Poland announced Wednesday that it will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine. It would be the first time a Western-made tank has been sent to the country since Russia’s invasion.
Other countries are also stepping up their support to Kyiv, with the Pentagon saying Tuesday the US will soon begin training Ukrainian soldiers on the Patriot missile system in Oklahoma. Russia’s ambassador to the US said this confirms the US’ “de facto involvement” in the war.
Photos illustrate the intensity of Russia's battle for Soledar and Bakhmut
As the fight for control of the eastern Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut continues, newly collected high-resolution satellite images from Maxar Technology help illustrate the magnitude and intensity of the battle:
Satellite imagery shows destroyed apartment buildings and homes in Soledar on January 3, 2022.
(Maxar Technologies)
Satellite imagery shows destroyed buildings in Soledar on January 3, 2022.
(Maxar Technologies)
Satellite imagery shows a destroyed shows a destroyed school in Soledar on January 3, 2022.
(Maxar Technologies)
Some background. Soledar, a salt mine town in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, has been the site of intense fighting in recent days and a target for Russian forces since last May. The head of Russia’s private military company claimed Tuesday that his forces had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar,” but Kyiv officials deny the claims, insisting that the fight persists.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russia sees its attempted capture of Soledar as a propaganda tool with which to maintain domestic support for its war.
Should Russian troops indeed capture the town, it would mark Moscow’s first gain in the Donbas for months – potentially offering President Vladimir Putin some welcome news after a string of defeats on the battlefield since last summer. Moscow has struggled for months to attack Bakhmut from the east, which has been a target since the summer.
Link Copied!
Analysis: What's behind the reshuffle of Russia's military leadership in Ukraine
From CNN's Tim Lister
As criticism mounts over its handling of the stalled campaign, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, would become the overall commander, with the current commander, Sergey Surovikin, becoming one of his three deputies.
Surovikin was only appointed as the overall commander of what the Kremlin euphemistically calls the “Special Military Operation” in October.
Mark Galeotti, a senior associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, said “it is a kind of demotion [for Gerasimov] or at least the most poisoned of chalices. It’s now on him, and I suspect Putin has unrealistic expectations again.”
In terms of the bureaucratic hierarchy, the announcement is hardly an upheaval. Surovikin already reported to Gerasimov.
But the decision puts Gerasimov, who has been chief of the General Staff for more than a decade, closer to direct supervision of the campaign – and to responsibility for it. While Gerasimov was a key figure in planning the invasion, he appears to have been at arms’ length since, with just one reported visit to the command of the campaign inside Ukraine, though the Defense Ministry did not confirm that either.
Just why the Russian Defense Ministry has made this move at this moment is unclear. It said there was a “need to organize closer interaction between the branches and arms of the Armed Forces” and improve the support and effectiveness of “command and control of groupings of troops.”
Some analysts believe the move may be an attempt by the ministry to exert tighter control over the campaign ahead of a critical few months in which the remainder of the reserve force mobilized in the autumn of 2022 will be deployed after training.
A Russian military analyst who blogs under the pseudonym ‘Rybar,’ and has more than a million followers on Telegram, does not expect the shake-up to be successful – suggesting it’s hoping for “a miracle in the 11th month of the special operation.”
It's nighttime in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know.
From CNN's staff
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said Wednesday afternoon that Russia is not in control of Soledar, the town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region that has been the site of intense fighting in recent days.
A CNN team in the region Wednesday heard ongoing, heavy artillery fire in the vicinity of Soledar.
Russia sees its attempted capture of Soledar as a propaganda tool with which to maintain domestic support for its war effort, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.
A Ukrainian soldier in Soledar told CNN Wednesday evening he and his comrades remained in the settlement, but the situation was “very difficult” and at least the next 24 hours would be critical.
Here are other key developments in the war:
Russia appoints new head of so-called Ukraine “special military operation”: Russia’s defense minister has appointed Valery Gerasimov as commander of the Joint Group of Forces leading the country’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed to the role on Oct. 8, 2022, and was in charge of Russian forces during their retreat from large swaths of Ukraine’s Kherson region.
Poland announces it will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine: Poland will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a meeting with Zelensky in Lviv. Zelensky welcomed the decision. It would be the first time a Western-made tank has been sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. Duda cautioned during a news conference that “a whole range of formal requirements, approvals and so on must also be met.” The Leopard tank is manufactured in Germany, and its re-export would typically need the approval of the German government.
Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian officials met in Ankara: Top Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian officials, who oversee prisoner swaps, met Wednesday in the Turkish capital of Ankara. They also met with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
UK government discussing “accelerating” support for Ukraine: The British government is working with partners to discuss how to go “further and faster” in supporting Ukraine, including the provision of tanks, according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks on Wednesday.
Link Copied!
Why Russia is so eager to capture the town of Soledar
From CNN's Rob Picheta, Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
Fighting is still raging in Soledar, a salt mine town in eastern Ukraine, despite Russian claims that it has gained control of the region.
Should Russian troops indeed capture the town, it would mark Moscow’s first gain in the Donbas for months – potentially offering President Vladimir Putin some welcome news after a string of defeats on the battlefield since last summer.
The significance of Soledar in military terms is minimal. However, its capture would allow Russian forces, and especially the Wagner mercenary group, to turn their focus on nearby Bakhmut, which has been a target since the summer.
The town of Soledar in Donetsk has been a target for Russian forces since last May. With a pre-war population of about 10,000, it has little strategic value in itself, but is a waypoint in the Russians’ attritional slog westwards. Moscow has struggled for months to attack Bakhmut from the east, but were it to capture Soledar, Moscow would at least be able to approach the city from a different path.
The Russian armed forces have had nothing to celebrate since the beginning of July, and have had to retreat in both Kharkiv to the north and Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Strike at a factory in the city of Soledar at the eastern Ukranian region of Donbas on May 24.
(Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)
The capture of Soledar, despite its now-ruined state, would therefore be rare progress. But it would be symbolic rather than substantive. The Institute for the Study of War said control of Soledar “will not necessarily allow Russian forces to exert control over critical Ukrainian ground lines of communication into Bakhmut,” the larger prize.
But Soledar is of outsize significance to one man: oligarch and Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. His Wagner fighters, many of them former prison inmates, have taken heavy casualties with one wave after another of ground assaults across what has become a battlefield of trenches and mud reminiscent of World War I. After months in which the Russian Ministry of Defense has delivered nothing but retreat, Prigozhin is keen to show that his men deliver.
UK government discussing "accelerating" support for Ukraine, including provision of tanks
From CNN's Lauren Kent
The British government is working with partners to discuss how to go “further and faster” in supporting Ukraine, including the provision of tanks, according to the prime minister’s spokesperson on Wednesday.
When asked by lobby journalists if the United Kingdom would supply tanks to Ukraine, the prime minister’s spokesperson said, “We are accelerating our support to Ukraine with the kind of next-generation military technology that will help them win this war.”
But, while it is “constantly looking at what equipment we can provide,” that does not mean that any decisions have been made about providing Challenger 2 tanks right now, the spokesperson said.
Link Copied!
Russia sees Soledar as a propaganda tool, Zelensky says
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv
Ukrainian soldiers watch as smoke billows during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in Soledar, Donetsk region on January 11.
(Libkos/AP)
Russia sees its attempted capture of the contested eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar as a propaganda tool with which to maintain domestic support for its war effort, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.
A Ukrainian soldier in Soledar told CNN on Wednesday that his comrades were “hanging in there” but that the situation was “very difficult.”
“The fighting continues,” Zelensky said. “The Donetsk direction is holding out. And we do everything, without stopping for a single day, to strengthen Ukrainian defense. Our potential is growing. And I thank all our partners who help in this.”
Link Copied!
Ukrainian soldier in eastern town of Soledar tells CNN: "We're hanging in there"
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva
A Ukrainian soldier in the contested eastern town of Soledar told CNN Wednesday evening that he and his comrades remained in the settlement, but that the situation was “very difficult” and that the next 24 hours or so would be critical.
“It is tough here, but we are more alive than anyone else,” the soldier, whom CNN is not identifying for security reasons, said via text message.
The head of Wagner, the Russian private military company, claimed Tuesday that his forces had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tempered that sentiment on Wednesday, saying only that there was a “positive trend.” The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces had “blocked Soledar from the northern and southern parts” of the settlement.
He said that the next 24 hours would be “very difficult.”
“During these days everything will be determined for the city. Because we are being trapped, they want to encircle us,” he said.
The soldier said that if the nearby Ukrainian units held their ground, his unit would be able to safely retreat. He said that the Russians were jamming Ukrainian communications, making coordination extremely difficult.
“It is not clear who our neighbors are, but someone is there and fighting. We have no connection with them,” the solider said.
Link Copied!
Russia appoints new head of so-called Ukraine "special military operation"
From CNN’s Mick Krever
Vladimir Putin, center, together with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Defence Minister Valery Gerasimov, right, observe the main stage of the Vostok-2022 strategic command post exercise at the Sergeyevsky range in the Primorye Territory on September 6.
(President of Russia)
Russia’s defense minister has appointed Valery Gerasimov as commander of the Joint Group of Forces leading the country’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin, who had been appointed to the role on Oct. 8, 2022, and was in charge of Russian forces during their retreat from large swaths of Ukraine’s Kherson region. Surovikin will now serve as a deputy commander, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
“On 11 January 2023, Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu assigns new leadership of special military operation,” the ministry said Wednesday on its official Telegram channel.
“Chief of General Staff General of the Army Valery Gerasimov has been assigned the commander of the Joint Group of Forces,” it said.
“The deputy commanders are: the Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces General of the Army Sergei Surovikin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army General of the Army Oleg Salyukov, as well as the Deputy Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Colonel General Aleksey Kim,” it added.
The ministry said that the changes were necessary because of “the amplified range of tasks, the necessity of closer cooperation between services and branches of the Armed Forces, as well as of improving the quality of all types of maintenance and efficiency of commanding the groups of forces.”
Link Copied!
Russian and Iranian presidents discuss bilateral cooperation during call, Kremlin says
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, in which they discussed the war in Syria as well as bilateral cooperation, the Kremlin press service said Wednesday.
The Kremlin’s statement did not specify if Putin and Raisi discussed the war in Ukraine.
As a result of the conversation, the leaders agreed to “further increase an entire range of bilateral cooperation” between Russia and Iran and implement “mutually beneficial projects in the energy, transport and logistics sectors.”
Link Copied!
Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian officials meet in Ankara
From Olga Voitovych and Anna Chernova
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, right and High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova applaud as they attend the International Ombudsman Conference at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on January 11.
(Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images)
Top Ukrainian and Russian humanitarian officials, who oversee prisoner swaps, met Wednesday in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
They also met with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The Turkish side made concrete proposals to intensify the resolution of humanitarian issues,” Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said on his official Telegram account. “Turkey, as a partner of Ukraine, has repeatedly demonstrated its active participation in solving many problems related to Russia’s armed aggression.”
Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, said she continues to work with Lubinets “to assist in the exchange of prisoners of war.”
“I asked my Ukrainian colleague to consider the possibility of providing assistance to Ukrainian citizens who would like to come to Russia to visit their relatives suffering from serious illnesses,” she said. “In the context of the complex construction of humanitarian corridors, these people need the help of the ombudsman.”
Link Copied!
CNN team hears ongoing artillery near eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar
From CNN’s Ben Wedeman, Crendon Greenway, Kosta Gak, Tom Nicholson, and Kareem Khadder in Ukraine’s Donetsk region
Ukrainian 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire a German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000 near Soledar, Ukraine, on January 11.
(Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)
A CNN team in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Wednesday heard ongoing, heavy artillery fire in the vicinity of Soledar, the town that has been the site of intense fighting in recent days.
Several kilometers from the front line, the Ukrainian troops remained calm, conducting their maintenance and logistical duties, with no signs of imminent retreat or withdrawal.
The contribution of Western countries to Ukraine’s war effort was clearly visible on the ground, with many military fighting and medical vehicles from Poland, France, the US, and the UK, to name few.
Also on location was the head of the civil administration of the Soledar region, who was helping to distribute aid boxes to locals.
Link Copied!
Poland announces it will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine
From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen, Yulia Kesaieva, Chris Stern and Mick Krever
Poland will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lviv.
“A company of Leopard tanks for Ukraine will be handed over/given as part of building an international coalition,” Duda said in a statement on his official Twitter account. “This decision has already been taken in Poland.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision.
“Today I can say a very important word for our defense, for our state, for our army, for the common defense of Ukraine and the whole Europe — the word ‘tanks,’” Zelensky said during a news conference in Lviv alongside his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts.
See Duda’s tweet:
It would be the first time a Western-made tank has been sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
Duda cautioned during a press conference that “a whole range of formal requirements, approvals and so on must also be met.”
The Leopard tank is manufactured in Germany, and its re-export would typically need the approval of the German government. A spokesperson for the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Säverin, referred CNN to the Polish government.
Link Copied!
What you need to know about Soledar, the small eastern Ukrainian town at the center of recent fighting
From CNN’s Seb Shukla, Josh Pennington, Anna Chernova and Olga Voitovych
Smoke billows during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in Soledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on January 11.
(Libkos/AP)
The small mining town of Soledar has seen some of the most recent intense fighting along the frontline in Ukraine.
The town is located 15 kilometers (or about 9 miles) north of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.
The head of Wagner, the Russian private military company, claimed Tuesday that his forces had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tempered that sentiment on Wednesday, saying only that there was a “positive trend.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces had “blocked Soledar from the northern and southern parts” of the settlement.
The move for Soledar by Wagner would be strategically important to the ultimate capture of Bakhmut as a way of enveloping the city from the north and disrupting Ukrainian communication lines.
Bakhmut has risen to infamy for being regularly referred to as the most contested and kinetic part of the 1,300 kilometers (800 mile) frontline in Ukraine. Bakhmut lies on the road towards even bigger and more strategically important cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian armed forces told CNN Wednesday that “Russian troops do not control Soledar.” Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that “battles are ongoing there. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and other defense forces are regrouping.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Tuesday that Russian troops are focused on seizing Soledar, and he thanked Ukraine’s troops for their “bravery and steadfastness in defending” the town.
Link Copied!
Ukrainian official says Russian efforts to capture key Donetsk town of Soledar have been unsuccessful
From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv
Ukraine's Deputy of Defence Minister Hanna Maliar addresses a press-conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 15.
(Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said Wednesday afternoon that Russia is not in control of Soledar, the town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region that has been the site of intense fighting in recent days.
Russia’s latest claims: The head of Wagner, the Russian private military company, claimed Tuesday that his forces had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tempered that sentiment on Wednesday, saying only that there was a “positive trend.” The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces had “blocked Soledar from the northern and southern parts” of the settlement.
Link Copied!
It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
The Russian defense ministry said Wednesday that airborne units have blocked northern and southern parts of Soledar after the Kremlin cautioned against premature claims on the capture of the eastern Ukrainian town.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russian private military contractor Wagner, claimed late Tuesday that the group had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” Ukrainian forces have confirmed to CNN that battles for the region are “ongoing.”
Here are the latest developments:
Battle for Soledar: The Russian defense ministry has said that airborne units have blocked northern and southern parts of Soledar. In a daily update posted on Telegram, the ministry said that “Russian Aerospace Forces strike at enemy strongholds” in Soledar and that “assault” squads are fighting in the town.
Wagner claims: It comes after the head of Wagner, Prigozhin, said the group had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” In a short comment on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin added that the center of Soledar was “like a cauldron, where urban fighting is taking place.”
Fighting is “ongoing”: But the Ukrainian armed forces told CNN Wednesday that “Russian troops do not control Soledar.” Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that “battles are ongoing there. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and other defense forces are regrouping.”
Travel restriction “hoax”: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has claimed that information about alleged restrictions on traveling outside of Russia for men of military age is “hoax and sabotage.” “This is a common information hoax and sabotage,” Peskov said when asked during a daily call with reporters whether alleged travel restrictions for Russian men were implemented on January 9.
Cluster munitions: Moscow is monitoring information that alleges Turkey may have supplied cluster munitions to Kyiv, Peskov said Wednesday. However, he said that it remained “difficult” to determine the reliability of such reports.
Washington’s “de facto involvement”: The decision by the United States to train Ukrainian servicemen on how to use a Patriot missile system is a confirmation of Washington’s “de facto involvement in the Ukrainian conflict,” Russia’s ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said in a statement Tuesday.
Link Copied!
Joint air defense forces of Belarus and Russia have been reinforced, Belarus' defense ministry says
From CNN’s Eve Brennan and Anna Chernova
Belarus’ defense ministry has declared that the joint air defense forces of Belarus and Russia have been reinforced, the ministry’s press service stated on Telegram on Wednesday.
“Anti-aircraft missile units advanced to designated areas and took up combat duty,” they added.
On Sunday, the Belarusian defense ministry announced it will hold joint air force exercises with Russia in Belarus from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1 to increase the level of combat training for Belarusian and Russian air force members.
More background: Some Russian forces are based in Belarus and used its territory in the initial invasion of Ukraine in February. But President Alexander Lukashenko has gone to some lengths to ensure that Belarus troops do not become involved in Russia’s “special military operation.”
In December, Ukraine warned it does “not rule out” a “deliberate provocation” from Russia after Belarus said that the wreckage of a Ukrainian missile landed on its territory.
Link Copied!
US training of Ukrainian troops on Patriot missiles confirms "de facto involvement" in conflict, says Russian ambassador
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Russia Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov speaks during a World Affairs event at the Fairmont Hotel on November 29, 2017 in San Francisco, California.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The decision by the United States to train Ukrainian servicemen on how to use a Patriot missile system is a confirmation of Washington’s “de facto involvement in the Ukrainian conflict,” Russia’s ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said in a statement Tuesday.
“For example, Washington Post observers openly admitted that the training of Ukrainian troops in the United States means that U.S. involvement into the confrontation is growing. They noted that the administration is no longer limiting itself to strengthening the defense potential of Kiev, but is transferring new weapons to the republic in order to increase its offensive capabilities,” Antonov said.
“The last argument, voiced by the local journalists, vividly shows that Washington deliberately misled our country and the world, speaking about the desire to strengthen Ukraine’s self-defense ability,” he claimed.
“The real goal of the administration is to inflict on Russia as much damage on the battlefield as possible, using Ukrainians as proxies,” Antonov added.
Some context: Ukrainian troops are set to begin training on the Patriot missile system in the US as soon as next week, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.
The training program will take place at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where the US conducts its own training on operating and maintaining the advanced air defense system.
Fort Sill is one of the army’s four basic training locations and home to the service’s field artillery school, which has been training service members for more than a century.
Moscow monitors reports alleging Turkey may have supplied cluster munitions to Kyiv
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova
Moscow is monitoring information that alleges Turkey may have supplied cluster munitions to Kyiv, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
However, he said that it remained “difficult” to determine the reliability of such reports.
“Everyone is well aware of the deliveries of Bayraktars to Ukraine from Turkey, as well as ammunition for Bayraktars,” he said.
Last year, Western and Ukrainian officials praised Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones for playing a part in countering Russian attacks.
“Turkey has its obligations as a NATO member country, its bilateral relations, we also know this. But at the same time, Turkey and [Russia] are united by very partnership relations based on mutual benefit, understanding, respect and mutual willingness to discuss the most difficult problems,” Peskov added Wednesday.
Link Copied!
Reports about travel restrictions for Russian men of military age are a "hoax," Kremlin says
From CNN's Anna Chernova, Radina Gigova and Olga Voitovych
Information about alleged restrictions on traveling outside Russia for men of military age is “hoax and sabotage,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
“This is a common information hoax and sabotage,” Peskov said when asked during a daily call with reporters whether alleged travel restrictions for Russian men were implemented on January 9.
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported Wednesday, citing an order that was allegedly sent by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), that from January 9 the Russian Federation has restricted departures from the country for persons fit for military service, including those who are limitedly fit for service.
CNN cannot independently verify the alleged FSB order the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence is referring to.