January 3, 2026
Zelenskyy Reshuffles Cabinet as Security Takes Center Stage Amidst Negotiation Fits and Starts
On January 2, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffled his core cabinet by shifting the current military intelligence, or GRU, chief, Kyrylo Budanov, as his chief of staff. Zelenskyy fired the previous chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, after an energy graft scandal ensnared many in the Ukrainian government amidst an ongoing war. Budanov offers expertise in "strategic security" issues.
Zelenskyy also brought in the head of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, to replace Denys Shmyhal as the nation's defense minister. Denys Shmyhal took the defense portfolio in July 2025. Denys Shmyhal, who will take another cabinet role, is largely credited for ramping up the domestic interceptor drone production to 1,000 per day in December 2025.
Southern Separatists Backed by UAE Plan for Secession
In an escalatory step, United Arab Emirati backed Southern Transitional Council on January 2, 2026 announced that it would hold a referendum on secession of the Southern Yemen in two years.
Pipe Bomb Planter Indicted while Denied Bail by a Judge
Federal authorities on January 2, 2026 indicted Brian Cole Jr. on charges related to moving pipe bombs across the state lines and attempted malicious destruction by using explosive devices. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mathew Sharbaugh denied bail and said that the defendant's action showed "startling and significant capacity for dangerousness".
Speculation Rife over Future of Kim's Daughter after the Family Appears at a Key Mausoleum
Pyongyang's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang is a key mausoleum where bodies of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father Kim Jong Il and Grandfather Kim Il Sung are preserved in embalmed condition for public display. On the New Year Day, Kim Jong Un, his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and their daughter, Kim Ju Ae, 13, were seen together at the famous mausoleum. The picture of their presence was disseminated by the state media on January 2, 2026, triggering wide speculation in South Korea that Kim Ju Ae might get some plum position in the upcoming Workers Party Congress, guessed by the South's spy agency, National Intelligence Service, to be held sometime in February 2026.
