The Russian army claimed Sunday the capture of a small town in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine, with Kiev forces assuring for their part that this village had “no importance” from a military point of view. This announcement, however, illustrates the increased pressure exerted by Moscow’s forces on the front in recent weeks. On Thursday, the Russian army had already announced the conquest of another small town, Veseloye, in the Donetsk region.
Information to remember
⇒ Tusk begins his visit to Ukraine
⇒ kyiv says it shot down eight drones launched by Moscow
⇒ In Ukraine, a bombing kills 27 in a town under Russian control
Donald Tusk begins his visit to Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk began his visit to kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday morning, his press service announced. This is his first visit to this neighboring country which is fighting against the Russian invasion.
“On January 22, Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Kiev. The head of the Polish government will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Chmygal,” according to an official statement. Images of getting off the train were attached to this email message.
Ukraine says it shot down eight drones launched by Russia
Ukraine said on Monday that it had shot down eight Iranian-made drones launched over its territory by Russia during the night. “The enemy attacked with eight Shahed-136/131 type drones,” the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement, specifying that they had been launched from the Russian region of Primorsko-Akhtarsk”, located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Azov.
The drones were shot down by defense systems in several regions of southern and central Ukraine, she added. No damage from falling debris has been reported at this stage.
kyiv considers controlling the skies in the face of Russian attacks the priority this year and has repeatedly asked its Western allies to help further strengthen its air defense system. This new drone attack blamed on Moscow comes following several bombings of oil depots in Russian border regions. Ukrainian security sources claimed responsibility for some of these attacks to AFP. Russia also reported on Sunday a fire at a gas terminal in Russia, a potential target of Ukrainian forces. The disaster was caused by “an external factor”, said the company Novatek, manager of the site, without giving details.
27 dead in bombing of Russian-controlled town
A bombing on the city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia, left at least 27 dead on Sunday, including many victims in a rush hour market, local authorities said. put in place by Moscow. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of increasing strikes hitting residential areas in the past two months, while the front line is largely frozen.
In Donetsk, local pro-Russian authorities accused the Ukrainian army of having bombed a peripheral district in the southwest of the city, where the market is located, less than 15 km from the front. “Twenty-seven civilians were killed and 25 others suffered injuries of varying severity, including two teenagers,” said the regional official installed by Moscow, Denis Pushilin. Ukraine did not immediately comment, and AFP was unable to verify the circumstances of the strike on Sunday.
At the UN, Moscow called to explain the transfer of Ukrainian children
Russia will have to explain itself this Monday to the UN on the fate of Ukrainian children who, according to kyiv, have been forcibly sent by the thousands to Russian soil since the start of the war in February 2022. The Human Rights Committee child – composed of 18 independent experts – is to examine Russia’s file for two days as part of a regular review.
The experts’ list of multiple concerns was sent to Russia months in advance. Concerning the “evacuation” of Ukrainian children to Russia or Ukrainian territories under Russian control, they particularly wish to know how many are affected and the “measures taken to protect the right of these children to preserve their identity, including their nationality.” Ukraine estimates that 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly sent to Russia. Only around 400 have been repatriated by authorities at this stage. Moscow says it wants to protect these children from fighting.