Ukraine Daily

Saturday, January 21

Russia’s war against Ukraine

The aftermath of a Russian attack on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast on the morning of Jan. 20, 2022. (Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko / Telegram)

German Defense Minister: No decision yet on Leopard tanks for Ukraine. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Jan. 20 that an agreement on providing Ukraine with Leopard tanks had not been reached yet. “I’m very sure there will be a decision in the short term, but I don’t know how the decision will look,” Pistorius told reporters.

Reznikov says Ramstein-8 summit led to ‘optimistic breakthrough.’ Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Ukrainian media Liga on Jan. 20 that the Ramstein-8 summit led to an ” optimistic breakthrough” over Leopard tanks delivery.

Zelensky at Ramstein summit: ‘Hundreds of thank you are not hundreds of tanks.’ President Volodymyr Zelensky called on partners to speed up the provision of military aid to Ukraine in his online address at the Ramstein-8 meeting on Jan. 20. “Every unit (of supplied weaponry) helps to save our people from terror. But time – time remains a Russian weapon. We have to speed up,” Zelensky said.

Reuters: US officials advise Ukraine to hold back on offensive until training for new weapons is complete. Ukraine should hold off on launching a major offensive against Russia until it receives new weapons and can operate them, according to an undisclosed senior official quoted by Reuters on Jan. 20.

Russian-controlled militants say they occupied Klishchiivka near Bakhmut, Ukraine doesn’t confirm. Russian-controlled militants in Donetsk Oblast say Moscow seized the village of Klishchiivka near Bakhmut, Russian state-controlled news outlet TASS reported on Jan. 20. Ukraine’s General Staff hasn’t confirmed the loss of the village but mentioned Russian attacks on Klishchiivka in its daily update.

Spiegel: German intelligence alarmed by high losses of Ukrainian army in Bakhmut. According to Der Spiegel, during a secret meeting held this week in the Bundestag, the foreign intelligence service informed security politicians that Ukraine is losing a “three-digit number of soldiers” daily. The report doesn’t specify how the losses are counted and do they include wounded and captured.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

US to designate Wagner Group international ‘criminal organization.’ The U.S. is due to impose sanctions next week against the infamous Kremlin-backed Wagner Group mercenaries and its support network across the world, the White House said on Jan. 20.

Cabinet Ministry creates commission to investigate Brovary helicopter crash. The Cabinet Ministry has created a special commission to investigate the cause of the helicopter crash on Jan. 18 in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, which killed 14 people, including all ten people aboard, said Cabinet Ministry representative Taras Melnychuk.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK: Ukraine to start training on Challenger tanks soon. “Heavy artillery systems crews are already training and tankers will arrive soon,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.K. Vadym Prystaiko told Radio Free Europe on Jan. 20.

Navy SEAL deserter killed in Ukraine. An ex-US Navy SEAL, who deserted the military in 2019, was killed in eastern Ukraine while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, Navy officials told several U.S. news outlets.

Read our exclusives

At Ramstein, Germany stops short of giving Ukraine Leopard tanks, despite mounting pressure from allies

Photo: Getty Images

Learn More

Ukraine war latest: Ramstein ends in disappointment for Kyiv as Ukrainian troops hold out Russia’s assault near Bakhmut

Photo: Getty Images

Learn More

The human cost of Russia’s war

Governor: Russian attack on Kramatorsk kills 1. Russian troops fired three missiles at the city’s civilian infrastructure, damaging a kindergarten, a school, a clinic, and residential buildings nearby, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Official: Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast injure 2 people. Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko reported on Jan. 20 that Russian attacks on two settlements, Antonivka and Novodmytrivka, in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast, injured two people, including a 15-year-old boy.

Russian attacks kill 3, injure 4 in Donetsk Oblast over past day. Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast killed three civilians and wounded four over the past day, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Jan. 21 on Telegram.

General Staff: Russia has lost 119,300 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Jan. 20 that Russia had also lost 3,139 tanks, 6,241 armored fighting vehicles, 4,903 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,129 artillery systems, 442 multiple launch rocket systems, 220 air defense systems, 287 airplanes, 277 helicopters, 1,886 drones, and 17 boats.

Reader contributions are our main source of revenue. Support our work.

International response

Germany announces 1 billion euro spring military aid package for Ukraine. Germany will provide Ukraine with a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) military assistance package, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at the Ramstein-8 summit on Jan. 20, according to Ukrinform.

Finland to provide Ukraine with 400 million euro military aid package. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has approved the government’s proposal to provide Ukraine with an additional military aid package worth more than 400 million euros. In the largest aid package up to date, Finland will supply heavy artillery and munition, according to the country’s Defense Minister Mikko Savola.

Netherlands to supply 2 Patriot systems, missiles to Ukraine. The Netherlands will supply the air defense systems to Ukraine, according to a letter from Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren to the Dutch House of Representatives, reported NOS news organization.

NL Times: Netherlands to consider supplying Ukraine with F-16 aircraft. The Dutch government will look into providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets if Kyiv asks for it, NL Times reported, citing the country’s Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra. During a parliamentary debate on Jan. 19, Hoekstra said that the Dutch Cabinet would consider such a request with an “open mind.”

Swiss Foreign Minister: Switzerland not against giving Russian assets to Ukraine but referendum may be needed. Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that his country supports the idea of using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction, but it would require “major legal adjustments.”

US-led price cap coalition agrees to review level of Russian crude price cap in March. U.S. officials and allies agreed to move toward price caps on Russian refined fuel products, agreeing to review the level of the Russian crude oil price cap in March, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement.

Reuters: EU preparing 10th round of Russia sanctions. The European Union is working on its 10th round of sanctions for next month against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Alexander Query, Thaisa Semenova, Anhelina Shamlii, Dinara Khalilova, Francis Farrell, Teah Pelechaty, and Lili Bivings.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider becoming our patron on Patreon or donating via GoFundMe. Start supporting independent journalism today.