Russia’s new wave of attacks seeks to overload Ukraine’s defences and deter Kiev from retaking territory, officials and analysts say as the conflict enters its 333rd day.
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Russia shells regions outside Ukraine’s Donbass region: officials
Russia has increased shelling of Ukraine’s eastern regions outside the main front line in the Donbass industrial area, officials from the Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions said.
Russia’s defence ministry said a recent offensive had put its army’s units in more advantageous positions along the Zaporizhzhia front line, a claim Ukrainian military officials called an exaggeration.
“Attempting to study our defence, the enemy has activated artillery fire,” Oleksandr Starukh, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia fired on the region 166 times through the day, he said, with 113 attacks aimed at populated areas, killing one civilian. Russia says it does not target civilians.
Countering Moscow’s claim of recent advances, Yevhen Yerin, a military spokesperson in Zaporizhzhia, told the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, “At the moment, they have not captured anything.”
Here are other developments:
0949 GMT — UK still wants Ukraine to get German-made tanks: top envoy
Britain still wants an international deal to provide Ukraine with the German-made tanks that Kiev says it needs in its fight against Russia but whose transfer needs Germany’s consent, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said.
Western allies pledged billions of dollars in weapons for Ukraine last week, although they failed to persuade Germany to lift a veto on providing Leopard battle tanks, which are held by an array of NATO nations but whose supply to Ukraine would require Berlin’s approval.
Leopard tanks are seen by defence experts as the most suitable for Ukraine.
“Of course, I would like to see the Ukrainians equipped with things like the Leopard 2 as well as the artillery systems that have been provided by us and by others,” Cleverly said in an interview with Sky News.
0932 GMT — Russia pushing towards two towns in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region
Moscow’s forces are pushing towards two towns in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, where fighting intensified this week after several months of a stagnant front, according to Russian state media.
A Russian-installed official in the region Vladimir Rogov said offensive actions were concentrated around two towns: Orikhiv, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Ukrainian-controlled regional capital Zaporizhzhia, and Hulyaipole, further east.
“The front is mobile, especially in two directions: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole,” Rogov was quoted as saying by the Ria Novosti news agency. He said there was active fighting in those areas, according to the agency. “The initiative is in our hands.”
The Ukrainian army said “more than 15 settlements were affected by artillery fire” in Zaporizhzhia.
0749 GMT — New weapons for Kiev will lead to global catastrophe: Putin ally
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Duma – Russia’s lower house of parliament – has warned that the United States and NATO’s support of Ukraine is leading the world to a “terrible war.”
“If Washington and NATO countries supply weapons that will be used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten, this will lead to retaliatory measures using more powerful weapons,” Volodin said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Arguments that the nuclear powers have not previously used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts are untenable. Because these states did not face a situation where there was a threat to the security of their citizens and the territorial integrity of the country.”
0435 GMT — Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania urge Germany to send tanks to Ukraine
The Baltic states have made a joint call to Germany on to step up its leadership and send its main battle tanks to Ukraine.
“We, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Foreign Ministers, call on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister said on Twitter. “This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and restore peace in Europe quickly. Germany as the leading European power has a special responsibility in this regard.”
The statement came a day after Germany and Western allies reached no decision on whether Berlin would agree to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine or permit other countries that have them to do so.
0140 GMT — Ukraine directors bring horrors of war to Sundance
Two new documentaries from Ukrainian filmmakers premiere at the Sundance film festival this week.
“20 Days In Mariupol,” which screened Friday night, portrays in harrowing detail the arrival of war last year to a city that became one of the conflict’s bloodiest battle sites, all captured by video journalists under siege.
And “Iron Butterflies,” premiering Sunday, chronicles the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 by Russian-armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, and its foreshadowing of today’s larger conflict.
0010 GMT — Japan’s PM considers visiting Kiev in February
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visiting Kiev in February and holding talks with Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, the Yomiuri newspaper said, citing Japanese government sources.
As chair of the Group of Seven (G7) leading economies this year, Japan wants to show it intends to keep providing support to Ukraine while it also aims to release a statement with Kiev condemning Russia’s aggression, Yomiuri said.
Speaking at a television programme, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said the idea was something Japan must contemplate as chair of G7 this year. “But nothing has been decided at this stage,” he said, when asked about the possibility of Kishida visiting Kiev.
2301 GMT — Germany’s defence minister to visit Ukraine soon
Germany’s new defence minister Boris Pistorius plans to visit Ukraine soon, he told a German newspaper, as Berlin faces pressure to allow the shipment of German-made tanks to Ukraine.
“What is certain is that I will travel to Ukraine quickly. Probably even within the next four weeks,” Pistorius told Bild am Sonntag in an interview published.
Asked about the tanks, Pistorius said in the interview: “We are in very close dialogue with our international partners, first and foremost with the US, on this issue.”
For live updates from Saturday (January 21), click here
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Live blog: Russia increases shelling outside Donbass front line – Kiev
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