Bob Homans February 18
20230219
Ukraine – 2/18 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
February 18, 2023
Our Webinar on February 28, at 1PM Eastern Time, 6PM in London, 8PM in Kyiv, and 10AM on the U.S. West Coast.
Webinar is entitled “Celebration of the 1-Year Anniversary of Ukraine’s Predicted Demise” (February 24+ the 5th Day)
The webinar will be conducted on Zoom. The Zoom link is here. The Zoom meeting ID is - 830 1184 0497, and the Zoom passcode: 449343. If you’re dialing in you may need these to join the meeting.
Panelists will be the 2 authors of the emails that you’ve been getting almost daily since February 24, 2022. The Moderator will be Larysa Homans, executive coach, mentor, former member of the Faculty of Kyiv Mohilya Business School, experienced moderator and, in the interest of full disclosure, the wife of one of the co-authors. The co-authors will both make short introductory statements, the Moderator will then ask both of us questions, and then we will open the floor to questions.
We hope to see you there!
“Russia’s wartime emigration sparks a ‘reckoning’ in Central Asia”/Podcast From “Naked Pravda”
The “Naked Pravda” is produced by Meduza IO, formerly located in Russia but now located in Latvia. The podcast is an interview with a Ph.D. candidate who was writing his dissertation on Kyrgyz men who have gone to Russia for work. When his fieldwork became difficult because of the run-up to the war, he shifted his focus on Russian emigration to the Kyrgyz Republic since the start of the war.
It is worth the time to listen. In March 2012 I worked briefly in the Kyrgyz Republic, on a project to improve access to finance for Kyrgyz women entrepreneurs, whose husbands were away work in Russia, so the podcast was interesting to me, beyond simply Russian emigration because of the war. As is always the case, the facts are more complex than the usual generalities one finds in the media outlets. Here are some takeaways:
· As reported in a recent article on Russian emigration in the Washington Post, approximately 70,000 Russians have emigrated to the Kyrgyz Republic since February 24, 2022.
· There have been 2 waves of emigrants. The first, shortly after the war started, were Russians, mostly professionals, who were concerned about increased repression inside Russia. The second, starting last September, were Russians escaping the possibility of forced conscription. There have been occasional tensions between Russians, depending on when and why they left Russia.
· There has generally been very little adverse reaction among the Kyrgyz people, even though rents in the capital, Bishkek, have in some cases doubled and tripled, and landlords have sometimes evicted Kyrgyz tenants to get more rent from new Russian arrivals.
· Housing in Bishkek is almost impossible to find. Many Russians are relocated to other parts of the Kyrgyz Republic, including Osh and Naryn, helped by the fact that there is very fast internet connections throughout the Kyrgyz Republic, allowing Russians to easily continue to work remotely, without having to be in Bishkek.
· The Kyrgyz Government has not supported any dissident activity among Russian immigrants. There was one effort to organize a pro-Ukraine demonstration. The organizer was faced with deportation, on the grounds that he didn’t request a permit.
“Who Decided on the Boundaries of the “Russian World” – A Brief History of Donbas Separatism”/Meduza IO
For anyone who wants to understand more about Donbas, and the history of Donbas separatism, one should read this article. The article states that the population of the 2 Oblasts making up Donbas is majority Ukrainian but, according to a census done in 1989, 64% of the residents of Luhansk Oblast and 67.7% of the residents of Donetsk Oblast stated the Russian was their primary language. In 1991, approximately 83% of the residents of both oblasts voted in favor of Ukrainian independence.
Since Ukrainian independence there has been efforts by the Donbas Elite, the Donetskiye, to promote Donbas separatism. The article describes how this effort has been continually supported by the Russian State. The article alleges that much of the Russian support was organized by Putin’s ideologist, Alexander Dugin, whose daughter was killed last year in a car bomb explosion that was likely intended for her Father.
· “In 1994, the Donetsk and Luhansk Regional Councils created a referendum, which asked residents four questions: whether Ukraine should adopt a federal structure; whether the Russian language should be given official status; whether Russian and Ukrainian should be used equally in professional, educational, and scientific settings in the Donbas and Luhansk regions; and whether Ukraine should be more closely integrated with the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 80 to 90 percent of voters answered “yes” to each question. Andrey Purgin, a veteran of the Donbas separatist movement and chairman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in the mid-aughts, called 1994 “the year Donetsk separatism was born.” “
Yesterday I was asked by a friend about far-right activities in Ukraine. This article makes an interesting point about the assentation of Svoboda Party into the Ukrainian Parliament, during the 2012 Parliamentary elections held during Yanukovich’s presidency,
· “It’s telling that the Ukrainian ultranationalist party, Svoboda, did in fact come to power in the national parliament under Viktor Yanukovych. British political scientist Taras Kuzio has suggested that the Party of Regions intentionally avoided interfering in the hype around Ukrainian ultranationalists, and even contributed to it, so that in the 2015 presidential elections, Yanukovych would seem like a moderate alternative to the “fascists.” Because of the Euromaidan uprising in 2013–14, however, those elections never took place — the Yanukovych regime collapsed, and Petro Poroshenko became president of Ukraine.”
This is the ONLY time that a far-right party entered into a Ukrainian power structure, yet the pundits and international media are constantly accusing Ukraine of harboring far-right leanings.
The article ends with this paragraph –
· “it’s said often enough that the Russian-Ukrainian war began long before February 24, 2022, with the annexation of Crimea and Russian troops’ incursion into the Donbas in 2014. In fact, it began even before that. Since the Orange Revolution, in 2004, the Russian authorities have been deliberately pitting the residents of various Ukrainian regions against each other — and the clash has now grown to massive proportions, with enormously bloody consequences.”
This has been the modus operandi of the Russian Federation toward its former republics since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine is only the latest example.
News From the Battlefield
“Reporting From Ukraine” focuses on Bakhmut, where Evgeniy Prigozhin, Founder of the Wagner Group, stated in an interview that Russia won’t be able to take Bakhmut until the end of April, but after Ukraine starts receiving heavy weapons from the West. He also said that the Russian General Staff is beginning to reduce the supply of weapons to Wagner “The Latest Denys” reported the same. In the meantime, “Reporting From Ukraine” describes a Ukrainian counterattack south of Bakhmut, relieving pressure on the town of Chasiv Yar and a major source of resupply for the Ukrainian Army defending Bakhmut.
“Reporting From Ukraine” also said that Wagner uses the same type of diffused command and control structure that is used by Ukraine, and most Western militaries, whereas Russia continues to use the top-down structure it inherited from the former Soviet Union. The Russian regular army has recently suffered reversals in front of Vulhudar, making Wagner a source of embarrassment to the Russian Army thus, according to “Reporting From Ukraine” the decision to reduce supplies to Wagner.
2/18 Sitrep (my comment in bold face)
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon February 17 to 12:00 noon February 18, 2023
As an American citizen and a Registered Democrat, I’d like to make a few points in defense of Republicans, particularly their support of Ukraine:
· Not long ago, I spoke with a U.S. Senator, a Democrat and a strong supporter of Ukraine, who recently returned from a trip to Kyiv. He said to me that the Republicans are not getting enough credit for their support of continued assistance to Ukraine.
· Support for Ukraine in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, remains strong. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the Senate Minority Leader, made a strong speech in support of Ukraine at this weekend’s Munich Security Conference. A majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives continue to support Ukraine assistance.
· The dividing line concerning Congressional support for Ukraine isn’t based on political party. Instead, the dividing line is between moderates and extremists, from both Parties. Last year the House Progressive Caucus, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington State), released a letter addressed to Pres. Biden, asking him to pressure Ukraine into negotiations with Russia. The letter was signed by Rep. Jayapal, as Chair of the House Progressive Caucus, and 29 other Progressive Caucus members. After receiving criticism from other House Democrats, Jayapal had to withdraw the letter.
· As much as Rep. Jayapal denies it, there is not an ounce of difference concerning the desire of the House Progressive Caucus to withdraw support for Ukraine, as described in their letter to Pres. Biden (withdrawn), and the position of extreme Republican House members, including Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Mike Waltz (R-Florida). As I like to say, when it comes to Ukraine assistance, Reps. Jayapal and Greene are like “2 peas in a pod.”
· As far as Republicans and Democrats generally, what is likely behind the polling is not so much supporting reduction or ending support to Ukraine. Instead, it is the narrative that there has been lack of accountability. In fact, there is no evidence of diversion of funding from U.S. taxpayers to Ukraine. There have already been on-the-ground audits of the use of military equipment. Yesterday, the 3 inspectors general from the agencies with direct line responsibility for helping Ukraine, State, USAID, and Defense, announced that they are looking for ways to increase their physical presence inside Ukraine, to improve their ability to audit assistance. It’s likely that their evaluation will confirm the audits that have already been completed. Once this is clearly explained to the American people, that there is no evidence of misappropriation of U.S. taxpayer funding to Ukraine, I am confident that the polling would change substantially in support of continued assistance to Ukraine.
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
February 18
11:39 Financial Times: There is currently no indication that Russia will launch a major offensive before the anniversary of the invasion, says British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
· According to the head of the British Ministry of Defense, now there is no such large accumulation of Russian troops near the Ukrainian borders as a year ago.
10:14: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen received a gift from students of the Lyceum of Kalush: a personalized towel and letters with drawings in gratitude for supporting Ukraine.
10:04: Paris has accelerated arms production, so Kyiv can count on quick deliveries of additional Caesar self-propelled guns, says French Foreign Ministry Catherine Colonna.
· Colonna also expressed the opinion that all European countries should adapt their economies to the accelerated production of weapons.
08:36: The death toll from earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria has already exceeded 45 thousand people. More than 20 thousand buildings were surveyed in Turkey, and 39,672 deaths are currently known.
· The country's interior minister said the search and rescue operations were "largely completed."
08:07: Poland will consider the transfer to Ukraine of MiG-29 aircraft, which are in service with the Polish army, and in case of forming a broad aviation coalition, Poland will certainly join it, - Polish President Andrzej Duda.
08:05: Scorpions leader Klaus Meine stressed the Russians' collective responsibility for the leader who attacked Ukraine.
00:52: Actress Anne Hathaway called Volodymyr Zelensky a hero of our time
· At the press conference, the actress thanked the organizers of the Berlinale for the opportunity to hear the president's speech and expressed support for Ukraine.
· "I just want to express my gratitude to the film festival for including the hero of our time in the program and for giving the opportunity to strengthen the message of Ukraine, which is a common aspiration of the world," the Associated Press quoted Anne Hathaway as saying.
00:44: A group of US congressmen wrote a letter to Biden calling for the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
· Five members of the House of Representatives believe fighter jets "could be crucial to controlling Ukrainian airspace this year."
00:11: NATO, the EU and Ukraine will hold a trilateral meeting for the first time.
· NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet in Brussels on February 21. This was reported by the press service of the Alliance.
00:00: The first group of 635 Ukrainian troops has already completed training at an American base in Germany, which began in January.
· Another 710 Ukrainian servicemen are already training to lead the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers.
· Next week, another 890 Ukrainians will begin training on Stryker combat vehicles.
February 17
11:05: The United States will welcome the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine by other countries, but Washington itself has not made promises for such assistance.
· This was stated by the Strategic Communications Coordinator of the US National Security Council John Kirby at a briefing.
21:58: Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the UK are studying combat operations in urbanized areas under the guidance of Canadian instructors, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
21:48 The New York Times: A company has been set up in Luxembourg that transfers shells to Ukraine for the Grad MLRS.
· "Last spring, Luxembourg signed a multimillion-dollar contract to supply 6,000 Soviet-era missiles," the article says.
21:29: Ukraine invites Pakistan to join the implementation of the "formula for peace", said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
· "I met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at MSC2023 to strengthen our relationship," Kuleba wrote.
21:08 Polish Ministry of Defense: Poland is ready to repair Leopard tanks for Ukraine, but this requires Germany to hand over spare parts.
19:51: Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the 44th summit of leaders of the Caribbean commonwealth.
· "We will present at the UN General Assembly a resolution on a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in Ukraine, and therefore the restoration of the full force of the rules-based international order.
· Your votes matter! Peace is a value that must be taken care of together," the president said.
18:55: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the participants of the Munich Security Conference.
· "There is no alternative to Ukrainian victory. There is no alternative for Ukraine in the European Union. There is no alternative for Ukraine in NATO.
· We need speed. The speed of our agreements. Speed of supply to strengthen our sling. The speed of decisions to limit the Russian potential," Zelenskyy said.
17:36: The Dutch government has approved a decision to locate the International Register of Losses in The Hague, — Reformatorisch Dagblad.
· "This year claims for damages may be filed with a new organization established in The Hague," the statement said.
17:22: The death toll in Turkey from the earthquake has reached 38,044 people.
· This was stated by the Office of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD).
17:07: Ukraine will not be safe until at least Crimea is demilitarized, says U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.
· She said the U.S. supports Ukraine's strikes on Crimea and considers them a legitimate target because Russia has built a mass of military installations in Crimea.
· At the same time, Nuland noted that now the Ukrainian military is focused on the return of significant territories of Ukraine, but the liberation of Crimea is not a priority.
16:53 French President: Western countries will increase aid to Ukraine in the coming months and weeks so that the Armed Forces can launch a counteroffensive to win and start the negotiation process.
16:41: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on countries armed with Western-style battle tanks to provide them to Ukraine.
· "Germany will do everything in its power to make these decisions easier for partners," he said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference.
· Scholz added that delaying the war would not lead to the cessation of military assistance to Ukraine.
15:56: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba will discuss assistance to Russian troops from Auchan with the French Foreign Minister.
· "Last year, I called on the world to boycott Auchan for not leaving Russia and stopping funding war criminals. However, the reality seems to be much worse: Auchan has become a full-fledged weapon of Russian aggression."
15:42 The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. may send auditors responsible for monitoring military assistance to Ukraine directly to the war zone.
15:22 Spiegel: An intelligence officer arrested in Germany had to hand over to the FSB the coordinates of HIMARS delivered to Ukraine.
· The Russian special service also tried to obtain data on the location of artillery positions and air defense positions of the Ukrainian army through an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service.
· As a reward for services, the employee received a six-figure amount, the money was found from him during his detention.
15:11 Alliance press service: NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, EU chief diplomat Borrell and Foreign Minister Kuleba will meet in Brussels on February 21 "to strengthen partnership and cooperation to protect Ukraine and Europe."
· Kuleba noted that this is the first meeting of representatives of Ukraine, NATO, and the EU in such a trilateral format.
12:54 PAP: President Andrzej Duda will discuss increasing the U.S. military presence in Poland during Joe Biden's arrival.
· This topic will also be discussed with the leaders of France and Germany at the Munich Security Conference.
· Duda added that a meeting between Zelensky and Biden in Poland is not planned.
12:15 BBC: In Turkey, two teenagers who spent 10 days under the rubble miraculously survived after the earthquake.
· A 17-year-old girl, Alena Olmez, was rescued in Kahramanmarash province. The victim has health problems, in particular hypothermia. After all, the weather was frosty outside. 14-year-old Osman Halebi in Hatay province was also rescued. The child was taken to the hospital.
12:05: Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to deliver a "peaceful speech" on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
· This was stated by Italian Foreign Minister Atonio Tajani after talks with his Chinese counterpart.
NATIONAL
February 18
11:59 Head of Service of the Department of Cybersecurity: More than 550 cyberattacks were repelled by the SBU in a month and a half of the new year.
· "Russia continues to keep pace and mass. But we stopped the vast majority of cyberattacks at the initial stages," Vitiuk stressed.
· The main goals of the Russians are logistics and transport facilities, the energy industry, military facilities, as well as information resources and state registers.
11:07: During the Russian morning missile attack, the Ukrenergo dispatch center used preventive shutdowns to minimize the possible consequences of the attack. Now the power system is returning to normal operation, - the press service of Ukrenergo.
· There was no shortage of power in the power system throughout the working week and is not currently predicted.
10:56 AM DTEK: Emergency outages in Kyiv, Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions are canceled.
· In Odessa, there are still network restrictions, hourly outage schedules are applied.
10:47: On the morning of February 18, Russia launched 4 Kalibr cruise missiles at Ukraine, 2 of them were destroyed, - the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
09:18 President's Office: "The enemy uses tactical aircraft, in particular in the airspace of the occupied territories and launches missiles"
09:13 DTEK: Due to the threat of a missile attack, emergency blackouts are used in Kyiv, Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
07:14 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
· "During the day, the enemy inflicted 10 missile and 29 air strikes. He carried out 69 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.
· The enemy focuses its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Kupyansk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsky directions.
· Over the past day, Ukrainian soldiers repulsed Russian attacks in the areas of the settlements of Gryanykivka and Sinkovka, Kharkiv region; Stelmakhivka, Chervonopopivka and Kreminna - Lugansk and Vyyivka, Fedorivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Rozdolivka, Paraskoviyivka, Berkhivka, Bakhmut, Ivanovskoye, Chasiv Yar, Vesele, Vodiane, Marinka, Pobeda, Novomykhailivka and Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, - General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces inflicted 5 strikes on the areas of concentration of Russians, as well as one - on the position of the anti-aircraft missile system - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· The air defense forces shot down 6 UAVs of the Russian troops. According to preliminary information, 5 - type "Lancet" and 1 - "Hall".Units of rocket troops and artillery at the same time hit 3 areas of concentration of Russian manpower and the position of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system at the firing position.
February 17
22:56 Air Force Command spokesperson: By the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Russia will be reducing the gaps between massive missile attacks.
· "I wish we could shoot down 100% of the missiles, but this cannot be done physically, because we have large areas, and there are few air defense systems," Ignat said.
22:15: Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of Ukrzaliznytsia, said that the movement of trains at two polling stations on the border with Poland had been resumed.
· To this end, Ukrzaliznytsia repaired almost 70 km of tracks, updated 10 bridges at the sections of the State Border - Starzhava - Khyriv - Nyzhankovichi - State Border (line 102) and Khyriv - Sambir.
· UZ also repaired the station infrastructure in Khyrov, Nyzhankovychi and Starzhava.
19:40: The CPD warns: some media outlets have launched a disinformation campaign to concentrate the Russian Armed Forces in the territories bordering Ukraine and to simultaneously withdraw units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from certain sections of the front.
· "On the border with the Sumy region, 10 thousand hectares are concentrated. Russian military. This is the largest concentration that has ever been here," the Times writes.
· "The Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing to escape from Kherson. Eyewitnesses report signs of the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the city," Russian media.
· None of these messages are true!
19:12: Ukraine received from the United Kingdom the second part of additional funding in the amount of $203 million through the World Bank project, the press service of the Ministry of Finance reports.
· "The total amount of the loan under the guarantees of the United Kingdom is $ 500 million. U.S.," the statement said.
18:21 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on February 17:
· "During the day, the enemy launched 6 missile strikes on the civilian infrastructure of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region.
· 3 private and one multi-story buildings were damaged.
· In addition, the enemy carried out a total of 10 air strikes and carried out more than 10 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems."
· "The enemy focuses its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Kupyansk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsky directions. Suffers significant losses in manpower."
· "In the village of Kalanchak, Kherson region, the occupiers set up the Central District Hospital for a military hospital and brought 36 liquidated and 18 wounded servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."
· "During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine inflicted 5 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers, as well as 1 - on the position of the anti-aircraft missile system."
17:59: Already 70 cars have been received by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Favbet Foundation https://favbet.foundation/
· These are mainly SUVs, armored cars and minibuses for the front line.
· The last batch of cars arrived on the eastern front and into a company of fire support to protect the sky from enemy drones.
15:36: Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "The second visit of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his team to Ukraine during a full-scale war.
15:01: The Netherlands, together with Germany and Denmark, will transfer more than 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the Dutch Prime Minister said at a briefing in Kyiv.
· "Together with Germany and Denmark, we will provide 100 Leopard tanks, together with Germany and the United States - Patriot air defense systems, as well as Leopard-2 tanks with ammunition," he said.
· According to him, the tanks will be delivered "as soon as possible" and will be ready for battle.
14:49 Prime Minister: In 2023, pensions for Ukrainians will be raised again.
· "In March, the government will index pensions by 20%. All categories defined in the Law "On Compulsory State Pension Insurance" will fall under indexation," he said during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
· According to him, the indexation of payments will affect more than 10 million Ukrainians.
14:17: Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte.
· "The Netherlands is one of the leaders in the military, financial, humanitarian sphere and legal assistance to our country. All Ukrainians will always be grateful for this support and will never forget about it," the president said.
13:55: If Ukrainian troops retreat from Bakhmut, the second city will become the new "Bakhmut".
· This was stated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with WAZ. He expressed confidence that Ukrainian forces would keep Bakhmut.
· Fighters of Ukraine have not yet been promised by any country, - Dmytro Kuleba.
· In an interview with WAZ, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stressed that despite this, some governments, in particular the United Kingdom, announced the training of Ukrainian pilots on Western fighters.
· According to him, fighters would help Ukraine not only in the counteroffensive, but also in strengthening the air defense.
13:05: Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte arrives in Kyiv.
· This morning he visited the Wall of Remembrance of those killed in Ukraine. He is also scheduled to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
MORDOR (russia)
February 18
11:48 Energoatom: Russia has committed an act of nuclear terrorism.
· Today, at the South-Ukrainian NPP at 8:25 and 8:27, flights of two enemy cruise missiles were recorded.
· Air objects moved along the channel of the Southern Bug in the direction of Pervomaisk in the Mykolaiv region and flew dangerously close to the nuclear facility. The threat of getting into the reactor with possible consequences - a nuclear disaster - was again high.
10:24 Institute for the Study of War: Russia uses Belarus' military-industrial complex to ensure a long war.
· Lukashenko's statements that his country is ready to produce Su-25 aircraft and auto parts for Kamaz for Russia indicate a willingness to put at Putin's disposal his own military-industrial complex to support armed aggression against Ukraine.
09:31 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Russian Kursk.
00:25: The Russians "sentenced" Alexei Kiselev to 8.5 years in prison. A volunteer and ex-commander of the Ukrainian Navy control ship "Slavutych" was kidnapped on July 22 last year in Henichesk. He was taken to Crimea, – Crimean Human Rights Group.
· Russians "accuse" the volunteer of participating in the activities of the "Noman Çelebidzhihan Battalion". At the same time, Oleksiy Kiselyov does not admit his guilt, because he has never been related to this unit.
February 17
14:32: Director of Russia Today Anton Kuznetsov-Krasovsky Ukrainian court sentenced in absentia to 5 years in prison for calling for genocide of Ukrainians, - SBU.
· "During the investigative and operational actions, evidence was collected of the guilt of the former director of broadcasting of the pro-Kremlin TV channel Russia Today Anton Kuznetsov-Krasovsky in crimes against Ukraine," the special service said in a statement.
13:27: Russian Auchan has been supplying goods for the Russian military in the occupied territories of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, an investigation by The Insider together with Le Monde and Bellingcat has shown.
· The supply to the military was positioned as "humanitarian aid". The press service of the French "Auchan" refutes everything and says that the company is "out of politics."
· 13:36: Ukrainian "Auchan" demands an explanation from the French office.
· "We are shocked by the information that was published in the journalistic investigation regarding the assistance of the army of the aggressor country. We urgently contacted the office in France. They refute this information. We are waiting for official communication."
· 11:48: Auchan denied supplying goods to Russian soldiers under the guise of humanitarian aid
· They also stressed that their stores in Russia provide assistance only to civilians. The company is not involved in any fees for the Russian army.
· "Like any seller, Auchan cannot know how the purchased products will be used," the statement said.
13:16: A video of Wagner militants' appeal has surfaced online complaining about the lack of ammunition.
· "At present, we are completely cut off from the supply of ammunition," the Wagnerians said.
12:44 PM DIU: The Kremlin is aware of the inevitability of de-occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
· "Attitudes towards Moscow on the peninsula are changing both among those who have relatives affected by the war in Ukraine and among sympathizers of the Russian occupation regime in Crimea after its atrocities and war crimes," said Vadym Skibitsky, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
· After the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, a set of necessary programs will be implemented in Crimea to restore a normal and safe life there.
12:25 The Times: According to NATO intelligence, Russia is losing about 2000 soldiers for every little more than 90 meters gained during attempts to advance infantry in eastern Ukraine.
KHARKIV
February 18
09:51 Kharkiv RMA: Last day, Russians fired at least 15 settlements in Kharkiv, Kupyansk and Chuhuiv districts with barreled and rocket artillery, tanks and mortars. An airstrike was launched on the city of Vovchansk.
· Shelling of the village of Dvorichna killed a 68-year-old civilian. In the village of Pervomayneve, 1 person was injured.
08:55 Kharkiv Military District: From the area of Feodosia, the launch of 6 Kalibr missiles was recorded.
· "Now they are already on the territory of Ukraine and heading west! Be careful and be in shelters. Air defense is already working out goals," Serhii Melnyk said.
February 17
22:28 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region.
21:16 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson and Kharkiv region.
DONETSK
February 18
10:36 Donetsk RMA: The night before, the Russians launched a missile strike on Pokrovsk, without casualties, but there is destruction: 6 residential buildings, 3 educational institutions and the central square were damaged,
· Marinka and Krasnohorivka came under fire, and it was loud on the outskirts of the Ocheretyn community.
· 1 person died in Ivanopillya, 12 houses were damaged in the village.
· In the Toretsk community, 3 people were injured, another 1 — in Bakhmut. In the Soledar community, 3 houses in Fedorivka were damaged, shelling of Vasyukivka and Rozdolivka continues. Shelling was recorded in the Chasovoyarska community.
· Under fire, Seversk and Serebrianka, Torskoye and Zarechnoye — without casualties.
08:22 Donetsk RMA: On February 17, Russians killed 3 residents of Donetsk region: 2 in Bakhmut and 1 in Ivanopillya.
· Another 5 people in the region were injured.
00:33 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Kramatorsk district of the Donetsk region.
February 17
22:45 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Donetsk region.
DNIPRO
February 18
09:20 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
08:56 Dnipro RMA: The threat of a missile strike on the Dnipropetrovsk region.
February 17
20:51 Dnipro RMA: Russians with heavy artillery shelled Nikopol, Chervonohryhorivska and Marganets communities.
· "A 76-year-old woman was injured. She will be treated at home.
· The shelling also damaged 11 private houses and 10 outbuildings. Beaten car and 3 gas pipelines," Lysak wrote.
KHERSON
February 18
11:19 Kherson RMA: Russians shelled Kherson region 65 times.
· Kherson itself was attacked by the Russian army 13 times. 1 person died, 3 residents of the region were injured of varying severity.
09:42 Social Networks: An explosion is heard in Kherson.
February 17
17:52 Operational Command South: Ukrainian aviation struck a cluster of Russians on the left bank of the Kherson region.
· "18 occupiers, 6 pieces of equipment were destroyed, including the S-300 launcher, 2 Hyacinth-B guns, 3 units of automotive equipment.
· Also, 5 ammunition depots and an observation post of the occupiers were demilitarized," the message says.
16:26 Kherson RMA: In the village of Alexandrovka, Belozersk district, a 31-year-old man blew up on a Russian mine.
· "It happened on the shore of the pond. The victim lost his foot. An ambulance team went to the scene of the explosion," the report said.
12:51 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
MYKOLAIV
February 18
09:10 Mykolaiv RMA posted a picture of a downed rocket.
· "Let's just say – the account for the downed missiles has been opened," Vitaliy Kim.
08:41 Mykolaiv RMA: "2 unexplained targets leave the region in the northwest. They fly to the west (direction)."
· "Confirmed launches from the Black Sea"
KYIV
February 17
14:40 Kyiv RMA: In the Vyshgorod district, the elimination of explosive objects is being carried out today. It can be loud.
SUMY
February 17
23:25 Sumy RMA: Today, 3 missiles were fired at the Sumy region from the territory of the Russian Federation. One of the missiles was destroyed by the air defense system. Another 2 S-300 missiles hit the village. Krasnopillya. As a result of the missile strike, windows in one of the community buildings were damaged.
· In addition, during the day, the enemy shelled 7 territorial communities of the region: Esmanskaya, Yunakovskaya, Khotinskaya, Krasnopilskaya, Belopolskaya, Glukhovskaya, Znob-Novgorod. More than 120 arrivals were recorded.
16:05 The Times - Sumy RMA: The information that Russia has gathered a group of 10 thousand troops on the borders with the Sumy region is not true and is fake.
· The scandalous statement was made today by Senior Lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Gulakov in a comment.
12:35 Sumy RMA: In Sumy region, air defense on an air target was triggered during an air alarm. The target has been neutralized. The rest of the information is being clarified.
KHMELNYTSKY
February 18
09:05 Khmelnytskyi RMA reported explosions in the city.
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