by Marta Serafini, sent to Kyiv, and Redazione Online
The War News Monday 9 January live. The Russian attack on Kramatorsk in retaliation after the destruction of the Makiivka base. Exchange of 50 prisoners on each side between Russia and Ukraine
• The war in Ukraine reached the 320th day
• Heavy fighting in Donetsk. Moscow claims it killed over 600 Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, but Kyiv denies it.
• Wagner mercenaries insist on Bakhmut: that’s why.
• Exchange of 50 prisoners on each side between Moscow and Kyiv.
• Berlin does not rule out sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine
5:10 a.m. – Berlin: The sending of Leopard tanks to Kyiv is not excluded
New military aid to Ukraine. German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck does not rule out that Germany could decide to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the future. This was reported by the Russian agency Tass. No, that obviously cannot be ruled out, Habeck told ARD when asked about the possibility of making such funds available to Kyiv. We are studying the situation, we are coordinating our actions with other countries. We will observe how the discussion on this topic in Germany develops, the minister said. According to him, depending on the development of the course of hostilities in Ukraine, the dynamics of arms supplies to Kyiv will change.
The Russian embassy in Berlin condemned the German authorities’ decision to send armored personnel carriers to Kyiv, calling it a further step in the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The Moscow diplomatic mission added that the German authorities took this step mainly after strong pressure from Washington.
05:03 – Kyiv denies the massacre of soldiers in Kramatorsk: nonsense
The Ukrainians dismissed as nonsense the Russian claim that large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers were killed at Kramatorsk in retaliation. That’s nonsense, Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Kiev Armed Forces in the Eastern Sector, told CNN. The US broadcaster that broadcast the crime scene added there was no evidence of a high death toll. And no unusual activity has been detected in or around Kramatorsk, not even near the morgue.
05:00 – Moscow: 600 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Kramatorsk
The Moscow government claims that Russian troops carried out a retaliatory attack in the eastern Ukraine town of Kramatorsk, attacking two military barracks to avenge the deaths of 89 Russian soldiers killed in Makiivka in recent days. According to the note released by the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the attack on Kiev troops stationed in the two buildings in its usual briefing.
4:50 a.m. – Wagner insists on Bakhmut: Prigozhin wants mines and tunnels
THE MILITARY POINT – (by Andrea Marinelli and Giudo Olimpio) Evgeny Prigozhin wants to conquer the Bakhmut Tunnels, an extensive network used for salt and gypsum mining but of military value. The Wagner boss asked the media to explain the persistence of the attacks on the Ukrainian site.
For five months, the private company’s mercenaries have been attacking to breach the defenses around Bakhmut and the Soledar suburb, the epicenter of the battle. Militiamen – including ex-convicts who were released on condition they wore uniforms – reservists and regulars occupied enemy lines, leaving hundreds of elements on the field and inflicting equally heavy casualties among the defenders. Swept away by artillery fire, by incursions of small drones throwing grenades into trenches, by a barrage of bombs. The houses were turned into bunkers, the rubble into additional shelter. A difficult bastion to overcome, Prigozhin himself admitted, to justify the very slow advance.
Read the military point here.
04:41 – Exchange of 50 prisoners between Moscow and Kyiv
There was an exchange of 50 prisoners on each side between Moscow and Kyiv, for a total of 100. Russia and Ukraine communicated it that way. The Russian Defense Ministry said: “Fifty Russian soldiers whose lives were in danger were repatriated from the area controlled by the Kiev regime. Instead, the head of Ukraine’s office, Andriy Yermak, announced that among the returnees are military personnel from the Armed Forces, Special Forces and Naval Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, National Guard and Border Guard. Kyiv Independent Telegram channel publishes video of Ukrainian prisoners released in exchange (singing).
04:35 – Kyiv, 3 civilians killed and 8 injured in 24 hours by Russian attacks
At least three civilians have died in Russian attacks in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson and Krakiv regions in the past 24 hours, despite a grace period offered by Moscow. This was written by Ukraine’s Presidential Office, quoted by the Kyiv Independent.
January 9, 2023 (change January 9, 2023 | 05:11)
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