Speaking at Friday's weekly Ministry of Defense press briefing, Kaju said Russia has continued to exaggerate its military advances in an attempt to create the false impression that it has overwhelming superiority and is making unstoppable progress.

"Last week, the average number of daily combat engagements decreased to 150. The week before, it was around 170. This is due to the cold weather. The most intense combat activity continued in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad, Huliaipole and Kostyantynivka directions. Russian units have managed to make some progress in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – in the Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Sloviansk and Lyman directions," Kaju said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have continued their active defensive operations across the entire front, advanced in the direction of Kupiansk, and carried out counterattacks to halt the advance of Russian units.

The most notable long-range precision strikes by Ukraine last week were against targets at the Kapustin Yar military training ground, from which Russia has fired Oreshnik medium-range missiles at Ukraine. There have also been strikes against oil refineries in Russia's Saratov and Krasnodar regions.

During its airstrikes, Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones and 40 different types of missiles.

"The targets were mainly critical infrastructure and industrial facilities in Ukraine, but many residential buildings were also hit, affecting the civilian population," Kaju explained. "Russia has sought to exacerbate the damage caused to Ukraine's energy system with the air strikes on January 9 and subsequent attacks in order to trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine."

Kyiv, along with the broader Kyiv region, as well as the Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, have all suffered from Russian drone and missile strikes.

"During the most intense air strike of the week, Russia fired 339 drones and 34 different types of missiles at Ukraine. By that time, the Ukrainian authorities had already managed to repair most of the damage caused to the Kyiv energy system during the previous week, and Ukraine's air defense munitions stocks had been replenished. Due to that, the damage caused to the Ukrainian capital during the attack was less than it could have been. As a result of the attack, 335,000 households in Kyiv were left without power, but by the morning, nearly half of them had their power restored," Kaju explained.

Nevertheless, the situation in Kyiv and some other Ukrainian cities and regions remains serious. The Ukrainian government, together with its supporters, is making a huge effort to improve the situation. This winter is one of the coldest Ukraine has experienced in recent years, and Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are putting the civilian population in a really tough situation.

Russia has used drones and missiles in its attacks, which were manufactured either just prior to the attack or during the month of the attack. According to Kaju, this gives an indication of the large quantities of weapons Russia is capable of using against Ukraine.

"Russia's attempt to cause a humanitarian catastrophe by attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure can be thwarted by developing Ukraine's air defense and implementing new air defense measures. It is important that, in addition to military aid, international assistance to support Ukraine's energy sector continues," Kaju said.

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