Day 1051 of the war begins under the impact of the grim toll from the past 24 hours.
Russian attacks have killed at least 19 civilians and injured 132, according to regional authorities. Most victims were recorded following an airstrike on Zaporojie.
Russia launched 70 Shahed drones and various decoy drones overnight against Ukraine, as reported by the Air Forces.
The situation in Pokrovsk is deteriorating. Russian troops have advanced to less than a kilometer from the city and are intensifying their attacks with artillery and guided bombs.
Russian firefighters are still battling a fire that broke out at an oil depot near an air base in the Volga region, over 24 hours after a Ukrainian drone attack. Authorities declared a state of emergency after the fire spread, resulting in the death of two firefighters.
Donald Trump aims to end the war within the first 100 days of his inauguration, said Keith Kellogg, the peace envoy of the incoming American president.
Meanwhile, Putin faces a major problem. Ukraine’s suspension of gas transit from Russia is one of the most costly setbacks for Russia, stated John Kirby, the White House National Security Advisor. Moscow is losing annual revenues of $6.5 billion from gas sales to Europe, the American official said.
On the other hand, despite its infrastructure being devastated by Russian attacks, Ukraine is ready to assist Moldova in coping with the energy crisis caused by Russia after Gazprom halted gas supplies to Chisinau. Volodymyr Zelenski discussed with Maia Sandu and seeks common solutions to prevent the crisis from escalating.
Here are the day’s updates from Ukraine:
### Situation on the Front
– **Grim Toll** – Russian attacks have killed at least 19 civilians and injured 132, according to regional authorities. Most victims were recorded following an airstrike on Zaporojie. A Russian airstrike on an industrial facility in the city of Zaporojie yesterday killed at least 13 people and injured 113, announced the Emergency Service on Thursday. 59 people have been hospitalized, with 10 in critical condition. In another area of the Zaporojie region, two people were killed and two were injured in a Russian attack on the village of Stepnohirsk. In the Kharkiv region, two women were injured after a Russian drone attack on the village of Nove Pekelne. Four people were killed and 10 were injured in Russian attacks on the Kherson region in the last day, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Five civilians were injured in Russian strikes in the Sumy region.
### Drone Attacks
– Russia launched 70 Shahed drones and various decoy drones overnight against Ukraine, as reported by the Air Forces. 46 drones were shot down in nine regions, while 24 decoy drones were lost in the airspace.
### Russians Close to Pokrovsk
– Russian forces have come within less than a kilometer of the city of Pokrovsk and are intensifying their attacks, said Serhii Dobriak, head of the local military administration, on Radio Svoboda. „The situation of the attacks is worsening; they are becoming more frequent and include guided aerial bombs and artillery. (…) There is no place in the city that is not constantly under attack by artillery or drones,” Dobriak said. He added that about 7,000 people remain in the city despite the lack of electricity, gas, and water, which were cut off during the summer. Despite the difficult circumstances, a few pharmacies and a hospital are open in the city, as well as a Ukrposhta post office, the national postal service of Ukraine, and a few stores. Dobriak mentioned that evacuations from Pokrovsk are ongoing.
### Russia Suffers Huge Losses
– The number of losses suffered by Russia since the beginning of the invasion amounts to approximately 803,100 military personnel, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In the last 24 hours alone, the death toll increased by 1,430, as reported by Ukrinform. Ukrainian defense forces have so far destroyed 9,731 tanks, 20,221 armored fighting vehicles, 21,765 artillery systems, and 21,813 tactical drones. Additionally, 369 Russian planes and 331 helicopters have been shot down.
### Other Relevant Information
– **Trump Aims to End War in 100 Days** – Donald Trump aims to end the war within 100 days of his inauguration, said Keith Kellogg, the peace envoy of the incoming American president, on Fox News. „This is a war that needs to end, and I think he can find a viable solution within a near term,” he added. Kellogg defined „near term” as the 100-day interval from inauguration and said his personal and professional goal is to help Trump mediate a solution by that time. „People need to understand, he is not trying to give anything to Putin or the Russians, in fact, he is trying to save Ukraine and save its sovereignty. And he will make sure it’s fair and just,” Kellogg emphasized. These statements come a day after Trump stated in a press conference that he will not engage in peace talks until after assuming the presidency. Trump, who will take office on January 20, has repeatedly pledged during his campaign to negotiate an end to the war as soon as he was elected.
– **Costly Setback for Russia** – Ukraine’s suspension of gas transit from Russia is one of the most costly setbacks for Russia, said John Kirby, the White House National Security Advisor, as quoted by Ukrinform. „This decision will effectively deprive Russia of annual revenues of about $6.5 billion from gas sales to Europe. This is one of the biggest and most expensive defeats for Moscow. Of course, we welcome this decision by Ukraine and its determination,” noted the American official. Kirby emphasized that when Putin came to power 25 years ago, Ukraine was the main transit route for over 130 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, but that figure is now zero.
– **Ukraine Assists Republic of Moldova** – Kyiv and Chisinau are collaborating to find solutions to the current energy crisis in Moldova, announced the heads of state of the two countries, Volodymyr Zelenski and Maia Sandu. The two leaders discussed on Wednesday the energy crisis caused by Gazprom’s decision to cut off gas supplies to Moldova on January 1, triggering power outages and heating failures in the Russia-occupied Transnistria region. „An important task now is to help Moldova overcome its energy challenges and prevent Moscow from inciting social tensions… We are ready to help,” Zelenski said in his evening address. He added that the current crisis represents „an obvious attempt by Russia to manipulate energy resources against Moldovan authorities.” According to the Moldovan presidency’s press service, the two leaders are working on „common solutions” to prevent the crisis from escalating, one of which involves utilizing alternative fuel sources like coal.
– **Zelenski in Germany** – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski is meeting on Thursday in Germany with allies gathered under the auspices of the United States to discuss military aid for Kyiv, 11 days before Donald Trump officially assumes the presidency. This meeting of the Contact Group of Kiev’s partners at Ramstein will be the last attended by the current US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin. The Ukrainian President plans „discussions with partners at the level of defense ministers and military commanders.”