Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 21:52 The Office of the Prosecutor General announced the start of an investigation into the shooting of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Bakhmut region. A video was published on social networks, which recorded how Russian soldiers, during an assault on Ukrainian positions between the villages of Ivanovskoye and Khromovo, Donetsk region, shot seven captured Ukrainian military personnel. The recording from the drone camera shows that representatives of the Russian Armed Forces first order the Ukrainian defenders to leave the trench. Afterwards, having gathered everyone in one place and retreated a few meters, the enemy fired machine-gun fire at them.
21:01 CIA Director William Burns secretly visited Ukraine on February 22, writes The New York Times. According to the publication, the purpose of the visit is to “calm down Ukrainian leaders,” who fear that American intelligence agencies, due to the blocking of US aid, will become less active in helping Kyiv strike the Russians.
The newspaper also claims that eight years ago the United States allegedly placed 12 “secret bases” in Ukraine along the border with Russia. From these bases, which are often located in underground bunkers, Russian broadcasts are monitored, and now they also control kamikaze drones from there. Over the past ten years, cooperation between Kyiv and Washington in this area “turned Ukraine into an intelligence gathering center that intercepted more Russian communications than the CIA station in Russia,” the NYT notes, adding that such close cooperation with the CIA was allegedly one of the reasons for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
19:40 The Russians shelled the village of Tyaginka, Kherson region, killing two people, OVA reported.
19:32 Zelensky warned that it will be difficult for Ukraine in March-April: “It will be difficult for us in the coming months, because there are hesitations in the United States. It will be difficult in March-April, the Russian Federation will prepare an offensive in early summer or at the end of May. We will prepare for their battle, the US elections will be a turning point, and we will understand what will happen.”
The president is also confident that ten Patriot systems would radically change the situation: “If Ukraine in the coming months were able to receive ten Patriot systems for key industrial centers, if we could use these systems closer to the front, they would retreat. We would break them defense and went forward. Ten Patriots would change the situation dramatically."
In addition, Zelensky said that military reserves were not “normally prepared” in Ukraine, and during the preparation for the counter-offensive, four brigades were unable to fight because they did not receive the promised equipment: “We had a fist for the counter-offensive. Until today, four of this package the brigades are naked. Four brigades without the equipment that was agreed upon, signed, shook hands. It didn’t arrive. Could four brigades have fought? No, they didn’t fight. They stood and waited for the equipment.”
18:43 Public accounts write about yet another execution of Ukrainian prisoners by the Russians. On the outskirts of Ivanovskoe near Bakhmut, the Russian military took nine Ukrainian soldiers, including wounded, out of a trench, laid them on the ground and shot them. Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said earlier today that there are many more similar cases of execution of Ukrainian defenders than officially reported.
18:34 Zelensky said that Ukraine plans to hold the first inaugural Peace Summit in the spring - it should be held in Switzerland. According to the president, Ukraine has a diplomatic initiative and must preserve it. As for the second summit, Zelensky would like it to take place not on the European continent: “We have come to the moment of the first summit. The first summit is inaugural. I hope that it will be in the spring. We cannot lose the diplomatic initiative. It will take place in Switzerland. The second "We would like the summit not to be on the European continent. I think this information will definitely appear in the coming weeks or months."
The head of state also said that he had received positive signals from American partners about the transfer of ATACMS missiles over 300 km. He is convinced that after this, deliveries of German Taurus will also be possible.
In addition, Zelensky said that “the first year of war is survival, the second is resilience, the third is turning point.” In his opinion, the format of the end of the war will depend on this year. I think so, maybe I’m wrong.”
As for a possible new counter-offensive, according to the president, there is “a clear plan associated with a change of leadership.” He added that several plans will be prepared due to information leaks. According to Zelensky, Ukraine's counter-offensive actions last year "were on the Kremlin's table before they began."
18:12 The Russians attacked a farm in the village of Malyshevka, Shirokovsky community, Zaporozhye region - one person was killed, three were injured, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
17:43 Zelensky said that during the full-scale invasion of Russia, 31 thousand Ukrainian soldiers died: “Not 300 thousand, not 150 thousand, whatever Putin and his deceitful entourage are lying about. But each of these losses is a big loss for us.” According to Zelensky, 180 thousand Russians died. “I don’t know how many missing people they have, but I know that up to 500 thousand combined with the wounded,” the president added.
At the same time, Zelensky refused to name the number of wounded Ukrainian soldiers, since Russia will know “how many people left the battlefield.” He also did not name the number of missing military personnel. “We also know about tens of thousands of Ukrainians killed in the occupied territories,” the head of state added.
16:19 The head of the President’s Office, Andrei Yermak, allows Russia’s participation in the global peace summit, but not in the first: “At the second summit, when this plan is created together, without intermediaries, openly, with the participation of all these countries that will go through this with us way, there may be a situation where we invite representatives of the Russian Federation, where this plan will be presented to them, in case the one who by that time will represent the aggressor country wants to stop the war and return to a just world."
15:54 Germany has decided to increase the volume of humanitarian aid allocated to Ukraine by 100 million euros, bringing the total amount to 1 billion euros, the German Foreign Ministry reported.
14:40 In the Avdeevsky direction, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have retreated to the western outskirts of Lastochkino, where battles are taking place for the settlement, said the speaker of the Tavria group of troops, Dmitry Likhovy, in a commentary to the UP. According to him, Ukrainian troops took up previously prepared defensive positions.
14:18 Budanov promised the Russians “new surprises” and said that “he would not recommend the civilian population to use the so-called Crimean Bridge.” The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate also said that Russia has six A-50 aircraft left, “another one will fall and the round-the-clock duty will have to be stopped.”
In addition, Budanov denied that Iran supplied Russia with missiles, and also that the Russian Federation is massively using North Korean weapons to attack Ukraine: “Russia does not have Iranian missiles, and only a few North Korean-made missiles were used for attacks, this is not large-scale.”
13:26 The head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov, said that 90% of drones used on the battlefield are produced in Ukraine, and the goal of one million drones in 2024 will be exceeded. According to the minister, more than a million FPV drones alone will be produced.
13:15 Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during the Ukraine forum. The year is 2024, that there is already a plan for this year - they will not talk about it publicly, but it is “powerful” and “will give results.” He also noted that half of the allocated military assistance from partners is not delivered on time, which is why Ukraine is losing personnel and territory.
12:37 In Nikopol, the Russians dropped explosives from a UAV onto a car, one person died. As a result of the attack, the buildings and trucks of one of the enterprises were damaged, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
12:09 In 2023, the Ukrainian defense industry has grown sixfold, said Minister of Strategic Industry Alexander Kamyshin. According to him, the Ukrainian defense industry now consists of 500 enterprises: about 400 private companies and 100 state-owned ones.
Kamyshin also announced that “2024 will be the year when there will be more drones on the ground.” He said that last year’s strikes on targets deep in the Russian Federation were carried out with weapons produced in Ukraine. In particular, there are samples that hit a target at a distance of 700 km. Ukraine has begun to produce hybrid air defense, and together with partners it is assembling infantry fighting vehicles and 105-caliber howitzers, the minister added.
11:23 Syrsky said that together with Umerov he visited the forward command posts of military units and units in the area of combat operations. “In many directions, the situation is complex and requires constant monitoring. During the visit, we analyzed the current situation in detail and discussed the necessary further steps, primarily protecting troops from drones and air strikes by CABs, as well as strengthening individual sections of the front,” the commander-in-chief said.
10:32 At night, Russia launched a massive attack on Konstantinovka, Donetsk region, preliminarily with S-300 missiles. One person was injured, the railway station building, a temple, two private and 12 apartment buildings, 21 shops, 19 shopping pavilions, three educational institutions, two administrative buildings, and a post office were damaged, regional police reported.
09:28 On February 24, the Russians shelled the village. Petropavlovka, Kharkov region, a volunteer was wounded, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In the village Estuary of the Volchansk community, as a result of enemy shelling from the MLRS, a fire occurred in the outbuilding of a pig farm on an area of 600 square meters. m, 23 animals died.
09:21 In the Khmelnytsky region, as a result of a night attack, an infrastructure facility was damaged; no information about casualties was received, the OVA reported.
08:50 In the Bashtansky district of the Nikolaev region, during a night attack, a power line was damaged by debris from a downed drone, and five settlements were de-energized, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim.
08:37 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 25:
- personnel - about 409,820 (+810) people,
- tanks - 6542 (+8),
- armored combat vehicles - 12,441 (+16),
- artillery systems - 9981 (+29),
- MLRS - 999 (+0),
- air defense systems - 684 (+0),
- aircraft - 340 (+0),
- helicopters - 325 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 7681 (+22),
- cruise missiles - 1907 (+2),
- ships/boats - 25 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 13,011 (+23),
- special equipment - 1578 (+2).
08:14 At night, the air defense destroyed 16 of 18 Shahed-type attack UAVs, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from the Crimean Cape Chauda, the Air Force command reported. Drones were shot down within the Poltava, Kyiv, Khmelnitsky, Nikolaev, Kirovograd, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions.
07:38 Over the past 24 hours, 84 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, in the Maryinsky direction, the enemy tried 39 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novomikhailovka area of the Donetsk region. In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 14 enemy attacks in the Lastochkino, Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky districts of the Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - 13 attacks in the areas of Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka of the Donetsk region.
The enemy did not conduct offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction. In the Liman direction, three enemy attacks were repelled in the Ternov area of the Donetsk region; on Novopavlovsky - one attack in the area south of Zolotaya Niva, Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - five attacks in the Rabotino area of the Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces hold their positions and repelled two assaults by Russian troops.
06:03 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems allegedly intercepted and destroyed two drones over the Belgorod region and four over the Black Sea.