Ukraine at D+677: MIssile strikes continue at a high tempo.

Russian drones and hypersonic missiles this morning again hit Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's two largest cities, the AP reports. Russia's Defense Ministry simply said, "“The goal of the strike has been achieved, all the targets have been hit,” claiming that military depots and industrial sites were hit. Reports from Ukraine indicate that most of the damage was done to ordinary residential areas without military significance. President Putin had earlier framed strikes against Ukrainian cities as justifiable retaliation for Ukrainian strikes against Russian targets. “They want to intimidate us and create uncertainty within our country. We will intensify strikes. Not a single crime against our civilian population will go unpunished,” the President said.

Drone and missile strikes cause power and Internet outages.

The Record reports extensive Internet and power outages in Kyiv in the wake of the New Year Russian missile strikes. Netblocks calls the Internet outages--kinetically induced, be it noted--the most serious of the war. "Confirmed: Metrics show a significant disruption to internet connectivity in Kyiv, #Ukraine, amid new Russian missile attacks targeting the capital's civil and critical infrastructure; the incident is the most severe conflict-related outage to impact Kyiv in recent months."

The ongoing rehabilitation of Stalin.

Within Russia, the rehabilitation of Stalin continues, with the establishment of "Stalin Centers" and the destruction of memorials to his millions of victims. Stalin is represented, now, as a strong benefactor of Russia, the Telegraph reports. President Putin has long been an admirer of the Soviet dictator, calling him "a great man." A provincial leader of Russia's rump Communist Party summarized what's become the official line beyond his own political group. "Sergei Matasov, the regional Communist Party leader, credited Stalin with modernising the world during his 1924-53 rule over the Soviet Union. 'Stalin’s economy, Stalin’s politics, Stalin’s culture gave the whole world an impetus forward. Such a sharp, qualitative leap'.”

NoName057(16) claims New Year's Day attacks against Finnish targets.

The CyberExpress reports that the Russian hacktivist auxiliary claimed to have disrupted some online services in Finland as 2024 began. “While Russia is celebrating the New Year, in Finland it is the Day of Cowardly Closing by Geo after the attack NoName057(16) (evil smile emoji)” the group woofed on its dark web site. The CyberExpress checked the sites against which NoName claimed to have counted coup, however, and found that they all seemed to be functioning normally. Finland's support for Ukraine, its accession to NATO, its border with Russia, and its history as a former Tsarist province have all drawn the country more than its expected share of attention from Russian hacktivist auxiliaries.