Saturday, January 6

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Ukrainian flag hangs on a rod in front of a Kyiv apartment building damaged by a Russian missile attack, Jan. 5, 2024. After the Russian mass missile strike on Kyiv on Jan. 2, municipal services, together with Kyivans and volunteers, began removing the rubble. (Yan Dobronosov / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukraine’s military intelligence claims cross-border raid on Russian positions in Belgorod Oblast. The agency said it planned the operation after receiving reports that Russian commanders were coming to inspect positions in the area.

Military: Ukrainian strike hits ammunition warehouses in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian forces struck Russian ammunition warehouses on Jan. 4 near the village of Pervomaiske in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Jan. 5.

Book excerpt reveals details of Zelensky’s bunker routine during first weeks of invasion. Zelensky and his team reportedly lived in the bunker under the President’s Office with little sunlight and with “not much to eat,” other than sweets, tinned meat, and stale bread. One minister told Shuster he “survived for days on chocolate.”

Ukraine’s Air Force can’t confirm yet that Russia has used North Korean missiles in Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said that Ukrainian specialists have yet to study the fragments and identify if they can be definitively traced to North Korea.

Governor: Russia attacked Kharkiv Oblast with foreign-made missiles. Some of the missiles that Russia used to strike the city of Kharkiv and the region in late December and early January were produced in a foreign country, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Jan. 5, as cited by ArmyInform.

Umerov: Ukraine, Latvia to work on joint projects in drone production. President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier pledged that Ukraine will produce 1 million drones in 2024, recognizing the importance of this weaponry on Ukrainian battlefields.

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DTEK: Russian attacks target, damage front-line power plant again. DTEK said the plant struck on Jan. 4 had been attacked more than a dozen times in the past 2.5 months. In one Russian strike, five workers were injured.

Deputy head of Ukraine’s Federation of Trade Unions suspected of bribe attempt. A deputy head of Ukraine’s Federation of Trade Unions, who is currently detained waiting for a court ruling over other charges, allegedly attempted to bribe judges in exchange for a decision in his favor, the State Bureau of Investigation reported on Jan. 5.

Governor: Law enforcement investigates report of alleged enlistment officers pushing man into van. A video appeared in Telegram channels on Jan. 3, showing two men in military attire and one in civilian clothes pushing a man into a van. The author of the video claimed that the perpetrators were enlistment officers.

Economy Minister: Ukraine’s exports to grow by 9% in 2024. Positive developments in the last months of 2023 mean that Ukraine’s exports are forecast to grow by 9% in 2024 and 19.4% in 2025, Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko reported on Jan. 5.

Ukraine’s international reserves rise to $40.5 billion after months-long slump. The increase over the last month was largely due to foreign exchange (FX) inflows from Ukraine’s international allies, the NBU said, which outstripped FX sales and debt repayments.

Official: 2,000 trucks waiting in line at Polish border to enter Ukraine. Border Guard Service spokesman Andrii Demchenko said that four border crossings between Poland and Ukraine were blocked as of the morning of Jan. 5.

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Ukraine war latest: Military reports striking Russian arsenals in Crimea, cross-border raid inside Russia

Ukrainian forces of the military intelligence agency, HUR, reported on Jan. 5 that its forces engaged in a cross-border raid on Russian positions in Belgorod Oblast and inflicted an undisclosed number of losses.

Photo: HUR/Telegram

Human cost of war

Russian attacks in Kherson Oblast kill 1 civilian, injure 7. Russian forces used artillery, mortars, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, aircraft, and drones to attack the oblast, and fired on the city of Kherson more than 30 times.

Russian missile strike against Kherson Oblast enterprise kills 1 civilian, injures 1. Russia launched a missile strike against an agricultural enterprise in Inhulets, Kherson Oblast, on Jan. 5, killing a 35-year-old man, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 363,070 troops in Ukraine. This number includes 790 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Norwegian F-16 jets arrive in Denmark for Ukrainian pilot training. Earlier this week, Oslo said it is sending two F-16s for training purposes, as well as 10 instructors, to a facility in Denmark where instruction for Ukrainian aviators is underway.

State Department: US may not continue supporting Ukraine at level of 2022, 2023. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller’s comments come as other U.S. officials have acknowledged that there is essentially no money left for Ukraine aid absent legislative action by Congress.

Reuters: Nepal stops issuing work permits for Russia due to citizens killed fighting in Ukraine. Nepal has halted issuing foreign work permits for its citizens to work in Russia until further notice after growing numbers of Nepalese mercenaries have been reported killed fighting for the Russian army in Ukraine, Reuters reported on Jan. 5.

Sweden to withdraw aid to Mali over stance toward Russia. “When we cooperate with other countries, we also want those countries to cooperate with Sweden, but Mali’s military junta instead turns to Russia and supports its full-scale war against Ukraine,” said Johan Forssel, Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation.

Finland plans to ban Russian LNG from 2025. Finland plans to ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from next year, Finnish Environment and Climate Minister Kai Mykkanen told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat on Jan. 5.

Scottish government to cut funds for housing Ukrainian refugees. The government distributed £10 million last year to Scotland’s regional councils to help set Ukrainian refugees up in short-term accommodations, such as hotels and cruise ships.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Martin Fornusek, Nate Ostiller, Elsa Court, Dinara Khalilova, and Abbey Fenbert.

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