Bob Homans January 19

20230120

Ukraine – 1/19 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
January 19, 2023

Dithering Scholz

Yesterday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would only send Leopard II tanks to Ukraine, or allow other countries that possess Leopards, if the U.S. first sent Abrams tanks.  The U.S. has legitimate reasons not to send Abrams tanks, which Scholz knows about or should know about, so effectively Sholz is vetoing providing Leopard II tanks, and conveniently fobbing the reason off on the U.S.

The reasons that the U.S. isn’t sending Abrams tanks are legitimate in my opinion, and include:

·       Abrams tanks are powered by gas turbine engines, whereas all the other tanks that Ukraine uses, or may receive, are powered by diesel engines.   Abrams tanks would compete for the same fuel supply as Ukraine’s fixed and rotary wing aircraft.   There are few Ukrainians qualified to maintain gas turbine engines, whereas every piece of military equipment, and every farm tractor and combine harvester in Ukraine, are powered by diesel engines.

·       There is a long supply chain of spare parts that would need to be established, exclusively to operate and maintain the Abrams tanks.

·       They’re extremely heavy, and they may not operate efficiently in Ukrainian conditions.

Today Poland seems to be willing to send their Leopard II tanks directly to Ukraine, without asking for German permission.  Other countries may now do the same. 

Germany has sent Ukraine weapons that have been critical to the war effort, most prominently IRIS-II antiaircraft systems.   The IRIS-II has an exemplary record of shooting down Russian cruise missiles and drones.   Germany is also sending heavy armored personnel carriers, similar to the U.S. Bradleys.   By resisting sending Leopard II tanks, Germany runs the reputational risk of only being remembered for not sending Abrams, and trying to prevent other countries from doing the same, and not for the important weapons that they have sent.

Weapons Audit Disinformation

Last night at the gym I listened to this Podcast, called “Hold These Truths With Dan Crenshaw,” where the guest, Dan Elkins, described his trip to Ukraine last October, to audit U.S. weapons deliveries to Ukraine.   The portion of the Podcast covering Ukraine starts at around the 20th minute.   Elkins said the following:

·       The audit trail is extensive, and he described it as “overly robust,” to the extent that the audit requirements for Ukrainian soldiers may get in the way of military operations.

·       Ukrainian troops must send photos of expended Javelin missile tubes up the line, and then return the empty tubes as a condition of receiving replacements.

·       Elkins said that Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation monitors the IP traffic concerning weapons deliveries.   The stories about stolen weapons, black market sales, etc. come from one place, and he invited Dan Crenshaw, the interviewer who sponsors the podcast, to guess where they were coming from.   Crenshaw’s answer – “it has to be either Tucker Carlson or Russia.   Elkins said that it all came from Russia.

In other words, according to Elkins every U.S. Congressperson, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Pramila Jayapal, Mike Waltz (who should know better being a combat decorated soldier), and every other Member of Congress who allege misuse of weapons delivered by the U.S. to Ukraine are effectively repeating Russian disinformation.   If they don’t agree with what Elkins said, perhaps they should contact the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation and ask them.

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Indiana) has alleged that audits of U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine need to be conducted.   Perhaps Spartz should contact the U.S. Embassy Kyiv, where Elkins was seconded while he was in Ukraine, and ask the Embassy for the information that she claims doesn’t exist.

News From the Battlefield

At long last, we get a report about the fighting around Kreminna, from “Reporting From Ukraine.”   He, along with Denys, have been relatively silent about Kreminna, probably because the Government had established a news blackout.   The report contains encouraging news for Ukraine.   If Kreminna falls, it will open up a number of avenues of advance for Ukraine, including cutting off the supply lines for the Russian forces around Soledar and Bakhmut.

At around 8:45 into his video, the Latest Denys describes one of the weapons that the U.S. will be supplying to Ukraine in the latest arms package.   It is called a ground-launched small diameter bomb, and it can be launched by either HIMERS or M-270.   It has a range of 150km., or almost twice the range of the existing HIMERS rockets that Ukraine has been using to great effect to hit command centers, ammunition depots and troop concentrations.   The range of the bomb, from territory now controlled by Ukraine, includes northern Crimea but not the Kerch Bridge.

1/19 Sitrep (my comment in bold face)

Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon January 17 to 12:00 noon January 18, 2022

A special section on the events coming out of yesterday’s helicopter crash.

11:37 Kyiv RMA: As a result of the tragedy in Brovary, 16 people remain in hospitals, six of whom are children. Others receive treatment on an outpatient basis.

·                 Children from the damaged kindergarten are organized to study in neighboring preschool institutions, considering the wishes of their parents.

19:31: The plane crash in Brovary is not just an "accident,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

·                 "It's not an accident, it's a war. She's not just on the battlefield. There are no more accidents, this is the result of war.

·                 Missiles that hit our people, civilians, dead children. Every death is the result of war," the president said.

·                 The Security Service of Ukraine has launched criminal proceedings on the fact of this terrible event.

·                 Today, all the necessary decisions were made regarding the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs system. We lost people who were professionals, patriots and reliable leaders. Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, Yevhenii Yenin, their colleagues who died in the disaster are not the people who can be easily replaced.

·                 A really big loss for the state.

17:55 p.m.: A three-day mourning was announced in Brovary in connection with today's tragedy, said the mayor of the city, Igor Sapozhko.

16:22 p.m.: As of 3:45 p.m., search and rescue operations have been completed in Brovary, the SES said.

13:29: The Government has appointed Ihor Klymenko Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs - Head of the National Police of Ukraine. And he entrusted him with the duties of the Minister of the Interior.

·                 This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

·                 After discussion with Parliament, there will be a proposal for the appointment of a new head of the department.

3:27 p.m.: According to the updated information, after identification, 14 dead people were found at the scene of the helicopter crash, including 1 child and 9 people on board, the State Emergency Service said.

·       Search and rescue operations are underway by SES units in the building of the preschool educational institution.

14:47: The Ministry of Internal Affairs has published a list of those killed in the plane crash in Brovary :

·       Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskyi,

·       First Deputy Minister Yevgeny Yenin,

·       Secretary of State of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lubkovych,

·       Oleksandr Vasylenko, crew member,

·       Kostiantyn Kovalenko, crew member,

·       Ivan Kasyanov, crew member,

·       Tetyana Shutyak, assistant to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,

·       Mykhailo Pavlushko, Head of the Minister's Guard,

·       Mykola Anatskyi, photographer.

14:28 p.m.: According to the latest data, the Brovary disaster killed 17 people, including four children. Search work continues, the fate of another child is not known, the State Emergency Service said.

·       25 people were injured, including 11 children who were hospitalized. The information is being clarified.

13:38: Official information of the State Emergency Service on the emergency situation related to the aviation accident in the Kyiv region as of 12:30.

·       The floor slabs between the 1st and 2nd floors and the roof of the preschool educational institution are being analyzed.

·       127 people and 30 units were involved in the elimination of the consequences of the emergency from the State Emergency Service. Technique. Psychologists and the Mobile Task Force of the SES apparatus are working at the scene.

13:29 p.m.: Condolences to the families of the fallen children, civilians in Brovary. Condolences to the families of the fallen heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the families of the crew members, - Vitali Klitschko.

·       "Today's tragedy is another terrible event of this war. None of the Ukrainians will feel safe on their land until the last Russian leaves it. The world must understand this: there can be no concessions and "peaceful" compromises with Russia. Because it will not stop," Klitschko said.

13:12  p.m. SBUservices: The SBU has launched proceedings into the fall of a helicopter in Brovary.

·       Currently, several versions of the tragedy are being considered, including:

o   violation of flight rules;

o   technical malfunction of the helicopter;

o   intentional actions to destroy the vehicle.

·       Another theory, included in the Latest Denys, who was a commercial pilot before the war, has to do with the fact that the weather was extremely foggy at the time of the crash, the pilot may have been trying to descend to obtain better visibility, the helicopter hit the building, crashed and, because it was carrying a full load of fuel for his trip to the Kharkiv Region, burst into flames.   From the photos showing the position of the wreckage, it seemed as if the helicopter did hit the building and then fell to the ground.

·       Fog is a common occurrence in the Kyiv area during the late Fall/early Winter, mostly the result of the presence of a large body of water, the very large reservoir behind the dam located just north of Kyiv, and the difference between the air and water temperatures.   During this time of year, fog can last for days or even weeks at a time.

·       The kindergarten is in a building in the middle of a park, surrounded by complex of apartment buildings.   This is a quite common configuration of residential buildings found throughout Ukraine.   A photo of the complex from the air can be seen in Denys’ video.

·       The Latest Denys contains other information about the helicopter itself, and its intended use.

13:05 Spokesperson of the National Police of Ukraine: According to updated information, at least 16 people were killed in Brovary, including three children. 25 people are hospitalized.

·       Also, the head of the HUNP in the Kharkiv region, Volodymyr Tymoshko, said that the board that crashed in Brovary was flying to the Kharkiv region.

12:45 p.m.: One of the deputies will temporarily serve as interior minister. Who exactly is currently unknown.

·       This was announced by chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Law Enforcement Serhii Ionushas.

12:29 p.m.: EU and European leaders have expressed their condolences over the plane crash in Brovary.

12:21 p.m. President: The crash in Brovary killed 15 people, including three children, and injured 25 people.

·       He added that he had instructed the SBU and the National Police to find out all the circumstances of the tragedy.

Abbreviations:

RMA = Regional Military AdministrationSBU = Security Service of Ukraine

RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders

INTERNATIONAL

January 19

11:46: President of the European Council Charles Michel has already arrived in Kyiv.

·       "May 2023 be a year of victory and peace," he wrote on his Twitter page.

10:29: President of the European Council Charles Michel travels to Kyiv.

·       He announced this on his Twitter and posted a video from the train.

09:42 Politico: France is considering providing Ukraine with Leclerc tanks.

·       "This is not an easy issue and a final decision has not yet been made in Paris. But we are discussing it. Certain decisions can be made at a joint meeting with the German side in Davos," an unnamed French official told reporters.

08:00: The United States intends to change the dynamics of Russia's war against Ukraine by providing new packages of military support - the Pentagon.

07:59 Reuters Canada summoned Russia's ambassador to Ottawa to declare its rejection of a brutal attack on civilians in Dnipro, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, according to reports.

07:58 Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine (URC 2023) will be held in London on June 21 and 22, according to the conference website. The conference will be a continuation of the cycle of annual events, the last of which was held by Switzerland together with Ukraine in Lugano.

00:42 The New York Times: The United States is ready to help Ukraine target Crimea and strike the peninsula, even if such a step increases the risk of escalation.

00:13: Air defense systems occupy the top line in the list of requests from Kyiv, the United States is seeking the transfer of systems of different ranges, says John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council.

00:30: The Russian Embassy in Estonia has stopped accepting applications for renunciation of Russian citizenship.

·       The reasons and validity of the restriction are not specified.

January 18

21:12: Vitali Klitschko in Davos presented Boris Johnson with an award - the title of Honorary Citizen of Kyiv.

·       "The Kyiv City Council approved the decision on its assignment at the end of November last year. As British Prime Minister, Johnson did everything possible to help Ukraine," Klitschko wrote.

20:40: Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Davos Forum called on allies not to delay the supply of weapons.

·       "While the free world is thinking, the terrorist state continues to kill. Russia exports terror and the world must act faster than it does," Zelenskyy said.

20:26: The U.S. allocates $125 million to repair Ukraine's power system, AP, citing a statement from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Samantha Power.

19:45 CNN: The United States is preparing one of the largest packages of military assistance to Ukraine, but without tanks.

·       According to the Pentagon, the decision not to provide tanks is not related to the fear of escalation in relations with Russia or the risks of American weapons entering Moscow.

19:16: Famous director, Oscar winner Martin Scorsese addressed the people of Ukraine.

·       "At this moment, your spirit, the strength of your spirit, is like light. This is the light of the whole world. And I pray that it will be bright enough to guide you through this darkness," Scorsese said.

18:10: For the war to end, Russia must lose, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at an economic forum in Davos.

·       "That is why we supply Ukraine with weapons in close communication with our partners," Scholz said.

16:53 MEPs called on Germany to hand over Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

·       This is stated in the approved annual report for 2022 on the implementation of the Common Security and Defense Policy.

·       MEPs also called for the immediate deployment of modern weapons and air defense systems in Ukraine.

16:44: Vitaliy and Wladimir Klitschko meet in Davos with EBRD President Odile Renault-Basso and First Vice President Jürgen Rigterink.

·       During the conversation, further cooperation was discussed, in particular, projects that are being implemented and planned in the future. In particular, we are talking about: the purchase of new cars for the Kyiv metro, trams, assistance in the modernization of the heat and power complex, repair of the metro bridge across the Dnieper and the construction of an ambulance hospital on the right bank of the capital.

16:32 Bloomberg Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić: "For us, Crimea is Ukraine, Donbas is Ukraine – it will remain so. We said from the very beginning that we cannot and will not support Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

·       The Serbian leader rejected Putin's territorial claims to Ukraine and predicted that "worse is yet to come" as both sides have dug in.

15:39 Canada's Secretary of Defense: Canada is donating another 200 CABM LAV ACSV Super Bison armored vehicles worth approximately CAD 90 million.

·       According to the Minister, armored vehicles are equipped primarily for the safe transportation of servicemen and emergency medical evacuation of the wounded, but they can also, if necessary, additionally install weapons.

15:20 Delfi: Latvia will hand over another batch of military aid to Ukraine. This will include portable Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems and helicopters.

·       This week, Latvian Defense Minister Inara Murniece visited the Ukraine where she met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and discussed the planned deliveries of new weapons.

15:09 Welt: Bulgaria secretly supplied Ukraine with ammunition.

·       According to the publication, this was not done directly - transportation was paid by the United States and Britain, cargo flights went through Poland. It is noted that at some points Bulgaria covered a third of the needs of Ukrainian troops.

·       In addition to ammunition, that took place at the beginning of the war when Ukraine was in danger of exhausting its supply, shipments also included diesel fuel that was produced at the Lukoil refinery in Bulgaria, but shipped via 3rd countries.

·       Additional information on the shipments for ammunition and  diesel fuel can also be found here.

14:19: Japan is actively engaged in Ukraine's problems and is expected to present its plans to support Kyiv against the Russian invasion at the appropriate moment.

·       This was stated by the White House coordinator in the Indo-Pacific region Kurt Campbell at an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

·       "Prime Minister Kisida has an action plan, and he is already actively dealing with the problems of Ukraine. Japan is actively involved in many discussions of the contact group to support Ukraine, and is a key participant," Campbell said.

13:58 Bloomberg: Poland expects to supply up to 100 Western tanks to Ukraine together with its allies, says Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

12:56: President of the European Council Charles Michel called for tanks to be provided to Ukraine.

·       "Ukraine feels an urgent need for more weapons. I am personally for the supply of tanks to Ukraine," Michel said at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

·       He added that the EU would continue to help Ukraine militarily.

NATIONAL

January 19

11:55: Civilian casualties as a result of Russian armed aggression for 18.01.2023 according to regional military administrations.

·       Donetsk – 4 wounded

·       Kherson – 4 wounded

11:28 Ukrenergo: Electricity consumption is projected to be slightly less than on Wednesday due to warm weather. But the power deficit in the power system remains significant.

·       Consumption limits for the whole day have been brought to all regional power distribution companies. Exceeding the limits leads to the risks of creating emergency situations in the power system. Therefore, emergency shutdowns are used to prevent them.

10:49: Ukraine asks its partners to accelerate the provision of weapons, as the threat of a new full-scale offensive by Russia is real.

·       Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov issued a joint statement. In it, they emphasize that Russia still has a significant advantage in the number of troops and equipment, and the Russian leadership is committed to a long and active war.

08:46: Today, on the feast of Baptism, Epiphany, the Primate of the OCU Epiphanius will hold a service for the second time in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, that was recently transferred from the control of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate.

08:38 DTEK: Kyiv and Odessa this morning returned to the schedules of stabilization power outages.

·       In Odessa, at the same time at night from midnight to 7 o'clock in the morning, emergency shutdowns will be applied in parallel. In Dnipro, shutdown schedules are not yet in effect.

07:08 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

·       "Last day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repulsed attacks by the occupiers in the areas of the settlements of Bilohorivka, Luhansk region and Terny, Verkhnekamenskoye, Soledar, Sil, Krasnaya Gora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Kurdyumivka, Vodiane, Marinka, Pobeda and Paraskoviyivka of the Donetsk region.

·       At the same time, the enemy launched 25 air strikes and carried out more than 85 shellings from the MLRS."

·       Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation has inflicted 13 strikes on areas of concentration of Russians and 3 - on the positions of anti-aircraft missile systems,

·       At the same time, the Russian Ka-52 helicopter and the Merlin-BP UAV were shot down.

·       Units of the missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine during the day hit 3 control points, 5 areas of concentration of Russians, 1 ammunition depot and 2 other important objects of the Russian troops - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

January 18

23:35: About 14 thousand children were illegally deported to Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

·       This was stated by Advisor to the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation Daria Gerasymchuk.

·       "We were able to identify and verify the data of 13,899 children who were abducted and deported by the Russian army. We managed to return only 125 of them home," Gerasymchuk said.

23:10 Bloomberg - First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy: Ukraine wants to expand the "grain agreement" to include steel supplies, as well as open several more ports for exports.

·       According to Svyrydenko, these actions will be one of the prerequisites for Ukraine's GDP growth by 3% this year.

21:28 DTEK: Odesa and Kyiv regions, as well as Kyiv, are returning to power outages on schedules tomorrow.

18:22 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on January 18:

·       "During the day, the enemy launched 22 air strikes and carried out more than 50 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.

·       The threat of Russian air and missile strikes remains high throughout Ukraine."

·       "The enemy does not abandon its intentions to seize the Donetsk region within the administrative borders.

·       The main efforts are focused on the conduct of the offensive in the Bakhmut direction. He conducts unsuccessful offensive operations in the Avdiivka direction."

·       "Russian occupation forces do not stop looting in the temporarily occupied territories.

·       Thus, in the settlements of Gornostaevka, Cairo, Bratolyubovka and Nizhny Sirogozy of the Kherson region, the occupiers, moving in groups of 10-15 people, search the empty apartments of local residents and take out all household appliances and furniture."

·       "Our defenders shot down the enemy helicopter Ka-52 and the experimental Russian reconnaissance UAV "Merlin-BP".

·       During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces inflicted 13 strikes on the areas of concentration of the enemy and 3 - on the positions of its anti-aircraft missile systems.

·       "At the same time, units of the missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit 1 control point, 1 area of concentration of the invaders' manpower and 1 electronic warfare station."

17:40: The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has published a list of rules that should be followed when diving into water bodies on Epiphany.

·       "Only specially equipped places are safe for swimming, where all relevant emergency services will be on duty on the feast of Epiphany," the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service in the Odessa region wrote.

16:10: The IAEA mission begins work at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, said Rafael Grossi, director general of the Agency.

·       Director General Rafael Grossi also noted that IAEA supervisors will remain at all Ukrainian nuclear power plants to provide vital assistance in ensuring nuclear safety.

16:00: Civilian casualties as a result of Russia's armed aggression for 17.01.2023 according to regional military administrations.

·       Dnipro – 5 killed and 1 wounded

·       Donetsk – 2 wounded

·       Zaporizhia – 1 wounded

·       Kharkiv – 1 wounded

·       Kherson – 4 wounded

MORDOR (Russia)

January 19

10:38: The Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced the beginning of joint activities of the group of troops of the Republic of Belarus and Russia.

10:05 British intelligence: Russia will transfer a small number of T-14 tanks to the front for propaganda purposes, -

·       At the end of December 2022, the images showed the T-14 at a training ground in southern Russia. This came after pro-government Russian media claimed that the T-14s were preparing to be deployed. However, it is unclear whether Russia has transported this type of tank to Ukraine.

·       The British Ministry of Defense believes that any deployment of the T-14 is likely to be a risky decision for Russia.

·       "During eleven years of development, the program was accompanied by delays, reductions in the planned fleet size and reports of production problems," according to British intelligence.

January 18

23:35: About 14 thousand children were illegally deported to Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

·       This was stated by Advisor to the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation Daria Gerasymchuk.

·       "We were able to identify and verify the data of 13,899 children who were abducted and deported by the Russian army. We managed to return only 125 of them home," Gerasymchuk said.

23:10 Bloomberg - First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy: Ukraine wants to expand the "grain agreement" to include steel supplies, as well as open several more ports for exports.

·       According to Svyrydenko, these actions will be one of the prerequisites for Ukraine's GDP growth by 3% this year.

17:09: "In the near future, YouTube will be closed in Russia, and those who continue to use it will be identified and will suffer a well-deserved punishment," said Prigozhin, head of the Wagner PMC.

KHARKIV

January 19

11:09 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Kharkiv region.

08:56 Kharkiv RMA: Last day, under Russian artillery and mortar fire were Kupyansk, Dvorichnaya, Vovchansk, Krasne, Kamyanka, Chuhunivka, Tabaivka and other cities and villages of the region.

·       Fortunately, there were no casualties.

LUHANSK

January 18

13:48 Luhansk  RMA: Pro de-occupation of Luhansk region:

·       during the day, the Russians lost about 100 personnel among paratroopers and several units of heavy equipment in the Luhansk region;

·       Russians are constantly bringing new reserves to the Svatovsky and Kremin directions;

·       the entire bank of the Krasnaya River is mined.

DONETSK

January 19

11:02 Donetsk RMA: During the day, the Russians carried out constant shelling of Vuhledar - 6 houses were damaged. Epiphany was shelled twice — without casualties.

·       Intense shelling in the Ocheretyn community: the night before, Russians targeted a kindergarten in Orlivka, and shelled Vesele and Krasnohorivka in the morning. Night and morning passed loudly in Avdiivka: the city suffered 4 shelling and 2 shelling from Grad rockets.

·       1 person was wounded in the Ivanovo Bakhmut community. In the community, 2 houses and an administrative building were damaged.

·       Another 1 house was damaged in Pleshchiivka, Kostiantynivska community. Constant shelling in the Soledar community: Paraskoviyivka, Rozdolivka, Fedorivka and the outskirts of Soledar suffer; 3 houses were damaged in Vasyukovka.

·       Shelling of the Siversk and Liman community was recorded: 4 houses in Zakitne were damaged.

09:32: According to US intelligence, the Russian army does not have full control over Bakhmut and Soledar - there are still heavy fighting.

·       This was stated by White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

·       "As of this morning, we are not assessing that the Russians have actually taken possession of both cities unilaterally," Kirby said.

January 18

14:08 spokesman of the 24th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: About 5% of the inhabitants remained in Bakhmut. That's quite a lot. They suffer from shelling every day.

ZAPORIZHIA

January 18

22:44 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Zaporizhia region.

15:49: In Mykhailivka in the occupied part of the Zaporizhia region, explosions thundered at a school where the occupiers stored ammunition, said the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov.

·       Fedorov stressed that the Russians are panicking, and the windows of neighboring houses are trembling from the detonation. Ambulances drove to the school. Currently, information on victims among the Russian military is being clarified.

DNIPRO

January 18

14:58: After a rocket hit a residential building in Dnipro, 17 people remain missing, said Natalia Babachenko, adviser to the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA.

·       12 bodies have not yet been identified.

13:22 Dnipro  RMA: The number of wounded as a result of a missile strike on a high-rise building in Dnipro has increased to 80 people. An elderly woman turned to the doctors – she has a contusion and a bruised head.

KHERSON

January 19

11:41 a.m. Social Networks: Repeated explosions in Kherson are reported.

10:00 a.m. Social Networks: Explosions in Kherson are reported.

09:17 Kherson  RMA: Russians attacked Kherson region 56 times.

·       Kherson itself was under Russian shelling 19 times. 4 people were injured of varying severity.

January 18

9:42 p.m.: The SBU detained a collaborator from the "Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation" in Kherson, who carried out "raids" on the territory of the city to identify participants in the resistance movement, the press services of the  SBU said.

·       After the liberation of Kherson, the collaborator tried to escape to the left bank of the Dnieper River in order to avoid punishment. The suspect faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

20:57: First Deputy Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council Yuri Sobolevsky said that the Russian military continues to shell Kherson.

ZHYTOMIR

January 18

10:22: Head of Zhytomyr RMA Vitaliy Bunechko announced planned work in the area.

·       Today, during the day, the sounds of explosions will be heard.

10:17 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Zhytomyr.

SUMY

January 18

23:20 Sumy RMA: Russians shelled Krasnopilsk and Shalyginsk communities during the day.

·       In the Krasnopilsky community, the enemy opened mortar fire, 4 arrivals.

·       The Shalyginsk community also suffered mortar shelling from the territory of Russia. 15 mines of 120 mm caliber arrived.

·       In both cases, there were no casualties or destruction.

Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.

SOURCES

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/

https://euromaidanpress.com/

https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka

https://ubn.news/