Tuesday, January 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers by an anti-aircraft vehicle towards its position at the Bakhmut frontline, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on January 13, 2024 (Ignacio Marin/Anadolu via Getty Images))

Ukraine’s top diplomat warns ‘time running out’ for US to deliver aid. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Jan. 15. told ABC news that ‘time is running out’ for U.S. lawmakers to reach a deal on military aid for Ukraine. Many House Republicans continue to oppose an additional $60 billion in security assistance for Kyiv’s war effort for fiscal year 2024.

Switzerland plans to allocate over $1.7 billion for Ukraine’s recovery. Switzerland plans to allocate 1.5 billion Swiss francs ($1.75 billion) for Ukraine’s recovery efforts between 2025 and 2028 under an international cooperation strategy, ArmyInform reported on Jan. 15, citing Swiss President Viola Amherd.

Ukraine’s air defense notches a string of successes against Russian air power. Ukraine has destroyed at least seven Russian planes since the beginning of December, a landmark military achievement for the country and a significant blow to Russia.

Zaluzhnyi confirms downing of Russian A-50 spy plane, IL-22 command aircraft. The announcement comes a day after Ukrainian media outlets reported on the downing of a Russian A-50 plane over the Azov Sea, citing an unnamed source in the Ukrainian military.

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UN asks for $4.2 billion in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, Ukrainian refugees. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that some 14.6 million Ukrainians, approximately 40% of the population, need humanitarian assistance.

Ukraine’s prominent investigative journalist Nikolov says he faced threatening home visit. Yurii Nikolov, one of Ukraine’s prominent investigative journalists who revealed procurement wrongdoing in the Defense Ministry under its previous leadership, said on Jan. 15 that he received a visit from unidentified people threatening him.

AP: Hamas uses arms made in Russia, Iran, China, North Korea. The identified armaments that Hamas uses against the Israeli military in Gaza include AK-47 assault rifles from China and Russia, North Korean and Bulgarian rocket-propelled grenades, and Iranian sniper rifles. Palestinian militants also use variants of Russian-designed 9M32 Strela anti-aircraft missile systems, adapted and copied by other producers.

Zaluzhnyi briefs top US general on war progress. Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi on Jan. 15 had a phone call with the U.S. Joint Chiefs head Charles Brown and discussed battlefield progress.

Insights and opinions

The secret scars of Ukraine’s mental health crisis.

As Ukraine endures the ravages of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the impact extends far beyond the physical destruction of its cities and the displacement of its people. A silent but equally devastating crisis is unfolding: the severe deterioration of the mental health of the Ukrainian population in wartime.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian strikes against Donetsk Oblast’s Niu-York injure at least 3 civilians. Russian air and missile strikes against the village of Niu-York in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 15 injured at least three people, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported. Five others had been trapped in the rubble of a building damaged in the attack, the governor added. Relevant services are working on the site to clear the debris.

Military intelligence: Ukrainian partisans in occupied Melitopol blow up vehicle with Russian soldiers. The Russian vehicle was detonated on Jan. 14, followed by occupation authorities blocking the streets adjacent to the scene and several ambulances arriving, according to HUR.

Zakarpattia Oblast official injured in grenade blast dies, raising death toll to 2. Myroslav Nytka, a member of a Zakarpattia Oblast’s village council injured in a grenade attack in December, died in the hospital, raising the total death toll to two, said Roman Tarabii, the deputy head of the Mukachevo district council, on Jan. 15.

Authorities: Russian strike on Beryslav, Kherson Oblast, injures woman.

A Russian drone dropped explosives on the city of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast, wounding a 54-year-old woman, the regional administration reported on Jan. 15.

General Staff: Russia has lost 370,980 troops in Ukraine. This includes 980 casualties in the past 24 hours.

American microchips are killing Ukrainians

International response

Zelensky: Switzerland agrees to host Global Peace Summit. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met his Swiss counterpart, Viola Amherd, the leaders of both chambers of the Swiss parliament, and other parliamentary leaders during his visit to Switzerland on Jan. 15.

Finnish defense minister wants complete ban on Russian real estate transactions. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said he is working on a complete ban on real estate transactions in Finland for Russian citizens, the YLE public broadcaster reported on Jan. 15, citing Hakkanen’s interview with the Uutissuomalainen newspaper.

Pritzker: Confiscation of Russian assets needs collective action. The decision to confiscate frozen Russian assets must be taken on a collective level and is unlikely to happen quickly, U.S. Special Representative for Economic Recovery in Ukraine Penny Pritzker said during the World Economic Forum on Jan. 15.

Canada shares draft plan for security assurances for Ukraine. Ambassador Cmoc said the document contained Canada’s plan for “security assurances,” not “guarantees.”

Reuters: US Treasury deputy secretary to coordinate new Russia sanctions authority in Europe and Japan. U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo will hold meetings in Europe and Japan this month to coordinate a new Russia sanctions authority that focuses on financial institutions, Reuters reported on Jan. 15, citing a Treasury spokesperson.

Read our exclusives

‘It’s their turn now:’ Ukrainians call on government to demobilize exhausted soldiers fighting for nearly two years.

Over a hundred women braved a snowstorm in early December to gather in central Kyiv’s Independence Square and call on the government to demobilize their relatives who have been on the front lines since the first days of the invasion.

Alexander Query/The Kyiv Independent

In other news

HUR: Russia mobilizing around 30,000 soldiers monthly. Russia is mobilizing around 30,000 people every month, or around 1,000-1,100 recruits daily, Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine published on Jan. 15.

Military intelligence: North Korea supplying 122 mm, 152 mm shells to Russia.

North Korea has supplied Russia with around one million rounds of ammunition, mainly made up of 122 mm and 152 mm artillery shells, Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), said in an interview with RBC Ukraine on Jan. 15.

NGO: Belarusian man who lived abroad for 15 years detained after returning home for holidays. One of the most high-profile incidents occurred in 2021 when Belarusian authorities arrested activist Raman Pratasevich after his commercial flight from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land in Minsk while flying over the country.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Nate Ostiller, Elsa Court, Dinara Khalilova, Katya Denisova, Kateryna Hodunova, Lili Bivings, Lance Luo, and Dmytro Basmat.

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