icon
January 28,2025

Victory Chronicles-DAY 1069

Ukrainian ground forces commander Drapatyi takes over biggest military unit defending east as EU prolongs sanctions against Russia

Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi’s newest duty as the commander of Ukraine’s military ground forces is to lead the Khortytsia strategic-operational group that is facing the most intense combat against invading Russian forces in the eastern part of the country.. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the decision in his evening address to the nation on the fortnight while Drapatyi will still “help combine the army’s combat operations with the proper training of brigades,” Ukraine’s second war-time president said. 

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Andrii Hnatov has been appointed deputy chief of the General Staff as per Zelenskyy’s order and is expected to “establish a new level of operational headquarters preparation and to improve the quality of coordination between headquarters and the front.”

The news on Jan. 26-27 came as the European Union (EU) for six more months extended a wide-ranging scope of sanctions against Russia for war mongering. 

They were prolonged until the end of July after Hungary, whose government is considered pro-Kremlin, removed its objections. 

They are designed to deprive Moscow of funds for its war chest as the Russo-Ukrainian war approaches its fourth year in February. 

The restrictive measures target a slew of sectors: trade, finance, energy, technology, industry, transport and luxury goods. 

EU Foreign Affairs chief Kaja Kallas tweeted that the sanctions will “deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war. 

On his part, EU Council President Antonio Costa said that the sanctions against Russia are “crucial,” and increase “pressure…for as long as Russia continues its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Sources: European Council of the European Union, Ukrainska Pravda, Associated Press, Office of the President of Ukraine



Symbolic number of the Day

84

Ukraine’s military specifically struck at least 84 various Russian oil facilities last year as part of a larger campaign to dismantle Moscow’s ability to finance its ongoing war against Ukraine since its economy is heavily reliant on revenues from the sale of fossil fuels. 

The farthest cross-border attack took place 1,500 kilometers from the kinetic front line in Ukraine. 

At least three refineries had shuttered or limited operations as a result, 

This year, the attacks on Russian energy facilities continued and the latest refinery in Ryzan located in the so-called Golden Ring around Moscow was struck twice in three days. One of the four biggest in the country, Russian military bloggers reported that it had stopped operating as of Jan. 27. 

Sources: TopLeadEU, United 24 Media

War in Pictures

/

Sgt. Anastasiya (call sign Liliya), 28, is a drone operator in the Brig. Gen. Oleksiy Almazov 406th Artillery Brigade, who demonstrates that “professionalism doesn’t hinge on age or sex,” Ukraine’s Naval forces says. 

She commands an all-male unit in a department that collects and processes information of a drone reconnaissance platoon. 

Anastisiya started her military career in 2014 when she joined the Border Guard Service when she was 18 years old. 

After fulfilling her service contract, she left abroad but returned in 2022 when Russia’s full-blown invasion started. 

“Returning to the service was an obvious choice for me. The main thing is that the dearest person in my life, my mother, supported me in this,” Anastasia recalled. 

Her unit’s main goal “is to detect enemy heavy equipment, weapons, and manpower. To effectively operate the  [Poseidon] complex,” having gone through specialized training with her team. 

Source: Ukrainian Navy




Video of the Day

North Korean troops in Kursk region take pause in fighting after heavy losses

An estimated 30-40 percent of the North Koreans sent to fight against Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk have been rendered combat incapable either through death or irreversible wounds. 

When faced with death, most refuse to be taken alive and videos have surfaced showing them killing themselves with live grenades rather than risk capture.  

Unlike smaller Russian assault groups, Ukrainian forces see North Koreans advance in groups of up to 60 “with remarkable speed,” a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces unit commander tells Sky News. 

SOURCE

Institute for the Study of War report

isw

Key takeaways: 

  • Ukrainian forces struck Russian long-range drone storage facilities in Oryol Oblast again on Jan. 26.
  • The European Union (EU) proposed an aid package on Jan. 27 to Moldova and Transnistria to help the ongoing gas crisis in the pro-Russian breakaway republic as part of efforts to reduce Russia’s ability to exploit Transnistria in its energy blackmail schemes targeting Chisinau.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Khortytsia Group of Forces Commander Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov with Ground Forces Commander Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi on January 26.
  • Ukrainian forces recently recaptured lost positions near Toretsk.
  • Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Kurakhove.
  • The Russian government continues to expand the federal “Time of Heroes” program, which aims to install Kremlin-selected veterans into government positions, by creating similar programs for Russian veterans across government, including at the regional level.
SOURCE

War Heroes

On Jan. 27, 2023, Maj. Danylo Murashko was shot down while piloting a Sukhoi-25 Frogfoot jet near the village of Shchabelkivka in the Donetsk region. He had flown 141 sorties and is credited with destroying 70 Russian armored equipment, 80 vehicles, 30 tanker trucks, and 600 Russian occupiers. 

He was posthumously awarded the Full Knight of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. 

Source: Ukrainskyi Chasopys




Latest news

 

  • The Times: Unlike in 2017, Russia is under no illusion Trump will rebuild ties
  • Kyiv Independent: Ukraine war latest: North Korean forces reportedly pull back from one front-line sector following heavy casualties
  • RFE/RL: Zelenskyy presses Ukraine’s cause with gathered world leaders in Poland
  • The Japan Times: Putin’s war is fueling Russian ‘stagflation’
  • Hromadske: Russians blew up pipes of Siverskyi Donets-Canal to accelerate offensive on Chasiv Yar – Luhansk Grouping

 

Subscribe For Our Latest News

Your name

Your email

Previous War Chronicles

VICTORY CHRONICLES icon icon