Ukrainian president wants to strengthen air defense. The Russian border region of Belgorod reports attacks. The news ticker about the war in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian president: Zelensky calls for better supplies for the army
- Height losses the Russian army: Ukraine publishes current figures
- The information processed here comes from international media and news agencies, but also from the warring parties Russia and Ukraine and their allies. In particular, the information on losses of the armies involved Ukraine war cannot be independently verified.
Update from January 9th, 10:40 p.m.: Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, wants to improve supplies for its army, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The head of state spoke on Tuesday with the heads of the military and the responsible ministries about supplying the units with ammunition and drones, as he reported in his video speech in the evening. “The main thing is that all logistics must become faster,” Zelensky said.
According to reports from the front, Ukrainian troops are suffering from a lack of ammunition. Given the frequent Russian airstrikes, there are also fears that anti-aircraft defenses are running out of ammunition. In the USA, as the most important supporter, the granting of new military aid is stuck in domestic political disputes.
Zelensky was confident that the troops could be provided with what they needed despite such problems. “We also talked about opening new production lines for weapons and ammunition in Ukraine – in our companies and together with partners,” he said.
Russia wants to have regained initiative in the Ukraine war
Update from January 9th, 5:28 p.m: The Russian military says it wants to have regained the initiative on the battlefield in Ukraine by 2023. “Last year, the enemy’s losses exceeded 215,000 soldiers and 28,000 units,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today at a military briefing, as reported dpa reported. Russia has secured the strategic initiative along the entire front, he added. However, these numbers cannot be independently verified.
The Ukrainian leadership, in turn, puts the total losses of the Russian army after almost two years of war at more than 365,000 soldiers. Neither of the two warring parties officially provides information about their own losses. The figures for the alleged failures of the other side are considered to be inflated by both sides.
International military experts also speak of high losses on both sides. According to US estimates last August, Ukraine has suffered around 70,000 deaths and 100,000 to 120,000 injuries since the start of the war. Meanwhile, Russian losses were estimated at 120,000 dead and 170,000 to 180,000 injured.
Ukraine War: New attack on Kherson by Russia
Update from January 9th, 3:15 p.m: The Russians attacked the city of Kherson this afternoon. Explosions occurred in various parts of the city. This was reported by Roman Mrochko, head of the military administration of Kherson Oblast, on Telegram Ukrainian Pravda reported. Mrochko stated that a medical facility was damaged. But no people are said to have been injured. As recently as January 7th, two deaths occurred in Kherson as a result of Russian air strikes.
Update from January 9th, 1:35 p.m.: Russian air defense claims to have shot down three Ukrainian military drones over the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine. This was reported by the Russian state agency Tass, citing Governor Roman Starovoit. In a message on the short message service Telegram, the governor had previously announced that air defense had been activated.
Taurus delivery to Ukraine: Merz calls for an end to hesitation
Update from January 9th, 11:35 a.m.: CDU leader Friedrich Merz has once again called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) not to delay any further delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. “That would help Ukraine immensely,” said Merz Rhenish Post. Scholz must finally give up his reticence on this issue.
Merz fundamentally welcomed Scholz’s call to the allies to increase their efforts for Ukraine. “That’s a good message,” said Merz. “However, it should also apply to Germany itself.” With regard to the debate about the Taurus deliveries, the CDU leader said that if Scholz gave up his resistance to it, “then the Chancellor’s statement would be more credible.”
At a meeting with Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden, Scholz called on Ukraine’s allies in the European Union to provide greater support to the country attacked by Russia. “The arms deliveries to Ukraine planned so far by the majority of EU member states are in any case too small,” said Scholz at a press conference in Berlin on Monday. For months, Union politicians have been insisting on the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. The federal government continues to hesitate.
Meanwhile, Merz also called for more commitment from the federal government for Sweden to join NATO. “The so-called ‘turning point’ in Germany has so far been more just a word than it has become actions,” Merz told the editorial network Germany (RND) before his trip to Finland and Sweden. With their efforts to join NATO, the two countries had “completed their own turning point,” said Merz. “They have to be able to rely on us as a partner.”
Ukraine War: Clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops
Update from January 9th, 10 a.m.: According to the Ukrainian General Staff, there have been a total of 67 battles with Russian troops over the past day. Russian troops launched 55 rocket and 22 air strikes, as well as 35 multiple rocket launcher attacks. Because of the attacks on inhabited areas there are dead and wounded among the civilian population.
In Avdiivka in the east of the country, where heavy fighting is ongoing, Russia is still trying to surround the city. However, the Ukrainian army “resolutely” repelled the attacks and inflicted losses on the Russian military. Three attacks have been repelled in the last 24 hours.
First report from January 9th: Kiev – The Russian border region of Belgorod reports another attack by the Ukrainian army. According to initial findings, three people were injured, wrote Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram. This could not initially be verified independently.
Ukraine War: Explosion on railway line near Russian oil depot
According to media, an explosion occurred on a railway line not far from a Russian oil depot. This was triggered by an explosive device in the city of Nizhny Tagil in the Urals, several online portals reported on Monday. This could not initially be independently verified. However, according to the Interfax agency, the authorities in Nizhny Tagil admitted that “some bang” had occurred. There should have been no injuries or damage. As a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine, acts of sabotage against military infrastructure or infrastructure that is important for the military continue to occur in the world’s largest country.
Ukraine reports new figures on Russian losses
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has revealed details of Russia’s losses in the Ukrainian War. According to this, 365,170 Russian soldiers have been either wounded or killed in battles since the start of the war in Ukraine. According to the information, there were 440 in the last 24 hours.
The information on losses in the Ukraine War comes from the Ukrainian army and cannot be independently verified. However, the West assumes that the figures for Russia’s losses in the Ukraine war are largely correct. Here is an overview of Russia’s losses in the Ukraine War:
- Soldiers: 365,170 (+440 on the previous day)
- Tank: 6031 (+9)
- Armored vehicles: 11,194 (+14)
- Artillery systems: 8666 (+13)
- Multiple rocket launchers: 953 (+2)
- Air defense systems: 638 (+1)
- Airplanes: 329
- Helicopter: 324
- Drones: 6822 (+1)
- Rockets: 1786
- Tank trucks and other vehicles: 11,542 (+19)
- Warships: 23
- Submarines: 1
Source: Ukrainian General Staff dated January 8, 2024. The information about Russian losses comes from the Ukrainian army. They cannot be independently verified. Russia itself does not provide any information about its own losses in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine war: Zelensky announces retaliation
According to its own statements, Ukraine does not want to leave Russia’s latest serious attacks unanswered. “The terrorist state will definitely feel our response,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video address on Monday. A total of four people were killed and 45 others injured in the areas of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and in his home region of Kryvyi Rih.
In addition, negotiations with international partners in the coming weeks will be aimed at strengthening Ukrainian air defense, said Zelensky. “Many steps are being taken and I am confident that we will be able to strengthen our state. Our air defense system. Our work with partners on drones.” (With agency material)