January 14, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Sophie Tanno, Adrienne Vogt, Matt Meyer and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 6:08 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023
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2:06 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Russian troops attempt to advance in Donetsk region amid "heavy battles" for Soledar, Ukrainian military says

From Tim Lister in Kyiv

The Ukrainian military said the battle for the town of Soledar continue as Russian forces try to advance in several parts of the eastern Donetsk region.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said late Saturday local time that "the enemy does not abandon its intentions to completely take over Donetsk region."

"To do so, it focuses its main efforts on offensive operations on Bakhmut direction. Heavy battles for Soledar continue," the military said.

"Ukrainian forces repel enemy attacks round the clock. The occupiers suffer heavy losses," the General Staff said.
"The enemy is also advancing on Lyman, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka directions," it added.

Ukrainian forces recaptured Lyman at the end of September.

On Friday, Russia said its forces had taken Soledar following weeks of fierce fighting, but Ukraine has denied the claim.

The General Staff also said Russian units in parts of Donetsk were below strength because of recent casualties.

"The manning level of certain units of the 3rd separate motorized rifle brigade of the 1st army corps located in the vicinity of Horlivka (Donetsk region) remains low, up to 40 percent," it alleged.

In the south, according to the General Staff, the Russians are trying to strengthen their defense capabilities on the east bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson.

"The movement of personnel, weapons, military equipment, and ammunition is reported," the military said.

1:17 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Nearly 60 injured in Dnipro missile strike, according to regional official

From CNN's Tim Lister

Local residents clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building in Dnipro on Saturday.
Local residents clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building in Dnipro on Saturday. (Roman Chop/AP)

The number of people injured in a deadly Russian missile strike that hit an apartment block in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Saturday has risen to almost 60, according to an official.

Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said 12 children are among the injured. The rescue operation at the site Dnipro continues.

At least five have been killed in the strike, Reznichenko said earlier.

1:58 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Ukraine power company says its plants in five regions have been hit

From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

DTEK, one of Ukraine's largest energy companies, posted a picture on its official Telegram account showing a picture of a turbine it said was damaged in the Russian attack Saturday on Ukraine's power infrastructure. The company did not give the location of the damaged plant. (DTEK/Telegram)
DTEK, one of Ukraine's largest energy companies, posted a picture on its official Telegram account showing a picture of a turbine it said was damaged in the Russian attack Saturday on Ukraine's power infrastructure. The company did not give the location of the damaged plant. (DTEK/Telegram) (DTEK/Telegram)

The CEO of the Ukrainian state power company Ukrenergo says the country's power system suffered twelve waves of missile strikes Saturday.

"Unfortunately, energy facilities in 5 regions were hit," Volodymyr Kudrytskyi wrote on Facebook. "Power engineers are already working on the restoration."

Kudrytskyi said power plants and substations of Ukrenergo had been hit, but the "controllability and integrity of the power system was preserved."

"However, the deficit in the system is significant," he continued. "The situation is difficult in Kharkiv and Lviv regions. Repair teams are already working there, as well as in other regions, and the elimination of the consequences of the attack continues."

"Coordinated work of the military and power engineers does not allow the enemy to achieve their main goal - to plunge the whole country into cold and darkness," the power CEO said.

12:25 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Two-thirds of Russian missiles intercepted in wave of strikes, Ukraine military says

From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv

About two-thirds of the Russian missiles fired at Ukraine on Saturday were intercepted, according to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"In total, the enemy made about 28 launches of cruise missiles of various types and 5 launches of guided aircraft missiles," Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram.

Defense forces destroyed 18 cruise missiles and three guided aircraft missiles, he said.

Zaluzhnyi said that early Saturday morning, the capital of Kyiv was attacked by anti-aircraft guided missiles from the north. Such weapons — S-300s — have rarely been used against Kyiv. 

He said Russians forces later used a mix of air-launched cruise missiles, sea-launched cruise missiles and guided missiles fired from aircraft to target the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. 

Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian prime minister, earlier said air defenses saved "the lives of thousands of people."

The wave of Russian missile attacks Saturday was the first in two weeks.

12:35 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Missile strikes will lead to emergency power cuts across Ukraine, energy minister says

From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych 

Damage to power infrastructure from a wave of Russian missile strikes has led to emergency power outages in most regions across Ukraine, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.

"Today, the enemy attacked the country's power generation facilities and power grids again," Halushchenko said on Facebook. "There are attacks in Kharkiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions." 

"The next days will be difficult. Power engineers are already working to restore electricity supply," the energy minister continued.

Saturday's wave of missile attacks follows a relative lull that had allowed Ukrainian power companies to reduce the power deficit caused by damage to transformers and substations.

12:41 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Ukrainian officials claim fierce battles for Soledar continue

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches on a field not far from Soledar on Saturday.
Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches on a field not far from Soledar on Saturday. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images)

A top Ukrainian government official said "fierce battles" for the town of Soledar continue Saturday. 

"Our soldiers repel continuous enemy attacks - both day and night," Hanna Maliar, the Ukrainian deputy defense minister, said on Telegram. "The enemy suffers heavy losses but continues to carry out the criminal orders of its command."

Russian forces appear to be in control of most of the town, with Ukrainian units on its northwestern fringes.

Some background: Soledar is a small town in eastern Ukraine with symbolic, if not especially strategic, value to Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces, who have gone months without a notable victory.

Russia said Friday its forces had taken the town, though Ukraine has denied the claim.

Earlier Saturday, the head of the Donetsk region military administration called the situation for Ukraine's military in Soledar "difficult but controlled."

12:09 p.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Zelensky says emergency services are working to save "every life" after deadly Dnipro apartment strike

From Olga Voitovych and Tim Lister in Kyiv

Local residents clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building in Dnipro on Saturday, leaving many people under debris.
Local residents clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building in Dnipro on Saturday, leaving many people under debris. (Roman Chop/AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said emergency services are working to clear debris and save lives at the site of an apartment building strike in the central city of Dnipro.

"Debris clearance in Dnipro continues. All services are working. We are fighting for every person, every life," he said in a message on his Telegram channel.

At least five people were killed and nearly 30 injured in the Russian missile strike on Saturday, according to authorities.

"Eternal memory to all whose lives were taken by Russian terror! The world must stop this evil," Zelensky added, vowing that "we will find everyone involved in this terror."

11:27 a.m. ET, January 14, 2023

Moldova condemns Russian attacks and says missile debris landed in its territory

From CNN's Pierre Bairin 

The government in Moldova has condemned Russia's missile attacks against neighboring Ukraine and expressed its "indignation" that debris from a missile fell on its territory Saturday.

"There is no political, historical and even more moral justification for killing civilians and attacking the infrastructure that ensures the survival of the population," Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said.

She also decried "the disrespect of the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova, its airspace being overrun again today and the remains of a rocket falling in the vicinity of Larga town in the Briceni district."

The Moldovan Interior Ministry posted photographs of the debris in a field.

10:58 a.m. ET, January 14, 2023

5 dead in Russian missile strike on apartment building in Dnipro, official says

From CNN's Tim Lister, Denis Lapin and Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Rescuers and local residents are seen at a site of an apartment building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro on Saturday.
Rescuers and local residents are seen at a site of an apartment building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro on Saturday. (Deputy Head of Ukrainian Presidential Office Staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko via Telegram/Reuters)

A regional Ukrainian leader said five people were killed by a Russian missile that struck a nine-story apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

At least 27 people were injured, including six children. All of them are in the hospital, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.

Images and video from the scene show the collapsed front of the building and a fierce fire in the immediate aftermath of the strike, which occurred early Saturday afternoon local time. There was a series of detonations after the initial impact, possibly as cars or gas lines ignited.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said earlier that "at least one entrance is missing, people who were at home on a holiday are under the rubble."

Tymoshenko said 15 people had been rescued in the destroyed entrance of the building. The State Emergency Service and all city services are at the scene, he said.