Ukraine Repels Russian Forces in the East as Sirens Warn of Missile Attacks; Kyiv Expects Battle for Donbas to Intensify in February-March Amid Russia’s Desperate Attempt to Capture the Region; US, Germany to Send Scores of Tanks to Ukraine; 12 Countries Ready to Give About 100 Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine Repels Russian Forces in the East as Sirens Warn of Missile Attacks:

Ukraine’s military said it halted Russian attempts to advance in several front-line locations

Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attempts to advance in the east of the country, its military said, while air-raid sirens across Ukraine raised fears of possible Russian missile attacks.

Sirens wailed across Ukraine just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, including in the capital, Kyiv. In some regions, officials issued air-raid alerts again in the afternoon. The Ukrainian military warned of a high threat of Russian air and missile attacks.

“Go to the shelters closest to you and stay there!” said Anatoly Kurtev, the secretary of the city council of Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, on his official Telegram channel. Mr. Kurtev later said that a Russian strike on a house killed a woman whose body was found under the rubble.

Separately, Russian shelling killed two people when it struck a grocery store in the town of Beryslav in the southern Kherson region, Ukrainian officials said. The Kherson region’s military administration said three others were hospitalized after they were wounded in the shelling. Russian forces have launched intense shelling of the city of Kherson and its surroundings since Ukrainian forces reclaimed it from Russian forces in November.

Russia has launched wave upon wave of missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, knocking out power and heating during the winter months in what Ukrainian officials say is an attempt to psychologically wear down the civilian population during the war.

The alerts came as the country welcomed a decision by Germany and the U.S. to provide main battle tanks as a part of a coordinated effort to bolster Ukraine’s forces ahead of a possible new Russian offensive in the coming months. The German government said it would send 14 of its modern Leopard main battle tanks. President Biden later announced that the U.S. would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks. —>READ MORE HERE

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv expects battle for Donbas to intensify in February-March amid Russia’s desperate attempt to capture the region:

Russian forces will likely intensify their offensive in eastern Ukraine in the coming months, Deputy Military Intelligence Chief Vadym Skibitsky said on Jan. 23.

Skibitsky added that Russian troops are facing pressure from the Kremlin to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast by March.

The anticipated offensive would also likely include Russia’s attempt to regain control of territories in the easternmost Luhansk Oblast that Ukraine had liberated thus far, according to the official.

Nearly 11 months into its full-scale invasion, Russia has begun changing tactics – relying on assault groups of 140 to 160 people – rather than making advances with battalions, much larger in size, Skibitsky said.

Russian forces are launching “powerful artillery strikes” to “completely destroy” Ukrainian defenses, “wave after wave,” according to Skibitsky.

The same tactic is used by the Kremlin-controlled infamous Wagner Group in the embattled city of Bakhmut and its surroundings, according to Skibitsky.

Bakhmut has withstood relentless Russian attacks to encircle the city for months, but Soledar had recently fallen to Moscow – even though the Ukrainian leadership is yet to acknowledge it.

While Russian forces only occupy roughly half of Donetsk Oblast, the Kremlin has vowed to capture it – a region it claims to have illegally annexed in the fall.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the newly-appointed commander overseeing the war in Ukraine, Valeriy Gerasimov, to seize the Donbas by March, Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate spokesperson Andriy Yusov said on Jan. 16.

Ukraine’s anticipation of a further Russian offensive comes amid Moscow’s desperate efforts to achieve any victory in Ukraine after facing a string of humiliating defeats in late 2022. —>READ MORE HERE

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