Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces destroyed a Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson Region, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.
"A Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer was destroyed near Antonovka in the Kherson Region," Konashenkov said.
Also, four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers were destroyed in firing positions near Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), he added.
Russian troops eliminate over 40 Ukrainian servicemen near Krasny Liman, top brass says
The Russian Armed Forces hit the 13th and the 95th air assault brigades in the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic, while advancing toward Krasny Liman, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Monday.
According to him, more than 40 Ukrainian service members were eliminated, with three armored personnel carriers and two pickups destroyed in the Russian artillery attack.
Special operations, January 1st. The main thing:
The day before, the RF Armed Forces attacked Ukrainian defense industrial facilities involved in manufacturing attack drones. The aim of the attack has been achieved, Kyiv's plan to carry out a terrorist attack against Russia in the near future has been thwarted, says the Ministry of Defense.
Russian troops continue to advance towards Donetsk, Ukrainian troops suffer defeats in the Kupyansky, Krasno-Limansky directions, says the Russian Defense Ministry
The Russian Armed Forces in the South-Donetsk direction managed to repel a counterattack by the Ukrainian army on the Dorozhnyanka settlement in the Zaporozhye region.
Artillery of the Russian Federation destroys the American counter-battery station in Donbass
Ukraine's energy system has suffered unprecedented damage, it may take years to restore it, said Ukrenergo.
DPR reports that Ukrainian forces fired 25 MLRS missiles at Donetsk.
Special operations, January 2st. The main thing:
In Makiivka, DPR, as a result of an attack by Ukrainian troops with a multiple launch rocket system, 63 Russian soldiers died, says the Russian Defense Ministry.
In the Kupyansk and Krasnolimansk directions, Ukrainian troops lost 70 men.
In the South Donetsk direction, the RF Armed Forces destroyed more than 40 Ukrainian military, three armored fighting vehicles.
Military of the Russian Federation in the Donetsk direction carried out offensive operations, Ukrainian losses per day amounted to 70 military personnel and 9 equipment.
Russian missile and artillery forces destroyed two arsenals and two Ukrainian military fuel storage facilities in the Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk regions
Ukrainian troops fired on Donetsk, Makeyevka, Yasinovataya, Rubizhne, reported in the LPR and DPR, provided there were casualties.
The Bryansk region was attacked by a Ukrainian drone that damaged an energy supply facility in one of the districts, the governor said.
More than 70 foreign mercenaries were killed and more than 100 injured in attacks on temporary deployment points of "foreign legion" units in Markovo, Kramatorsk region of the DPR, as well as in the Kharkiv region, according to Russian reports Ministry of Defence
Ukraine shelled the area with six HIMARS rockets, while the Russian air defense systems managed to shoot down two of the missiles.
"As a result of shelling of the temporary deployment unit by four missiles with high-explosive warheads, 63 Russian servicemen were killed. All necessary assistance and support will be provided to the families and relatives of the deceased military personnel," the ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian Orthodox Priest Suffers Knife Attack in Vinnitsa
An archpriest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was attacked by an unknown knife-armed man in the western-central Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa and subsequently hospitalized in critical condition.
"The cleric of the Eparchy of Vinnitsa, archpriest Anthony Kovtonyuk, was assaulted. The priest was stabbed," the eparchy said in a statement.
The incident occurred after the attacker entered the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Vinnitsa and started to cause ruckus, behaving inappropriately. When the archpriest attempted to rebuke the man, the perpetrator stabbed the cleric in the throat, according to the statement.
Ukrainian Drone Damages Power Supply Facility in Russia's Bryansk Region, Governor Says
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has carried out an attack in the Klimovsky District of Russia's Bryansk Region, located near the border with Ukraine, damaging a power supply facility, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
"This morning, a Ukrainian UAV attacked the Klimovsky district. There were no casualties. All emergency services are working on the spot. As a result of the strike, a power supply facility was damaged, and there is no electricity in the village," Bogomaz said on Telegram on Monday morning.
Air defenses downed a Ukrainian drone approaching the Russian city of Voronezh, the regional government said in a statement on Monday.
"Last night, air defenses detected and downed a small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle approaching Voronezh, which had been launched from Ukraine," the statement reads.
The regional government added that there were no casualties or damage and the situation remained under control.
Ukrainian military shells DPR territory 14 times in three hours
The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) 14 times in three hours on Monday, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination said on Monday.
According to the mission, the Ukrainian military shelled the city of Donetsk five times between 12:10 pm and 3:10 pm, firing 25 NATO-standard 155 mm artillery shells.
Makeyevka came under Ukrainian fire twice and Gorlovka came under attack three times. Twenty-two 152 mm and 155 mm munitions were fired at the two cities. The Ukrainian army also attacked Panteleimonovka, Yasinovataya, Yakovlevka and Mineralnoye, firing a total of twenty-four 155 mm munitions.
The Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:
Russian Forces performed a high precision strike temporary deployments of foreign mercenaries in the DPR and in the Kharkov region, eliminating more than 70 foreign mercenaries and wounding more than 100 foreign mercenaries;
The Russian Army eliminated up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two Ukrainian armored combat vehicles and three other vehicles near Kupyansk;
Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored carriers and two pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;
Russian Forces eliminated up to 70 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed four infantry combat vehicles and five other vehicles near Donetsk;
The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and two pick-up trucks in the DPR;
Russian troops destroyed two Ukrainian artillery ammunition depots;
Russian Forces destroyed two US-made M777 artillery systems in the DPR;
The Russian Army destroyed a Krav self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson region, as well as four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers in the DPR;
A police officer walks after the first public New Year's event since the COVID-19 pandemic, at Times Square, in New York, Jan. 1, 2023.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
A suspect in a machete attack on police officers in New York wanted to join the Taliban, Americain media reported, citing the law enforcement.
Last week, New York city police said that Trevor Bickford attacked the police with machete near Times Square on the New Year's Eve injuring three officers. The perpetrator was arrested after getting shot in the shoulder.
According to the media, the 19-year old man carried a diary where he expressed his wish to join the Taliban and "die as a martyr."
The suspect is in custody and remains under police guard at a hospital where he is treated for a gunshot wound.
3 police officers near Times Square injured in machete attack on New Year's Eve: Officials
An "unprovoked" machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident. The suspect is allegedly a 19-year-old man from Maine, whose online posts indicate recent Islamic radicalization, sources told ABC News.
Investigators are looking into whether the suspect came to the annual ball drop specifically to wage an attack on law enforcement, the sources said.
The incident occurred just after 10 p.m. on Saturday near West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, outside the secure area that had been set up for New Year's Eve celebrations, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a news conference at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital.
"Unprovoked, a 19-year-old male approached an officer and attempted to strike him over the head with a machete," Sewell said. "The male then struck two additional officers in the head with the machete."
Trevor Bickford, 19, suspected in the machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve, is pictured here in this undated photo.
Handout
One of the officers fired their weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder, Sewell said. The suspect was taken into custody, she said.
The three injured officers were taken to Bellevue, Sewell said. All three officers were released from the hospital on Sunday.
Suspect relatives reported concerns
While a motive remains under investigation, authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the suspect came to New York City specifically to attack police officers at the Times Square ball drop, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine. He took an Amtrak train to New York City on Dec. 29, the sources said.
Federal and local law enforcement investigators are combing through the suspect's online postings, which indicate recent extremist Islamic radicalization, the sources said.
Bickford has no prior arrests. His mother and aunt notified law enforcement in recent weeks about their concerns he was gravitating toward dangerous Islamist ideologies, the sources said. The report prompted the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to look into the suspect, the law enforcement sources said.
The NYPD counterterrorism bureau is investigating the New Year's Eve attack in conjunction with the FBI.
Should authorities determine the attack was motivated by an Islamist ideology, it would make it the first terror incident associated with New Year’s Eve in Times Square, authorities said.
Prior to New Year’s Eve, the NYPD noted in a pre-event assessment that throughout December "multiple pro-ISIS users disseminated extremist propaganda graphics broadly calling for attacks in advance of the New Year, advocating a wide range of low-tech tactics." Islamist terror groups have long promoted knife attacks.
Both federal and local law enforcement stressed at Sunday morning's news conference the attack appeared to be an isolated incident and there was no longer a threat.
Injured officers in stable condition
One of the injured officers, an eight-year veteran of the NYPD, suffered a laceration to the head, officials said. Another hurt officer had just graduated from the police academy on Friday, and as is traditionally the case, his first assignment was the New Year's Eve detail in Times Square. The rookie officer was also struck in the head, resulting in a skull fracture and large laceration, officials said.
"We are really pleased by the response and how our officers handled this situation," Mayor Eric Adams said. "All three of the officers are in stable conditions and there are no critical threats to New Yorkers at this time."
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Mike Driscoll said the bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved to "ascertain what is the nature of the attack." He said that the FBI believes the attacker was acting alone.
The New York Police Department released an image of a knife they said had been recovered at the scene of an officer-involved shooting near Times Square on New Year's Eve.
NYPD
The NYPD released an image of a weapon, saying it had been recovered at the scene. The weapon appeared to be a Gurkha knife, a type of curved blade, according to ABC News contributor Darrell M. Blocker, a retired CIA operative.
Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said, "Let's think about those family members here who are in shock right now, never thinking the first call of the year would be their son, their husband, their family member would be here in Bellevue Hospital."
'Everybody's panicking'
Videos from the scene appeared to show revelers jogging through the rain as they were directed away from the scene by columns of police officers.
"They're all telling us to go towards the viewing area for the ball drop and everybody's running, everybody's panicking," Lyugovski said.
Lyugovski and his brother-in-law, Andrew Dyachkin, of South Carolina, were in New York to watch the Times Square ball drop, they said in a joint video interview.
"Somebody's yelling, 'Calm down, calm down,' because everybody's on edge," Dyachkin said. "Like, I'm sure in the back of all of our minds, now this could be a target for, you know, shooting."
He added, “We thought someone is trying to shoot, you know, as many people as possible. Another mass shooting.”
One of the officers involved in the incident had graduated from the police academy on Friday, Sewell said.
Adams spoke at the officer's graduation ceremony, he said.
"It just goes to show you, it could be your first day or it could be your last day, the actions that police officers must take every day are life-threatening situations," Adams said.
The Al-Shabaab* jihadist movement, which has been fighting against the Somali government and terrorizing people since 2006, has suffered a series of defeats over the past few weeks after the newly-elected government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out-war” against the terrorist group.
At least seven militants from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group have been killed during fresh fighting between two groups within the jihadist movement on the outskirts of Harardhere district in the central coastal region of Mudug, Somalia’s federal government said in a statement on Sunday.
The government pointed out that the two groups had disagreed over surrendering to the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) in the wake of a series of defeats suffered by Al-Shabaab in Mudug, a hotbed of terrorist activity.
“The skirmish started after fighters loyal to an Al-Shabaab commander named Muheyadin Daqare left the area and engaged in a battle with other militants,” Somali authorities said, adding that the battle raged on for about an hour.
According to the government statement, the other group has taken a number of militants who were trying to surrender to SAF into custody.
The development came as the newly-elected government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has intensified military attacks against the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab group. The Somali Armed Forces managed to regain control over some strongholds of al-Shabaab in the south and central regions of the country.
In late December 2022, Somali soldiers took control of Runirgoud town, the militants' final stronghold in Middle Shabelle, about 240 kilometers northeast of the capital Mogadishu.
Meanwhile, Kenyan police recently announced that they'd detained a number of al-Shabaab members on the border with neighboring Somalia as they tried to flee to Kenya in the wake of an intensified attack on the militants by the Somali Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, Kenyan police recently announced that they'd detained a number of al-Shabaab members on the border with neighboring Somalia as they tried to flee to Kenya in the wake of an intensified attack on the militants by the Somali Armed Forces.
Somali President Chairs Federal State Leaders to Unite Efforts in Fight Against al-Shabaab
The Al-Shabaab* jihadist movement has been fighting against the Somali government since the mid-2000s. The al-Qaeda*-affiliated group, which managed to take control of some parts of Somalia, has long been terrorizing people not only in the country, but also in other neighboring countries in East Africa.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday chaired a meeting in the capital Mogadishu of federal state leaders in a bid to reunite efforts in the fight against Al-Shabaab terrorists.
Dubbed the National Consultative Forum (NCF), the gathering was attended by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Deputy PM Salah Jama, and leaders of the country’s five Federal Member States (FMS) of Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West, and Jubbaland, in addition to the mayor of Mogadishu.
The focus of the meeting was on how to deal with the general insecurity in the country, mainly caused by the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Al-Shabaab. The meeting came in the wake of the Somali National Army intensifying its attacks against Al-Shabaab, which resulted in some of the territories controlled by the militants being freed.
The NCF gathering also discussed other political issues, including the extension of term limits for federal state leaders, as well as a misunderstanding between the FGS and the FMS.
Al-Shabaab, which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Somalia, has been fighting against the Somali government since 2006.
Recently, the organization intensified its terror attacks after the newly-elected government declared an "all-out-war" against the terrorist militant group with the help of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops deployed in the country.
The authorities of the partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo are pursuing escalation, thus Western countries, with influence on Pristina, should force it to renounce belligerent plans, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that the republic intends to increase the presence of NATO military personnel in its territory for the sake of strengthening peace and security in Western Balkans. Kurti also noted that Kosovo was currently increasing defense spending and the number of its soldiers and reservists.
"We are following with great concern the evolution of the situation in and around Kosovo. We see that the Kosovar authorities are taking a course for escalation, while it is obvious to us that they are relying on overt and covert support from their curators, primarily from the European Union and Washington," Grushko said.
The official emphasized that all those who influence Kosovo’s course of action should "pressure it to find a political solution."
"First of all, force Pristina to abandon its belligerent plans, which are fraught with destabilization of the Balkans, and comply with all previous obligations, including from the [2013] Brussels Agreement that provides for the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities as a central element in solution of the Kosovo problem," Grushko specified.
The situation in Kosovo and Metohija remains tense. On December 10, Serbs in the north of Kosovo began setting up barricades in protest against the arrest of several Serb police officers by the Kosovar authorities over alleged war crimes and terrorism dating back to the 1998-1999 conflict between the Serbian military and the the Albanian-led Kosovo Liberation Army.
In 2008, the Kosovo-Albanian structures in Pristina unilaterally proclaimed independence from Belgrade. Since then, Kosovo has been recognized by 98 out of 193 UN member states. Serbia does not recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.
In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed an EU-mediated agreement to normalize relations, but the dialogue soon came to a standstill.
Kosovo Wants to Increase NATO Presence in Order to 'Strengthen Security'
Kosovo intends to increase the presence of NATO military personnel in the republic for the sake of strengthening peace and security in Western Balkans, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday.
"A significant increase in the number of NATO soldiers and military equipment… will enhance security and peace in Kosovo and throughout the Western Balkans region," Kurti told German media.
The partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo is currently increasing defense spending and the number of its soldiers and reservists, the prime minister noted.
"An increase in the number of soldiers in the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR (Kosovo Force) will support our defense efforts," Kurti said.
The NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo currently has about 3,800 KFOR soldiers deployed in the republic, including about 70 troops from Germany, the report said, adding that up to 400 German military personnel could be sent to Kosovo by decision of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament.
The situation in Kosovo and Metohija remains tense. On December 10, Serbs in the north of Kosovo began setting up barricades in protest against the arrest of several Serb police officers by the Kosovar authorities over alleged war crimes and terrorism dating back to the 1998-1999 conflict.
The Kosovo war broke out on 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999 due to the armed conflict between the Serbian military and the Albanian-led Kosovo Liberation Army, a separatist group aspiring to gain the status of a constituent republic in what was then Yugoslavia. Amid the hostilities, the region was subjected to unauthorized NATO airstrikes in March-June 1999. The illegitimate intervention resulted in the deaths of over 2,500 people, including 87 children, and caused over $100 billion in damage.
In February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia and nearly 100 UN member states have since recognized its independence. Several countries, including Russia, Serbia, China, Greece, have not.
A loud explosion in the Navy Yard neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Sunday night that rattled windows, set off car alarms and was heard and felt nearly two miles away was reportedly blamed by responding firemen on a large illegal firework device.
Photos taken at the scene show a modest sized crater at the Canal Park ice skating rink with a nearby glass barrier blown out. No injuries were reported, but nerves were shaken throughout much of the area.
The first eyewitness report was of car alarms going off and people running away after an explosion was heard, “Explosion in navy yard?…Car alarms going off. Saw a few people running away from canal park towards New Jersey Ave”
Video taken moments after the explosion shows smoke rising and car alarms sounding.
Photos from the scene show damage seemingly incongruous with the loudness of the explosion.
A big firecracker according to firemen:
D.C. Fire and EMS reported, “Box Alarm 3rd & L St SE for explosion heard and possible structure fire. Units on scene at skating rink where there is a haze and broken glass. No sign of fire. Investigating further.”
The explosion was loud enough to be heard and felt across DC.
“Explosion in Navy Yard area. Unclear cause. My house is almost 2 miles from there and I heard this loud and clear — even felt some shockwave. Must have been terrifying at the scene.”
“That loud explosion heard and felt for many blocks in and beyond the Navy Yard neighborhood was something that left a hole in the ice and broken glass at the Canal Park ice rink. Police just taped off the area.”
Good question. “At what point does a firecracker become a bomb?”
Maybe the FBI was doing some field training for the next J6 pipe bomb event?
