Victory Chronicles-DAY 1430

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military could form the backbone of a future unified European army, but the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war is leaving no time to bring the idea to fruition. 

Speaking during an online briefing on Jan. 23, Zelenskyy said Ukraine currently had Europe’s largest and most experienced army that has been shaped by years of full-scale combat, yet legal, bureaucratic and financial hurdles made deeper integration impossible while fighting has continued.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine remained focused on holding the front line, leaving no capacity to work through the steps needed to create a joint European force. He added that if and once the war ends, Ukraine would be ready to join such a structure.

He urged Europe to begin preparing the financial base now, warning that many soldiers might eventually seek to return to civilian life after the war. Strong, sustained funding would be needed to keep experienced personnel in uniform so their knowledge, technology and training could be passed on to future forces, he said.

Ukraine to receive 65 US-supplied commando armored vehicles. Ukraine will receive 65 Commando Select armored vehicles from the United States under a $163.4 million contract awarded to Textron Systems, the company announced on Jan. 23. The transfer will be conducted through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, a government-to-government framework overseen by the U.S. Army.

The agreement covers the delivery of the vehicles along with one year of spare parts support, with contract execution scheduled over a three-year period. The Commando Select, classified as a Mobile Strike Force Vehicle, is designed for rapid maneuver, force protection, and security operations, enhancing Ukraine’s mobility and operational resilience amid ongoing combat operations.

Russian attacks kill child and three adults in eastern Ukraine. Russian attacks across eastern Ukraine killed four civilians, including a 5-year-old boy, and injured six others on Jan. 23, according to Ukraine’s National Police. The strikes hit six communities in the Donetsk region, including the cities of Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka and Mykolaivka, as well as towns and villages nearby.

Police said Russian forces struck the settlement of Cherkaske with two Geran-2 drones, killing four people and injuring five civilians, including three girls ages 12, 14 and 16. Two house were destroyed and two vehicles were damaged. A separate FPV drone strike injured a civilian in Druzhkivka, while rocket fire damaged another house.

Drone attack sparks fire at oil depot in Russia’s Penza region. A drone attack triggered a fire at an oil storage facility in the Russian city of Penza overnight on Jan. 23, according to regional officials. Gov. Oleg Melnichenko said air defense systems intercepted four drones, but debris from one fell onto the depot’s grounds and ignited a blaze.

Russian authorities reported no deaths or injuries. The fire was extinguished by 46 firefighters using 14 pieces of equipment, local officials said.

Ukraine has not commented on the incident. Recent drone strikes deep inside Russia have increasingly targeted fuel and energy facilities seen as critical to supporting Moscow’s war effort.

Key Takeaways

1. Ukrainian and US officials continued meetings in Switzerland on January 22.
2. Putin is trying to use Trump’s Board of Peace to curry favor with Trump and negotiate the release of frozen Russian assets to fuel the Russian economy.
3. There is conflicting reporting about possible US, Ukrainian, and Russian meetings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 23 and 24.
4. The Russian military command is reportedly prioritizing the provision of light motorized vehicles to Russian troops, further demonstrating how the Russian military is optimizing itself for positional warfare.
5. The Russian military command is reportedly introducing a tactical-level situational awareness system to help streamline battlefield decision-making, seeking to use artificial intelligence to compensate for the low level of junior officer training and initiative in the Russian military, among other things.
6. The Russian General Staff is reportedly creating a new drone brigade that will incorporate a large variety of unmanned systems, likely as part of wider efforts to centralize drone units in the Russian military.
7. European states are increasingly seizing Russian shadow fleet tankers following a series of similar US actions in recent weeks.
8. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov dismissed five deputy defense ministers on January 22.
9. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area and in eastern Zaporizhia Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced near Slovyansk, in the Dobropillya tactical area, and near Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka.

• Ukraine’s foreign minister says Orbán’s plan to keep Ukraine out of EU for 100 years is doomed to fail
• Kremlin comments on “Anchorage formula”: Ukraine must withdraw from Donbas
• Poland urgently sends generators and heaters to Ukraine
• NYT: United States seeks to bar Russia and China from mining in Greenland
• Von der Leyen on peace talks: Waiting for Russia’s response
• UK supported French operation to board Russian tanker
• EU allocates first €10m for special tribunal to hold Russia’s leadership to account