Ukraine Daily

Tuesday, January 10

Russia’s war against Ukraine

An Ukrainian artillery unit responds to Russian artillery shelling by firing a M777 cannon in a field on Jan. 9, 2023 in Kherson, Ukraine. Kherson was the only regional capital captured by Russia since the invasion and it was liberated by Ukraine in Nov. 2022. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

‘Fierce battle’ rages in Soledar, with 22 combat clashes over past 24 hours. A “fierce battle” rages in the town of Soledar near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Group of Forces, said on Jan. 9.

Ukraine’s military: Soledar in Donetsk Oblast ‘practically destroyed,’ Russia deploys most trained Wagner mercenaries in the area. Serhii Cherevatyi, Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command spokesman, reported that the city of Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, long a target of Russia’s Bakhmut offensive, is “practically destroyed.” According to Cherevatyi, Russian troops recently attempted to find a weakness in Ukraine’s defenses.

Zelensky: Army’s resilience in Soledar allows Ukraine to win time and gain strength. Ukrainian forces’ resilience during the ongoing battle for the town of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast has allowed Ukraine to win time, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address to the nation on Jan. 9.

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UK Foreign Office: Two British citizens missing in eastern Ukraine. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office reported on Jan. 9 that two British citizens, Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry, had gone missing in Ukraine.

Shmyhal: Ukraine expects EU to sanction Russian nuclear industry. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 9 that Ukraine expects the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry, specifically the state nuclear operator Rosatom, in its next package of measures against the country.

OSCE head opposes Russia’s expulsion from organization. OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid told German television channel Welt that “it makes sense” to keep Russia in the organization to maintain diplomatic channels.

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UK Defense Ministry: Russia not risking to use its most advanced Felon aircraft over Ukraine. Russia has been using its newest Sukhoi Su-57 combat jets, also known as Felon, to attack targets in Ukraine since at least June, but only from its own territory to avoid losing the aircraft, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Jan. 9.

Mayor: Russian ammunition warehouse destroyed in occupied Melitopol. On the night of Jan. 8, a Russian ammunition warehouse was destroyed in Melitopol, the city Mayor Ivan Fedorov told Ukrinform. The warehouse was located in the city center on the territory of the state enterprise “Hydromash.”

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Ukraine war latest: Russia launches fresh major assault on ‘practically destroyed’ Soledar near Bakhmut.

On Jan. 9, Russia renewed its attempt to capture the town of Soledar, long a target of Russia’s Bakhmut offensive in eastern Donetsk Oblast, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.

Photo: Getty Images

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Ukraine’s ambassador to US: ‘It’s either fight and liberate Ukraine or die. And we choose not to die.’

Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova is certain that no matter what Russia does to try and scare Ukrainians into submission, it will never be successful.

Photo: Getty Images

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The human cost of Russia’s war

Russian attacks on nine Ukrainian oblasts throughout Jan. 9 killed several and injured dozens. In the city of Ochakiv in Mykolaiv Oblast, a Russian attack injured 15, including a 2-year-old child. A morning attack on a local market in the village of Shevchenkove in Kharkiv Oblast killed two, including a 60-year-old woman. In Kherson, one person was killed and one injured after a residential area was hit. And in Kramatorsk and Kurakhivka in Donetsk Oblast, two were killed and two were injured .

Governor: Russian attacks have killed 4 civilians in Zaporizhzhia Oblast since start of year. According to Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Starukh, there have been more than 600 attacks since Jan. 1, including shelling and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure and towns in the oblast.

General Staff: Russia has lost 111,760 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Jan. 9 that Russia had also lost 3,080 tanks, 6,147 armored fighting vehicles, 4,809 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,069 artillery systems, 434 multiple launch rocket systems, 217 air defense systems, 285 airplanes, 275 helicopters, 1,856 drones, and 16 boats.

International response

German government says it doesn’t plan to provide Ukraine with Leopard tanks. Germany has no current plans to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, the country’s government spokesman said on Jan. 9, cited by Reuters. The statement comes a day after German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told ARD that the possibility of delivering the tanks “can not be ruled out.”

Politico: France, Poland push Germany to hand over Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Paris is putting pressure on Germany to agree to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine ahead of a Franco-German summit on Jan. 22, Politico reported, citing an unnamed French official.

Sky News: UK is considering supplying Ukraine with tanks. Sky News reports that the British government is considering supplying Ukraine with Challenger 2 main battle tanks. According to Sky News, the discussion on the delivery of the British-made Challenger 2 battle tanks has been taking place for a “couple of weeks.” Britain might offer around 10 Challenger 2 tanks which will be “enough to equip a squadron,” Sky News writes, citing a source.

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Politico: US mulls over Stryker armored combat vehicles for Ukraine. The U.S. is weighing sending Stryker armored combat vehicles to Ukraine in a new aid package amid fears of a renewed Russian offensive in spring, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Sweden pledges to provide Ukraine with Archer artillery systems. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson pledged on Jan. 9 that Ukraine would receive Archer self-propelled artillery systems, following discussions about such supplies last year.

US official: Iran may be ‘contributing’ to Russia’s war crimes by supplying drones. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Jan. 9 that Iran may be “contributing to widespread war crimes” by selling lethal drones to Russia for use in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Netherlands grants Russian TV channel Dozhd broadcasting license. The Netherlands granted the Russian independent TV station Dozhd (Rain) a license to broadcast in the country less than a month after Dozhd’s licenses were revoked in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

In other news

SBU seizes $2 million worth of property of former Education Minister suspected of high treason. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported it had seized $2 million worth of property belonging to Dmytro Tabachnyk, former Education Minister under ousted pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych and his government.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Dinara Khalilova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Anhelina Shamlii, Oleg Sukhov, Thaisa Semenova, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, and Lili Bivings.

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