Ukrainian officials have announced that Russia launched a wave of missile and self-exploding drone attacks on the country today, January 26, 2023.
Kyiv’s Mayor, Vitali Klitschko revealed that a Russian missile strike killed one person, the first death from an attack in the capital since New Year’s Eve. Mayor Vitali Klitschko added that two other people were injured in the strike.
The head of the Kyiv city administration said that fifteen cruise missiles were shot down. Serhiy Popko stated that the missiles were fired “in the direction of Kyiv” but did not clarify if the capital itself was a target.
Odesa regional Governor, Maksym Marchenko, reported that several facilities of energy infrastructure were damaged not just in the Odesa region, but other regions of Ukraine. That caused “significant problems with electricity supply.”
The strikes came less than 24 hours after the historic center of the regional capital, the port city of Odesa, was added to the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UNESCO Chief, Audrey Azoulay, had intoned that he hoped the move would help protect the city from the war.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, opined that the attack was in response to the listing.
“Among [the] targets of today’s mass missile strike, Russia struck Odesa causing massive power outages. This destruction is Putin’s response to UNESCO inscribing Odesa on its World Heritage List yesterday and placing it under reinforced protection of the World Heritage in Danger List.”
Dmytro Kuleba
More than 30 Russian missiles were reportedly launched at Ukraine.
The attacks came after Germany and the United States announced on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, that they will send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine.
Tank Deliveries Perceived As “Direct Involvement” In The War
Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov has disclosed that Moscow sees the delivery of modern Western battle tanks to Ukraine as “direct involvement” in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
“There are constant statements from European capitals, from Washington that them sending various weapons systems, including tanks, to Ukraine in no way means the involvement of these countries or the alliance in the hostilities that are taking place in Ukraine,”
Dmitry Peskov
“We absolutely disagree with this … everything that the alliance … does is perceived as direct involvement in the conflict, we see that it is growing,” Peskov iterated.
Training For Ukrainian Troops To Commence In The Coming Days
German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, has stated that Ukrainian crews will start their training on German-made Marders, which are infantry fighting vehicles, and training on the heavier Leopard 2 tanks would start “a little later.”
“In any case, the aim with the Leopards is to have the first company in Ukraine by the end of March, beginning of April,” Pistorius added. “I can’t say the precise day.”
Commenting on why it had taken Germany so long to announce the deliveries of the battle tanks, Boris Pistorius justified Germany taking its time.
”We did not hesitate, we negotiated with our allies. We talked to our partners and friends about what is the best thing to do now and that takes time. It is not a decision just to order something on the website – or to send something to anybody – it is a matter of war, it is a matter of trust, and it is a matter of alliance.”
German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius
Berlin has also said that it will approve the re-export of the German-made tanks from other European allies that have stocks of the tank.
