January 16: Ukraine announced its defeat in Soledar after intense fighting. The commander of a Ukrainian drone unit, Robert Brovdy, reported that Russian forces had captured the last part of the city, including the industrial zone near Mine No. 7. The front line shifted near the city’s outskirts, where Ukraine continued defensive operations. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces persisted in their attacks in the Donetsk region, focusing on Bakhmut and Avdiivka in an attempt to capture the entire area. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Yevgeny Prigozhin sought to undermine the authority of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its allies, although Russian authorities disputed claims that Wagner mercenaries had captured Soledar independently.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the war was in a "decisive phase" but emphasized that this was not the final stage of the conflict. Russian forces continued localized attacks to regain positions around Svatove and Kupiansk, while Ukrainian forces carried out offensive operations near Kreminna.

Russian shelling targeted residential buildings, medical facilities, and children’s centers in Kherson, including the Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital. The attack killed one person and injured two others. Russian forces made gains north of Bakhmut and could intensify their offensives near Klishchiivka. Intense fighting also occurred near Avdiivka and Donetsk.

January 17: Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to the Ukrainian President, stated that over 9,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since the war began in 2022. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights documented at least 7,031 civilian deaths since February 24, 2022. Ukraine's State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection reported that the country had been targeted by 2,194 cyberattacks, 1,655 of which occurred after the Russian invasion began, with nearly 560 directed at government institutions.

January 19: Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) reported that Ukraine suffers daily triple-digit military casualties on the front lines, warning that a defeat in Bakhmut could enable Russia to advance further into Ukraine. The BND also noted that Russia accepts high casualties among its troops, treating soldiers as "cannon fodder."

The British Ministry of Defense reported that the Wagner Group, with up to 50,000 personnel, had become a key component of Russia’s war campaign. Its registration as a legal entity served to maximize profits for its owner.

The ISW highlighted that frequent contacts between Russian and Belarusian authorities could create conditions for a new attack from Belarusian territory. However, the likelihood of such a scenario in the coming weeks remained low.

Illustrative photo. Generated by AI