As the war enters its 679th day, these are the main events.
Here is the situation on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.
Struggle
- Russia attacked Ukraine’s largest cities with a barrage of drones, rockets and missiles, killing at least four people in kyiv and one in Kharkiv. The State Emergency Service said 119 people were injured. The bombing, which also disrupted water and power supplies, came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would step up attacks on Ukraine.
- Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, said air defenses shot down all 10 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles fired at Ukraine by Russia. The consequences of the weapons hitting their targets would have been “catastrophic,” he added.
- Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov accused Russia of “deliberately attacking critical infrastructure and residential neighborhoods” in its attacks on Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the attacks affected Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, as well as weapons storage facilities. “The objective of the strike has been achieved, all the objectives have been achieved,” he said.
- Poland mobilized two pairs of F-16 fighter jets and a tanker plane to safeguard its airspace during Russia’s assault on Ukraine. Polish military authorities said last week that a Russian missile briefly passed through the country’s airspace, raising concerns.
- Moscow said its air defenses destroyed 17 Ukrainian Olkha rockets over Belgorod, not far from the Ukrainian border. Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod regional governor, said one person was killed and five wounded in the attacks.
- Russia opened an investigation after one of its missiles accidentally hit the Russian border village of Petropavlovka, 40 kilometers (87 miles) from northeastern Ukraine, damaging several homes. Nobody was hurt.
Politics and diplomacy
- The Russian attacks sparked condemnation from across Europe. Charles Michel, president of the European Council, reiterated the European Union’s support for Ukraine and said Russia’s airstrikes showed Moscow was not interested in peace talks. Meanwhile, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said the attacks were “Russian terrorism” and called on the West to provide more aid to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledged Berlin’s continued support and said the latest attacks showed Moscow wanted to “annihilate” Ukraine.
- United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk called for an immediate reduction in fighting, measures to protect civilians and respect for international law following the recent “alarming escalation of hostilities.”
- Ukraine’s Foreign Minister urged Western allies to step up sanctions against Russia and deliver more advanced weaponry, including air defense systems and munitions, combat drones and long-range missiles. In the United States, Republicans in Congress are delaying a $60 billion aid package for kyiv, while Hungary has blocked $55 billion in EU assistance for Ukraine.
- Mariana Katzarova, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Russian Federation, called on Moscow to immediately release two poets imprisoned for reading works critical of the war in Ukraine. Last week, a Moscow court sentenced Artyom Kagardin to seven years in prison and Yegor Shtovba to five and a half years after participating in a public poetry reading in Moscow in September 2022.
Weapons
- Turkey said it would prevent two Royal Navy minehunting ships promised to Ukraine from traveling through its waters on their way to the Black Sea because it would violate an international pact regulating maritime traffic through the straits connecting the Mediterranean with the Black Sea.
- Norway said it would allow direct arms sales to Ukraine. “In the extraordinary security situation resulting from Russia’s war of aggression, it is crucial that we continue to support Ukraine,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a press release.
