The situation at a glance: Massive rocket fire on Ukraine

After a break of a few days, Russia has once again launched a massive air attack on Ukraine, primarily targeting the neighboring country’s energy supply. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 90 Russian missiles had been fired at targets in his country. “Managed to shoot down 81 rockets,” he wrote on Telegram. The F-16 fighter jets supplied from the West intercepted 11 Russian cruise missiles. Before the rocket attack in the morning, Russia also deployed almost 200 combat drones overnight. “This is one of the biggest attacks on our energy system,” wrote the head of state.

According to the Ukrainian military, several hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were launched from Russian MiG-31 fighter jets. According to military observers, the Kinzhal attacked targets in western Ukraine such as the Burshtyn thermal power plant and the Starokostiantyniv military airport. There were several cruise missile impacts in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine. There were initially no official confirmations.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook that the energy sector was once again being massively attacked. The damage caused will be informed as soon as the security situation permits. As a precautionary measure, power cuts were introduced in several regions to prevent possible network overloads.

Zelenskyj asks for anti-aircraft defense and sanctions against Moscow

Zelensky renewed his calls for Western allies to supply more anti-aircraft systems. More effective sanctions against Russia are also necessary. “Oil gives (Russian President Vladimir) Putin enough money to believe in his own impunity,” the president emphasized. There must be a massive response to massive Russian attacks. “This is the only way to stop terror,” emphasized Zelensky.

Ukrainian soldiers are threatened with encirclement near Kurakhove

Meanwhile, on the front in eastern Ukraine, the situation of the Ukrainian defenders continues to deteriorate. According to Ukrainian military observers, an unspecified number of soldiers were threatened with encirclement south of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region. They had held positions there for a long time on both sides of the Sukhi Jaly River, but the Russian advance into the town of Uspenivka cut off their route of withdrawal. “It is difficult to understand the point of holding the ‘Sack of Uspenivka’ when the enemy continues to gradually capture Kurakhove,” the military blog DeepState said.

The General Staff did not comment in detail on the situation on this sector of the front, but only reported heavy fighting around Kurachowe. Pokrovsk is also hotly contested. According to reports from military observers, Russian troops have made several advances there in recent days. More civilians who had previously held out despite the danger were brought to safety from the city.

Zelenskyj in the almost front-line city of Zaporizhzhia

Two days after a Russian rocket attack that killed eleven people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled on Thursday to the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is increasingly affected by war. He visited the damaged clinic where a rocket hit on Tuesday and remembered the victims. He also visited a newly built underground school for 1,000 children.

“There is a lot to do in Zaporizhzhia: the security situation, the protection of the skies,” Zelensky said in a video message. In the southern city, which had 700,000 inhabitants before the Russian war of aggression, the president discussed the situation on the approaching front with the military. If Ukrainian troops have to evacuate the last cities in the eastern Donetsk region, there will only be 130 kilometers of open steppe land to Zaporizhia on the Dnipro.

Yermak: Ukraine too weak for negotiations with Moscow

Regarding the ongoing international discussion about ways out of the war, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said that the country is currently not strong enough to negotiate with Moscow. “Today we are not there yet. We lack weapons, we lack status,” he said on Ukrainian TV. “We are talking about an invitation to NATO and clear guarantees that would ensure that (Kremlin chief Vladimir) Putin does not return in two or three years.”

In Berlin, the foreign ministers of several European countries pledged Ukraine’s steadfast support and commitment to viable security guarantees if negotiations on a ceasefire were to take place after Donald Trump took office as US President in January. It is unclear what the guarantees might look like. There are currently no concrete plans for a European peacekeeping force. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation in Warsaw on Wednesday. Macron called for solidarity with the USA.

The outgoing US administration under President Joe Biden is providing Ukraine with additional weapons to help defend against Russia’s war of aggression. The aid package is worth 500 million US dollars (around 477 million euros), as the US State Department announced. It includes, among other things, anti-drone systems, ammunition for the Himars-type rocket launcher system and armored vehicles. Just a few days ago, the US government announced a package worth around 988 million US dollars (around 935 million euros).

Under Democrat Biden, the USA is Ukraine’s largest arms supplier and politically most important supporter. But the change of power in Washington is coming up on January 20th – and the course with regard to Ukraine is likely to change significantly under Trump. There is concern in Kiev that the Republicans could drastically reduce US military aid. Therefore, the Biden administration has set itself the goal of quickly and effectively using all funds already approved by Congress in the remaining weeks.