Month: January 2025

Balakliia and Izium are considered key targets for the enemy because of their strategic location. Through these areas, Russia could attempt flanking maneuvers to advance on the Donetsk region, stated Ivan Tymochko, head of the Council of Reservists of the Ground Forces, in a commentary to the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.

“Balakliia and Izium are in the way. From the north, they lead towards Chuhuiv and Kharkiv, and from the southwest, they open the way to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk,” Tymochko explained.

He noted that these cities hold significant strategic importance for the further advance of Russian forces.

Tymochko emphasized that controlling these territories would enable the enemy to launch offensives from two directions simultaneously. According to him, Russian forces had planned their campaign in the Kharkiv region with the goal of regaining lost positions.

The enemy’s strategy, according to Tymochko, was to bypass defense positions and renew the advance on the Donetsk region. He highlighted that the Russian army realized it could not capture Chasiv Yar through a frontal assault and might resort to flanking maneuvers.

“This was their calculation. They saw they couldn’t take Chasiv Yar through a frontal assault. The fighting continues now, as it lies on the route towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. So they tried a flanking maneuver – or, rather, they might try again,” Tymochko stated.

He also stressed that current discussions about such enemy actions indicate that this scenario is once again being considered.

Earlier today, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, said that the cities of Izium and Balakliia in the Kharkiv region were being prepared for an all-around defense.

According to him, the construction of fortifications continues and these are planned activities.

Moreover, yesterday, Andrii Rubtsov, the communications officer of the 116th separate mechanized brigade, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces recorded attempts by Russians to cross the Oskil River in the Kharkiv region on inflatable boats, but all attempts were unsuccessful.

Finnish law enforcement suspects another crew member of a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the severing of underwater cables, bringing the total number of suspects to eight, Yle reports.

The list of suspects has grown to include another crew member, who has also been barred from leaving Finland.

“The number of individuals prohibited from traveling may change as the preliminary investigation progresses,” police clarified.

The crew includes citizens of Georgia and India, but the authorities have not disclosed the nationalities of the suspects.

Police also emphasized that the crew members of the Eagle S tanker, suspected of cutting underwater cables, are forbidden from leaving the vessel.

According to law enforcement, the active initial phase of the investigation will last several weeks, and the overall investigation will take at least a month. Technical investigations and crew interrogations are currently underway on the vessel.

Cable cut in the Baltic Sea

Recently, underwater cables between Finland and Estonia were damaged in the Baltic Sea.

After that, Finland detained the Eagle S, a tanker of the Russian shadow fleet that was sailing in the area where the cables were broken.

Recently it became known that Finland suspects seven crew members of aggravated vandalism. They were banned from leaving the country.

On January 2, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a precision strike on the command post of the Russian army in the settlement of Mariino, located in the Kursk region, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the General Staff, all necessary measures were taken during the strike to minimize the risks to the lives of local civilians.

“These fire strikes are primarily intended to weaken the Russian Federation’s ability and willingness to carry out terrorist acts against the Ukrainian civilian population,” the General Staff stated.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine will relentlessly continue to detect and destroy military command targets of the aggressor country.

Today, Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, stated that on January 2, a strike was carried out against Russian troops in the Kursk region.

“There was a successful strike. Significant losses in the 810th brigade of the Russian Federation as a result,” he wrote.

What is known about the 810th Brigade of the Russian Federation

The 810th Marine Brigade of the Russian Federation is currently based in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol. However, part of the unit is engaged in combat operations in the Kursk direction.

On the night of December 25, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the command post location of the 810th Separate Marine Brigade in Lgov, Kursk region.

Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) operatives recently used maritime drones to destroy Russian helicopters near Crimea. This event is unique and marks the first such operation in history, Defense Express reports.

DIU clarified that during a successful operation near Crimea, special forces of Group 13 used Magura V5 missile-equipped maritime drones to destroy two Russian Mi-8 helicopters and damage another one.

According to Defense Express, the amount of enemy equipment destroyed demonstrates improvements in the effectiveness of Magura V5 maritime drones equipped with missiles. Analysts highlight that achieving this required enhancements to all components, from the drone control system to the adaptation of R-73 missiles for use in maritime conditions.

Defense Express suggests that the Russian helicopters were not coincidentally on the path of Ukrainian drones. They may have been engaged in patrolling the Black Sea area, a common practice for the occupiers.

It is likely that the invaders believed a patrol of three Mi-8 helicopters would be sufficient to counter maritime drones, but they miscalculated.

“This also indicates that the operators of the maritime drones outperformed the enemy in terms of tactical preparation. This, in turn, allowed the full potential of the technical improvements made to the missile-equipped Magura V5 maritime drones to be realized,” analysts added.

DIU operation near Crimea

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that Group 13, a special unit of HUR, conducted a unique operation near Cape Tarkhankut in temporarily occupied Crimea.

The operatives hit an aerial target using Magura V5 maritime drones equipped with missiles, marking the first such case in the world.

Initially, Ukrainian intelligence reported that one Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed and another was damaged but managed to return to its airfield.

However, DIU later clarified that during the operation, two Mi-8 helicopters were destroyed along with their crews. Another Russian helicopter was damaged.