New rain of Russian missiles on Ukraine , with the air raid alarm also going off in the capital Kiev.
During the night, extensive damage was reported in Kharkiv , Nikopol and Zaporizhzhia . In addition to homes, a gas pipeline and an electricity grid were also affected.
Meanwhile, explosions were also heard in Sevastopol, Crimea , territory unilaterally annexed by Russia and where two drones were shot down by an air defense system over the sea near Belbek airport.
"The Russian army will lose up to 70,000 men in the next 4-5 months, but the Kremlin appears to be 'ready' to deal with these losses," said Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrii Cherniak . According to Cherniak, the Russians "understand that they will lose" on the battlefield, but have no intention of ending the war . Ukrainian intelligence, the spokesman continued, is "sure" that Moscow will still try to capture the Donetsk region and will do everything to keep its land corridor on the southern coast towards the occupied Crimea.
Senior Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, are warning that Russia could launch a major offensive from multiple directions early this year. Russian troops "could attack simultaneously from the north and east," Cherniak said, but "these enemy actions are expected and our troops are ready," he concluded.
At the moment, Russian troops have been forced to withdraw from 40% of the Ukrainian territories they occupied at the beginning of the invasion last February.
(Unioneonline/vl)
