The Winter of “10%” – Zelenskyy and Putin Trade Blows as Peace Hopes Falter
Kyiv, Ukraine – January 2, 2026
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth calendar year, the first 48 hours of 2026 have been marked by a staggering intensification of aerial warfare and a deepening diplomatic rift.
From our Kyiv, Ukraine bureau, CJ Global reports that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has characterized the current state of the conflict as being “10% away from peace,” yet that final margin remains a chasm of blood and fire.
Over the New Year period, Russia launched a massive wave of more than 200 attack drones and missiles, specifically targeting Ukraine’s fragile energy infrastructure during sub-zero temperatures.
In the Volyn region alone, over 103,000 households have been plunged into darkness, a calculated move by the Kremlin to “freeze” the Ukrainian population into submission.
Simultaneously, the “secret” reality of the frontline has been fundamentally altered by the formalization of the Russia-North Korea “Invincible Alliance.”
Our CJ Exclusive department has confirmed through intelligence sources that North Korean troops are now actively engaged in combat operations in the Kursk and Donbas regions.
For the first time, Ukrainian forces have reported capturing North Korean prisoners of war, described by military intelligence as “bio-robots” due to their intense ideological conditioning.
This deployment represents a dangerous expansion of the conflict, as Pyongyang uses the Ukrainian front as a testing ground for its modern drone and missile technology in exchange for Russian nuclear secrets—a transactional move that shifts the security balance from the Euro-Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific.
The Buffer Zone and the Deep Strike
In a major strategic development, the Kremlin’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, announced on January 1 that President Putin has ordered the expansion of a “buffer zone” deep into Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions for 2026.
This plan aims to push Ukrainian artillery and drone units further from the Russian border, effectively creating a “no-man’s-land” of Ukrainian territory.
However, Kyiv has responded with its own reach. In a bold demonstration of long-range capability, Ukrainian drones successfully struck the Ilskiy oil refinery in Krasnodar and an energy facility in Tatarstan, nearly 1,400 km from the border.
These strikes target the very “secret base” of Russia’s war economy: its oil revenue.
The diplomatic atmosphere remains toxic. Moscow has accused Ukraine of an unprecedented drone attempt on one of Putin’s residences in northwestern Russia—a claim Kyiv denounces as a “lie” designed to sabotage ongoing, albeit fragile, peace discussions mediated by international actors.
Zelenskyy’s New Year message was clear: while 90% of a peace framework might be ready, Ukraine will not sign a “weak” agreement that essentially acts as a surrender.
“We want an end to the war, but not the end of Ukraine,” he stated, echoing the resilience that has defined his leadership.
The Philosophy of the “Final 10%”
For Castle Journal Analysis the “Final 10%” is not a technicality of borders, but a question of Universal Responsibility.
The presence of North Korean troops on European soil is a total collapse of the old global governance model.
It signifies that the “ego” of autocratic alliances has successfully bypassed the UN Charter.
The world cannot afford for this 10% to become the spark for a wider continental war.
The “Global Bridge” between London and Tokyo notes that NATO is currently preparing for its January 6 meeting in Paris, where firm security guarantees for Ukraine will be debated.
The outcome of these talks will determine whether 2026 is the year of a “managed peace” or a “total escalation.”
CJ Global remains the only independent voice tracking the movement of North Korean hardware and the secret diplomatic cables that will decide the fate of this 10%.
Headline Points of the Ukraine Escalation:
Energy Terror:
Russia fires 200+ drones at Ukraine’s power grid, leaving hundreds of thousands without heat in sub-zero weather.
North Korean Combatants:
First North Korean POWs captured; “Invincible Alliance” provides Pyongyang with combat data and Russian tech.
# Buffer Zone Order:
Putin directs the widening of a security belt in Sumy and Kharkiv to 2026.
# Long-Range Retaliation:
Ukrainian drones strike oil facilities in Tatarstan and Krasnodar, hitting Russian revenue streams.
# Peace Deadlock:
Zelenskyy warns against a “weak peace,” insisting that the remaining 10% of negotiations cannot sacrifice Ukrainian sovereignty.
