Tuesday, January 23

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A woman walks past a damaged house in the town of Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, on Jan. 21, 2024. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)

Polish PM Donald Tusk pledges unity, end to border blockade during Kyiv visit. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Jan. 22 during his first visit to Ukraine since assuming the position.

Russian opposition calls for nomination of anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin in presidential race. Boris Nadezhdin, who previously served in Russia’s parliament, has attracted attention for repeatedly voicing his opposition to the war on television. He called the full-scale war a mistake and said that Russia could not defeat Ukraine using its current methods.

Zelensky to submit bill on multiple citizenship to parliament. “All people of Ukrainian origin and their descendants from different countries will be allowed to have our citizenship. Of course, except for the citizens of the aggressor state,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 22.

Ombudsman: Russia deports 17 children with disabilities from occupied Donetsk Oblast. Russia transferred 17 Ukrainian children with disabilities from the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast to a rehabilitation center near Moscow as part of the forced passportization campaign in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Jan. 22.

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Energy Ministry: Russian attacks cause fire, destroy equipment at Kharkiv Oblast energy facility. The Energy Ministry did not specify the extent of the damage caused by the attacks and ensuing fire, nor did it say the type of equipment that was destroyed. There were no casualties in the attack.

Ukrainian government to propose banning entry of Russian-registered vehicles for 50 years. The Ukrainian government will submit a proposal to the National Security and Defense Council to ban all vehicles registered in Russia or owned by Russian citizens from entering Ukraine for 50 years, according to an order published on the government’s web portal.

Prosecutor General: Ukrainian law enforcement has seized over 260 Russia-linked properties since February 2022. Ukrainian law enforcement has seized over 260 properties in Ukraine directly and indirectly linked to Russians since the start of the full-scale invasion, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said at a press conference on Jan. 22.

Reuters: Russian Novatek gas plant damaged in suspected Ukraine attack to resume operations within weeks. Novatek’s gas-condensate plant caught fire at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast following a possible coordinated effort by Ukraine to strike key targets deep inside Russian territory, Ukrainian media reported.

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Ukraine war latest: Russian air defense may not be prepared for Ukrainian attacks, ISW reports

Russian air defense systems in Leningrad Oblast may not be well-equipped to counter attacks from Ukraine, because they were not designed with southern attacks in mind, the Institute for the Study of War wrote in its Jan. 21 report.

Photo: Governor Alexander Drozdenko/Telegram

Move to expand mobilization brings Ukrainian society face-to-face with immense pressure of war

As Russia’s full-scale war approaches its third year and looks ready to drag on for several more, one topic is dominating the discussion in Ukraine: mobilization.  

Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent

Can Ukraine’s economy survive without foreign aid? Experts aren’t sure

As Russia’s full-scale war approaches the two-year mark, Ukraine is headed for economic turbulence as vital external financial help hangs in the balance.

Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Official: Russian attack against Kherson injures man. A 43-year-old man received minor injuries as a result of a Russian strike against Kherson in the afternoon of Jan. 22, as reported by Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson city military administration.

Governor: Russian attack kills man in Kherson Oblast’s Beryslav. A Russian drone dropped explosives on the town of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast on Jan. 22, killing a male resident, Oleksandr Proukudin, the regional governor, reported on Telegram.

Governor: Russian shelling of Kupiansk kills 1, injures 1. Russian forces shelled Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, killing a person and wounding another one, Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, said on Jan. 22.

1 killed, 2 injured in Russian attack on Kramatorsk. One person was killed, and two more were injured in Russia’s morning missile attack against Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, according to the latest update by Vadym Filashkin, the regional governor.

International response

WSJ: EU creates fresh plan for $22 billion in military support for Ukraine. The proposed plan is designed with Hungary’s likely obstruction in mind, avoiding the regular disbursement of aid that can be blocked by a single member state.

Borrell: EU foreign ministers agree on plan to transfer profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. European Union foreign ministers have reached a political agreement to finalize the work on transferring revenues from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine based on the proposal suggested in December, EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Jan. 22.

Umerov: Belgium pledges $665 million in military aid to Ukraine in 2024. According to the Belgian government’s Foreign Affairs website, Belgium has allocated 1.7 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in support for Ukraine through the end of 2025.

In other news

Court arrests last suspect in Hrynkevych corruption scandal. The Kyiv Pechersk District court ruled on Jan. 22 to arrest Roman Hrynkevych, one of the suspects allegedly involved in a defense procurement corruption scandal, Hromadske media outlet reported.

Zelensky signs decree recognizing some Russian territories as historically inhabited by Ukrainians. Ukraine will take steps to research, publicize, and protect the histories of Ukrainians living in parts of modern-day Russia that have been historically inhabited by Ukrainians, according to a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 22.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Elsa Court, Nate Ostiller, Teah Pelechaty, Dinara Khalilova, Olena Goncharova, and Dmytro Basmat.

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