January 6, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Amy Woodyatt, Kathryn Snowdon, Adrienne Vogt, Matt Meyer and Leinz Vales, CNN

Updated 6:59 p.m. ET, January 6, 2023
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2:45 p.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Ukraine reports one missile strike and shelling despite Putin’s so-called ceasefire

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv

On the day that Russia said a unilateral 36-hour ceasefire would begin in Ukraine, the Ukrainian military reported a Russian missile strike and 12 attacks from multiple rocket launchers.

In its situational update Friday evening local time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the attacks included hits on civilian infrastructure in the eastern Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

The General Staff did not provide timings for the attacks. Russia said its so-called ceasefire would begin at noon local time (4 a.m. ET) Friday.

“The enemy concentrates its main efforts on attempts to completely capture Donetsk region within the administrative borders," the General Staff said. "It is conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut direction and unsuccessfully trying to improve the tactical situation in the Kupyansk, Lyman and Avdiivka directions. On the other directions it is holding the defense."

The General Staff said in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions, “the areas of 19 settlements came under enemy fire,” and in the Bakhmut direction, more than 15 settlements were hit.

Other impacted areas: It also listed shelling in the Avdiivka, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions.

Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk region military administration, said that during "three hours of Putin's 'Christmas truce'" Russian forces fired on his region 14 times from artillery and assaulted one settlement three times. 

"People in de-occupied villages have been staying in basements all day," he added on Telegram.

CNN is unable to verify the Ukrainian claims on attacks.

1:25 p.m. ET, January 6, 2023

German Chancellor Scholz calls Zelensky after announcing latest round of military aid

From CNN‘s Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

The German government will continue with its unwavering support for Ukraine in 2023, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call Friday, a government spokesperson said.

''In 2022, the German government provided bilateral support to Ukraine of more than €12 billion ($12.7 billion) and would continue this course in 2023,'' a statement from spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said.

''The Chancellor reaffirmed the unbreakable solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the unleashed aggression of the Russian Federation,'' the statement continued.

Both political leaders ''exchanged views on the political, military and humanitarian situation in Ukraine,'' Hebestreit said.

The Ukrainian president briefed the German chancellor on the latest attacks carried out by the Russian military on critical infrastructure and ''thanked the German government for its decision to provide Ukraine with a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.''

The statement said that Scholz and Zelensky agreed to speak together again, ''also with a view to the Ukrainian proposals for a peace settlement, and to remain in close contact.''

Zelensky also posted about the exchange on Telegram, sharing an image of him talking on the phone.

1:05 p.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Ukraine's President Zelensky meets with US senators and says Russian ceasefire is a "manipulation"

From CNN's Scott McLean in Kyiv

US Senators Jack Reed, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Angus King attend a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on January 6.
US Senators Jack Reed, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Angus King attend a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on January 6. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout/Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services Jack Reed and a member of this Committee, Sen. Angus King, in Kyiv on Friday.

During the meeting, Zelensky said he views the Russian proposal of a 36-hour "ceasefire" as a “manipulation by which the aggressor tries to hide its true military plans and intentions.”

Following the meeting in a briefing to journalists, Reed said he told Zelensky his and his country’s sacrifice has inspired the world and “that they are fighting the fight for all of us”.

He said President Joe Biden’s announcement of additional military support, such as the Bradley Fighting Vehicles, will give Ukrainian forces “the ability to break through front lines, exploit that breakthrough and go on – we hope to – eject the Russians from Ukrainian territory”.

Asked by CNN’s Scott McLean if sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles will open the door to the US sending M-1 Abrams tanks, Reed said there is no connection.

He said he is always concerned about US stockpiles of weapons and equipment and that goes into the Pentagon decisions on what to send, in response to a question from CNN.

King said they had an “extraordinary day” in Kyiv, as he remarked on the “courage, commitment… and grit” of the Ukrainian people.

He said they were visiting because “this is a fight for us, for all the world, for the values of freedom and democracy – and that is why this commitment is necessary."

“History says dictators tend to push on open doors and if they find open doors, they will continue. If anybody wonders why this struggle is necessary, all they need to do is look back to 1938 and the Sudetenland, 1936 and the Rhineland when World War II could have been prevented by the kind of resistance that is happening right here today,” King added. 

Asked what else the United States will send Ukraine to end the war this year, King said America will continue to support Ukraine and after meeting with officials in Kyiv they had “walked out with a list."

Reed said he had been “inspired” to “expedite the assistance that Ukraine needs to finish this fight.”

He said the US had made a huge commitment and to expect a further announcement soon. King said training on the Patriot defense missile system being sent to Ukraine “will begin shortly” but the length of training is classified. 

11:28 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023

US targets Iranian drone companies over ties to Russia in new sanctions

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

Drones are seen at an underground site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on May 28.
Drones are seen at an underground site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on May 28. (Iranian Army/WANA/Reuters)

The US Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on officials tied to an Iranian defense manufacturer that designs and produces unmanned aerial vehicles, which have been used in the war in Ukraine, as well as the director of “the key organization responsible for overseeing Iran’s ballistic missile programs.”

The new US sanctions hit “six executives and board members of U.S. designated Qods Aviation Industries” and the director of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization, according to a Treasury press release.

“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to deny Putin the weapons that he is using to wage his barbaric and unprovoked war on Ukraine,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said in a statement. 

“The Kremlin’s reliance on suppliers of last resort like Iran shows their desperation in the face of brave Ukrainian resistance and the success of our global coalition in disrupting Russian military supply chains and denying them the inputs they need to replace weapons lost on the battlefield,” Yellen said. “The United States will act swiftly against individuals and entities supporting Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs and will stand resolutely in support of the people of Ukraine.”

CNN has reported how, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment, parts made by more than a dozen US and Western companies were found inside a single Iranian Shahed-136 drone downed in Ukraine last fall.

In December, the White House created an administration-wide task force to investigate how US and Western-made technology – ranging from smaller equipment like semiconductors and GPS modules to larger parts like engines – has ended up in Iranian drones.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.

11:42 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Germany will deliver 40 Marder armored vehicles to Ukraine

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt and Radina Gigova

Reconditioned Marder infantry fighting vehicles on display at Rheinmetall's Unterluess plant on July 14 in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Reconditioned Marder infantry fighting vehicles on display at Rheinmetall's Unterluess plant on July 14 in Lower Saxony, Germany. (Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance/Getty Images)

Germany plans to deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in the first three months of the new year, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Friday.

''We want to equip a battalion. A battalion consists of around 40 (Marder infantry fighting) vehicles — depending on their design. We plan to hand over 40 Marders to Ukraine in the first quarter," Hebestreit said.

In addition to armored Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Germany also vowed to supply Ukraine with a Patriot anti-aircraft missile system from army stocks — also to be delivered to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2023, Hebestreit said. 

What we know about the Marder infantry vehicle: The Marder is designed to move soldiers around the battlefield. It has been used by the German military since the early 1970s but continuously upgraded. The military is in the process of phasing it out, but hundreds are still in service.

Training on the Marder vehicle is to take place on German soil, Hebestreit said, adding that it will last about eight weeks. 

Hebestreit said that the US will also train Ukrainians on its Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, but added that it is not yet known whether the training will take place in the US or in Germany.

Hebestreit said that German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to hold a phone call on Friday.

Russia has condemned the move: The Russian Embassy in Berlin slammed Germany's decision to send the vehicles and Patriot battery, issuing a statement that called the move a "further step towards an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine."

The embassy tied its criticism to Russian President Vladimir Putin's unilateral ceasefire order this week, which Ukraine has dismissed as a ploy to buy time for resupply.

"Its adoption looks particularly cynical on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas holiday, which is highly revered in the Christian world, and also against the background of the ceasefire unilaterally declared by the Russian President," the embassy statement reads.

The Russian officials also claimed the move was the result of undue US influence, saying there was "no doubt that Berlin decided to carry it out under serious pressure from Washington, acting in accordance with the destructive logic of transatlantic solidarity."

9:15 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Ukraine says Russia shelled Kramatorsk and Kherson ahead of Moscow's unilateral Christmas ceasefire

From CNN's Denis Lapin in Kyiv

A firefighter stands at a burning house hit by the Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukraine, on the Orthodox Christmas Eve, January 6.
A firefighter stands at a burning house hit by the Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukraine, on the Orthodox Christmas Eve, January 6. (LIBKOS/AP)

Ukraine has said that Kramatorsk and Kherson were shelled ahead of the unilateral Russian Christmas ceasefire on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine from Friday until Saturday but the move was rejected by Kyiv and dismissed as "hypocrisy." The US has also expressed skepticism about Putin’s intentions.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidency of Ukraine, said on Telegram that in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, "occupants hit the city twice with rockets. A private residential building was hit."

In a separate post, before the unilateral ceasefire went into place, "at least 4 explosions were recorded" in Kherson, southern Ukraine. "A house in the private sector was burning next to the shelled fire station."

He added that there were dead and wounded in Kherson, but did not provide a number.

Moscow's unilateral ceasefire was meant to go into effect from 12 p.m. (4 a.m. ET) Friday until midnight (9 p.m. ET) Saturday. 

7:52 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Putin's unilateral ceasefire "intended to damage Ukraine's reputation," says think tank ISW

From CNN's Amy Woodyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire is "likely an information operation intended to damage Ukraine’s reputation," according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The unilateral ceasefire from 12 p.m. (4 a.m. ET) Friday until midnight (9 p.m. ET) Saturday was not agreed to by Kyiv, and has been dismissed by Ukraine and the US as a cynical ploy.

"Putin could have been seeking to secure a 36-hour pause for Russian troops to afford them the ability to rest, recoup, and reorient to relaunch offensive operations in critical sectors of the front," the ISW said in it's assessment, released Thursday. It added that a pause in hostilities "would disproportionately benefit Russian troops."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also accused Moscow of seeking to use the Orthodox Christmas holiday as "cover" to resupply and stop Ukrainian advances in the eastern Donbas region.

"Putin cannot reasonably expect Ukraine to meet the terms of this suddenly declared ceasefire and may have called for the ceasefire to frame Ukraine as unaccommodating and unwilling to take the necessary steps towards negotiations," the ISW noted.

The ISW added: "Suddenly announcing a ceasefire with Ukraine that should have been negotiated well in advance in observance of Russian Orthodox Christmas will allow Russia to frame Ukraine as infringing on the right of believers to celebrate the holiday as hostilities will likely continue into January 6 and 7."

This, the ISW said, would allow Moscow to support the "baseless" narrative that Ukraine is persecuting Orthodox Christians and Russian speakers, which Putin has used to justify his illegal invasion of Ukraine.

7:54 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Russia accuses Ukraine of violating a unilateral ceasefire it didn't agree to

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

The Russian Ministry of Defense on Friday blamed Ukraine for continuing shelling despite Vladimir Putin's announcement of a unilateral ceasefire. Kyiv did not agree to the ceasefire, and has decried it as a cynical ploy.

Putin ordered a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine from Friday until Saturday but the move was rejected by Kyiv and dismissed as "hypocrisy."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of seeking to use the Orthodox Christmas holiday as "cover" to resupply and stop Ukrainian advances in the eastern Donbas region. And US President Joe Biden expressed skepticism on Thursday, telling reporters that he was "reluctant to respond anything Putin says." 

"Despite the fact that today, January 6, from 12:00 Moscow time, the Russian troops were observing the ceasefire regime, the Kyiv regime continued shelling settlements and positions of Russian troops,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.

"In the Krasno-Limansky direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out four mortar attacks on Russian positions. In the area of the settlement of Belogorovka, Lugansk People's Republic, three artillery attacks," the ministry added.

7:11 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023

Russian ambassador to US criticizes Washington’s reaction to Moscow’s unilateral ceasefire proposal

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova and Radina Gigova

Russia Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov speaks during a World Affairs event at the Fairmont Hotel on November 29, 2017 in San Francisco, California.
Russia Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov speaks during a World Affairs event at the Fairmont Hotel on November 29, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Russia’s ambassador to the United States has criticized Washington for its reaction to Moscow’s proposal for a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine. The ceasefire, which began at noon Moscow time (4 a.m. ET), has been dismissed as a cynical ploy by both Ukraine and the US.

"Even the unilaterally declared ceasefire by the Russian Federation along the entire line of contact in Ukraine during Orthodox Christmas was labeled as an attempt to 'take a breather.' 

"All this means that Washington is determined to fight us 'to the last Ukrainian,' while the destiny of the people of Ukraine means nothing to the US," Anatoly Antonov said, according to a readout of his comments published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday.

Some context: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of seeking to use the Orthodox Christmas holiday as "cover" to resupply and stop Ukrainian advances in the eastern Donbas region.

US President Joe Biden expressed similar concern Thursday, telling reporters that he was "reluctant to respond anything Putin says."

"I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s," Biden continued. "I mean, I think he’s trying to find some oxygen."

Moscow accuses Washington of prolonging war: On Friday, Antonov blamed Washington for wanting to prolong the conflict by supplying a new military aid package to Kyiv, which will include American Bradley fighting vehicles.

"The actions of the Administration spur Ukrainian radicals to proceed with their terrible deeds. With every consecutive transfer of arms their feeling of impunity grows stronger. They continue to kill civilians in Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of the Russian Federation in an extremely cynical way," Antonov claimed.

"Even more remarkably, the Administration revealed the abovementioned decision after a phone conversation between President Biden and German Chancellor Scholz," he said. "In view of close ties between Washington and Berlin it becomes clear that the West under US leadership simply deceived our country and started to purposefully weaken Russia much earlier than February 24, 2022," Antonov claimed.