The Armed Forces of Ukraine have no forces for a major offensive now, military experts sayOn January 8, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the death of more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers as a result of strikes on their temporary locations in the frontline city of Kramatorsk.
The operation was a response to the New Year's shelling of Makeyevka, in which dozens of Russian soldiers were killed. The armed forces of the Russian Federation on Sunday resumed active hostilities after the end of the Christmas truce, which remained unilateral. According to experts, the cold snap may lead to further intensification of hostilities in the coming days.
Retaliatory strike
The Russian Defense Ministry told about the planning and execution of a massive missile "retaliation strike", which killed hundreds of Ukrainian servicemen.
— In response to the criminal strike of the Kiev regime in the first minutes of January 2023, a retaliation operation was carried out by the command of the United Group of Russian Troops at the temporary deployment point of Russian servicemen in the settlement of Makeyevka of the Donetsk People's Republic, — said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
Consequences of the shelling of the vocational school building in Makeyevka
Image Source: Photo: TASS/Ivan Novyabrev
Temporary deployment points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city of Kramatorsk were discovered and confirmed through several channels. There were more than 700 Ukrainian servicemen in dormitory No. 28 and more than 600 in dormitory No. 47. As a result of a massive missile strike on them, more than 600 soldiers were destroyed, the general said.
The strike was a response to the shelling on the night of January 1 of the location of Russian troops in frontline Makeyevka from HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. As a result of hitting four missiles, 89 Russian servicemen were killed. The deputy commander of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Bachurin, also became a victim of the blow.
Unilateral truce
By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, from 12:00 on January 6 to 24:00 on January 7, a ceasefire was unilaterally declared along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine. The Ukrainian political and military leadership refused to join the ceasefire.
— The joint grouping of Russian troops (forces) in the areas of the special military operation from 12 o'clock on January 6 to 24 o'clock on January 7 observed the declared ceasefire along the entire line of contact, — said Igor Konashenkov.
During the entire ceasefire period, Ukrainian troops continued to conduct intensive shelling of settlements and Russian positions, firing hundreds of shells and multiple rocket launchers.
Photo: Global Look Press/Keystone Press Agency/Laurel Chor
Image source: iz.ru
The Ukrainian artillery, from which the shelling of settlements was conducted, was suppressed by the return fire of the Russian troops.
The most fierce fighting continued in the area of the cities of Artemovsk and Soledar, where the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the promotion and taking of advantageous positions. The Defense Ministry also reported fighting in the Krasno-Limansk, Kupyansk, Donetsk and South Donetsk directions.
There were no significant territorial changes during the holidays. There were tactical successes of Russian troops at Soledar and Artemovsk. The upcoming cold snap may lead to the intensification of hostilities along the entire front, military expert Vladislav Shurygin believes.
— The ongoing thaw due to mild weather still interfered with the fighting, with the arrival of frosts, the situation may change, the expert told Izvestia. — The VFU has no forces for a major offensive now. But they can try in secondary areas to conduct raids by mobile detachments on the frozen ground on wheeled armored vehicles received from the West. We have already observed such tactics in their performance in the summer and autumn near Kherson and Kharkiv. This will be done in order to ease the pressure on Artemovsk and the surrounding area and to probe our defenses in secondary areas. In turn, it will be easier for Russian troops to supply the offensive group and support it with heavy armored vehicles.
Consequences of the shelling of Donetsk on January 7, 2023
Image Source: Photo: TASS/Nikolai Trishin
The rejection of the Christmas truce demonstrates the unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to make any compromises now. With intensive pumping of Western weapons, including the latest, they retain the hope, if not to win, then to reduce the matter to a "draw". Kiev can be forced to negotiate only by major victories on the battlefield, Vladislav Shurygin believes
365 aircraft
On January 8, it became known about a new exchange of prisoners of war. As a result of the negotiation process, 50 Russian servicemen who were in mortal danger in captivity were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime, the Defense Ministry reported.
The released persons will be transported by military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Defense Ministry.
After the termination of the ceasefire regime in the Kupyansk direction at 24 hours on January 7, Russian troops inflicted a fire defeat on accumulations of manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Novoselovskoye in the LPR and Sinkovka in the Kharkiv region. More than 30 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier and two cars were destroyed, the Defense Ministry reported.
The return of 50 Russian servicemen from captivity
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Two enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups were destroyed in the area of Kotlyarovka in the Kharkiv region and Novoselovsky in the Luhansk People's Republic.
In the Krasnolimansk direction, Russian units launched artillery strikes against two assault groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova of the Luhansk People's Republic and Serebryanka of the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as enemy manpower and equipment accumulations near Makeyevka and Stelmakhovka in the LPR. As a result, more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers, three armored combat vehicles, a pickup truck and a car were destroyed.
In the Donetsk direction, Russian artillery thwarted an attempt by a company of the 54th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to counterattack the positions of our troops in the direction of the settlement of Disputable (DPR). Up to 70 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored combat vehicles and a pickup truck were destroyed.
In the South Donets direction, in the area of Novomikhailovka, Vladimirovka, Pavlovka and Neskuchny in the DPR, the actions of sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were suppressed, more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored personnel carrier and three cars were destroyed.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Konstantin Mikhalchevsky
Image source: iz.ru
Operational-tactical and army aviation, rocket troops and artillery hit the warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons and ammunition of the 95th airborne assault and 60th mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Krasny Liman and Konstantinovka, as well as 84 artillery units in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 117 districts.
During the counter-battery struggle, artillery calculations of the howitzer battery of the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade and multiple rocket launchers "Grad" were defeated at firing positions in the areas of the settlements of Karlovka and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down five aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force during the day. In the Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter was shot down near the locality of Lozove, and a Su—24 bomber was shot down near Izyum.
Two Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft were shot down in the areas of the settlements of Nikolaypole and New Donbass. The MiG-29 was destroyed near the village of Veseloye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
Image source: iz.ru
Air defense means destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, 10 rockets of the HIMARS and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems were intercepted in the areas of the settlements of Kremennaya in the LPR, Orekhov of the Zaporozhye region, Stepnoye (DPR) and the city of Donetsk.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 365 aircraft, 199 helicopters, 2,848 unmanned aerial vehicles, 400 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7,449 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 972 multiple rocket launchers, 3,787 field artillery and mortars, as well as 7965 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed, the Defense Ministry reported Russia.
Anton Lavrov
Andrey Fedorov
