” when he returns to the White House on Monday, teeing up a barrage of executive orders targeting illegal immigration, transgender rights and other rightwing priorities.

“We won, we won,” Trump declared on Sunday during a triumphant return to Washington, where he held a raucous “victory rally” with thousands of supporters in a downtown sports arena. “What a good feeling. We like winning, don’t we, eh? We’re going to make our country greater than ever before.”

Devices may have potential to help patients with conditions such as depression, addiction, OCD and epilepsy

A groundbreaking NHS trial will attempt to boost patients’ mood using a brain-computer-interface that directly alters brain activity using ultrasound.

The device, which is designed to be implanted beneath the skull but outside the brain, maps activity and delivers targeted pulses of ultrasound to “switch on” clusters of neurons. Its safety and tolerability will be tested on about 30 patient in the £6.5m trial, funded by the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria).

Leeds surgeons first to use new type of surgery that gives hope to patients whose cancers were previously inoperable

Medics have performed a UK-first operation to remove a previously inoperable brain tumour using keyhole surgery through a patient’s eye socket.

Ruvimbo Kaviya, 40, became the first person in the UK to have a brain tumour removed from the cavernous sinus, the space beneath the brain and behind the eyes, via the pioneering new type of surgery.

In research paper for King’s College London, former Tory minister David Willetts hits back at critics who say degree is no longer a wise investment

A university degree is still the best route for the UK’s young people to boost their life chances, despite attacks by “edu-sceptics” over debts and costs, according to a former Conservative minister.

David Willetts, who introduced the system of fees and loans that fund higher education in England, has hit back at critics – including those in his own party – who claim a degree is no longer a wise investment.

Health secretary to set out revised plans in Commons after warning from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority

Boris Johnson’s 2019 pledge to build 40 new NHS hospitals by 2030 across England “appears to be unachievable”, government advisers have told Labour ministers.

The warning from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) comes as Wes Streeting prepares to tell MPs how the government plans to proceed with 25 of the 40 rebuilds which have been paused.

Number of homes new to market 11% higher than a year ago, despite uncertainty over interest rates and stamp duty

A record number of new sellers have come on to the UK housing market since Boxing Day, while the average price and the number of sales agreed also increased, pointing to a busier 2025, according to a report.

The average price of a property coming to market rose by 1.7%, or £5,992, this month to £366,189, the biggest jump in prices at the start of the year since 2020, the property website Rightmove said in its monthly report. While prices usually bounce back in the new year after a seasonal fall in December, before Christmas, the rise was pronounced this month.