Victory Chronicles-DAY 707

The United States intends to deliver a shipment of ground-launched small-diameter bombs (GLSDBs) to Ukraine on January 31.  These bombs have a range of 160 kilometers and will enhance Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, Politico reports.

GLSDBs can be launched by the Highly Mobile Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS), which have been in service in Ukraine since June 2022. The ground-based version of the weapon, developed jointly by Boeing and Swedish defense company Saab, is not yet in service with the United States. 

The delivery of the GLSDB was initially announced in February 2023, and although Russia claimed to have shot down a GLSDB in March 2023, a US official said that no weapons had been delivered to Ukraine at that time. The new bombs are considered a significant potential for Ukraine to do more in its defense efforts.

Over the course of the last 24 hours, Russia launched multiple attacks on various regions in Ukraine, resulting in casualties and injuries. In the Donetsk Oblast, two rockets fired by Russia hit Pokrovsk, leaving six people wounded. Another attack in Avdiivka resulted in one person being killed, while two others were injured in Chasiv Yar and New York. The city of Kharkiv was targeted by six Shahid drones, four of which hit the city, leaving three men and one woman injured. In the Kherson Oblast, Russia launched 53 attacks, leading to one fatality and two injuries. 

Media outlets have reported on the aftermath of a Russian evening strike on the center of Kharkiv. Photos from the site of the attack have been published by the media, revealing the consequences of the strike carried out by Russian shahids. An 86-year-old man suffered a head injury as a result of the attack. Additionally, a 44-year-old man experienced a concussion, while a 58-year-old man suffered from an acute stress reaction. The attack also caused a residential building in the Saltovsky district to catch fire.

The 150th Separate Mechanized Brigade fighters are improving their fighting skills in cocoons and dugouts, reported the StratCom information channel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The anticipated Russian 2024 winter-spring offensive effort is underway in the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border area. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov stated on January 30 that the Russian offensive in Ukraine is currently ongoing and that Russian forces aim to reach the Zherebets River (in the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border area) and the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Budanov forecasted that Russian forces would fail to achieve these objectives, however, and would likely be “completely exhausted” by the beginning of the spring. Budanov’s statements are consistent with ISW’s observation that Russian forces have intensified offensive operations along this axis since the beginning of January 2024. Russian forces have recently made tactical gains southeast of Kupyansk along the critical P07 Kupyansk-Svatove route near Krokhmalne and appear to be increasing assaults northwest and west of Krokhmalne towards the Oskil River.

Russian forces will likely be able to secure additional tactical-level gains in the Kupyansk area but are unlikely to be able to translate these tactical gains into wider mechanized maneuvers needed for operationally significant advances that could capture more territory in Kharkiv Oblast and push to the Luhansk and Donetsk oblast administrative borders.

ISW has observed that elements of the Western Military District’s 1st Guards Tank Army and 6th Combined Arms Army are active in the Kupyansk area and have been able to pursue infantry-led frontal assaults but have not shown the capacity to conduct large-scale mechanized maneuver since they were deployed to this axis over a year ago. 

Defender Oleksii Ivakin, with the call sign Lyapis, died on September 6, 2023, in a battle in the Zaporizhzhia sector – a little over a month short of his 35th birthday. 

Oleksii was born in the German town of Potsdam, where his father served at the time. A year later, the family returned to Kharkiv. He graduated from High School and entered the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics. He majored in Electronics Engineering, but did not work in his specialty. When he was about 18, he and his friend tried a job as an industrial climber. He completed the training and began to earn a living doing it. 

Oleksii played the guitar, wore a mohawk, and was very fond of ska music. He was an avid fisherman. He tried to go outdoors in any spare moment he had. He was very fond of Kharkiv. He even got a tattoo of the city’s coat of arms on his leg. He also wrote poetry. He took part in literary evenings and festivals and had tours around Ukraine. In 2012, he self-published a collection of poems called Titles, and later released albums of audio poetry. He was a member of the Literary Slam community. 

In 2011, Oleksii met his future wife Valentyna through social media. The couple got married two years later. Later, they had a son, Tymofii, and a daughter, Aglaia, in 2021. Oleksii began to devote himself to his family. He attended fewer and fewer recitals. He wrote poetry, but very rarely.

“Our relationship developed very actively,” says Valentyna. “Oleksii was already a famous Kharkiv poet, and we traveled a lot together, performing in different cities and organizing literary evenings. I always accompanied him, helped with the organization and supported him.” He was the kindest and best person, never refused to help and treated everyone with respect. He was very close to his eldest son. Once a week, they always went fishing or cycling. We were building our own house in the countryside, and Lesha made a treehouse for his son. They spent a lot of time there together,” Oleksii’s wife added.  

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oleksii moved his family out of Kharkiv and returned. He volunteered and helped to restore housing damaged by shelling. Later, he was mobilized to the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was trained abroad. During his service, he was officially a driver, but participated in every assault on enemy positions. 

Oleksii was buried in his native Kharkiv at cemetery #18.The defender is survived by his wife, two young children, parents, younger brother and older sister.

*Oleksii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• Joe Biden is arming Greece so Greece can arm Ukraine—and pro-Russia Republicans can’t stop him
• Air Force: Ukraine downs 14 of 20 Russian attack drones launched overnight
• Macron: EU must support Ukraine even if US withdraws aid
• Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief says Russia’s ongoing offensive to die down by early spring
• CIA director: Failing to pass Ukraine aid would be mistake ‘of historic proportions’
• Ex-NATO chief: Not inviting Ukraine to join Alliance gives Putin incentive to continue the war