Here is the situation as it stands on Sunday, January 29, 2023:
Fighting
- Russia accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately attacking a hospital in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine in what it called a war crime that killed 14 people and wounded 24 patients and medical staff. There was no immediate response to the allegations from Ukraine.
- A Russian attack killed three people in a residential district of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, the region’s governor said.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation at the front as “extremely acute”, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is stepping up an offensive.
- Zelenskyy reported significant battles for Vuhledar, to the southwest of Donetsk’s regional capital, and Bakhmut, to the northeast.
Weapons
- German arms maker Rheinmetall is ready to significantly boost its output of tank and artillery munitions to satisfy strong demand in Ukraine and the West, and may start producing HIMARS multiple rocket launchers in Germany, CEO Armin Papperger told the Reuters news agency.
- Talks are under way among Ukraine and its allies about Kyiv’s requests for long-range missiles that it says are needed to prevent Russia from destroying its cities, a top aide to Zelenskyy said.
- Ukraine has been promised 321 heavy tanks by several countries, its ambassador to France said.
- Poland will send an additional 60 tanks to Ukraine on top of the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has pledged, the Polish prime minister said in an interview with Canadian television.
Diplomacy
- North Korea has again criticised a US decision to send tanks to Ukraine, calling it an “unethical crime” aimed at perpetuating an unstable international situation.
- Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, will hold a meeting with Lynne Tracy, the new US ambassador to Moscow, early next week, the RIA news agency reported.
- Zelenskyy condemned the idea of neutrality in sports at a time when his country’s athletes fight and die in war, while their Russian counterparts might be allowed to compete.
Children in war
- Russia is violating the “fundamental principles of child protection” in wartime by giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption, the UN refugee agency chief told Reuters.
Sanctions
- Ukraine imposed sanctions on 182 Russian and Belarusian companies, and three individuals, in the latest of a series of steps by Zelenskyy to block their links to his country.
- The US Department of the Treasury’s top sanctions official on a trip to Turkey and the Middle East next week will warn countries and businesses that they could lose US market access if they do business with entities subject to US curbs as Washington cracks down on Russian attempts to evade sanctions.
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