Victory Chronicles
-DAY 315

Above: Ukraine is building fortifications on the border with Belarus. In an article published on January 3, Ukraine’s former ambassador to Belarus explains, “the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus are under the leadership of the General Staff of the Russian Federation. The decision of when and how to use these armed forces, their potential, material and technical base, weapons, and military equipment is made in the Kremlin.” Read the article at New Voice of Ukraine. 

• The Central Bank of Russia ordered its branches to send mobilization summonses to all “male debtors” in their system and to present the male debtors with service contracts, advising employees to threaten police intervention should any of the male debtors resist, but reassured employees that the risk of participating in mobilization recruitment efforts is “minimal.”.
• Putin signed a decree on December 30, 2022, that suspended the previous age limits for mobilization in occupied territories until at least 2026.
• The russian ministry of culture is ordered to help create documentaries and other material to showcase the “courage and heroism” of Russian forces in Ukraine and to screen domestic documentaries to “fight against the spread of neo-Nazi and neo-fascist ideology.”
• Putin signed a decree that promises additional benefits to military and national guard personnel of a 5-million-ruble (about $69,000) payout to the families of those medically-discharged or killed-in-action.

General Staff’s Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

On Jan 3, a British filmmaker released a new documentary on the anti-kremlin partisan movement inside russia.

Above: Survivors of the destruction of an enemy military base in Makiivka, Donetsk, say that there were multiple missile strikes which ignited an ammo cache in the building’s basement. (The Guardian)

Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces estimated enemy losses since February 24, 2022.

• Liquidated personnel, 108,910 (+720)
• Tanks 3038 (+2)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 6,106 (+6)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 2,039/424 (+6/0)
• Anti-aircraft warfare systems, 215 (+1)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 283/270 (0)
• UAV operational-tactical level, 1,842 (+3)
• Cruise missiles, 723 (0)
• Warships/boats, 16 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 4,745 (+10)
• Special equipment, 181 (0)

Above: The owner of an apartment destroyed in Izyum, Kharkiv, says that the basements there were used for shelter during World War II. (RFERL)

Glory to Ukraine!  The three hundred and fifteenth day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.

• During the past 24 hours, the enemy launched 7 missile strikes, 18 air strikes and carried out more than 85 attacks from rocket salvo systems, in particular, on the civilian infrastructure of the cities of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. There are victims among the civilian population.
• The threat of enemy air and missile strikes remains on the entire territory of Ukraine.
• Over the past 24 hours, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of the settlements of Stelmakhivka and Bilogorivka in the Luhansk region and Soledar, Krasna Gora, Bakhmut, Mayorsk, Maryinka, Novomykhailivka, Pobieda and Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk
• The enemy shelled the areas of Karpovychi, Leonivka and Gremyach settlements of Chernihiv region; Romashkove and Rozhkovichi – Sumy and Strelech, Krasne, Zelene, Ternova, Staritsa, Ohirtseve, Vovchansk and Ambarne in Kharkiv
• More than 15 settlements were affected by fire in the Kupyansk and Lymansk Among them are Novomlynsk, Dvorichna, Kupyansk, Kotlyarivka and Tabaivka in the Kharkiv region and Makiivka, Ploshanka and Dibrova in the Luhansk region.
• On the Bakhmut and Avdiiv directions, the enemy shelled the areas of more than 25 settlements. In particular, Kramatorsk, Spirne, Belogorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Vodyane and Maryinka of the Donetsk
• Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, Neskuchne, Vugledar and Mykilske in the Donetsk region were damaged by fire in the Novopavlovsk
• Areas of more than 25 settlements were affected on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson

Believe in the Armed Forces! Together we will win! Glory to Ukraine!

Above: The soviet-era building of the Kharkiv Oblast Administration was severely damaged in March and there is doubt whether it is worth restoring.  The commander of the Kharkiv military district expects another enemy attempt to take Kharkiv when the ground freezes. (InfoResist)

• Russian forces continued limited counterattacks to regain lost positions along the Svatove-Kreminna line on January 3. Ukrainian forces repelled Russian assaults near Stelmakhivka (16km northwest of Svatove), Makiivka (22km northwest of Kreminna), Ploshchanka (17km northwest of Kreminna), and Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna).
• Geolocated footage posted on January 3 shows Russian forces operating 1km north of Bilohorivka, indicating that Russian forces have made marginal advances around the settlement.
• Russian forces used thermobaric artillery systems, a high-value military district-level asset, to strike Ukrainian forces in the Kreminna
• Russian occupation officials sent 44 children from occupied Luhansk Oblast to Moscow for the New Year holiday.

Above: Defenders of freedom patrolling near Torske, Donetsk.  (National Review)

• Russian forces continued offensive operations around Bakhmut on January 3. Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks near Bakhmut itself; northeast of Bakhmut near Rozdolivka (18km northeast), Soledar (10km northeast), and Krasna Hora (5km northeast); and south of Bakhmut near Kurdyumivka (12km southwest) and Klishchiivka (6km southwest).
• Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are currently firing artillery shells at roughly one-third the rate of the summer of 2022, likely a result of the depletion of ammunition stocks. The enemy puts poorly-trained artillerymen into infantry units without training, likely making them little more than cannon fodder.
• The head of Wagner Group forces in Bakhmut admitted they are unable to break through Ukrainian defenses in Bakhmut because each house in Bakhmut is a “fortress,” that Ukrainians have defensive lines every 10 meters. Wagner Group soldiers said that they were unable to break through Ukrainian lines in Bakhmut due to insufficient armored vehicles, ammunition, and 100mm shells.
• Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Avdiivka-Donetsk City area on January 3. Russian troops conducted assaults near Avdiivka (just north of Donetsk City) and Marinka (on the southwestern outskirts of Donetsk City).
• Russian forces may be reinforcing their grouping in western Donetsk Oblast, strengthening their grouping in the Novopavlivka direction (the operational direction used to refer to the area southwest of Donetsk City) with personnel transferred from the Kherson direction.

Above: The Guardian

• The enemy continues to suffer losses on January 2 in the areas of Tokmak, Melitopol, Berdyansk, Pology and Vasylivka settlements of the Zaporizhzhia region: 2 ammunition depots, up to 10 units of military equipment of various types were destroyed, 2 deployment points of the occupiers were damaged, and up to 260 servicemen of the armed forces were eliminated and wounded Russian Federation.
• The Zaporizhia occupation Ministry for Youth Policy plans to take children to Moscow to attend “The Nutcracker.”

Marine battle on the Dnipro River near Kherson

footage of 🇺🇦/🇷🇺 fight on Dnipro river pic.twitter.com/m19j37rMiA

— C4H10FO2P (@markito0171) January 3, 2023