[Korrespondent] 22:26 Recruitment of prisoners in PMC Wagner stopped in early February. Now another "organization" has taken up the recruitment of convicts. More details - in the material Prigozhin suspended .
22:03 In Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, as a result of a Russian missile strike on February 15, three people were killed and 11 were injured, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said. Among the wounded, one person is in serious condition. As a result of the shelling, four high-rise buildings and a school were damaged.
21:37 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev: "Thanked for Azerbaijan's consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for the humanitarian assistance provided. We discussed our interaction on international platforms."
9:35 pm Washington has no plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith told CNN: "Despite repeated requests from Ukraine, the Biden administration has categorically refused to consider sending F-16 fighter jets to a warring country." However, she added that although NATO allies "expect some kind of negotiations" with Russia about its war in Ukraine, they are still "very focused on giving everything that the Ukrainian armed forces need."
21:31 After a high-profile corruption scandal in the procurement of products for the army, the chair under Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov staggered. The head of the Servant of the People faction in parliament, David Arakhamia, even publicly announced Reznikov's resignation, but it never took place. The minister himself says that he will remain in office by Zelensky's decision. Now Reznikov wants to appoint himself new deputies. Read more in the material Hero and Volunteer .
21:03 Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren announced that her country will supply Ukraine with 20,000 ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks, and is also ready to provide spare parts and organize training for the Ukrainian military.
20:55 The Russians continue to advance in eastern Ukraine, they are conducting round-the-clock attacks, the situation is tense. But Ukrainian fighters do not allow the enemy to achieve their goals and inflict very serious losses, said Anna Malyar, Deputy Defense Minister. According to her, in some assault detachments of PMC Wagner and subdivisions of the 2nd AK, losses amount to 80% of the personnel. The evacuation of the dead and wounded by the Russians is limited or not carried out at all. As a result, among the personnel of the Russian troops there is a significant decrease in the level of trust in the decisions of the command.
More and more Russian military personnel are realizing that their commanders do not adequately assess the situation on the battlefield, as evidenced by the intensive use of the so-called "suicide squads" - units staffed by insufficiently trained mobilized people who will suffer heavy combat and sanitary losses every day. In particular, according to Malyar, only one training center in the Rostov region sends about 500 hastily trained mobilized people every week, most of whom undergo an accelerated training course of 14 to 21 days. Once in the units, such servicemen deliberately damage military equipment (mainly engines), which, with full ammunition, is sent to repair bases.
20:17 Speaker of the Dutch Ministry of Defense Sasha Luhoff denied Die Welt's information that her country had changed its mind about transferring Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. She recalled that the Netherlands does not have its Leopard 2 tanks, but rents 18 vehicles from Germany
| ...I suppose that in a country where one of the lines of defense is breaching the dikes, tanks would be less desirable... |
20:12 Switzerland has allowed to begin the confiscation of the frozen assets of Yanukovych's entourage in the amount of more than 130 million euros. The government of the country said that it wants to support Ukraine in this way.
19:10 The tenth package of EU sanctions against Russia did not include "controversial" issues, so its approval can be expected before February 24, Radio Liberty's Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak said. In particular, according to him, diamonds and the nuclear sphere were not included in the list of restrictions.
19:04 The Ukrainian military is learning how to operate Patriot systems "faster than expected," Spiegel reports, citing the commander of the German training unit. According to him, the training of the Ukrainian military in Germany is now progressing rapidly, as they are motivated and most of them already have combat experience.
18:31 The Bulgarian government has decided to send military personnel to the EU countries to train the Ukrainian military. In particular, one Bulgarian staff officer will be sent to Belgium, up to five officers and sergeants - to Poland or Germany, about 50 more military personnel will be deployed on the territory of different EU countries or Bulgaria.
18:10 Sweden will transfer Archer self-propelled artillery mounts to Ukraine "as quickly as it can," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said during a visit to Kiev: "We will not say the exact dates of the deliveries, you understand for what reasons. But there are also practical issues, related to preparation. In addition, Sweden will donate 51 infantry fighting vehicles and anti-tank weapons.
18:01 Polish President Andrzej Duda said that NATO countries intend to transfer enough tanks to Ukraine - including Leopard-2 - to form several tank brigades.
17:58 Switzerland has joined the ceiling of prices for Russian oil set by the EU.
17:23 Zelensky said that the most difficult and hottest situation today is in the Bakhmut and Vugledar directions, but the Ukrainian defenders hold on and inflict maximum losses on the enemy.
16:57 Only half of the previously promised battalion of Leopard 2 tanks will be handed over to Ukraine - at the meeting of the "tank coalition" no new commitments were made to supply these vehicles to Kiev, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. According to him, only Germany and Portugal have expressed a desire to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2A6 tanks. Berlin is scheduled to hand over 14 Leopard 2 tanks at the end of March.
"Half a battalion of Leopard 2A6s and one battalion of A4s will be delivered. And over 120 Leopard 1A5s will be added to this by early next year," Pistorius said. At the same time, he added that one should not underestimate the previous Leopard 1A5 tank model.
16:54 The British Ministry of Defense announced that Ukraine will receive equipment to protect against Russian aggression in the amount of more than 200 million pounds from the first funding package of the International Fund for Ukraine.
16:48 According to preliminary information from the KGVA, about six enemy air targets were detected in the airspace of Kiev on the afternoon of February 15 - probably these were balloons that move in space under the influence of the wind. These objects could carry corner reflectors and reconnaissance equipment. Air defense systems worked on all air targets, most of these probes were shot down. The purpose of launching the balloons may have been to detect and deplete Ukrainian air defenses. The final determination of the type and characteristics of aircraft and equipment will be made after studying and analyzing the remains of downed objects.
16:32 The EU has created a working group on the use of Russia's frozen assets, the Swedish presidency has announced. The group will undertake legal, financial, economic and political analysis of the use of assets in accordance with EU and international law. Among the key assets will be the funds of the Russian Central Bank.
16:23 Reznikov told Reuters that he remained in the post of defense minister at the request of Zelensky and does not plan to leave it in the near future.
16:07 NATO is ready for Ukraine's membership after its victory in the war, but now the focus is on how to guarantee this victory, Stoltenberg said. According to him, victory, and, accordingly, guaranteeing the preservation of Ukraine as a sovereign independent state, is the only way to integrate the country and fully include it in the Euro-Atlantic community.
The Secretary General recalled that the alliance is working with Ukraine on a long-term partnership, helping to move from weapons, doctrines and standards of the Soviet era to NATO standards, to carry out defense and security reform. And this will bring Ukraine closer to the alliance, he added.
15:43 Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson arrived in Kiev , Zelensky's press service reported.
15:41 New Zealand imposed sanctions against Iran in response to the supply of Russian drones. The list, in particular, included the head of the supply, research and industry department of the Iranian Ministry of Defense and the logistics of the armed forces, the commander of the Iranian Air Force and companies responsible for the production of drones.
15:37 Ursula von der Leyen announced the proposals of the European Commission on the tenth package of anti-Russian sanctions. It is planned that it will be accepted until February 24:
- export bans worth 11 billion euros, designed to deprive the Russian economy of critical technologies and industrial goods;
- export control of 47 components that can be used in the production of weapons, including drones, missiles and helicopters;
- sanctions against seven Iranian structures that provide Russia with drones to attack Ukraine's civilian infrastructure;
- the inclusion of more than a hundred Putin's propagandists in the sanctions list along with the political and military leaders of the Russian Federation;
- taking measures to prevent circumvention of sanctions.
15:33 NATO countries at today's Ramstein meeting signed contracts to increase the production of ammunition, Stoltenberg said: "What we see is a huge expenditure of ammunition in the war, and we have been observing this for several months. We discussed this issue in different capitals NATO countries, and now we see that things are moving in the right direction."
The Secretary General noted that the conflict has turned into "an exhausting war of attrition" and "a war of logistics", but "Ukraine has a window of opportunity to tip the scales in its favor, and time is of the essence."
15:28 Kharkiv and Kupyansk, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergey Cherevaty, said: “They are trying to counterattack there. But the situation is controlled and similar to the Liman direction. That is, we see their actions there and stop them. The Kharkiv region is ready, there are units, hardened in battles, that will meet the enemy." At the same time, Cherevaty does not rule out that the blow could be delivered in any other direction.
Earlier today, representatives of the "authorities" of the occupied part of the Kharkiv region announced their intention to "liberate" all the cities in the region, from which the Ukrainian Armed Forces kicked out the Russians last year.
14:57 Prigozhin showed a live mercenary of the Wagner group, Dmitry Yakushchenko, a video of the alleged execution of which had previously appeared in telegram channels close to PMCs. According to Prigozhin, Yakushchenko returned from Ukrainian captivity "with a lot of important information."
14:40 Reznikov said in an interview with Ukrinform that all the possibilities of supplying Western equipment to Ukraine are tied primarily to the training period for Ukrainian crews: "Because their task is to complete the task planned by the Ukrainian General Staff. And this task is aimed primarily at de-occupation "Temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. It takes time. We are talking about several months when we will be fully ready. And then, according to the decision of the General Staff, certain events will occur."
14:18 In the sky of Ukraine, enemy balloons with reflectors are again fixed, which move in the direction of the wind and conduct radar reconnaissance, Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said.
Meanwhile, an air alert has been declared in the Kyiv region, the regional administration reported on the work of air defense.
14:16 The Netherlands and Denmark have changed their minds about transferring Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine from their stocks, the governments of the countries said in response to a request from Die Welt. According to the publication, both countries, as compensation, will take on part of the cost of repairing 100 Leopard 1 tanks, which Germany intends to transfer to Ukraine.
Die Welt writes that Sweden and Finland also refuse to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. Both countries expect to join NATO and intend to send equipment after they become members of the alliance.
14:05 Switzerland will not confiscate frozen Russian assets in the interests of Ukraine. A working group under the Ministry of Justice of the country came to the conclusion that the confiscation of Russia's assets "undermines the country's constitution and the existing legal order." At the same time, the Swiss government notes that support for Ukraine will continue regardless of the discussions on the frozen assets.
13:51 For the second time in a week, objects moving at low speed were seen in the airspace of Ukraine. Subsequently, it became known that these were Russian balloons with corner light reflectors. About what it is and whether it poses a danger to Ukrainians - in the material Balloons over Ukraine .
13:44 Ukraine next week initiates the exclusion of Russia from the members of the FATF - an intergovernmental group on combating money laundering, Podolyak said. He explained that this, in particular, would significantly increase the cost of doing business with the Russian Federation, and therefore make it unprofitable for foreign counterparties. In addition, Russia will have fewer opportunities to circumvent sanctions, and an outflow of foreign direct investment will begin. The volume of trade between the Russian Federation and the world will further decrease. Podolyak recalled that when Iran was blacklisted by the FATF in 2020, its exports of goods and services fell by about 30%.
13:32 The number of wounded as a result of the Russian missile attack on Pokrovsk has grown to 12 people, at least two remain under the rubble, said the head of the Donetsk Regional Military District Pavel Kirilenko.
13:13 British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that in the coming months or even years, Ukraine will not receive fighter jets from the British side, since it will take a long time to train pilots and hundreds of engineers. According to him, London is primarily focused on ensuring that Ukraine can protect itself in the long term.
12:57 Journalist Dmitry Komarov visited the "decision-making center" and recorded an interview with the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, which will be released as a film on February 24, the anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. Now the journalist showed a fragment of this film.
12:44 A group of US congressmen issued a resolution demanding that Biden stop military assistance to Ukraine. This is another step by a group of Republicans who have long been acting in the interests of Putin, according to the Can Explain channel . Putin's supporters in Congress are radical conservative Republicans. The lobby appeared during Trump's presidency and defended him from accusations of cooperation with the Russian Federation. Typically, these people also spread theories of white genocide, rumors of electoral fraud, and stuff about Satanists ruling America. All of them have been lobbying the interests of Russia for many years.
The Putin lobby wants to reverse the balance of power in Congress in 2023. Laws supporting Ukraine will be in effect for the next year, but the pro-Putin coalition is wooing other conservatives, hoping to keep them from being extended.
12:26 The head of the Lugansk OVA, Sergei Gaidai, announced an aggravation in Belogorivka and in the Kremensky direction: the Russians are attacking in waves with the support of aviation. At the same time, he stressed that the enemy did not reach the administrative borders of the region, and the information disseminated by the occupiers does not correspond to reality. Ukrainian defenders hold the line.
11:58 The Russians launched a missile attack on Pokrovsk, Donetsk region - at least two people were injured, a high-rise building was damaged, the rescue operation continues, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
11:46 The tenth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation provides for trade restrictions on 11 billion euros, said Ursula von der Leyen. The European Commission proposes, in particular, to ban the supply to Russia of electronics necessary for the production of drones and helicopters.
11:43 Sweden is considering Ukraine's request for the supply of Gripen fighters, Defense Minister Paul Jonsson said. At the same time, he added that "we are facing restrictions due to the fact that these aircraft are very important for maintaining our territorial integrity."
11:39 97% of the entire Russian army is involved in Ukraine, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said. According to him, the potential combat effectiveness of the Russian army has been reduced by 40%, and almost two-thirds of the tanks have been destroyed or damaged.
11:37 In Mariupol and throughout the occupied part of the Donetsk region, the FSB began a complete blocking of services and the Google search engine. Zoom is also unavailable. So far, the ability to use exclusively through VPN remains, said the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko.
11:34 Russia delays the work of the grain corridor and undermines the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a whole. In particular, Russian inspectors slow down inspection deadlines, regularly demand unregulated documentation, refuse to work during working hours, and so on. Less than half of the planned 10 inspections pass every day, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a joint statement.
Due to such Russian actions, in the last three months alone, 10 million tons of Ukrainian food have not been able to reach their destination countries, and a line of more than 140 ships has formed in the Bosphorus, the vast majority of which have been waiting there for more than a month. At the same time, Moscow enjoys the opportunity for unhindered merchant shipping from Russian Black Sea ports, while inspections of these ships in the Bosphorus are not carried out. This, in particular, makes it possible for Russia to use merchant ships to receive military cargo.
Ukraine calls on the international community, in particular the UN and Turkey as guarantors of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, to demand that the Russian Federation immediately stop artificial delays in the work of the grain corridor, stop attempts by the Russian Federation to use food as a weapon and unblock merchant shipping to the Ukrainian ports of the Black Sea.
11:19 There has been no shortage of power in the energy system of Ukraine for the fourth day in a row, and today it is not predicted yet. The power plants produce enough electricity to cover consumption, Ukrenergo said. Consumption limits to the regions have not been set to date, however, with an increase in consumption, shutdowns are possible. Odessa still has minor network restrictions due to damaged infrastructure, and hourly outage schedules apply.
10:56 Tactical retreats of Ukrainian troops in the Bakhmut area are possible, for example, to preserve personnel or improve the tactical situation, but it is important that the enemy does not have the opportunity to systematically break through the defense, said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. According to him, in the event of a breakthrough in the defense, the enemy "brings down the rear and simply moves in the direction of the main attack - for example, in this case it is Slavyansk and Kramatorsk."
"Warriors in the Bakhmut direction perform a very important function - they bleed the enemy, destroy the best Russian units. With each such battle, the enemy becomes less and less combat-ready," Cherevaty explained.
10:37 The current activation of Russian troops should not be compared with a full-scale invasion a year ago, Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, said in a comment to Channel 24: "We see that they cannot complete their tasks, but this does not mean that there will be no further attempts. The enemy has a reserve, there is an accumulated manpower, however, at the same time there is a problem with equipment and ammunition.
According to Yusov, the Russians understand that a Ukrainian counter-offensive and operations to liberate territories are inevitable, "that's why the enemy is in a hurry, and now continues strong attacks on both Ugledar and Bakhmut."
10:25 British intelligence notes that military production in Russia almost does not meet the requirements of the Russian Ministry of Defense to provide resources for the Ukrainian campaign and restore long-term defense needs. Analysts point out that senior Russian leaders are likely aware that the state's military-industrial production is becoming a critical weakness, exacerbated by the strategic and operational miscalculations of the invasion of Ukraine.
09:59 Yermak said that Kiev expects steps from the tenth package of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation to seize Russian assets in favor of Ukraine.
09:34 The United States may announce the largest package of military assistance to Ukraine for 10 billion dollars on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on February 24, writes Sky News. At the same time, it is expected that F-16 fighters will not enter there.
09:16 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in an interview with Tagesschau that the allies will consider the issue of supplying fighters to Ukraine in 3-4 months, and now it is necessary to strengthen Ukrainian air defense: "If the sky over Ukraine is safe in the next three to four months, then it will be possible to talk about all further steps. Only then does it make sense. The issue of fighters will certainly be discussed in Brussels."
09:10 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person died - in Konstantinovka. Another person in the region was injured, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
In the Kherson region, two people were injured, according to the IVA.
08:57 The Russian Federation Council will meet for an unscheduled meeting on February 22, the State Duma meeting is also scheduled on the same day. The Russian media write that the Federation Council will consider laws on the "legal integration of new regions" that day. It is assumed that these laws must be adopted before March 1.
Putin will announce the message to the Federal Assembly on February 21, and February 22 is the anniversary of Russia's "recognition" of the "DPR" and "LPR".
08:41 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 15.
- personnel - about 139,770 (+690) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3290 (+4),
- armored combat vehicles - 6507 (+7),
- artillery systems - 2303 (+4),
- MLRS - 466 (+0),
- air defense systems - 236 (+2),
- aircraft - 298 (+0),
- helicopters - 286 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2011 (+0),
- cruise missiles - 857 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5161 (+6),
- special equipment - 219 (+1).
08:34 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Kupyansky, Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Miner directions, the General Staff said in the morning summary .
Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the invaders in areas of more than 20 settlements. Among them are Gryanikovka, Kharkiv region; Nevsky, Kremennaya, Belogorovka, Luhansk region; Fedorovka, Bakhmut, Ivanovskoye, Vodyanoye, Pervomayskoye, Maryinka, Pobeda, Novomikhailovka, Vugledar and Prechistovka in Donetsk region.
To hide their losses, the Russians in the area of ​​​​the village of Krasnaya Zorka, Simferopol region of Crimea, burn the corpses of their dead soldiers. At the local crematorium there is a constant queue of about ten military vehicles. Cremation goes on around the clock, while the crematorium is not available to civilians.
07:23 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), unlike a number of Western analysts and officials, considers Ukraine's decision to defend Bakhmut to be strategically justified. According to ISW experts, the defense of Bakhmut forced the Kremlin to spend a significant part of the forces of the Wagner PMC and use significant resources of the airborne forces to support a grueling offensive. The Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut significantly weakened Russian forces and is likely to create favorable conditions for a future Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The ISW also noted that Russian ground forces on the Kola Peninsula in northwest Russia have been reduced to one-fifth of their original strength before the invasion of Ukraine, confirming that the Kremlin is not overly concerned about the military threat from NATO.
06:15 The US Army announced the conclusion of contracts worth 522 million dollars with two companies for the production of artillery ammunition for Ukraine. Orders were received by Northrop Grumman Systems and Global Military Products amid fears that Ukraine is rapidly running out of artillery shells, writes AFP. Deliveries of new ammunition are scheduled to begin in March. The contracts are funded by the Pentagon's Ukraine Security Support Initiative.
01:02 Rezneikov said that the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine at a meeting in the Ramstein format on February 15 will pay more attention to discussing the supply of tanks to Ukraine.
00:27 The National Police reported that they took all the children out of Ugledar - the 15-year-old son of the priest remained the only child in the city, his family refused to leave. As a result, the police managed to persuade them and take the boy and his family out. More than 300 adults remain in the city and refuse to leave the city.