[Korrespndent] 23:06 The United States has banned the export of smartphones worth more than $300 to Russia and Belarus, the Ministry of Commerce said. The updated list of luxury goods subject to export restrictions that require licensing also includes printers, sewing machines, air conditioners, televisions, microwave ovens, audio and video recording equipment that cost more than the specified amount. In total, 276 commodity nomenclature codes fell under the restrictions.
22:57 Borrell said that the EU Council imposed additional sanctions on 11 people and seven companies involved in the PMC Wagner. He recalled that now Prigozhin’s mercenaries are operating, in addition to Ukraine, in Libya, the Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan: “The activities of PMC Wagner pose a threat to people in the countries where they operate, and to the European Union. They threaten international peace and security, since act outside of any legal framework.
22:51 Zelensky said in an address to the participants of the event of the President of Germany dedicated to solidarity with Ukraine that the Russians now control 1877 Ukrainian cities and villages: "We are fighting on Ukrainian soil for something without which all of you, friends, cannot imagine your own life. This elementary security, this is freedom and life according to the law, this is human dignity and the right of every person and every community to self-respect, this is the happiness of living in a family and the opportunity to dream of a safe and free future for their children. towns and villages."
21:06 Zelensky said in an evening video message that Ukraine is working to expand global and, in particular, European sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry, on Rosatom and everyone involved in the missile program and nuclear blackmail of the Russian Federation: "There are already appropriate steps partners: the United States, Britain. We expect reciprocal steps from the European Union as well." The President added that work will continue on Ukraine's sanctions against Russian subjects and everyone who helps them.
18:40 The EU revealed the details of the tenth package of sanctions against Russia .
17:14 Certain reserves have already accumulated in the energy system of Ukraine, therefore, if there are no new missile strikes on energy facilities, it will no longer be necessary to limit electricity consumption, Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said.
16:25 Pope Francis was given a bracelet made of Azovstal steel, as well as a list of captured defenders of Mariupol and captured women of Mariupol, including civilians. The Pope was asked to add the voice of the Vatican to their immediate release, the Mariupol City Council said.
15:39 In the Kherson region, near the village of Dobryanka of the Vysokopolsky community, two people were blown up by a Russian mine when they were working on a field - both died on the spot, the OVA reported. In addition, in Kherson, near the river port, a man ran into a stretcher and was hospitalized.
15:18 Macron said he was going to visit China and call on Beijing to help Europe put pressure on Russia: "I myself will go to China in early April. China should now help us put pressure on Russia so that it never uses chemical or nuclear weapons and stopped this aggression as a precondition for negotiations." The same French leader urged China not to transfer any weapons to Russia.
Macron stressed that peace is possible only if the Russian aggression ceases, the withdrawal of troops and respect for the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. At the same time, he added that China "is joining the peace efforts - this is very good."
14:47 Commander of the Eastern Group of Forces Alexander Syrsky visited the military units of the Defense Forces that protect Bakhmut and the approaches to it. According to the command of the Ground Forces, the Russian army concentrated its main efforts on the capture of Bakhmut and its encirclement. Fights go around the city itself and in its environs.
14:20 Zelensky announced the need for sanctions against the nuclear industry of the Russian Federation: "The tenth package of EU sanctions is directed against the Russian military industry, propaganda and the financial system. Pressure on the Russian aggressor should increase: we expect decisive steps against Rosatom and the nuclear industry of the Russian Federation, increasing pressure on the military and banks."
13:55 Guatemala supported the creation of a special tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said. According to him, Guatemala will be the first Latin American country to be included in the main group for the creation of a special tribunal.
13:36 Lithuania has collected 14 million euros for radars for the Ukrainian army. The gathering lasted four weeks, said Andrius Tapinas, coordinator of the gathering.
13:32 In Kherson, due to Russian shelling, two employees of the Kherson Regional Emergency Rescue Service were injured, the OVA reported. They were covering windows in the house with OSB sheets when the impact was made.
13:28 The EU Council, within the framework of the tenth package of sanctions, banned citizens of the Russian Federation from holding senior positions in strategic enterprises in the union. The EU also expanded the lists of goods prohibited for export to Russia, adding special equipment, spare parts and electronics, and also banned the transit of European dual-use goods and technologies through the Russian Federation in order to avoid circumventing sanctions.
12:56 Borrell said that the EU has adopted the tenth package of sanctions against Russia. There are 121 individuals and legal entities on the black list. The restrictions apply to those responsible for the deportation and forced adoption of at least 6,000 Ukrainian children. There will also be import/export restrictions and a ban on Russian propaganda media.
12:14 Lukashenka said that he does not believe in the intention of the Ukrainians to arrange a "provocation" in the unrecognized Pridnestrovie: "It is not profitable for them. The West would like to solve the problem with Russia and Pridnestrovie in one blow to close this" gray hole ", as they say, and unite "Moldova, push it into Romania or make it pro-Western. That's their goal. The Ukrainians don't need it. I don't believe that the Ukrainians will go crazy and unleash some kind of second front." Lukashenka believes that the situation in Transnistria is allegedly used by the West to destabilize the situation in the region.
11:19 Delegations from China and Russia blocked a joint G20 communique at the summit in India, in which Western countries wanted to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports citing sources. Because of this, the summit of G20 finance ministers and central bankers will end without a joint communiqué. Also, the organizer of the summit - India - insists that the word "war" should not be used in the communiqué.
10:46 There is no shortage of power in the energy system of Ukraine for two weeks in a row and is not predicted yet. All types of power plants operate, imports are negligible. Due to enemy shelling, there are blackouts in the front-line cities of Nikopol and Marganets in the Dnepropetrovsk region. Shutdowns are also possible due to damage to networks due to worsening weather conditions. Network restrictions still apply in Odessa, hourly outage schedules apply.
10:10 British intelligence believes that Russia has probably run out of Iranian drones. So, since about February 15, there have been no reports of the use of Iranian UAVs on the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, analysts predict that Russia will try to replenish stocks. And while the weapon doesn't have a good track record of destroying its intended targets, Russia likely sees it as a useful decoy that could draw Ukrainian air defenses away from more effective Russian cruise missiles, the intelligence adds.
10:07 The Russians lost a company of their military, storming the Kremensk direction, said the head of the Lugansk OVA Sergey Gaidai: "There was a powerful offensive attempt in the Kremensk direction - three Russian companies went on the offensive, but the defense forces held out there. Of the three companies, only two returned to their positions. Somewhere around 70 "two hundred" left the Russians, the same number of wounded. " According to Gaidai, the situation in the region is "difficult, but controllable."
10:04 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Kremlin did not comment on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, as Russia has failed to achieve any of its stated goals and has not made significant territorial gains since July 2022.
10:00 As a result of the strikes on Mariupol, in addition to the previously neutralized ammunition depots, two destroyed infantry fighting vehicles, one tank and one self-propelled guns were added, as well as about 50 invaders were liquidated or seriously injured, said Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of the city.
09:39 In the Donetsk region over the past day, five civilians were injured, in Kherson - one, according to the OVA.
09:20 Ukraine will expand the strip along the border with Belarus and Russia up to 2 km, it will be mined all over, the State Border Service reported.
09:03 Lukashenka will visit China from February 28 to March 2 in order to "build relations".
08:56 China is considering the possibility of supplying not only drones to Russia, but also artillery and ammunition, writes The Wall Street Journal. And according to Politico, Beijing may also send small arms to Moscow. But so far no such deliveries have been made.
08:41 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 25.
- personnel - about 147,470 (+650) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3375 (+12),
- armored combat vehicles - 6609 (+9),
- artillery systems - 2373 (+10),
- MLRS - 475 (+1),
- air defense systems - 247 (+0),
- aircraft - 299 (+0),
- helicopters - 288 (+1),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2035 (+2),
- cruise missiles - 873 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5235 (+11),
- special equipment - 230 (+1).
08:25 The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the recruitment of cadets for training on the IRIS-T, NASAMS, Patriot, SAMP / T and other anti-aircraft missile systems. Training is conducted by Kharkiv National Air Force University named after Ivan Kozhedub. So far, it is dispersed throughout Ukraine, but the learning process continues both in Ukraine and abroad. During wartime, young people have the opportunity to enter the university through a simplified procedure.
08:13 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Kupyansky, Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Miner directions. Over the past day, the Defense Forces repulsed about 70 enemy attacks in the indicated directions, the General Staff said in the morning report .
In the occupied territory of the Kherson region, the Russians are searching houses and taking away boats and other watercraft. Previously, they did this before leaving the right-bank part of the Kherson region, as well as for sabotage.
Forced mobilization continues in the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. To prevent possible desertion of those mobilized from the front or sabotage, on February 23, up to 200 police officers from the Akhmat special forces regiment were sent to the Bakhmut direction.
06:27 China's "peace plan" is not beneficial to anyone except Russia, Biden said in an interview with ABC News. He also called the possibility of China's participation in peace negotiations irrational: "The idea that China will negotiate the results of a war that is absolutely unfair for Ukraine is simply irrational."
In addition, the president promised that if China supplies Russia with lethal weapons for the war against Ukraine, the United States will respond with tough sanctions. At the same time, he added that he does not expect "a big initiative from China to provide weapons to Russia."
Asked about handing over F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden said he ruled it out "for now."
05:53 The United States does not record changes in the positions of the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation after statements about the suspension of participation in the START Treaty, Pentagon Speaker Patrick Ryder said.
04:21 The World Bank announced additional grant funding for Ukraine for $2.5 billion.
00:33 Journalist Dmitry Komarov published a documentary on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, in which, in particular, he interviewed the highest officials, showed the room in which Zelensky has been living for a year, the "decision center" and much more.
00:21 The United States allocates more than $10 billion in aid to Ukraine to meet the urgent needs of Ukrainians, the State Department said. Most of the funds - 9.9 billion - are allocated in the form of grants through the mechanism of the World Bank, another 250 million are provided to help the energy system of Ukraine. Last year, Washington allocated $270 million to strengthen Ukraine's energy security.