[Korrespondent] 23:32 The Russians fired a rocket at a residential building in the center of Kramatorsk - at least two people were killed and seven injured, said the head of the Donetsk OVA Pavel Kirilenko.
23:13 Zelensky spoke in an evening video message about "a certain increase in the offensive actions of the occupiers at the front - in the east of the country." According to him, "the situation is getting even tougher."
"We steadfastly passed all this time - from February to February. The enemy is now trying to get at least something to show that Russia has any chances on the anniversary of the invasion," the president stressed.
23:02 A wave of high-profile resignations continues in Ukraine. So, on the first day of February, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed the leadership of the State Customs Service. In particular, Vyacheslav Demchenko, acting head of customs, as well as two of his deputies, lost their positions. Read more in the material Scandal at the customs .
22:48 Spain will send 20 M113 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, but so far it cannot send Leopard tanks, as they need to be repaired first, writes Europa Press. According to the publication, six Leopard 2A4 battle tanks are already being repaired, which Madrid is ready to send to Kyiv. These tanks have been mothballed for more than ten years and are now in need of restoration and modernization.
22:10 In the east of Ukraine, fierce battles continue - the enemy is trying to expand the geography of the offensive in the Liman direction, making powerful attempts to break through the defense, said Anna Malyar, Deputy Defense Minister. Despite heavy losses, the Russians continue offensive operations also in the Bakhmut, Avdeevsky, Novopavlovsky directions.
"What does this mean in simple words? There is a war going on. Cruel and fierce. Russian troops are actively trying to reach the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Our soldiers defend every centimeter of Ukrainian land in the face of the enemy's advantage in the number of fighters and weapons. They repel enemy attacks and try to hold the defense ... And every day of resistance, depriving the enemy of the opportunity to disperse forces, destroying his equipment and personnel is another heroic day that brings us closer to victory.
21:59 Russia has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine on February 8, Russian media write.
21:54 According to the UN, since the beginning of the full-scale war, a total of 8 million refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Europe. Of these, almost 2.9 million came to Russia, 1.6 million to Poland, and 1.1 million to Germany.
21:49 Spain will send 20 M113 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine on February 6, Europa Press reports.
21:31 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was considering sending air and missile defense systems to Ukraine. In particular, we are talking about the Iron Dome.
20:46 The Ministry of Defense of Norway has asked the country's General Staff to consider the possibility of supplying several CV90 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, said the head of the department, Bjorn Arild Gram.
20:09 In the village of Elino, Chernihiv region, an enemy mine hit the cellar of a private house: three local residents were killed, another was injured, OK Pivnich reported.
19:48 France will give Ukraine two GM-200 air defense radars, which will significantly increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to detect air targets - in particular, cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as various types of drones, Reznikov said. According to him, a corresponding memorandum has already been signed with Thales.
The Minister also said that Paris will provide training for more than 6,500 Ukrainian military, of which 2,000 will receive professional training in France and Poland.
19:40 Germany urgently needs to order new Leopard tanks to reimburse the supply of vehicles to Ukraine, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: “It is critical for me that we order new tanks, and not sometime in a year, but immediately, so that they are already started building."
18:52 Austria will support all sorts of ideas for a diplomatic end to the war, but "quite different concerns the provision of weapons," President Van der Bellen said during a visit to Kiev. He explained that the reason for this is the neutral status of Austria, as well as savings on the budget of its own armed forces.
At the same time, Austria will transfer 5 million euros to Ukraine for the restoration of transformer substations and will consider opportunities to support the Ukrainian economy and participate in the reconstruction of the country.
18:36 The enemy is actively conducting reconnaissance, preparing for an offensive in certain areas. Despite heavy losses, it continues to attempt offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Novopavlovsky directions, the General Staff said in an evening summary.
According to the General Staff, in Starobelsk, Luhansk region, the occupying authorities are forcing people to send children aged six years to the "Cossack-cadet corps" for supposedly "correct patriotic education." Those who refuse are threatened with deprivation of parental rights.
| Translation: give up your children to Russia during their formative years or lose them to Russia forever. |
17:55 The United States has imposed sanctions on ten individuals and 12 companies in different countries "associated with a sanctions evasion network that supports Russia's military-industrial complex," the US Treasury said. According to the agency, this network is headed by Igor Zimenkov, an arms dealer from Russia and Cyprus. This network served the interests of Rosoboronexport and Rostec.
17:14 Dissatisfaction is growing in the Pentagon due to insufficient assistance to Ukraine, writes The Washington Post, citing sources in the US Department of Defense. Thus, Biden's "no" answer to the question about F-16 fighters for the Armed Forces of Ukraine caused skepticism in the US defense department. Frustration with the White House's cautious approach is growing among its officials, but some say Washington will eventually approve the sending of fighter jets or allow other countries to transfer US planes to Kyiv.
17:09 Ukrainians, who are recognized by military medical commissions as partially fit for service due to health reasons, can be mobilized, said Roman Gorbach, head of the personnel department of the headquarters of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, he clarified that their service will take place not in combat units, but in support units. In addition, they can serve in institutions and educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense, in territorial recruitment and social support centers, and other non-combat units.
16:58 Podolyak accused Elon Musk of Twitter artificially limiting the coverage of Ukrainian accounts on the social network: “Maybe it’s enough to pessimize Ukraine’s official accounts and forcibly reduce coverage? Everything is too obvious… No need to help mediocre Russian propaganda. It won’t help them, but Twitter's reputation is dying. Maybe a regulator is needed to explain the rules of competition to the owner?"
16:14 An electronic registry of veterans has already been created in Ukraine, but for security reasons it will be launched after the end of the war, Veterans Minister Yulia Laputina said.
16:11 Stoltenberg said that the rapprochement between Russia and China poses a threat to Asia and Europe: "The fact that Russia and China are moving closer - and China's significant investment in new advanced military capabilities only emphasizes that China is a threat - challenges allies as well on NATO. Security is not regional, but global."
The NATO Secretary General noted that Beijing is increasingly investing in nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, so it is important that the alliance has as many friends as possible in the Indo-Pacific region. According to him, Russia and China "authoritarian opposition" to an open and democratic international order based on rules. At the same time, Stoltenberg stressed that NATO does not seek confrontation with Beijing.
15:44 Prigozhin appealed to the head of the State Duma Committee on Security with a request to ban officials and deputies from traveling abroad on vacation during the "special operation".
15:20 Yermak said, speaking with members of the European Parliament, that Ukraine today is the best image maker for NATO, and its membership will only strengthen the alliance.
15:18 The head of the SBU, Vasily Malyuk, said that today the Security Service, together with colleagues in the power bloc, is carrying out a number of large-scale operational and investigative measures aimed at "fighting the internal enemy." According to him, we are talking about training people who, by their actions, harm the security of the state in various areas: traitors to Ukraine and agents of the Russian special services; representatives of organized crime; officials, officials and corrupt officials who undermine the country's economy and the stable functioning of the military-industrial complex.
Malyuk said that today, within the framework of open proceedings in different regions of Ukraine, dozens of searches are being carried out and suspicions are handed over to the defendants in the cases. "This is only the first stage of the comprehensive and systematic work that the SBU is already carrying out," he stressed.
15:15 Polish President Andrzej Duda announced the need to develop an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine. According to him, such a document should be developed before the alliance's summit in Vilnius, which is scheduled for July. Duda added that this work is being done with the expectation of Ukraine's admission to NATO.
15:09 Ukraine is on the eve of the active phase of the war - in February and March, very active actions are expected at the front, Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, said. According to him, the Russians understand that international support for Ukraine is growing and that there will be another Ramstein soon, so they continue to throw partially mobilized, as well as Wagner mercenaries and other private military companies, into assault operations.
14:45 Russian Transneft announced that on January 31 an attempt was made to shell the oil pumping station of the Druzhba pipeline. The oil pipeline is operating normally, there are no casualties, the company said. The emergency services said that the ammunition allegedly released from the territory of Ukraine fell into a field in the Novozybkovsky district of the Bryansk region.
14:42 The Japanese government has allocated $170 million to restore Ukraine's critical infrastructure damaged by Russian missile strikes, the Cabinet of Ministers said.
14:19 In Ukraine, small power plants are being installed that are difficult to reach with drones or rockets, Andriy Gerus, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Public Utilities, said. One such small power plant was launched in Irpin, Kyiv region, next month they will be launched in Chernihiv, then in Sumy, Poltava, Ternopil and other regions. "The advantages here are obvious, because if we have many - tens or hundreds - power plants in different areas, then it will be impossible to actually damage them with missile strikes or drone attacks," Gerus added.
14:12 The Russians launched a missile attack on Slavyansk, Donetsk region, said the mayor of the city, Vadim Lyakh. The missile, previously C300, hit a private enterprise engaged in the production of furniture. Shops and the car suffered, there were no casualties.
The mayor of Kramatorsk, Alexander Goncharenko, also reported about enemy shelling of a cemetery in the city.
13:30 The SBU reported suspicion under three articles to the ex-director of the public procurement department of the Ministry of Defense Bogdan Khmelnitsky. He is accused of embezzling 100 million hryvnias when purchasing almost 3,000 bulletproof vests that do not meet protection requirements. Khmelnytsky faces up to eight years in prison.
12:54 Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen announced that he was on a visit to Ukraine: "I arrived in Kiev. After almost a year of war, Ukraine is not forgotten. Together with President Zelensky and the brave people of Ukraine, we defend European values."
Today, Vice-President of the Bundestag Katrin Goering-Eckardt also arrived in Kyiv.
12:38 In Estonia, they created a sculpture of Zelensky in the style of the Statue of Liberty:
12:24 Peskov said that there are no plans for negotiations between Putin and Biden, for Russia now the main goal is "a special operation and the fulfillment of its goals."
12:10 A number of current and former officials are being searched today. Arakhamia said that the country would change during the war. In particular, according to him, today took place:
- searches in the tax;
- serving notices of suspicion to Department of Defense officials;
- searches near Kolomoisky in Ukrnafta;
- a whole series of covert investigative actions;
- searches at Avakov's;
- searches at Stolar;
- dismissal of the entire management staff of customs.
11:19 The activity of Russian DRGs at the mouth of the Dnieper near Kherson is an imitation of activity, said Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden. According to her, this may also be an attempt to test the strength of the Ukrainian defense. "But they are not successful, because they do not have the necessary forces and capacities, for example, to force the Dnieper," Gumenyuk added.
The situation on the islands and the Kinburn Spit, according to her, remains stable and is characterized as a gray zone, because fire control from both sides does not allow either Ukrainian or Russian troops to gain a foothold.
11:13 Zelensky may meet with Biden at the end of February during the visit of the American president to Poland, writes Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, citing a diplomatic source. Two cities are being considered for a potential meeting - Rzeszow and Warsaw. Zelenskiy is scheduled to present a peace plan and call for an international conference on Ukraine.
11:06 Electricity consumption in Ukraine on February 1 remains at the level of the previous day, a significant shortage of power remains, Ukrenergo reported. All oblenergos have received slightly increased consumption limits, which are valid during the day. Currently, there are no limits exceeded.
10:39 There are heavy battles near Kremennaya and Svatovo - to date, the Russians have not created a strike force there yet, although they bring equipment and personnel there regularly, said the head of the Luhansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. According to him, the invaders are trying to attack in different areas, trying to find weaknesses in the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10:10 Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis believes that EU members do not need to have Russian ambassadors in their countries: "In most cases, this is no longer a diplomatic, but a propaganda institution that hides war crimes and generally promotes genocide."
10:08 Australia has imposed additional sanctions against Iran due to the supply of drones to Russia. In particular, sanctions were imposed on four Iranian citizens and four organizations involved in the production and supply of Russian drones.
10:01 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the introduction of regular Russian troops instead of the exhausted Wagnerites delayed the culmination of the offensive around Bakhmut. At the same time, analysts do not predict the inevitable capture of Bakhmut by Russian troops, although the Ukrainian command may decide to retreat in order to avoid significant losses. According to ISW, the Kremlin is again overestimating the ability of the Russian military to advance in the Donetsk region.
According to ISW, Russian regular troops are likely to replace the depleted Wagner PMC forces from Bakhmut to the front lines in southern Ukraine. According to experts, the Russian Ministry of Defense is trying to completely oust the Wagner PMC forces near Bakhmut and present the Russian military command structure as the only winner around Bakhmut, assuming that Russian troops eventually capture the city.
09:42 Czech President Petr Pavel believes that Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO as soon as the war ends: "The Ukrainian army will probably be the most experienced army in Europe. Ukraine deserves to be part of the community of democratic countries."
09:18 The Russians shelled Kupyansk in the morning, as a result of which one person received a shrapnel wound, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv OVA, said. Over the past day, the invaders continued to shell the border settlements in the Kupyansky, Chuguevsky and Kharkov regions of the region.
08:46 In the Kherson region over the past day, due to Russian aggression, one person died, another was injured, the OVA reported.
08:29 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, four people were killed - two in Bakhmut, one each in Paraskoveevka and Vugledar. Six more people were injured in the region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
08:27 Spain plans to transfer four to six Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, writes El PaÃs, citing government sources.
08:16 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy as of the morning of February 1.
- personnel - about 128,420 (+920) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3209 (+8),
- armored combat vehicles - 6382 (+4),
- artillery systems - 2207 (+10),
- MLRS - 458 (+4),
- air defense systems - 221 (+0),
- aircraft - 293 (+0),
- helicopters - 284 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 1951 (+0),
- cruise missiles - 796 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5061 (+13),
- special equipment - 200 (+0).
08:11 The enemy does not stop offensive operations in the Liman and Bakhmut directions, suffers heavy losses. Conducts unsuccessful offensive operations in the Avdeevsky and Novopavlovsky 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 the areas of the settlements of Yampolevka, Disputed, Razdolovka, Blagodatnoe, Krasnaya Gora, Bakhmut, Kleshcheevka and Paraskoveevka of the Donetsk region.
05:22 Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeev said in an interview with Deutsche Welle that only a nuclear status can give Kiev a security guarantee. He recalled that when Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum, the nuclear states, including the US and the UK, did not provide Ukraine with full security support: "It was a bad signal for all the countries of the world who realized that only nuclear weapons could save them from such an attack. aggressor. That's why we want to start this discussion."
Makeev recalled that Zelensky presented one of the ideas at the beginning of 2022 - the Security Treaty. "It is important that the whole world make sure that these guarantees are backed up with specific instruments that will help ensure that Russia does not violate them," the ambassador added.
03:50 Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland Wojciech Skurkiewicz said that Poland did not discuss sending F-16 fighters to Ukraine. "There is no talk of transferring Polish F-16s," he wrote in response to opposition criticism of such a potential solution.
02:44 The Norwegian authorities have prepared a detailed five-year long-term support plan for Ukraine, writes VÃ¥rt Land. As part of the program, Ukraine receives billions of Norwegian kroner in aid. In 2023, the amount will be distributed equally between military and humanitarian aid.
01:46 Russia is preparing for the maximum escalation of the war, which may occur in the coming weeks, said NSDC Secretary Alexei Danilov in an interview with Sky News. According to him, the assault can be timed to coincide with the anniversary of the start of a full-scale war. "Russia is preparing for the maximum escalation. It is gathering everything possible, conducting training and training. We understand that everything is on the table ... I can say that we do not reject a single scenario in the next two to three weeks," Danilov stressed.
He also did not rule out that the invaders could launch an offensive against Ukraine from the south, east and north, as was the case on February 24, 2022.
01:29 The American defense company General Atomics is offering to sell two Reaper MQ-9 high-speed long-range drones to Ukraine for one dollar, reports The Wall Street Journal. This proposal must first be approved by the White House. However, the deal will require Kyiv to spend about $10 million to prepare and send aircraft to Ukraine and about $8 million a year to maintain and support drone models that are not currently used in Ukraine. But the company is ready to cover the cost of training personnel to work with drones.
00:51 The United States is preparing a new $2.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which for the first time may include long-range missiles, Reuters reports, citing two US government sources. The new aid package will be announced later this week. The new military assistance package is expected to include more support equipment for Patriot air defense systems, as well as precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons.
According to sources, the new military assistance package will include GLSDB cruise bombs with a range of up to 150 km. At the same time, the Americans refused to transfer ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 297 km.