Thread by @TWMCLtd

Day 324 of the war in #Ukraine, it's Friday the 13th so be careful if you're superstitious!

Right now Ukraine could do with some bad luck befalling #Russia; life is incredibly tough & brutal on the frontline.

This is my daily thread with all the news.
I've done this 324 times!

This thread is updated "live" throughout the day. Welcome especially to newcomers. DMs open for tip offs if you see a story I may have missed.

If you want to support what I do, please see my bio to buy me a coffee.

If you need to catch up on Thursday⬇️

1/3
#Soledar - what is going on? The most frequent question right now.

I've been studying all reports I can find and spoken to people I know.

#Ukraine claimed a fightback re-taking the railway station and a mine. Much as I want to believe it, I cannot find any evidence of that.

2/3
@CNN claims to regularly speak to one of #Ukraine's soldiers in #Soledar. The latest communication looks incredibly bleak and makes for tough reading.

Officially Ukraine says they still hold Soledar, but it's looking increasingly unlikely. Hopefully the troops can get out.

3/3

I've been surprised there were so few gloating pics or videos from #Russia's Wagner mob in #Soledar.

But there have been some, geolocated by 🇺🇦channel DeepState. Its map shows they are in the centre.

There's likely #Ukraine fire from the rear, possibly inc tochka missiles

#Soledar
Another potential blow tonight too, but this is totally unverified.

Wagner claims its troops in 🇺🇦colours managed to walk into the 17th Tank Brigade's base and opened fire on officers and soldiers.

However, there has been so much malicious disinfo, don't believe it yet

Meanwhile an example of #Russia starting to tear itself apart?

Wagner said it took #Soledar

Russia's Defence Min said we also had troops there.

Tonight Wagner produces a video with guys saying they're in those Russian units admitting they were not involved in battle of Soledar

Over 200 #Ukraine soldiers arrived in #Spain for training.

They were warmly greeted by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles.
"It is a great honour for me to welcome.. Spain feels very close to the entire Ukrainian people since February 24,"

pravda.com.ua/news/2023/01/1…

Rumours this morning that USA shared a secret report among NATO partners which claims a second wave of mobilisation in Russia will start at the end of February.

#Russia's Defence Ministry plans to forcibly call-up 400k-500k, believing this is enough to defeat #Ukraine.

Relatives told to keep quiet, social media posts deleted, anger simmering among relatives as funerals continue in #Russia's Samara region after the strike on #Makiivka almost two weeks ago.

themoscowtimes.com/2023/01/12/in-…

#Russia had a bad day yesterday.

According to #Ukraine estimates, a bumper crop with increases in most areas, including downing of an aircraft.

But the stand-out figure is the death of 740 more of #Russia's troops. People far more expendable than hardware for the caring Kremlin

#RussiaOnFire (no pic yet) but again #Krasnoyarsk!

A team of workers at the Magnezit gas generating plant has been poisoned by gas.

A furnace exploded at the factory and started a fire this morning. The dead man was the head of Safety!
Four others are in hospital.

#Ukraine's southern command confirmed taking down another of #Russia's Su-25 fighter jets yesterday plus one drone.

They also claim 16 strikes on "enemy concentrations" plus 5 hits on anti-aircraft missile systems.
Three ammo dumps were also destroyed.

#StopRussia

Not content with using prisoners as cannon fodder, the ones who don't "volunteer" will likely be forced in to slave labour anyway, according to today's UK intelligence update.

#StopRussia

Deputy Defence Minister of #Ukraine says the army is "defending bravely" in #Soledar

In her morning statement, Hanna Malyar repeated that the "enemy threw almost all the main forces into #Donetsk. This is a difficult stage of the war, but we will win. There is no doubt about it"

Locals in occupied parts of #Kherson and #Zaporizhzhia report being detained because their phones have the #Ukraine state app "Diya"

It's a multi purpose app which also includes digital version of the passport. The Russians don't seem to comprehend documents can be digital!

Tony - thanks for your inspiring words!
One of my biggest supporters he's just tipped me again and coffees are coming my way this morning!
Cheers💙💛

The story combines two of my readers' favourite topics
#RussiaOnFire and #FriendlyFire

In #Belgorod a T-72 tank was being repaired. For #Ukraine it was a great repair. Probably someone started smoking? Ammo inside the tank detonated.

-1 tank. 2 others tanks damaged but survive

#Russia's again deliberately hit civilian targets in #Kherson city.

This time the Terrorist State hit a bus park. 16 public transport vehicles were damaged. One guard was injured.

Shell fragments also damaged the power grid - engineers are now trying to restore electricity.

Early in today's thread I reported Russian war channels openly saying Wagner mercenaries use #Ukraine colours, even uniforms to trick defenders.

The Centre of National Resistance confirms this also saying #Russia plans operations under foreign flags to discredit Ukraine/NATO.

More falling out among the Russians.

One of the official #Wagner mercenary channels, supposedly Prigozhin's own, publishes a statement (translation⬇️) from one of its leaders, strongly criticising the so-called #Donetsk republic leadership.

#Bakhmut holds (RU: #Artemovsk)

I advise Denis Manturov to carefully inspect his cups of tea and not to go near any windows for the next 20 years.

Who? #Russia's Trade Minister, who tried to defend himself instead of kowtowing when #Putin began a public rant about lack of aircraft!

@CNN reports the exchange

Despite #Putin's anger at #Russia not being able to manufacture aircraft quickly enough, if at all. Despite shortages of many items in the shops, not least medicines, #Hungary's PM claims "the sanctions failed, they miscalculated" referring to Germany and the EU.

Another small advancement of society in #Ukraine:
Surkis and Shufrych have been expelled from the country's National Olympic Committee.

There was a scandal in November which had forced the pair to initially resign.

Fairly sure a few NATO members will not be too pleased at this headline or the words within.
But I almost agree with @oleksiireznikov, though of course one hopes NATO would be quicker to react when Estonia or Poland is invaded if Russia is not stopped

bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…

Putin today made a rare trip out of the bunker, for a funeral of a regional leader.

Looks like the Mayor of #Ufa was told to announce this "assassination attempt"
This will make the public have sympathy for the great leader and they'll understand when he stays Tsar of the bunker

The Guardian's Defence Editor writes that #Ukraine expects pledges of tanks from both the #UK and Germany next week.

The British announcement is expected on Monday, heaping pressure on #Germany to release the Leopards.

theguardian.com/world/2023/jan…

Hopefully this is nothing to do with events in #Ukraine.

news.sky.com/story/explosio…

In #Berdyansk a car burns in what appears to be an attack by #Ukraine partisans in the Morozov area of the city.

But #Russia's occupiers say the target, the imposed 'Head' of the city Aleksey Kichigin, survived.
He "noticed a suspicious object" under his car - 1kg of explosives

The squabbling lovers look to have patched things up today...

#Russia's Defence Ministry posted a statement acknowledging #Wagner group's role in the attack on #Soledar.

Operations were carried out by a “mixed group of Russian troops" but Wagner led the “direct assault.”

1/2
I've been toying for hours whether to highlight Ryan's account & grievances with some of #Ukraine's leadership.

What is written is damaging for Ukraine, but either way it needs @oleksiireznikov to investigate urgently and take action or say it's fake

2/2

The account and complaints are already being reported gleefully by Russian media. It will be being shared among Ukraine units too for sure.

So better to get this resolved one way or the other as soon as possible.

Reported in #Melitopol' that Occupiers have dismantled the statue to national hero Taras Shevchenko.

Locals have told the local Telegram channel the work was carried out after the curfew began.

#RussiaIsATerroristState

It's getting closer.
Just think if the allies had been proactive and done all this 10.5 months ago. Even 9 months ago.

Imagine how many lives could have been saved. How much destruction avoided.

Diplomatically, #Ukraine won't be allowed to cheer too loudly, but believe me this is good news.

@BILD
reporting that "catastrophic" Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht is resigning.
#ReleaseTheLeopards

bild.de/politik/inland…

For the doubters, Ryan posts his most recent redacted military registration document, from last month.

Darren G, thank again for another coffee donation!
Great supporter, very much appreciated.

This photo, captured from a drone, is said to show a bunch of dead #Wagner troops on the eastern front.

The interesting thing though is that they are wearing #Ukraine uniforms, except for the white armbands.

It cannot be verified, for instance if the armbands were put on later.

This is an interesting point for me - a moral dilemma.

I have great respect for @EuromaidanPR. We've followed each other for almost a decade I guess since the start of the Revolution of Dignity.

What they say here is correct. But I decided not to.

1/2
#Ukraine is still hurting #Russia in #Soledar even if they're likely outside the city. I've trimmed this video to fit on Twitter. Drone operators track newly arriving recruits to their digs, and then blast it away.

So how is an army "in control" still getting hit so easily?

2/2

I've been told that the terrain is tough and #Russia's Wagner group has almost not bothered advancing artillery, just sending the convicts to fight to the death, hence the massive death toll and no protection for their advance troops.

Everything I've seen confirms this.

The most powerful tweet of the day. We can always learn from history.

Sadly, sometimes out leaders take too long to work it out.

#SlavaUkraini

Oh @Tango9_Ali double thanks to you.
One of the most prolific "spotters" of stories also bought me a 'buttie' and a coffee for the morning💙💛

Oh
@Tango9_Ali
double thanks to you.
One of the most prolific "spotters" of stories also bought me a 'buttie' and a coffee for the morning💙💛