Ukraine-Russia war latest updates

The war between Ukraine and Russia, which started on February 24, 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, has been escalating for almost two years, with no sign of a peaceful resolution.

Here are some of the latest updates on the situation:

On Thursday, January 9, 2024, Ukraine insisted that the West is not pressuring it to surrender, despite the lack of concrete support and aid from its allies. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine is not ready to make any concessions to Russia and that it expects the U.S. and the EU to impose more sanctions on Moscow ¹.
On Wednesday, January 8, 2024, Russia launched another mass attack against Ukraine, killing four and injuring 45. The Ukrainian military said that Russia used missiles, drones, and artillery to target several locations, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainian General Staff said that Russia keeps 19,000 troops on Ukraine’s northern border and that Russian troops reportedly dropped a bomb on a settlement in the occupied Luhansk region ².
On Tuesday, January 7, 2024, Russia accidentally bombed the Moscow-occupied Luhansk region, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens more. The Russian Defense Ministry said that it was a “technical error” and that it was investigating the incident. The Luhansk People’s Republic, a Russian-backed separatist entity, said that it was a “provocation” by Ukraine and that it would retaliate ³.
On Monday, January 6, 2024, the U.S. promised to raise the issue of Russia’s use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine at the UN Security Council. The U.S. State Department said that it was a “significant and concerning escalation” and that it violated several UN resolutions. The U.S. intelligence officials said that Russia had obtained the missiles from North Korea in exchange for oil and weapons ⁴.
On Sunday, January 5, 2024, Ukraine and Russia conducted the biggest prisoner swap so far, exchanging 150 captives each. The deal was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, which also provided humanitarian aid to both sides. Both Ukraine and Russia thanked the UAE for its role and expressed hope for more exchanges in the future⁵.