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2023-02-21 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
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Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: February 20th, 2023
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:19 A conflict is actively developing in the Russian military-political elite, which has already gone public. The founder of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, complains about the lack of weapons and personally the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu. The conflict of mercenaries with the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense has been developing for more than a month, but Prigozhin still preferred one of his subordinates to publicly complain about the problems. About what has now changed - in the material Prigozhin against the Ministry of Defense .
23:15 Zelensky said in an evening video message that relations between Ukraine and the United States "have reached the historically most meaningful level: we can be called real allies, and our alliance with America really strengthens the world."
The president also said that he heard today from IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva, who arrived in Kiev, "a positive assessment of the stability of our institutions, the effectiveness and efficiency of our country in the face of such cruel and total aggression. The Ukrainian state has passed terrible tests and retained full functionality."
22:34 Portugal is ready to send three Leopard 2A6 battle tanks to Ukraine in March, the country's Ministry of Defense reported.
21:59 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the allocation of $ 10 million to Ukraine "to support the energy infrastructure in the face of continuous missile and unmanned attacks by Russia."
21:36 The governments of about 30 countries, including the host of the 2024 Olympics, France, have called on the International Olympic Committee to remove athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the competitions, writes Politico, which has read the contents of the appeal. "Until these fundamental questions and the significant lack of clarity and specific details about the validity of the 'neutrality' model are resolved, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete," the letter says.
21:11 Serbia refuses Russian fighters and will buy French Rafale, said President Aleksandar Vucic. He explained that because of the sanctions, it became impossible to service the Russian MiG-29s: "You can't import almost anything from Russia that is related to military purposes."
21:07 Borrell also said that China will cross the red line if it sends weapons to Russia: "I asked the representative of the PRC not to do this and expressed not only our concern, but also that for us this will be a red line in our relations. He said me that they are not going to do it. But we will be careful."
20:58 Biden made an unannounced visit to Kiev, which literally blew up the information space around the world. For the first time in history, a US President visited the capital of a country that is at war and where the US military does not control critical infrastructure. For Ukraine, this is the first visit by a US president since 2008. For more details, Putin has nothing to answer in the material .
20:53 Ukraine will receive at least two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks, as well as probably six or seven battalions of Leopard 1 tanks with ammunition, Reznikov said: “It will be a coalition. Different countries will provide these Leopard 1 tanks. And there will also be Challenger 2 tanks and Abrams and light tanks AMX-10 from France".
20:21 King Charles III of Great Britain visited the Ukrainian military, who are being trained in Wiltshire.
19:55 Russia, despite the sanctions, is selling weapons at the IDEX international exhibition in Abu Dhabi, AP reports. In particular, the Russian Federation sells there from Kalashnikov assault rifles to missile systems. At the event, Russian Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov, who is under US and British sanctions, was noticed.
19:27 Zelensky announced that he had met in Kiev with IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva.
18:58 The Chinese plan for a "peaceful settlement" of Russia's war against Ukraine contains calls for a ceasefire and the supply of weapons to Kiev, Bloomberg reports, citing European officials. They did not rule out that Putin would make similar statements during his speech on February 21, and that the Russian Federation could propose a draft UN resolution on February 24 as an alternative to the Ukrainian resolution.
Bloomberg notes that China's peace plan is causing skepticism in the US and Europe, as well as Beijing's attempts, a year after the announcement of a borderless partnership with Russia, to convince the world that it is a neutral player.
18:24 The Russians attacked the village of Antonovka in the Kherson region, killing two people, the OVA reported.
18:20 The Pentagon announced the provision of a new $460 million military aid package to Ukraine. It included:
- ammunition for HIMARS;
- artillery shells of 155 mm caliber and mortar shells of 120 mm caliber;
- four radar systems;
- additional Javelin anti-tank systems and explosive rounds;
- about 2,000 anti-tank missiles;
- four Bradley infantry fighting vehicles;
- as well as two tactical vehicles, Claymore anti-personnel mines, night vision devices, communications equipment, medical equipment and spare parts for equipment.
18:04 Prigozhin again accused the Russian military leadership of not giving the Wagnerites the ammunition that is in the warehouses. According to him, because of this, twice as many members of PMCs and "other military units that we cannot cover" die every day. In addition, PMC Wagner encountered a problem when placing advertisements for the recruitment of volunteers on television.
17:45 The next meeting in the Ramstein format can take place in mid-March and will probably take place online, Reznikov said. "I think that the anniversary of Ramstein, which began in April last year, will probably be in Ramstein, directly at this military air base. And in March, I think I will be able to connect from Kiev," the minister added.
17:39 The Russians fired on the village. Ivanopolye of the Konstantinovsky community of the Donetsk region: one person was killed, two were injured, said the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko. In addition, during the day, the invaders launched artillery strikes on Toretsk, Grad was fired from multiple rocket launchers with. New Komar, they hit Avdiivka with artillery and rockets.
17:22 The European Union plans to include officials involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children into the new sanctions package against the Russian Federation, writes EUobserver. According to the publication, restrictions may be imposed against the Minister of the Family of Bashkiria, Lenara Ivanova, Deputy Head of the Government of the Moscow Region Vyacheslav Dukhin, Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova and 59 other people.
It is also planned to introduce restrictions against the Russian military, who are directly involved in war crimes against the civilian population and are responsible for attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine.
16:43 Shmyhal said that during Biden's extended meeting with Zelensky, he focused the US president's attention on three important reforms: anti-corruption, justice reform, and corporate governance reform. "We appreciate the support of the United States in the matter of rapid recovery. We are grateful for the allocation of $1.5 billion to this direction and $1.1 billion to support the energy sector of Ukraine and Moldova. We expect to attract $17 billion this year on the basis of the "financial Ramstein" to restore critical infrastructure on the principle of build back better".
16:31 Russian oppositionist, political prisoner Alexei Navalny publicly stated for the first time that Crimea is Ukraine, and Russia must return all the occupied territories to Kiev. This is stated in the published program of the politician. "What are Ukraine's borders? The same as Russia's - internationally recognized, defined in 1991. We, Russia, also recognized them then. Russia should recognize these borders even now. There is nothing to discuss. Almost all borders in the world are random and cause someone's discontent. But it is impossible to fight for their change in the 21st century. Otherwise, the world will plunge into chaos."
Navalny urged "to leave Ukraine alone and give it the opportunity to develop as its people desire." And Russia, according to him, after the change of power and the end of the war, "together with Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and Britain, should look for acceptable ways to compensate for the damage caused to Ukraine." He also proposes to investigate the war crimes of the Russian Federation in cooperation with international institutions.
In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Navalny said that the peninsula would not be returned to Ukraine, even if the oppositionist himself became president of the Russian Federation. "Crimea - what is it, a sausage sandwich to return it back and forth?" Navalny said.
16:24 The Italian government is considering the possibility of transferring five of its own fighter jets to Ukraine, but "for reasons of political expediency" it will do this only in the event of the first similar step from other countries, writes La Repubblica. Rome wants such a move to look forced following the decision of other allies, the newspaper notes.
16:08 The New York Times has published declassified documents handed over in 2009 by outgoing President George W. Bush to his successor Barack Obama. In them, Bush called for "watching Russia" which "craves the territory of its neighbor Ukraine": "Russia's attempts to challenge the territorial integrity of Ukraine, especially in Crimea, which is 59% ethnic Russian and where the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy is based, must be prevented."
15:52 Blinken and Erdogan discussed support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression and stressed the need for closer cooperation on bilateral issues, including defense, energy, trade and collective security, the US State Department said.
15:28 Speaker of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat said that the number of Russian aircraft deployed to airfields in Crimea, Belarus and the Russian Federation since the beginning of the aggression against Ukraine has not changed - 700 aircraft: "As for the information about the accumulation of aircraft, it is an old story ". You can't say that it is around Ukraine, but directly on the airfields that it uses in aggression against Ukraine. It has been said more than once that these are about 40 airfields, including in Crimea, in the occupied territory in Crimea, Belarus and the Russian Federation" .
14:59 The first visit of a US President to Ukraine in almost 15 years is the most important visit in the history of Ukrainian-American relations, Zelensky said: “It is precisely during this period when our state is fighting for its freedom and freedom for all Europeans, for all people of the free world - emphasizes how much great results we have already achieved and how historic results we can achieve - only together with the whole world, with Ukraine, with the United States, with all of Europe. Our talks today with Joseph Biden were just so meaningful and important, as it has already become a tradition for relations between our states."
14:41 Biden left Kiev - his visit lasted six hours, CNN reports.
14:34 Ukraine has received a new aid package from Italy, Zelensky told the Italian Rai TV channel. "It means that Prime Minister Georgie Meloni's support has not changed," he added.
14:27 Associated Press writes, citing the White House, that before Biden's trip to Kiev, Washington representatives contacted Russia to "ensure deconfliction in order to avoid any miscalculations that could lead to a direct conflict between the two nuclear powers."
13:48 Ukrposhta has opened a pre-sale of the postal set "PTN PNH!" to the anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Russia. The stamp depicts a drawing by Banksy on the wall of a destroyed building in Borodyanka, Kyiv region.
13:41 The United States, together with 50 partner countries, has collected more than 700 tanks, thousands of armored vehicles, a thousand artillery systems, more than 2 million artillery shells for Ukraine, Biden said at a press conference in Kiev. He also said that this week the United States will provide billions of budgetary assistance to help provide basic services for Ukrainian citizens.
13:37 A resolution in support of peace in Ukraine will be submitted to the UN General Assembly this week, Zelensky said at a briefing with Biden. He also stressed the importance of involving the United States in the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula and the lack of alternatives to the creation of an international special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression.
13:35 Japan plans to allocate $5.5 billion in additional financial assistance to Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. He also noted that he would invite Zelensky to the online G7 summit, which will be held on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is expected that at the summit the leaders of the Group of Seven will reaffirm their unity in the fight against Russian aggression and agree to continue supporting Ukraine.
13:27 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Washington "has no right to lecture" on the possible supply of Chinese weapons to Russia. He stressed that China continues to "demand peace and negotiations" on the issue of war in Ukraine.
13:14 Biden said he made a surprise trip to Ukraine because it is "critical" that no one "has any doubts" about Washington's support for Kiev and Zelensky.
13:00 The results of today's meeting will be reflected on the battlefield, Zelensky said at a press conference with Biden.
12:56 Ukraine has succeeded in the war against all forecasts and will continue to win, Biden said at a meeting with Zelensky in Kiev: "This is the biggest ground war in Europe in three quarters of a century. And you succeeded in it, contrary to all expectations, except your own. And I'm sure you'll continue to win." At the same time, he added that "hard days, weeks and years lie ahead. Putin's goal is to erase Ukraine from the map."
12:41 Biden said that Ukraine will receive a new $ 500 million military aid package , Reuters reports. Zelensky said he and Biden also discussed long-range weapons.
12:30 Biden said he was meeting with Zelensky and his team in Kiev for an expanded discussion of support for Ukraine. In particular, he will announce the next delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-tank systems and air surveillance radars, the White House said in an official statement.
The White House also confirmed that Washington will announce additional sanctions later this week, and Biden will travel to Poland after a visit to Kiev to meet with President Duda and other allies, as well as to make a speech about further support for Ukraine.
12:19 Israel is working on a pilot project of an early warning system for the approach of missiles and drones for Kiev, which can later be expanded to other regions, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said. In particular, the system will make it possible to turn on an airborne alert more sectorally - exactly in the place where the missile flies, and not in several regions or throughout the country at once. In addition, the siren gives a special signal indicating how many minutes the population has to hide in a shelter.
Korniychuk noted that work on the project has been underway for four months. "In fact, during the visit, the Israelis confirmed that they would complete a pilot project for Kyiv within three months to suit our realities," the ambassador added.
12:07 Zelensky published a photo with Biden in Kiev. "Your visit is an extremely important manifestation of support for all Ukrainians," the Ukrainian president said.
11:55 Biden arrived in Kiev and, to the sound of an air raid, paid tribute to the memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine at the wall of memory of St. Michael's Cathedral:
11:48 The Russians have set up a machine-gun position on the roof of the fifth power unit of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, and also placed checkpoints at all entrances to the flyovers through which personnel enter the power units, Energoatom said. At the same time, a new batch of military personnel arrived at the ZNPP - more than 600 mobilized and cadets from the Russian Federation. They were placed in the bomb shelter of the non-standard equipment plant, where they are waiting to be transferred to the Donetsk sector of the front.
In addition, the Russians continue to build fortifications and build military installations around the plant's power units and its dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. Earlier, the occupiers denied access to the storage facility to both Ukrainian personnel and representatives of the IAEA present at the ZNPP site.
11:22 The SBU reported the suspicion to the head of the Cherkasy diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP), who, in particular, disseminated propaganda appeals of the Russian Orthodox Church, popularized the Kremlin regime.
10:59 Chief diplomat and adviser to the Chinese leader Wang Yi arrived in Moscow to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Sky News reports.
10:56 Ukroboronprom as a management system is not an effective enough structure to meet the military needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Reznikov said in an interview with Babel. According to him, the state concern was never completely reformed, since the open phase of the war began. The minister added that defense enterprises do not have time to increase production in large volumes during the war, primarily due to lack of funds.
10:50 There is no shortage of power in the energy system and it is not predicted, all types of power plants are working, Ukrenergo reported. Electricity imports are insignificant and are approaching zero due to the stabilization of electricity supply in the country. Consumption limits have not been set to date, however, when the situation in the energy system changes and consumption increases sharply, shutdowns may be applied. In the Odessa region and Odessa, hourly outage schedules apply due to network restrictions.
10:36 Ukraine considers the F-16 fighters to be optimal for itself, followed by the Swedish Gripen, as well as British, French and German aircraft, Reznikov said in an interview with Babel. According to him, Ukraine has already managed to solve the problem of the unpreparedness of domestic airfields for the F-16. The minister said that one type of aircraft will be the base, and other types will be added to support it, as is the case with Western tanks, where the German Leopard 2 should become the main ones.
He also estimated the number of combat aircraft that Ukraine could get: “Of course, we will first fight for fifty, and then for a hundred. Realistically, if we had a hundred aircraft with different mission capabilities, this would be a good case. And it is realistic, because each country can give 10-15 pieces, and this will not reduce their defense capability."
10:19 An Israeli parliamentary delegation arrived in Kiev , Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said.
10:01 In the Kherson region over the past day, three people were killed due to Russian shelling, eight were injured, including three children, the IVA reported.
09:48 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, three people were killed - in Bakhmut, Bogdanovka and Avdeevka. Another person in the region was injured, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
09:34 British intelligence predicts that in the near future political pressure will increase on the Russian military to demonstrate some "victories" by the anniversary of a full-scale war, although there are no such successes. In particular, it may be that Russia will announce the capture of Bakhmut, regardless of the real state of affairs. If the spring offensive of the Russian Federation ends in nothing, the tension within the Russian leadership will grow, according to intelligence.
Analysts note that Russian troops are trying to advance in several directions in the east: near Ugledar, in Kremennaya and near Bakhmut. At the same time, they suffer heavy losses, especially near Bakhmut and Ugledar. In particular, the 155th Brigade and the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade, named as elite, suffered very heavy losses near Ugledar and are most likely ineffective in combat.
09:07 The Russians fired at the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region in the morning, the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov said. In the village of Novoosinovo, a private residential building was destroyed; one person is probably under the rubble. In the village of Kurilovka, buildings of an agricultural enterprise were damaged by shelling, and a large-scale fire broke out. In the village of Strelechie, Kharkiv region, two people were injured.
08:43 Since Sunday, February 19, mobile communications have been completely disconnected in part of the territory of the Lugansk region, the OVA reported. The occupiers reported an alleged accident on the main lines, but the OVA notes that it "occurred" in several places at the same time. Now local residents have no connection not only with the territory controlled by Ukraine, but also between neighboring occupied cities.
08:36 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 20.
- personnel - about 143,680 (+820) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3316 (+6),
- armored combat vehicles - 6553 (+8),
- artillery systems - 2334 (+7),
- MLRS - 471 (+2),
- air defense systems - 243 (+0),
- aircraft - 299 (+1),
- helicopters - 287 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2018 (+2),
- cruise missiles - 873 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5209 (+13),
- special equipment - 225 (+1).
08:29 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 the areas of the settlements of Gryanikovka, Kharkiv region; Belogorovka, Luhansk region; Vasiukovka, Dubovo-Vasilievka, Berkhovka, Bakhmut and Ivanovskoye Donetsk region.
06:33 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Russia does not have enough free reserves to increase the scale or intensity of attacks in the Lugansk region. Analysts point out that the Russian ground forces operate within the framework of conventional doctrinal formations and units, and not as part of battalion tactical groups or other temporary structures.
In addition, Russia has lost a large number of tanks in previous battles, and their absence makes it impossible to organize tank units for offensive operations. At the same time, ISW believes that the Russians may have a certain amount of restored equipment, but it will not be able to influence the course of the offensive. Experts predict that the Russian offensive will continue for some time and may temporarily gain momentum with the use of the last reserves, but the likelihood of achieving their goals or operationally significant victories is low.
04:25 Macron is wasting time communicating with Putin, Zelensky said in an interview with Corriere della Sera: "This will be a useless dialogue, in fact, Macron is wasting time. I came to the conclusion that we cannot change the position of the Russian Federation ... If they decided to isolate themselves in a dream of restoring the old Soviet empire, we can do nothing about it, it is their business whether or not to cooperate with the community of nations on the basis of mutual respect."
01:42 U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that China would cross a red line if it decided to provide lethal military assistance to Russia: "We welcome China's statement that it wants peace, as this is what we always strive for in such situations. But we also need to be clear: if the Chinese or anyone else intends to give lethal support to the Russians in their brutal attack on Ukraine, then this is unacceptable. That would be a red line."
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Posted by badanov 2023-02-21 00:00||
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