Russia-Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy says Bakhmut is ‘holding on’
All the updates from January 9 as they happened.
This live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Monday, January 9:
This live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Monday, January 9:
- Kyiv’s forces are repelling constant Russian attacks on towns in the eastern region of Donbas, Ukrainian authorities say.
- Bakhmut and Soledar were “holding on”, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, as Moscow-backed separatists claim to have captured Bakhmutske, an eastern village.
- Two women have been killed and several others wounded in a Russian attack on a market in the village of Shevchenkove in eastern Ukraine on Monday, regional prosecutors say.
- According to Sky News, the United Kingdom is considering sending Ukraine tanks for the first time.
Iran sending drones could contribute to war crimes: US
United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Iran could contribute to war crimes in Ukraine by providing drones to Russia.
“Their weapons are being used to kill civilians in Ukraine and to try to plunge cities into cold and darkness which, from our point of view, puts Iran in a place where it could potentially be contributing to widespread war crimes,” Sullivan told reporters.
Russian foreign minister speaks to newly appointed Chinese counterpart
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken with his newly appointed Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.
In a phone call, officials expressed satisfaction over the development of the bilateral political dialogue and practical cooperation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
They rejected “the US and its satellites’ policy to establish hegemony in world affairs, provoking confrontation between Russia and China for this purpose, interference in their internal affairs, attempts by the West to restrain the development of our countries by imposing sanctions and other illegitimate methods,” the statement said.
It added that Lavrov and Qin stressed the need for a unified approach to fundamental global development issues and positively assessed their interactions with international organisations, including the United Nations, Group of 20, and the coalition of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
The 56-year-old Qin was Beijing’s ambassador to Washington since July 2021 and succeeded Wang Yi as China’s foreign minister this month.
Russian, Ukrainian human rights commissioners to discuss prisoner swaps
The Russian and Ukrainian human rights commissioners will meet in Turkey later this week, news agencies from both countries reported, to likely discuss more prisoner exchanges.
Interfax quoted the Russian commissioner, Tatiana Moskalkova, as saying the meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets would occur during an international forum in Turkey between Thursday and Saturday.
Ukraine’s Ukrinform news agency quoted Lubinets as saying the main issue was “the return of our heroes and heroines”, a reference to prisoner exchanges.
Russia and Ukraine have conducted numerous prisoner swaps since the war began last February.
“Separately, we want to raise the issue of the return of civilian hostages, whom the Russian Federation has detained en masse in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and whom it does not allow to go home,” Lubinets said.
Zelenskyy speaks to newly elected Slovenian president
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he spoke to Slovenia’s new President Nataša Pirc Musar and discussed “defence cooperation”.
On Twitter, the Ukrainian leader wrote: I had the 1st phone call with newly elected President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar. We discussed defence cooperation, I invited her to take part in the implementation of the Peace Formula. Thanked for supporting [The] European integration of Ukraine. Invited her to visit Kyiv”.
I had the 1st phone call with newly elected President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar @nmusar. We discussed defense cooperation, I invited her to take part in the implementation of the Peace Formula. Thanked for supporting European integration of Ukraine. Invited her to visit Kyiv.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 9, 2023
Russian human rights commissioner to meet Ukrainian counterpart in Turkey
According to RIA Novosti news agency, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova says that she plans to meet her Ukrainian counterpart in Turkey around January 12-14.
No plans to send Leopard 2 tanks, says Germany
A government spokesperson said that Germany has no plans to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Last week the German government announced it was sending Marder fighting vehicles to the war-torn country, answering Kyiv’s calls for more heavy weapons to battle back against Russian forces.
Earlier on Monday, the economy minister also said Berlin could not rule out the delivery of the Leopard tanks, which are heavier fighting vehicles than the Marders.
Around ’76 percent’ of foreign companies remain in Russia: Official
Around 76 percent of foreign companies continue to operate in Russia, the head of Russia’s lower legislative chamber said.
Despite the exodus of dozens of foreign firms over the war in Ukraine, “75.9 percent of foreign companies stayed in Russia”, State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Telegram.
“This decision speaks volumes: They believe in good prospects for the development of our country’s economy, they are satisfied with the business climate. Those who left suffer billions of dollars in costs”, said Volodin.
The senior lawmaker added that Russian companies replaced niches left open by foreign businesses and urged them to be “nationally oriented” so their earnings are spent on the development of Russia, underlining that it was a priority of the State Duma to provide legal support for such purposes.
Ukrainian PM expects EU sanctions on Russia’s nuclear sector
Kyiv expects the EU to include Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in its next round of sanctions, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says.
Shmyhal said after talks in Kyiv with Frans Timmermans, a vice president of the European Commission, that Rosatom should be punished over the invasion of Ukraine.
“We expect that the 10th package [of EU sanctions] will contain restrictions against Russia’s nuclear industry, in particular Rosatom,” Shmyhal said on Telegram. “The aggressor must be punished for attacks on Ukraine’s energy industry and crimes against ecology.”
Russia has occupied the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine since March, and Putin issued a decree in October transferring control of the plant from the Ukrainian nuclear energy company Energoatom to a subsidiary of Rosatom.
UK to consider sending Ukraine tanks: Sky News
The United Kingdom is considering supplying Ukraine with tanks for the first time, British broadcaster Sky News reports, citing a Western source.
Sky said that discussions have been taking place “for a few weeks” about delivering the British army’s main battle tank, the Challenger 2, to Ukraine.
BREAKING: The UK is considering supplying Ukraine with British tanks for the first time to fight Russia's invading forces, Sky News understands.
Sky's @haynesdeborah says this would mark a "significant step up" in Western support.
More here: https://t.co/vUk10FjyRx pic.twitter.com/8ePNklr3yU
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 9, 2023
Who controls what?
Here are four maps we update daily to chart the latest war developments:
Russia opts out of Europe’s anti-corruption convention
Russia has opted out of a European convention on fighting corruption.
Putin asked the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, to stop following the Council of Europe’s convention on fighting corruption that Russia signed in 1999.
He argued that the opt-out resulted from the Council’s decision to restrict Moscow’s participation, which he called “unacceptable” and “discriminatory”.
The Council of Europe, the continent’s top human rights organisation, suspended Russia’s participation shortly after it sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.
Peskov said Russia’s withdrawal from the anti-corruption convention would not hinder official efforts to combat the issue.
He added that Russia would continue anti-corruption cooperation with “friendly” countries and noted that such collaboration with “unfriendly” nations has ground to a halt.
Russian actor faces criminal charges after ‘anti-Russian’ remarks
Russian actor Artur Smolyaninov faces criminal charges after allegedly making “anti-Russian” comments in a newspaper interview.
In the interview with Novaya Gazeta Europe – a newspaper now banned in Russia – last week, Smolyaninov said he would fight for Ukraine, not Russia, if he had to participate in the conflict.
His interview was condemned by some Russian parliamentarians.
One member, Biysultan Khamzaev, said Smolyaninov should be barred from all state-contracted films.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation said it has launched a criminal case against Smolyaninov after his interview with the “Western publication”, without providing further details.
Western ‘ammo supplies’ will extend war: Russia
According to Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, additional Western weapons to Kyiv will delay the end of the conflict.
On Twitter, the Russian embassy in the UK wrote: “Zakharova: West’s irresponsible actions & ammo supplies to Kyiv regime not only multiply victim numbers & delay Ukraine conflict end, but could also draw NATO into direct military confrontation with Russia. Yet instead of stopping, Ukraine’s Western sponsors build up their supplies.”
#Zakharova: West’s irresponsible actions & ammo supplies to #Kievregime not only multiply victim numbers & delay 🇺🇦conflict end, but could also draw #NATO into direct military confrontation with #Russia. Yet instead of stopping, Ukraine’s Western sponsors build up their supplies. pic.twitter.com/7gAXevgI3m
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) January 9, 2023
Russian missile kills two women in Shevchenkove, say prosecutors
A Russian missile has hit a village market in Shevchenkove, Kharkiv, killing two women and wounding four others, including a 10-year-old girl.
“The Russian army committed another act of terror against the civilian population – a child was wounded, two women were killed,” the regional prosecutor’s office said.
“An enemy missile hit the territory of the local market.”
In a written statement, prosecutors said they have opened an investigation into a potential war crime, referencing preliminary information that the attack came from an S-300 air defence system in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.
Two killed, 10 wounded on Sunday, says Ukrainian official
The Ukrainian presidential office’s deputy head, Krylo Tymoshenko, has said two people were killed and 10 others were wounded on Sunday.
“Victims among the civilian population as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation for 01/08/2023 (as of 09:00 01/09/2023),” he wrote on Telegram.
“Donetsk region two dead, two wounded, Zaporizhzhia region – two wounded, Kharkiv region – three wounded, Kherson region – three wounded, according to regional military administrations.”
Kremlin condemns pro-Bolsonaro riots in Brazil
The Kremlin says it supports Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and condemns riots by supporters of the country’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the instigators of the riots, and we fully support Brazil’s President Lula da Silva,” Peskov told reporters.
Bosnian Serbs award Putin with medal of honour
The Bosnian Serb separatist leader has awarded Russian President Vladimir Putin with the highest medal of honour for his “patriotic concern and love” for the Republika Srpska entity, the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Putin is responsible for developing and strengthening cooperation and political and friendly relations between RS (Republika Srpska) and Russia,” the Bosnian Serb president, Milorad Dodik, said on Sunday at the awards ceremony in Banja Luka.
Dodik, who visited Putin in September in Moscow, has maintained close ties with the Russian president despite Russia’s war in Ukraine. The medal will be presented to Putin during the next meeting between the two, Russian Ambassador Igor Kalbukhov said.
“We believe that this award is an affirmation of the strategic determination of our relations aimed at strengthening the friendship of our brotherly people,” he said at the ceremony.
More Western weapons will ‘deepen suffering’: Kremlin
The Kremlin says new deliveries of Western weapons to Kyiv would “deepen the suffering of the Ukrainian people” and would not change the course of the conflict.
“This supply will not be able to change anything,” Peskov said.
Ukraine routinely asks Western allies for heavier weapons and air defences as the conflict continues.
Kremlin rejects Ukrainian claim over peace deal
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied that a senior Russian official was discussing a potential peace deal with European officials.
Last Thursday, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of Russia’s presidential administration, had been holding meetings with European officials to force Kyiv to sign what he described as an unfavourable peace deal.
When asked about Danilov’s assertion, Peskov said it was “another fake”.
Kremlin backs defence ministry’s Kramatorsk death toll claim
The Kremlin says it is confident about the defence ministry’s statement that 600 Ukrainian soldiers had been “destroyed” in an attack on Kramatorsk city.
“The Kremlin has absolute confidence. I would like to remind you of the president’s words that the main source of information is the Ministry of Defence,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing.
According to Reuters news agency, a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk missed its targets, and there were no apparent signs of casualties, despite Moscow claiming it had killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers.
Wars are ‘a crime against God and humanity’: Pope
Pope Francis says wars like in Ukraine, where civilian areas are subjected to what he referred to as indiscriminate destruction, are “a crime against God and humanity”.
Francis made his remarks in his yearly speech to diplomats, which has come to be known informally as his “state of the world” address.
Germany won’t rule out Leopard tanks to Ukraine: Minister Habeck
Germany will not rule out sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the future, the country’s economy minister told German broadcaster ARD.
“Of course it can’t be ruled out,” Robert Habeck said.
His comments come two days after Germany said it wants to deliver about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine before the end of March, a decision Habeck said was good and long overdue.
Woman killed in Russian missile attack on market: Kharkiv governor
A woman was killed and several others wounded in a Russian missile attack on the market in the village of Shevchenkove in Kharkiv, the regional governor has said.
Suspilne, a public broadcaster, posted footage from the blast on Telegram with rescue workers sifting through the rubble.
“According to confirmed information, unfortunately a 60-year-old woman died,” Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram.
“All other victims were hospitalised. Doctors are helping them. Rescuer workers continue to clear the debris.”
Suspilne quoted a local official as saying at least three pavilions were destroyed in the attack and that a shopping centre was damaged.
More Russian units ‘moving into area’ around Kreminna: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reporting from Kyiv said there is heavy fighting around Bakhmut city, specifically a few kilometres north of Soledar, a salt-mining town heavily contested in recent months.
“According to Zelenskyy … Ukrainians are having to deploy additional fighting units to Bakhmut, in order to try and repel what seems to be increasing attacks by Russians in that area,” Stratford said, adding there have also been reports north along the Donetsk-Luhansk border.
“The Ukrainian head of the regional military administration of Luhansk said the situation was very complicated. He said there were movements by the Ukrainians in some areas, in other areas there was progress being made by Russian forces and he says he expects the situation to get increasingly difficult as these winter temperatures continue to drop.
“When those temperatures drop, the ground gets harder. [The head of Luhansk regional administration] said they are seeing the movement of heavy weaponry and more Russian units into the area around the town of Kreminna.”
Russia captured east Ukraine village near Bakhmut: Separatists
Russian-backed separatist forces in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine say they have seized a village near the key city of Bakhmut that Moscow has been trying to capture for months.
The village of Bakhmutske, northeast of Bakhmut city, in “the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”, read a statement from separatist authorities on Telegram. AFP could not independently verify the claims.
The village is just outside the city of Soledar, the scene of heavy fighting like Bakhmut.