Ukraine war live updates: Putin says everything's going to plan in Ukraine; German defense minister resigns - CNBC

The Kremlin has said dense armored vehicles supplied to Ukraine "will burn," days aft Britain said it would proviso Challenger 2 tanks to the country.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov was asked by reporters to remark connected caller moves by Ukraine's Western allies to proviso Kyiv with heavier armored vehicles.

He replied "nothing could change" the volition of Western countries to proviso specified instrumentality but that it would not marque a quality to the war, oregon "special subject operation," according to comments reported by authorities quality bureau Tass and translated by Google.

"The peculiar subject cognition volition continue. These tanks are connected occurrence and volition pain conscionable similar the rest. The goals of the peculiar subject cognition volition beryllium achieved," helium added.

On Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the U.K. would supply 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the archetypal Western state to proviso the dense tanks Kyiv has been repeatedly asking for.

Russia criticized the move, saying it would lone escalate the war. The Russian Embassy successful London tweeted that "Challenger 2 tanks volition hardly assistance the Ukrainian subject crook the tide successful the field. Yet they volition go morganatic large-scale targets for Russian forces."

— Holly Ellyatt

The Russian-installed politician of Sevastopol successful Crimea said connected Monday that aerial defenses had downed 7 drones implicit the metropolis successful what helium called a "failed Ukrainian attack."

Sevastopol, which is connected the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed successful 2014, has travel nether repeated aerial onslaught since Russia invaded Ukraine successful Febuary. Russian officials person blamed the attacks connected Ukraine.

Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said each the drones were downed implicit the sea, with nary harm to immoderate infrastructure. He denied reports successful Ukrainian media that determination were explosions successful the city, and said aerial defenses were continuing to show the skies, successful a station connected his Telegram channel.

— Reuters

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz for her dismissal, she said successful a connection connected Monday, the culmination of increasing skepticism astir her quality to bring the German service into signifier against the backdrop of the Ukraine war.

"Today I asked the chancellor to disregard maine from the bureau of national curate of defence," Lambrecht, a subordinate of Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), said successful the statement.

Her determination to measurement down comes arsenic Germany is nether unit to o.k. an summation successful planetary subject enactment for Kyiv, and Germany's defence capabilities person been called into question aft respective Puma infantry tanks were enactment retired of work during a caller subject drill.

— Reuters

Multiple windows of a children's infirmary successful Kherson metropolis successful confederate Ukraine person been blown retired during a Russian attack, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the lawman caput of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Posting connected Telegram, Tymoshenko said the harm had occured erstwhile it came nether "enemy fire" but gave nary further details.

"This time, they attacked a children's hospital. As a result, about 30 windows in the neonatal (6-story) gathering were broken," helium said, according to a Google translation of his comments.

There is nary accusation astir immoderate casualties, helium added. CNBC was incapable to instantly verify his report.

— Holly Ellyatt

Britain's Ministry of Defense said Monday that Ukraine apt maintained positions successful Soledar, a municipality Russia claims to person afloat captured.

The ministry said aggravated warring continued successful some the Kremina and Bakhmut areas of the Donbas beforehand implicit the weekend.

"As of 15 January 2023, Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) astir surely maintained positions successful Soledar, northbound of Bakhmut, successful the look of continued Wagner Group [private subject company] assaults," the ministry said successful an quality update connected Twitter.

Around Kremina, a municipality successful Luhansk astir 40 miles northbound of Bakhmut, warring has been characterized by a analyzable bid of section attacks and counter-attacks successful wooded country, the U.K. said, noting that overall, "the UAF proceed to gradually beforehand their beforehand enactment eastbound connected the borderline of Kremina town."

"Over the past six weeks, some Russia and Ukraine person achieved hard-fought but constricted gains successful antithetic sectors," the ministry noted.

"In these circumstances, a cardinal operational situation for some sides is to make formations of uncommitted, susceptible troops which tin exploit the tactical successes to make operational breakthroughs."

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine is reeling from a large Russian rocket onslaught connected the metropolis of Dnipro successful cardinal Ukraine connected Saturday aft an flat artifact was hit.

Dnipro's determination politician Valentyn Reznichenko said successful an update connected Telegram Monday greeting that 35 radical had been killed successful the attack, including 2 children. He added that 39 radical had been rescued and 75 were known to person been injured successful the attack, among them 14 children.

Ukraine's exigency services said Sunday that determination were 45 reports of missing persons and that "while 11 radical person been identified, the destiny of 34 radical is being clarified."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday evening that a rescue cognition continued arsenic debris was cleared astatine the tract of the strike, an onslaught that the president characterized arsenic a violent enactment by Russia.

"As of now, the destiny of much than 30 radical who could person been successful the location astatine the clip of the terrorists' rocket deed remains unknown," helium said successful his regular address.

"Dozens of radical were rescued from the rubble, including six children. We are warring for each person! The rescue cognition volition past arsenic agelong arsenic determination is adjacent the slightest accidental to prevention lives."

Zelenskyy called connected Russians to condemn the attack, stating, "I privation to accidental to each those successful Russia - and from Russia - who adjacent present could not utter adjacent a fewer words of condemnation of this terror... Your cowardly silence, your effort to "wait out" what is happening volition lone extremity with those aforesaid terrorists coming aft you 1 day."

Ukraine's Air Force said the flat artifact was struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, an anti-ship rocket which is known to beryllium inaccurate. Russia has said antecedently it does not deliberately people civilians but determination person been aggregate instances of civilian infrastructure, including schools, residential buildings and hospitals, being deed successful rocket strikes.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the dynamics of the warfare successful Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special subject operation," are positive.

"The dynamics are positive. Everything is processing wrong the program of the Defense Ministry and the General Staff. And I anticipation that our fighters volition delight america much than erstwhile again with the results of their combat work," Putin said successful an interrogation with the Rossiya-1 TV channel, arsenic reported by authorities quality bureau Tass.

Russia's Defense Ministry said connected Friday said Russian forces had captured Soledar successful the eastbound Donetsk portion the erstwhile day, aft respective days of conflicting reports implicit whether the municipality had fallen nether Russian control.

A spokesperson for the ministry said controlling Soledar made it imaginable to chopped disconnected the proviso routes of Ukrainian forces successful Bakhmut and to past situation the town, a cardinal people for Russia for months arsenic it looks to widen its power implicit the Donetsk region, neighboring Luhansk and the full Donbas successful eastbound Ukraine.

Ukraine has not conceded decision successful Soledar, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Sunday evening that "the conflict for Soledar, for Bakhmut, for the full Donetsk region, for the Luhansk portion continues without immoderate respite, without immoderate stop."

— Holly Ellyatt