WAR IN UKRAINE: January 18, 2023
Anastasia Ignatenko, acrobatics coach, died from a Russian rocket strike on Dnipro with her husband and little child. Anastasia was a coach and national judge, respected and loved, her colleague wrote. RIP
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 329
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has offered his resignation after suggesting a Russian missile which hit a building in Dnipro, killing 44 people, was shot down by Kyiv. Mr Arestovych apologised and said he had made a "fundamental error". The original remark caused widespread anger in the country, and was used by Russian officials to blame Ukraine. The adviser is a well-known figure because of his daily updates on YouTube, watched by millions. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet commented on Mr Arestovych's decision to resign - BBC
Ukraine’s top general said he had his first ever in-person meeting with his US counterpart Gen. Mark Milley in Poland on Tuesday. “I extended my gratitude to General Mark Milley for the unwavering support and assistance provided by the United States of America and allies to Ukraine." Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said on Facebook. "I outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine meeting which will accelerate our victory.” This comes ahead of an upcoming meeting in Germany on Friday, where allies will meet Ukrainian defense officials at Ramstein Air Base as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group - CNN
The threat of Russian missile attacks on the Odesa region remains high - Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for Odesa Military Administration. He told a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center on Tuesday that the Kremlin had missile-carrying ships stationed in the Black Sea. Bratchuk also said that in the wake of Russian strikes on critical infrastructure; that all major medical facilities in the region are now backed up with emergency generators.
Russia detailed its plans to boost the size of its military as Ukraine warned that Moscow may be preparing an offensive and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western allies to accelerate the provision of arms to the country. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu provided a timetable for the troop increase it outlined in December following a string of setbacks on the battlefield and criticism from Russian nationalists. The country’s army will increase to 1.5 million military personnel between 2023 and 2026—compared with its current level of 1.15 million and one million at the start of 2022, Mr. Shoigu said, according to state newswire TASS. Russia will create new military districts in the regions around Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as an army corps in Karelia on the border with Finland, Mr. Shoigu said. The country will also set up “self-sufficient” units in Russian-held territories of Ukraine, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by TASS on Tuesday saying that Russian military suppliers continue to increase their capacity, with many companies working in several shifts or around the clock. Russian officials have portrayed the military buildup and the Ukraine war as part of a direct confrontation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a claim the West has strenuously denied - WSJ
The Independent: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived more than 12 assassination attempts since the beginning of the war. This is stated with reference to Ukrainian officials in the book "The Struggle for His Life: Inside the White House of Joe Biden", which is just preparing for publication. The publication also discusses how U.S. intelligence helped Zelenskiy's security forces prevent two separate Russian attempts on his life.
The U.S. understands Ukraine's need to hit targets deep into the front line, deputy defense secretary for political affairs Colin Kohl said. "We are aware of this need for the current status, and we are discussing how Ukraine can cope with this challenge. I will not specify which systems can be discussed, but we will continue the relevant dialogue with Ukrainian colleagues," Kohl said.