WAR IN UKRAINE: January 27, 2023

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 338

  • After receiving commitments of dozen of main battle tanks from the U.S., Germany and the U.K,, Ukraine is now asking western allies for fighter jets.

  • Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-run energy operator, has said Thursday’s Russian missile strikes resulted in “substantial damage” to the power grid. “The recovery of the power grid becomes harder, and lasts longer, after every Russian attack,” the company said in a statement posted to Facebook. It noted that Ukraine had now suffered 13 missile attacks and 15 drone attacks on its energy facilities. 

  • Zelensky: 'Putin is nobody to me.' "It is not interesting for me," he said about a potential face-to-face meeting with Putin. "Not interesting to meet, not interesting to speak. Why? Because we had a meeting with him in Normandy Format, it was before the full-scale invasion. I saw the man who said one thing and then did another."

  • Commander: Ukraine downs 47 out of 55 Russian missiles on Jan. 26. Ukrainian air defense shot down 47 out of 55 missiles Russia had launched on the country on Jan. 26, according to Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces. He said that 20 missiles had been destroyed over Kyiv - Kyiv Independent

  • Nuland: US auditors arrive in Ukraine to ensure ‘no aid or weapons are diverted.’ This week, the U.S. has its auditors working in Ukraine alongside the World Bank and Deloitte consultants to ensure that “no aid or weapons are diverted,” U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said on Jan. 26.

  • Two of the 70 missiles fired by Russia toward Ukraine on Thursday were Kinzhal-type hypersonic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said, calling on the West to provide them with advance air defense systems that are capable of shooting these down. “We need Patriot and SAMP/T systems to be able to (intercept these missiles),” Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said during a briefing. SAMP/T systems are used for air defense primarily in Europe - CNN