It is day 323 of the war in Ukraine. Follow the latest news about the war and all its aftermath in this live blog.
This live blog is no longer maintained. Follow the latest updates on the January 13 live blog.
Zelensky sends reinforcements to Soledar
20:32 | Ukrainian soldiers defending the towns of Bachmut and Soledar can count on reinforcements, ammunition and supplies, President Volodimir Zelensky promises. They have long been fighting Russian troops in strategic places in the eastern Donetsk region and, according to Zelensky, they will receive everything they need in time. Despite reports that Russian Wagner mercenaries have taken Soledar, the bloody battle continues.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said today that Russia has sent more troops to the area. After consulting with the army command, Zelensky announced that Kiev is also sending more people and equipment to the region.
“Battle for Soledar comparable to Mariupol”
18:53 | Fighting in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar is still raging, although the Wagner group claims they have already taken control of the city. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry denies it and claims that more troops have been sent to the city.
Colonel Han Bouwmeester, associate professor of military strategy at the Dutch Defense Academy, compares the battle for the city to the battle for Mariupol. “The city had already fallen, but the Azovstal factory not yet. There the fighters of Ukraine resisted for weeks». Bouwmeester “wouldn’t be surprised” if the battle for Soledar continued like this. “We are moving towards that situation.”
“The Russians are working on a new strategy”
2:15 pm | Russia appears to be working on a new strategy in the war in Ukraine. According to BNR foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg, there are several signs that point to this. Russia wants to raise the conscription age from 27 to 30. In addition, support positions behind the front are being strengthened, and Russia has begun to recruit mercenaries in the Crimea. These signs point to what appears to be a larger or longer offensive in Ukraine, Hammelburg says.
Prison sentence for Russian conscientious objector
1:40 pm | A 24-year-old Russian professional soldier has been sentenced to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine. The soldier, Marsel Kandarov, was called for this but failed to appear in May last year. He was tracked down in the Urals in September.
He received a similar prison sentence for conscientious objection during September when the Army began recruiting. That month’s mobilization drove hundreds of thousands of Russians out of the country, including into Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey.
Russia: Sweden holds back
11:30 am | Russia suspects Sweden is hiding something about the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year. Swedish and Danish authorities are investigating the blasts, but Moscow says the information has been withheld. This suggests that “the Swedish authorities have something to hide,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Sweden and other European researchers say the attacks were deliberate, but have not said who they hold responsible. Moscow says the West is behind the explosions.
Ukraine sees the buildup of Russian troops
11:15 am | Ukraine’s defense ministry says Russia has once again sent more troops to Soledar, despite conflicting reports on the situation in the battled city. Russia’s mercenary army, the Wagner Group, said it captured the city on Wednesday, but Ukraine says the battle is still ongoing.
A deputy defense minister says Russia has expanded its troop buildup in Soledar in eastern Ukraine from 250 to 280 in a week. “They walk over their own corpses,” he said of the invading soldiers. “Russia sends its own people to slaughter by the thousands, but we persist.”
Russia replaces the general
05:40 | Russia has appointed Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov as new commander-in-chief for the war in Ukraine. In a statement, the defense ministry said the appointment represents an “elevation of the leadership status” of the armed forces in Ukraine and is being carried out to “improve the quality and effectiveness of the management of the Russian armed forces”.
Russia’s military leadership recently faced sharp criticism from military bloggers and others for numerous battlefield setbacks and Moscow’s failure to secure victory in a campaign the Kremlin expected would last only for short while.
The battle of Soledar continues
05:00 | The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has denied Russian claims that the eastern city of Soledar was taken by the Russians. “The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend that they ‘had some successes in Soledar’, but the fighting continues.”
The Ukrainian military also denies that Russian forces surrounded and captured Soledar after claims by mercenary group head Wagner that the mining town had fallen.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
