Wednesday, February 14

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A woman holds a heart-shaped red placard during a rally in Yevropeiska Square in Vinnytsia on Feb. 10, 2024, to remind people about the Azov fighters held captive in Russia. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

US Senate passes Ukraine aid bill. The bill, which received 70 votes in favor and 29 against, will now go to the Republican-led House, where it still faces significant obstacles.

Syrskyi: Ukraine shifts to defense to drain Russian troops. Ukrainian troops have switched from offensive to defensive posture and aim to exhaust advancing Russian forces, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with German ZDF channel, published on Feb. 13.

Military: Ukraine reinforcing Avdiivka as Russia continues its offensive. Ukraine is reinforcing its troops fighting in Donetsk Oblast’s Avdiivka, and some units of the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade were withdrawn from the city for rotation for the first time in almost two years, the brigade’s spokesman Ivan Siekach said on Feb. 13.

Polish farmers to begin complete blockade of Ukrainian border crossings. Polish farmers will begin a complete blockade of all border crossings and railway shipment stations between Ukraine and Poland starting Feb. 20, protestors announced on Feb. 13.

Military intelligence: Russia reportedly buying Starlink in ‘Arab countries.’ Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said on Feb. 13 that it had intercepted radio communications where Russians were discussing the purchase of Starlink terminals in “Arab countries.”

Police: Over 10,000 square meters of land contaminated due to Russian Feb 10 attack on Kharkiv oil depot. A Russian drone attack on an oil depot in Kharkiv overnight on Feb. 10 led to a fuel leak that has contaminated over 10,000 square meters of land, Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the regional police, said on Feb. 12.

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Government dismisses deputy ministers of Veteran Affairs. Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Svitlana Kashenets and Tetyana Tokarchuk as deputy ministers of veteran affairs.

Zelensky appoints Zaluzhnyi’s ex-deputy as special envoy for security talks. President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Lieutenant General Yevhen Moysiuk as special commissioner on the implementation of international security agreements on Feb. 13.

Dnipro authorities evacuate hospital, close schools after attack on energy infrastructure. A hospital in Dnipro is being evacuated and schools are being closed following a Russian attack on civil infrastructure, Mayor Borys Filatov announced on Feb. 13.

Bloomberg: Tankers tied to Russian oil trade grind to halt amidst US sanctions. A large fleet of oil tankers used to export Russian crude oil is grinding to a halt, potentially as a result of increased U.S. sanctions on the Russian oil market, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 13.

Russia announces intention to leave OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The Russian Federation will suspend its participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian parliament, announced on Feb. 13.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: US Senate passes Ukraine aid bill

“Today, we make (Russian President) Vladimir Putin regret the day he questioned America’s resolve. Today, we send a clear bipartisan message of resolve to our allies in NATO,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Polish farmer blockade puts Polish-Ukrainian relations at further risk

Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv and Warsaw are negotiating. However, there appears to be little end in sight over the agricultural dispute that began in April 2023.

Photo: Piotr Lapinski/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Governor: Russian shelling of Kharkiv Oblast’s Vovchansk kills 1, injures 1. Russian troops shelled Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast at around 11 a.m. local time, killing a woman and wounding another, Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, reported on Feb. 13.

Russian shelling in Donetsk Oblast injures 4, including 2 children. The shelling damaged a five-story residential building, completely destroying 12 apartments. At least four people, including a 17-year-old and an eight-year-old, sustained injuries in the attack.

General Staff: Russia has lost 397,080 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,090 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Speaker Johnson preemptively rejects Ukraine aid bill as it moves forward in Senate. “House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X.

Elon Musk, Republican senators lobby against passage of Ukraine aid. “There is no way in hell” that Russia could lose the war, Elon Musk told the other participants of the online conversation.

US Ambassador doubts NATO will issue membership invitation to Ukraine at Washington summit. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith doesn’t expect NATO will offer Ukraine a membership invitation at the alliance’s July summit in Washington, she said at a press conference on Feb. 13.

Nasdaq announces partnership with Ukraine. “This new partnership between Nasdaq and the government of Ukraine demonstrates that Ukraine is open for business, even as they continue to fight for their freedom,” said USAID administrator Samantha Power.

Italy will allocate 500,000 euros to reconstruct downtown Odesa damaged by Russia. Italy will help restore the Transfiguration Cathedral, significantly damaged by a Russian missile attack on July 23.

Czech farmers set to join protests, border blockade over Ukrainian imports. Protesters will obstruct a highway in Prague on Feb. 19 to bring attention to the demands of Czech farmers, who say EU policies and imports from Ukraine are hurting the agriculture sector.

Estonian intelligence: Russia could double troops on border, NATO must be better prepared for attack. The number of Russian troops in the vicinity of Estonia could double from the pre-2022 figure of 19,000, as Russia undertakes a massive reform of its military, Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned in a report published on Feb. 13.

Opinions and insights

MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak: Ukraine’s parliament & economy, Issue No. 42

This is issue 42 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly “Ukrainian Economy in Brief” newsletter, covering events from Feb. 5-11, 2024. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs.

In other news

Painting on Interpol wanted list to be auctioned in Moscow. A painting that was transferred to the Simferopol Art Museum following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 has appeared on the list of a Moscow auction house, Ukrainian law expert and former Crimean Prosecutor Gyunduz Mamedov reported on X on Feb. 13.

Mediazona: Estonian PM Kaja Kallas among foreigners on Russian wanted list. Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on Feb. 13 that it has analyzed the database of the Russian Internal Ministry’s wanted persons list, and found that dozens of European politicians are on the list, including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

Russia introduces bill to ban foreign state-funded organizations. The new proposed legislation would expand the list to include foreign state-funded organizations, such as media outlets like the BBC or Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

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