Ukraine Daily Summary - Monday, January 8

Japan pledges $37 million for anti-drone equipment for Ukraine -- Ex-German president calls for Germany to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine -- Unidentified drones repeatedly spotted over German military bases where Ukrainians train -- Italian FM: EU should have common army -- and more

Monday, January 8

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian poet and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov has been killed on the front line. (Maksym Kryvtsov/Facebook)

Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov killed on front line. Ukrainian poet and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov, 33, has been killed on the front line, the writers’ association PEN Ukraine said in a statement on Jan. 7. According to PEN Ukraine, Kryvtsov’s mother also confirmed his death on social media. Kryvtsov was among the participants of the EuroMaidan Revolution — one of the most crucial events in modern Ukraine’s history that ended the ruling of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych — in 2013-2014, PEN Ukraine reported.

Air defenses intercepted over half of Russia’s Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Ukraine’s air defenses have successfully intercepted 25 out of 63 Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched missiles fired by Russia, Air Force Spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told reporters.

US House Speaker announces 2024 spending deal to avert government shutdown. U.S. lawmakers have reached a preliminary spending deal to fund the federal government for the rest 2024, the first step to averting a government shutdown expected in less than two weeks, The Hill reported on Jan. 7.

Governor: Russia hits Kharkiv with missiles. The NABU said in January 2023 that it had begun to investigate possible corruption in the Defense Ministry’s food procurement before ZN.ua, a news site, published an investigation on the issue.

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Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast cut power off in 2 mines with 18 workers inside. Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast caused power outages at two mines while 18 workers were inside, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reported on Jan. 7. Russia began intensifying its attacks against Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure as the temperatures dropped at the end of 2023, mirroring its strategy from last year. Over the winter of 2022-2023, Russia engaged in a persistent campaign to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing large-scale outages and damage to the grid.

Unidentified drones repeatedly spotted over German military bases where Ukrainians train. Unidentified drones have been repeatedly spotted over German military bases where Ukrainian soldiers are training, raising concerns about potential espionage, the German tabloid said on Jan. 7, citing sources in government.

Russian media: 16-year-old Russian arrested for allegedly torching Su-34 jet at Chelyabinsk airbase. A 16-year-old boy from the North Caucasian Russian republic of Dagestan was arrested for allegedly torching a Su-34 fighter jet at an airbase in Chelyabinsk, local Russian media reported on Jan. 7.

UK invests 300 million pounds in nuclear fuel, eroding Russia’s dominance of sector. The U.K. is investing 300 million pounds ($381 million) into the production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) as a part of a larger bid to improve the country’s self-sustainable energy resources and cut dependence on Russia, the U.K.’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced on Jan. 7.

Human cost of war

Russian attacks kill 1, injure 2 in Kharkiv Oblast. Russian attacks on settlements near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on Jan. 7 killed one person and injured two, including a teenager, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Russian attack kills 2, injures 2 in Kherson. Russian shelling of Kherson killed two people and injured two more on Jan. 7, Roman Mrochko, the head of the city’s military administration, reported.  Russian troops attacked the city earlier in the day, hitting a residential house, according to Mrochko.

Russian attacks kill 1, injure 7 in Kherson Oblast over past day. Russian attacks have killed one man and injured seven people, including two children, over the past day in Kherson Oblast, the local authorities reported on Jan. 7.

International response

Zelensky meets Japanese Foreign Minister: ‘Japan is important and strong partner for us’. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa for her country’s support for Ukraine, voicing hopes for further relations in 2024 during their meeting in Kyiv on Jan. 7.

Italian FM: EU should have common army. The EU should have its own army, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview with the Italian media outlet La Stampa published on Jan. 7. Calls for an EU army have been floated as far back as 1950 but have never come to fruition. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has forced defense issues back onto the agenda and seen public opinion shift, as well as the expansion of NATO.

Japan pledges $37 million for anti-drone equipment for Ukraine. Japan promised to provide $37 million to a NATO fund for anti-drone equipment, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at a press conference in Kyiv with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Jan. 7.

Ex-German president calls for Germany to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Former German President Joachim Gauck called for Germany to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles in an interview published by the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag on Jan. 7.

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