Russia unleashes missile, drone attacks across Ukraine; Putin courts families of dead servicemen

Patches of the Soviet-era counter intelligence organisation "SMERSH" were seen on the uniforms of some operatives in an open-source image, the British Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

Russian lawmakers said late in 2023 that the organization was being re-launched, according to the ministry. SMERSH is an abbreviation of the words "death to spies" in Russian and was active from 1941-1946, it added.

"It is unclear whether the new name indicates any substantive new capabilities or role for Russia's CI-function, or whether it is merely a re-badging. However, it provides another example of how the Russian authorities consciously couch the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the spirit of the Second World War, and their strong focus on the supposed infiltration of external threats into the country," the update said.

— Sophie Kiderlin

EDITORS NOTE: This post contains graphic content and graphic images of death and destruction from a Russian missile strike.

Pictures show destruction in Ukrainian towns after being struck by Russian missile on Sunday and Monday.

— Sophie Kiderlin

Four people are dead and a further 38 injured in today's strikes on Ukraine, the country's National Police force said Monday.

"This morning, the enemy attacked the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Khmelnytsky regions. As of 12:00 [local time], it is known about four dead. Residential buildings, infrastructure facilities, vehicles were damaged. Police officers work at the sites of hits, provide assistance to people, and document Russia's war crimes," the police said on Telegram.

"In the Dnipropetrovsk region, as a result of rocket attacks on the cities of Kryvyi Rih, Novomoskovsk and the village of Nadiya of Kryvyi Rih district, one person died and 28 were injured, including four children. Private houses and civil infrastructure were damaged."

The Russian army also hit the city of Zaporizhzhia with missiles, leaving five people injured. "In addition, two apartment buildings, a car and civil infrastructure were damaged," the police noted.

"As a result of the Russian attack on the cities of Kharkiv and Zmiiv, one person died, five civilians were injured, two private houses and a regional vocational education center were damaged."

Two people were killed and an apartment building was damaged in the city of Khmelnytskyi due to Russian rocket fire, the police added.

— Holly Ellyatt

More than 1.3 million signatures have currently been collected in support of the self-nomination of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, a Russian election official told Russian media Monday.

Russian law states that self-nominated (or independent) candidates, as Putin is, need to collect 300,000 signatures from at least 40 Russian regions in order to register as a candidate for elections, with no more than 7,500 signatures to be collected in any one region. Putin passed the signature threshold in late December.

Putin, who has been prime minister or president of Russia since late 1999, announced last month that he would stand for another five-year term in office. He is expected to win the March 15-17 presidential election given the lack of non-systemic opposition parties or politicians in Russia.

"To date, in support of our candidate for the post of President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, we have collected more than 1.3 million signatures," the co-chair of the presidential election headquarters, Maryana Lysenko, told Russian media Monday, news agency TASS reported.

"You know that the start of collecting signatures [in support of Putin] started on December 23, according to the law it will be carried out until the end of January and it continues now," Lysenko said.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia sent dozens of missiles across Ukraine early on Monday, killing at least four civilians and hitting residential areas and commercial sites in its latest combined air attack, Ukrainian authorities said.

Two people were killed in the western Khmelnytskyi region, local officials reported, where critical infrastructure had also been struck.

In Kryvyi Rih, a 62-year-old was killed and a shopping centre and scores of private homes and apartment buildings damaged after nine Russian missiles hit the south central city, said Oleksandr Vilkul, the mayor.

"The mad enemy once again struck civilians," regional governor Serhiy Lysak wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "Directed missiles at people."

Russia said it hit military-industrial targets in Ukraine from sea and air on Monday.

"This morning, a multiple attack was carried out with high-precision, long-range, sea and air-based weapons, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system, on facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine," the defence ministry said in a daily dispatch.

Ukraine said its air defences had destroyed 18 out of 51 missiles, a much lower shoot-down rate than normal which Kyiv attributed to the large number of ballistic missiles fired by Russia.

They are more difficult to intercept, air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukrainian television. All eight drones launched by Russia were also shot down.

— Reuters

Ukraine's air force said it destroyed 18 out of 59 missiles of different types during a wave of Russian strikes early Monday.

"On the night of January 8, 2024, the enemy launched a massive attack on Ukraine, using cruise, aviation, ballistic, anti-aircraft guided missiles and attack UAVs," the air force said.

As well as UAVs, or drones, Russia used hypersonic ballistic missiles known as "Kinzhal" (which means "dagger") missiles, the air force said.

"Critical infrastructure facilities, industrial civilian and military facilities were attacked. Military administrations will report on the consequences and victims on the ground," the air force said on Telegram.

"This time the enemy attacked different regions of Ukraine. In particular, missiles flying along a ballistic trajectory are aimed at Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Khmelnytskyi regions," it added.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday morning that "a group strike was carried out with high-precision long-range sea- and air-based weapons, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system, against the facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine," the ministry stated, news agency Tass reported.

— Holly Ellyatt

Four regions in Ukraine have come under attack Monday morning, leaving two civilians dead, the country's interior minister said.

"This morning, the Russian occupiers attacked 4 regions of Ukraine with missiles. One person died, there are victims," Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

Klymenko said rescuers and police were working at six locations in the southern Zaporizhzhia region after missiles hit residential areas. According to operational information, three people were injured, he said.

In Novomoskovsk in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 20 people, including four children, were injured in strikes while one person died when a house was destroyed in the Kryvorizkyy district. "A private house was also destroyed in Kryvyi Rih - three people may be under the rubble. The shopping and entertainment centre was also destroyed," Klymenko said.

The city of Kharkiv region was attacked at least four times, the official said, damaging a business and educational institution and injuring one person.

Several explosions were heard in the Khmelnytskyi region, Klymenko added, with rescue workers and police officers working at the scene of the attacks. "We are clarifying information about the victims," he said. CNBC was unable to verify the information in Klymenko's comments.

The latest attacks come after an intensification of Russian strikes around the new year period. A spokesperson for Ukraine's armed forces said Monday that Russian forces had launched about 125 missile attacks and more than 400 airstrikes targeting Ukraine over the last week, news outlet Ukrinform reported.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine and Kharkiv in the northeast in the early hours of Monday morning, regional officials said.

"As a result of a combined attack of cruise and ballistic missiles launched from different directions, a total of 5 explosions rang out in the regional center," Yuriy Malashko, the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, said on Telegram.

"It is known that missiles hit residential areas — in open areas and near houses. As of 08:00, two people have been reported injured as a result of the missile attack — a man and a woman. The information is being updated."

Acting Zaporizhzhia Mayor Anatoliy Kurtiev said civilians were injured in the attack. "Russian terrorists are attacking Zaporizhzhia. Unfortunately, there are victims," he wrote on Telegram. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Russian forces also attacked industrial facilities in the city of Kharkiv Monday morning, leaving a woman injured, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

Kharkiv was the target of repeated attacks last week as Russia and Ukraine exchanged retaliatory strikes on the city and Belgorod, on Russian territory. Russia's Ministry of Defense said Monday that a missile was intercepted over Belgorod overnight.

— Holly Ellyatt

The Russian National Guard, Rosgvardia, is bolstering its resources and personnel "as a result of upheavals in Russia's internal security scene" in light of the war in Ukraine, Britain's Ministry of Defense noted Sunday.

Elements of private military company Wagner Group came under Rosgvardia from October 2023, following an ill-fated mutiny last summer that was succeeded by the death of Wagner's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

On Jan. 3, the "Vostok" battalion from the pro-Russian, separatist Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) in eastern Ukraine was also subsumed under Rosgvardia.

"Moscow has also been advancing its efforts to dissolve the DNR's "Kaskad" group, which specialises in drone operations, and subordinate parts of it to Rosgvardia," the British Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update on X on Sunday.

"In July 2023, the Russian State Duma authorised Rosgvardiya to employ heavier weaponry. New capabilities, along with its augmentation with experienced veterans from other groups, will likely represent a significant increase in combat effectiveness," the ministry added.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin courted the families of dead Russian servicemen over the weekend as he continued attempts to burnish his leadership credentials ahead of the March 2024 presidential election.

Putin met family members of Russian service personnel who died fighting in Ukraine at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo on Saturday, ahead of Orthodox Christmas celebrations. Praising the service personnel's heroism, Putin said they defended Russia's interests and that the government would support their families.

"Many of our men, our courageous, heroic men, the soldiers of Russia are defending right now the interests of our country with weapons in their hands, on this holiday," Putin said at the meeting.

"I would like our meeting to be a clear and understandable signal ... that my colleagues, I repeat, at every level of government and governance, should always be with you, so that you always feel that there are people around you who can support you, help you, and come to your aid if you need it," Putin added.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted that Putin recently attended similar events during which "he presented himself as a gracious leader who cares about the well-being of Russian military personnel and paraded his power to fulfil servicemen's requests and deal with issues."

Presenting that image is pressing for Putin as he campaigns for reelection in the March 17 presidential election, which he's widely expected to win.

"Putin is likely using these recurring, publicized meetings as part of his election campaign, as Russian servicemen and their family members comprise a sizable constituency, and their public support for Putin is vital for the Kremlin's ability to present the Russian population as largely in support of the war in Ukraine," the ISW noted in analysis Sunday.

— Holly Ellyatt