Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:45 Time magazine published an article by political scientist and international relations expert Ian Bremmer entitled The Top Ten Global Risks of 2024. According to the author, the main risks for the world will remain two ongoing wars - Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas. Read more in the article Division of Ukraine .
22:37 The ground forces of the Russian Army in Ukraine amount to 462 thousand military personnel, units are staffed to 95%, said Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate. According to him, thanks to the high level of staffing, the Russians can carry out rotations and withdraw units for restoration. “There were moments when staffing levels dropped to 89-90%, but by prolonging mobilization they managed to maintain this grouping at precisely this level of 92-95%,” Skibitsky added.
21:49 North Korea is using Ukraine as a testing ground for ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, said South Korea's permanent representative to the UN, Hwang Jung Kook. He condemned the transfer of North Korean missiles to Russia, and called the invasion itself a “senseless disregard” for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
20:57 During a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council on January 10, the allies promised further assistance to Kiev and recalled plans to strengthen the country’s air defense in 2024 - from the joint purchase of missiles for the Patriot air defense system to Skynex systems from Germany and anti-aircraft missiles from the UK, the press reported. Alliance service. NATO members also "strongly condemned" the escalation of Russian air strikes on Ukraine, as well as Russia's use of ballistic missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran.
“Today, Alliance members made clear that they will continue to provide significant military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and many Alliance members have outlined plans to provide billions of euros in additional capabilities in 2024,” NATO said.
20:06 During the day, the Russians fired artillery three times at the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, including the regional center, Pokrovskaya rural and Marganetsk communities. Two people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak. He also reported an explosion in Krivoy Rog, without deaths or injuries.
19:42 Near Marinka, the Ukrainian military captured a mercenary from Somalia, Army TV reports, citing sources. The Somali surrendered along with the Russians. He had a Somali passport with him and barely understood either Russian or Ukrainian. He went to fight, like other prisoners, for money. He ended up at the front at the end of December, and was already captured at the beginning of January.
19:28 Zaluzhny reported that for several days he worked in the area of responsibility of the operational-strategic group of troops Khortytsya. According to the commander-in-chief, the front line remains active: the Russian army is trying to advance in all directions, the Defense Forces are repelling enemy attacks and inflicting significant losses on the enemy.
“We carried out productive work with brigade commanders performing tasks in the Kupyansky direction. We determined the sequence of our steps, taking into account the constant change in the operational situation, capabilities, and also made a decision to ensure the priority needs of the units,” Zaluzhny said.
18:32 In the Sinelnikovsky district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, a KAR X-59 guided aircraft missile was destroyed, the Air Command of Skhid reported.
18:16 Russia is holding 25 Ukrainian journalists captive, said Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech. “These are not combatants - these are journalists who did their job, and, according to the civilized rules of warfare, should not be captured in principle,” he emphasized.
17:37 The Russian army fired at residential buildings in Novodmitrovka, Kherson region, one person was wounded, the OVA reported. Over the previous 24 hours, two people were injured as a result of Russian shelling.
17:33 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized the Western strategy for the war in Ukraine and said that he wants to normalize relations with Moscow. According to him, “it is absolutely clear to everyone” that the “crisis in Ukraine” has no military solution. Fico believes that Ukraine has the right to follow its own sovereign path, while at the same time Russia also needs “security guarantees.”
17:25 Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the country’s parliament that “the time has come for diplomacy” regarding Ukraine. According to him, the Ukrainian counter-offensive of 2023 did not bring the desired result, and the military situation should be treated “realistically.” Crosetto believes that “the time has come for diplomacy along with military support for Ukraine, since a number of important signals are being received from both sides.”
At the same time, Crosetto emphasized that “our support for Ukraine remains strong and completely unchanged.” Today, the lower house of the Italian parliament voted for a resolution to continue military support for Ukraine.
17:16 Ukraine in 2024 took 18th place in the ranking of the most powerful armies in the world, according to Global Firepower. The first place is occupied by the United States, the second by Russia, and the third by China.
16:07 The Russians attacked the village of Olkhovatka with guided bombs in the Kupyansky district of the Kharkov region - one person was killed, ten private houses, a store, and a school were damaged, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
15:58 Zelensky called for “finishing” Putin together. In his opinion, the uncertainty of Western partners in providing military and financial assistance to Ukraine only gives courage and strength to Russia. “The Russian president won’t calm down until he destroys Ukraine. After Ukraine, you know very well who has the next risks... He won’t finish this until we all finish it together.”
15:21 Zelensky said that he expects to receive defense and political decisions from the NATO Washington summit in 2024: “I would like to receive a strengthening of the air defense package quantitatively - with the systems that we need so much. It is the systems and specifically the specific missiles that fight against Russian ballistics ... As for political decisions, I would like to get at least one concrete step towards NATO."
14:52 The European Union promised Ukraine that in any case it would provide funding no later than March, writes Euractiv with links to sources. They also confirmed the previously announced information that Hungary offered to divide the 50 billion euro package into annual tranches in exchange for lifting its veto.
14:43 Lithuania has approved a package of long-term military assistance to Ukraine totaling 200 million euros, President Gitanas Nausėda said during a joint press conference with Zelensky. He added that in January Lithuania will send Ukraine ammunition, generators, detonation systems, and in February - M577 armored personnel carriers.
Lithuania and Ukraine also signed agreements on cooperation in the defense industry. Zelensky clarified that we are talking, in particular, about the joint production of anti-drone equipment.
14:08 Hungary and Slovakia became the only countries in the EU that did not sign a statement condemning the supply of missiles from the DPRK to Russia, Russian media write. Peskov yesterday did not comment on information about the supply of North Korean missiles, but said that Kyiv was allegedly hitting “Russian cities” with Western weapons.
13:19 Forbes showed which missiles from North Korea may already be in service with the Russian army:
12:30 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense presented a project for the families of Russian military prisoners in Ukraine called I want to find. As part of the project, chat bots will be launched on Telegram, where you can find out where a specific Russian military man is and whether he has died. The department hopes this will help conduct more prisoner of war exchanges.
12:03 Iran has developed a new reconnaissance kamikaze drone, Shahed-107, which Russia may receive, Sky News reports, citing intelligence sources. According to them, UAVs have already protested in Iran along with the Russians, and Tehran offered Moscow several units “for testing.”
The Shahed-107 can be launched from a vehicle and is estimated to have a range of up to 1,500 km. The drone also has a camera, a video broadcaster, and may be equipped with technology to search for high-value combat targets, such as HIMARS and M270. The publication’s interlocutor also said that the Russian Federation expects to soon receive ballistic missiles from Iran with a range of up to 700 km.
11:47 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that a drone was shot down in the Saratov region. The opposition Russian publication Astra writes, citing sources, that there were two drones, they were shot down and fell on the territory of the Engels 2 military airfield, which has been used for large-scale airstrikes in Ukraine since February 2022. The consequences of drone crashes are unknown.
11:01 The NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system, which Canada promised to purchase for Kiev’s needs from the United States a year ago, has not yet been delivered to Ukraine, CTV channel reports. According to the Canadian Ministry of Defense, Ottawa transferred $406 million to Washington for these purposes in March 2023, and the US government signed a contract for its production with Raytheon. At the same time, the Kongsberg company, which is also involved in the production of these air defense systems, reported that they do not have such a contract with either the US authorities or the Canadian government. The Canadian Ministry of Defense does not know when the air defense system may end up in Ukraine.
10:43 Zelensky said that he is on a working visit to Vilnius , and then will visit Tallinn and Riga. The President plans to hold a series of meetings and discuss security issues, integration into the EU and NATO, cooperation in the field of electronic warfare and drones, and further coordination of European support.
10:29 In 2023, the production of weapons, equipment and artillery shells in Ukraine tripled, and the production of mines increased 42 times. In addition, the country successfully used its own long-range weapons, hitting an enemy target at a distance of 700 km, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Alexander Zavitnevich said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Also, according to him, the development of 155-mm caliber shells has already begun, their mass production is planned in 2024, “but in the absence of a shortage of explosives - gunpowder, which can be supplied from NATO countries.”
09:46 Russia on the evening of January 9 attacked Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region, with a new drone with a night vision camera, said the head of the Nikopol regional military administration, Yevgeny Yevtushenko. According to him, such drones have been used at the front for a long time, but this is the first time in the region. As a result of the attack, two private houses, a utility building and a power line were damaged.
09:08 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of January 10:
- personnel - about 366,790 (+800) people,
- tanks - 6038 (+2),
- armored combat vehicles - 11,216 (+13),
- artillery systems - 8684 (+12),
- MLRS - 956 (+2),
- air defense systems - 639 (+1),
- aircraft - 329 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6834 (+11),
- cruise missiles - 1805 (+0),
- ships/boats - 23 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 11,575 (+23),
- special equipment - 1336 (+3).
08:37 Over the past 24 hours, 77 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Avdeevka direction, the Defense Forces repulsed 11 enemy attacks near Novobakhmutovka, Avdeevka, Severny and another 13 attacks near Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye, Donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, 15 attacks were repelled in the Georgievka, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled eight enemy attacks in the Sinkovka area of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - five attacks east of Ternov and Vesely, Donetsk region; on Bakhmutskoye - three attacks near Kleshcheevka and Andreevka, Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - one attack near Staromayorsky, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - two attacks west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, the expansion of the bridgehead continues; the enemy carried out nine unsuccessful assault operations on the positions of the Defense Forces.
08:22 Late in the evening of January 9, the Russians attacked Kharkov from Belgorod with two S-300 missiles, said Oleg Sinegubov, the head of the OVA. A children's health center was damaged, but no people were injured.
07:58 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Russia will not be able to capture significant territory in the Kharkov region in the near future, but still intends to create a buffer zone there up to 15 km deep to prevent shelling of the Belgorod region.
Analysts recalled that Russian ultranationalists regularly called for such an operation in the summer of 2023 amid widespread dissatisfaction with cross-border raids by pro-Ukrainian forces in the Belgorod region. ISW calls it a large-scale operation, requiring a force much larger and significantly better resourced than the troops massed along the entire border with Ukraine, least of all in the Belgorod region.
According to analysts, Russian forces are now only capable of conducting tactical actions in the Kharkov region, and they will serve as a distraction from possible Russian operational efforts in the Kupyansk direction.