Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 21.50 Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski brought a downed Russian Shahed-type attack drone to a conservative conference in the US. According to him, the drone was shot down by the Ukrainians and then taken to Poland.
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) February 21, 2025
19.13 In Kiev, at the forum of defense innovations, new Ukrainian unmanned solutions were presented, including the Bulava strike drone, the TM-62 ground kamikaze drone, the Wolly 7.62 module and a drone carrier.
19.00 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not necessarily need to participate in negotiations to end the war in his country. This statement was made by US President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News Radio.
"To tell you the truth, I don't think his (Zelensky's, - ed.) presence at the meetings is that important," Trump said, speaking about the negotiations to end the war with Russia.
18.47 At least one person was killed and nine were wounded as a result of strikes in the north of Donetsk region.
In Slavyansk, seven people aged 51 to 83 were injured, 62 private homes and an administrative building were damaged. In Kramatorsk, a 39-year-old man was injured, 46 private homes and two cars were damaged.
In Nikanorovka, Nikolaevskaya community, one person is known to have died and one person was injured, and a house was destroyed.
18.30 Over the three years of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, journalists and volunteers have identified 95,026 names of fallen Russian soldiers. Currently, the largest number of Russian citizens killed in the war against Ukraine has been recorded in Bashkortostan - 4,244 people, the BBC reports.
17.48 The Belgian authorities will delay the transfer of the first F-16 aircraft to Ukraine at least until the end of this year, because there has been a delay in the delivery of American F-35s. This was stated by the Chief of the Belgian General Staff Frederic Vansina, the publication LaLibre reported.
17:25 As a result of a Russian air strike in Gulyaipole, Zaporozhye, Nestor Yalansky, who was the last descendant of the family of the famous revolutionary Nestor Makhno, was killed.
"Nestor Viktorovich was one of the last direct descendants of the Makhno family who lived in Gulyaipole. His great-grandfather Karp Ivanovich Makhno was tortured and killed in 1919 in Gulyaipole by the White Guard Cossacks of the Russian Volunteer Army of General Denikin, who captured the city," the statement said.
17.01 The new Ukrainian Trembita missile was shown for the first time at the Defense Innovation Forum in Kiev. This was announced by Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Friday, February 21.
16.45 For the fourth day in a row, the number of battles at the front has been gradually decreasing, at least in the first half of the day. This is evidenced by data from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 16.00.
16.18 US Presidential Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg called his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "positive". He wrote about this on the social network X.
15.54 Every fifth child in Ukraine has lost a close relative or friend since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression three years ago, UNICEF reported.
The third year of the full-scale war in Ukraine has become even more deadly for children compared to 2023: the number of child casualties has increased by 50%. In total, more than 2,520 children have been killed or injured since February 2022. The real number of victims is likely much higher.
15.39 The Security Service of Ukraine has in absentia notified two Russian generals of suspicion for organizing the explosion of the Oskol dam in the Kharkiv region in September 2022. This was reported by the SBU press service on Friday, February 21.
14.39 Gas production in Ukraine has fallen by 40% after Russian missile strikes, Reuters reports, citing a senior industry source.
14.15 A large-scale fire that broke out as a result of a Russian strike on an industrial facility in the Poltava region has been extinguished. This was reported on February 21 by the press service of the State Emergency Service. It is noted that there were no casualties. 87 firefighters and 34 units of equipment, including a fire turbine robot, were involved in extinguishing the fire.
13:54 In the Liman direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed a Russian BAT-2 road layer for the first time. This was reported by the Khortytsia operational-strategic group of forces.
13:33 The third group of volunteers of the Ukrainian Legion will sign contracts on February 28. It is expected that the number of recruits will be greater than in previous times. This was reported by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar in a comment to Ukrinform.
13.22 In Denmark, more than half of citizens are in favor of sending peacekeepers to the country after the war ends. These are the results of a poll published on February 21 by the Ritzau agency, Bloomberg reports. It is noted that about 53% of respondents said that Denmark should take part in any proposed deployment of a military contingent. About 15% were against, and 32% were undecided or had no opinion on the matter. The majority (66%) also said that Ukraine should join the European Union, and 68% said that the country should become part of NATO.
13.13 Work on the agreement on rare earth minerals is currently ongoing. For Ukraine, the important aspects of this document are the correct distribution of profits and security guarantees. This was stated by the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office Mykhailo Podolyak on the air of the telethon.
12:57 Russian special services are moving into an active phase of information operations against Ukraine and Europe, said the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation Andrey Kovalenko on Friday, February 21.
The main goal is to strengthen Euroscepticism, support politicians who may question the unity of the EU, and also attempts to change the European course towards Ukraine.
12.46 The Cabinet of Ministers allocated another UAH 7.9 billion for the purchase of drones. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a government meeting. According to him, in January 2025, the production of drones in Ukraine increased 10 times compared to January last year.
12:37 In January 2025, the number of requests to the I Want to Find project regarding missing Russian servicemen in the Kursk region, where soldiers of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to destroy and capture Russian servicemen, increased by 29%. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.
12:33 Most Poles do not support sending their troops to Ukraine as part of a possible stabilization mission. This is evidenced by the results of an Opinia24 poll for Radia ZET.
According to the study, 63% of respondents spoke out against such a decision. While only 22% supported the idea of involving Polish troops in the mission. Another 15% found it difficult to answer.
12.19 As a result of a Russian airstrike on the village of Zolochiv in the Kharkiv region, four people were injured. As a result of the UAB hitting the road, a car caught fire, three private houses and one apartment building, as well as administrative buildings, were damaged.
11:37 Weapons supplies to Ukraine under contracts with American companies continue. This was stated by Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, UNN reports.
10:56 Three police officers were injured in the Kharkiv region as a result of a Russian drone strike. This was reported by the regional department of the National Police. The enemy drone, presumably a Molniya type, hit a service vehicle.
10:35 Law enforcement officers detained a man and a woman in the Kyiv region who, on orders from the Russian FSB, were preparing to blow up buildings of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. According to the SBU, the Russians remotely recruited two unemployed people - a 27-year-old drug addict and his common-law wife, who were looking for "easy" money on Telegram channels.
9:42 Russian propagandists and intelligence agencies have received instructions from the Kremlin to promote "victorious" narratives for the anniversary of the full-scale invasion. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on its Telegram channel on Friday, February 21.
9:20 On the night of February 21, the occupiers launched 160 drones at Ukraine. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8:44 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have engaged in combat with the Russians 121 times at the front, most often in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7:41 Over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces destroyed 1,280 Russian occupiers, as well as 52 artillery systems, 18 armored fighting vehicles, and 12 tanks. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook.
03:03 According to media reports, the G7 countries have significantly softened the draft communiqué for the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, removing the mention of limiting the price cap on Russian oil. The US also spoke out against mentioning Russia's aggression in the G7 statement.
01:25 Every two dollars invested in Ukraine's long-range capabilities causes almost ten dollars of damage to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a video address.
Direct Transation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back Russian attacks in eight directions.
In the Pokrovsky direction, enemy troops have advanced 14 times since the beginning of the day. But now there is only one battle in the outskirts of the city.
The number of battles at the front has been gradually decreasing for the fourth day, at least in the first half of the day. This is evidenced by data from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 16:00 on Friday, February 21.
Thus, today there have already been 53 military clashes in eight directions. For comparison, on February 17, as of this time, the Russian invaders organized 109 assaults in 10 directions.
On Friday, in the Kupyansk direction, our defenders stopped three assaults by invaders near Zagryzovo. Another clash continues.
In the Liman direction, the enemy is attacking in the areas of the settlements of Kopanki, Novolyubovka, Terny and Kolodezi. In total, there are four combat clashes, two of which are ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are repelling three attacks near the village of Vasyukovka.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy advanced eight times in the areas of Dilievka and Toretsk, six combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the enemy attacked 14 times in the areas of the settlements of Vodyanoye Vtoroye, Elizavetovka, Sviridonovka, Promin, Peschanoye, Sergeyevka, Andreyevka, Ulakly. One combat clash continues to this day.
Three enemy assaults have been stopped in the Novopavlovsk direction ; the invader attempted to break through defensive positions in the Constantinople and Burlatskoye areas. One combat clash is still ongoing.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy attacked twice in the directions of Shcherbakov and Pyatikhatki.
In the Kursk direction, the Russians carried out eight attacks.
Let us recall that in the course of 24 hours on February 20, Russia lost about 1,300 soldiers killed and wounded at the front. The total number of Russian losses since the beginning of the war is approaching 870 thousand people.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] From 15 to 21 February, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out 11 group strikes by long-range air-, ground-, and sea-based high-precision weapons, and by unmanned aerial vehicles, which hit the facilities of the gas-power and port infrastructure, as well as electrical substations that support the work of the Ukrainian defence industry.
In addition, strikes were delivered at missile and artillery depots, military airfield infrastructure, assembly workshops, depots storing attack unmanned aerial vehicles, temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries.
During the week, the Sever Group of Forces continued to rout AFU units in Kursk region.
In the course of the offensive actions, Sverdlikovo (Kursk region) was liberated.
Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery inflicted fire on manpower and hardware of two tank brigades, one heavy mechanised brigade, three air assault brigades, three assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one naval infantry brigade, and one territorial defence brigade.
In Kharkov direction, units of one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade of the AFU, two territorial defence brigades, and one National Guard brigade were hit.
During the week, more than 2,255 troops, 11 tanks, and 137 armoured fighting vehicles of the enemy have been neutralised in the area of responsibility of the Sever Group of Forces. Moreover, 166 motor vehicles, 36 field artillery guns, three MLRS fighting vehicles, three electronic warfare stations, and five ammunition depots were neutralised.
The Zapad Group's units liberated Figolevka (Kharkov region) and Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The Group inflicted fire damage on one tank brigade, four mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade, one mountain assault brigade, and one assault brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades.
The enemy lost more than 1,315 troops and 15 armoured fighting vehicles, including eight U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers. Thirty-nine motor vehicles, 36 field artillery guns, with 16 of them manufactured by NATO countries, ten electronic warfare stations, and 11 ammunition depots were neutralised.
The Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical position. Russian troops hit four mechanised brigades, one infantry brigade, one mountain assault brigade, one assault brigade, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades.
During the week, the AFU lost up to 1,365 troops, 12 armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, 18 motor vehicles, and 19 field artillery guns, including five Western-made artillery guns. Four electronic warfare stations and seven field ammunition depots were neutralised.
The Tsentr Group of Forces units continued to advance to the depths of the enemy's defence, and liberated Berezovka and Nadezhdinka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The units of five mechanised brigades, two jaeger brigades, one airmobile brigade, two motorised infantry brigades, one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two territorial defence brigades, and two national guard brigades were hit.
The Ukrainian troops lost more than 2,740 troops, 12 tanks, including the German-made Leopard tank, 28 armoured fighting vehicles, including six U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers. Moreover, 42 motor vehicles and 40 field artillery guns were eliminated, including three Western-made guns.
The Vostok Group of Forces units continued to advance to the depths of the enemy's defence and liberated Novoselka and Novoochretovatoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
One tank brigade, four mechanised brigades, one air assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one naval infantry brigade, and two territorial defence brigades were hit.
The enemy lost more than 1,100 troops, six tanks, including two German-made Leopard tanks, 13 armoured fighting vehicles, 23 motor vehicles, and 29 field artillery guns, three of which were manufactured by NATO countries. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Dnepr Group of Forces units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade, three coastal defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and two territorial defence brigades.
The AFU lost more than 460 troops, 43 motor vehicles, and seven field artillery guns. Ten electronic warfare stations and counter-battery radar, as well as four ammunition depots, were neutralised.
Over the past week, Russia's air defence systems have shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft, two JDAM guided aerial bombs, and 36 HIMARS projectiles produced by the United States, 17 Hammer guided aerial bombs produced by France, one Uragan MLRS projectile, one Neptune anti-ship missile converted to engage ground targets, as well as 790 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
Over the past week, 58 Ukrainian servicemen have surrendered on the line of contact.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 655 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 44,132 unmanned aerial vehicles, 596 anti-aircraft missile systems, 21,688 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,521 MLRS combat vehicles, 21,926 field artillery guns and mortars, and 32,005 units of support military vehicles of the enemy have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
During offensive actions, the Sever Group of Forces engaged units of one tank brigade, one heavy mechanised brigade, six mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade, four air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, three territorial defence brigades, and three assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Gogolevka, Guyevo, Goncharovka, Zaoleshenka, Kazachya Loknya, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Loknya, Malaya Loknya, Makhnovka, Mirny, Nikolsky, Oleshnya, and Sudzha. Two counter-attacks launched by enemy units were repelled.
Operational-tactical and army aviation and artillery fire hit enemy manpower and hardware close to Agronom, Kolmakov, Kositsa, Kubatkin, Martynovka, Melovoy, Nikolayevka, Staraya Sorochina, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, as well as Basovka, Belovody, Varachino, Zhuravka, Miropolye, Novenkoye, and Yunakovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 250 troops, a Swedish-made CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle, four armoured personnel carriers, 15 armoured fighting vehicles, 16 motor vehicles, three artillery guns, four mortars, two MLRS fighting vehicles, and one German-made Gepard self-propelled vehicle, as well as two UAV command posts, and one ammunition depot.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 62,450 troops, 373 tanks, 280 infantry fighting vehicles, 233 armoured personnel carriers, 1,962 armoured fighting vehicles, 2,112 motor vehicles, 464 artillery guns, 51 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 22 anti-aircraft missile launchers, nine transport-loading vehicles, 111 EW stations, 15 counter-battery warfare radars, seven air defence radars, 49 units of engineering and other materiel, including 19 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 14 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront>] 20:40 Captured Ukrainian serviceman: “A huge thank you to the Russian troops, they saved my life”
Prisoner of war Sergei Pachkovtold, how Ukrainian nationalists set up a firing position in one of the residential buildings in the village of Plekhovo in the Kursk region, but during the assault on the settlement, Russian stormtroopers cleared it out. Pachkov miraculously survived, having been wounded, and when he came to, he discovered that he had been abandoned. He hid in the basement for four days, hoping that he would be taken away, but this did not happen. Russian servicemen found Pachkov and provided medical assistance.
19:50 Crews of the Molniya-2 UAV aircraft type of the 44th Army Corps of the North group of forces continue to destroy military facilities, armored and automotive equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kharkov direction.
18:50 Our FPV drone destroys Ukrainian Armed Forces communications equipment on a mobile tower in the Kursk direction, –video.
18:05 Calculations of FPV drones of the Rubicon Center hit supply and transport of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen via roads, destroying enemy equipment and weapons.
16:50 In the South Donetsk direction, units of the "East" group of forces released the settlements of Novoocheretovatoye and Novosyolka in the DPR.
16:05 From 13:00 to 14:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of Kursk and Belgorod regions.
15:05 Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to defeat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations in the Kursk region.
During offensive operations, units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on formations of a tank, heavy mechanized, six mechanized, mountain assault, four airborne assault brigades, a naval infantry brigade, three territorial defense brigades and three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Gogolevka, Guevo, Goncharovka, Zaoleshenka, Kazachya Loknya, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Loknya, Malaya Loknya, Makhnovka, Mirny, Nikolsky, Oleshnya, Rubanshchina and Sudzha. Two enemy counterattacks were repelled.
Strikes by operational-tactical and army aviation and artillery fire damaged enemy manpower and equipment in the areas of the settlements of Agronom, Kolmakov, Kositsa, Kubatkin, Martynovka, Melovoy, Nikolaevka, Staraya Sorochina, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, as well as Basovka, Belovody, Varachino, Zhuravka, Miropolye, Novenkoye and Yunakovka in the Sumy region.
Over the course of 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 250 servicemen, and destroyed a Swedish-made CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle, four armored personnel carriers, 15 armored combat vehicles, 16 vehicles, three artillery pieces, four mortars, two MLRS combat vehicles, and a German-made Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, as well as two UAV control points and an ammunition depot.
14:50 Dnepropetrovsk direction, –MAP.
Intense fighting in the area of Uspenovka - Novoalexandrovka. In Uspenovka itself - about 2/3 of the village is ours. Since night our units have been attacking with equipment. In the area of Preobrazhenka and Zaporozhye the Ukrainians counterattacked. They pushed ours back in the plantations.
14:45 In the Kursk border area, UAV operators of the GV Sever are actively are hitting Ukrainians, who are being driven out of their strongholds and finished off with precise drone strikes.
13:15 Armed Forces of the Russian Federation released the settlements of Nadezhdinka and Novosyolka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:06 From February 15 to 21, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted 11 group strikes with long-range precision weapons of air, land and sea basing, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, as a result of which gas and energy and port infrastructure facilities, as well as electrical substations that ensure the operation of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine were damaged.
12:46 Ivanovo paratroopers destroyed more than 30 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones within a month.
Air defense units of the "winged infantry" are on combat duty day and night in the area of Artemovsk and Chasov Yar. They provide cover from air strikes by the crews of the Strela-10M and Verba anti-aircraft missile systems and remote-controlled machine gun mounts.
12:45 Zaporizhia direction, –MAP.
The units of the Russian Armed Forces, having previously conducted reconnaissance in force and worked on the identified targets with artillery and aviation, pushed through the enemy’s defenses, entered and consolidated their position in Pyatikhatki.
11:50 There is an enemy on the Tokmak-Vasilyevka road attacked a VAZ-2106 car with a trailer with a kamikaze drone.
The car was purely civilian, the driver was a simple farmer who was transporting hay. As a result of the attack, the car was destroyed. Fortunately, the driver was not injured.
11:15 UAV crews of the motorized rifle unit of the "Southern" group of troops provide support for assault units.
This time, drone operators discovered and quickly destroyed a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank in the Kurakhovsky direction.
9:15 At night, the Geranis attacked critical objects in Ukraine, –video.
One of the strikes hit an oil depot in Karlovka, Poltava Oblast. Fuel from there was used to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnolimansk direction, and was also supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk (DPR).
9:00 Information on strikes carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Belgorod Region over the past 24 hours:
In the Belgorod region in the villages of Krasny Khutor and Cheremoshnoye released four artillery rounds during one shelling. Also one drone was shot down over the area. No consequences.
In the Borisovsky district, the Klimovoye farm was attacked by a drone. Two private houses and an outbuilding were damaged.
In the Valuysky municipal district, 18 drones attacked the settlement of Urazovo, the villages of Borki, Dolgoe, Kazinka, Kolyhalino and Kukuyevka, 11 of which were shot down and suppressed. One passenger car and a communications infrastructure facility were damaged.
In Volokonovsky district, the village of Borisovka was attacked by a drone. One private house and two outbuildings were damaged.
In the Grayvoronsky Municipal District, 41 munitions were fired during eight attacks. Six drones were used in the settlements of Gorkovsky and Chapayevsky, the villages of Bezymeno, Dunayka, Zamostye, Kozinka, Novostroyevka-Vtoraya and Spodaryushino. A 15-year-old teenager who was injured last night in the village of Novostroyevka-Pervaya sought treatment at the Children's Regional Clinical Hospital with a closed craniocerebral injury and a head contusion. The victim's condition is assessed as satisfactory. After receiving medical assistance, he was sent for outpatient treatment.
Two cars, two outbuildings and a social facility were damaged. At night, in the settlement of Chapayevsky, after explosive devices were dropped from a drone, a passenger car was destroyed by fire and a power line was damaged - the settlement of Chapayevsky and part of the village of Golovchino are temporarily without power. Emergency services are working to restore power supply.
In the Krasnoyarsk region, 21 munitions were fired at the villages of Grafovka, Popovka and Repyakhovka during three attacks and six drones were attacked. A retail facility was damaged.
In the Shebekinsky municipal district, the city of Shebekino, the villages of Murom and Sereda, and the farmstead of Mukhin were attacked by 4 drones. Two men who received a closed craniocerebral injury and barotrauma on February 14 during a drone attack in the village of Rzhevka independently sought medical attention at the Shebekinsky Central District Hospital. Hospitalization was not required, further treatment will be carried out on an outpatient basis. In the village of Murom, three private houses were damaged.
8:42 Northerners destroyed another American M-113 armored personnel carrier in the Sudzhan border area
FPV operators of the North Guard are actively promoting the reduction of the number of M-113 armored personnel carriers in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Despite the significant number of armored personnel carriers supplied by the previous American administration, their number in the Ukrainian army is significantly decreasing and will soon be reduced to a minimum, while the Sudzhan borderland is filling up with burnt NATO armored vehicles.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Ol'ga Borisova
[REGNUM] The lack of tap water is a problem that Donetsk residents have been living with for three years now. After the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, which supplied the city with water from the Dnieper, was blown up in 2022, various solutions were tried: a new Don-Donbass water pipeline, reservoirs, total savings. But the situation did not improve radically.
Now the DPR authorities have decided to resort to a method that many call extreme - to clean up mine waters. First, the first deputy chairman of the DPR government Andrey Chertkov spoke about this, and during the direct line on February 18, the head of the republic Denis Pushilin also said so.
According to him, the Don-Donbass water pipeline, together with the rather depleted reservoirs, covers about 50% of the agglomeration’s needs, “therefore, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin gave the order to find additional opportunities to provide the population with water while the Kiev regime continues its water blockade.”
Using mine water is one of the options being considered. However, it raises many questions and frank concerns among Donetsk residents.
Previously, water from Donbass mines had never been used - Soviet research showed that it was full of bacterial impurities, mineral salts and heavy metals that were dangerous to humans.
Scientists call mine waters dangerous even when they enter rivers and reservoirs naturally - they are highly mineralized, releasing "dead air" with an oxygen content of less than 21%. The concentration of chlorides, carbonates, sulfates, as well as coal particles and rust are also dangerous.
There have been attempts to clean mine waters in mining regions in other countries, at least the projects in the US and China are widely known. But they were not always successful - at a minimum, the work was too expensive.
In turn, Ukrainian environmental organizations have previously written a lot about the mines of Donbass: according to their data, the most dangerous were the mines in Zolote in the LPR (Pervomayskugol), the Golubovskaya mine and Yunkom in Yenakiyevo (it was closed in 2002 due to fears of the consequences of an underground nuclear explosion carried out in 1979).
It is obvious that the DPR authorities also understand the danger, which is why they are announcing a thorough study of each mine, which will take a lot of time. It is also clear that in peacetime, even more time would be devoted to this purely scientific process, notes Viktor Tarasenko, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Chairman of the Crimean Republican Association "Ecology and Peace", President of the Crimean Academy of Sciences, in an interview with IA Regnum, but now times are hard.
"Of course, there are always concerns about mine pollution, desalination of water, but the main thing in this situation is to provide civilians and troops with water. I am sure that this water will pass through all the treatment facilities, in accordance with all sanitary standards - in our country, this is strictly monitored," says Tarasenko.
The agency's interlocutor emphasizes: of course, we are not talking about radioactive ores, but in the current situation we have to resort to measures that no one would have thought about under other circumstances.
Already in peacetime, the doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences continues, it will be possible to return to traditional methods of water supply - there will be water from the Seversky Donets and Oskol, which flows a little further north.
But even if modern technologies really do manage to purify mine water to an acceptable condition, the question of payment remains. The treatment plant is very expensive, will it be able to pay for itself on the scale of the DPR? And who can guarantee that Donetsk residents, who are already complaining about huge water bills, will not start receiving “golden” bills?
FOUR MAIN PROBLEMS
IA Regnum has written many times about the catastrophic water situation in Donetsk, Gorlovka, Makeyevka, small towns and villages of Donbass. Four key problems can be identified.
Problem one: in a number of villages and districts of Donetsk there is no water at all in the taps after the shelling of the Seversky Donetsk-Donbass canal in February-March 2022. Many Donetsk residents live according to water supply schedules, while the schedules published by utility services often do not coincide with reality, and technical and drinking water is brought in by volunteers and the military.
Residents of the villages are saving themselves with rainwater. The water does not reach the upper floors of apartment buildings due to weak voltage. And since there is no 24-hour supply, the pipes rust, breakthroughs occur regularly - there are few repair crews and their work is mortally dangerous.
Moreover, as Alexey Rutsko, a journalist for the publication “Bloknot Donetsk,” told IA Regnum, practically all the sources from which Donetsk and its agglomeration received water—quarries, lakes, reservoirs—have been exhausted to the point of dryness.
Problem two: the quality of tap water. Despite assurances from local authorities that it “meets the standards of technical regulations in an emergency situation at the outlet of the filtration station,” the liquid actually flowing from the tap leaves much to be desired.
Back in September, the head of the DPR instructed the republic's construction ministry and the state unitary enterprise "Voda Donbassa" to conduct a sanitary and epidemiological examination of the supplied water and "develop a set of measures to improve it." At that time, Donetsk residents reported that even after waiting for several hours of life-saving moisture, they did not see any water - "Nutella" was flowing from the taps: a muddy brown liquid into which the water turns, reaching the city residents through pipes that had not been repaired for years.
Problem three: even those who have not received water since March 2022 must pay for it. Then, on the first day of spring, the DPR introduced a moratorium on paying for water supply, but on August 29, 2024, the Voda Donbassa company announced that it would begin charging Donetsk residents for water, and from August 7, in fact, retroactively.
Already at the end of September, Donetsk residents who received the first bills told IA Regnum that they were horrified: the amounts were two to three times higher than even the most pessimistic expectations.
The agency's interlocutor, Yulia, who lives in the village of Lidievka, part of the Kirovsky district of Donetsk, emphasized: there has been no water since the spring of 2022, and a debt has appeared in her personal account. The woman assured: she will not pay the bills, but will definitely collect all the payments in case of court cases.
Problem number four: a huge number of accidents on water mains. In just one day, February 19, repair crews eliminated 281 accidents on the territory of the republic. At the same time, the crews have to work under constant shelling, and the pipes are often in a deplorable state.
In frontline villages and parts of the Kirovsky, Petrovsky and Kuibyshevsky districts of Donetsk adjacent to the line of combat, there have been no major repairs of intra-house communications for a long time, and the few repair teams that go to the sites of breakthroughs become targets for enemy drones. This was previously reported in a commentary to IA Regnum by the deputy of the DPR People's Council, chairman of the People's Council Committee on Agro-Industrial Complex and Land Relations Yuri Leonov.
It is obvious that cleaning mine water alone will not solve these long-standing problems.
#1
I'd be real leery about using water from flooded mines for drinking. Heavy metals and all.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/22/2025 16:20 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Would steam distilling drop out the dissolved compounds, or would reverse osmoses through membranes be required…or both? There are standard protocols and equipment for getting purified water, though at a price.
#4
When we put in our last hot water heater, the installer asked if we wanted to attach a water softener or reverse osmosis purifier, as the water around here is somewhat hard. I consulted my in-house engineer, who turned down spending a couple extra thousand dollars for either option, as it wouldn’t significantly enough shorten the useful life, and we are not so tender that the deposits on skin, hair, and clothing would be debilitating.
The pilot plant I used when I was developing new and improved toothpastes used water purified through reverse osmosis, as I recall, as did the company’s factories.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded the rank of admiral to Black Sea Fleet Commander Sergei Pinchuk. The corresponding decree was published on the legal acts portal on February 21.
“To award the military rank of <…> Admiral to Sergei Mikhailovich Pinchuk,” the decree states.
By the same decree, Stanislav Gadzimagomedov, Andrei Ivanaev, Vladimir Kravchenko, and Valery Solodchuk were awarded the rank of Colonel General.
In October 2021, Sergei Pinchuk was appointed Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Black Sea Fleet. After the start of the special operation, the European Union imposed personal sanctions against him. On February 15, 2024, Pinchuk was appointed Acting Commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on April 2, 2024, President Putin appointed Pinchuk as commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Admiral Alexander Moiseyev was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] It is not Russia that is to blame for the military conflict in Ukraine, but the incorrect statements of former US President Joe Biden and the head of the Kiev regime Volodymyr Zelensky. This was stated by US President Donald Trump on February 21.
"Every time I say it's not Russia's fault, I always get criticized by the fake news, but I tell you: Biden said the wrong thing, Zelensky said the wrong thing," Trump said on Fox News.
According to the American leader, Russia “could have been easily dissuaded” from carrying out the special operation, but this was not done.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on February 13, Trump said that the desire of Western countries to include Ukraine in NATO was one of the reasons that prompted Russia to launch a special military operation in Ukraine. According to Trump, Russia has long stated that Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO. Both Biden and Zelensky have spoken about this more than once.
On February 20, the Financial Times (FT) reported that the United States opposed the use of the wording "aggressor" in relation to Russia in the new communiqué. The article clarified that Trump thus wants to distance himself as much as possible from Joe Biden's position. According to those close to the American leader, the rejection of such wording will help resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
