Day: January 2, 2025

During the first day of the new year, Russia lost 1,370 soldiers at the front. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) deprived the occupiers of four tanks and 20 artillery systems, reports the General Staff of the AFU.

The total combat Russian losses from February 24, 2022, to January 2, 2024, are estimated to be:

• personnel – about 792,170 (+1,370) Russian troops were eliminated;
• tanks – 9,676 (+4);
• armored personnel vehicle – 20,056 (+13);
• artillery systems – 21,552 (+20);
• MLRS – 1,256;
• anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,032;
• airplanes – 369;
• helicopters – 330;
• UAV operational-tactical level – 21,200 (+69);
• cruise missiles – 3,003;
• warships/boats – 28;
• submarines – 1;
• vehicles and fuel tanks – 32,729 (+54);
• special equipment – 3,675 (+3).

Situation on frontline

As of the evening of January 1, 125 combat clashes took place on the front. The hottest situation remains in the Pokrovsk direction, where 35 enemy attacks were recorded. In particular, the Ukrainian military showed how they are destroying the enemy in Pokrovsk, the Donetsk region. Fighting is taking place in the city’s private sector.

In addition, Russian troops attacked the positions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces in Chasiv Yar and Toretsk, the Donetsk region. As a result of the fighting, some positions were destroyed.

Furthermore, almost 200 enemy attacks took place on the front on New Year’s Day, and in the Pokrovsk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine stopped 57 Russian assaults toward 16 settlements.

Chinese government hackers have hacked into the highly secretive Treasury Department office that imposes economic sanctions on countries and groups. This is one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of the United States to achieve national security goals, The Washington Post reports.

Citing unnamed US officials, the Washington Post reported that hackers had breached the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Research Administration, and attacked the office of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

According to the agency, the attack reflects Beijing’s determination to obtain intelligence on its most significant rival in the global struggle for power and influence.

Officials said that the main area of interest of the Chinese government is Chinese organizations against which the US government may consider imposing financial sanctions.

Earlier this week, the Treasury Department reported in a letter to Congress that hackers had stolen unclassified documents in a major incident. It did not specify which users or departments were affected.

A letter from the US Treasury Department stated that the hackers had breached a third-party cybersecurity provider, BeyondTrust.

Chinese firms, individuals, and organizations are often targeted by US sanctions, which Washington uses as a key tool in its foreign policy toward Beijing.

The United States considers China to be its biggest foreign policy challenge, and last month Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that Washington is not ruling out sanctions against Chinese banks as it seeks to cut Russia’s oil revenues and limit access to foreign supplies to fuel its war against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, relations between the United States and China remain tense as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, threatening Beijing with even harsher tariffs than those he imposed in his first term. During his campaign last year, he proposed to impose tariffs of 60% or more on all imports from China, which could trigger a global trade war.