Russia’s ballistic missile strike on Izyum, in Kharkiv region, kills five and injures 55 others. Around 50,000 Ukrainian troops will be reassigned to Ground Forces units. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia is to travel to Ukraine in mid-February.
Russian missile strike on Izyum kills five, injures 55 others
A Russian missile strike on the city of Izyum, in Kharkiv region, on Tuesday morning killed five civilians and wounded 55 others, partially destroying the city council building, officials said. A ballistic missile, most likely an Iskander, hit an administrative building, head of the regional military administration Oleh Syniehubov said. One more administrative building was damaged, as well as apartment buildings nearby, he added. Syniehubov said there were no military facilities in the area.
Among those killed were two sisters ages 18 and 19, one of them pregnant. Three children were among the injured, who also included many local government and social services workers, Syniehubov said.
The damaged buildings housed local collection and treasury offices, and social service agencies, head of the city military administration Valeriy Marchenko said. “Those killed were civilians who [at the moment of the strike] were outside the passport service,” he added. Twenty-four people were taken to hospital, including three in critical condition, Syniehubov said. A previous missile strike on the city occurred more than three months ago, Marchenko said.
“This brutality cannot be tolerated. Maximum pressure must be applied to Russia — through military force, sanctions, and diplomacy — to stop the terror and protect lives,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on X, commenting on the strike.
Around 50,000 Ukrainian troops to be reassigned to Ground Forces units
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi signed an order on January 11 to transfer around 50,000 troops from all branches of the Ukrainian military to Ground Forces units.
The move is intended to replenish combat brigades and begin replacements, Ukrainian new web site Ukrainska Pravda said in an article published on Tuesday.
Around 50,000 troops will be reassigned to ground jobs, Ukrainska Pravda said, citing sources in Ukraine’s General Staff. That’s 20 per cent of all Ukrainian service members on the frontline, according to Western assessments.
With the transfer of troops, Ukraine intends to begin full-fledged rotations in the army almost three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We need this to kick-start the mechanism of rotations. The [soldiers] being trained at the training centers are a resource only enough to refill the units, not to sustain their combat power. Thanks to the transfer of troops and recruitment practices we will be able to do it. There is an approved plan of rotation,” the source said.
He denied that the decision to begin rotations was made in anticipation of peace talks or a front line freeze. The Ukrainian army will be able to rotate troops under a full-scale invasion, he added.
Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia to travel to Ukraine in mid-February
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia will visit Ukraine after February 11, Radio NV said, citing sources in Ukraine and U.S. official circles.
Kellogg is expected to meet with President Zelenskyi. “After the visit, Kellogg will travel to Europe for talks. He will also take part in the Munich Security Conference,” one of the sources said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, the sources added.
Kellogg, a retired Lieutenant-General, had initially planned a mission to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders in early January. The trip was pushed back to allow more time to develop the proposals and agree them with Trump before unveiling them to the Ukrainian President.
Speaking in an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday, Zelenskyi said he had received signals that a U.S. team will travel to Ukraine soon, but the exact dates were unknown.
