Preliminary unconfirmed reports indicate that Russian forces may have launched a strike with the hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) "Oreshnik" against the Lviv region, but Ukrainian authorities have not yet confirmed these reports.
The Ukrainian Air Force issued a missile alert throughout Ukraine at around 23:30 local time due to the threat of a Russian ballistic missile launch from Kapustin Yar.
Russia stores "Oreshnik" missiles there. This is recalled by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
From the Kapustin Yar test site, the Kremlin is believed to have first launched a hypersonic missile against Ukraine in November 2024.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy said that there had been a series of powerful explosions in the city that evening, and the head of the Lviv region military administration, Maksym Kozytsky, said that Russian forces had struck an unspecified critical infrastructure facility in the region.
Later, Sadovy said that it was currently unknown whether Russian forces had used Oreshnik against the Lviv region.
ISW could not confirm whether the strikes against the Lviv region were with "Oreshnik".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on the afternoon of January 8 of a possible "new massive Russian strike" on the night of January 8-9.
The US Embassy in Kiev reported on January 8 that it had received information about a potentially significant air strike "in the next few days".
The Kremlin again categorically rejected the security guarantees for Ukraine that the US and Europe are currently finalizing with Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.
On January 8, Russian Foreign Ministry (MFA) spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to the latest efforts by the Coalition of the Willing to finalize the details of the deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine to guarantee a future ceasefire, which Zakharova described as "militaristic declarations" by the "axis of war".
Zakharova said that Russia would view the deployment of Western military forces in Ukraine as "foreign intervention" that would pose a "direct threat" for Russia's security, and as "legitimate combat targets" for the Russian army.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman indicated that the Kremlin is demanding Ukraine's complete surrender before it will stop fighting.
The owner of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Bella-1, which the US Coast Guard seized on January 7, is linked to Russian efforts to evade sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector.
Russia appears to be trying to distance itself from the oil tanker Bella-1, even as it seeks to protect other possible ships from its shadowy fleet.
According to reports, the Russian military command continues to create new military units and formations, but will likely have difficulty manning them with the necessary number of personnel.
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The United Kingdom has provided Ukraine with air defense systems amid escalating Russian drone and long-range missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure.
Russian forces have recently advanced into the Sumy region.