THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
For: 25-01-11
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. In June 2023 I began providing a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 70 sources daily, which formed the basis of the script. While the Podcast no longer exists I have continued to make this Brief available for my followers here on Substack for those who wish to keep up with the news from the war.
All the latest news on the Russo-Ukraine War 6 days per week
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on Jan 11 stated that day 1053 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine had begun.
The situation on the line of combat remains tense in some sectors. Ukrainian defenders continue to actively counteract the Russian aggressor, causing them losses in personnel equipment and technology. Exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continuing to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deeper into the territory of Ukraine.
During the past day,213 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 17 air strikes, used 1942 drones and more than 4,000 artillery strikes across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
47 ENEMY UAVS SHOT, 27 DRONES FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST)
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On the night of Jan 11, 2025 (from 8:00 p.m. on Jan 10), the enemy attacked with 74 Shahed attack UAVs and simulator drones of various types from the directions of Millerovo, Orel, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia.
The air attack was repelled by anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces of Ukraine.
As of 09:00, it was confirmed that 47 Shahed attack UAVs and drones of other types were shot down in Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kirovohrad, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
Due to the fall of downed enemy drones in seven regions of Ukraine, farm buildings, institutions, private homes, and vehicles were damaged. Preliminary, without casualties, the consequences are being eliminated, and assistance is being provided to the victims.
27 enemy drones-simulators - lost in location (without negative consequences).
Ukrainian Operations in the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its Jan 10 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that Russian forces advanced amid continued offensive operations in the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast on Jan 10. Geolocated footage published on Jan 9 and 10 shows that Russian forces marginally advanced within southern Makhnovka (east of Sudzha) and advanced in southern Russkoye Porechnoye and northern Kositsa (both northeast of Sudzha). A Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces encircled some Ukrainian positions near Guyevo and Kurilivka (both south of Sudzha). Another Russian milblogger continued to claim that elements of the Russian 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment (72nd Motorized Rifle Division, 44th Army Corps [AC], Leningrad Military District [LMD]) and 34th Motorized Rifle Brigade (49th Combined Arms Army [CAA], Southern Military District [SMD]) seized Pogrebki (north of Sudzha), but other Russian milbloggers refuted this claim and stated that the situation in Pogrebki is unclear. ISW has not observed confirmation of these claims.
Russian milbloggers widely refuted claims that Russian forces encircled Malaya Loknya (north of Sudzha) and entered Sudzha. Russian forces continued attacking throughout the salient, including near Sudzha itself; northwest of Sudzha near Novaya Sorochina, Staraya Sorochina, Nikolayevka, Viktorovka, and Nikolskiy; northeast of Sudzha near Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Russkoye Porechnoye; and east of Sudzha near Zamoste and Makhnovka on January 9 and 10. Another Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces are focusing their main efforts on the area northwest of Sudzha from positions west of Novoivanovka, through Leonidovo and Alexandriya, and between Lebedevka and Malaya Loknya towards the Sudzha-Lgov highway. Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces counterattacked near Berdin (northeast of Sudzha) and in Kruglenkoye (northwest of Sudzha). Drone elements of the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade (Black Sea Fleet [BSF], SMD) reportedly continue to operate in the Kursk direction.
Ukraine captures 2 North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Ukrainian troops captured two North Korean soldiers as prisoners of war (POWs) in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post, on Jan. 11. "This task was not easy,"
"Usually, Russia and other North Korean military personnel finish off their wounded and do everything possible to ensure that no evidence of the participation of another state – North Korea – in the war against Ukraine is preserved."
The two wounded soldiers received necessary medical care and are in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv, according to Zelensky. The president applauded Ukrainian paratroopers and soldiers from the Special Operation Forces for capturing the North Koreans.
North Korea deployed around 12,000 soldiers in Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion in August 2024 to bring the war to Russia, a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the intelligence told the Kyiv Independent in December 2024.
Zelensky's statement comes nearly two weeks after the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that Ukrainian troops had captured a wounded North Korean soldier in late December who died soon of his wounds.
"We confirmed through a friendly nation's intelligence organization that a North Korean soldier, captured alive on Dec. 26, died a short while ago as (his) wounds worsened," the NIS said on Dec. 27, as cited by South Korean Yonhap News Agency.
First small-scale combat clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean troops happened in November 2024, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said. Then, in December, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "significant number" of North Korean soldiers have begun participating in assault operations in Kursk Oblast.
Western nations condemned the two authoritarian states' deepening cooperation, with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calling it a clear sign of Moscow's growing desperation on Jan 9.
North Korean troops have thus far suffered over 1,000 casualties, but the actual number may be much higher, according to Austin. Only limited videos of the North Korean soldiers appeared online, making it difficult to draw conclusions about their combat abilities.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kharkiv Sector:
Ukrainian brigade destroys Russian tank column in Kharkiv Oblast
Soldiers rom Ukraine's Third Separate Assault Brigade repelled an advance by Russia's 4th Guards Tank Division in Kharkiv Oblast on Jan. 8-9, the brigade reported on Telegram on Jan 11.
Ukrainian fighters reported destroying 20 pieces of Russian equipment during battles in Kharkiv Oblast.
“It was almost like a tank battle near Brody in 1941,”
The brigade reported that part of the Russian column was stopped with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). Some tanks veered off-road and detonated mines, while others were targeted by FPV drones. Ukrainian forces destroyed a pontoon crossing, sinking a tank, and struck enemy infantry with artillery fire, forcing survivors to retreat.
According to the brigade, the entire Russian column was destroyed, but Russian forces later launched another armored assault from four directions. Ukrainian fighters repelled the attack using ATGMs and drones, inflicting further losses.
The brigade credited the operation to its Anti-Tank Battalion, including units FATUM and Paskuda, and the 2nd Assault Battalion with units DEUS EX MACHINA, Totentanz Group, and Thunder Riders.
Kupyansk Sector: Russian forces over the last day reported advanced marginally towards Zapadne (northeast of Kupyansk).
Kramatorsk Sector: Geolocated footage published on January 9 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in the fields east of Stupochky (south of Chasiv Yar).
Toretsk Sector: Geolocated footage published on Jan 10 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in Toretsk and currently occupy around 90% of the city.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk Sector : Russian forces recently advanced southwest of Pokrovsk amid ongoing offensive operations in the Pokrovsk direction on Jan 10.
Kurakhove Sector: Russian forces recently advanced northwest of Kurakhove amid ongoing offensive operations in the Kurakhove direction on Jan 10. Geolocated footage published on Jan 9 indicates that Russian forces advanced in the fields northeast of Slovyanka.
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing major to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 2, injure 12 over past day
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least two civilians and injured at least 12 over the past day, The Kyiv Independent reported citing regional authorities on Jan 11.
Russia launched 74 Shahed-type attack drones and dummy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. Forty-seven drones were shot down over 11 oblasts, while 27 dummy drones were lost in the airspace, according to the statement.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, three people were injured in Russian attacks over the past day, Governor Serhii Lysak said.
Two men aged 46 and 74 were injured during drone and artillery attacks against the Nikopol district on Jan. 10. Overnight, a 40-year-old man was injured in the same district, the governor said.
A civilian was killed and another injured during a Russian attack against the front-line town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
In Kherson Oblast, two people were injured as a result of Russian strikes, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Twenty-one houses were damaged.
One person was killed and six injured during Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
A 39-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman were hospitalized following a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on the evening of Jan. 10.
On the morning of the following day, a Russian drone hit a car in the village of Primorske, killing a 47-year-old woman and injuring two men aged 46 and 60 and two women aged 49 and 52, Fedorov reported.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Fire at 'industrial plant' after drone attack under control, Russia says
A fire at an industrial plant in Russia's Volga region is under control, local authorities said on Saturday, days after the blaze, reportedly at an oil depot strategically positioned near a military air base began following a Ukrainian drone attack. Reuters reports.
The authorities on Wednesday said "an industrial plant" had been hit, without disclosing further details about the site.
"The area of the fire at an industrial enterprise in Engels was reduced by 80%. The amount of smoke has also decreased significantly," the governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin said in a Telegram post on Saturday.
It was not clear whether a state of emergency, declared in Engels, a city of 200,000 people some 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow, was still in effect. Two firefighters died earlier this week while trying to stop the fire spreading.
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday it had set fire to an oil depot that serves Engels 2 air base which is used to launch Russian long range bombers attacking Ukraine.
Engels is hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine. In December 2022, three Russian air force personnel were killed when a drone was shot down there.
Grumpy Here: The Fire Service internationally uses benchmarks to measure the status of any fire. The final two benchmarks are “under control” which means the fire is no longer in danger of spreading further and “loss stopped” which means that the fire is out. I reported citing sources some months ago that Russia does not have the ability to manufacture firefighting foam at the moment and that some time last year they had used all of their stockpile.
As a result, any fires at fuel facilities like this will continue to burn until they have consumed all of the fuel available to it. There are a myriad of additional problems that this creates both from an environmental and health aspect.
Russian air defence is incapable of defending strategic facilities beyond Moscow.
Russian air defense systems are proving unable to defend the country’s strategic facilities effectively, except for President Vladimir Putin’s residence and the city of Moscow, Ukrinform reports. This assessment was shared by Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, via Telegram.
Kovalenko highlighted that Russian air defenses are increasingly vulnerable and struggle to protect critical sites across Russia, emphasizing their focus on safeguarding Moscow and Putin’s personal residence.
He remarked: “This is without facing NATO yet, without Tomahawk missiles flying. It’s a complete disgrace. Meanwhile, Russians conceal the losses of destroyed radars, S-300/S-400 launchers, and Pantsir-S1 systems, which are significant.”
As reported by Ukrinform, on the night of January 11, several regions in Russia experienced drone attacks disrupting airport operations in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, and Ulyanovsk. In Tambov region, drones reportedly struck residential buildings.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
White House believes Ukraine and Russia not ready for talks.
John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, at a briefing for journalists on Jan 10 stated he believes that neither Russia nor Ukraine are ready to negotiate an end to the war. Ukrainska Pravda reports.
Kirby was asked to comment on whether the latest US sanctions targeting the Russian oil sector are part of a strategy to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Kirby explained that the sanctions imposed on Russia are not meant to serve as a bargaining chip to be lifted when Ukraine is ready to negotiate. He added that there is no indication that either side is prepared to begin negotiations.
The White House spokesman stressed that the decision to impose new sanctions was based on forecasts for energy markets.
He also confirmed that the US had previously postponed large-scale sanctions in this area in order to keep domestic energy prices from rising.
Biden administration fails to use nearly US$4 bn in aid for Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has not managed to use nearly US$4 billion of the aid package for Ukraine approved by Congress in April. Sabrina Singh, Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of Defense said during a briefing on Friday.
The White House has not spent the entire amount of the aid package for Ukraine and will transfer nearly US$4 billion to the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump. This money will be available under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA).
"So, it will be just under US$4 billion that will be left in the authority (PDA) that the next administration will get the opportunity to use for Ukraine."
Singh was responding to journalists' questions about the amount of aid left for Ukraine after the US announced its most recent military aid package for Ukraine this week.
Putin expected to push for barring Ukraine’s accession to NATO in meeting with Trump.
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is ready to meet Donald Trump but has yet to agree a date, the Kremlin said on Friday, after the US president-elect said the two sides were preparing a possible summit. The Financial Times reports citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
He added: “It looks like some progress will be made after Mr Trump takes the Oval Office.”
Asked about a possible summit at his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort or elsewhere, Trump said after a meeting with Republican governors on Thursday: “President Putin wants to meet — he’s said that even publicly — and we have to get that [Ukraine] war over, that’s a bloody mess.”
The president-elect described the death toll as “staggering” and added: “It’s a war that I’m going to try really to stop as quickly as I can.”
Pushing back his campaign pledge to end the war in “24 hours”, Trump suggested this week that six months was a more realistic target to bring hostilities to an end.
According to a former senior Kremlin official and another person who has discussed the issue with the Russian president, Putin’s main goal in any talks is new security agreements to ensure Ukraine never joins Nato and that the US-led military alliance pulls back from some eastern deployments.
“He wants to change the rules of the international order so there are no threats to Russia. He is very worried about how the world will look after the war,” the former Kremlin official said. “Trump wants to roll back Nato anyway. The world is changing, anything can happen.”
Western officials including Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte have sought to stress the importance of Trump ensuring “peace through strength” in Ukraine, and avoiding a defeat for Kyiv that would embolden Putin and his allies in China, Iran and North Korea.
MILITARY & TECH
Vietnam-era M113s continue to be operationally relevant in Ukraine.
Since being delivered to Ukraine in 2022 as part of U.S. military aid, the M113 armored personnel carrier (APC) has become a lifeline for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. Defence Blog writes.
Despite its origins dating back to the Vietnam War era, the M113 continues to protect infantry and support assault operations, saving countless lives.
The United States first announced the inclusion of M113 APCs in a military aid package on April 13, 2022. Since then, these vehicles have played a critical role in the defense of Ukraine, particularly on the eastern front. The armored carriers have proven their ability to withstand direct fire, as recounted by Ukrainian soldiers who rely on them in combat.
Vitalii Kovalchuk, a 36-year-old M113 driver with the callsign “Pasportu,” shared his experiences of surviving multiple attacks while operating the vehicle.
“Our unit was completely surrounded, and we had to deliver a reserve group under heavy fire,” Kovalchuk said. “We came under small-arms fire and then took a direct hit from an RPG to the front of the vehicle. There was fire inside, but despite the damage, the vehicle kept moving. I was amazed. I pressed the gas, and it drove forward—it felt like a miracle.”
The M113, Kovalchuk added, enabled his unit to escape and saved their lives in the process.
Ukrainian troops have noted the M113’s superiority over Soviet-era infantry fighting vehicles such as the BMP-1 and BMP-2. Unlike Soviet designs, which often result in fatalities among the crew and passengers upon impact, the M113 provides enhanced survivability.
“Compared to the BMPs, where casualties are almost certain in most cases, the M113 holds up well against both direct and indirect hits,” said 23-year-old gunner Oleksii Dmytrenko. “It offers much better protection for the crew and passengers.”
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received various M113 variants from the United States and other Western allies, including Lithuania, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Portugal.
The M113 was one of the first foreign armored vehicles integrated into Ukraine’s military arsenal in 2022. While some view it as outdated, Ukrainian soldiers commend its effectiveness in providing cover during intense firefights.
The vehicle’s ability to shield troops from small-arms fire and even rocket-propelled grenades has made it indispensable on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces continue to rely on M113s for troop transport, logistical support, and even offensive maneuvers, underscoring the vehicle’s adaptability and relevance in modern combat.
As the war in Ukraine persists, the M113 has become a symbol of resilience, proving that even older technology can play a critical role in saving lives and enhancing survivability in one of the most challenging conflict zones in the world.
That’s it for today’s Brief folks if you would like to keep up with events in Ukraine daily please consider subscribing, it’s free!