On day 329 of the Russia-Ukraine war, the search and rescue mission in the rubble of the Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Dnipro, Ukraine, has been completed. 45 people were killed in the attack, including a child, and 79 were injured. A makeshift memorial has been erected in Moscow to commemorate the victims.
The Ukrainian presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, has resigned following public outcry over comments suggesting Ukraine shot down the missile. The Ukrainian air force has since confirmed the apartment complex was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which Ukraine does not have the capability to shoot down. In response to the setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine, Russia has announced “major changes” to its armed forces from 2023-26. This includes strengthening the combat capabilities of its naval, aerospace and strategic missile forces.
As of today, the death toll of civilians in Ukraine has risen to 9,000, including 453 children. Ukrainian presidential staff head, Andriy Yermak, has promised that “each criminal will be held accountable”. Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi met with his US counterpart, General Mark Milley, near the Ukraine-Poland border.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukraine urged world leaders to intensify their efforts to remove Russian troops from its soil. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko, called for allies to provide military hardware to more quickly defeat Russia. Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, also addressed the forum, demanding an end to Russia’s aggression.
In Germany, Boris Pistorius was appointed as the new defence minister, taking up the role at a crucial time for the ministry as Germany faces pressure to send battle tanks to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has told US President Joe Biden that the Netherlands will offer Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has defended the supply of Challenger tanks to Ukraine, saying it was designed to bring the war to a quick conclusion. Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, has pledged to support Ukraine “as long as needed”. The British defence minister, Ben Wallace, is due to meet with counterparts from Poland and Baltic countries in Estonia this week to encourage Germany to authorise sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.