Sunday, January 14

Russia’s war against Ukraine

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on Jan. 13, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)

Zelensky, French foreign minister discuss joint drone production. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Jan. 13 that he discussed Ukraine’s defense needs in his meeting with newly-appointed French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné. Zelensky said they discussed joint production of drones and artillery and further strengthening of missile defense systems.

General Staff: Ukraine’s Air Force strikes 11 Russian troops’ clusters. Ukraine’s Air Force conducted targeted strikes on 11 clusters of Russian personnel, ammunition, and military equipment, according to a morning update from the General Staff published on Jan. 14.

Minister urges Ukrainians to create drones for army at home. Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Jan. 13 urged Ukrainians to create drones for the military at home as part of the “People’s Drone” project. Participants can take a free engineering course to teach themselves how to assemble a seven-inch FPV (first-person-view) drone at home.

Fragments of ‘unidentified device’ resembling rocket reportedly found in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. Fragments of an “unidentified device” have been found on a road in the Pavlovskaya district of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, local officials reported on Jan. 13. Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti published photos from the scene showing the fragments of the “unidentified device,” which appear to resemble the fragments of a rocket.

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Air Force: Ukraine downs 8 Russian missiles overnight, electronic countermeasures defend against 20 other weapons. Ukrainian air defenses shot down eight missiles launched by Russia overnight and interrupted the trajectories of over 20 other weapons using electromagnetic countermeasures, the Air Force reported on Jan. 13.

Ukrainian skater performs with red stain on shirt to draw attention to Russian attacks. Ukrainian figure skater Ivan Shmuratko performed a routine with a blood-red stain on his shirt to draw attention to civilians killed by Russian missile attacks, Suspilne reported on Jan. 12. The 22-year-old skater, who represented Ukraine at the 2022 Olympic Games and is a four-time national champion, performed during the men’s free skating section at the European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania.

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Estonian PM: ‘Our taxpayers shouldn’t pay for damages caused by Russia’

A small Baltic country of just 1.3 million people that also shares a border with Russia, Estonia has provided assistance to Ukraine worth nearly 500 million euros, or more than 1.4% of its GDP, making it one of the leading supporters by GDP share.

Photo: Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian forces shell Kherson Oblast, injuring 1. A 60-year-old man was injured on Jan. 13 by Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast, Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson city military administration, reported. According to Mrochko, Russian forces shelled the village of Sadove from the east bank of the Dnipro River, which is still under Russian occupation.

Russia attacks 12 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 1. Russian forces targeted 12 rural communities in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast on Jan. 13, injuring a civilian in the town of Shostka, the local military administration reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 369,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. According to the report, Russia has also lost 6,065 tanks, 11,269 armored fighting vehicles, 11,632 vehicles and fuel tanks, 8,728 artillery systems, 957 multiple launch rocket systems, 646 air defense systems, 329 airplanes, 324 helicopters, 6,848 drones, and 23 boats.

American microchips are killing Ukrainians

International response

Biden: Republicans will have ‘a lot to pay for’ if they don’t pass Ukraine aid. U.S. President Joe Biden said during a press briefing on Jan. 13 that Republicans will have “an awful lot to pay for” if they don’t help pass military aid for Ukraine.

Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a supplemental funding bill that included $61 billion in aid for Ukraine in a procedural vote held on Dec. 6, insisting that any further military aid must include major significant domestic border changes.

Tusk: No tolerance for ‘anti-Ukrainian’ sentiment in Polish government. There will be no place for any positions built on “anti-Ukrainian sentiment” in the Polish government, as was the case with the previous ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in an interview with TVN24 on Jan. 12.

Romanian farmers stop blockade of trucks on Ukrainian border. Romanian farmers are no longer blocking trucks through the Siret checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service reported on Jan. 13. Earlier on Jan. 13, the State Border Guard Service reported the incident, adding that the reason for it was unknown.

Denmark announces **almost $22 million in new funding for Mykolaiv’s reconstruction.**Denmark announced a new round of $21.9 million in funding for the reconstruction of Mykolaiv, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Jan. 12. Denmark has prioritized restoring the southern Ukrainian city and surrounding region, devoting 60% of its development aid to Mykolaiv.

In other news

Taiwan elects pro-sovereignty leader, learns from Ukraine’s military. Taiwanese voters have elected William Lai as their leader in a historic presidential election, cementing a pro-sovereignty direction that increasingly aligns with the West, angering Beijing. China is Russia’s top supporter and has sought to disrupt the existing world order led by the United States and its allies.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Elsa Court, Teah Pelechaty, Nate Ostiller, Oleg Sukhov, Kate Tsurkan, Lance Luo, and Olena Goncharova.

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