As part of his wider anti-corruption campaign in the defense ministry, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Ruslan Dziuba as deputy commander of the National Guard, according to a brief from the presidential office (Reuters)
Russia Unleashes New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure
Russian missiles and drones targeted infrastructure sites across Ukraine today, damaging power facilities in six regions and prompting blackouts (Reuters)
One missile flew over Moldova, where the prime minister resigned shortly afterward, citing factors including “crises caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine” (WaPo; AP)
The missile came within twenty-two miles (thirty-five kilometers) of the border of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Romania, Bucharest said (Al Jazeera)
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down sixty-one cruise missiles and five drones in these attacks, which come a day after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy visited Europe to request further military aid from the West; meanwhile, Kyiv said Moscow has begun a long-anticipated offensive in Ukraine’s east, just two weeks ahead of the war’s one-year mark (NYT)
In Brussels, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Calls for More War Aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the European Parliament today, pressing European Union (EU) leaders to send Ukraine more military aid, including long-range weapons and fighter jets (WaPo)
His request comes as Russian forces escalate their attacks in eastern Ukraine (NYT)
Zelenskyy’s trip to Europe began with a visit to London yesterday, where British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “nothing is off the table” after Zelenskyy asked Parliament for jets; however, no such pledge has been made yet (BBC)
Zelenskyy then met with the leaders of France and Germany in Paris before traveling to Brussels (France24)
When asked about sending jets in a news conference yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called decisions on military aid for Ukraine “an evolving process” (State Dept.). Meanwhile, Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine has grown in scale and intensity as better trained and equipped Russian forces arrive (NYT)
President Zelenskyy Visits United Kingdom
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the United Kingdom (UK), which today pledged to train Ukrainian pilots on the standard aircraft of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (FT)
Ukraine Replaces Defense Minister
Following a corruption scandal in its Defense Ministry, Ukraine announced Major General Kyrylo Budanov, currently head of military intelligence, will replace Oleksiy Reznikov as Defense Minister (FT)
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government asked that Israel publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and approve a $500 million loan to Kyiv ahead of a visit by Israel’s foreign minister this week, Axios reported (Axios)
Hundreds of Ukrainian Soldiers Launch Counteroffensive
Ukrainian fighters staged a counterattack against Russian forces in the eastern city of Bakhmut, though Ukrainian commanders said they still risked being surrounded (NYT)
EU Imposes Ban on Russian Diesel Purchases
The European Union (EU) ban on diesel and other refined oil products took effect today; it comes alongside a Group of Seven (G7) price cap on sales of Russian diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline (VOA)
EU Officials Affirm Support for Ukraine at Kyiv Summit
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel are visiting Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, today in the first European Union (EU) meeting in a country at war; while Ukraine’s EU membership is pending, Von der Leyen said it could potentially join some “key European programs” in the meantime (AP)
Summit attendees are set to discuss those programs, as well as further financial, military, and energy support for Ukraine (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a fast track to EU membership amid his country’s war with Russia, but EU leaders have not shown signs of speeding up the process, which could take years (BBC)
Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine during their visit, though there were no immediate reports of missile strikes; the EU is preparing new sanctions against Russia to coincide with the February 24 anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine (Reuters)
Apartment Building Destroyed by Russian Missile Kills Three
An overnight Russian missile strike in eastern Ukraine damaged nine apartment buildings and destroyed one, killing at least three people; this is the second time in twenty-four hours that Russian missiles hit residential areas in eastern Ukraine (Reuters; AP)
Ukraine Conducts More Raids in Anticorruption Drive
Ahead of a European Union (EU) summit in Kyiv, Ukrainian police raided the homes of billionaire Ihor Kolomoiskyand former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov; the EU has pressured Ukraine to crack down on corruption as it seeks to join the bloc (BBC)
Biden: Washington Will Not Send Ukraine Fighter Jets
While U.S. President Biden told reporters he is against sending the aircraft, French President Emmanuel Macron said he will not rule out the possibility of providing them (RFE/RL)
Meanwhile, faced with a request from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Brazil will not send ammunition to Ukraine (Reuters)
Russia Makes Incremental Gains in Eastern Ukraine
Russian forces gained a foothold in the town of Vuhledar in Donetsk province, marking Russia’s largest advance in months; Kyiv described the offensive as human wave attacks (Reuters)
Yesterday, Ukraine claimed it repelled an attack against the nearby area of Blahodatne, while Russia’s Wagner Group claimed it took control of the village (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the southern city of Mykolaiv today (Reuters)
Germany Refuses To Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany won’t be providing fighter jets to Kyiv after Ukrainian officials requested the jets from Western allies (Politico)
Meanwhile, speaking in Seoul, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Jens Stoltenberg called on South Korea to change its weapons export policy in order to send arms to Ukraine (FT)
Russia Launches Air Strikes on Kyiv, Other Ukrainian Cities
Officials in Ukraine said most missiles were repelled by the country’s air defenses, while Kyiv’s mayor said one person was killed; the barrage came a day after the United States and Germany announced they were sending main battle tanks to Ukraine (FT)
Germany to Send Leopard Tanks to Ukraine
Germany will send fourteen Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to export their own German-made tanks to help Ukraine fight Russian forces, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced (FT)
The United States will soon announce that it will send about thirty of its M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, unnamed U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal(WSJ). While Germany’s tanks will come from its army, the U.S. tanks are expected to be ordered from manufacturers, the Washington Post reported; Germany previously hesitated to provide the tanks due to concerns that being the only country to send the vehicles would single Germany out as a party to the war and escalate the conflict (WaPo)
Kyiv celebrated Berlin’s announcement, while Russia’s ambassador to Germany said the move “raises the conflict to a new level of hostilities” (AP)
Top Ukrainian Officials Dismissed Amid Anticorruption Push
Top officials in Ukraine’s presidential office, Defense Ministry, and Prosecutor General’s Office resigned or were removed from their posts in the country’s largest leadership shake-up since Russia invaded; several regional governors were also ousted (WaPo)
The changes come amid an anticorruption campaign by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and follow media reports that the Defense Ministry agreed to buy food for the military at inflated prices; the Defense Ministry denied the reports of corruption but accepted the deputy defense minister’s resignation as a confidence-building measure (NYT)
Meanwhile, Russian forces have intensified fighting near the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine as Ukraine waits for deliveries of heavy weapons from Western countries; the government shake-up appears to be an attempt to reassure Ukraine’s Western partners, which have sent billions of dollars of aid, though there are no signs that this assistance has been mismanaged (WSJ)
Poland to Seek Germany’s Permission to Export Tanks to Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Warsaw will seek Berlin’s permission to export Poland’s German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine; while Berlin has resisted calls to send Leopard tanks itself, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said yesterday that Berlin “would not stand in the way” of Poland doing so (FT)
Germany’s tank supply contract with Poland requires Germany to approve exports of the vehicles (Reuters)
European Union (EU) foreign ministers pressed Berlin to authorize the transfer at a meeting today in Brussels, where they are discussing a new military aid package for Kyiv (Reuters)
After Estonia joined the calls for tank exports, Russia announced that it is downgrading diplomatic ties with the country, and Estonia and Latvia told their ambassadors to leave Moscow (Reuters)
NATO Countries Pledge New Military Aid for Ukraine, Debate Tank Transfers
The United States and nine other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries each announced new military support packages for Ukraine (BBC)
The U.S. package includes $2.5 billion in weapons, bringing total U.S. security aid to Ukraine to $26.7 billion since Russia’s invasion in February; today, fifty Ukraine Defense Contact Group member countries are meeting in Germany to coordinate further aid (CNN)
Ukrainian officials have urged Western countries to resolve a standoff over deliveries of main battle tanks; the deliveries hinge on Germany’s willingness to export and approve transfers of heavy armored vehicles (FT)
Germany has said it would not commit to sending Leopard 2 tanks unless the United States pledges to send its own main battle tanks; the new U.S. aid package does not include these kinds of tanks (Reuters)
NYT: White House Weighs Sending Ukraine Weapons to Strike Russian Forces in Crimea
The Joe Biden administration has for months denied Ukraine’s requests for the weapons over concerns about escalating the war with Russia, but it has warmed to the possibility as a means of strengthening Ukraine’s position, unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times; publicly, officials said there is no change in the administration’s position (NYT)
Ukraine Helicopter Crash Kills At Least Seventeen, Including Interior Minister
The crash in a Kyiv suburb today killed Internal Affairs Minister Denys Monastyrskyi and several other officials; it also damaged a kindergarten and a residential building, killing at least four children on the ground (NYT)
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear (BBC)
The helicopter was on its way to one of the “hot spots” of the war with Russia, the president’s office said (WaPo)
As Ukraine tries to push back Russian forces in its east, the United States is drawing on its weapons stockpiles in Israel and South Korea to supply Ukrainian troops, the New York Times reported (NYT)
Meanwhile, top U.S. and Ukrainian military officers met in person for the first time yesterday; they will meet with defense officials from some fifty countries tomorrow and Friday to coordinate further military assistance to Ukraine (AP)
Russian Strike in Dnipro Kills At Least 40
A Russian strike on an apartment building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least forty people on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said (CNN)
Putin Replaces Russia’s Top General in Ukraine After Battlefield Setbacks
Russia’s highest-ranking military officer, General Valery Gerasimov, was promoted to lead the country’s forces in Ukraine, replacing General Sergey Surovikin (PBS)
Since Surovikin was appointed three months ago, Russia has lost control of the southern town of Kherson and struggled to provide basic equipment to the hundreds of thousands of troops it started conscripting in September; Surovikin has also faced criticism for housing hundreds of troops in a building that was bombed by Ukraine (CBS)
He will now serve as one of Gerasimov’s deputies (BBC)
Meanwhile, tensions have reportedly flared between Russia’s military and its Wagner Group of mercenaries over which forces deserve credit for alleged territorial gains in the town of Soledar; an unnamed source told the Financial Times that Surovikin’s demotion could be linked to the Wagner Group’s apparent successes (FT)
Russian, Ukrainian Troops Battle Over Eastern Ukrainian Town of Soledar
Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group are assisting Moscow’s forces in the town, which is six miles from the strategically significant city of Bakhmut (WaPo)
Kyiv Rejects Moscow’s Claim It Killed 600 In Eastern Attack
Ukrainian authorities rejected Moscow’s claims that Russian forces killed six hundred people in an attack in Kramatorsk, while some pro-Russia bloggers accused Russian officials of overblowing the story (NYT)
However, Ukraine said it was strengthening its forces near Bakhmut amidst constant attacks by the Wagner Group (Reuters)
Ukrainian Battle Position Adds to Evidence That Russia Took Frontline Town Marinka
Ukraine’s defense ministry said yesterday that its forces were fighting “in the vicinities” of a village behind the frontline town of Marinka, which Russia recently said it seized and open source maps also suggest Russia controls the town; the Russian advance would be one of its most significant territorial gains since the battle of Bakhmut last May (NYT)