The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Dec. 3 that Russian forces had “highly likely” made small advances south of Bakhmut in recent days after five months of trying to capture the besieged town in Donetsk Oblast.
The ministry said that Russia likely plans to encircle Bakhmut with “tactical advances to the north and the south,” investing a significant portion of its military effort in capturing the town.
After Russia's battlefield defeats in Ukraine’s northeast and the south, “there is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut’s capture has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia,” it added.
While seizing Bakhmut could allow Russia to launch more attacks on urban areas such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast, it would have “limited operational value," according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
“The campaign has been disproportionately costly relative to these possible gains,” the report reads.
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Saturday, January 10
Ukrainian forces launched an overnight attack on an oil depot in Russia's Volgograd Oblast as part of efforts to reduce Moscow's offensive capabilities, Ukraine's General Staff said Jan. 10.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Jan. 10 condemned Iran's crackdown on anti-government protests and called on the international community to increase pressure on Tehran, drawing parallels between its domestic repression and its conduct on the global stage.
Russia, Iran, China and South Africa are participating in the drills, called "Will for Peace 2026," with Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia joining as observers.
Russia’s takeover of Crimea did not begin in 2014. In the first part of a new documentary, The Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigation Unit looks at how Russia began moving to seize the peninsula immediately after Ukraine gained independence in 1991.
"We are surging investment into our preparations (...) ensuring that Britain’s Armed Forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the multinational force (in) Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure U.K.," U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump plan to finalize the deal at the World Economic Forum's flagship annual summit, held in Switzerland on January 19–23, the Telegraph reported on Jan 9.
Ukraine's Air Force reported intercepting 94 of the 121 drones launched by Russia overnight. Russia also launched one ballistic missile from its Kursk region.
Iraq is setting up a special government commission to investigate and prevent the recruitment of Iraqi youth to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the "I Want to Live" project reported.
Russian authorities in Volgograd Oblast reported a drone attack overnight on Jan. 10, that sparked a fire at an oil facility in the region’s Oktyabrsky district.
Saturday, January 10
"We are going to do something with Greenland, whether they like it or not," Trump told reporters. "Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor."
(Updated: )
The Olina, the fifth tanker seized by the U.S. in recent weeks, has previously been sanctioned for transporting Russian oil in violation of earlier restrictions.
"This is a man who must be stopped," John Healey told the Kyiv Independent.
(Updated: )
Four people were killed and 25 others injured in Kyiv after Russia launched a mass attack across Ukraine overnight on Jan. 8-9. Rescue workers were among the victims of Russia's double-tap strike.
