January 7, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 08:36 Ukraine: Russia suffers significant losses in Avdiivka and Kherson +++
In its daily situation report, the general staff of the Ukrainian army speaks of numerous Russian attacks on Avdiivka. The small town is only a few kilometers away from the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. Russian troops would still try to encircle Avdiivka. On Saturday alone, Ukrainian soldiers repelled eight attacks in the area. The attackers suffered heavy losses. This information cannot be verified. A particularly large number of attacks and high Russian losses are also reported from southern Kherson. The Ukrainian army explains that 18 attacks were repelled there on Sunday. She does not give any figures on Russian losses. The army claims to have eliminated around 860 Russian soldiers in the entire war zone within one day.
+++ 08:04 ISW: Ukraine succeeds in strikes against Crimean occupiers +++
The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) supports statements from Ukraine that it has carried out several successful attacks on targets in Crimea. Both Ukrainian and Russian reports suggested that missiles and drones were penetrating Russian air defenses on the occupied peninsula and hitting their targets. Accordingly, Russian sources on Telegram claim that up to four rockets hit the Saky military airport on Saturday night. An administration building was hit. The Defense Ministry in Moscow claims that four missiles and five drones were intercepted over the Black Sea and Crimea. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russian radar positions were hit at the Saky airfield on Thursday, as well as a weapons depot near Hvardiis’ke about 60 kilometers away. Satellite images should prove this.
+++ 07:10 Ukraine reports night-time shelling with cruise missiles and drones +++
According to their statements, the Russian armed forces attacked Ukraine last night with 28 drones and three cruise missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force said 21 drones were intercepted and destroyed. She leaves it open what happened to the three cruise missiles. The target of the Russian attack was primarily the south and east of Ukraine.
+++ 06:32 Governor: Nikopol region attacked with artillery +++
According to the governor, the area around Nikopol was attacked last evening not only with drones, but also with heavy artillery. Russia shelled the Chervonohryhorivka community. Nobody was injured. Drones had previously attacked Nikopol and Dnipro. According to the governor, a total of seven drones were shot down. Two fires were caused by the attacks.
+++ 05:43 Drones attack Dnipro and Zaporizhia +++
During the night, Russia attacks Ukraine again with drones. There were impacts in the megacity of Dnipro and the large city of Zaporizhzhia in the southeast of Ukraine, which is not far from the front. In Dnipro, an apartment block was damaged by the impact, said Governor Serhiy Lyssak on Telegram. According to him, the residents of the house were able to be rescued from the rubble largely unharmed.
+++ 05:02 Japan’s Foreign Minister makes a surprise trip to Kiev +++
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Sunday. At a meeting with her counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev, she wanted to emphasize her government’s unchanged position of standing by Ukraine and supporting the country in the “current difficult international situation,” Kamikawa’s ministry said. She also wants to openly exchange ideas with the Ukrainian side about efforts to achieve lasting peace.
+++ 04:15 Putin promises soldiers support +++
On the eve of Orthodox Christmas, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to support the soldiers who defend Russia’s interests “with weapons in hand.” “Many of our men, our brave, heroic boys, Russian warriors, even now, on this holiday, defend the interests of our country with weapons in hand,” Putin said at a meeting with families of Russian soldiers who died in Ukraine .
+++ 02:40 Zelenskyj wants to push arms production +++
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine wants to massively increase its arms production despite the ongoing Russian air strikes. “We are working as hard as possible to ensure that our defense and security forces can rely on our own Ukrainian production for a significant part of their operations this year,” Zelensky said in his daily video address in the evening. The enemy will increasingly feel the power of Ukrainian weapons. Ukraine must respond appropriately to every type of Russian terror and every increase in Russian pressure.
+++ 01:50 “Worry”: Gauck pushes for Taurus delivery +++
Former Federal President Joachim Gauck accuses the federal government of being hesitant about arms deliveries to Ukraine. “In view of the grueling trench warfare and the heinous air attacks on the Ukrainian civilian population, I look at our actions with concern and ask myself whether our support is enough,” he told “Bild am Sonntag”. In response to a question about the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles requested by Ukraine, Gauck replied: “I don’t know much about military matters, but I have spoken to people who have the necessary military knowledge. And after these conversations, I can no longer understand “We are hesitant to supply this weapon and additional ammunition.”
+++ 01:05 Border crossing between Poland and Ukraine open again +++
One of the four most important border crossings between Ukraine and Poland is open to trucks again. Farmers suspended their protest at the Medyka crossing in southern Poland in view of an agreement with the government, says one of the organizers, Roman Kondrow. The three other important border crossings have been blocked by Polish truck drivers since the beginning of November. They are protesting against “unfair competition” from Ukrainian companies after the EU suspended a number of requirements for border transport due to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
+++ 00:04 Putin celebrates with families of fallen soldiers +++
According to official information, Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with selected families of soldiers who died in Ukraine on Orthodox Christmas Eve. A program was initially organized for the relatives to attend training sessions and performances before Putin welcomed them to his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the evening, according to the Interfax news agency. Putin will celebrate Christmas mass together with the families in a church on the grounds of his residence. Putin had previously had “a fairly detailed conversation with the families, talked to the widows and children,” says Peskov.
+++ 23:14 Russia cancels Christmas fairs in Belgorod +++
In view of the Ukrainian attacks on the Russian border region, Russia announced at short notice that the midnight masses for Orthodox Christmas in the city of Belgorod would be canceled. The mayor of Belgorod, Valentin Demidov, explains in online media that he has agreed with church representatives that the “nightly masses in Belgorod will be canceled in view of the operational situation.” In Russia, Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7th, with midnight masses taking place the previous night.
+++ 21:53 Ukraine: Luhansk occupiers order propaganda centers to be set up in every school +++
Russian authorities in the occupied parts of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have ordered the establishment of propaganda centers in all schools and municipal institutions, Ukrainian oblast governor Artem Lysohor said on Telegram. These so-called “museums of military special operations” would exhibit Russian military equipment and glorify local collaborators, Lysohor said. This is intended to reinforce the myth of public support for the Russian occupation among local youth.
You can read all previous developments here.