Live blog: Russia's numerous shelling attacks kill 2 in Ukraine's Kherson

Sunday, January 7, 2023

1648 GMT –– The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson was subjected to numerous shelling attacks from Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson region, across the Dnieper River, local officials said.

The head of the Kherson city administration, Roman Mrochko, said two people died in the shelling attacks and several others were wounded.

Meanwhile, Russian military personnel marked Orthodox Christmas.

In Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region, a man was killed and two other civilians wounded in Russian shelling of the Kupiansk district Sunday, according to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. A child was among the wounded.

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1759 GMT –– Japan FM says Tokyo 'determined' to support Ukraine

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa paid a surprise visit to Kiev where she said Tokyo was "determined" to keep supporting Ukraine, as the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion nears.

Kamikawa, the first high-level foreign official to visit Kiev this year, announced new deliveries of defence equipment and discussed Tokyo's plans to host a February conference to promote Ukraine's economic reconstruction.

"Japan is determined to support Ukraine so that peace can return to Ukraine," Kamikawa told a press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba held in a bomb shelter as an air raid siren rang out.

1225 GMT –– Sweden says its main foreign policy task in coming years is support to Ukraine

The primary task of Sweden's foreign policy in the coming years will be the support to Ukraine, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told a defence conference.

1217 GMT –– Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Russian aggression can be defeated

Russia's attack on Ukraine can be defeated, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that the situation on the battlefield at this time remains relatively stable.

"Even Russia can be brought back within the framework of international law. Its aggression can be defeated," Zelenskyy told a conference in Sweden via video link.

The war in Ukraine has shown that Europe must develop joint weapons production to ensure that the continent can "preserve itself" under any global situation that might arise, the Ukrainian president said.

"Two years of this war have proven that Europe needs its own sufficient arsenal for the defence of freedom, its own capabilities to ensure defence," he said.

0525 GMT — Russia launches 28 drones, three missiles at Ukraine: Kiev

Russia has launched 28 attack drones and three cruise missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, adding that its air defence systems destroyed 21 of the drones.

The air force said on its Telegram messaging channel that Russia targeted mainly south and east of Ukraine, but it did not say what happened to the three cruise missiles that it says Russia had launched.

0419 GMT — Japan FM visits Ukraine to show support

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has visited Ukraine to meet with her counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to show Tokyo's continued support, a ministry official said.

The unannounced visit was a change to her original two-week tour plan of visiting Poland, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Germany and Türkiye from Friday.

Kamikawa was due to travel to Kiev from Warsaw on Sunday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

A ministry official confirmed that the minister had "arrived somewhere in Ukraine."

For our live updates from Saturday, January 6, click here.