Ukraine – 2/14 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
February 14, 2023
St. Valentine’s Day – Queen Olga of Kyiv and Geoffrey Chaucer
In his latest Substack blog, Timothy Snyder reminded his readers of the significance of birds on St. Valentine’s Day. He includes excerpts from Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem “Parliament of Foules,” written in the early 1380s-
For this was on Seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make,
Of every kinde, that men thynke may;
And that so huge a noyse gan they make,
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake
So ful was, that unnethe was ther space
The poem ends with this passage –
Ful blisful may they singen whan they wake;
Now welcom somer, with thy sonne softe,
That hast this wintres weders over-shake,
And driven away the longe nightes blake.
Approximately 400 years before Chaucer wrote these words, Queen Olga of Kyiv had a conflict on her hand with a tribe called the Drevlians, located in what is now northwestern Ukraine. The Drevlians had killed her husband, and they wanted Olga to commit to marry their Prince Mai, who was Olga’s late husband’s murderer. Upon her husband’s death, Queen Olga had become Regent, acting on behalf of her young son.
To exact revenge on the Drevlians, among other things Queen Olga also made use of birds, as described in her Wikipedia page –
“She (Queen Olga) then asked them (the Drevlians) for a small request: "Give me three pigeons ... and three sparrows from each house.” The Drevlians rejoiced at the prospect of the siege ending for so small a price, and they did as she asked.
Olga then instructed her army to attach a piece of Sulphur bound with small pieces of cloth to each bird. At nightfall, Olga told her soldiers to set the pieces aflame and release the birds. They returned to their nests within the city, which subsequently set the city ablaze. As the Primary Chronicle tells it: "There was not a house that was not consumed, and it was impossible to extinguish the flames, because all the houses caught fire at once." As the people fled the burning city, Olga ordered her soldiers to catch them, killing some of them and giving the others as slaves to her followers. She left the remnant to pay tribute.”
If it hasn’t done so already, Queen Olga’s creative ways to exact revenge on the Drevlians should be an object lesson for the Russians. The legend still lives.
It is customary in Ukraine for newly married couples to visit the statue of Queen Olga, which in Kyiv is located in front of St. Michael’s Cathedral. We made the visit. Today, Queen Olga still stands, but she is protected by several layers of sandbags.
News From the Battlefield
According to “Reporting From Ukraine,” the main thrust of Russia’s offensive will come from Russian territory around the Belgorod Region, south toward northern Luhansk with an initial focus on Kupiansk.
Launching an offensive from Russian territory appears to make sense for Russia, because Russian forces are tied down in the South and they have experienced significant reversals in Vulhudar. Unless Vulhudar is taken, Russian supply lines going west from Rostov-on-Don, both rail and road, are vulnerable to strikes by both Ukrainian artillery, and by partisans who recently damaged a railroad bridge near Melitopol. Russians are also building defense lines in the South, to defend against a possible Ukrainian counterattack and to protect Crimea. Further north, Russian troops already in Ukraine continue to be tied down, both around Bakhmut and around Kreminna.
2/14 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon February 13 to 12:00 noon February 14, 2023
From mid-September to last Friday, russia launched 797 missiles at Ukraine, of which 207 hit targets, 25%. This does not include numerous MLRS = Multiple Launch Rocket Systems launches and converted anti air C-300 and C-400 missiles. I am pleased to report that these launches failed to knock out Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure. Today the national grid operator announced for the third day in a row there will be no black outs anywhere in Ukraine.
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
February 14
11:59 NATO Secretary General: "Ukraine must urgently "get what it needs to win the war" against the background of the preparation of a new Russian offensive."
11:47 Secretary of Defense: The United States and allies promise to help Ukrainians launch a counteroffensive in the spring.
· "All countries from all over the world continue to increase their efforts and consider new solutions [on military support for Ukraine]. At the same time, this Contact Group clearly states that we will support Ukraine in its struggle. We will help Ukraine launch a counteroffensive in the spring," Austin said at a Ramstein meeting.
11:39: Pentagon Chairman Lloyd Austin opened a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense - media.
11:27: Japan has declared serious concern and inadmissibility of the threat of the use of nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation.
· This was stated by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Takeo Mori. He added that now it is important to strongly support Ukraine, and it is also necessary to continue to impose tough sanctions against the Russian Federation.
10:34: Russian ships go to sea with nuclear weapons on board for the first time in 30 years, says Norwegian intelligence
· "If the conflict escalates into a regional war involving NATO, Russia will be able to use nuclear weapons on the grounds that the war threatens its existence. In this case, the so-called demonstrative use of tactical nuclear weapons is possible," the intelligence officers warn.
10:01 The Washington Post: The U.S. has warned Ukraine that there is a turning point in the war.
· Biden administration officials believe that the critical moment will come this spring, when Russia launches an offensive and Ukraine launches a counteroffensive in an attempt to regain lost territory.
· The Biden Administration’s statement about Russia launching an offensive this Spring seems to be at odds with statements by NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and the defense ministries of the UK and Ukraine, among others, that Russia’s offensive has already started.
· The Washington Post article states, “U.S. officials are telling Ukrainian leaders they face a critical moment to change the trajectory of the war, raising the pressure on Kyiv to make significant gains on the battlefield while weapons and aid from the United States and its allies are surging.” Do U.S. officials really believe that they need to communicate this “concern” to Ukraine? The U.S. was raising the same concerns last summer, prior to Ukraine’s counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson.
· The statement by the U.S. is also a bit disingenuous – if the U.S. and other countries had given Ukraine the weapons they were asking for, when they were asking for them, such a statement by the U.S. likely wouldn’t be necessary.
08:40 Politico: The United States will announce a new assistance package for Ukraine this week,
· Supplies will focus on ammunition, air defense and spare parts for equipment.
08:04 White House National Security Council Coordinator: The U.S. has no independent confirmation of allegations of Russia's attempts to organize a coup d'état in Moldova, but there is no doubt that this is in line with the Kremlin's wishes.
· The State Department advises U.S. companies to leave Russia immediately so as not to be exposed to "undue risk."
00:30 NATO Deputy Secretary General: Russia does not have the strength to attack Ukraine from Transnistria
· Moscow is planning a coup d'état in Moldova, but will not be able to surround Ukraine with the help of forces in the Transnistrian region.
· "Now Russia does not have enough forces to surround Ukraine behind with the help of Transnistria, and such a plan still exists, then seize Odessa, and then get a land corridor to western Transnistria. We do not see that Russia has the strength to do this," Mircea Joane said.
· Russia has approximately 1,500 “peacekeepers” in Transnistria. In my experience, having crossed through Transnistria several times traveling by car between Kyiv and Chisinau, the Russian peacekeepers are very good at asking for bribes from Westerners transiting Transnistrian territory. Personally, I don’t recall paying any bribe. As former First Lady Nancy Reagan said, “Just say no.”
February 13
23:40 BBC: According to the latest data, the number of victims of the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has increased to 37 thousand, rescuers are beginning to curtail the search.
23:59: Poland plans to send Ukraine 60 modernized T-72 and PT-91 Twardy, as well as 14 Leopard tanks.
· This was announced by the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki during a press conference with his Swedish counterpart.
· "Poland has already supplied 250 post-Soviet tanks. We also plan to supply another additional modernized 60 tanks and another 14 Leopard," Morawiecki said.
22:49 German Foreign Minister: Hungary and Turkey should ratify Sweden and Finland's applications for NATO membership without undue delay.
· She stressed that Sweden and Finland had met the criteria necessary for joining the alliance. In addition, according to Berbok, Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO will contribute to strengthening security in the Baltic Sea region and beyond.
22:30: Volodymyr Zelenskyy had his first conversation with the elected President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Cristodoulides and congratulated him on his victory in the elections.
· "I thanked for Cyprus' continued support for Ukraine, for humanitarian assistance within the UN. We appreciate the support of Ukraine on our way to the EU. We will continue to strengthen our interaction," the president wrote.
21:58 Deutsche Welle: Chairman of the Munich Conference Christoph Hoysgen against the "red lines" on the issue of fighters for Ukraine.
· "Instead of drawing "red lines", I think you should pay attention to what is needed.
· Fighter jets are needed both to protect airspace and to reach targets that are not available for artillery," Hoysgen said.
20:33: The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Hoisgen, opposes any "red lines" in providing military assistance to Ukraine.
· He believes that it is necessary to be guided solely by military necessity — therefore, the supply of fighters cannot be ruled out.
19:52: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi spoke with the Commander of NATO's Allied Forces Europe, General Christopher Kavoli.
· "We discussed the supply of international military assistance to Ukraine, the training of our units.
· He shared his assessments of the operational situation at the front, plans for further actions and vision of our victory," Zaluzhny wrote.
19:20 Bloomberg: EU may impose new sanctions on Wagner's PMC.
· He insists on imposing sanctions against the Wagner group, according to the agency's interlocutors, France.
· According to Bloomberg, representatives of the PMC operate not only in Ukraine, but also in the former French territories in Central Africa and the Sahel region.
18:06 Pravda: After the "egg scandal", Reznikov announced personnel changes in the Ministry of Defense
· The Minister submitted documents for approval of candidates for the positions of his deputies - Reznikov does not name their number and surnames.
· According to UP sources, these candidates are volunteer, public figure, founder of the "Come Back Alive" charitable foundation Vitaliy Deinega and people's deputy of V, VI and VII convocations, exposol in Canada, Andriy Shevchenko
17:40 Prime Minister of Poland: Poland has already handed over 250 T-72 tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and plans to transfer another 60. Ukraine will also receive 14 German Leopard tanks
17:25 Industry Minister Adolfo Urso: Italy plans to get rid of its dependence on Russian gas by the end of the year.
· And next year, Italy may begin to supply gas to other countries and soon become a European gas hub, including by doubling the flow through the Trans-Adriatic pipeline from Azerbaijan.
17:10 espreso: The IMF mission has started its work in Ukraine, the result may be a new program worth $ 16 billion.
16:55: NATO plans to call on allies to increase ammunition stockpiles amid depletion of stocks.
· It is noted that even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, many NATO countries were unable to fulfill the tasks set by the Alliance for the accumulation of weapons, since it was believed that the wars of attrition with large-scale artillery battles were a thing of the past.
· However, the pace of supply in Ukraine has depleted Western stocks and exposed holes in the efficiency, speed and human resources of supply chains.
16:25 espreso: The Slovak Parliament expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the government to decide on the transfer of the MiG-29 to Ukraine.
· Parliament Speaker Boris Kollar prefers Slovakia to hand over fighter jets as part of joint assistance from several countries. He fears negative attention from the Russian Federation, and also insists on their compensation, or on a procedure similar to a ring exchange with Germany.
16:10 espreso: China says U.S. balloons illegally crossed the country's airspace 10 times.
· Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not call the bullets military or espionage.
15:55 espreso: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, before the ninth meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defence, urged not to allow Russia to seize the initiative on the battlefield.
· Stoltenberg said that "Putin is not preparing for peace. He's starting new offensives."
· "Key means, such as ammunition and spare parts, must enter Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield. Speed will save lives. The sooner Kyiv is provided with weapons, ammunition and spare parts, fuel, the more lives can be saved," the NATO Secretary General stressed.
15:40 espreso - Politico: The 10th package of EU sanctions against Russia will include 4 banks, including Alfa-Bank.
· Lists of 130 people and organizations were proposed by the Baltic countries, Poland, France, Germany and others. The publication notes that the Russian military leadership, the invading authorities appointed by Russia in the occupied territories, journalists and propagandists working in the Russian state media will fall under the sanctions.
15:00 espreso: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has arrived in Belarus because "communication channels must be open."
· Szijjártó arrived in Belarus for talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Sergei Aleynik. He will also meet with the Minister of Economy of Belarus Alexander Chervyakov.
· Szijjártó himself said he would represent a "position of peace" in today's talks with Belarus. He wrote on his Facebook that Hungary expects that "all members of the international community will act for peace and avoid actions that could lead to the continuation or escalation of war."
14:30: Zelenskyy had his first-ever phone conversation with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
· The heads of state discussed further cooperation between the countries.
14:00 ESPRESO - British expert: The Armed Forces are able to master F-16 fighters in a few months
· A resident of the British Air and Space Force Association, the Ukrainian military is very motivated to learn quickly. He predicted that an experienced military pilot could start using such an aircraft in 6-8 weeks. At the same time, aircraft maintenance takes longer, but you can help with maintenance remotely.
12:40 Ansa: Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni reaffirmed her government's "firm" support for Ukraine after former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made critical statements against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
· Maloni's office said Sunday that the Italian government was "firmly and confidently" supporting Ukraine.
NATIONAL
February 14
11:12: During the day, pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service were involved 79 times, 210 explosive objects were found, seized and neutralized, - the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
· An area of 31 hectares was surveyed.
10:52 Ukrenergo: There is currently no shortage of power in the power system. This means that power plants produce enough electricity to cover consumption.
· Due to the lack of capacity deficit, consumption limits to the regions have not been brought to date. In Odesa, due to damaged infrastructure, there are still minor network restrictions.
09:40: Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov and Pentagon Chairman Lloyd Austin have already arrived at the meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine.
07:10: Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
· "Over the past day, the enemy has inflicted 2 missile and 32 air strikes. He carried out 55 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.
· The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Kupyansk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdievsky and Novopavlovsk directions. Suffers significant losses. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are taking additional measures to strengthen the defense.
· Over the past day, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repulsed Russian attacks in the areas of the settlements of Gryannikovka, Kharkiv region; Nevsky, Kreminna, Kuzmino, Shipilovka and Bilohorivka - Lugansk and Fedorovka, Paraskoviivka, Bakhmut, Vodiane, Marinka and Pobeda in the Donetsk region, - General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· Due to the lack of metal tokens with a personal number by which the body of the deceased serviceman can be identified, the personnel of the 20th Army units operating in the Luhansk region were obliged by the management to carry a sleeve with a piece of paper in it in their breast pocket. On this piece, every Russian military must indicate information about himself, personal number, etc.,
· To motivate personnel to attack, russian units are campaigning about daily cash allowances for participation in assault operations. In addition, an additional payment has been announced to each invader for a kilometer of advance on Ukrainian land.
· Campaigning work on mobilization against scientists began in Moscow,
· In particular, with the staff of the Research Institute "Polyus", which is the leading scientific center of Russia in the field of laser technologies, explanatory work was carried out on social guarantees and benefits of mobilized persons.
· Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation has inflicted 15 strikes on areas of concentration of Russians. Also, Ukrainian defenders shot down two Russian aircraft - Su-24M and Su-25 - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· Units of rocket troops and artillery, at the same time, hit the control point, 7 areas of concentration of manpower, 2 EW stations, as well as the Russian ammunition depot.
February 13
23:04: Volodymyr Zelenskyy: There are new agreements almost every day. The main thing is that each agreement reached develops as soon as possible into specific deliveries for our defense.
· The President of Ukraine thanked the allies and said that the support of the West is more powerful than ever.
22:14 press service: SSU conducted counter-sabotage exercises in border areas of Rivne region.
· "The purpose of such measures is to increase the level of security near the border with Belarus.
· The exercises continued in conditions as close as possible to the real ones with the involvement of a significant number of personnel of the Defense Forces, military and special equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles," the message says.
20:49 Yasno: The regions no longer have restrictions on electricity limits.
· According to him, Ukrenergo does not form limits for the regions, as all nine NPP power units are currently in operation, additional units at some TPPs are operating, hydroelectric power plants are working more actively.
· At the same time, the system cannot work smoothly, so local outages are possible.
20:05 representative of the Defence Intelligence: Work on the return home of the defenders of Zmiyiny Island and Mariupol continues.
· "Those guys and girls who have already been returned are now undergoing a process of rehabilitation, post-isolation support and return either conditionally to normal life, or also to the struggle and further to the performance of their duties," Yusov said.
18:41 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on February 13:
· "During the day, the enemy inflicted 2 missile and 16 air strikes. He carried out more than 15 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.
· The designated units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to perform tasks in the border areas with Ukraine.
· At the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus, measures of combat training of the troops of the Russian Federation continue."
· "There are more frequent cases when mobilized servicemen of the Russian Federation, who are in units dowry to the 1st Army Corps of the Southern Military District, refuse to go on the offensive."
· "Because of this, mobilized men from the temporarily occupied by Russia territories of the Donetsk region are removed from the second and third lines and sent to landfills.
· There they are trained for two weeks and formed into assault units for offensive actions in the Avdiivka direction."
· "Due to the significant number of sanitary losses among the invaders, in the temporarily occupied Luhansk maternity hospital is used to treat wounded servicemen of the Russian occupation forces.
· In addition, the premises of children's hospital No. 3 were also converted into a military hospital."
· "During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces inflicted 14 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers.
· Our units of rocket troops and artillery hit 3 areas of concentration of manpower and the enemy's EW station."
16:40 Operational Command South: TheOsians have increased the number of rocket carriers in the Black Sea and stepped up air reconnaissance.
· OK "South" reports that a frigate has been added to the two underwater launch vehicles, so the total volley of Kalibr-type missiles is currently 16.
12:51: Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced the newly appointed Head of the Security Service of Ukraine - a combat officer, Major General Vasyl Malyuk - to the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine.
· "From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Vasily Vasilyevich Malyuk proved that he is a patriot, a professional and exactly the person who should lead the Security Service of our state," the president said.
12:11: Starlink satellite communication system continues to operate on the front line in Ukraine, says Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX.
· Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that Starlink systems continue to work.
MORDOR (russia)
February 13
21:09: In the Myshkinsky district of the Yaroslavl region, the Russian Federation, an explosion occurred on the main gas pipeline, — RosSMI.
· The Russian Ministry of Emergencies said that a gas leak occurred on the section of the gas pipeline near the village of Yeremeitsevo.
16:20 Pravda: Putin is increasingly using an armored train for long-distance trips to his residences, which he moved to in the fall of 2021, when the Russian army began preparing for the invasion of Ukraine.
· It is reported that the Russian dictator could have preferred an armored train for security reasons. Unlike airplanes, the train is more difficult to track because there are no services for tracking passenger trains in real time
13:40 Pravda: Kadyrov says he can "take Kiev" if Putin orders and showed a gun "for Zelensky"
· "We have a living force that can reach Kyiv, take Kyiv. If there is an order from the supreme commander-in-chief, we are ready to go to America at least, we will leave Moldova far behind.
KHARKIV
February 14
09:30 Kharkiv RMA: Last day, Russians shelled at least 17 border settlements in the Chuhuiv, Kupyansk and Kharkiv districts of the region.
· At night, they beat on the village of Monachinovka, Kupyansk district. The village club building was damaged. Without casualties.The city of Vovchansk suffers the most from shelling.
· A 46-year-old employee of Kharkivoblenergo blew up on the anti-personnel mini "Petal". Hospitalized in serious condition.
LUHANSK
February 14
10:13 Luhansk RMA: Freshly mobilized arrive in Luhansk region from different regions of Russia.
· "They settle in residential buildings and administrative buildings, in particular, in schools. There are a lot of them. But these soldiers do not return from the front from time to time, and new ones are brought in their place."
DONETSK
February 14
10:21: SBU exposes fraudsters who stole almost UAH 100 million from the accounts of Mariupol residents
· The organization of the deal involved a criminal group from the temporarily occupied Donetsk, which operated with the coordination of Russian special services, and its head is part of Pushilin's inner circle.
· These were personal data of almost 4 thousand rubles. local residents, including those who died or were forcibly taken to Russia and had savings in financial institutions in the territory controlled by Ukraine.
08:48 Institute for the Study of War: Russia may deploy additional units mobilized for defense and offensive operations to the Vuhledar area for attrition.
· The use by the Russian armed forces of the units mobilized as a replacement for units destroyed in battles is unlikely to create a powerful force for a large-scale and rapid mechanized offensive.
08:31 Donetsk RMA: On February 13, Russians killed 1 resident of Donetsk region — in Stavki.
· Another 3 people in the area were injured.
February 13
23:22: A SU-24 aircraft was shot down over Bakhmut by Ukrainian air defense, in which the owner of the Wagner PMC Prigozhin threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
· According to Prigozhin himself, the pilot managed to land the bomber and is now being repaired.
22:33 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region.
19:36 Operational Command East: The Armed Forces of Ukraine control the village of Krasnaya Gora on the approaches to Bakhmut.
· "The statements of the Russians that they captured Krasnaya Gora are not true. There are fights going on there, we are keeping the situation under our control," Cherevaty said.
15:15 espreso: Near Vuhledar, the Armed Forces of Ukraine defeated a large column of invaders.
· The front has become less mobile, the Russians are pushing our positions with their mass somewhere. Russia lost a lot of manpower and equipment after the defeat at Vuhledar. The Armed Forces of Ukraine defeated a large column, destroyed a tank battalion of the Russian army. In the Donetsk direction, the Russians took care of the equipment and used only personnel.
ZAPORIZHIA
February 14
09:13 Social Networks: An explosion was heard in the temporarily occupied Berdyansk, Zaporizhia region,
KHERSON
February 14
09:03 Kherson RMA: Russians shelled peaceful settlements of Kherson region 54 times.
· Kherson itself was attacked by the Russian army 13 times. 2 people were killed, 3 residents of the region were injured of varying severity.
08:49 Social Networks: Explosions were heard again in Kherson.
08:11 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
February 13
21:25 Kherson RMA: Russians shelled the homes of civilians in the village of Ingulets in the Kherson region.
· "A fragment of enemy ammunition touched a woman who was near her house. The wounds were incompatible with life.
· Another villager was hospitalized with a mine-blast injury and a wreckage wound to the back," the report said.
12:37 Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Kherson.
12:02 Kherson rMA: Russian troops today once again shelled the city with artillery. Russian shells utterly destroyed the building of the production base of one of the enterprises.
· Rescuers, medics and law enforcement officers promptly arrived at the scene. Under the rubble was a man - a guard of the base. Doctors stated death.
12:25 SBU press service: The SBU detained a collaborator in Kyiv who was trying to hide from justice in the ranks of the Red Cross office.
· The attacker turned out to be the former head of the sector of the "management of the pension fund "LPR" created by the invaders in the Novopskov district."
· According to the investigation, the defendant is a resident of Luhansk region, who at the beginning of a full-scale invasion supported the Russian invaders and offered them his assistance in the war against Ukraine.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://euromaidanpress.com/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka