January 14, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

A regional Ukrainian leader said five people were killed by a Russian missile that struck a nine-story apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

At least 27 people were injured, including six children. All of them are in the hospital, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.

Images and video from the scene show the collapsed front of the building and a fierce fire in the immediate aftermath of the strike, which occurred early Saturday afternoon local time. There was a series of detonations after the initial impact, possibly as cars or gas lines ignited.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said earlier that "at least one entrance is missing, people who were at home on a holiday are under the rubble."

Tymoshenko said 15 people had been rescued in the destroyed entrance of the building. The State Emergency Service and all city services are at the scene, he said.

Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian prime minister, said air defenses are working in the latest wave of Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian cities.

Shmyhal also said the strikes are “yet another proof that Russia is a terrorist and has no place in the civilized world.”

Shmyhal also said the strikes are “yet another proof that Russia is a terrorist and has no place in the civilized world.”

Russia is targeting infrastructure in Kharkiv as part of its "large-scale missile attack" on Ukraine, the mayor of the northeastern city said Saturday.

"There is a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine now, the enemy is targeting infrastructure facilities," Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

Only ground transportation is operating in the city, he said, adding that "we have implemented a scheme of bus routes in case of power outage."

Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv's military administration, said there had been two "arrivals" of Russian missiles to a critical infrastructure facility in the region.

"Currently, emergency power cuts are being applied. Emergency services are working at the scene," he said.

Russian missiles have struck infrastructure and could disrupt utility supply for residents in the western Lviv region of Ukraine, the head of the region's military administration said.

"The enemy hit a critical infrastructure facility in Lviv region," the official, Maksym Kozytskyi, wrote on Telegram. "There may be power and water supply interruptions. Stay in shelters. The threat continues!"

Air raid sirens are sounding across Ukraine on Saturday. Authorities say air defenses continue to work in several regions of the country.

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine says "air defenses and aviation are working" as air raid alerts are in effect for much of the country.

Air defenses are reported to be operating in several regions of Ukraine.

Amid the nationwide alert, the mayor of the western city of Lviv, Andrii Sadovyi, warned residents there is a "high level of threat of missile attacks" against the city.

The governor of a southern region of Ukraine said that a number of Russian missiles have flown overhead in the last few minutes.

Air raid alerts are in effect for much of Ukraine, including the capital. 

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk region military administration, has claimed that the Ukrainian military still controls the town of Soledar -- although some Ukrainian units in the area have said they are only on the town's outskirts.

Speaking on Ukrainian television, Kyrylenko said that: "The enemy is suffering heavy losses, covering its way with the bodies of Wagner [fighters] and regular army soldiers."

He added that "the situation is difficult but controlled. The military command is taking all necessary measures to stabilize the situation."

Kyrylenko said seven civilians had been evacuated from the town on Friday, but 550 remained in the town, which is without power and where few buildings remain undamaged.

Kyrylenko insisted that "the humanitarian situation in the city is under control. There is a food supply and shelters for local residents."

Russia said Friday its forces had taken the small town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine following weeks of fierce fighting, in what would be Moscow’s first notable victory in months, although Ukraine denied the claim.

Russian media said Friday that dozens of residents of Soledar had left for Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk.

The capture of Soledar would represent a symbolic if not an especially strategic win for Putin after a long string of military setbacks dating back to last summer. But it does not suggest a significant capitulation of Ukrainian forces, nor a substantial change to the overall complexion of the war.

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Britain will send 12 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of efforts to "intensify" support for the Ukrainian defense against Russia, according to Downing Street.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak "outlined the UK’s ambition to intensify" it's support to Ukraine, "including through the provision of Challenger 2 tanks & additional artillery systems," during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, Downing Street said. 

In a post on his official Telegram channel Saturday, Zelensky said he thanked Sunak "for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners." 

The Western alliance’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine received a shot in the arm this week as multiple European nations for the first time answered Zelensky’s longstanding call to supply modern battle tanks to Kyiv.

France and Poland have pledged to soon send tanks for the Ukrainian military to use in its efforts to protect itself from Russia. Finland is also considering following suit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it's a sign of failure for Moscow that there is Russian infighting about who deserved the most credit for “tactical advancement” in the town of Soledar.

Zelensky said during his nightly address Friday there have been “324 days of full-scale war, and how everything has changed for Russia ... They are already at each other's throats over who to attribute some tactical advancement to.”

The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday claimed that it had captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar. The Ukrainian military said however that fighting was ongoing. The battle became a point of contention between the Wagner private military company, whose mercenaries did much of the frontline fighting, and the Russian Ministry of Defense, who had publicized competing claims about their roles in the fight.

“The difficult battle for Donetsk region continues,” Zelensky said. “The battle for Bakhmut and Soledar, for Kreminna, for other towns and villages of the east of our country continues.”

“Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our warriors – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defense and security forces – are defending the state,” he said.