Ukraine war latest: Officer in Sumy Oblast unit suspected of torturing subordinates, abusing power, investigation says
This is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,428 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have detained an officer from a military unit in Sumy Oblast on suspicion of abusing and torturing subordinates, the State Investigation Bureau (DBR) said on Jan. 21.
Investigators did not disclose the names of the detainee or the victims, or identify the military unit involved. The suspect is the deputy commander of a battalion stationed in Sumy Oblast, according to investigators.
Two subordinates secretly recorded a conversation in which the officer threatened to shoot them for failing to carry out an order. The recording was later posted on social media, after which the suspect allegedly began pressuring those who made it public to delete it.
The officer later lined up the soldiers and fired five shots from his service pistol at their feet and over their heads, allegedly simulating an execution, according to the investigation.
The officer also reportedly beat the soldiers. One of them suffered a torn meniscus after being struck with a helmet.
After the incident, the soldiers did not remove the recording from social media. Investigators said the officer then fired an automatic weapon at the mobile phone and later shot one of his subordinates in the foot.
The suspect reportedly ordered that the injury be recorded as self-inflicted.
There was also a separate incident in which the officer allegedly struck another deputy battalion commander in the head before a work meeting, the investigation said.
The officer has been charged with torture, violation of military regulations, and abuse of power. He faces up to 12 years in prison.
The suspect was transferred to a detention center, and the case has been referred to court, the bureau said.
11 Ukrainians charged with collaboration, treason after joining illegal Russian armed group in occupied Kherson Oblast
Last updated 7:06 p.m. Kyiv time.
Eleven Ukrainians have been charged in absentia with collaboration and treason after joining an illegal Russian armed group in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, the National Police said Jan. 21.
The group was formed in 2023 in the city of Henichesk by Volodymyr Saldo, a Ukrainian politician installed by Moscow as the head of the occupied part of Kherson Oblast. The so-called volunteer battalion was tasked with carrying out sabotage operations in southern Ukraine.
The suspects joined the group voluntarily, according to the police. They include five residents of Russian-occupied Crimea, two former residents of Odesa Oblast, three from Kherson Oblast, and one from Donetsk Oblast.
The suspects range in age from 35 to 66 and face up to 15 years in prison, the report read.
One suspect, a 46-year-old resident of the village of Nova Mayachka in Kherson Oblast, is also charged with treason, an offense punishable by life imprisonment with confiscation of property under Ukrainian law.
Saldo is listed in the case as the organizer of the illegal armed group and faces up to eight years in prison on that charge, the police said.
Ukrainian soldier in intensive care after FSB-linked attack in Zaporizhzhia
Last updated 4:23 p.m. Kyiv time.
An alleged agent of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stabbed a Ukrainian soldier in the city of Zaporizhzhia, leaving the serviceman in intensive care, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the National Police said on Jan. 21.
Authorities detained a 25-year-old unemployed man suspected of carrying out the attack after he allegedly agreed to cooperate with Russian special services in exchange for money, law enforcement agencies said.
Russian handlers ordered the suspect to kill a 23-year-old platoon commander who was undergoing rehabilitation after being wounded, according to the SBU.
The suspect used a fake female profile on a dating website to arrange a meeting. During the encounter, he stabbed the soldier six times in the neck, chest, abdomen, and right leg, the National Police said.
The attacker fled the scene but was detained several hours later.
The detainee has been charged with attempted murder carried out on commission and for financial gain. He faces 10 to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment, with confiscation of property.
The soldier remains in serious condition in intensive care.
Law enforcement agencies did not disclose the names of the attacker or the victim.
Severe frosts could enable mechanized Russian assaults in Donetsk Oblast, military says
Last updated 2:23 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russian forces may find favorable conditions for mechanized assaults in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast due to frost and frozen ground, Roman Pysarenko, head of communications for the 79th Brigade based near Myrnohrad, told Suspilne on Jan. 21.
"There is no mud, and heavy equipment will not get stuck," Pysarenko said.
"At the same time, the enemy has serious logistics problems — our brigade's drones are already flying more than 30 kilometers (19 miles) and striking the enemy deep in the rear," Pysarenko added.
The Ukrainian military official said the situation around Myrnohrad, a satellite town of Pokrovsk where his brigade is stationed, remains difficult as Russian troops attempt to infiltrate the town.
Russian forces are using mass assaults and small infantry groups to carry out the tactic, he added.
"The enemy is infiltrating the city, finding basements and houses to hide in. You can even encounter the enemy face to face when entering or leaving (a position)," Pysarenko said.
As a countermeasure, Ukrainian units are conducting search-and-strike operations to detect and destroy Russian forces in Myrnohrad and the surrounding areas, he said.
Pokrovsk, a key fortress city in Donetsk Oblast, has been one of the most fiercely contested areas of the front line, with Ukrainian forces holding off a major Russian assault for the past year. Myrnohrad is located less than 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the embattled city.
600,000 people leave Kyiv in January amid Russia's energy blitz, mayor Klitschko says
Last updated 12:23 p.m. Kyiv time.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 600,000 people have left the capital in January following a series of Russian attacks that led to severe power outages and the lack of heating in many homes under subzero temperatures, the Times reported on Jan. 20.
Home to over 3 million people, Kyiv is struggling to restore power, heating, and water as Russian missiles and drones continue to target the city's critical infrastructure, as Ukrainian air defenses are strained.
Klitschko's press service told the Kyiv Independent that the 600,000 number was calculated from mobile phone billing data.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 21 that almost 60% of Kyiv had no electricity as of the morning. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Dnipro, and their surrounding regions are enduring the "most difficult" situation, he added.
The report comes nearly two weeks after Klitschko urged residents on Jan. 9 to "temporarily leave the city" if there is a possibility. The evacuation recommendation came after the Jan. 9 overnight attack left about 6,000 apartment buildings across Kyiv, nearly half of the city's total, without heating as temperatures dropped below -10°C (14°F).
Klitschko said on Jan. 21 that 4,000 of the 5,635 high-rise apartment buildings, which were left without heating after yet another Russian attack on Jan. 20, were still without heating.
"The situation is difficult because most of these buildings are being reconnected for the second time following damage to critical infrastructure on Jan. 9," Klitschko said in a Jan. 21 Telegram post.
11 reported injured in southern Russia as separate drone strike hits oil refinery
Last updated 7:20 a.m. Kyiv time.
Eleven people were injured in an overnight attack in Russia's Republic of Adygea, while a separate drone strike sparked a fire at an oil refinery in neighboring Krasnodar Krai, local authorities and media reported Jan. 21.
Adygea Governor Murat Kumpilov said a residential building in the Takhtamukaysky District was damaged after a drone was detected in the area. He said 11 people, including two children, were injured.
Kumpilov reported that the attack sparked a fire at an apartment building and a nearby parking lot in the village of Novaya Adygea, prompting an emergency response.
Russian state media outlets TASS and RIA Novosti claimed that the fire was caused by a Ukrainian drone strike on the residential building. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the incident.
However, independent Russian outlet ASTRA reported that the damage was caused by a Russian air defense missile, citing eyewitness video, accounts from residents, and open source intelligence analysis. ASTRA said debris consistent with an air defense interceptor was visible at the site.
The incident occurred amid reports of drone activity and air defense operations in the area. Responsibility for the damage has not been independently confirmed.
Separately, in neighboring Krasnodar Krai, drones struck the Afipsky oil refinery overnight, sparking a fire at the facility, Russian media and local authorities reported.
Regional officials said drone fragments fell onto the refinery's grounds, igniting the blaze. The regional operations headquarters said there were no casualties and no damage to critical infrastructure, adding that the fire was quickly extinguished.
The Afipsky refinery—one of the largest in southern Russia—has been targeted repeatedly in previous drone attacks, including strikes reported last September and November that caused fires at the facility.
At least 7 killed, 29 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least seven people have been killed and 29 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on Jan. 21.
Russia launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 97 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 84 drones.
At least 13 drones and the missiles made it through, striking 11 locations. The fall of debris was recorded at one location.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian attacks killed four and injured six civilians over the past day, according to the local military administration.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian drones killed two people and injured another in the Synelnykove district, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.
In Donetsk Oblast, a Russian strike killed one person in the city of Lyman, while a separate attack killed a civilian in the village of Osykove. Five people were injured in Druzhkivka, and another civilian was wounded in the city of Kostiantynivka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 35 settlements, injuring 10 people, including a child, over the past day, the local military administration said.
In Sumy Oblast, Russian guided aerial bombs injured a 42-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man in the Bilopillia community. A Russian drone attack injured a 63-year-old man in the Hlukhiv community, according to the local military administration.
In Odesa Oblast, Russian forces attacked the southern part of the region, injuring a 50-year-old man, Governor Oleh Kiper said.
In Kharkiv Oblast, a 41-year-old man suffered injuries in the village of Husynka, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,229,740 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,229,740 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 21.
The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,587 tanks, 23,938 armored fighting vehicles, 75,238 vehicles and fuel tanks, 36,463 artillery systems, 1,621 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,279 air defense systems, 434 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 112,159 drones, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.
