Victorious news of 313th day of war: 100% downed Shahed drones, explosions in Voronezh and ‘elite’ mobilized troops eliminated in Makiivka

39 downed Shahed drones overnight

According to the spokesman of the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat, Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed 100% of the enemy drones that the Russian occupiers launched over the Ukrainian territory on the night of January 2. In total, the air defense forces shot down 39 Shahed ‘kamikaze’ drones, two Orlan UAVs and an X-59 guided missile, which the Russian forces used to attack Ukraine.

Explosion near the airfield in Voronezh

On the night of January 2, an explosion occurred near the ‘Baltimore’ airfield in Voronezh, where Su-34 bombers are based. Russians allegedly shot down a "Ukrainian reconnaissance drone"

And in the morning explosions were heard in Klimov district of Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. It is known about the damage to the energy facility, the village lost power.

Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed barracks of ‘elite mobilized troops in Makiivka

On New Year's Eve, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a vocational school in Makiivka, which was turned into a barracks for the Russian military. The Russian Defense Ministry was forced to admit losses, however, they claim that 63 soldiers were killed. Instead, Russian social media groups report about 600 mobilized soldiers who died in this vocational school and demand to find the guilty one, who allowed such a concentration of manpower in one place. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military experts claim that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' precise strike on Makiivka caused hysteria. "Russians believed that the hostel in Makiivka is a deep rear base for them. That is why they brought not just some mobilized people there. Communication specialists and military of other important specialties were driven there. They were to become the backbone of the grouping of troops in the east of Ukraine. These were ‘elite’ mobilized soldiers who had undergone training," stated Ivan Kyrychevskyi, Defense Express military expert. 

Ukraine-EU summit to be held in Kyiv in February

The Ukraine-EU summit, which was to take place in 2022 in Brussels, will be held on February 3 in Kyiv. Details were discussed in a telephone conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen assured that the EU will support Ukraine as long as necessary, and soon tranches of the agreed macro-financial assistance package for Ukraine worth EUR 18 billion will begin to arrive from the EU to Ukraine on a monthly basis. 

Gas prices continue to fall

Even nature is against Russia - due to the unusual winter warmth, gas prices on European markets continue to fall. Futures on the TTF exchange in the Netherlands fell 4.5% to 72.9 euros per megawatt-hour (about $820 per thousand cubic meters). Such low prices were last recorded on February 21 – a few days before the full-scale invasion. Weather forecasts indicate that temperatures will exceed seasonal norms for most of the region over the next two weeks, which will help Europe avoid depletion of reserves during the winter.