January 16, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

The Kremlin has denied rumors of a conflict between the Wagner mercenary group fighting in Ukraine and the Russian defense ministry.

“This conflict mainly exists in the information space,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a regular press briefing Monday, adding that it is “mainly the product of information manipulations.”

“It [the country] knows both the heroes who serve in the Armed Forces and show miracles of heroism, and the heroes with the PMC Wagner,” Peskov said.

Some context: While Kyiv argues the fight for the embattled eastern town of Soledar is ongoing, the head of private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed its exclusive role in capturing the town. The Russian defense ministry acknowledged its role in a public statement Saturday.

“As for the direct assault on the city blocks of Soledar occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this combat mission was successfully solved by the courageous and selfless actions of the volunteers of the Wagner PMC assault squads,” the statement read.

Residents of the Ukrainian region of Chernihiv, which borders both Russia and Belarus, have been told to expect air raid sirens to “increase significantly” over the next two weeks due to the joint Belarus-Russia military drills. 

On Monday, aviation drills between Russia and Belarus began. The Belarusian defense ministry said the drills would “increase operational compatibility in the joint performance of combat training missions.”

The drills are due to run from January 16 to February 1.

The Russian strike on a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has killed 40 people, according to an updated death toll from the Ukrainian emergency services.

In a Telegram update on Monday the emergency services agency said that 40 people, including three children, had died.

In addition, 39 people have been rescued, 75 were injured and 46 are still reported missing.

The building was hit on Saturday, and a Russian Kh-22 missile was used in the attack, the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed forces said Sunday.

Originally designed as an anti-ship missile, the Kh-22 is an older and less accurate weapon than most modern missiles.

Deliveries of more advanced military equipment from the UK and other European countries "will not be able to change the situation on the ground" in Ukraine and will only "drag out" hostilities, the Kremlin said Monday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added that the Challenger 2 tanks the UK is planning to send to Ukraine "will burn like the rest."

Downing Street announced on Saturday plans to send 12 Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems as part of efforts to "intensify" support for Ukraine.

Asked about the UK's decision, Peskov told journalists deliveries from Western nations will only "bring about more trouble to the state of Ukraine."

According to Peskov, these countries are using Ukraine as a "tool to achieve their anti-Russian goals."

Other allies: France and Poland have pledged to soon send tanks for the Ukrainian military to use in its efforts to protect itself from Russia. Finland is also considering following suit.

Ukrainian units are "conducting hostilities in Soledar," according to an update from the Ukrainian Armed Forces Eastern Group on the situation for the fight for the town.

Ukrainian troops "inflict constant fire on the enemy," said group spokesman Serhii Cherevatyi. "Ukraine maintains its positions in the town," he added.

On Friday, Russia said Friday its forces had taken the small town in eastern Ukraine following weeks of fierce fighting, although Ukraine denied the claim.

The capture of Soledar would represent a symbolic win for Russian President Vladimir Putin following a long string of military setbacks dating back to last summer.

However, the town is not hugely important strategically, and its capture would not suggest a significant capitulation of Ukrainian forces, nor a substantial change to the overall complexion of the war.

Seven Ukrainian drones have been "shot down over the sea" near Sevastopol in the illegally annexed region of Crimea, according to governor Mikhail Razvozhaev.

Razvozhaev said in a Telegram post on Monday that the drones were downed "by the air defense forces and our Black Sea Fleet."

The attack was a "psyop" (psychological operation) by Ukrainian forces, said Razvozhaev, who maintained that there have been no explosions in the city.

"Everything is calm," he said, adding that there had been no damage.

German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht has resigned, a ministry spokeswoman has told CNN, following growing skepticism about her suitability for the role against the backdrop of the Ukraine war.

"The focus on my person for months hardly allows objective reporting and discussion about the soldiers, the German armed forces and security policy issues in the interest of the citizens of Germany," Lambrecht said in a written statement. "Thus I have decided to resign from my office."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz backed Lambrecht in December, calling her a "first-class MoD," according to government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner, and reiterated support for her in January. 

However, Lambrecht has faced growing criticism as Germany is under increasing pressure to ramp up military support for Ukraine, which has been insignificant compared to support from other Western allies during her time as minister.

At the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Lambrecht pledged to deliver 5,000 helmets as military assistance to Ukraine. At the time, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the move a joke.

Lambrecht’s resignation comes just days before a high-profile meeting at the Ramstein US Air Base in Germany on Friday to discuss further support for Ukraine. Her successor has not been announced.

Lambrecht was also criticized after her son posted about taking a ride in a military helicopter on social media, as well as for a clumsily delivered New Year's Eve address which was disrupted by the sound of firecrackers.

Joint military aviation drills involving Belarusian and Russian forces are underway, the Belarusian defense ministry said in a press release Monday.

"Today, a joint tactical flight exercise of the aviation units of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, which are part of the aviation component of the regional grouping of troops, has started," reads the statement.

The exercises are taking place on Belarusian territory and the main goal is to "increase operational compatibility in the joint performance of combat training missions," said the ministry.

The exercises will involve conducting aerial reconnaissance, joint patrols along the border, air support for groups of troops and landing tactical troops, as well as the delivery of goods and the evacuation of the wounded, the ministry said.

"To ensure the conduct of the exercise, all airfields and ranges of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are involved," it added.

Earlier this month, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced that Minsk and Moscow were planning to hold joint aviation drills from January 16 to February 1.

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the two countries would continue joint drills and other combat training measures, which would involve the joint group of forces of the so-called "Union State," according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The death toll from a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 36, including two children, according to Ukraine's National Police. 

Search and rescue operations continue and 39 people have been rescued so far. 

A CNN team on the ground in Dnipro at the site of Saturday’s apartment block strike reported air raid sirens early Monday morning.

Russian claims: Also on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the strike was the result of counter-missiles and air defense.

In response to a question about the strike, Peskov said the Russian Armed Forces only strike "against military targets, whether they are obvious or disguised," and not at residential buildings.

Some context: On Sunday, the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed forces said that there was "no doubt" that a Russian Kh-22 missile was used in the strike.

Originally designed as an anti-ship missile, the Kh-22 is an older and less accurate weapon than most modern missiles.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine lack the firepower capabilities for shooting down this type of missile," the Ukrainian command said on Facebook.

"Since the beginning of Russia's military aggression, more than 210 missiles of this type have been launched at the territory of Ukraine. None of them have been shot down by our air defense systems."

CNN reported last June that a Kh-22 missile hit a shopping center in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, killing at least 18 people.