Summary: Neither side made a confirmed of claimed advance along the front lines. Ukraine continues its recent attacks against Russian military targets in Crimea.
Although both sides participated in positional maneuvers, neither side made any confirmed nor claimed advances along the front lines. There were 800 Russian casualties (Ukraine does not report their losses, but it is usually half of Russian losses).
Russia launched six drones against Dnipro, but all three were intercepted. Falling debris damaged a residential building and several cars. There were no casualties.
Ukraine launched a successful air strike destroying another Russian command center near occupied Yevpatoria, Crimea.
Satellite images and reports by Ukrainian partisan fighters in Crimea have confirmed that Ukraine did strike a command center near Sevastopol last Thursday. Three building and two radars were damaged in the attack.
14 Ukrainian civilians have died and another 21 were wounded in Russian attacks:
- Russia launched a barrage of missiles destroying six homes in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast. Eleven people were killed including five children. Another eight civilians were injured.
- Russia launched two airstrikes against Pivnichne, Donetsk Oblast, striking residential buildings and killing at least one civilian.
- Russia conducted an artillery strike against Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast killing one man and injuring a teenage and a 66-year-old man. Six farm buildings, 13 houses, cars, power lines, and gas pipes were damaged in the attack.
- One civilian was injured in an attack on Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast.
- Kherson came under attack overnight killing one person and injuring five others.
- Two nine-year-old twin boys were injured by shrapnel from an attack on Darivka, Kherson Oblast
- A middle-aged man fractured his arm in an attack on Tiahynka, Kherson Oblast.
- A middle-aged man was hospitalized with multiple wounds from an attack on Ivanivka, Kherson Oblast.
- A 61-year-old woman was injured in an attack on Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast.
Russia has begun moving residents out of Belgorod a week after a drone attack was made against the city. Christmas church services were also cancelled for tomorrow (Russian Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone call with Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the peace formula to end the war between Russian and Ukraine.
The Polish government reached a deal with farmers to end their blockade of one of the four main border crossings from Ukraine to Poland. The deal met three of the farmer’s demands – $250 million in corn subsidies, increasing liquidity loans by $630 million, and keeping the agricultural tax at 2023 level. They had also wanted an import ban on several Ukrainian agricultural products, but this was not included in the deal. Polish truckers continue their blockade of the other three borders.
Denmark announced that they will delay the delivery of six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine until summer 2024 without giving a reason. The other thirteen pledged fighters will be given in 2025.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo who is the current leader of the Council of the European Union said that the EU needs to reform before bringing in other countries including Ukraine. Reforms he says are needed are improving the ability to make quick decisions while maintaining unity, and the more efficient use of resources. He was lamenting the ability of just one EU member, Hungary, being able to derail military aid to Ukraine.
Source Material
- Institute for the Study of War – understandingwar.org
- The Kyiv Post – kyivpost.com
- The Kyiv Independent – kyivindependent.com