Live blog: Kiev claims deadly attack on Russian troops in Donetsk

Monday, January 2, 2023

Kyiv claims deadly strike on Russian troops in Makiivka

Kiev took responsibility for a deadly strike on Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, after Moscow said it had lost 63 troops in the town of Makiivka.

"On December 31, up to 10 units of enemy military equipment of various types were destroyed and damaged" in the town of Makiivka in the eastern region of Donetsk, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement. 

It said the human "losses" were still being established.

Strike kills 63 Russian troops in eastern Ukraine: Moscow

Sixty-three Russian troops have been killed in eastern Ukraine as Kiev forces struck a camp using US-supplied Himars systems, the Russian defence ministry said.

Without claiming the strike, Ukraine's military said the death toll from a strike in the town of Makiivka in the Moscow-controlled part of the eastern region of Donetsk was much higher.

The defence ministry did not say when the strike took place, but Ukrainian forces are believed to have struck as Russian troops rang in the New Year.

Earlier, Ukraine's defence ministry said as many as 400 Russians had been killed.

Ukrainian president says Kyiv will ‘endure’ no matter what Moscow plans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country will “endure” through the war despite Russia’s plans against Kiev.

“No matter what the occupiers plan, we know one thing about ourselves: we will endure. For sure. We will drive them out. No doubts about that,” Zelenskyy said in a message on Telegram.

Zelenskyy further said that Russia “will face punishment for this terrible war.”

At least 22 drones shot down over Ukrainian capital during air raid

At least 22 drones were shot down over Ukraine's capital Kiev, amid an air raid alert sounded in multiple regions of the country, the city's military administration said.

"As a result of the night shelling of the capital, energy infrastructure facilities were damaged. There are emergency power outages in the city. Accordingly, there are de-energized heat supply facilities," Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a separate statement on Telegram.

"According to the Air Defense Forces, 40 kamikaze drones were heading for Kiev at night. 15 were destroyed over neighbouring regions, with three (shot down) in the Kiev region and 22 drones over the capital," Klitschko added.

Gazprom to ship 42.4 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine

Russia's Gazprom said it would ship 42.4 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine, a similar volume to that reported in recent days.

Ukraine's drone attack damages power facility in Russia's Bryanskregion - local governor

A Ukrainian drone attack damaged a power supply facility in Russia's Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, the regional governor said, adding that there were no casualties.

"A Ukrainian drone attack was carried out this morning on the Klimovsky district," Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.

"All emergency services are on site. As a result of the strike, the power supply facility was damaged, and there is no electricity."

Russian drones hit critical infrastructure in Kiev - officials

A fresh aerial strike has targeted Kiev, after a New Year's day marked by dozens of Russian assaults that killed at least four people in the capital and other cities.

The capital was once again rocked by an air raid on Monday morning, with the city's military administration ordering residents just after 1:00 am local time (2300 GMT) to retreat to bomb shelters.

"The air defence (system) is working. As of this minute, 16 air targets already have been shot down over the capital," it announced on the messaging app Telegram. "The air alert continues, stay in shelters!"

Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in Kiev's northeastern Desnyanskyi district and said emergency services had been dispatched. 

For live updates from Sunday (January 1), click here.