Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines (Illustrative image: Sky News).
Russian troops have breached Ukrainian defenses in southern Avdiivka.
According to Geroman Channel, Ukrainian sources confirmed that Russian troops used an old pipeline to bypass the southern Avdiivka front line and then suddenly "emerged from underground" to attack Kyiv's forces from the rear.
Some say the pipeline is 2km long, others say 4km; however, it came as a huge surprise to the Kiev defenders, catching them off guard when Russian soldiers appeared behind their lines and surrounded them. As a result, the fortified and solid defensive line, continuously reinforced over the past 10 years, collapsed swiftly.
Notably, Russian forces had previously launched a similar raid to seize an industrial area further east of the city of Avdiivka.
A map of the Ukrainian conflict in southern Avdiivka as of January 24th. In this map, Russia controls the brown area, and the red circle represents the pipeline entrance located behind the Ukrainian front lines in the blue area (Photo: Geroman).
Geroman detailed that on January 17, an elite Russian assault force marched through the pipeline behind Ukrainian lines, emerging from underground to attack Tsarskaya Okhotsk. Just a few weeks prior, the pipeline looked even more dilapidated, completely submerged and littered with accumulated debris from years of abandonment.
The first dives were very dangerous because no one knew the condition of the pipeline, and in case of an emergency, its length wouldn't allow for a timely exit. The commander of the reconnaissance force personally re-checked the route, repeatedly going to the end to confirm that there was no danger to the soldiers.
Russian scouts undertook the enormous task of clearing the icy, waterlogged pipeline for weeks, day and night, using only their hands, without machinery to avoid noise.
All of this was for a single opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the enemy. Russian scouts passed through the pipeline without making a sound, circled behind enemy lines, and then launched a surprise attack, killing many enemy soldiers and capturing many prisoners.
Russian soldiers cleared the pipeline, creating a surprise attack from behind that caught Ukrainian forces off guard (Photo: Geroman).
Ukraine launches a fierce counterattack in southern Avdiivka.
According to Suriyakmaps , the situation south of Avdivka is contradictory, as the Ukrainian army has sent reinforcements and launched counterattacks in the urban area occupied by Russian forces over the past two days, and it now appears that the Russian army is trying to hold its ground.
A similar situation is occurring east of the city where Russian troops have launched a new offensive against enemy trenches along the southern Kam'yanka road, but Kiev forces are currently still present in surrounding rural houses.
Meanwhile, in northern Avdivka, Ukrainian troops counterattacked and recaptured several positions northwest of Stepove and adjacent to the railway.
Ukrainian forces counterattacked in northern Avdiivka and recaptured several positions from Russian troops (Photo: SGS).
The Ukrainian General Staff reports on the situation on the 700th day of fighting.
According to Ukrainska Pravda , the Ukrainian General Staff announced on the evening of January 24th that, as of the 700th day of the conflict, 50 military clashes had taken place on the front lines, and the Russian army had launched 2 missiles and carried out 53 airstrikes.
The report stated: "During the day, the Ukrainian air force conducted airstrikes on six areas where enemy personnel, weapons, and equipment were concentrated. Missile units attacked one area where Russian troops were concentrated."
The Ukrainian General Staff claims to have repelled Russian attacks in Kupyansk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka, Shakhtarsky, and Zaporizhia. Meanwhile, Moscow has not abandoned its intention to dislodge Kiev's forces from the bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper River with seven unsuccessful assaults.
NATO begins its largest military exercise in 40 years.
According to European Pravda , NATO began the Steadfast Defender 24 exercise on January 24th. This is the largest military exercise of the North Atlantic Alliance since 1988.
Steadfast Defender 24 begins with the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship Gunston Hall departing Norfolk, Virginia, and then sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. This is the first tactical exercise in the drill. Later in January, the Canadian Navy ship Charlottetown will join the exercise, sailing from Halifax to Europe.
General Christopher Cavali, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, said: "Steadfast Defender 24 will be a clear demonstration of our solidarity, strength and determination to defend each other, our values and the rules-based international order."
The exercise, which has been planned for several years, will demonstrate NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other parts of the Alliance to bolster Europe's defenses.
Steadfast Defender 24 aims to simulate the Alliance's response to an attack from a country like Russia and will include a series of smaller, separate exercises that will take place in several locations, from North America to NATO's eastern flank, near the Russian border.
Approximately 90,000 military personnel, 50 naval vessels, 80 aircraft, and more than 1,100 combat vehicles will participate in the exercise.
He "gave advice" to Germany on transferring Taurus missiles to Kyiv.
European Pravda, citing the Handelsblatt newspaper, reported that Britain has offered Germany an option on how to deal with Berlin's reluctance to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range cruise missiles.
Citing " diplomats and officials," European Pravda reported that the plan is for Germany to transfer its Taurus missiles to the UK, in exchange for which the UK would transfer additional Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Reports suggest that London submitted this proposal to Berlin a few weeks ago, but no further decision along these lines has been announced.
The German Chancellor declined to comment on this information.
Berlin is considering supplying armor for Ukraine to include the German-made Taurus cruise missile (Photo: Defense Express).
Ukraine is eager to acquire Taurus cruise missiles with a range of up to 500km, and Kyiv has been actively lobbying Berlin to approve their supply since last summer. However, Germany has refused, fearing escalation due to missile attacks on Russian territory and the Crimean Bridge.
Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Gavrilyuk stated that Ukraine's acquisition of Taurus long-range missiles from Germany would not fundamentally change the situation on the battlefield, but would significantly expand the capabilities of the Ukrainian army.
The German government hinted earlier this year that it was not yet ready to supply Kyiv with these weapons.
Ukrainian Prime Minister: Slovakia will not block EU aid to Kyiv.
Kyiv Independent reported on January 24th that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal in Uzhhorod, a city in western Ukraine, where they discussed relations between the two countries and signed a joint declaration on bilateral relations.
After being elected Prime Minister of Slovakia last September, Fico halted arms supplies and repeatedly criticized both defense aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
According to Prime Minister Shmyhal, in their most recent meeting, Mr. Fico agreed that Slovakia would support the EU's $55 billion aid program for Ukraine during the period 2024-2027.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the only European leader to veto the program at the EU summit in December 2023.
He called on allies to "increase" military aid to Kyiv.
The Guardian reports that British Defence Minister Grant Shapps said allies need to "increase" military aid to Ukraine.
Speaking to Politico , Shapps said: "Ukraine has done an incredible job pushing back the Russians. It has recaptured 50% of the territory controlled by Moscow and opened up a maritime route in the Black Sea.... But Kyiv needs more support, not just from the UK. Our allies must step up too."
He went on to emphasize that the members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, comprising 54 countries, and especially all NATO members, "must act."
The United Kingdom has spent more than £7 billion on military aid to Ukraine. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced an additional £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in aid to Ukraine.
Minister Shapps added: "The message couldn't be clearer: the UK will maintain this pace of aid for a long time."
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (Photo: GETTY IMAGES).
The US Secretary of Defense affirmed that Ukraine is not misusing weapons.
The Kyiv Post reported that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has finally addressed concerns that weapons supplied to Ukraine may have been mismanaged, following earlier criticism of the Pentagon's application of US controls.
Washington's Defense Secretary called on the international community to continue supporting Kyiv's struggle with Moscow, while also stating that there was no mismanagement of U.S. military aid, weapons, and equipment provided to Ukraine.
In his opening remarks at the 18th meeting of the Ramstein Defense Contact Group on January 23, Austin made it clear that the U.S. Department of Defense had found no evidence of misuse of equipment and weapons supplied to Kyiv. He said, "The United States continues to closely monitor and account for Washington's security assistance to Kyiv."
He continued: "We have seen no credible evidence of misuse or illegal diversion of U.S. equipment supplied to Ukraine. What we see is Ukraine using the capabilities we provided to defend itself against Russia."
According to Guardian, Kyiv Post, Kyiv Independent, European Pravda, Ukrainska Pravda, Suriyakmaps, Geroman
Source
Comment (0)