Daily review

In a daring operation, Ukraine's special forces raided Crimea to help missile strikes hit key Russian naval targets. A Russian soldier sabotaged his own side by destroying two military trucks in occupied Ukraine. Over 35,000 Hasidic Jews traveled to Uman, Ukraine for the New Year holiday, despite the ongoing war.

European nations have now pledged over $170 billion in military and financial aid to Ukraine, exceeding the US commitment, according to new data. Ukraine's blows against the Russian fleet involved both drones and Western-supplied missiles, Ukraine's air force commander hinted.

American intelligence sees a "realistic possibility" Ukraine can break through the rest of Russia's lines in the south in 2023. Russian trade volumes have returned to pre-war levels. Ukrainian forces made further gains near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Ukraine is poised to quicken the pace of its advance in the south after conclusively penetrating Russia's first main line of defense, which the Kremlin had devoted most of its engineering efforts towards fortifying. Russian forces are now reduced to defensive "patches" amid dwindling reserves, but progress remains grueling for Ukrainian troops facing dense minefields.

The Turkish Bayraktar drone has made a comeback, successfully destroying a Russian patrol boat in the Black Sea. On the legal front, a court has ordered the arrest of US-sanctioned oligarch Kolomoyskyi, with an option for bail. Russia has also claimed 280,000 new contract soldier enlistments in a major military expansion.