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10:10 a.m. : Heavy fighting is still going on in the locality of Soledar, north of Bakhmout. “The most seasoned units of the Wagner group fight there”, comments the spokesman of the eastern district of the Ukrainian forces, Serhiï Tcherevati. At this stage, the territory is still under the control of kyiv, he told RBK-Ukraine media. The city center has however descended into chaos, with clashes street by street.
10:10 a.m. : #SatelliteImagery from January 7, 2023, reveals thousands of bomb craters in fields and along roads in and around the town of #Bakhmut, #Ukraine.
10:02 : The “grey zone” of Bakhmout, in the Donetsk region, is sometimes described as the Verdun of the 21st century. Evidenced by this satellite image, again shared by the company Maxar Technologies. The photo shows the continuous shelling of the sector by the artillery. Thousands of craters are visible in the surrounding fields.
10:08 : Life remains difficult in the liberated areas of Kherson, where the Russian army continues to carry out intensive strikes. Yesterday, in a single day, this territory was the target of 90 various strikes, announces the governor of the region on Telegram (content in Ukrainian), Yaroslav Yanushevich. The city of Kherson was targeted 27 times. At least one person died and five were injured.
10:09 : Two British aid workers (one is also New Zealander) have been missing for several days, around Soledar. Last night Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his mercenaries had found the body of one of them, and posted some of their identity documents on Telegram (content in Russian). Contacted by the press (content in English) of his country, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on these unverified statements.
09:51 : Here is a new point on the news for those who join us:
• The CGT unions in the oil branch called for several strikes on 19 and 26 January, as well as on 6 February, with “if necessary, the shutdown of refining facilities”according to a press release issued Thursday by Eric Sellini, the union’s national coordinator for TotalEnergies.
• The secretary of the Zaporizhia city council, Anatolii Kurtiev, reports on Telegram of new Russian strikes on the city this night. They damaged infrastructure and caused a fire. “As a result of the shelling, civilian houses were damaged again. According to preliminary information, no one was injured”, he reports. Follow our live.
• At the start of the school year in September 2023, all 6th graders without exception will have an additional hour of French or mathematics per week. This is detailed in a circular published by the Ministry of National Education that franceinfo was able to consult.
The Socialists vote today to choose their new secretary, between the outgoing, Olivier Faure, and two other candidates, Hélène Geoffroy and Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. The challenge: the place of the PS in the left alliance Nupes. Franceinfo presents them to you here.
09:51 : At the gates of the city of Soledar, in the east of the country, while the fighting is raging, Gilles Gallinaro and Omar Ouahmane went to meet the Ukrainian soldiers exhausted after weeks of clashes. Their report can be read here.
(GILLES GALLINARO / RADIO FRANCE)
08:17 : The think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), based in the United States, gives some information on the appointment of Valery Gerasimov (in English) head of Russian operations in Ukraine. According to the ISW, this appointment is part of an attempt to improve “Russian command and control for a decisive military effort in 2023” and in “a political move aimed at strengthening the Russian Defense Ministry” against Wagner’s mercenaries, who criticized the Kremlin’s conduct of the war.
08:11 : The secretary of the city council of Zaporizhia, Anatolii Kurtiev, reports on Telegram about new Russian strikes on the city this night. They damaged infrastructure and caused a fire. “As a result of the shelling, houses of civilians were again damaged. According to preliminary information, no one was injured”he reports.
08:34 : And here is immediately the first point on the news:
The unions of large transport companies such as the SNCF or the RATP have expressed their determination to oppose the pension reform. They call to “a mighty strike” Thursday, January 19. Retirement age, special schemes, minimum pension… We have answered your questions on government reform.
Fierce fighting is raging in Soledar, eastern Ukraine, where Russia is trying to turn the tide of the war at all costs, once again changing military leaders just as kyiv seems closer to securing Western heavy weapons.
A man in his twenties with an uncertain identity injured “for no apparent reason at this stage” six people with a punch yesterday morning at the Gare du Nord in Paris. He was overpowered by police officers who shot and injured him. An investigation is underway.
• The British Jeff Beck, “genius” guitarist, is dead tuesday at 78 of meningitis. He forged his legend within the group the Yardbirds, alongside Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, in the 1960s.