Russia recruits Ukrainian convicts to Wagner PMC, AFU repel enemy attacks on 8 settlements - General Staff

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff reported this on the morning of January 25.

“Russia is recruiting Ukrainian convicts who were forcibly taken to Russian prisons,” the report says.

In particular, in Krasnodar there is an active recruitment of such persons to join the Wagner PMC. People who are serving sentences for serious criminal offenses are most actively called to participate in the war against Ukraine.

Also, the majority of Ukrainians are not satisfied with the forced change of situation and the contemptuous attitude of Russian convicts towards them.

Invading Russian forces are taking medical equipment out of Kakhovka hospital

It is noted that the occupying forces are taking the medical equipment of the Kakhovka Central Hospital to the town of Henichesk, Kherson region.

AFU destroyed enemy helicopters and an aircraft, and hit 17 Russian military positions

During the past day, January 24, the Ukrainian Defense Forces aviation launched 8 strikes on the Russian military positions, as well as 3 strikes on the positions of the anti-aircraft missile systems.

Artillerymen and missile forces struck the enemy's control post and 9 military positions. 

At the same time, Ukrainian defenders destroyed SU-25, 3 Russian KA-52 attack helicopters, 3 UAVs of the Orlan type, 1 - of the Merlin type, as well as 1 unmanned aerial vehicle of the Lancet type.

Ukrainian soldiers repelled enemy attacks on 8 cities and villages

The Defense Forces units repelled the invading Russian troops' attacks in the areas of the settlements of Bilohorivka, Luhansk region, and Rozdolivka, Krasna Hora, Bakhmut, Novobakhmutivka, Krasnohorivka, Marinka, and Charivne, Donetsk region.

Russian troops launched 4 missile strikes and 26 airstrikes on Ukraine per day

During the past day, the Russian forces launched 4 missile strikes, 26 airstrikes, as well as over 100 attacks with multiple launch rocket systems. 

The threat of Russian air and missile strikes on the entire territory of Ukraine is high.

The Russians are attacking in 4 directions, and are defending in three more directions

The Russian enemy, suffering numerous losses, still does not stop offensive actions in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar directions. In the Kupyansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, invading Russian forces are defending.

Near the state Ukrainian border with Belarus and Russia, signs of enemy offensive groups have not been detected. 

At the same time, invading Russian forces shelled over 40 settlements in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions. 

Shelling of Ukrainian regions

In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian enemy shelled the areas of 5 settlements in the Kharkiv region, as well as 2 more settlements in the Luhansk region.

In the Lyman direction, 5 settlements in the Luhansk region were damaged by fire.

In the Bakhmut direction, more than 30 settlements of the Donetsk region came under enemy fire.

In the Avdiivka direction, 12 settlements in the Donetsk region were affected by the occupying Russian forces' fire. 

In the Vuhledar direction, 8 settlements of the Donetsk region were shelled.

In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, areas of more than 40 cities and villages were affected by tank and artillery fire. 

In the city of Kherson, the invading Russian forces fired at a maternity hospital, a school and a polyclinic.

• Earlier, the Ukrainian marines reported that 21 Russian soldiers and their IFV were destroyed.