The Ukrainian armed forces launched a missile attack on a concentration of Russian troops in the Kherson region with the help of HIMARS rocket launcher systems, a source in the Ukrainian special services told the Russian service of the BBC.
According to the Deep State project, the February 21 strike was on a training ground near the village of Podo-Kalinovka. It is 27 km as the crow flies from Krinki, the site of fierce fighting on the left bank of the Dnieper in recent months. This is the territory of the Oleshkovski Sands National Park.
Joint training of three units of the Russian army took place at this training ground. The leaders of the Russian group of troops “Dnepr” were to come there for an inspection, the Ukrainian edition “Zerkalo Nedeli” claimed, citing its sources. According to him, at least 60 Russian soldiers died. There is no independent confirmation of this information. The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the attack.
A day earlier, on February 20, Ukrainian armed forces struck a Russian army training ground near the village of Trudovskoe near Volnovakha in the self-proclaimed DPR. At the time of the strike, there were three companies of soldiers awaiting the arrival of the commander of the 29th Army, Major General Oleg Moiseev.
A total of 68 Russian soldiers were killed, Important Stories later clarified. According to the publication, they were enrolled in the military unit 06705 in Transbaikalia and served in the 36th motorized rifle brigade. According to one of the servicemen, the strike by the Ukrainian armed forces was so strong that “everything blew up”.
Zelensky downplayed the loss of Avdeevka and called on allies to send aid more quickly
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky downplayed the loss of the town of Avdeevka, captured by Russian troops, and called on his country’s allies to send aid more quickly, Reuters reported.
Zelensky admitted in an interview with Fox News, which will be broadcast today, that last year was complicated for Ukraine. But, speaking in English, he pointed to earlier achievements, particularly in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where the interview was conducted.
“During these two years, we took back part of the Kharkiv region. Now we are in this region … and we unblocked the Black Sea. There are grain routes and we destroyed many ships of the Russian fleet,” Zelensky said.
“This is what we did for two years. And what did they manage to do? Only in this one place. But for what?” asked Zelensky.
Avdeevka is located 15 kilometers northwest of Russian-controlled Donetsk, the capital of Donetsk Oblast.
In the interview, Zelensky again expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in Western military aid to Ukraine, although he did not directly name the United States.
US President Joe Biden’s request to extend support to Kiev has been stalled due to disputes in the US Congress.
“We have to be faster. That means removing all this red tape. Otherwise, we have no chance,” he said.
Zelensky admitted that finding an alternative to American aid would not be easy.
“Of course we will find. We will not stand still waiting. We have to survive. We have to find some parallel steps,” he said in the interview held in a hospital ward.
“You understand that this help is crucial. So without it, I’m sorry, we’re going to have more and more of these heroic guys who will be in hospitals. If you don’t have a real protective shield and a powerful artillery of ammunition, of course that you will lose people,” Zelensky also stated.
Ukraine has accused Russia of using North Korean missiles against civilian targets
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) today accused Russia of using North Korean-made missiles to strike civilian objects in Ukraine, France Press reported.
“These are Hwasong-11 (KN-23/24) ballistic missiles /…/According to our investigation, Russian troops fired more than 20 (of these) North Korean weapons into Ukraine,” the SSU said in a statement, in to which it is added that “at least 24 civilians” were killed and more than 100 were injured in these strikes. The SSU also published photos of alleged debris from the missiles.
According to the same source, North Korean missiles were used in Ukraine on December 30 in the southern Zaporozhye region, and then in early January in Kiev when a building was struck, killing four people and injuring around 50.
According to SSU data, these rockets were also used in attacks against five settlements near the front in the Donetsk region, in which 17 civilians died, as well as against the large city of Kharkiv, where three people died and more than 60 were injured.
Russia and North Korea, which have maintained good relations since the Cold War, have achieved an impressive diplomatic rapprochement in recent months, according to AFP.
South Korea and the United States say that, despite UN sanctions, Pyongyang is sending weapons to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine, possibly in exchange for technical assistance for its spy satellite program. Moscow denies these allegations.
Analysts recently warned that North Korea may be testing cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russia in September for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to make a return visit to Pyongyang, AFP notes.
Zelensky congratulated the Ukrainian Air Force for shooting down seven Russian fighter jets
Last night, in his evening address to the nation, the President of Ukraine congratulated the Ukrainian Air Force for shooting down seven Russian fighter jets, DPA reported.
The head of state specified that the Sukhoi fighter jets were shot down within a week. “I am grateful to our Air Force and to all who protect our airspace,” he said.
Zelensky stressed that one of the most important tasks in resisting the Russian invasion is to protect the skies over Ukraine and frontline positions from Russian strikes from missile systems and warplanes.
On the eve of the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, which Russia began on February 24, 2022, the president of Ukraine announced new military agreements with the country’s allies. Without giving details, he noted that defense aid for the soldiers and specific financial guarantees for the state had been agreed upon.
DPA reminds that recently Ukraine concluded military agreements with Great Britain, Germany and France.
Rules for military service of foreigners and stateless persons in the National Guard of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree allowing foreigners and stateless people to serve in the country’s National Guard, Ukrinform reported.
Decree No. 84/2024 dated February 21 “Rules for foreigners and stateless persons in military service in the National Guard of Ukraine” was published on the website of the head of state.
According to the approved rules, foreigners who legally live in Ukraine, have no convictions and meet the requirements for military service specified in the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service” can be accepted as volunteers (with a contract) for military service in the National Guard of Ukraine .
They may serve with the ranks of privates or sergeants.
Foreigners accepted for military service undergo a mandatory medical examination by a military medical commission in a health facility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, professional and psychological selection, and must meet the standards of physical fitness determined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Foreign women may be admitted to military service under contract if there are vacant military posts that can be filled by women.
The mayor of Kyiv called on Germany to send long-range missiles to Ukraine
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said he appreciated Germany’s military aid to Ukraine so far, but said it was time for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send long-range missiles to his country, DPA reported.
In a recent interview with the German news agency, Klitschko said that “one of the most important questions” for Ukraine is whether Germany will deliver the requested Taurus cruise missiles.
“We defend our country. And that’s why we need Taurus. We can use them to destroy Russian military logistics,” Klitschko explained. The mayor of Kyiv added that he expects a positive decision from the German government in the end.
In May last year, Ukraine asked the authorities in Berlin for Taurus cruise missiles, which are highly accurate and have a range of 500 kilometers. The Ukrainian army wants to use them to strike Russian positions and military depots far behind the front lines.
“Germany has finally woken up and is helping us a lot,” Klitschko commented on Scholz’s earlier refusals to send other powerful weapons to his country.
However, the German chancellor continues to block the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine over fears that the high-capability weapon could be used by Ukrainian forces to strike key Russian targets, escalating tensions between Berlin and Moscow. .
Vitaliy Klitschko called on the rest of Ukraine’s allies to continue supporting it.
The former world boxing champion described the impasse in which the US Congress has reached on granting new military aid to Kiev as “a huge threat to democracy”.
“We must not lose. Because otherwise the entire democratic world will lose,” Klitschko said.
