WAR IN UKRAINE: January 15, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 326
Another massive Russian missile attack Saturday caused death and destruction in several regions of Ukraine. Worst hit was Dnipro where a powerful strike on a multi-storey residential complex killed several and injured dozens. Video posted on social media shortly afterwards had people buried under the rubble moaning in pain. Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa were also targeted. In Odesa, large swaths of the city core went dark again just as people were beginning the appreciate the return of street lights and minimal power outages. Emergency power outages were triggered nationwide.
In Dnipro, by Sunday morning, at least 21 people were recorded dead - including a 15-year-old girl - in that apartment building strike - and 75 injured, including 12 children, and 35 still missing. A three day period of mourning has been announced.
The Ukrainian Air Force says the Russian missile that hit an apartment block in Dnipro Saturday, was a Kh-22 — an older type of cruise missile that is a less accurate weapon than most modern missiles. CNN reported last June that it was a Kh-22 that hit a shopping center in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine. Originally designed as an anti-ship missile, the Kh-22 carries a warhead of nearly one metric tonne. But Western analysts say it is only accurate to a radius of about 500 meters (about 1,600 feet) - CNN
The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addressed colleagues who consider it appropriate to maintain relations with Russia. “The next time you shake his hand, think about the civilians killed by Russian missiles in the Dnieper! Think about it when carvers talk about the Russian church, which blessed the Russian army," Kyslytsya said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the UK will provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine during a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, No 10 says. After the call, Zelensky wrote on Twitter to thank him for his support during their conversation. The initial commitment is for around a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to be delivered to Ukraine “in the coming weeks,” SKY News reported. The Challenger 2, which clocks in at 70 tonnes, is almost immune to fire, analysts said. It’s a post Cold War, fourth generation tank with fire and thermal control systems. The Uk said it will also supply the Ukrainian armed forces with around 30 AS90s - large, self-propelled guns.
US official : Over 2,000 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia since New Year. Russian forces have unlawfully transferred or deported thousands of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, violating the Geneva Conventions. As of Dec. 22, 2022, Ukrainian authorities said that more than 13,000 thousand children were forcibly removed from Ukraine by Russia - Kyiv Independent
Moldovan Interior Ministry: Missile debris found in border region. Moldova’s Interior Ministry said a police patrol found part of a missile near the village of Briceni, northern Moldova, close to the Ukrainian border. This is the third time a missile has fallen in Moldova since Russia started launching mass missile strikes against Ukraine on Oct. 10 - Kyiv Independent
The Russian Federation is ready for negotiations, but there is a condition, said the representative of the Russian Federation in the UN Mr. Nebenzya. “It will be possible to end the war only when the threat of the Russian Federation no longer emanates from the territory of Ukraine and when discrimination against the Russian-speaking population ends.” Context: ironically, some of the Ukrainian cities most heavily bombarded by Russia, such as Kharkiv, have predominantly Russian-speaking populations.
