AFU down 3 Russian helicopters, Russian soldiers shoot 6 people wanting to surrender - AFU General Staff

This is stated in the evening report of the General Staff for January 8.

In order to maintain military discipline and prevent the spread of panic among the Russian personnel operating in the Zaporizhzhya direction, Russia has involved units of its National Guard.

"On January 5, near the village of Chystopillya, 6 people, who expressed their position on surrendering to the Defense Forces of Ukraine, were shot ," the statement reads.

According to the General Staff, in order to discredit the Ukrainian military leadership, Russia is spreading fake information, alleging that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing a strike on medical institutions in the Luhansk region, where Russian military personnel are treated.

Ukrainian Armed Forces shoot down 3 Russian drones and 3 helicopters over the day

The Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down 3 enemy drones, most probably of the Orlan type, and 3 helicopters: a Mi-24, a Ka-52, the type of the third is being clarified. 

In addition, Ukrainian aviation launched 10 strikes on Russia’s personnel concentrations, as well as 2 strikes on the positions of its anti-aircraft missile systems.

In turn, units of the missile forces and artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck 2 concentrations of Russian manpower and a warehouse storing fuel and oil.

Russian troops launched one missile and 19 airstrikes over the day

Russian forces also launched more than 10 MLRS attacks, damaging civilian infrastructure.

The AFU General Staff informs that Russia is launching offensive actions in the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Lyman directions, trying to improve the tactical situation in the Kupyansk direction, and focusing on the capture of the Donetsk region within its administrative border, achieving no success, however.

On the border with Belarus, the situation remains unchanged.

The situation in other directions is as follows:

On the northern and northeastern border with Russia, a settlement of the Sumy region and 3 more of the Kharkiv region were hit by Russian fire.

In the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops fired at 2 settlements of the Kharkiv region and 2 more of the Luhansk region.

In the Lyman direction, 5 settlements of the Luhansk region came under Russian fire.

In the Bakhmut direction, 10 settlements of the  Donetsk region suffered from Russian shelling.

In the Avdiivka direction, Russian troops shelled 4 settlements of the Donetsk region.

In the Zaporizhzhia direction, Russian forces fired from tanks and the entire range of artillery at 4 settlements of the Zaporizhzhia region.

In the Kherson direction, Russian troops repeatedly shell the settlements along the right bank of the Dnipro River. They also launched MLRS fire at Kherson.