January 16, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:17 Moscow claims to have repelled attack on Voronezh +++
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia repelled a Ukrainian drone attack overnight over the city of Voronezh in the southwest of the country. The ministry said on Telegram that three projectiles were destroyed by air defense. A child was slightly injured after fragments of a downed drone hit an apartment, the region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, also wrote on Telegram. According to Gusev, several apartment blocks and private houses were damaged. Russia maintains an air base near the city of Voronezh where, according to Russian media reports, several Su-34 bombers are stationed. The Russian news service Shot reports at least 15 explosions near the base.
+++ 02:20 Explosions in the Russian city of Voronezh +++
A series of explosions have occurred in the Russian city of Voronezh, social media reports. A high-rise building caught fire after the explosions. The city is located around 500 kilometers south of Moscow, near the border with Ukraine.
+++ 01:13 Saluschny informs US Chief of Staff Brown +++
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalushny speaks on the phone with US Chief of Staff Charles Brown. On his Telegram channel Saluschny explains that he has informed General Brown about the situation on the battlefield as a whole and details about individual areas of the front. The fights in 2023 were also analyzed and forecasts for 2024 were exchanged.
+++ 00:13 Support for Kiev: France’s Foreign Minister visits Warsaw +++
France’s new Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné welcomes Poland’s new role on the European stage during his inaugural visit to Warsaw. “Poland is back in Europe and with it the hope of making rapid progress on the European reforms that are essential for our citizens,” said Séjourné at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski. Both ministers also reiterated their support for Ukraine. After almost two years of war against the Russian aggressor, the Ukrainians “have the right to be tired, but not us,” emphasizes Sikorski. Poland is one of Kiev’s most important supporters in the fight against the Russian invasion. Séjourné, who took up his new office last Thursday, had already traveled to the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.
+++ 22:19 Human rights activists report death of a political prisoner in Belarus +++
Human rights activists have once again accused the penal system in the authoritarian ex-Soviet republic of Belarus of the death of a political prisoner. The Vyasna Human Rights Center said 50-year-old Vadim Khrasko died of untreated pneumonia. The critic of ruler Alexander Lukashenko was only taken to the hospital when he could no longer be saved. He died on the night of January 9th. It is said to be the fourth death of a political prisoner in Belarus. The authorities in Minsk have not yet provided any information about the new case.
+++ 21:46 Mission failed: US space capsule was supposed to bring Ukrainian flag to the moon +++
The US space capsule Peregrine, which was supposed to carry the Ukrainian flag to the moon, is currently on its way to Earth and will eventually burn up in the planet’s atmosphere. The mission did not achieve its goal because the device did not reach the moon. Now the device is at a distance of more than 376,000 kilometers from Earth, Astrobotic said on Twitter (X). The company provides an update on the status of the Peregrine device. According to the developers, it poses no danger to humans and will be tracked until the end of its journey.
You can read all previous developments here.