By Kathleen Magramo, Amy Woodyatt, Kathryn Snowdon, Mike Hayes and Leinz Vales, CNN
Updated 1:50 a.m. ET, January 10, 2023
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6:46 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Kremlin dismisses rumors of possible second wave of mobilization in Russia
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Russian reservists meet at a gathering point for mobilized troops in the town of Volzhsky in the Volgograd region, Russia, on September 28. (Reuters)
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed rumors of a possible second wave of mobilization in Russia.
"The primary source is the authorities headed by the President of the Russian Federation," Peskov said on a conference call with reporters.
"One shouldn’t pay so much attention to Telegram channels," he told journalists on Monday.
Moscow announced the end of conscription within the so-called "partial mobilization" late in October when, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the draft’s target of recruiting 300,000 personnel had been met.
6:29 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Kremlin has "absolute trust" in Russian Ministry of Defense statements about Kramatorsk
From CNN's Anna Chernova
The Kremlin said it has "absolute trust" in the information from the Russian Defense Ministry on carrying out a "retaliation" strike against Ukraine’s Armed Forces in Kramatorsk.
The defense ministry's daily briefings are "the main and only legitimate source of information about what is happening in the course of the special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a conference call with journalists Monday.
"Special military operation" is the term used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to refer to the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Some background: Ukrainian officials on Sunday dismissed Moscow’s claim that a large number of Kyiv’s soldiers were killed in a Russian attack last week in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense earlier claimed that 600 Ukrainian soldiers were killed as a result of an operation of "retaliation" for the attack on a hostel in Makiivka.
A CNN team on the ground has not seen indications of massive casualties in the area.
6:19 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Kharkiv hit with missile strike and shelling, regional head says
From CNN’s Eve Brennan and Olly Racz
A firefighter works at a site of a market hit by Russian missiles in the town of Shevchenkove, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on January 9. (Oleh Sunehubov/Telegram/Reuters)
Ukraine’s Kharkiv region was targeted with a missile strike and shelling on Monday, the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration said on Telegram.
"The enemy shelled the settlements of the Chuhuiv and Kupyansk districts with artillery, tanks and mortars," Oleg Sinegubov said about the region in Ukraine’s east.
"In Kupyansk, as a result of enemy strikes, utility buildings were damaged, a fire broke out. In the village of Vovchansky Khutory, Chuhuiv district, a private residential building was destroyed due to shelling," he added.
Sinegubov said that a missile strike from the S-300 air defense system hit a local market in the village of Shevchenkove, Kupyansk district.
"According to the Regional Center for Emergency Medical Care, 7 civilians were injured as a result of a missile strike on the village of Shevchenkove. Among them is a 13-year-old girl," he said.
Sinegubov added that a 60-year-old woman had also died due to the missile strike and all other victims were hospitalized.
6:02 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Pope Francis likens war in Ukraine to "crime against God and against humanity"
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy, Valentina Di Donato and Delia Gallagher
Pope Francis has likened the war in Ukraine to a "crime against God and against humanity," calling once again for an end to the conflict.
Speaking during an address to the diplomatic corps in the Vatican on Monday, the Pope said that conflicts such as the war in Ukraine with its "wake of death and destruction" and "attacks on civil infrastructures" are akin to crimes "against God and humanity."
"Today, I feel bound to renew my appeal for an immediate end to this senseless conflict, whose effects are felt in entire regions, also outside of Europe, due to its repercussions in the areas of energy and food production, above all in Africa and in the Middle East," he stressed.
He also highlighted the impact of the war in Ukraine on the "most fragile – children, the elderly, the disabled," saying it "leaves an indelible mark on families."
5:53 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Senior Ukrainian commander visits Bakhmut troops as Zelensky warns area is "one of the bloodiest places on the front line"
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
A Ukrainian soldier in his position on the Bakhmut frontline in Donetsk, Ukraine, on January 8. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
A senior Ukrainian military commander has visited troops defending the embattled area of Bakhmut and Soledar, in eastern Ukraine.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops to work on organizing defense, the Ukrainian Military Media Center said.
"The enemy again made a desperate attempt to assault the city of Soledar from different directions and sent the most professional Wagner units into battle," Syrskyi said.
"However, thanks to the courage of our defenders, skillful and competent use of fire, the enemy suffered significant losses and once again retreated, despite the enemy's propaganda statements about the alleged takeover of Soledar," he added.
However, the Ukrainian president said Sunday that the two cities were "holding out" and "the situation on the front line has not changed significantly in the first week of the year."
Some background: Bakhmut has become perhaps the most contested and kinetic part of the 1,300- kilometer (800 mile) front line in Ukraine and the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
The greater Donetsk region, where Bakhmut and Soledar are located, has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims as Russian territory in violation of international law.
5:30 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Shelling continues overnight in Donetsk region, say officials
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz
Shelling has continued overnight in different parts of the front line in southeastern Ukraine, the head of the Donetsk region military administration said on Telegram.
Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian units continued "shelling at different parts of the front line overnight" in the southeast Ukrainian region.
One person was wounded in one of several shelling incidents, which took place near Vuhledar, Soledar, Chasiv Yar and the direction of Lysychansk, Kyrylenko added.
The greater Donetsk region has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims as Russian territory in violation of international law.
1:07 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023
Zelensky calls area around Bakhmut and Soledar "one of the bloodiest places on the front line"
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the US Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on December 21, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
The area around the eastern Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut and Soledar is "one of the bloodiest places on the front line," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Sunday.
"There is no such piece of land near these two cities, where the occupier would not have given his life for the crazy ideas of the masters of the Russian regime," Zelensky said.
Bakhmut has become perhaps the most contested and kinetic part of the 1,300- kilometer (800 mile) front line in Ukraine and the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
The greater Donetsk region, where Bakhmut and Soledar are located, has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims as Russian territory in violation of international law.
However, the Ukrainian President said Sunday that the two cities were "holding out" and "the situation on the front line has not changed significantly in the first week of the year."
"Bakhmut is holding out against all odds. Although most of the city is destroyed by Russian strikes, our warriors repel constant attempts at Russian offensive there," he said.
"Soledar is holding out. Although there is even more destruction there and it is extremely hard."
10:13 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023
Kyiv dismisses Russia's claim hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers killed in Kramatorsk attack
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova, Olga Voitovych and Ben Wedeman in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
Ukrainian officials on Sunday dismissed Moscow’s claim that a large number of Kyiv’s soldiers were killed in a Russian attack last week in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine.
“This is nonsense,” Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told CNN, in response to the Russian claim.
A CNN team on the ground has seen no indication of any massive casualties in the area. There is no unusual activity in and around Kramatorsk, including in the vicinity of the city morgue, the team reported.
A Reuters reporter in Kramtorsk also reported no signs of a significant Russian strike on two college dormitories that Russia claimed had been housing hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers. “There were no obvious signs that soldiers had been living there and no sign of bodies or traces of blood,” the Reuters report said.
Kramatorsk’s mayor said there had been no casualties, according to Reuters.
Some background: Earlier, Russia claimed that more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a Russian strike in Kramatorsk carried out in “retaliation” over the Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Makiivka last week, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
Russia and Belarus will hold joint air force exercises starting Jan. 16
From CNN's Mariya Knight, Uliana Pavlova and Sarah Dean
Russia and Belarus will hold joint air force exercises in Belarus from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced Sunday.
A Russian air division team arrived in Belarus Sunday, the ministry said.
“During the tactical flight exercise, all airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus will be involved,” it added.
The ministry said Thursday that it is continuing to increase its joint military grouping with Russia in Belarus.
“Personnel, weapons, military and special equipment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation will continue to arrive to the Republic of Belarus,” the ministry said.
More background: Some Russian forces are based in Belarus and used its territory in the initial invasion of Ukraine in February. But President Alexander Lukashenko has gone to some lengths to ensure that Belarusian troops do not become involved in Russia's so-called "special military operation."
Last month, Ukraine said it "did not rule out" a "deliberate provocation" from Russia was behind Belarusian reports that wreckage of a Ukrainian missile landed on its territory.
