Saturday, January 6, 2023
1640 GMT — At least 11 people, including five children, were killed by a Russian missile strike on the eastern Ukraine town of Pokrovsk, the regional governor said.
Eight people were also wounded when Russian forces hit the area with S-300 missiles. "The main blow was dealt to Pokrovsk and Rivne in the community of Myrnograd", the head of the Donetsk region, Vadim Filashkin, said on Telegram.
He released photographs showing rescue workers working through the debris of the attack which damaged six houses.
The town of Pokrovsk, which had a population of 60,000 before the war, had already been hit by a deadly bombardment last August, which left nine people dead and 82 injured.
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1410 GMT — Russia cancels Orthodox Christmas masses in Ukraine border city
Russia said that it would cancel Orthodox Christmas midnight masses in the city of Belgorod near the Ukraine border, a day after officials offered to evacuate worried residents amid increasing attacks.
Belgorod has been hit with near daily Ukrainian attacks in recent days, the deadliest of which killed 25 people on December 30.
Russia celebrates Orthodox Christmas on January 7 and midnight masses are held on the night of January 6.
The mayor of Belgorod, Valentin Demidov, said on social media he agreed with local church leaders that "night masses in Belgorod would be cancelled in connection to the operational situation".
On Friday, local officials made an unprecedented announcement to offer evacuations, almost two years into Moscow's offensive in which Russia has tried to maintain a sense of normalcy at home.
Both sides have escalated attacks in recent days as the conflict approaches its second anniversary.
1340 GMT — Russia says downed four Ukrainian missiles over Crimea overnight
Russia on Saturday announced its forces shot down four Ukrainian missiles over Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight.
The attack came a day after Russia said it repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea, downing 36 of them over the peninsula.
"Air defence on duty intercepted and destroyed four Ukrainian missiles over the Crimea peninsula," the Russian defence ministry said.
Kiev said it had hit the Saki airbase in western Crimea.
"Saki airfield! All targets have been shot!" Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine's air force commander, said on social media.
Ukraine has targeted Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, since the start of Moscow's full-scale offensive.
1304 GMT — Ukraine shows evidence Russia fired North Korea missile at Kharkiv
A senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia hit Ukraine this week with missiles supplied by North Korea for the first time during its invasion.
Dmytro Chubenko, spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, said the missile, one of several that hit the city of Kharkiv on January 2, was visually and technically different from Russian models.
"The production method is not very modern. There are deviations from standard Iskander missiles, which we previously saw during strikes on Kharkiv. This missile is similar to one of the North Korean missiles," Chubenko told media as he displayed the remnants.
"That is why we are leaning towards the version that this may be a missile which was supplied by North Korea."
Chubenko declined to give the missile's exact model name.
1302 GMT — Denmark says Ukraine to get F-16 jets in second quarter
Denmark's transfer of 19 American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will take place in the second quarter of 2024, once Ukrainian pilots have completed training, the defence ministry said.
"Based on the current timetable, the donation should take place in the second quarter of 2024," the Danish ministry said in a statement.
"It's mainly an issue of finishing the training of Ukrainian personnel who will operate the planes."
Denmark, which is replacing its F-16 fleet with more modern F-35 jets, announced in August that it would provide the 19 planes after securing approval from the US government.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Denmark's overall aid to Ukraine has reached $2.4B.
0907 GMT — Hopes for 'peace' reborn in battered Ukraine city
In the war-struck city of Izyum, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, residents are daring to hope for an end to fighting with Russia in the year ahead.
The town is awash with debris, and many buildings are gutted or have blown out windows, nearly two years since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Izyum was reclaimed by Ukrainian forces in September 2022, after being occupied by Russia in the first months of the war.
Volodymyr, a resident of the town near the frontline, wandered around with his hands in his pockets, contemplating the destruction. "I believe that everyone shares the same hope for 2024: that we achieve victory quickly and that the war ends," the 41-year-old told AFP.
0831 GMT — Russia plans to produce 32,000 drones each year by 2030 – Tass
Russia plans to produce more than 32,000 drones each year by 2030 and for domestic producers to account for 70 percent of the market, the TASS news agency cited First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as saying.
"The annual production volume of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - excluding educational UAVs - is planned at 32,500 units," Belousov told TASS.
"This is almost three times higher than current production volumes. At the same time, it is planned that the share of Russian UAVs will make up 70 percent of the market in this type of UAV."
Russia will finance the national project on UAVs with $7.66B (696 billion roubles) by 2030, Belousov said and will publish more details this month.
Drones have been widely used by Moscow and Kiev since Russia's February 2022 military action against Ukraine and both sides are sharply increasing military production as the conflict drags on.
2347 GMT —Russia says downed drones, missiles in Black Sea area
Russian air defence units have downed missiles and drones in a series of night-time attacks over the illegally-annexed Crimea peninsula and the western part of the Black Sea, the Defence Ministry said in two reports.
An initial ministry report on Telegram said air defence units "thwarted an attempted terrorist attack" by intercepting five drones over the Black Sea at about 8 pm [1700 GMT].
A second report said four Ukrainian guided missiles were intercepted and destroyed at 12.30 am on Saturday over Crimea.
There was no report on the incident from the Ukrainian military, which does not consistently disclose its actions in Crimea.
0318 GMT — Russia offers to relocate border city residents after shelling
Russian officials in the southern border city of Belgorod offered to evacuate worried residents, an unprecedented announcement that follows waves of fatal Ukrainian attacks.
The Kremlin has tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy on the home front, but the recent strikes on Belgorod have brought the Ukraine conflict closer to home for Russians.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's assurance that scared civilians can relocate represents the furthest-reaching measure taken by any major Russian city since Moscow launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine nearly two years ago.
2024 GMT — Russia requests UNSC meeting on arms supplies to Kiev
Russia has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council in connection with supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine, TASS news agency reported.
"A meeting on the supply of Western weapons has been requested for January 22," it cited its source as saying.
Western countries have requested a UNSC meeting on January 10 in connection with arms supplies to Russia allegedly from North Korea.
For our live updates from Friday, January 5, click here.
