Ukraine Conflict: Russian Outrage Over Fatal Ukrainian Strike; Zelenskyy Alleges Moscow Intends to 'Wear Out' Ukraine with Assaults

Russian anger is rising over deadly Ukrainian strikes that killed dozens of Moscow’s soldiers. Some lawmakers are demanding punishment for commanders they say put troops in danger.

On Tuesday, Ukrainians woke to news of more Russian attacks that took place overnight. This was the third consecutive night of strikes since New Year's Eve, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it Moscow's attempt to "exhaust" his country with prolonged offensives.

Ukraine's armed forces say they shot down most of Russia's Iranian-made Shahed drones in the first few days of 2023. Some NATO members want to turn current military spending targets for the group into minimum requirements.

According to the national energy authority ARERA, the price of gas for the average Italian household rose by 64.8% in 2022. This increase is due to the war in Ukraine, which has had a significant impact on family finances.

The Italian energy regulator, ARERA, has announced that gas prices for consumers will rise by 23.3% in December. This reflects the higher prices seen in early December, before a dip later in the month.

According to estimates, the average family spent around 1,866 euros on gas last year. This comes out to about $1,968.63.

ARERA late last year decided to start setting regulated gas prices on a monthly basis instead of quarterly, due to the market uncertainty surrounding gas supplies stemming from the war in Ukraine.

In December, European Union countries agreed to cap gas prices in an effort to limit further increases on the market. This came after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to the disruption of supplies, causing record-high gas prices in Europe.

Emergency crews sifted through the rubble of a building struck by Ukrainian rockets, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers barracked there. This is the latest blow to the Kremlin’s war strategy, as Ukraine says Moscow’s tactics could be shifting.

An Associated Press video of the scene in Makiivka, a town in the partially Russian-occupied eastern Donetsk region, showed five cranes and emergency workers removing large chunks of concrete under a clear blue sky.

In the attack, which apparently happened last weekend, Ukrainian forces fired rockets from a U.S.-provided HIMARS multiple launch system, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.

The attack was one of the deadliest on the Kremlin's forces since the war began more than 10 months ago, and it stirred renewed criticism inside Russia about the way the war is being conducted.

The Russian statement about the attack on Monday provided few other details. However, there have been other unconfirmed reports which put the death toll much higher.

The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s armed forces claimed Sunday that around 400 mobilized Russian soldiers were killed in a vocational school building in Makiivka and about 300 more were wounded. That claim couldn’t be independently verified. The Russian statement said the strike occurred “in the area of Makiivka” and didn’t mention the vocational school.

The UK's Ministry of Defence believes that Russia is unlikely to make any significant advances in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The city has been heavily bombarded and is located in the Donetsk oblast, an area that is mostly under Russian control.

According to the ministry, Russian military and Wagner proxy forces likely increased the frequency of their infantry assaults around the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut in mid-December. However, many of these operations were poorly supported.

In the last ten days, Ukraine has sent significant reinforcements to defend the sector. The frequency of Russian assaults has likely decreased from the peak in mid-December. Both sides have suffered tremendous casualties.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated that Russian offensive operations in the area are now likely being conducted at only platoon or section level. They do not believe that Russia will be able to achieve a significant breakthrough near Bakhmut in the coming weeks.

President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom spoke by phone about concrete decisions on defense cooperation, according to a Twitter post by Zelenskyy.

I had a discussion with Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, about further defense cooperation. We agreed that we need to intensify our efforts to achieve victory this year. We have already made some concrete decisions about this.

The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces has announced that up to 10 units of Russian military equipment were destroyed or damaged in a recent strike on Makiivka in Donetsk. While Ukraine does not usually claim responsibility for attacks on Russian-controlled territory, the general staff said on its Facebook page that "up to 10 units of enemy military equipment of various types were destroyed or damaged" in the Makiivka area.

CNBC was unable to verify the information independently. Moscow has stated that the attack led to 63 soldier deaths and that four rockets, fired from U.S. - made HIMARS, hit an ammunition dump that was in the same building as where its troops were housed. Ukraine has claimed that the death toll is in the hundreds.

The European Union and Ukraine will hold a summit in Kyiv on February 3 focused on military and financial assistance, nearly one year after Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country.

The Ukrainian President's office released a statement after he spoke with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, saying that the parties had discussed the expected results of the next Ukraine-EU summit. They agreed to intensify preparatory work for the summit, which is scheduled to take place on 3 February in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said the first EU tranche of macro-financial aid for Ukraine — a package of 18 billion euros ($19 billion) — will arrive in January. He thanked Von der Leyen, saying the EU’s financial support “is extremely important right now, when Russia is trying to gather new forces for aggression.”

NATO members are set to discuss military spending requirements in the coming months, with some countries calling for the current 2% target to become the minimum contribution level, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

According to German outlet DPA, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview that some allies are strongly in favor of turning the current 2% target into a minimum.

Stoltenberg said that he would lead the negotiations, and that they would meet, have ministerial meetings, and talks in capitals.

The next NATO general meeting will take place on July 11-12 in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. Stoltenberg said he aims to reach an agreement by that time.

In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is aiming to "exhaust" Ukraine with a prolonged stream of attacks across the country.

"We will do everything we can to make sure that terrorists fail in their goals," he said. "Now is the time when everyone involved in the protection of the sky should be especially attentive."

Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure have increased in recent days, with three consecutive nights of bombardment beginning on New Year's Eve. The strikes have targeted Ukraine's energy facilities in particular, leaving millions of people without heating and power during the cold winter months.

Russian forces are increasingly relying on deadly Iranian-made Shahed drones, which have wreaked havoc on Ukraine's cities. Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian air defenses shot down more than 80 of such drones in the first days of January.

Russia acknowledged the loss of dozens of soldiers after a Ukrainian strike on a temporary barracks in Russian-occupied Donetsk on New Year’s Eve. This is a rare public acknowledgement of human loss by the Russian government.

The admission by Ukrainian officials that 63 soldiers were killed in recent fighting is one of the most brazen moves by Kyiv in the war to date. This figure has not been independently confirmed by CNBC, but if it is accurate, it would be a significant increase in casualties. The news has sparked public anger in Russia, with calls for the commanders who allegedly put their troops in danger to be punished.

Russian military bloggers have said that the barracks in Makiivka were situated in the same building as a large ammunition storage dump, and that commanders were aware that it was in the range of Ukraine's rockets. Reuters reported that the amount of stored ammunition is believed to have caused the high level of destruction.

Russia's defense ministry said that four rockets were fired at Russian-controlled land from HIMARS launchers. Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, which is typical when the target is in Russian territory.

Ukraine's Armed Forces have described the Makiivka attack as "a strike on Russian manpower and military equipment." This comes as tensions continue to mount between the two countries.