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2024-02-17 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: February 16, 2024

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:45 The signed security agreement between Ukraine and Germany does not imply Berlin’s obligation to enter the war, Scholz said: “The agreement with Kiev does not mean that Germany will become a party to the conflict. There will be no German soldiers in Ukraine.”

22:32 Russian troops almost managed to cordon off Ukrainian fighters in Avdeevka, but they were unable to close the ring, and now the situation has leveled off, said deputy commander of the Third Assault Brigade Rodion Kudryashov. At the same time, he added that the enemy outnumbers the Ukrainian troops in a ratio of 7 to 1, but “does not have much success.”

22:23 In Avdiivka, Ukrainian fighters, if necessary, retreat to new positions, and during one of these exits, several soldiers were captured, Tarnavsky said. He also said that the evacuation of the wounded “is complicated by continuous shelling, but is being carried out.” At the moment, the necessary reserves are being transferred to the Ukrainian defenders, and ammunition continues to be supplied. The fire continues at the Avdeevka coke plant, where the Russians set fire to a tank with naphthalene residues and bitumen tar in the warehouse.

22:15 Zelensky said that Ukraine will receive new military assistance from France: “Today there is another important package - shells, effective Caesar systems, additional strengthening of air defense.” In turn, Macron said that he would visit Kyiv “before mid-March.”

21:48 Ukraine and France signed a security agreement. It will be valid for ten years. France will also allocate up to 3 billion euros for the military needs of Ukraine in 2024, Macron said.

21:14 Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that in a few weeks he expects the signing of a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine.

20:21 Biden, after reports of Navalny’s death, called for help to Ukraine: “This tragedy reminds us what is at stake. We need to continue funding Ukraine so that Ukraine can protect itself from Putin’s terrible aggression, from his crimes. If we cannot support Ukraine "At this critical moment, history will not forget this. This will go down in history and will have enormous consequences. Time is ticking. The clock is ticking. We all must understand that we are dealing with Putin."

19:55 Zelensky said that he arrived in Paris, where he is scheduled to meet with Macron and sign a security agreement.

19:13 Russia has spent up to $211 billion on equipping, deploying and maintaining its troops in Ukraine, an anonymous US official told Reuters. In addition, according to him, Moscow lost $10 billion due to the cancellation of deals to sell its weapons. In total, the war against Ukraine cost Russia $1.3 trillion, which was previously supposed to be spent on economic growth until 2026, the official added. According to him, Russia has lost 315 thousand people wounded or killed since the beginning of the invasion.

18:37 As a result of the Ukrainian attack on the command post at the Belbek airfield on January 31, it was not General Alexander Tatarenko who died, as Russian publics wrote, but his son and namesake - major, pilot, deputy unit commander Alexander Tatarenko, reports the Crimean Wind telegram channel with reference to your sources. The general himself retired and currently lives in Yekaterinburg. Ukraine then denied the death of the general.

18:01 Germany transferred another package of military assistance to Ukraine, which included, in particular, 18 FFG APC armored vehicles, three WiSENT mine clearance vehicles, ten Vector UAVs, 30 RQ-35 Heidrun UAVs, 11 Primoco ONE UAVs, seven Songbird UAVs, almost 4000 155 mm shells, etc.

17:56 Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny died in a correctional colony. According to the official statement, the man allegedly became ill after a walk and immediately lost consciousness. World leaders and Russian oppositionists put forward a version of the murder of the oppositionist and blame Putin for it. For more details, see the article Navalny’s Death: Inconsistencies and the World’s Reaction .

17:33 Throughout the day, the Russians fired artillery at the civilian infrastructure of the Velikopisarevsky territorial community of the Akhtyrsky district of the Sumy region, one person was killed, the prosecutor’s office reported.

16:50 During rocket attacks on Ukrainian territory, Russia used at least 24 North Korean-made ballistic missiles - probably Kn-23/24, said Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin. According to him, the most massive missile attack with this type of missile was documented on February 7. On that day, the Russian Federation attacked three cities - Kyiv (with one missile), Pavlograd and Kharkov (with two missiles for each city). In all these cases, no hits were recorded on possible targets.

“Of the 24 missiles fired, two relatively accurate hits are known - the Kremenchug oil refinery and the technical territory of the Kanatovo airfield. The remaining missiles hit at a considerable distance from each other - up to several kilometers or more - either exploded in the air or hit residential areas in Kharkov,” - added the Prosecutor General.

16:26 The agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Germany is designed for ten years. The President's Office released the main points of the document .

15:57 Zelensky said that in the situation in Avdiivka, he demands from the military leadership, first of all, to preserve the lives of the Ukrainian military.

15:45 In the Avdeevka area, raid and strike operations are being carried out in order to expand logistics corridors, said Commander Tarnavsky. According to him, logistics are working, the defenders of Avdiivka are being supplied with increased quantities of ammunition and other means of destruction, and stable command and control of the troops is ensured.

As of 13.00, there are no blocked Ukrainian units in Avdiivka. Ukrainian units with minor losses left their position on the southern outskirts of Avdiivka. In other threatening directions, if necessary, troops are also maneuvered to move to new prepared positions.

In the area of the Avdeevsky coke plant, the enemy set fire to a tank with naphthalene residues and started a fire in a bitumen tar storage warehouse. Under the cover of thick smoke, he is trying to storm Ukrainian positions.

According to Tarnavsky, the enemy is suffering huge losses in manpower. Thus, during the day on February 15, in the entire operational zone of the Tavria group of troops, Russian losses amounted to 711 people - the most this year. Of these, up to 500 Russians were liquidated in the Avdeevsky direction.

15:41 The Russians fired artillery at the village. Volchanskie Khutor, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region - one person was killed, one was injured, the prosecutor's office reported.

15:28 The third separate assault brigade reported that there are at least 15 thousand personnel of the Russian Army against the forces on its sector of the front in Avdeevka. At the same time, the Ukrainian brigade inflicted critical defeats on the 74th and 114th separate motorized rifle brigades of the Russian Armed Forces. Both enemy units are “virtually wiped out”: preliminary, the real number of losses is estimated at 4,200 enemy killed and wounded. The 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces also carries significant weight. Despite the fact that the Russians are suffering disproportionate losses, the situation in Avdievka remains extremely difficult, notes the Third Assault.

15:17 The Russians fired at the front-line thermal power plant for the second time in a day, the equipment of the power plant was damaged, DTEK reported.

15:09 The command of the Tavria group of troops, after many months of confrontation, decided to withdraw from the Zenit position on the south-eastern outskirts of Avdeevka , Tarnavsky said: “We held this position as long as it made it possible to effectively contain and destroy the enemy. The decision to withdraw was made with the aim of preserving personnel and improving the operational situation. Tactical occupation of these positions does not give the enemy a strategic advantage and does not change the situation within the framework of the Avdeevka defense operation. Currently, the regrouping of troops, replenishment of supplies and arrangement of units in new positions is ongoing. The planned reinforcement of units is underway."

14:31 Scholz announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 1.1 billion euros , which will include 36 armored wheeled howitzers from industrial stocks, 120 thousand shells, two Skynex air defense systems and missiles for IRIS-T.

14:25 The agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Germany secures German support for Kiev at a level of over 7 billion euros for the current year, Zelensky said. In addition, according to him, “this is a weapon for which there are already specific contracts.” The agreement also sets out Germany’s clear position on sanctions against the Russian Federation, the tribunal, and frozen assets. The agreement also provides for a mechanism for emergency consultations in the event of a possible future armed attack by Russia on Ukraine.

14:08 Zelensky and Scholz signed a bilateral security agreement. The German Chancellor called it a historic step: “Germany will continue to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian war of aggression.”

13:46 The main holder of frozen Russian assets in the West, the Belgian investment fund Euroclear, opposed the G7 plan to use this money in the interests of Ukraine, writes the Financial Times. The company holds $191 billion of frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank out of $260 billion. Euroclear said that such a step would carry risks for the European financial system and expose the company to lawsuits.

13:09 Ukraine has returned the bodies of another 58 dead soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.

12:52 Budanov said in an interview with the French publication Liberation that the situation at the front remains difficult, but not critical: “Our war is not unique. It is just a high-intensity conflict using the entire range of available weapons. We are not on the verge of using weapons of mass destruction, but everything else - from submarines to strategic aviation - has been in use for a long time."

According to Budanov, no technology will help radically change the course of a long war, since other factors are much more important: “The question is how to distribute resources, how to use what is available, and how to plan supply chains. In a long war, the side that wins has a stronger economy and logistics."

12:30 At one of the sites in Avdeevka, fighters of the 3rd Special Brigade are completely surrounded - they are trying to break through the ring, said deputy brigade commander Rodion Kudryashov. The Ukrainian Armed Forces' maneuvers continue in the city. The Russians are razing their defensive positions to the ground. The fighters have to retreat to more advantageous positions. Kudryashov also confirmed that the Russians had captured the Zenit fortified area.

12:07 There is no threat to Zaporozhye now, said the speaker of the Tavria group of troops, Dmitry Likhovy: “I emphasize that the situation in the Zaporozhye direction remains stable. There is indeed a significant group of Russians concentrated there, comparable to the Avdeevka one. But Avdeevka is a narrow strip, an urban area, "literally a few kilometers, and the Zaporozhye direction starts from the border with the Donetsk region and right up to the Dnepropetrovsk region. There this Russian contingent is spread out along the entire front line, and there is no such threat at all."

11:49 Lukashenko said that his border guards allegedly “catch Ukrainian saboteurs at the border two or three times a week.” According to him, “just today, several saboteurs were detained on the Ukrainian border. With the help of drones, some of the Ukrainian citizens crawled through the swamps to our border and transferred explosives to carry out sabotage, primarily on the territory of Russia and Belarus.”

11:11 Zelensky said that he had arrived in Germany: “Two important days are ahead. Meetings with partners in Germany and France, new agreements and participation in the Munich Security Conference are planned. A new security architecture for Ukraine, new opportunities.”

11:08 Lavrov said that in order to start a “dialogue on Ukraine,” Zelensky must cancel the decree by which he prohibited negotiations. According to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, “the ball is not on our side, and everyone understands this perfectly well.”

10:42 At a meeting of the Political and Security Committee, most EU countries were in favor of allowing EU money to be used to purchase shells for Ukraine produced outside the bloc. However, France, Greece and Cyprus opposed it, Politico writes, citing diplomats.

10:26 Russia once again attacked a front-line thermal power plant, DTEK reported. There were no casualties, but the station equipment was damaged.

10:05 Press officer of the third separate assault brigade Alexander Borodin said that the situation in Avdiivka is critical, the enemy is increasing pressure. The Russians are increasing their use of guided bombs and phosphorus bombs. “The enemy has constant support; instead of an exhausted battalion, another one comes in, and there is no horizon that they could run out of something, both in people and in resources,” he noted.

Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade note that the Russians use 60 aerial bombs - day and night, enemy shelling from artillery and MLRS. There are continuous assaults on armored vehicles and invasions of enemy infantry. The occupiers also use phosphorus shells, which cause fuel tanks to catch fire. Toxic smog spreads throughout the entire territory of the coke plant.

09:56 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Russian army, in the event of a potential capture of Avdievka, will not be able to quickly advance and occupy large populated areas to the west of the city. The Russian troops suffered very heavy losses, and in order to capture new territories they need a long period of recovery and rest, analysts say.

09:08 The Russian army shelled the village. Zarya, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region, preliminary - with cluster munitions from the Uragan MLRS. One person was killed and two were injured, the prosecutor's office said.

08:51 At night, a Russian missile hit an open area in the Mirgorod district of the Poltava region, no people were injured, said the head of the OSA, Philip Pronin.

08:27 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 16:

personnel - about 400,300 (+1210) people,

tanks - 6465 (+23),

armored combat vehicles - 12,129 (+39),

artillery systems - 9641 (+21),

MLRS - 984 (+0),

air defense systems - 671 (+0),

aircraft - 332 (+0),

helicopters - 325 (+0),

UAV of operational-tactical level - 7408 (+4),

cruise missiles - 1895 (+13),

ships/boats - 25 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 12,716 (+25),

special equipment - 1528 (+4).

07:48 In the Nikolaev region, as a result of artillery shelling in the city of Ochakov, a transport and port infrastructure facility, an enterprise, and residential buildings were damaged. No people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Vitaly Kim.

07:30 In the Avdeevsky direction, a planned reinforcement of Ukrainian Armed Forces units is taking place and troops are maneuvering in threatening directions, the General Staff reported in its morning report . Over the past 24 hours, defense forces have repulsed 28 enemy attacks in the areas of Avdeevka, Lastochkino and five more attacks near Pervomaisky and Nevelsky, Donetsk region.

In total, 95 military clashes took place at the front over the past 24 hours. In the Maryinsky direction, 34 attacks were repelled near Krasnohorivka, Georgievka, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region; on Kupyansky - three attacks near Sinkovka and Ivanovka, Kharkov region; in Limansky - six attacks in the areas of Ternov, Yampolevka and Vesely of the Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - ten attacks near Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka, Donetsk region; on Novopavlovsky - three attacks south of Prechistovka and in the Staromayorsky area of the Donetsk region. The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Zaporozhye direction. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces hold their positions and repelled three assaults by Russian troops.

06:12 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that at night the air defense allegedly intercepted and destroyed one drone over the territory of the Belgorod region and four over the Black Sea.

04:24 The US House of Representatives went on recess until February 28, without considering a bill to help allies, including Ukraine. Thus, the issue will not be resolved in the coming weeks. Moreover, when lawmakers return to work at the end of February, the main issue will again be avoiding a shutdown in the United States, writes Voice of America.

Biden said on this occasion that “the failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.”

01:36 As of 23:00 on February 15, the situation in Avdeevka is “complicated, but controllable,” said the commander of the Tavria group of troops, Alexander Tarnavsky. According to him, the fighting is taking place within the city, “a planned reinforcement of units is taking place and troops are maneuvering in threatening directions.” In addition, an additional resource of “ammunition and other means of destruction” has been allocated. New positions have been prepared, and fortifications continue to be prepared “taking into account all possible scenarios.”

00:23 This year's first summit of G7 leaders, chaired by Italy, will take place on February 24, the second anniversary of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, ANSA reports. The meeting will be held via videoconference, as on the first anniversary of Russia’s large-scale military aggression against Ukraine.

Posted by badanov 2024-02-17 00:00|| || Front Page|| [36 views ] Top