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Security pressures in Ukraine before 29 January 2024
Summary
A look back at the security reports of late January 2024, from missile strikes to drone procurement and military aid.
What was the security picture in Ukraine on 29 January 2024? The reports from the preceding days pointed to a war fought through missile strikes, contested claims about prisoners of war, sanctions-style enforcement and foreign military aid.
On 23 January 2024, Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv killed six civilians and injured at least 77 others. Ukraine said it had shot down 21 of the 41 missiles launched.
On the same day, Germany announced it would donate six SH-3 Sea King helicopters to the Ukrainian Air Force to help it patrol the Black Sea.
A disputed crash
On 24 January 2024, a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane reportedly crashed in Russia's Korochansky District, near the Ukrainian border. It was said to be carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three guards, and everyone on board was reported killed. These claims were not independently verified.
Drones and procurement
On 25 January 2024, the US Department of Commerce issued a $15 million bounty for information on Hossein Hatefi Ardakani, an Iranian businessman accused of procuring parts for drones assembled by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Those drones were later sold to Russia.
What it showed
Taken together, these developments showed pressure on several fronts: strikes on cities, allied efforts to strengthen Ukraine's air and maritime capabilities, and Western action against the supply chains behind drones used by Russia. The Kyiv and Kharkiv strikes and the air defence tally showed the scale of the missile threat to civilians, while the German helicopter pledge was aimed at Black Sea patrols.
