What happened in Ukraine on 14 January 2023?

What did 14 January 2023 bring in Russia's war on Ukraine? A deadly strike on a residential building in Dnipro, a British commitment of heavy armour, and a continuing dispute over the fate of Soledar.

The strike on Dnipro

Russia struck a nine-storey residential building in Dnipro with a cruise missile on 14 January 2023. As reported at the time, at least 40 people were killed, 73 were injured and dozens more were missing.

Later accounts give more detail. The missile, identified as a Kh-22, hit at about 3:30 p.m. on Naberezhna Peremohy Street in the city's Sobornyi District, destroying one entrance and 236 apartments. By 19 January, the official toll had risen to 46 dead and 80 injured, with 11 people reported missing. Fourteen children were among the injured, and 39 residents were rescued. About 400 people were left homeless. The strike belonged to a months-long campaign of Russian attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure that had already hit Dnipro.

British tanks and howitzers

On the same day, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that Britain would send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The package also included 30 self-propelled AS-90 howitzers. Ukrainian troops were to be trained by the British Armed Forces to operate the tanks.

Soledar still contested

The day also unfolded against a dispute over Soledar, in Donetsk Oblast. On 13 January, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had taken full control of the town. Ukraine denied that Soledar and its salt mines had fallen and said the battle was still under way. The fighting there was part of the wider Battle of Donbas.

A day of contrasts

Taken together, the reports from 14 January 2023 show a war fought on several levels: missile strikes on a city far from the front line, Western decisions on what equipment to send, and rival claims about control of ground in the east.