Summary: Fighting continues all along the front lines, but Russian forces made only limited advances towards Avdiivka and Terny in Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine launched a strike against military targets in Crimea scoring at least one hit on an air defense unit, and possibly hitting a command post as well.
Sloboda Front – Initiative Russia – Current Target: Recapture Kupyansk
Although positional engagements continue between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the sector, neither side made any confirmed nor claimed advances.
Siversky Donets Front – Initiative Russia – Current Targets: Zherebets River, Siversk, Chasiv Yar
Zherebets River – Russian forces made a confirmed advance towards Terny (12 miles NW of Kreminna).
Siversk – Although positional engagements continue between Ukrainian and Russian forces near Spirne (8 miles SE of Siversk), neither side made any confirmed nor claimed advances.
Chasiv Yar – Although positional engagements continue between Ukrainian and Russian forces around Bakhmut, neither side made any confirmed nor claimed advances.
Donetsk Front – Initiative Russia – Current Targets: Avdiivka, Pervomaiske, Novomykhailivka, and to advance from occupied Marinka.
Avdiivka – Russian troops increased their attacks on Avdiivka three-fold firing 900 rounds of artillery at Ukrainian troops defending the southeast suburbs of the city but were unable to make any advances in the area. Russian forces have advanced near the waste heap northeast of Avdiivka though. Russian sources also claim that Russian forces have advanced toward Berdychi (6 miles NW of Avdiivka) and Ocheretyne (9.5 miles NW of Avdiivka), but this has not been confirmed.
Zaporizhia Front – Initiative Russia – Target: Recapture Robotyne
Although positional engagements continue between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the sector, neither side made any confirmed nor claimed advances.
Left Bank Front – Initiative Russia – Current Target: Recapture Krynky
Although positional engagements continue between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the sector, neither side made any confirmed nor claimed advances.
Ukraine launched a missile strike against Russian military targets in Crimea in the afternoon. Russian sources report that ten missiles and 36 drones were launched, but that Russian air defense systems intercepted them all. Ukrainian sources claim that at least one missile struck a military location. Video footage of a smoke plume near Uyutne suggests that a missile did indeed strike the air defense unit near Uyutne. And explosions were reported at a Russian command center near Sevastopol.
Ukrainian intelligence services conducted an operation deep within Russia destroying an SU-34 fighter bomber in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Russia claims that Ukraine conducted another attack on the Russian city of Belgorod injuring two civilians. Ukraine has not taken credit for that attack.
Russian attacks along the front lines resulted in the deaths of 4 civilians with another 16 injured.
- A 61-year-old man was killed in a Russian attack on Stanislav, Kherson Oblast. A middle-aged man and woman also suffered concussions in the attack.
- A 52-year-old woman was injured in a Russian attack on Novotiahynka, Kherson Oblast.
- A 42-year-old man was hospitalized with chest and head wounds after a mortar and drone attack on Novoberyslav, Kherson Oblast.
- A 68-year-old man was killed in an artillery attack on Katerynivka, Donetsk Oblast, near Marinka. His body was found by his daughter. An 86-year-old man was also injured in the attack.
- A 73-year-old woman died in Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, just north of Marinka, when shrapnel hit her in the head from an artillery strike.
- A 55-year-old woman was hospitalized from a rocket attack on Avdiivka.
- One person was killed and another eight injured when debris from a missile shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems fell on an industrial plant in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad Oblast.
- Two men were injured and 1500 people left without power and heat because of a Russian strike against Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The death toll of last Tuesday’s attack on Kharkiv has risen to two as another woman died in the hospital from wounds incurred from the attack. The casualty rate also increased to 62 as another woman was hospitalized from her injuries. And the death toll of last weekend’s massive attack on Kyiv has risen by two to 32 dead and 30 injured.
The SBU, Ukraine’s version of the CIA, uncovered a plot by Russian occupation forces in Transnistria, Moldova, of smuggling Ukrainians avoiding the draft into Transnistria for up to $5000.
Ukraine Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that there are currently 9000 criminal cases opened regarding mobilization evasion.
The Financial Times reported that 220 Russian soldiers have surrendered using the “I Want To Live” hotline created by Ukraine in September 2022. There are currently another 1000 requests pending.
Germany provided Ukraine with another large military assistance package which includes an air defense system with ammunition, missiles for another air defense system, ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks, 10,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, ten infantry fighting vehicles with ammunition and spare parts, two mine clearing tanks, a bridge laying tank with spare parts, two air surveillance radars, thousands of combat helmets, 30 drone detection systems, ten ground surveillance radars, three truck tractor trains, a semi-trailer, 44 other miscellaneous vehicles, hundreds of assault rifles with 750,000 rounds of ammunition, and more than 1000 winter camouflage nets.
President Zelensky held a telephone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to congratulate her on becoming the rotating leader of the Group of Seven nations. They discussed how the G7 can continue to support Ukraine’s struggle against Russia.
UN National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby stated that evidence has been found that some of the missiles launched against Ukraine over the New Year’s holiday were from North Korea. He also reported that Russia is in the process of procuring missiles from Iran as well. He also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no signs of willingness to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine and will continue in his plan to conquer and rule Ukraine.
President Putin signed a bill that extends the granting of citizenship beyond just the foreign migrant who joins the Russian military campaign against Ukraine, but also grants citizenship to their immediate family and parents. It also reduces the amount of time to receive this citizenship from three months to one month, thus reducing the chance that the home country of these migrants can file for extradition against their citizens serving as mercenaries. Recently, Kazakhstan had done just that, and today Kyrgyzstan sentenced one of their citizens to a five-year prison sentence for participating in Ukraine as a member of the Wagner Group.
Source Material
- Institute for the Study of War – understandingwar.org
- The Kyiv Post – kyivpost.com
- The Kyiv Independent – kyivindependent.com