Victory Chronicles
-DAY 317

Above:  Since early medieval times, Ukraine was split between eastern and western empires and their different traditions for observing Christmas. Ukraine now designates both western Dec 25 and eastern orthodox Jan 7 as official holidays. (New York Times)

• Putin instructed the Russian defense minister to initiate a ceasefire from 1200 Jan 6 to Jan 7 along the “entire line of contact. Ukrainian and Western officials, including US President Joe Biden, immediately highlighted the hypocrisy of the ceasefire announcement and emphasized that Russian forces continued striking Ukrainian military and civilian infrastructure on December 25—when many Orthodox Ukrainians celebrate Christmas—and New Year’s.
• The announcement of a ceasefire within 24 hours of when it is meant to enter into force suggests that it was intended to frame Ukrainian forces as unwilling to work towards peace.
• A prominent enemy milblogger who attended the annexation ceremony at the Kremlin in September employed overtly genocidal, dehumanizing rhetoric in response to the ceasefire, stating that Russian soldiers “want to kill every person dressed in the uniform of the enemy army, regardless of gender and circumstances.”
• In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 5,  Putin emphasized that Moscow remains open to negotiations as long as they “take into account new territorial realities, meant to hammer Ukraine into making concessions that directly undermine its territorial sovereignty.
• Russian officials are preparing for another imminent wave of mobilization, taking measures to prevent Russian men from leaving the country and considering a complete foreign travel ban for Russian men of military age.
• Russian occupation authorities are continuing to take measures to incentivize citizens to move to occupied territories, passing a resolution on January 3 on the provision of a two percent rate on mortgage loans in occupied territories, seeking to increase the population in the deep rear in occupied territories to strengthen production capabilities and support logistics related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Video: General Staff’s Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

Even Mother Nature is taking sides in this war

One of the coldest Christmas in the last 30 years is beginning in Russia. On the contrary, in the west of Europe the beginning of the year is unusually warm. See the midday temperatures https://t.co/YDZduNRBMt pic.twitter.com/IuogBkgFCg

— Ventusky (@Ventuskycom) January 6, 2023

Above: Conflagration at enemy oil depot in Makiivka, Donetsk. (The Guardian)

Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces estimated enemy losses since February 24, 2022.

• Liquidated personnel, 110,250 (+530)
• Tanks, 3,064 (+23)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 6,124 (+16)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 2,059/431 (+8/5)
• Anti-aircraft warfare systems, 215 (0)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 285/272 (+1/1)
• UAV operational-tactical level, 1,844 (0)
• Cruise missiles, 723 (0)
• Warships/boats, 16 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 4,797 (+38)
• Special equipment, 182 (0)

Above:  russian world wishes everybody a merry Christmas. (New York Times)

Glory to Ukraine! The three hundred and seventeenth day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.

• Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 17 airstrikes and launched 59 attacks from rocket salvo systems. In particular, civil infrastructure.
• The danger of enemy air and missile strikes remains on the entire territory of Ukraine.
• Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine have repelled attacks by occupiers in the areas of Stelmakhivka, Makiyivka, and Ploshanka in Luhansk Oblast and Spirne, Soledar, Krasna Gora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka, Pervomaiske, Maryinka, and Pobieda in Donetsk
• In the Slobozhansk directions, areas of the settlements of Strelecha, Staritsa, Ohirtseve, Gatishche, Vovchansk, Ustinivka and Figolivka of the Kharkiv region were hit by artillery and mortar attacks.
• In the Kupyansk direction, enemy fire was recorded in the areas of the settlements of Tavilzhanka, Dvorichna, Vilshana, Synkivka, Kupyansk, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Tabaivka, Krokhmalne and Berestovka in the Kharkiv region and Kuzemivka, Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk
• In the Lymansky direction, Makiivka, Ploshanka, Kuzmine and Dibrova in the Luhansk region were affected by fire.
• In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy fired at Verkhnokamianske, Spirna, Berestovka, Belogorivka, Vesele, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Krasna Gora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Bila Gora, Kurdyumivka, Diliivka, Ozaryanivka, Severnye, Mayorsk and New York of the Donetsk
• Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Nevelske, Georgiivka, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk region came under fire in the Avdiiv region.
• On the Novopavlivskyi direction, the occupiers shelled Mykilske, Vugledar and Prechistivka of the Donetsk
• In the Zaporozhye direction, Vremivka, Zelene Pole and Novopil in Donetsk region were affected by fire; Gulyaipole, Dorozhnyanka, Zaliznychne, Gulyaipilske, Charivne, Novodanilivka, Shcherbaki, Stepove and Primorske in the Zaporizhzhia region and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk
• In the Kherson direction, in particular, the civilian infrastructure of the settlements of Kherson, Chornobayivka, and Tokarivka was damaged by artillery shelling.

Believe in the Armed Forces! Together we will win! Glory to Ukraine!

Above:  Soldiers from the Carpathian Sich International Battalion conduct maneuvers near the front line near Kreminna, Luhansk. (Reuters)

• Russian forces continued limited counterattacks to regain lost positions along the Svatove-Kreminna line on January 5. Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian assault near Stelmakhivka (16km northwest of Svatove).Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian assault near Ploshchanka (17km northwest of Kreminna).

Above: A Ukrainian armored vehicle passing a damaged church in the Donetsk region on Thursday.  (New York Times)

• According to available information, since January 1, in the city of Donetsk, enemy military commissariats have started collecting information about citizens for military registration.
• Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted a successful counterattack as Russian forces continued offensive operations around Bakhmut on January 4 and 5. Ukrainian soldiers conducted a tactical counterattack in Bakhmut and advanced 300 meters in an unspecified area, forcing Russian troops to withdraw from certain unspecified positions.
• Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks on Bakhmut itself; northeast of Bakhmut near Bilohorivka (22km northeast), Soledar (10km northeast), Krasna Hora (5km north), Vyimka (25km northeast), and Pidhorodne (5km northeast); and south of Bakhmut near Kurdyumivka (12km southwest), Mayorsk (20km south), and Pivnichne (20km southwest).
• Russian forces continued offensive operations along the western outskirts of Donetsk City on January 5. Russian troops attacked near Vodiane, Krasnohorivka, Vesele Marinka, and Pobieda, all ranging along the northern to southwestern outskirts of Donetsk City.

Above: Defense Express

• Russian forces are primarily conducting defensive actions in Kherson Oblast,using small sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Dnipro River and delta islands to probe Ukrainian defenses.
• In Kakhovka, Kherson, Russian occupiers are trying to ban the circulation of the Ukrainian hryvnia, raiding trading points and threatening to seize cash and goods if Ukrainian money is found.
• Ukrainian forces continued to target Russian military assets in rear areas of southern Ukraine. Odesa Military Administration Spokesperson Serhiy Bratchuk amplified reports of an explosion of an S-300 missile warehouse in Radensk, Kherson Oblast, which is within range of Ukrainian tube artillery.
• Russian forces and occupation officials are preparing for another wave of mobilization in Russian-occupied Zaporizhia Oblast, introducing new restrictions on movement that require residents in Berdyansk and Melitopol to obtain permission from local military offices in order to leave the cities.