WAR IN UKRAINE: January 2, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 313
Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv on Sunday night as the latest wave of drone and missile strikes from Russia continued. An attack which began shortly before midnight targeted critical infrastructure, Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said. One man in Kyiv was injured by debris from a destroyed Russian drone, the capital's mayor said. The attacks have continued for several days over the New Year period - BBC. The air defense destroyed all 39 drones. Over the same reporting period, two Orlan-10 drones were downed as well as an X-59 guided missile, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said 400 Russian soldiers had been killed in on New Year's Eve in Makiivka, in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. In a rare move, pro-Russian authorities admitted to casualties, BBC reported. But Russia refused to confirm the number of deaths, and the BBC is unable to verify this. It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky wished for victory and a "return to normal" for Ukraine in 2023.
Missile debris found in Kyiv metro, several stations closed. The Kyiv City Hall said that on Jan. 1 that objects appearing to be the debris of a missile had been found on the subway tracks. Several stations of the metro's red line have been closed - Kyiv Independent
DTEK: Russia's NYE attack damages thermal power plant. During its mass attack against Ukraine on Dec. 31, Russia damaged a thermal power plant in Ukraine, Ukraine's biggest private energy company DTEK reported. The attack reportedly damaged the facility’s equipment.
Between 24 February 2022 and 30 November 2022, potential damage to 1,602 out of more than 28,500 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine has been identified, according to a report by the U.S. Department of State’s Conflict Observatory. Overall, damage has occurred primarily in the raions of Mariupolskyi, Sievierodonetskyi, Kharkivskyi, Kramatorskyi, and Buchanskyi. The cultural heritage site types most likely to be damaged during the conflict so far include Memorial/Monument and Place of Worship & Burial.
Russian missile fire on Kyiv on New Years Eve day caused significant damage to the Exhibition Campus of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Ukrainska Pravda reported. Over 312 days Russian bombardment has destroyed/damaged dozens of cultural/educational facilities in Ukraine
The Russian Interior Ministry has put a "wanted" notice out on six purported members of the Vagner mercenary group who may have escaped from a training camp in an occupied region of Ukraine over a week ago - RFE/RL
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has claimed Russia, bogged down in Ukraine after invading its neighbor more than 10 months ago, will soon announce a further mobilization, and urged Russians to avoid it.