Victory Chronicles-DAY 1428

U.S. military forces detained the oil tanker Sagitta in the Caribbean Sea on Jan. 20 as part of ongoing efforts to enforce sanctions and disrupt maritime networks moving Russian oil, the U.S. Southern Command said. 

The vessel was taken into custody “without incident” during a joint operation with the Department of Homeland Security, according to the military statement.

So far, as of the latest reporting period for this month, at least seven oil tankers that are considered part of Russia’s covert or “shadow” fleet have been seized by U.S. forces as part of an intensified effort to enforce sanctions and disrupt illicit oil shipments. This includes a series of operations in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic where U.S. military and Coast Guard units have detained these vessels. 

The Southern Command said the operation demonstrated Washington’s determination to ensure that only legally coordinated oil shipments leave Venezuela, which is a key route for sanctioned crude and to uphold a quarantine on vessels subject to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and allies. The Sagitta has been linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers that transport crude while avoiding international controls, including by disabling tracking systems.

The detention marks the seventh such tanker seized under heightened enforcement in the Caribbean region, where U.S. forces have targeted a network of sanctioned ships tied to Russia and other countries as part of a broader sanctions regime.

Kyiv experiences a sharp drop in population this month. About 600,000 civilians have left Kyiv this month so far as Russian aerial attacks strained daily life in the Ukrainian capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in comments that was published by London-based The Times. 

The figure reflected a noticeable decline in the number of residents who have remained in the city overnight, which had a prewar population of more than 3 million.

Klitschko’s mayoral office said the estimate was based on mobile network billing data that shows roughly 600,000 fewer phones that are regularly active in Kyiv at night. Officials said the drop likely included residents who temporarily moved to stay with friends or relatives outside the city, as well as students studying online and families taking advantage of extended winter school breaks.

The mayor’s office said similar data was used early in the full-scale invasion, when Kyiv’s population briefly fell to about 800,000 as civilians fled fighting and missile strikes.

Investigation identifies Russian surgeons behind branding of Ukrainian POW. An investigation by Skhemy, the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has identified two Russian surgeons who are suspected of branding the words “Glory to Russia” onto the body of a Ukrainian prisoner of war during his captivity. 

According to the investigation, the abuse was inflicted on Ukrainian serviceman Andrii Pereverziev during a surgical procedure on Feb. 24, 2024, at the Donetsk Clinical Territorial Medical Association — the largest hospital in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. The doctors allegedly involved were identified as Yury Kuznetsov and Andrei Kryachko, surgeons from the Russian city of Krasnodar.

Journalists found that the two doctors had traveled regularly to occupied Donetsk since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, where they provided medical assistance and performed operations. Evidence gathered by Skhemy includes hospital photographs and video footage, metadata, border-crossing records, and testimony from medical personnel, who said the branding was carried out by Russian doctors.

Investigators say the findings raise grave concerns over the treatment of prisoners of war and point to potential violations of international humanitarian law, underscoring the systematic abuse faced by Ukrainian captives in Russian custody.

Ukraine downs new Russian fiber-optic reconnaissance drone. Ukrainian forces shot down a new Russian reconnaissance drone over the town of Huliaipole in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya, Ukrainian military and media reported on Jan. 21. The aircraft, known as the “Prince Oleg the Seer,” was described as a fixed-wing, fiber-optic surveillance drone that is designed to operate close to the front line. Fiber optic drones are impervious to electronic warfare, or electronic jamming, because they are connected to cables.

Pilots from an interceptor unit of the 225th Assault Regiment said the drone was brought down during routine air defense activity. According to Ukrainian military sources, the system was intended to fly up to about 40 kilometers (25 miles), providing real-time reconnaissance, fire correction and battle damage assessment for Russian strike drones.

Ukrainian analysts said the drone’s design seeks to blend in with friendly aircraft that increases its survivability. 

Key Takeaways

1. Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure cut power to electrical substations powering the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on January 20, consistent with a recent warning from Ukrainian military intelligence.
2. Russia downplayed the impact of Russian strikes on the Chornobyl NPP, even as Russia continues to pose increasing threats to all of Ukraine’s NPPs.
3. Ulyanov is deliberately ignoring the context of this power outage amid the systemic threat and damages that Russia has caused to Ukrainian NPPs throughout the course of the war.
4. Russian missile and drone strikes overnight on January 19 to 20 significantly damaged additional energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine, particularly Kyiv City.
5. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the Kremlin’s commitment to its original war demands against the background of expected peace talks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 20, and falsely accused Ukraine of beginning the war by attacking Russia.
6. Drone operators of the Russian Rubikon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies are increasingly conducting mid-range strikes against Ukraine’s high-value, Western-provided air defenses and rocket launchers.
7. Ukrainian forces reportedly created a tactical kill zone that denies Russian forces from using vehicles within 20 to 25 kilometers of the front line or using infantry within one kilometer of the front line near Kupyansk — a capability that Ukraine should deepen and expand across the entire theater.
8. Russian forces are using training missiles to strike ground targets in Ukraine, possibly by equipping them with live warheads.
9. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov as the new deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force on January 20.
10. Russian forces recently advanced in northern Kharkiv Oblast and near Pokrovsk.

• Reuters: Trump’s envoy Witkoff to meet with Putin on Thursday
• Axios: Zelenskyy to travel to Davos on Thursday to meet with Trump
• FT: Renault to team up with French defence group to make drones for Ukraine
• Russian air defence hits apartment building near Krasnodar
• The Netherlands allocates an additional 23 million euros to Ukraine for energy support
• Power supply restored at Chornobyl nuclear power plant after Russian massive strike
• Kyiv to receive two mini combined heat and power plants from Germany