This is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,429 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today’s top story:
Active battles continue in the Pokrovsk direction, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 19, adding the operational situation remains difficult with a “gruelling confrontation” taking place.
According to Syrskyi, around 50 combat clashes are taking place in the area every day as Russian troops try to increase pressure on Ukrainian positions in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
“(They are) pulling reserves to Pokrovsk, looking for opportunities to break through our defenses both through sporadic massive assaults and through covert advances by small infantry groups,” Syrskyi said.
Pokrovsk, a key fortress city in Donetsk Oblast, has been one of the most fiercely contested areas of the front line, with Ukrainian forces holding off a major Russian assault for the past year.
Myrnohrad is a satellite town of Pokrovsk, located less than 3 kilometers (2 miles) away.
Last updated 8:41 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russian troops have been unable to gain a foothold in Huliapole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and are reportedly trying to mine the city, Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command, told Ukrinform on Jan. 19.
“The enemy cannot push back and gain a foothold in Huliaipole, so its sapper units have received a significant number of TM-72 anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in order to mine all roads, streets, and courtyards,” Voloshyn said.
The situation in the Huliaipole direction remained tense for several weeks, with dozens of daily clashes in the city and surrounding settlements, according to the spokesperson.
“Huliaipole is basically one big gray zone. Ukrainian forces have positions in various outlying areas, but neither the enemy can gain a foothold in the city center nor can we hold it,” he added.
Huliaipole was long considered a stable part of the front line, despite its proximity to the contact line. That stability has eroded in recent months as Russian forces stepped up their advance in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and intensified offensive operations this spring.
Last updated 8:17 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russian troops are attempting to partially encircle the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast from multiple directions, concentrating significant forces in the area, Viktor Tregubov, head of communications for Ukraine’s Joint Forces, told Suspilne on Jan. 19.
“There are many Russians on different fronts, and they are actively trying to take Lyman in a semi-circle,” Tregubov said.
“This is one of the key directions of Russian aggression at the moment, so they are throwing a lot of forces to the Lyman direction,” Tregubov added.
Russian attacks in this area have so far been unsuccessful, according to Tregubov.
The head of communications for the Joint Forces added that the Siverskyi Donets River, east of Lyman, also helps hold back Russian forces, as it has not frozen enough for heavy equipment to cross.
Lyman, located in northern Donetsk Oblast with a pre-war population of around 20,000, has been a hotspot of the front line for years as fighting raged in the Serebrianskyi Forest, just east of the city.
Last updated 6:30 p.m. Kyiv time.
A Russian attack on Kharkiv killed a 69-year-old woman and injured 11 others on Jan. 19, local authorities said.
Russia attacked Kharkiv with three KAB guided bombs, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that Russians attacked “exclusively” civilian buildings in Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv. Thirty houses and 10 multi-story building were damaged.
Rescue workers and sappers from the State Emergency Service have been working at the sites of the attack.
At 6:12 p.m. local time Syniehubov reported that the number of victims in Kharkiv has risen to 11.
Last updated 3:23 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russia launched overnight attacks on energy infrastructure in “several regions,” leaving civilians in five Ukrainian regions without power, Ukraine’s Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said on Jan. 19.
The regions include Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv oblasts bordering Russia to the north, as well as Odesa Oblast in the south and central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, according to Nekrasov.
Ukraine’s energy situation remains “difficult” as Russia continues to strike energy facilities during subzero temperatures and restrictions remain in place nationwide, Nekrasov said.
Nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Russia has stepped up strikes on energy infrastructure with missiles and drones in an apparent effort to undermine morale during freezing weather.
After two mass attacks on Kyiv earlier this month, Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk warned on Jan. 13 that Russia is “going all in” to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s SBU ‘destroyed or disabled’ $4 billion worth of Russian air defense systems over past year, agency claims
Last updated 12:00 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed on Jan. 19 that its long-range strikes over the past year either “destroyed or disabled” Russian air defense systems worth a total of approximately $4 billion.
Among the Russian air defense systems on the list are S-300, S-350, and S-400 air defense systems, as well as Russian anti-aircraft missile systems BUK-M1 and BUK-M2, and Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S2s, according to the SBU.
Russia’s radar reconnaissance and guidance systems also suffered “serious losses,” the SBU claimed.
“This work had a systemic effect: Corridors were opened in the Russian Federation’s multi-layered air defense system, ensuring safe passage for Ukrainian long-range drones deep into enemy territory — to military bases, warehouses, airfields, and other military facilities,” the SBU reported, praising its Special Operations Center “A.”
Moscow has not reacted to the SBU’s claim by the time of publication.
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At least 9 injured in Russian overnight attacks on Ukraine
At least 9 people were injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on Jan. 19.
Russia launched 145 Shahed-type drones overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Ukraine’s air defenses said they shot down or suppressed 126 drones.
The Air Force added that 13 drones hit 12 locations.
In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks injured three people over the past day, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian attacks injured three people over the past day, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks injured two people over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
In Chernihiv Oblast, a 45-year-old woman was injured in a Russian drone strike, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,227,440 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,227,440 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Jan. 19.
The number includes 1,020 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,573 tanks, 23,922 armored fighting vehicles, 74,876 Â vehicles and fuel tanks, 36,333 artillery systems, 1,617 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,278 air defense systems, 434 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 110,215 drones, 4,163 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.