Bitter fighting in the north and east continues – several dead

International

Actually, almost eleven months after the start of the war, Vladimir Putin had Ukraine announced a ceasefire for the Orthodox Christmas. This was not complied with – neither by Russia nor by Ukraine. Fierce fighting continues in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Bakhmut.

After much hesitation, Germany has promised Ukraine the delivery of 40 armored personnel carriers and will also deliver the Patriot anti-aircraft system. Russia meanwhile tests high-profile hypersonic missiles, which are so fast that they cannot be intercepted by anti-aircraft guns.

January 9th

4:12 p.m.: Two dead in Russian missile attack on market in the northeast

According to the authorities, at least two are involved in a Russian missile attack on a market in north-eastern Ukraine People was killed. The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, said in the online service Telegram that six people were also injured in the attack on a market in the village of Shevchenkove on Monday. Photos showed burning market stalls and firefighters amidst debris.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army announced that “fierce” fighting continued for the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. “The enemy has concentrated the maximum of combat-ready forces there,” said the spokesman for the army’s eastern command. Among them are units of the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

Meanwhile, in Cherson in southern Ukraine, Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich reported an attack on a residential area that left one dead and one injured. In the east, Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported a “massive” attack on the town of Kurakhivka, in which at least two people were injured and around 20 houses damaged.

11:38 a.m .: Pope speaks of “World War III” in Ukraine

Before ambassadors from numerous countries, Pope Francis denounced wars, abuses and the weakening of democracies around the world. “Today the Third World War is underway in a globalized world,” said the Catholic Church leader on Monday in the Vatican. Although the conflicts only affect certain areas, they involve everyone. “The best and most recent example of this is right now war in Ukraine with its trail of death and destruction,” explained the 86-year-old Argentine.

In his speech, Pope Francis warned of the weakening of democracies worldwide. Image: AP / Andrew Medichini

5.01 a.m .: Kyiv admits problems with defending Soledar

According to Kyiv, the defenders in the Soledar area have found themselves in a difficult position during the fighting in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. “It’s difficult in Soledar at the moment,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday.

Like Bakhmut, which has been contested for months, Soledar is part of the Ukrainian defensive wall in front of the conurbation between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Taking the agglomeration would be almost tantamount to conquering the Donbass – one of Russia’s publicly stated goals at the start of the war.

The Russians had concentrated large forces in front of Soledar. Not only regular units of the Russian army were involved in the attacks, but also mercenary troops, Maljar wrote. In fact, in the area around Bachmut and Soledar, the mercenaries of the “Wagner” troop, who are considered to be well equipped, attack.

January 8th

10:19 a.m.: Explosion at gas pipeline in Luhansk alleged sabotage

According to the occupying forces, the explosion in a gas pipeline in the Luhansk region of Ukraine annexed by Russia was due to sabotage. “For the preliminary reason: because of the blasting of the natural gas pipeline with a diameter of 300 millimeters at the open crossing over the Sukhaya river, the gas supply has failed for 13,315 customers in 9 towns,” said the civil defense of the Russian occupying power in the Luhansk region on social networks on Sunday.

Heavy frost is currently prevailing in Luhansk. The explosion happened on Sunday night. The fire could only be extinguished in the morning. There are no dead or injured. Russian attackers have increasingly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent months.

6:02 a.m .: Ukraine has the largest minefield in the world

According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has created a 250,000 square kilometer minefield in his country.

“It is currently the largest minefield in the world,” Schmyhal said in a statement released on Saturday interview the South Korean news agency Yonhap. According to Schmyhal, the mined area corresponds to more than 40 percent of the entire land area of ​​Ukraine. “Not only does this make it difficult for people to travel, but it also causes greater disruption to agriculture, which is one of our main industries,” the prime minister said.

4:58 a.m.: Quiet officially failed

Because of the Orthodox Christmas, Vladimir Putin recently decided to pause his war of aggression for 36 hours. However, Kyiv rejected the Russian advance as hypocritical from the start, and many international observers also spoke of a pure propaganda gesture.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now declared the ceasefire a failure because attacks have also come from Russia. “The world could see once again how wrong statements from Moscow are on every level,” said the 44-year-old in his video message on Saturday evening.

In the afternoon, while the ceasefire was officially in effect, Moscow admitted that it would continue to retaliate against Ukrainian attacks. “All positions of the Ukrainian army from which the shelling came were crushed by Russian forces returning fire,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. There were combat operations in the Donetsk, Cherson and Zaporizhia regions. Despite this, Konashenkov claimed Russia was sticking to the self-imposed 36-hour ceasefire.

January 7th

12 p.m.: Belarus to plan mobilization

Concerns are growing among the Belarusian opposition about a possible mobilization in their country in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The opposition politician Pawel Latuschka, who lives in exile in Warsaw, told the editorial network Germany that the preparations for this were well advanced. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko only needs to press the button on orders from the Kremlin to start mobilizing.

Former Belarusian culture minister Latushka is a member of opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya’s cabinet in exile. As Latushka reported, citing sources from Minsk, almost all employees who report to the Belarusian Interior Ministry were asked to surrender their passports. One can also observe that the Russian military presence in Belarus is constantly growing.

According to official information, Lukashenko visited a joint Russian-Belarusian force in the country on Friday. The ruler, who is no longer recognized as president in the West, is militarily, politically and economically dependent on the Kremlin.

3:31 a.m .: Russia repels attack on Crimea

According to state information, the Russian air defense has repelled another drone attack on the Crimean Peninsula, which has been annexed since 2014. The unmanned flying object was shot down early on Saturday morning over a pier near Sevastopol, the naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the city’s governor, Mikhail Rasvozhayev, wrote in his Telegram channel, according to the Tass state agency.

The port has been the target of Ukrainian drone attacks on several occasions, most recently on January 4 when two drones were shot down. Despite the ceasefire unilaterally announced by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, renewed fighting broke out in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, according to Tass, Putin himself attended an Orthodox Christmas service in the Kremlin’s Cathedral of the Annunciation. Russia supplies its occupying forces in southern Ukraine primarily through Crimea. Ukraine is therefore repeatedly targeting logistical and military targets on the peninsula.

6th January

8:08 p.m .: Hundreds of Russian soldiers injured

As the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed on Telegram, hundreds of Russian soldiers were injured in a rocket attack on January 5, 2023. Earlier, Ukrainian troops had attacked the village of Havrylivka Druha near Crimea, where it was suspected that there was a concentration of military equipment and Russian manpower.

According to information available to Ukraine, “up to 100 injured soldiers were taken to local hospitals.” How many Russian occupiers were killed is currently being determined.

(With material from dpa/afp)