Latest Developments in Ukraine: Jan. 24

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EST. 3 a.m.: Russia's Gazprom said it would ship 24.4 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday, Reuters reported.  2:35 a.m.: 2 a.m.: Planned amendments of Russia's transportation law will make it mandatory for people to book a time and place for any intended crossing of the border by car, Reuters cited the TASS news agency as reporting, raising the possibility of new restrictions on travel. "The passage of vehicles ... in order to cross the state border of the Russian Federation is carried out on a reserved date and time in accordance with the procedure established by the government," the agency said later on Monday, citing a draft amendment it said was due to come into force on March 1. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, many Russian citizens and residents fled from the country, with the number growing significantly after the government declared the mobilization of some 300,000 personnel for the military in September. While precise totals are not available, the number of Russians who have left could run into hundreds of thousands, according to media reports and figures released by neighboring countries. 1:45 a.m.: The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Tuesday he had asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday to relieve him of his duties, Reuters reported. "I thank the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the trust and the opportunity to do good deeds every day and every minute," Tymoshenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.   A decree accepting Tymoshenko's resignation was published on the president's website. 1:30 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said personnel changes were being carried out at senior and lower levels, following the most high-profile graft allegations since Russia's invasion that threaten to dampen Western enthusiasm for the Kyiv government, Reuters reported. Reports of a fresh scandal in Ukraine, which has a long history of shaky governance, come as European countries bicker over giving Kyiv German-made Leopard 2 tanks — the workhorse of armies across Europe that Ukraine says it needs to break through Russian lines and recapture territory. "There are already personnel decisions — some today, some tomorrow — regarding officials at various levels in ministries and other central government structures, as well as in the regions and in law enforcement," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Monday. Zelenskyy, who did not identify the officials to be replaced, said his plans included toughening oversight on traveling abroad for official assignments. Several Ukrainian media outlets have reported that cabinet ministers and senior officials could be sacked imminently. 1 a.m.: Reuters reported that Ukraine has imposed sanctions on 22 Russians associated with the Russian Orthodox Church for what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was their support of genocide under the cloak of religion. According to a decree issued by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the list includes Mikhail Gundayev, who represents the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Council of Churches and other international organizations in Geneva. Russian state media reported that Gundayev is a nephew of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. Ukraine sanctioned Kirill last year. The sanctions are the latest in a series of steps Ukraine has taken against the Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine that is now entering its 12th month. "Sanctions have been imposed against 22 Russian citizens who, under the guise of spirituality, support terror and genocidal policy," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address late on Monday. He said the punitive measures said that they would strengthen the country's "spiritual independence." A majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and competition has been fierce between the branch of the church historically linked to Moscow and an independent church proclaimed after independence from Soviet rule in 1991. 12:25 a.m.: 12:01 a.m.: Berlin public prosecutors said on Monday they had launched a preliminary investigation into Russky Dom, a cultural promotion organization in Berlin that is part of a Russian government agency subject to European Union sanctions, Reuters reported. Early this month, a Reuters investigation revealed that, despite the sanctions, Russky Dom — which means "Russian House" — had purchased airline tickets for two pro-Russia activists living in Germany to travel to a Kremlin-backed conference in Moscow. "I can confirm that a complaint was filed in relation to the 'Russian House' and that an investigation was initiated," Karen Sommer, a spokeswoman for the Berlin prosecutors' office said in an emailed response to Reuters queries. She did not answer specific Reuters questions on the content of the investigation, or what had prompted it, saying that the probe was at a preliminary stage and no further information could be shared for the moment. Some information in this report came from Reuters.

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