RUSSIAN ARMY HOLDS THE LEAD

Last week, Kiev tried to take revenge for devastating strikes on military infrastructure with retaliatory attacks on the Crimean Peninsula. Despite direct coordination and close support from NATO, all attempts to inflict at least some damage on the peninsula were repelled by Russian air defense forces. Now it’s Russia’s turn to strike back. The new week begins with a new wave of massive attacks across Ukraine. On the night of January 8, Russian drones hit military facilities in the Odessa region, including the port infrastructure and the Shkolny airfield. Kharkiv came under another devastating attack. The main target was the Kiev district of the city, where four large plants are located. In the early morning, at least 11 Russian strategic bombers reportedly went on a combat sortie. Ukrainian media and local officials confirmed large explosions in the Kiev, Zhytomyr, Khmelnitsky and Kharkiv regions, as well as in Krivyi Rig, Dnipro, and Zaporizhia. The Ukrainian military complains that Russian attacks are accompanied by launches of numerous false targets that distract the Ukrainian air defense forces and force them to expend scarce anti-aircraft missiles. Amid the ongoing massive strikes, fighting is ongoing on the Ukrainian battlefields, where the Russian army also holds the lead in all directions. As a result of successful offensive operations, Russian troops took control of new positions in the city of Avdeevka. The Ukrainian side acknowledged that Russian attacks are ongoing in about twenty areas around the city and in Avdiivka itself. New facilities in the area of the Coke and Chemical Plant in the north of the city came under Russian control. In the northeast, the Russians are moving towards Michurin Street. Their offensive also continues along the streets near the industrial zone in the southeastern part of the city. The situation of the Ukrainian grouping in Avdiivka worsened, after the town of Maryinka located to the south came under full Russian control. The both cities served as the main Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk city agglomeration. In recent days, Russian forces have resumed their offensive, expanding the zone of control to the west, north and south of Maryinka. The battle for Georgievka has already begun. Russian troops continue their offensive in the Krasny Liman direction, where they approached the eastern outskirts of Makeyevka. The town is located at a strategically important crossroads. Just in the last 24 hours, the Russian military advanced about 1km on a wide front, and Ukrainian forces have lost control of the road in the area. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops are retreating from Rabotino, losing the few positions they captured during the failed counteroffensive in the Zaporizhia region; and the senseless struggle for the small stronghold in Krynki brings inconsistent losses to the Ukrainian army.