Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:42 Approximately from January 19 to 21, Russian infantry advanced in many places in the south of Avdiivka. There is information about battles on the streets of Sobornaya, Chernyshevsky, and Sportivnaya. It is also reported that some of the Ukrainian fighters were surrounded and an operation is now underway to release them. For more details, see the article Russian Army on the streets of Avdeevka.
21:04 The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that he would visit Ukraine “in the first or second week of February.”
20:59 The Cabinet of Ministers allocated an additional 657 million hryvnia from the state budget reserve fund for the urgent needs of combat brigades. The Ministry of Defense explained that the funds will be used for the purchase of equipment and weapons, optical and thermal imaging devices, communications equipment, the production of ammunition, repair and maintenance of equipment, as well as spare parts and components for it.
20:46 Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, who plans to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmygal on Wednesday, January 24, distinguished himself with new scandalous statements about Ukraine. Read more in the article Orban's regiment has arrived.
20:20 Ambassadors of EU countries on Wednesday, January 24, will approve the use of profits from frozen assets of the Russian Federation in favor of Ukraine, reports Radio Liberty journalist in Brussels Rikard Jozwiak. He referred to a statement by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that there is a political agreement between the bloc's member states on the use of proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
19:33 On the Day of Unification of Ukraine, President Vladimir Zelensky announced a new initiative regarding the territories of Russia historically inhabited by Ukrainians. The decree of the head of state is dedicated to these territories, providing for the establishment and dissemination of information about the oppression of the national identity of Ukrainians in those regions of Russia where they lived historically. Read more in the article Kuban and Kursk.
19:21 According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2023, 1843.8 billion hryvnia, or 60.8% of the total state budget, were spent on defense.
19:00 Within ten days, the Cabinet of Ministers will submit to the National Security and Defense Council proposals to ban for 50 years any transport links with Russia - road, rail, aviation and shipping, the government order says.
18:29 British Ambassador to Kiev Martin Harris said that drones for Ukraine, for which Britain will allocate 200 million pounds, will be produced in both countries.
18:04 In the morning, the Russians hit Kramatorsk with an Iskander high-explosive fragmentation missile, said the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin. As a result of the strike, one person was killed and two were injured. Seven high-rise buildings, three enterprises and three social infrastructure facilities were damaged.
In addition, due to enemy shelling, power supply to two coal enterprises was cut off. There were 94 miners underground at the time. Currently, the power supply has been restored and the lives of the miners are not in danger.
17:37 Belgium plans to provide Ukraine with 611 million euros in military assistance in 2024 and undertakes to long-term support the modernization of Ukrainian forces, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said following a telephone conversation with his Belgian colleague Ludivine Dedonder. They also discussed the latest developments on the frontline and the prospects for defense cooperation between the two countries.
17:30 Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine that the security agreement between Ukraine and the United States will be “special” and will have more points. “We are preparing with the Americans, we have already begun the first consultations. America remains our main partner and ally,” he added.
17:12 The Russians hit Kupyansk in the Kharkov region with artillery - one person was killed, one was injured. An apartment building and a store were damaged, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
17:08 In the Belgorod region, in a reservoir near the village of Ionovka, an unexploded FAB-250 viabomb was discovered, which fell from a Russian plane, public accounts write.
16:43 Poland will appoint a commissioner for the restoration of Ukraine - it will be Sejm deputy Pavel Koval, who heads the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tusk said during his visit to Kiev.
16:39 As a result of Russian shelling in the Kupyansky district of the Kharkov region on January 21, an electricians’ base and a brigade vehicle were destroyed, reports Kharkovoblenergo. Equipment, tools, inventory and a brigade vehicle were destroyed. No people were hurt.
16:17 Ukraine is building defensive fortifications along its borders with Russia and Belarus and up to the border with Poland. The new structures are very reminiscent of the so-called “Surovikin line” - a three-layer system of trenches, tank traps and strong points, which the Russian Federation used in the Zaporozhye direction to contain the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. About what Kiev is preparing for is in the material “Surovikin’s own line”.
15:54 Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called on the EU countries not only to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons as soon as possible, but also to increase the production of weapons for the future: “We need to cover the urgent needs that Ukraine has now, but also - and our position here is very clear “We must find a way to strategically, for the long term, build up our common European defense industry and our capabilities... This is in our strategic interests.”
15:28 Poland today joined the Declaration of Support for Ukraine, which was approved by the G7 countries last July at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during a visit to Kyiv that this declaration is intended to mobilize democratic countries in support of Ukraine. He also confirmed that Poland and Ukraine will create joint weapons enterprises and projects, as well as invest in defense complexes.
15:05 Foreign Ministry Speaker Oleg Nikolenko responded to the statement of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico about a territorial “compromise” on the part of Ukraine: “There can be no compromise on the issue of territorial integrity. Neither Ukraine, nor Slovakia, nor any other country. Ukraine and partners are making efforts to remove Russians from Crimea, Donbass and Lugansk, so that they do not go further, including to Kosice, Pryashevsky and other Slovak regions. Let's speak frankly: without security in Ukraine there will be no security either in Slovakia or in Europe as a whole "We must work together to bring the Ukrainian victory closer."
14:31 Poland has prepared a new defense package for Ukraine, Zelensky said following a meeting with Tusk. “There is a new form of our interaction for the sake of a larger scale of arms purchases for Ukrainian needs - this is a Polish loan for Ukraine. Today we discussed with Mr. Prime Minister the possibilities of future joint production of arms,” the Ukrainian president added.
14:09 In Berislav, Khenson region, Russians dropped explosives from a drone on a local resident who was riding along the street on a motorcycle - he died, OVA reported.
13:38 The head of the OP Andriy Ermak said that “we are definitely moving” towards a meeting between Zelensky and Orban. “This will be the main task during our meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Kuleba with Minister Szijjarto on January 29 in Uzhgorod,” he added.
13:10 British intelligence states that in December 2023, Ukrainian ports exported more agricultural products than in any other month since the Russian invasion. Analysts believe that this is due to the creation of an export route for maritime transport. “Ukraine achieved this by preventing the Russian Black Sea Fleet from operating in the western Black Sea, where it is under threat from Ukrainian missiles and unmanned surface ships,” the intelligence agency notes.
12:27 Zelensky’s decree on the territories of the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians appeared on the president’s website. The document decided to submit for consideration an action plan to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians in Russia, including on the lands historically inhabited by them: in the Kuban, Starodubshchina, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchina within the modern Krasnodar Territory, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov regions.
12:08 The village of Krakhmalnoye, Kharkov region, which was recently captured by the Russians, has been completely destroyed, there are no civilians left there, said the speaker of the Ground Forces, Vladimir Fityo. According to him, the Russian military there “is not in the best positions.” “Our defenders are in active defense, and this gives the opportunity, in the best case scenario, to move on to attacking actions, as well as improve their tactical position,” said Fitjo.
11:50 One of the three drones shot down over the Smolensk region at night tried to attack the Smolensk-Severny airfield, Russian media write, citing emergency services.
11:34 The UK sent satellite photographs to UN experts showing Russian ships being loaded in a North Korean port, The Guardian writes. Images taken between September and December show three Russian ships loading containers at the North Korean port of Najin before heading to Russian ports in the Far East. British military intelligence was unable to determine what was in the containers.
10:27 On Sunday, January 21, the Russians attacked the village. Peschanoye, Kupyansky district, Kharkov region, one person died. Another person was wounded as a result of shelling. Olkhovatka, Kupyansky district, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
09:52 Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk came to Ukraine for the first time after his appointment.
09:28 Zelensky congratulated the Ukrainians on the Day of Unification: “When all Ukrainians hold hands, they will not raise them up to give up. We are all fighting. And today this applies not only to both banks of the Dnieper. Today, the unity of Ukrainians covers both hemispheres of the Earth, in each corner of which on February 24 it was said: I am a Ukrainian. Only strong Ukrainians can become united. And only united Ukrainians can be strong. Ukrainians all over the world."
The president also announced that he was introducing to the Rada a bill on multiple citizenship, which would allow all ethnic Ukrainians and their descendants, except citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as foreign volunteers, to have Ukrainian citizenship. In addition, Zelensky noted that he signed a decree on the territory of the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians. “This is the return of the truth about the historical past for the sake of the Ukrainian future,” the president said.
09:10 Public reports about a drone attack in occupied Donetsk and Makeyevka - there is significant damage that caused a blackout in a number of areas.
08:51 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of January 22:
- personnel - about 376,860 (+830) people,
- tanks - 6192 (+11),
- armored combat vehicles - 11,489 (+23),
- artillery systems - 8896 (+21),
- MLRS - 968 (+0),
- air defense systems - 657 (+2),
- aircraft - 331 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 6961 (+25),
- cruise missiles - 1819 (+1),
- ships/boats - 23 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 11,891 (+29),
- special equipment - 1397 (+5).
08:33 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recorded the advance of Russian troops along the streets of Avdiivka. Geolocation footage from January 21 shows that Russian troops advanced in the area of the Tsarskaya Okhota restaurant along Sobornaya Street (in the south of Avdievka) and along a line of trees in the southwest of Avdeevka. According to analysts, Russia is preparing to increase activity in the Avdeevsky direction and seeks to concentrate more than 40 thousand military personnel in this area.
08:05 Over the past 24 hours, 68 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled five enemy attacks in the Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka areas and 12 more attacks south of Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelskoye in the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansky direction, seven enemy attacks were repelled near Sinkovka, Kharkov region; on Limansky - five attacks near Ternov, Yampolevka, Donetsk region, and six more attacks near Belogorivka, Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - seven attacks east of Grigoryevka, Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky and Kleshcheevka, Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - five attacks in the Georgievka and Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - seven attacks west of Verbovoy and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region. The expansion of the bridgehead continues in the Kherson direction; over the past 24 hours, the enemy has unsuccessfully attempted to storm the positions of the Defense Forces six times.
07:36 In the Dniprovsky district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, as a result of falling debris from a downed drone, a fire broke out on the territory of the enterprise, which rescuers extinguished. The building was damaged, but no people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
06:40 Air defense at night destroyed all eight attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type, which Russia attacked from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk area, the Air Force command reported. The drones were destroyed within the Nikolaev, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk and Kirovograd regions.
05:37 The EU wants to create a new fund for financial assistance to Ukraine in order to bypass Hungary’s veto, The Wall Street Journal writes with reference to the draft document. In particular, the European External Action Service proposes to include about 6.5 billion euros from the assets of the extra-budgetary European Peace Fund into the created special military fund, as well as to allocate up to 5 billion euros per year there in the period 2024-2027.
This money is proposed to be used as compensation to countries for joint purchases of weapons for Ukraine. Such a scheme would allow smaller EU member states with fewer munitions resources to pool their resources in joint procurements to provide greater assistance to Ukraine.
00:14 UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that Europe must “step up” and provide Ukraine with more funding: “Britain is leading with a package of 2.5 billion pounds and a security agreement, a cooperation agreement with President Zelensky and Ukraine. Now not "Not only America, but also Europe must step up and do its part to make sure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself."