Victory Chronicles-DAY 684

Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine, causing casualties and damage in several Oblasts. At least four people were killed, 33 injured, and there may be more people trapped under the rubble. 

In Zaporizhzhia, missiles hit residential areas, resulting in three injuries. In Novomoskovsk, a minibus overturned due to an explosive wave, with 20 people, including four children, seeking medical assistance. Kryvyi Rih district saw the destruction of two private houses, one resulting in a fatality and three individuals possibly trapped. 

Kharkiv experienced four strikes, damaging an industrial facility and an educational institution, and causing one injury. Zmiiv witnessed the destruction of a private house, with two individuals rescued and one possibly trapped. Explosions were also heard in Khmelnytsky, where one person was killed. Overall, the attack left a significant impact on the affected regions, and efforts are underway to address the consequences.

Ukraine’s air defense system has intercepted almost half of the Kinzhal hypersonic air-to-air missiles launched by Russia, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. Of the 63 missiles launched, 25 were successfully destroyed. The Kinzhal missile, which Russia claims is unstoppable and reaches speeds of up to Mach 10, reaches an altitude of 20 km and uses a ballistic trajectory. However, these claims have not been confirmed on the battlefield. The X-47M2 Kinzhal missile is manufactured at Russian factories using parts imported from the European Union. 

The Public Relations Service of the 37th Separate Marine Brigade published a photo report on training Ukrainian marines. The 37th Separate Marine Brigade fighters are honing their combat skills while moving on water. “After all, a real marine is a threat to the enemy anywhere – on land, in the air, and on water,” the Public Relations Service said in a statement.

The 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 3rd Brigade published a video of the fire support platoon’s training. “In order to become better, we do not waste a single day, and while we have some time to recover, we are constantly improving our shooting skills at the range!” the 3rd Brigade said in a statement.

Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat refuted media reports that the Danish Ministry of Defense (MoD) is delaying its first delivery of six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine for up to six months. Ihnat stated that there are no official announcements on the Danish MoD’s websites that would confirm the claimed delays in F-16 provisions. Ihnat urged Ukrainians to only trust official sources and noted that this is a “sensitive” topic for Ukraine given that Ukrainian pilots are undergoing F-16 training in extremely fast time frames.

Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of January 6 to 7. Ukrainian military sources reported that Russian forces launched 28 Shahed-136/131 drones and three S-300 missiles and that Ukrainian forces destroyed 21 of the Shahed drones over Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Cherkasy oblasts. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian S-300 missiles struck a civilian building in Rivne, Donetsk Oblast on the evening of January 6, killing 12 people including five children. US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink stated that the strike is a reminder of the daily reality of Russian strikes across Ukraine.

The defender and poet Maksym Kryvtsov, with the call sign Dali, died in combat. Two days before, he had posted a poem on social media in which he wrote that if he died, he would bloom like a violet… 

Maksym participated in the Revolution of Dignity, and in 2014, he volunteered to go to the front. Later, he worked at the Center for Rehabilitation and Readaptation of ATO, JFO Participants, and the Veteran Hub. In 2022, he went back to the frontlines to defend Ukraine. 

On the evening of January 7, the poet’s mother, Nadia Kryvtsova, quoting lines from one of his poems, wrote in a comment to her son’s last post, which he published the day before, on January 6: “My dearest son will sprout violets.”

The defender was the author of the book “Poems from the Loophole,” which was recognized as one of PEN Ukraine’s best 2023 Ukrainian books. He is also the author of the collections “The Book of Love 2.0. Love and War” and “Between the Sirens. New Poems of War”. He is remembered as a kind and bright man.

*Maksym’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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