Thursday marks the 680th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ISW reports that Russia begins offensive operations northwest of Pakmut. Units of the 98th Airborne Division of the Russian Federation shifted positions and advanced north of the Pakmut-Kromovo road between Pohdanivka and Kromovo. Russian forces are also moving towards Sasiv Yar. Putin's army made small gains west of Donetsk, in the Ismail region and in the suburbs of Bervomsk. There are many levels of warfare going on. Follow Virtualna Polska's live coverage.
live
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby believes that Vladimir Putin is not ready to end the war with Ukraine.
“Despite the noise I've heard in the past few days in some of the press that he wants to suddenly negotiate, he certainly doesn't behave like someone who wants to negotiate,” Europe's Pravda quoted the White House as saying.
Kirby noted that Russia has been conducting massive attacks using drones and missiles in recent days targeting not only military but also civilian facilities.
The death toll from Russia's massive missile attack on Kiev on December 29 last year has risen to 32. Since the start of the war, that day was the largest air strike by the occupying forces in Ukraine, resulting in a total of 55 casualties.
During the forensic examination, investigators from the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs identified two more victims. […] “The total number of dead as a result of the enemy's missile attack on December 29, 2023 is 32. 30 people were injured,” Kyiv City Military Administration reported on Telegram.
The Office of the General Prosecutor presented horrifying data about children in Ukraine. From the beginning of the Russian invasion until January 4, a total of 1,697 minors were affected – 515 died and 1,182 suffered injuries of varying severity. However, this data is not final. Work is still underway to assess the situation in war zones, temporarily occupied and liberated territories.
The most injured children were recorded in Donetsk region (499), Kharkov (312) and Kherson (143).
The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that two enemy warships are currently on duty in the Black Sea. In addition, one Russian ship is in the Sea of Azov, and Moscow has three enemy ships in the Mediterranean, including two armed with Kalibr cruise missiles.
An unidentified person attempted to set fire to the Russian embassy in Prague. He threatened to douse himself with petrol and set himself on fire. The police convinced him to abandon his objective.
Three districts of Moscow were left without electricity and heat in the 25-degree frost. First, the cause of the incident was a fire at a substation.
Ukraine will always fight with what it has Western aid is not charity, but an investment in NATO's defense – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba commented on the possibility of limiting or suspending this aid in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
Between Wednesday and Thursday night, Russia launched a missile attack on the city of Kurakov in the Donetsk region. A kindergarten, a school, a detention center and a cafe were destroyed. Many skyscrapers were damaged. According to initial reports, there were no civilian casualties.
On Wednesday evening, a Russian missile attack was carried out on the town of Shinigurivka in Mykolayiv Oblast. A fire broke out in a company, and private houses were also damaged. 4 people including a minor girl were injured.
This morning, the enemy army shelled the town of Ochakiv twice.
In 2023, there were 278 flight alerts (a total of more than 360 hours) in the Zhytomyr region, and currently more than 100 mobile firefighting teams protect the region's airspace, Vitaly Bunechko, head of the Zhytomyr OVA, said on Facebook. He added that there were two flight warnings on Tuesday that lasted five and a half hours.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian aircraft struck 12 areas where Russian forces were stationed.
“Missile units hit enemy personnel, three anti-aircraft defense systems, three artillery systems, one electronic warfare station and two enemy control points,” Ukrinform reported.
According to information provided by ISW, Russia is launching offensive operations in northwest of Pakmut. It was found that Units of the 98th Airborne Division of the Russian Federation shifted positions and advanced north of the Pakmut-Kromovo road between Pohdanivka and Kromovo. There are also status quo fights going on. Russian forces are also trying to pass through Czasiwy Yar. There are also clashes near Ivanivsk in Kurdyamivka, Klishivka and Andreevka.
Russia made small gains in the Ismail region and the suburbs of Pervomesk. ISW confirmed Russian successes in ground offensive southwest of Donetsk.
Kiev, in turn, made little progress in the Zaporizhia region. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Ukrainian forces advanced east of the town of Robotyn near Verbovo.
It's 7 am in Ukraine. Everything indicated that it was the first quiet night in a long time.
Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinek announced that another prisoner exchange could take place in the coming days. “Our mission is to recover all our players,” he said.
Ukrainian soldiers who returned from prison on Wednesday had been there for between 6 months and 1.5 years, the ombudsman said. All are in poor physical condition: tired and hungry.
The Swedish god of war, the Archer self-propelled automatic howitzer, fires at Russian positions somewhere in the Ukraine.
According to ISW, the moment when Russia decided to exchange prisoners was significant (the last exchange took place last summer – ISW note). Over the past few weeks, several incidents of Russian forces violating the Geneva Conventions have come to light. Use Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields and shoot dead Ukrainians who surrender.
Russian leaders may have chosen to engage in such a large exchange to undermine reports of Russian abuses against Ukrainian POWs and position Russia as a party interested in operating within the bounds of international law and norms.
ISW has often highlighted that senior Russian officials are highly committed to portraying Russia as complying with humanitarian law guidelines, and the timing of this exchange may be part of this information effort.
On January 3, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, the largest of the entire war and the first official exchange of prisoners of war since August 2023, according to the Institute for War Studies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, including members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, National Guard, Navy and State Border Service, had returned to Ukraine from Russian prisons.
The Institute for War Studies has released the latest maps of the situation on the frontline in Ukraine.
In the middle of the night, the Russians fired rockets at the city of Kurakov in the Donetsk region. A kindergarten, school, health center and cafe were destroyed. Residential buildings were damaged. According to initial reports, there were no civilian casualties.
Croci added that inspectors have limited access to the plant's turbine hall and have not yet received the plant's maintenance plans for 2024 from the operator.
After the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, was taken over by Russian troops. At present, six of its reactors are not generating electricity. They are in the so-called phase. Cold closer.
There was frequent exchange of gunfire between Russian and Ukrainian troops near the power plant.
. “Hardcore internet junkie. Award-winning bacon ninja. Social media trailblazer. Subtly charming pop culture advocate. Falls down a lot.”