Today is February 17, 2024, and the Ukrainian-Russian war enters its 724th day.
The latest situation of the Ukrainian army yesterday:
Yesterday's results announced by the General Staff of Ukraine: a total of 400,300 enemies were destroyed, 1,210 new people were added yesterday, 23 tanks, 39 infantry fighting vehicles, 25 military vehicles and fuel tankers, 21 artillery pieces, and 4 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Zelensky arrived in France yesterday for talks with French President Macaron, and today arrived in Germany for consultations with Chancellor Sulz.
At a joint press conference, Scholz announced a military aid package worth 1.1 billion euros to Ukraine, including: 36 self-propelled howitzers, 120,000 artillery shells, 2 Skynex air defense systems and additional IRIS-T missiles.
Take a look at the news on the battlefield.
In the north-western region of Bakhmut, in the village of Bakhdanivka, northwest of Bakhmut, the two sides continue to fight for the center of the village, and the battle line remains stable. The battle on the western flank of Hlomovy shows that Russian troops continue to advance about 200 meters west along Highway 0506. And on the eastern side of Ivanevsky, fierce exchanges of fire between the two armies took place on their positions on the east side of the village. On the east side of Kreseyevka and Andreevka, the armies of the two sides attacked and defended each other in the gray zone, and the battle was deadlocked.
On the southern Zaporozhye front, the two sides are in a stalemate, and there is no exchange of fire for the time being.
In the Avdiivka region, fighting in the Avdiivka direction is intensifying. Ukrainian troops have already begun to withdraw from the Zenit area on the southern side and the circle positions on the eastern side. At the same time, the Russian army launched a new round of offensive on the positions of the Ukrainian army on the south side of the coking plant in the area north of the bus station on the north side. The fighting situation in the area around the railway station has not changed significantly so far.
On the southern side of Avdiivka, the vicinity of the Tsar's Restaurant and the old industrial area has also become a key target for Russian troops, who have launched several rounds of attacks in this area. According to the latest information collected from the front, the Ukrainian army has begun a planned withdrawal from positions in the city of Avdiivka.
According to the commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian army, the ratio of Russian troops to Ukrainian fighters on the Avdiivka front is as high as 7:1, and the number of shelling has reached an astonishing 10:1. This grim situation has brought tremendous combat pressure to the Ukrainian army.
In the Kubiansk region, Ukrainian troops managed to repel three attacks of Russian troops in the Sinkiivka and Ivanivsky directions.
On the western side of Maryinka, the Russian army continued to launch a fierce offensive on the positions of the Ukrainian army in the northeast area of Georgiivka. According to the latest battle report, the Russian army has carried out multiple rounds of artillery covering strikes and dispatched armored vehicles to provide cover for the infantry attack. In the face of the offensive of the Russian army, the Ukrainian army used drones to conduct reconnaissance and interception in response to the offensive of the Russian army.
On the east side of the village of Victory, there are signs that the Russian army is massing armored vehicles on two mechanized roads, preparing to launch an attack on the fortifications of the Ukrainian army. And on the east side of Novomykhailivka, the Russian army launched more than 10 charges against the positions of the Ukrainian army. In the face of this situation, the Ukrainian army, with the support of mortars and drones, has shown a stubborn spirit of resistance, and the fighting between the two sides has entered a white-hot stage.
On the left bank of Kherson, Russian troops launched three attacks on the Klinki region, but all were repulsed by Ukrainian forces.
In the region of Veliky Novosyrka, the Ukrainian army successfully withstood 3 attacks launched by the Russian army in the Staraya Mayorsk region.
In the Liman-Kremina region, despite 6 offensives by Russian troops in the regions of Terny, Yampolivka and Veseli, they have not been able to make any breakthroughs.
Other news:
The German Ministry of Defense announced on February 15 that the German military inspector general had visited Ukraine last week and pledged to provide Ukraine with equipment worth 100 million euros as short-term support. The aid will include mine protection vehicles, explosives equipped with drones, 77 MULTI 1A1 trucks, medical supplies, and spare parts for various weapons systems, designed to help Ukraine respond to immediate emergency needs.
Hungary has officially become a member of the alliance of NATO members, which is working to solve the problem of demining in Ukraine. According to the representative of Hungary, at the ministerial meeting held in Brussels, Hungary signed a memorandum of understanding with 20 other NATO member States on the establishment of a mine action alliance. The representative stressed that for war-torn Ukraine, demining is one of the urgent tasks related to the daily life of the people, and this NATO action will bring substantial help and support to Ukraine.
If the United States stops its aid to Ukraine, the EU's military support will double. Currently, U.S. aid and supply commitments to Ukraine are largely stagnant, while EU aid is steadily growing in both pledges and disbursements. Still, there is a huge gap between what is promised and what is actually delivered, which requires further EU support to ensure that Ukraine receives adequate assistance in the face of difficult times. The EU may use bloc funds to jointly purchase artillery shells on the world market in order to alleviate the immediate shortage of ammunition in Ukraine.
Russian opposition leader Navalny, who was only 47 years old, died in prison. Alexei Navalny died in the Third Correctional Facility of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the regional department of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia reported yesterday.
After graduating from the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow in 2003, Navalny devoted himself to the field of real estate law, which gave him an in-depth understanding of how the industry works within the industry. He later broke the news that officials of Rosneft were suspected of embezzling up to $4 billion in an oil pipeline project to Asian countries. To cover up their wrongdoings, the corrupt elements created shell companies to undertake the construction of the more than 3,000-mile pipeline project. One of the companies even registered in the name of a Serb in order to confuse the public.
Navalny obtained the relevant audit reports of the State Audit Office and Rosneft through legal channels. The report was not originally made public, and the State Audit Office's statement at the time only mentioned that Rosneft had violated the rules, but did not point out the seriousness of the problem. However, Navalny's audit report revealed the shocking truth: the company had up to $4 billion in unaccounted for.
Navalny participated in a radio program with Yevgeny Federov, a senior official of the United Russia party, which focused on Navalny's accusations of corruption in the country, particularly his criticism of the United Russia party.
During the recording of the program, Navalny confronted Federov and read out to the audience a series of names and cases involving corruption of party officials. For example, the former governor of Bashkortostan used his power to secure his son a position as an oil executive, and the 22-year-old niece of an official in the Krasnodar region of Sochi, who owns millions of dollars in a local plant.
Navalny asked Federov: "Why are these so-called young entrepreneurial geniuses the children of members of the United Russia party?"
In the face of Navalny's accusations, Federov failed to provide any convincing rebuttal other than a blanket denial. He instead accused Navalny of being a "terrorist" and implied that he had received a benefit fee from the United States.
Upon learning of Navalny's death, dignitaries from many NATO countries expressed their condolences over the incident. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Navalny's death was "terrible news". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed "great sadness" at this and called it a "terrible sign" of the changes that have taken place in Russia in recent years.
Oh, what kind of change is this, haven't they always been like this!