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Russo-Ukraine War - 03 January 2023 - Day 314

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in mid-December, Russian military and Wagner proxy forces likely increased the frequency of their infantry assaults around the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut. However, many of these operations were poorly supported.

Over the last ten days, Ukraine has committed significant reinforcements to defend the sector and the frequency of Russian assaults have likely reduced from the peak in mid-December. Both sides have suffered high casualties.

Russian offensive operations in the area are now likely being conducted at only platoon or section level. It is unlikely Russia will achieve a significant breakthrough near Bakhmut in the coming weeks.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russian occupants continue to lead full-scale armed aggression against our state. Russia does not refuse plans to exit the administrative border of Donetsk region. Core efforts focus on maintaining offensive potential and making up for losses.

In order to put pressure on the population of our country, Russia launches air and missile strikes, as well as carries out artillery shelling of critical infrastructure and settlements in Ukraine violating the standards of International Humanitarian Law, the laws and customs of warfare.

During this day, Russian forces struck 8 aviation strikes and carried out 18 shelling from jet systems of bottom fire. The threat of air and missile strikes by Russia on critical infrastructure objects remains throughout Ukraine.

Russia, trying to take full control of the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, focuses efforts on offensive actions in the Bakhmut direction. Russian occupants are trying to improve the tactical position on the Limansky and Avdiiv directions, strengthening the grouping on the Novopavlivsky direction at the expense of units overturned from the Kherson direction.

In Volyn, Polísʹkomu, Siversʹkomu and Slobožansʹkomu directions, the situation remains without significant changes. Russian occupants maintain a military presence in the border areas of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. No sign of the formation of Russian offensive groups was detected.

Russian forces fired from the entire spectrum of artillery in the areas of Strelech, Krasne, Zelene, Ternova, Starytsya, Ogírtseve, Vovchansk, Karaíčne, Ohrimivka, Ambarne of Kharkiv region.
In other directions, Russia leads the defense of previously occupied borders, focuses efforts on suppressing the actions of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, shelling the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian objects along the line of collision.
In the direction of mortars, barrel and jet artillery suffered areas of 14 settlements, including: Novomlinsk, Tavílʹzhanka, Dvoríčna, Kupyansk, Kotlyarívka, Tabayivka, Pershotravneve Kharkiv region and Makiyivka, Ploshanka, Dibrova Luhansk region.
In the Bakhmutsky and Avdiivka directions, Russian forces fired the positions of our troops with tanks and artillery of different types in the areas of more than 20 settlements, including: Spirne, Bílogorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmut, Klishchievka, Vodyane and Maryink and Donetsk region.
In the Novopavlívsʹkomu direction, Russian forces fired tanks, mortars, barrel and jet artillery of the areas of the settlements of Vremivka, Velika Novosílka, Neskučne, Vugledar, Mykilske Donetsk region.
In Zaporizhzhya and Kherson directions, Russian forces fired the positions of Ukrainian troops with tanks and the entire spectrum of artillery in areas of more than 25 settlements, and does not stop shelling the civilian infrastructure of cities and villages along the p The raft bank of the Dnipro River. The civilian infrastructure of the settlements suffered from artillery shelling: Kherson, Molodížne, Antonivka and Berislav Kherson region.

During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck 4 strikes in the areas of focus of Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment.

Units of missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine have burned 2 control points and 4 areas of focus of live force and military equipment of the Russian occupiers in the current 24 hours.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports that over the past day, the Russian army has attacked 72 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU), 104 areas of concentration of troops, as well as five warehouses of artillery ammunition and weapons.

Two D-30 guns were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Kamenskoye and Gulyaipole, and a Grad rocket launcher was destroyed in Volchansk. Air defense systems shot down 13 enemy drones and nine shells.

Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at the operating hospital in the city of Tokmak in the Zaporozhye region. Patients and staff were not injured, but the medical building was destroyed. In the neighboring building with the maternity and pediatric departments, windows were broken. The blow was delivered using HIMARS rocket systems.

The situation in the Donbass

Despite the air temperature above zero and the soggy ground, both opposing sides are actively carrying out attacks and counterattacks, head-on battles are recorded.

So, Russian units today advanced in the areas of Bakhmut, Kleshcheevka, Experienced, Krasnaya Gora, Belogorovka, Razdolovka, as expected, meeting stubborn resistance. Attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to recapture the lost strongholds were unsuccessful.

To the north, Russian forces attacked near Stelmakhovka and Belogorovka. A reconnaissance was carried out here in order to identify enemy firing points.

Meanwhile, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine opened fire nine times on five settlements of the DPR from artillery and mortars within an hour and a half.