WAR IN UKRAINE: January 14, 2023
The Kyiv subway system, as described by Kyiv Independent journalist Daryna Antoniuk: I love Kyiv metro. It has the internet, it shelters people during missile strikes, it smells like earth after rain and it looks so futuristic it makes me feel like like I'm in a movie.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 325
Today, January 14, marks the first day of the New Year on the old calendar. Most Ukrainians observed last night in a modest fashion - with many still facing power outages, the threat of Russian bombing and separation from loved ones. The date traditionally marks the end of the extended holiday season in Ukraine.
Russia claimed Friday its forces had taken the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, in what would represent a symbolic if not strategic victory for Moscow after months of setbacks on the battlefield. Kyiv denied the claims, but a CNN team nearby witnessed some Ukrainian troops withdrawing from the town. A Ukrainian soldier stationed nearby in the eastern city of Bakhmut told CNN that Ukraine's units are still at the edges of Soledar.
At least two Russian S-300 missiles slammed into the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Saturday morning, reportedly damaging infrastructure. No word yet on the extent of the damage or injuries.
Ukraine has become a de facto member of the Nato alliance, the Ukrainian defence minister says, as Western countries, once concerned that military assistance could be seen as an escalation by Russia, change their "thinking approach". In an interview with the BBC, Oleksii Reznikov said he was sure Ukraine would receive long-sought weapons, including tanks and fighter jets, as both Ukraine and Russia seemed to be preparing for new offensives in the spring.
Reznikov also said Russia loses about 500-600 soldiers-a-day, and Ukraine about a tenth of that number
Ukrenergo: ‘Significant’ power deficit persists in Ukraine. Ukraine’s energy system continues to experience a “significant” power deficit as of Jan. 12, as power consumption has spiked due to colder weather, Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo reported - Kyiv Independent
In the city of Enerhodar, nearly 1,500 employees of the Zaporizhya Nuclear Power Plant who refused to take Russian passports and sign a contract with Rosatom, a Russian state-owned holding, were banned from accessing the enterprise. The invaders are looking in Russia for new staff for the power plant and are “nationalizing” apartments of the locals who have left the occupied territory as housing stock for the future new employees.
An injured Ukrainian soldier had an unexploded grenade successfully removed from his chest earlier this week, according to the country’s military doctors. Photos shared on the Ukrainian Military Medics Facebook page on Monday included an X-ray image of the soldier’s upper body with the grenade visible. The surgery was fraught with danger. Doctors feared the grenade could explode at any time during the operation, and so the surgery was conducted “without electrocoagulation” – a medical treatment that controls bleeding using electricity. According to the post, the procedure was performed “in the presence of two sappers who were ensuring the safety of medical staff” - CNN
A British visa plan to attract investment was used by 10 Russian oligarchs placed under sanctions to get residency, according to a review from the UK Home Office. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said a small minority who had used the visa route "were potentially at high risk of having obtained wealth through corruption or other illicit financial activity, and /or being engaged in serious and organized crime." Braverman said the 10 Russian oligarchs who used the visa scheme were sanctioned after the invasion of Ukraine. The secretary made the disclosure in a statement Thursday at the end of a long-awaited review into the so-called “golden visa” scheme for high-net-worth individuals.
South Africa is to welcome a high-level Russian delegation in August at the annual BRICS summit – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. President Vladimir Putin will be invited. South Africa holds the presidency of the BRICS group this year, a post it will use to expand its relations with Russia and other member states. In July, many of Africa’s top leaders will travel to St. Petersburg, for a Russia-Africa summit – the first since 2019. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, is planning to visit eight African countries over the next two months to boost relations and prepare for the Africa-Russia summit. Moscow is also expanding its network of “Russia Houses” across Africa. The Russian language and culture centres were opened last year in Sudan, Mali, Egypt and Algeria, with Angola expected to be next. Russia recently announced that it is doubling the number of spaces in Russian universities for African students - Globe and Mail
