Ukraine experienced a new air attack this Tuesday, January 23 in the early morning; this time, it was mainly the cities of Kharkiv, kyiv and the Dnipro region which were hit by a wave of Russian missiles; The explosions and falling debris caused considerable damage in the two cities, but also victims among the civilian population. The notorious fact is that many missiles were not intercepted by the anti-aircraft defense.
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With our correspondent in kyiv, Stéphane Siohan
The inhabitants of kyiv once again woke up to the sound of cannon fire, when between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. (local time), cruise and ballistic missiles were aimed at the city. Several heavy explosions rang out in the city, including one in the central district of Pechersk, not far from places of power in the Ukrainian capital. The authorities are in the process of establishing a list of damages, but we already know that the sports complex of the national railway company was destroyed, and that at least one person was killed.
Building destroyed
The toll is heavier in Kharkiv, in the north-east of the country, where an S-300 missile completely destroyed a building, causing the death of five people. In total, this morning, 18 people were injured in kyiv and 42 in Kharkiv, according to a still provisional count.
The bad news today is that of the 41 missiles fired by Russia during the night, only 21 were shot down by anti-aircraft defenses, the lowest interception rate in several months. According to experts, this means two things: either the Russian army is showing more ingenuity in the trajectory of its projectiles, or the Ukrainian army is starting to seriously lack ammunition for its anti-aircraft defense systems, in particular the Patriot batteries, while Western military aid has dangerously slowed down.
Questions about the quality of North Korean arms deliveries to Russia
With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicolas Rocca
While North Korea claims that a visit by Vladimir Putin will take place soon, military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is cause for concern in Seoul and Kiev. Since this summer, satellite images have documented North Korean arms deliveries. Pyongyang has transmitted at least one million artillery shells to Russia according to the latest South Korean estimates. These munitions from old stocks are said to be of poor quality and partly defective.
Quite the opposite of the ballistic missiles identified by the British organization Conflict Armament Research. Images of the debris from a missile fired on the city of Kharkiv on January 2 show an inscription in the Korean alphabet and various characteristics leaving little doubt about its North Korean origin. In accordance with other analyses, the photos indicate that they would be KN-23 or 24. Solid-fuel tactical ballistic missiles whose first test dates back to 2019 before entering service the following year. These good quality weapons have never been tested in a real theater of operation and even less against Western anti-missile defense systems. Valuable information for Pyongyang, because in the event of a conflict, South Korea and Japan would have similar capabilities.
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