[Korrespondent] 23:12 Ukrainian military personnel will arrive in Spain this week for basic training and training in working with the HAWK air defense system. Spain will receive 225 Ukrainian troops at the country's air force base near Madrid, CNN reports. At the same time, 20 of them will be trained to operate the HAWK air defense system to counter air attacks. The rest of the military personnel who do not have prior military experience will undergo basic training. It will include training on the treatment of the wounded in combat and the algorithm of actions against improvised explosive devices.
22:28 Zelensky spoke about the meeting with the speaker of the Latvian Seimas, who arrived on a visit to Kiev: "We talked about the prospects not only defensive, but also political. In particular, about the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. I heard confidence that there will definitely come the day when the Ukrainian flag will be absolutely on a par with all the flags of the EU member states. Latvia will help us in this. By the way, Latvia is one of those countries whose support for Ukraine in terms of percentage of GDP is one of the largest over the past year I think that this trend can continue this year."
22:21 The Rada allowed foreigners to fight as part of the National Guard - this legalizes the stay of many fighters in Azov. Read more in the material New law .
22:19 Zelensky in the evening video message noted the paratroopers of the 77th separate airmobile brigade, who, together with the soldiers of the 46th airmobile brigade in Soledar, hold their positions and inflict significant losses on the enemy.
22:10 Ukraine will submit for discussion in 2023 a draft resolution of the UN General Assembly on the establishment of a special tribunal against Russia, said Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Emine Dzhaparova, speaking at an open debate of the UN Security Council on the rule of law in international relations. "We call on all responsible states to support the resolution on the establishment of the tribunal, which we are going to submit to the General Assembly," she said.
21:52 Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said that the third round of talks had taken place with Tatyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation: "We discussed a wide range of issues related primarily to the protection of civilians."
21:16 Japan has allocated 95 million dollars to help Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the program focuses on five areas: strengthening the government's ability to respond to the crisis; support of public services; restoration of critical infrastructure; support for private enterprises; strengthening civil society.
19:59 The European Commission supports Estonia's intentions to prepare a legislative framework for the confiscation of assets of sanctioned persons in favor of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, said EC spokesman Christian Wiegand: "It's good that member states are already taking steps in this direction ... But, of course, there are process at the European level at the proposal of the European Commission: the first discussions already took place in the Council of the EU in December, and we are working with colleagues, in particular the Swedish Presidency, to make this happen very quickly."
19:45 Finland will transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine, on condition that a joint European project is created, President Sauli Niiniste said. "However, the number of armored vehicles transferred cannot be large, since Finland borders on Russia and is not yet a NATO member state," he added.
19:28 In Melitopol, the number of Russians, Buryats, Ossetians and Kadyrovites has already exceeded the number of local residents, Mayor Ivan Fedorov said. According to him, "foreigners" want to seem like their own so much that they even use Ukrainian symbols. In particular, they hung a Ukrainian flag on KamAZ trucks and went north from Melitopol towards Vasilyevka, dressed in civilian clothes and eavesdropped on conversations on the streets, changed from trucks to cars with Ukrainian numbers, and transported the military in school buses with the inscription "Children".
Fedorov noted that all local residents are waiting for the return of the Ukrainian flag, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the resistance forces are monitoring every step of the invaders.
18:56 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bethel: "I informed about the situation on the battlefield. We discussed common steps to counter Russian aggression. We also touched on the implementation of the peace formula."
I also spoke with President of Kenya William Ruto: "I thanked for the constructive interaction in the UN, for the support as a member of the UN Security Council. We talked about the Ukrainian initiative Grain from Ukraine, food security and the creation of grain hubs in Africa. We agreed to strengthen cooperation."
18:21 The enemy continues to advance in the Bakhmut direction, the most fierce battles continue in the areas of the settlements of Soledar, Paraskoveevka, Bakhmut and Kleshcheevka, the General Staff said in the evening report. In the Avdeevsky direction the enemy is conducting unsuccessful offensive operations, and in the Kupyansky and Limansky directions he does not leave attempts to improve the tactical situation. On the Novopavlovsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson directions - it is defending.
To make up for losses in manpower, the enemy does not stop mobilization, including in the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk region. So, in Alchevsk, on January 9, another wave of mobilization began.
18:17 The Russians continue their offensive in the Soledar region, their goal is to break through the defenses and capture the city, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said. Also, according to her, attempts continue to cordon off Bakhmut - for this, the enemy uses detachments of Wagnerites and regular troops. "Our soldiers courageously hold their positions and inflict numerous losses on the enemy," Malyar added.
18:12 The Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 8098, expanding the rights of foreign volunteers in Ukraine. Now foreigners from the National Guard, the State Special Transport Service and other military formations can legally stay on the territory of Ukraine and obtain Ukrainian citizenship under a simplified procedure.
18:05 Soledar remains the hottest point of the war. Almost all the buildings in the city are destroyed, but the battle for control over it continues. About why exactly Soledar and what it was like before the war - in the material City, erased from the earth .
17:36 Germany has not yet made a decision on the supply of Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine, and Berlin will decide this issue only together with its allies, said German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. At the same time, she did not categorically deny such a possibility, noting that "in the times in which we live, we are given good advice - to adapt to the appropriate situation."
She also confirmed that Marder BMPs would be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the quarter: "We will make sure that 40 Marders and the Ukrainian military prepared for their use go to Ukraine by the end of the first quarter."
17:21 Erdogan intends to hold telephone conversations with Putin and Zelensky on January 13 and 14 on the issue of a humanitarian corridor for the removal of the wounded, the Turkish Ombudsman said.
17:18 Ukraine is creating an international demining hub, Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky said. According to him, pyrotechnicians from other countries will be attracted to the organization, with whom Ukrainians will exchange knowledge. The partners will also provide Ukraine with Western equipment, and Ukrainian specialists will share their innovative developments with them.
17:04 Zelensky said that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: "We discussed the situation in the main directions of the front. We paid special attention to the battles in Bakhmut and Soledar. I emphasize: the units that defend these cities will be provided with ammunition and everything necessary promptly and uninterruptedly. Finally there was talk about strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine with equipment and weapons coming from partners."
16:23 Speaker of the Latvian Parliament Edwards Smiltens spoke in the Verkhovna Rada. He, in particular, proposed to hold a tribunal over officials of the Russian Federation in Riga, said MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
16:05 The Russians shelled the village of Yantarny near Kherson, the shell hit a residential building. One person died from the injuries received on the spot, another was injured, said the head of the Regional Military Administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich.
15:48 The Ukrainian peace summit under the auspices of UN Secretary General António Guterres is expected to take place on February 24 in New York, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said in an interview with Anadolu.
15:34 Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko denied the information of journalist Rikard Yozwiak that Ukraine allegedly asked the EU not to include Belarus in the latest sanctions packages. He recalled that a number of personal and sectoral sanctions have already been imposed on Belarus for supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Now the EU member states are discussing the issue of further synchronization of the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation.
"At the same time, according to our information, there is no consensus within the European Union yet. Ukraine and partners are now actively working to maximize the content of the tenth EU sanctions package, the adoption of which is long overdue," Nikolenko added.
15:28 Berlin should allow the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine by other countries, said German Economy Minister Robert Habeck: "There is a difference between making a decision about yourself and preventing others from making a decision. And, accordingly, Germany should not stand in the way when other countries make a decision support for Ukraine, regardless of what Germany decides."
15:17 Putin's reshuffle, during which he installed the loyal Gerasimov and replaced Surovikin, experts call a power struggle between the Russian military and the Wagner group. About what another castling in the military leadership of the Russian Federation means - in the material Prodigal General .
14:45 As a result of a nighttime missile attack on Gulyaipole, Zaporozhye region, residential buildings and outbuildings, garages and equipment of a local utility company were on fire. One person died, two were injured, said the head of the OVA Alexander Starukh.
14:18 The police found 49 torture facilities in the de-occupied territories, 25 of them in the Kharkiv region, said the head of the Department of Organizational, Analytical Support and Rapid Response of the National Police Oleksiy Sergeev.
13:57 Zelensky said that he had discussed with the President of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiades the current security challenges, thanked for the humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and readiness to support the increased sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation.
13:46 In Belogorivka, Luhansk region, the Defense Forces of Ukraine have improved their positions and do not allow the Russians to attack, but the settlement has been completely destroyed, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. He also said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are moving forward in the Kremensky and Svatovsky directions.
13:43 Danilov is convinced that the West will provide Ukraine with enough tanks to win: “The time has come when we will begin to receive them. Then all partners, I am sure, will be connected to this process, and there will be enough tanks to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. There will be equipment, there will be weapons and an offensive, we will expel the Russians from all territories, despite the statements of some foreign figures that we need to take a break and start negotiations."
13:26 Podolyak said that there will be no repetition of the 2014 scenario: "Once again about the official position. 1. The Russian Federation may not hope for a repetition of the 2014 scenario" we kill you, then you settle accounts with us with lands, we pause and go again kill you." 2. The war will end on the borders of 1991 with a tribunal, reparations and life sentences."
13:22 Frequent personnel changes in the leadership of the Russian troops indicate problems in management, said Alexei Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: "We monitor the fact that personnel changes periodically occur in the leadership of the armed forces of the occupying country. If they had everything well, personnel changes would not occur with such frequency. Recent personnel changes indicate that there is a need for a combination of command and control in their ranks. Not everything works out the way they want."
12:51 Now it is incorrect to estimate what percentage of Soledar is controlled by the Defense Forces, and what percentage is controlled by the enemy, said Alexei Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: "As for Soledar: there are fierce battles, it is a little inappropriate to estimate in percentage terms what part of the city we control and which one the enemy is trying to control. The battles are going on, the battles are fierce. So far so."
12:29 The EU does not impose sanctions against the Lukashenka regime at the request of Ukraine, Radio Liberty European correspondent Rikard Jozwiak said. According to him, Ukraine's demand is one of the reasons why Lukashenka's regime did not fall under EU sanctions along with the Russian Federation in the latest sanctions packages.
12:25 Russia plans to capture the Donetsk and then the Zaporizhia region, while maintaining the main goal - the capture of the entire territory of Ukraine, said the deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Gromov: "It is predicted that in the near future the enemy will try to enter the administrative borders of the Donetsk region, and in the future it can intensify its actions to seize the left-bank part of the Zaporozhye region. The main goal of the enemy is to seize the entire territory of our country and destroy the statehood of Ukraine."
12:14 The SBU reported the suspicion to the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Adam Delimkhanov, who commanded the Kadyrovites during the assault on Azovstal.
11:48 In Ukraine, 55% of destroyed or damaged infrastructure facilities that provide Ukrainians with heat supply have been restored, said Oleksiy Chernyshev, chairman of the board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine.
11:45 The command of the RF Armed Forces is strengthening the grouping of troops on the territory of Ukraine, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. In particular, Russia is moving those mobilized from the training grounds of Belarus and the Russian Federation to the war zone and border areas. As of January 10, about 280 formations are operating as part of the Russian occupation forces, taking into account the operational reserve (last week - 250). The enemy rotates units as part of a regional grouping of troops on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
The situation in the combat areas remains difficult. In the absence of the required amount of technically ready military equipment, the Kremlin is actively using human resources to achieve success on the battlefield, Maliar noted.
11:22 It will take more than five years for the complete demining of Ukraine, said Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky. According to him, pyrotechnicians clean about 40 hectares every day.
11:09 As of the morning of January 12, a significant shortage of power remains in the energy system, especially in the morning and evening hours, Ukrenergo reported. Consumption limits have been brought to all regions, effective from 00:00 to 24:00. Already in the morning in nine regions the limits were exceeded, emergency shutdowns were applied.
10:56 Brussels has accelerated work on the tenth package of sanctions against Russia - the member countries want to adopt it before the Ukraine-EU summit, which is to be held in early February in Kiev, PAP reported, citing Polish officials. The new package also plans to expand sanctions against Belarus, synchronizing them with anti-Russian restrictions.
10:22 Danilov said that the next two or three months of the war will be decisive and Russia will go for broke. According to him, the Kremlin is already "preparing for certain events" to report on progress towards the anniversary of the invasion. "She, too, cannot drag out the war without end, there is a difficult situation there and problems are accumulating in Russia ... February 24 will be one of the periods when they would like to report to their society on the achievement of any success," the NSDC Secretary explained.
09:47 In 2023, the United States will provide unprecedented financial support to Ukraine to restore the energy sector, Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said following an online meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State for Energy Geoffrey Pyatt. "We discussed support for our country and its energy sector. Appropriate funds for its restoration are already provided in the US state budget for 2023," the minister added.
09:13 British intelligence reports that since the beginning of January, Russia has allocated units of the 76th Guards Airborne Division of the Airborne Forces to strengthen the front line in Kremennaya. According to analysts, fierce fighting has been going on for the past two days not only in the Soledar area, but also on the outskirts of Kremennaya in the Luhansk region.
The British Ministry of Defense notes that after the withdrawal of part of the troops from the Kherson region, Russia began to use the Airborne Forces for their intended purpose - as an elite rapid reaction force.
09:05 In the Kherson region over the past day, one person was killed due to Russian shelling, five more were injured, said the head of the OVA, Yaroslav Yanushevich.
09:03 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one civilian was killed - in Paraskoveevka, said the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko.
09:01 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the appointment of Gerasimov and the general restructuring of command is likely in part to demonstrate both on the international arena and within Russia the Kremlin's loyalty to the traditional power structures of the DoD and Putin's willingness to wage a protracted war in Ukraine and resume offensive operations.
In addition, according to analysts, the promotion of Gerasimov and the Russian Defense Ministry over Surovikin, a favorite of Prigozhin and the siloviki faction, was probably partly a political decision to confirm the primacy of the Russian Defense Ministry in the internal struggle for power.
08:58 The United States and Japan adopted a joint statement in which they condemned the actions of the Russian Federation and promised to continue to support Ukraine. Support for Ukraine and opposition to Russian aggression became one of the main topics of the meeting of the US-Japan Security Advisory Committee.
08:47 London's plans to supply Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks have not changed the position of the German government, which has so far rejected calls for Berlin to transfer German Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, German government spokesman Steffen Gebeshtreit said.
08:29 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy as of the morning of January 12.
- personnel - about 113,990 (+430) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3094 (+0),
- armored combat vehicles - 6159 (+0),
- artillery systems - 2082 (+4),
- MLRS - 437 (+0),
- air defense systems - 218 (+1),
- aircraft - 285 (+0),
- helicopters - 276 (+1),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 1865 (+3),
- cruise missiles - 723 (+0),
- ships/boats - 17 (+0) units,
- automotive equipment and tankers - 4826(+0),
- special equipment - 184 (+0).
08:17 Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces repelled attacks by invaders in the areas of the settlements of Stelmakhivka and Kremennaya in the Luhansk region and Razdolivka, Salt, Krasnaya Gora, Paraskoveevka, Podgorodnoye, Bakhmut, Klescheevka, Mayorsk, Pervomayskoye and Krasnogorovka of the Donetsk region, the General Staff reports in the morning summary .
Near the village of Radensk, Kherson region, the Russians built a network of trenches and dugouts using sea containers, which had previously been equipped as a field hospital.
The recruitment of mercenaries to the newly created so-called private military companies Shield and Rusich has been announced in Crimea. Former military personnel and other employees of law enforcement agencies are invited there, officers are in priority. In order to somehow interest, potential candidates are promised high pay. In addition, they are told that they allegedly will not be involved in hostilities in Ukraine.
06:34 At night, the Russians fired missiles at one of the districts of Zaporozhye, as a result of which private houses and infrastructure were damaged. According to preliminary data, people were not injured, said the head of the OVA Alexander Starukh.
06:16 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that the military-industrial base of the Russian Federation is not able to overcome the shortage of ammunition. In this regard, it will be extremely problematic for Russia to support offensive operations in eastern Ukraine in 2023. Analysts recalled that, according to statements by American and Ukrainian officials, the daily intensity of the artillery fire of the occupiers decreased by 75%, which is the minimum since February 24, 2022.
The Russian Federation depleted its stocks of 122mm and 152mm caliber and other reserves in the summer of 2022, assuming that excessive artillery attacks would lead to faster results. Now she must move additional shells from the rear areas and purchase additional ammunition from foreign countries.
04:24 The Russian Permanent Mission announced the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine on January 17, the topic of the meeting was not disclosed.
01:28 The aerospace company Maxar has published satellite images of the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Judging by the pictures, houses and schools were completely destroyed in Soledar. In Bakhmut along the roads and in the fields there are thousands of shell craters.
00:50 The United States will continue to provide Ukraine with new large-scale aid packages that will ensure its victory in confronting Russian aggression, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: "The United States will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we have been very clear and consistent on this issue. We are moving fast and supporting Ukraine with the tools necessary to win this war."
00:15 During the weekend of January 14-15, the situation with electricity in Ukraine should improve - this is due to the expected warming, said the head of Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytsky.