Zelenskyy demands more sanctions as Ukraine reels from Russian bombardment

Ukraine is reeling from the most recent wave of Russian drone and missile strikes Thursday that killed at least 11 people and triggered emergency power outages in 10 regions of the country.

This latest attack comes as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate. Ukraine has accused Russia of repeatedly violating its airspace, and Thursday's strikes appear to be the latest in a string of incidents. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more sanctions on Russia in his nightly video address, and for a tribunal to address Russian war crimes. He said that Russia must be held accountable for its actions, and that the international community must work together to ensure that justice is served.

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The attacks came a day after Ukraine’s Western allies pledged to send the country battle tanks, opening up a new front in the types of weapons they are willing to provide in the fight against Russian forces. This move indicates a new level of commitment from these countries to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.
The UK's Defence Ministry has cast doubt on Russia's claims of gaining significant territory in Ukraine's eastern Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.

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The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has stated that it is highly unlikely that Russia has made any significant advances in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, despite reports of Russian units conducting local probing attacks in the area. It is possible that Russian military sources are deliberately spreading misinformation in an attempt to make it appear as though the Russian operation is sustaining momentum.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported hearing explosions near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as Russia continues its attacks on the country.The IAEA is the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, and its monitors are on the ground in Ukraine to assess the situation. This latest report of explosions is concerning, and we urge Russia to cease its aggression immediately.

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Rafael Grossi, IAEA chief, has called for a security zone to be established around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The plant, which is Europe’s largest of its kind, is currently occupied by Russian forces. Renat Karchaa, a representative for Russian state nuclear energy company Rosenergoatom, has dismissed claims that the company is involved in any wrongdoing as baseless and a "provocation."

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Several of Ukraine's regions have been forced to implement emergency power cuts due to outages caused by Russia's wave of attacks on Thursday, Ukrainian state news channel Suspilne reported. Ten regions of Ukraine are currently experiencing emergency power outages due to a power shortage in the network after yesterday's Russian shelling. Restoration of damaged facilities is ongoing.

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Millions of Ukrainians are facing regular power outages and freezing winter temperatures as Russia targets critical infrastructure and energy facilities. After a wave of missile and drone attacks on Thursday left at least 11 people dead in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more sanctions on Russia. "We need to stop Russian aggression with adequate weapons. They will not understand anything else. We need weapons on the battlefield and weapons that protect our skies," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Thursday.

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"We need to impose new sanctions against Russia, both political and economic. And we need to work even harder to establish a legal tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine."

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The Russian attacks on civilians came a day after Western allies pledged to send battle tanks to Ukraine. This move by the Western allies had been something that European allies, like Germany, had been reluctant to do until now. The reason for this hesitancy was because they did not want to provoke Moscow.
Japan announced additional sanctions against Russia on Friday in response to Moscow's latest actions in Ukraine. The sanctions include a ban on exports of key strategic goods to Russia and the freezing of assets of dozens of individuals.

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The Japanese government has announced that it will ban exports of certain goods to Russia that could be used to improve military capabilities. This includes semiconductor equipment and components, robots, power generators, explosives, and vaccines. The new export ban will come into effect on February 3rd, the government announced. Japan has also taken action against Russia by freezing the assets of three entities and 22 individuals in Russia, as well as 14 pro-Moscow individuals related to the annexation of the southeastern Ukraine region.

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Wagner, a Russian military contractor, has been fighting for months to take the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Western and Ukrainian officials say that Wagner is using convicts as cannon fodder to overwhelm Ukraine’s defenses. In December, videos and photographs of graves first appeared on social media channels in the Krasnodar region. Reuters was able to locate these images to the Bakinskaya cemetery by reviewing satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies and Capella Space.

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Satellite imagery reveals that the Wagner plot was unoccupied in the summer, had three rows of graves by the end of November, and was three-quarters full by early January. By Jan. 24, the plot was virtually entirely utilized.

Zelenskyy is standing up to Russia after it unleashed a “massive” missile strike. The U.S. has sanctioned a Russian mercenary group in response.