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Russo-Ukraine War - 22 January 2023 - Day 333

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 on 17 January 2023, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans for major changes to the structure of the armed forces', to be implemented between 2023 and 2026. This included an increase to 1.5 million personnel – an 11% increase on top of the previously announced expansion to 1.35 million.

Shoigu also announced the re-establishment of Moscow and Leningrad military districts, a partial return to the Soviet era organisation of forces in Western Russia. A new army corps is to be established in Karelia, near the Finnish border.

Shoigu's plans signal that the Russian leadership highly likely assesses that an enhanced conventional military threat will endure for many years beyond the current Ukraine war. However, Russia will highly likely struggle to staff and equip the planned expansion.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of January 22, the Russian adversary launched 5x air strikes on the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and 1x missile strike on critical infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia oblast. The Russian invaders made more than 20x MLRS attacks.

The threat of Russian air and missile strikes on civilian targets across Ukraine remains high.

Russia is focusing its main efforts on offensive operations on Bakhmut axis. The russian forces are failing in their offensive on Zaporizhzhia, Avdiivka, and Lyman axes, while defending on Kup'yans'k, Novopavlivka, and Kherson axes.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes, no offensive groups of the adversary were found. At the same time, the vicinities of settlements of Studenok, Doroshivka, Boyaro-Lezhachi, Iskrykivshchyna, Popivka (Sumy oblast), Vetarynarne, Strilecha, Zelene, Vovchans'k, Novomlyns'k, Dvorichna, and Kupyansk (Kharkiv oblast) were shelled with mortars and artillery.
Kupy'ans'k axis: the aRussian dversary shelled the vicinities of Petropavlivka, Tabaivka, Krokhmal'ne (Kharkiv oblast), Novoselivs'ke, and Stel'makhivka (Luhansk oblast).
Lyman axis: Makiivka, Ploshchanka, Chervonopopivka and Kuzmine in the Luhansk oblast were shelled.
Bakhmut axis: vicinities of 14x settlements came under fire from the Russian artillery. Among them are Verkhn'okam'yans'ke, Bilohorivka, Krasna Hora, Bakhmut, Kurdyumivka, and Maiors'k (Donetsk oblast).
Avdiivka axis: Avdiivka, Nevel's'ke, Heorhiivka, and Mar'inka came under the Russian fire.
Novopavlivka axis: Bohoyavlenka and Mykil's'ke (Donetsk oblast) were shelled.
Zaporizhzhia axis: artillery fire hit more than 16x settlements, including Vil'ne Pole, Vremivka, Novopil' (Donetsk oblast), Hulyaipole, Pavlivka, Stepove, Orikhiv, and Mala Tokmachka (Zaporizhzhia oblast).
Kherson axis: the Russian occupants keep terrorizing the civilian residents. In particular, the vicinities of settlements of Dudchany, Monastyrs'ke, Antonivka, Berehove, Yantarne, and Kherson came under MLRS and artillery fire. There were civilian casualties.

Russia continues to suffer losses. Thus, trucks and cars with wounded Russian servicemen arrive daily at the city hospital in Nova Kakhovka (Kherson oblast). The number of eliminated Russian occupants is being finalized.

During the day of January 22, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 3x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian troops; missile and artillery units attacked 2x concentrations of Russian troops, and 2x ammunition depots.

As the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated earlier, Russian units continue their offensive in the Zaporozhye direction. During the day, they liquidated about 85 Ukrainian servicemen, several armored vehicles, 3 howitzers and a car, and also destroyed the enemy's ammunition depot.

Against this background, Kyiv is strengthening defensive positions in rear areas. Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the administration of the Zaporozhye region, told RIA Novosti that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are converting the industrial zone of the administrative center of the region for military needs: large factories such as Zaporizhstal, Zaporozhkoks and Motorsich are being turned into bunkers and defensive strongholds. According to Rogov, in this way the Kyiv regime will try to use the same tactics that it previously used at Azovstal in Mariupol.

Ukrainian troops shelled Kakhovka and Novaya Kakhovka several times during the day. In the first settlement, due to the fire of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one woman died, another was injured. In the second case, the targets of the strikes were both residential buildings and energy infrastructure facilities. Eight villages have been de-energized due to damage to the transformer substation, and power supply has already been restored in four of them.

Events in Donbass

Volunteer and blogger Vladlen Tatarsky identified one of the foreign fighters who fought on the side of Ukraine and were killed by Russian troops in the Bakhmut area. According to him, before the Georgian mercenary was in the ranks of terrorists in Chechnya and Syria. Previously it was thought that he died in the Middle East, but recently there was evidence of his death during the battle in the Donetsk People's Republic.

Various volunteer organizations continue to help the front, delivering aid from all over Russia. As reported, dozens of new drones have been brought to Donbass, which will be handed over to soldiers at the front for reconnaissance and target designation. In addition, the Moscow-Donbass volunteer group presented one of the DPR units with a batch of warm clothes and shoes, camouflage and surveillance equipment, as well as a handwritten icon created specifically for this unit.