Direct Translation via Google Translation. Edited.
The enemy is advancing on the Bakhmut and Lyman directions.
by Iryna Gamalii
[LB] Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 17 airstrikes and launched 59 attacks from rocket salvo systems. In particular, civil infrastructure.
This was announced on Facebook by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the morning of the 317th day of the Russian large-scale invasion.
The danger of enemy air and missile strikes remains on the entire territory of Ukraine.
The enemy is concentrating its main efforts on attempts to establish control over the Donetsk region, and is conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Lyman directions. He is trying to improve the tactical position in the Kupyan and Avdiiv directions, but he is not succeeding.
Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine have repelled attacks by invaders in the areas of Stelmakhivka, Makiivka, and Ploshanka in the Luhansk region and Spirne, Soledar, Krasna Gora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka, Pervomaiske, Maryinka, and Pobeda in Donetsk region.
No signs of the formation of offensive groups of the enemy were detected in the Volyn, Poliske, Siversk and Slobozhansk directions .
On Slobozhansk , areas of the settlements of Strelecha, Staritsa, Ohirtseve, Gatishche, Vovchansk, Ustinivka and Figolivka of the Kharkiv region were hit by artillery and mortar attacks.
In the Kupian direction, enemy fire was recorded in the areas of Tavilzhanka, Dvorichna, Vilshana, Synkivka, Kupiansk, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Tabaivka, Krokhmalne and Berestovka in Kharkiv region and Kuzemivka, Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk region.
In the Lymansky direction , Makiivka, Ploshanka, Kuzmine and Dibrova in the Luhansk Region were affected by fire.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy fired at Verkhnyokamianske, Spirna, Berestovka, Belogorivka, Vesele, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Krasna Gora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Bila Gora, Kurdyumivka, Diliivka, Ozaryanivka, Severnye, Mayorsk and New York of the Donetsk region.
Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka , Nevelske, Georgiivka, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk region were hit by fire in the Avdiiv region.
On the Novopavlivskyi direction , the occupiers shelled Mykilske, Vugledar and Prechistivka of the Donetsk region.
In the Zaporozhye direction , Vremivka, Zelene Pole and Novopil in Donetsk region were affected by fire; Gulyaipole, Dorozhnyanka, Zaliznychne, Gulyaipilske, Charivne, Novodanilivka, Shcherbaki, Stepove and Primorske in the Zaporizhzhia region and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In the Kherson direction , in particular, the civil infrastructure of the settlements of Kherson, Chornobayivka, and Tokarivka was damaged by artillery shelling.
In the village of Kakhovka , Kherson region, the Russian occupiers are trying to ban the circulation of the Ukrainian hryvnia, raiding trading points and threatening to seize not only cash, but also goods if Ukrainian money is found.
According to available information, since January 1, in the city of Donetsk, employees of the so-called military commissariats have started collecting information about citizens born in 2006 for military registration.
In connection with the high efficiency of the means of fire damage of the Defense Forces, in the city of Starobilsk, Luhansk region , the enemy strengthened the administrative and counter-intelligence regimes. Occupiers check mobile phones of local residents. Special attention is paid to persons whose lists contain subscriber numbers of Ukrainian telecommunications operators.
Aviation of the Defense Forces made 15 strikes on enemy concentration areas, as well as 3 strikes on the positions of its anti-aircraft missile systems. Also, during the day, our defenders shot down an enemy Su-25 aircraft and a Mi-8 helicopter .
Our units of missile troops and artillery carried out fire damage to 2 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the enemy.
It will be recalled that the German government approved the transfer of the Patriot air defense battery to Ukraine . Thus, Germany joins the United States of America, which previously announced the provision of Patriot systems to Ukraine.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:36 Russia plans to mobilize another 500 thousand people in the near future, Vadim Skibitsky, a spokesman for the GUR, told The Guardian. He specified that they plan to add another 500,000 conscripts to the already mobilized 300,000. Ukraine expects that the next wave of mobilization in Russia will be announced on January 15, after the winter holidays. According to Skibitsky, Russia will need about two months to form military formations, and the success of the aggressor on the battlefield will depend on how well equipped and trained the military is.
22:08 Reznikov published an updated infographic on the number of missiles remaining in Russia. According to him, the Russians still have 19% of strategic high-precision missiles, about 78% of tactical missiles and 12% of Iranian drones.
21:59 The new US aid package for Ukraine will include:
50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 25mm rounds;
100 armored personnel carriers M113;
55 MRAP;
138 HMMWV;
18 155-mm self-propelled howitzers and 18 vehicles for them;
70,000 155 mm artillery shells;
500 155mm Excalibur rounds;
1,200 155 mm remote anti-tank mine systems (RAAM) rounds;
36 105 mm towed howitzers and 95,000 105 mm artillery shells;
10,000 120mm mortar shells;
HIMARS ammunition;
anti-aircraft missiles RIM-7 Sea Sparrow;
4,000 Zuni aircraft missiles;
about 2,000 anti-tank missiles;
sniper rifles, machine guns and ammunition, mines, night vision devices and more.
21:35 Zelensky urged Ukrainians to pay attention to air raid signals, especially on these holidays: "Remember what evil is fighting against us. Our air defense fighters will do their best. But please help them by taking care of your safety."
21:23 Zelensky said in an evening video message that Ukraine managed to bring defense cooperation with partners to a new level: "After my visit to the United States two weeks ago, there were already more than 20 stages in our diplomatic marathon. And today a new one was announced - and very powerful - a package of American defense support for our state. For the first time we will receive Bradley armored vehicles - this is exactly what we need. We see absolutely concrete results of our visit and negotiations."
"Germany has taken a significant step forward to strengthen the security not only of Ukraine, but of all of Europe. Strengthening our air defense is direct work for de-escalation here and now. As of now, for Ukraine - more air defense, more armored vehicles, for the first time - Western tanks, more guns and shells, more energy and political opportunities," the president stressed.
21:15 Ukraine will soon receive about 5,000 more Starlink terminals from partners, most of which will be sent to the military, said Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov. According to him, 25,000 Starlink terminals have been delivered since the beginning of the war. They were sent to the military, doctors, power engineers, government agencies.
21:12 Podolyak is convinced that after Patriot and Marder, Germany will transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine: "Germany has taken a tough and very clear position, the first in the world to abandon total energy dependence on the Russian Federation. Also, this country is absolutely going to transfer heavy weapons to Ukraine, increasing the next step will be the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine."
20:38 The US Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions against individuals associated with the Iranian drone manufacturer, as well as against the director of a key organization responsible for overseeing Iran's ballistic missile programs.
20:34 The United States announced a new $3 billion military aid package to Ukraine , the White House said. The package includes $225 million for the long-term strengthening of the country's military potential and modernization of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as $682 million to Washington's partners on NATO's eastern flank for the purchase of weapons.
The package includes:
additional HIMARS missile systems;
HUMVEE armored vehicles;
armored vehicles with enhanced mine protection MRAP;
Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles;
light tanks M2 Bradley.
19:55 In Russia, they are going to increase the tax burden on big business in order to cover at least part of military spending, Bloomberg reports. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has proposed "revenue mobilization" by collecting lump sum payments from coal and fertilizer producers. The Kremlin also offers high dividends from state-owned companies - at least 50% of net profit.
Media sources familiar with the proposal say at least some of the money they want to raise from big business will go towards military spending. A decision on the size of the dividend or lump-sum fee has not yet been made: the amount will depend on the final budget indicators for the whole of 2022.
Russia also provides for the allocation of 175 billion rubles for the organization of the deportation of 100 thousand people from the Kherson region. The publication notes that this indicates that Moscow does not really hope for the return of the territories from which the Russians were driven out by the Ukrainian army in the fall of 2022.
18:37 The enemy is conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut and unsuccessfully trying to improve the tactical situation in the Kupyansky, Limansky and Avdeevsky directions. On the rest, they are defending themselves, the General Staff reported in the evening summary.
18:14 Zelensky said that he met in Kiev with US Senators Jack Reed and Angus King, discussed the current situation on the front line and the risks of a possible escalation. "The Russian offer of a 'ceasefire' is a manipulation behind which the aggressor is trying to hide his real military plans and intentions," the president stressed.
18:03 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Scholz: "Thanked for a powerful defense package, including several dozen marders and a Patriot battery. We discussed further cooperation to strengthen the Ukrainian army."
16:52 The Russians are trying to use their reconnaissance UAVs to destroy ground targets by dropping fragmentation munitions. In particular, recently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces managed to shoot down a Russian Orlan-10 with two cassette suspensions using electronic warfare in one of the directions, said Oleksandr Pavlyuk, Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces.
16:46 For the first time after long negotiations, Ukraine will receive offensive weapons, which means that "the time for taboos on weapons has passed." About what weapons the West will give to the Armed Forces of Ukraine - in the material of the Tank Killer .
16:43 Danilov believes that Ukraine in 2023 will enter the phase of an offensive war. The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council described how the world changed its attitude towards the Ukrainian war for independence - from partisan movement to victory:
1. January 2022. Guerrilla Warfare: NLAW, Stinger, Javelin.
3. 2023 Offensive warfare: Bradley, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Bastion armored personnel carriers, AMX-10 RC armored vehicles, Patriot. "And much more - less public and not public at all."
4. Fourth stage. A war of justice and retribution.
PS Missile and drone program of Ukraine.
16:07 Anti-aircraft missile system Patriot from the army stocks of Germany will be delivered to Ukraine in the first quarter of this year, said the speaker of the German government, Steffen Gebeshtreit. He also confirmed that Germany plans to send about 40 Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine by the end of the first quarter. Training on the Marder machines will take place in Germany and last about eight weeks, Gebeshtreit added.
15:58 During the nine years of the war, Russia has never adhered to the ceasefire agreements, recalled Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. During the battles of the ATO period, there were 11 attempts to establish a more or less stable ceasefire, which the parties agreed on within the Trilateral Contact Group. All of them were thwarted by deliberate actions of the enemy.
For example, during the so-called "comprehensive spring truce" in 2018, during the 22 days of the proclaimed "silence", the enemy carried out at least 153 attacks, during which six Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 12 were injured.
During the Joint Forces Operation, Ukraine agreed on a bilateral ceasefire several more times - the results were similar. In 2019 alone, the combat losses of the Ukrainian army in Donbas amounted to 97 dead. In 2020, by the beginning of the last, July truce, another 32 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed, 220 were injured. On July 27, 2020, another "full and comprehensive ceasefire" officially began, which the enemy observed for only half an hour. From July 27, 2020 to July 27, 2021, more than 2,000 enemy attacks were recorded.
"Therefore, only the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine will mean a real ceasefire and an end to aggression," Malyar stressed.
15:23 The State Bureau of Investigation conducted a search at the home of Volodymyr Saldo, the chief collaborator of the Kherson region. Documents of the Russian Federation with direct instructions to commit crimes against Ukraine were found in his house and at the place of residence of the henchmen. There is information about the structure of the occupation administration and the calculation of salaries in rubles. Abstracts were found in which the features of the legislation of the Russian Federation were recorded. Information about Kherson patriots and activists was also found.
14:37 Zelensky said that he held an online meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: "We hope that under the Swedish presidency of the EU Council we will be able to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. I am grateful for the humanitarian assistance and invite Ulf Kristersson to continue the dialogue in all directions during a personal meeting in Kiev".
14:26 Shmyhal said that Ukrainians should be ready for the resumption of emergency power outages. He explained that the warm weather and holidays contributed to the reduction in electricity consumption, which made it possible not to apply blackouts during the New Year holidays. However, consumption has already increased, and a significant cooling is expected. In addition, the enemy is ready to launch another missile attack on civilian and energy infrastructure.
13:48 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: "I thanked his country for powerful generators and transformers that will help hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians stay warm and with light. He invited me to take part in the implementation of the peace formula."
13:39 The Russians fired at the center of Kurakhovo, Donetsk region, hit two high-rise buildings and one private house. The branch of the local hospital was also damaged - according to preliminary information, one person was wounded there, said Pavel Kirilenko, head of the regional police department.
The mayor of Kramatorsk, Alexander Goncharenko, also reported on enemy shelling of the city: 14 private houses were damaged, there were no casualties.
13:37 Germany will supply Ukraine with about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Nils Schmid, a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, said. According to him, the Ukrainians will need some time to learn how to manage them, but the BMPs can be delivered in the first quarter of this year.
13:14 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed that, in accordance with Putin's instructions, a ceasefire was declared in the "special operation" area from 12:00 on January 6 to 24:00 on January 7 along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine.
13:12 The United States plans to transfer the announced Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine along with a new batch of anti-tank missiles and a variety of other ammunition, Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb said.
13:09 The head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, welcomed the decision of the German federal government to supply Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine and stated that Leopard tanks should be the next delivery.
12:43 As a result of today's shelling of the fire department in Kherson, one rescuer was killed, four more were injured, said the head of the OVA, Yaroslav Yanushevich. Of these, one is in serious condition, three are in average condition.
12:28 The German government is negotiating with the two countries on the supply of Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, writes Spiegel. In particular, Berlin is negotiating with two states that still have stocks of Gepard and a lot of 35 mm ammunition. There is no supply agreement yet, but there is cautious confidence in Berlin that Ukraine could get more Gepard in the coming months.
12:10 Putin considers Crimea and Belarus as territories for nuclear provocations, Andrey Yusov, spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said. He noted that the threat of a nuclear strike cannot be ruled out from the side of modern Russia and the Putin regime.
"There is information that the temporarily occupied Crimea and the territory of modern Belarus are being considered by Putin for such provocations. All this information is being monitored," Yusov said. At the same time, he added that even the Kremlin understands that such a step, if it happens, will be the last for the ruling Russian regime.
11:35 In the occupied territories on Orthodox Christmas, Russians are preparing terrorist attacks in churches, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said. She urged citizens to be careful and, if possible, refrain from visiting places with a large crowd of people.
11:31 Russians fired at the second fire station in Kherson in two days, there are dead and wounded, the President's Office reported. At least four explosions have been recorded. A house in the private sector burned next to the shelled fire station.
11:12 In Kiev, another victim of rocket attacks on the capital on December 29 died. This is the third victim of the attack of the Russians on the eve of the New Year, Klitschko said.
11:05 As of the morning of January 6, electricity consumption in Ukraine continues to grow due to a gradual decrease in temperature, Ukrenergo reported. To ensure balance in the energy system, consumption limits have been brought to all regions of Ukraine, operating from 8:00 to 23:00. Exceeding the limits leads to the application of emergency restrictions. In particular, on January 5, emergency shutdowns were introduced in most regions due to exceeding the limits.
A significant cooling is expected in the near future, which will lead to a rapid increase in consumption, which the energy system is not able to cover in full. Ukrenergo calls for reasonable consumption of electricity, use of energy-intensive appliances in turn.
10:38 In the United States, since April 2022, more than 3.1 thousand Ukrainian military have already been trained, and in total 12 thousand soldiers and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been trained abroad, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said. According to him, the training of Ukrainians at the battalion level will also start soon, about 500 people will be trained every month.
10:17 Both in the Svatovsky and Kremensky directions, success is on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, however, it is difficult to quickly move forward in the area mined by the Russians, said the head of the Luhansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. He also said that the mobilized Russians were demoralized because of the conditions in which they found themselves. In addition, Wagner prisoners are fighting next to them, who constantly mock them, and behind them are Kadyrovites, "from whom you can expect anything." Russians vent aggression from defeats on local residents.
09:46 Today in Ukraine there is no need for mass mobilization, but everything will depend on the situation at the front, Reznikov said: “We do not have such a great need for people as in Russia. We have a need for weapons, equipment, Therefore, what we get, we replenish. Unfortunately, there are also losses. We make up for the losses of our combat brigades, we take some special specialists that we need for certain tasks, but in mass mobilization today I I don't see the need."
09:41 The United States in the next package of military assistance will for the first time transfer Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, Politico writes, citing sources. Ukraine will receive ground-based radar-guided missiles designed to intercept aircraft and cruise missiles.
09:37 SBU completed counterintelligence activities at the facilities of the UOC (MP) in Kherson, Kirovograd, Dnipropetrovsk and Rivne regions. Libraries with pro-Kremlin literature, campaign leaflets of political parties banned in Ukraine, and Russian symbols were found on the territory of churches.
09:28 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, six people were killed, four were injured, said Yury Sobolevsky, deputy head of the regional council. He also said that pressure on the civilian population has increased significantly in the region. The Russians are conducting raids to detect locals who are transmitting data about the enemy to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, the invaders are checking entrepreneurs for the use of the hryvnia in settlements with the population. At the same time, the occupying "authority" launched an information campaign calling on the inhabitants of the Kherson region to exchange hryvnia for rubles in their financial institutions.
09:19 In the Donetsk region, as a result of Russian shelling over the past day, one civilian was killed - in Bakhmut. Three more people were injured in the region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
09:13 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Putin wants to damage the reputation of Ukraine and seize the initiative on the battlefield by declaring a "Christmas truce". So, Putin wanted to take a 36-hour pause for Russian troops to give them the opportunity to rest, recuperate and reorient for offensive operations in critical sectors of the front. The ISW notes that such a pause would bring a disproportionate benefit to the Russian troops and deprive Ukraine of the initiative.
Putin's rationalization of the ceasefire on religious grounds further reinforces yet another Russian information operation that will portray Ukraine as suppressing religious groups and positioning Putin as "the true defender of the Christian faith."
Russian military bloggers reacted to the ceasefire announcement with strong displeasure. The use of the ceasefire as an information operation, coupled with Putin's continued propaganda of maximalist goals in Ukraine, shows the Kremlin's lack of desire to engage in real negotiations with Ukraine.
08:53 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy as of the morning of January 6.
personnel - about 110,250 (+530) people liquidated,
tanks - 3064 (+23),
armored combat vehicles - 6124 (+16),
artillery systems - 2059 (+8),
MLRS - 431 (+5),
air defense systems - 215 (+0),
aircraft - 285 (+1),
helicopters - 272 (+1),
UAV operational-tactical level - 1844 (+0),
cruise missiles - 723 (+0),
ships/boats - 16 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 4797 (+38),
special equipment - 182 (+0).
08:16 The main efforts of the enemy are focusing on attempts to establish control over the Donetsk region, conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Liman directions. He is trying to improve the tactical situation in the Kupyansky and Avdeevsky directions, but has no success, the General Staff said in the morning summary .
Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the invaders in the areas of the settlements of Stelmakhivka, Makeyevka and Ploshchanka in the Luhansk region and Spornoe, Soledar, Krasnaya Gora, Bakhmut, Kleschievka, Kurdyumivka, Pervomayskoye, Maryinka and Pobeda in the Donetsk region.
In Kakhovka, Kherson region, the invaders are trying to ban the circulation of the Ukrainian hryvnia, conducting raids on retail outlets and threatening to seize not only cash, but also goods, if Ukrainian money is found.
On January 1 in Donetsk, employees of the so-called military commissariats began collecting information about citizens born in 2006 for military registration. In Starobelsk, Luhansk region, the enemy tightened the administrative and counterintelligence regimes. The occupiers check the mobile phones of local residents, paying special attention to those who have subscribers of Ukrainian telecom operators on their lists.
06:25 During the year of the war, Ukraine has risen in the ranking of the most powerful armies in the world from 22nd to 15th place, according to the international company Global Firepower, which annually ranks the best armies in the world. Russia retained the second place in the ranking.
04:17 Prigozhin wants to take control of the extraction of salt and gypsum from the mines located in the vicinity of Bakhmut, Reuters writes, citing an official representative of the White House. In particular, the Biden administration has information that the "obsession" with the capture of Bakhmut is due to financial considerations. The United States has previously accused Russian mercenaries of exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan and other countries to finance the war in Ukraine. Moscow dismissed these accusations as "anti-Russian hysteria."
According to the United States, more than 4,100 of the Wagner detachment, numbering almost 50,000 mercenaries, were killed and more than 10,000 were wounded. Including near Bakhmut from late November to early December, more than 1,000 mercenaries were killed.
01:28 The UN believes that no temporary truce in Ukraine "will replace a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter and international law," said the spokesman for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric. At the same time, according to him, UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomes any truce in Ukraine: "The possibility of the prospect of this holy period with the cessation of all hostilities is always welcomed by the Secretary General."
00:55 The war in Ukraine is at a critical point, Biden said: "Now the war in Ukraine is at a critical point. We must do everything possible to help Ukrainians resist Russian aggression." According to him, Russia is not trying to slow down, the actions it is taking are just as barbaric as they were a year ago.
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 18:36 How victory is forged: the work of specialists from the repair units of the Western Military District in the rear area of the NVO zone
Repair units do not stop their work even for a second. The main task is to restore and return equipment to combat formations as quickly as possible. Restoring the combat readiness of wheeled and tracked vehicles, cannon and rocket artillery systems is the key to the coming victory.
The battalion is mobile and can deploy almost in an open field. They repair both military and automotive equipment. In terms of working conditions, temporary workshops are not inferior to capital ones - factory ones, they have all the necessary equipment.
In the same formation with the specialists of the repair and restoration battalion of the Western Military District, combat missions are performed by military personnel called up from the reserve as part of partial mobilization. Professional welders, mechanics, electricians easily mastered the repair of military equipment.
The speed and quality of repairs in the field workshops will be envied by the best car services. Military mechanics do everything for themselves. After the repair, they themselves take the places of the crew and be sure to check each vehicle before returning it to the front line, because not only the fulfillment of the combat mission, but also the life of the crew depends on the quality of the work performed.
At the training ground, the equipment winds dozens of circles, fires control shots, and only after checking all the mechanisms does it leave the repair battalion.
17:30 The work of the Russian special forces from the RSHG-1 grenade launcher on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Personnel filmed on Bolshoy Potemkin Island in the Kherson region.
Earlier it was reported that the RF Armed Forces did not allow the enemy to gain a foothold on the island.
16:26 To Belarus continues to arrive Russian military equipment
Armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles and trucks come to the republic by rail.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus stated that the joint grouping of troops of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus is ready to defend the Union State.
15:13 The main thing from the new briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defense:
◾️The Kyiv regime continued shelling settlements and positions of Russian troops, despite the ceasefire;
◾️Russian air defense systems destroyed five drones over the past day;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed up to 80 Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk direction;
◾️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers in the Yuzhno-Donets direction in a day;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen during the day, one tank in the Kupyansk direction;
◾️The RF Armed Forces have destroyed 400 anti-aircraft missile systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the special operation;
◾️In the DPR and the Kherson region, the Russian military destroyed three warehouses of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the past day;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed the launcher and radar station of the Ukrainian S-300 air defense system in the DPR;
◾️Fighter aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the DPR shot down a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force;
◾️The Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporozhye region fired eight shellings, the RF Armed Forces suppressed the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with return fire;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed three sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Krasnolimansky direction;
◾️The Armed Forces of Ukraine in the LPR carried out three artillery attacks on the positions of the RF Armed Forces;
◾️The Russian Armed Forces in the DPR destroyed a D-20 howitzer, in the Zaporozhye region an M-777 artillery system made in the USA was destroyed;
◾️The Russian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv region and the DPR hit US-made counter-battery radars AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-50.
14:14 Air raid alert announced throughout Ukraine, data show online maps ministries of digital transformation.
11:37 Reinforcements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine lose a battalion a week in Bakhmut:mainfrom "War Chronicle".
Since December 22, in Bakhmut, immediately in seven brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which received reinforcements, an explosive increase in losses among personnel has been recorded.
According to the Military Chronicle, the largest number of dead and seriously wounded is noted in the east and northeast of the city. After the start of fighting in the city and the use of old, sighted positions to accommodate reinforcements, the 61st Infantry, 24th Mechanized and 57th Motorized Infantry Brigades suffer heavy losses.
These formations were ordered to stop the assault on the city by the forces of PMC "Wagner" in the area of the village of Podgorodnoye, Lumumba and Schedra streets, as well as in the northeastern part of the T-1302 highway.
Due to dense artillery fire and the destruction of the main part of the previously occupied positions, the Armed Forces of Ukraine place AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radars on the roofs of multi-storey buildings, however, tracking equipment is destroyed by fire from anti-tank systems and Lancet loitering ammunition.
According to the Military Chronicle, since December 20, direct fire control of large-caliber artillery has been established over the suburban section of Mariupolskaya and Yuzhnaya streets, which is why the Armed Forces of Ukraine take up defensive positions at more advantageous lines, gradually retreating into the depths of residential areas.
In the south of Bakhmut, three battalions of the 30th and 53rd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as parts of the 109th Territorial Defense Battalion, the Sheikh Mansour and Georgian Legion battalions were almost completely knocked out from Opytnoye and Kleshcheevka. Since December 25, heavy losses have also been recorded in the 63rd Mechanized Brigade and the 71st Jaeger Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The total losses of these formations from the actions of PMC "Wagner" killed and seriously wounded every week amount to at least 850 people, which is equal to one combined arms battalion. The vast majority of the dead and seriously wounded since December 20 are fighters mobilized into the army of Ukraine without combat experience.
At the same time, the daily number of losses does not decrease and in some areas exceeds 100 people.
11:30 1.5 hours before the silence regime announced by the Russian Federation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Donetsk with NATO-style artillery guns, the western part of the city, the DPR representative office in the JCCC, came under fire.
10:27 An air raid alert has been announced in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Sumy and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine.
10:10 Zelensky refused to accept Putin's proposal for a Christmas truce.
09:44 In Kiev, the controller attacked the girl because she spoke Russian... The Ukrainian insulted her, calling her an occupier -video.
09:43 The OCU does not have permission for the previously announced divine service in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, - acting. Director of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Reserve Alexander Rudik.
09:42 Reznikov commented on the law on increased responsibility for war crimes
“It was an initiative of the military, because there are problems in certain situations with discipline. There were instigators, they were paid for by the Russians, and then these people avoided responsibility. […] This is a matter of saving the lives of our military and the survival of not just the Armed Forces, but the entire country,” said the head of the Kyiv regime’s Ministry of Defense.
09:38 In Artemovsk, the main strongman of the Sumy region was sent to Bandera -a source.
An athlete, but not a member of the Komsomol. Judging by the photo, he liked to repeat the Nazi gesture. Why did you go to Artemovsk?! It would be better to play sports. Now Sumy was left both without a strong man and without a Nazi.
09:26 In Nikolaev, the Ukrainians destroyed the monument to Generalissimo Suvorov.
09:20 OCU schismatics gather extras for "worship" in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra -a source.
Having disgraced themselves with the New Year's Eve service, when only a few people came to the "service" of heretics from the OCU (pictured), and journalists were forced to admit that there was no flock like that of the "Poroshenko project", schismatics began to gather extras for Christmas in all Ukrainian cities , which they plan to meet in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Mailing is carried out through social networks, instant messengers and even SMS. Note that the gathering of extras in other cities is illegal and violates not only the rules in force in Ukraine (curfew), but also the law on martial law.
However, this is of little concern - Zelensky's office must justify its decision
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontInfo] 18:11 For the fifth time after the ceasefire established by the Russian Federation from 12.00 on January 6 to 24.00 on January 7, Ukrainian troops fired at Donetsk, firing three rounds of the "NATO" caliber of 155mm at the Kirovsky district of the city,reported representation of the DPR in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC). 16:57 Some of the servicemen who were wounded in Makiivka as a result of the shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, arrived to Samara. At the airport they were met by the regional governor Dmitry Azarov. The soldiers were sent to the hospital for treatment.
As the head of the region noted, some servicemen were sent to a hospital in St. Petersburg.
15:55 Representation of the DPR: AFU fired at Yasinovataya with NATO-caliber rounds
14:51 The air defense forces destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR and the Kherson region in a day. About itreportedMinistry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
13:37 AFU shelled Donetsk for the third time after the start of the silence regime. This was reported by the representative office of the DPR in the JCCC.
12:34 People's militia of the DPR continues to destroy the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Maryinsky direction
Fighters of the 5th Brigade of the Donetsk Corps destroyed three Ukrainian servicemen of the 95th Air Mobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a shooting battle.
One of them, being wounded, refused to surrender and continued to fight, as a result of which he was killed.
11:53 As a result of the shelling of the VFU of the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, 23 transformer substations have been de-energized.
11:52 Ukrainian troops are withdrawing their reserves from the Svatov direction and transferring them in the direction of Kremennaya, said the commander of the Troy volunteer special forces unit with the call sign Alabai in his Telegram-channel.
10:36 Artillerymen of the 1st Army Corps, supporting the advancing troops with fire from 152mm guns, daily help the infantry push the enemy further away from the capital of the DPR.
10:35 Joint actions of the military personnel of the DPR and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed weapons and military equipment of the VFU within a day:
one howitzer 122mm;
12 units of armored and automotive vehicles;
field warehouse of weapons;
to a company of personnel.
09:53 Ukrainian resources and maps confirm the breakthrough of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Soledar
1. The Russian army took control of Bakhmutskoye and advanced significantly towards the center of Soledar.
2. Due to flank breakthroughs, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have to level the line of defense and retreat from a number of positions, Ukrainian propaganda resources admit.
09:51 In one of the trains withammunitionin the South of Russia, a train with ODAB-500 was noticed - these are powerful “pifton bombs” of a volumetric explosion. They say they are needed to destroy the enemy in urban areas.
09:50 The Russian Army broke through the defenses of Soledar - Wargonzo.
In the course of heavy offensive operations, the Russian units managed to take control of the settlement. Bakhmutskoye and move towards the center of Soledar. Due to flank breakthroughs, the enemy is forced to retreat north of the center.
09:45 Rybar: chronicle of a special military operation: events of January 3-5, 2023
- Ukrainian formations continue to carry out acts of aggression on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Air defense systems detected and destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle in the Rostov region.
- Attacks using UAVs were also recorded over the Crimean peninsula. The attack attempt was repelled in the area of ??the Belbek airfield.
Several more air targets were destroyed by air defense systems near Sevastopol and near the village of Nizhnegorsky.
Positional battles continue in the Starobelsky direction. The parties conduct mutual reconnaissance and strengthen the current borders.
Nevertheless, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out several unsuccessful night attacks on Russian positions in the Kuzemovka area.
- Assault detachments of PMC "Wagner" are engaged in heavy street fighting and push through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Soledar.
In recent days, the Wagnerites have occupied several enemy strongholds and the Dekonskaya railway station.
- The battle for Bakhmut continues: despite the introduction of reserve units into battle, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are losing positions in the city and its environs.
Since then, Russian forces have occupied several enemy strongholds in the area of Podgorodny and Kleshcheevka.
- Ukrainian formations continue to conduct indiscriminate rocket and artillery shelling of the Donetsk agglomeration.
Several people died as a result of the strikes. Residential buildings and infrastructure facilities were damaged.
- Another crime of the Kyiv regime was recorded in the city of Vasilyevka, Zaporozhye region.
A rocket attack from a HIMARS MLRS hit an apartment building: six people were killed, about 30 were seriously injured.
09:37 Fighting near the capital of the DPR: the 1st Army Corps pushes the enemy away from Donetsk -video.
152mm is an extremely effective infantry support weapon. Artillerymen of the DPR are firing at the enemy from long distances, making it difficult for the militants to counterbattery. The enemy will inevitably be thrown back from the pearl of the Russian world - Donetsk.
09:34 Rybar: a chronicle of strikes and mutual shelling in the NVO zone during the night of January 5-6, 2023
- Russian artillery hit targets in Strelechya, Staritsa, Gatishche, Volchansk and Figolevka in the Kharkiv region.
- In the Starobelsky direction, the RF Armed Forces attacked enemy positions in Kupyansk, Tavolzhanka, Sinkovka, Kislovka, Novoselovsky and Makeevka.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, fired at Kuzemovka, Ploschanka, Dibrova and Kuzmino.
- In the Bakhmut (Artemovsky) direction, Russian troops worked on the accumulation of enemy manpower in Verkhnekamensky, Veseloe, Soledar, Bakhmut, Dyleevka, Severny and Novgorodsky.
Ukrainian formations attacked Yakovlevka, Kurdyumivka, Ozaryanovka and Mayorsk.
- In the Donetsk direction, the RF Armed Forces hit the positions of the Ukrainian army in Avdeevka, Krasnogorovka, Maryinka, Nevelskoye and Grigorovka.
- In the Yuzhnodonets direction, Russian artillerymen attacked the objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Novomikhailovka, Vugledar, Prechistevka and Vremyevka.
- In the Zaporozhye direction, targets were hit in Gulyaipol, Zaliznychny, Charivny, Novodanilovka, Stepovoe and Primorsky, as well as in Nikopol on the northern bank of the Dnieper.
AFU fired at Tokmak and Dorozhnyanka.
- On the southern sector of the front, the RF Armed Forces attacked the positions of the Ukrainian army in Kherson, Chernobaevka and Tokarevka.
The enemy, in turn, fired at Aleshki and the village of Radensk.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] As already noted, the presented video from Soledar shows the presence of our assault groups in the area of Salt Mine No. 1-3 in the very center of Soledar. This is a very serious progress, if compared with the situation in Soledar a week ago.
To the southeast of this mine, the Dekonskaya railway station was recently liberated. There is also a significant advance from the Yakovlevka area to the northern outskirts of the city. However, Prigogine today urged not to hurry with throwing bonnets into the air, despite the obvious successes, there is still a lot of work ahead.
"I have repeatedly asked and will once again ask respected military correspondents not to give premature information. Yes, the fighters of the PMC "Wagner" and exclusively the fighters of the PMC "Wagner" are close to taking Soledar. But any premature information harms the offensive. And unbalanced statements published in the media lead to additional losses among our units. As soon as we have information that can be placed in the media, we will definitely share it with you. And after the final capture of Soledar, we will immediately inform you of this."(c) Prigozhin
It is also worth noting that today, in the Artemovsk area, the fighters of the Wagner PMC filled up the Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft from MANPADS, which fell in a residential area.
[IsraelTimes] Team known as Cold River created fake login pages and emailed scientists in bid to get to their passwords; unclear if effort was successful
A team of Russian hackers targeted three nuclear research labs in the US last summer, according to a Friday Rooters report.
The hacking team known as Cold Water, which is believed to be behind dozens of high-profile hacking incidents in recent years, targeted the Brookhaven (BNL), Argonne (ANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL), according to internet records viewed by Rooters.
The news agency was unable to determine why those three labs were targeted, nor whether the hacking attempts had been successful.
The news agency was unable to determine why those three labs were targeted, nor whether the hacking attempts had been successful. None of the labs or government offices involved responded to requests for comment on the story.
Cybersecurity experts told Rooters that Cold River has escalated its hacking attempts since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last February.
The hacking attempt against US nuclear labs occurred between August and September 2022 as UN experts entered a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid fears of a radiation disaster due to Russian shelling in the area.
Cold River hackers created fake login pages for the three nuclear research labs in a bid to get ahold of the passwords of employees at those facilities to gain access to their computer systems, the internet records revealed. The hackers often use email accounts and domain names that look similar to legitimate service providers, such as "goo-link.online" and "online365-office.com," which appear to be the addresses of firms such as Google or Microsoft.
Cybersecurity experts told Rooters that Cold River had been responsible for targeting Britannia’s Foreign Office in 2016 and also managed to get ahold of the emails belonging to the former head of Britannia’s MI6 spy agency, leaking them to the public. Similar operations targeted government officials in Poland and Latvia, according to eastern European security officials.
In another recent espionage incident, Cold River created fake websites for three European NGOs investigating international war crimes just as a UN commission of inquiry released a report finding Russian forces responsible for human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... violations in Ukraine. Rooters did not specify whether the targeted NGOs were involved in the compiling of that commission’s report.
[IsraelTimes] Treasury hits six executives and board members of manufacturer of aircraft that Russian forces have been using to attack Ukraine
The US on Friday hit six executives and board members of an Iranian drone manufacturer with sanctions after the firm allegedly supplied Moscow with drones that Russian forces have been using to attack Ukraine.
Qods Aviation Industries, a previously sanctioned Iranian defense manufacturer, is alleged to be responsible for the design and production of unmanned aerial vehicles used to conduct strikes on civilians during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Treasury Department says the firm changed its name to Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries in mid-2020 to evade sanctions.
The financial penalties imposed by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control highlight the growing tension between the US and Iran ...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979... over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal as well as US allegations of Russia and Iran deepening cooperation through shared military assistance as the war rages on.
"Iran has now become Russia’s top military backer," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "Iran must cease its support for Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt and delay these transfers and impose costs on actors engaged in this activity."
The latest sanctions follow a round imposed on Iranian-based Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, which the US says designs and produces drones used by Russian forces in Ukraine, and several firms that are said to facilitate the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia.
At a UN Security Council meeting in December, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said drones were not transferred to Russia for use in Ukraine, saying "the misinformation campaign and baseless allegations... serve no purpose other than to divert attention from Western states’ transfer of massive amounts of advanced, sophisticated weaponry to Ukraine in order to prolong the conflict."
In November, Iran’s foreign minister acknowledged that his country has supplied Russia with drones, insisting the transfer came before Moscow’s war on Ukraine, which has seen the Iranian-made drones divebombing Kyiv.
The US administration, however, said in December that Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russia over the summer and in turn Russia is moving to provide advanced military assistance to Iran, including air defense systems, helicopters and fighter jets.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979...
