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Latest Developments in Ukraine: Jan. 17
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EST. 3:10 a.m.: Reuters reported Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as saying on Tuesday they were in control of Soledar, repeating their earlier claim about the salt-mining town where intense fighting has taken place.  "On the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, Russian troops liberated Soledar," they said in a post on Telegram.  Russia said on Friday its forces had taken control of Soledar, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said later that fighting for Soledar and other eastern towns and cities was continuing.  2:53 a.m.: 2:25 a.m.: According to Reuters, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late on Monday that British Foreign Minister James Cleverly, who has been sanctioned by Moscow over Ukraine, is yet to answer for his support of Kyiv. Cleverly said on Monday he had been sanctioned by the Russian government and added that if that were the price for supporting Ukraine — he was happy to be sanctioned. "Dear James, you don't understand," Zakharova wrote on her Telegram messaging app. "This is for the anti-Russian course and personal sanctions. But you still have to answer for the support of the Kyiv regime and neo-Nazism." Russia framed its invasion of Ukraine as a battle against Nazism but Kyiv and its allies say this is a lie used to justify an unprovoked, imperialist land grab. Britain said on Saturday it would send 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks as well as other advanced artillery support in the coming weeks in what could be the first shipment of Western-made tanks to Ukraine. 1:55 a.m.: 1:32 a.m.: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) on Monday to do more about Ukrainians that Kyiv says have been forcefully deported to Russia and their fate once inside the country, Reuters reported. Bujar Osmani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia and the 2023 OSCE Chairman-in-Office, visited Kyiv on Monday, with Zelenskiy saying the two talked about how to "make the OSCE effective." Ukraine and its allies have accused Russia of large-scale deportation of Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022. The U.S. State Department estimated last year that between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, have been forcibly deported into Russian territory. Russia denies deportations and says those arriving are war refugees. In November, the country's emergency ministry said that some 4.8 million Ukrainians, including 712,000 children, had arrived in Russia since February. "The OSCE can significantly increase attention and act accordingly regarding the deportation of our people from the occupied territory to Russia," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. "No international organization has found the strength to gain access to the places of detention of our prisoners in Russia yet. This must be corrected." Ukraine's National Information Bureau, which tracks missing and displaced children, says that as of January 16 nearly 14,000 children had been deported. The OSCE, the world's largest regional security organization of 57 states, brings on equal footing the United States, all European states, including Russia and all states of the former Soviet Union, among others. Russia has tried to undermine the organization, saying in December that the body is losing its meaning and not focusing on matters closely related to security. It has been blocking the adoption of the OSCE budget. The OSCE was also forced to close its monitoring mission in Ukraine after Moscow refused to extend the mandates of the organization's field operations in the country. 1:05 a.m.: 12:30 a.m.: 12:01 a.m.: According to Reuters, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly will seek to bolster support for Ukraine on a trip to the United States and Canada which begins on Tuesday, ahead of the first anniversary of the invasion by Russia. Britain has been a steadfast supporter of Kyiv since Russia's invasion last February, and at the weekend pledged to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks and other heavy weaponry to Ukraine. Germany is under pressure to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but its government says such tanks should be supplied to Ukraine only if there is agreement among Kyiv's main allies, particularly the United States. Cleverly will tell U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly that it is the right time to go "further and faster" to give Ukraine military support. "Today we stand united against Putin's illegal war, and we will continue to use our uniquely strong defense and security ties to ensure that, in the end, the Ukrainian people will win," Cleverly said in a statement ahead of the trip. Some information in this report came from Reuters.

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