Wednesday, February 28

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during Zelensky’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Feb. 27, 2024. (Ukraine’s Presidential Office)

Military: Ukraine withdraws from Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka.

The two villages are located north of Lastochkyne, which was occupied by Russian troops on Feb. 26.

Zelensky arrives in Saudi Arabia for talks with crown prince. President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 27 for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Zelensky announced on social media.

Air Force: Ukraine downs 2nd Russian Su-34 aircraft in single day. Ukrainian forces shot down the second Russian Su-34 attack plane in a single day on Feb. 27, the Air Force reported.

National Resistance Center: Ukrainian partisans blow up Putin’s party office in occupied Nova Kahkovka. The Ukrainian resistance blew up an office of the United Russia party in the occupied Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka, the National Resistance Center said on Feb. 27.

Russian court sentences human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov to 2.5 years in prison. The criminal case against Oleg Orlov was launched in 2023 when the human rights advocate published a translation of a French article called “They wanted fascism. They got it” on his Facebook.

Air Force: Ukraine downs Russian Su-34 aircraft. Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter jet on the eastern front, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk reported on Feb. 27.

Ex-lawmaker Pashynskyi released on bail. Former lawmaker Serhii Pashynskyi, suspected of illegally appropriating almost 100,000 metric tons of state-owned oil in 2014, was released from custody on bail, Pashynski said on social media on Feb. 27. The bail was set at Hr 272.5 million ($7.1 million).

Governor: Drone debris damages power line in Poltava Oblast, causing blackouts. Debris from a Russian drone damaged a power line in Poltava Oblast during an overnight attack on Feb. 27, causing blackouts for over 200 residents, Governor Filip Pronin reported.

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SBU: Antonov company officials face 15 years for obstructing defense of Hostomel airport. The former director of the Antonov State Enterprise, Serhii Bychkov, and the head of the Aviation Security Department, Oleksandr Netosov, face 15 years in prison for allegedly obstructing the country’s defense, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on Feb. 27.

Synevo medical laboratory chain says State Bureau of Investigation seized its main Ukrainian office. The Synevo chain of medical laboratories reported on Feb. 27 that Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation seized the building of the company’s main office and central laboratory in Kyiv, calling the seizure “groundless and illegal.”

Ukraine reports heavy battles in Bakhmut direction as Russia pulls in reserves.

Intense fighting is taking place in the Bakhmut sector in Donetsk Oblast, as Russian forces are attempting to advance toward nearby Chasiv Yar, Eastern Group of Forces spokesperson Illia Yevlash said on air on Feb. 27.

Government formally appoints Pavlushchyk as corruption prevention agency chief. The government formally appointed Viktor Pavlushchyk as the new head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), said Taras Melnychuk, the government’s representative in the parliament, on Feb. 27.

Poll: 44% of Ukrainians believe West tired of supporting Ukraine. The share of Ukrainians who believe the West is tired of supporting Ukraine has risen from 30% to 44% in just four months, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on Feb. 27.

Media investigation: Kremlin uses Russian Red Cross as propaganda tool, violating its tenets. The Kremlin uses state funding and appointment of loyalists to the Russian Red Cross (RRC) to mold it into a propaganda tool while violating its core principles of neutrality and independence, a joint investigation by a team of journalists published on VSquare on Feb. 27 reveals.

Military: Russian drone flew across Moldovan border. A Russian Shahed-type attack drone crossed the border with Moldova overnight, flying over the Moldovan territory “for several tens of kilometers,” Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces reported on Feb. 27.

Air Force: Russia has not used A-50 aircraft for days. Russia has not deployed an A-50 early warning and control aircraft for days, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on air on Feb. 27, only days after Russia lost its second plane of this model.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine withdraws from 2 more villages near Avdiivka, downs 2 Russian warplanes in single day

The Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrew from the Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka, Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Tavria Group, said on national television on Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces shot down two Russian Su-34 attack planes on the same day.

Photo:  Ignacio Marin/Anadolu

VSquare: Kremlin leaks, secret files reveal how Putin pre-rigged his reelection

The Kyiv Independent republished an investigation based on leaked Kremlin documents obtained by Delfi Estonia and compiled for a joint investigation with VSquare and other media publishers.

Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

Our readers’ questions about the war, answered. Vol. 5

We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here’s what they asked, and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round.

Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian strike kills elderly woman in Kherson Oblast village. Russian forces struck the village of Veletenske in Kherson Oblast on Feb. 27, killing an 82-year-old woman, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

National Police: Russian attack kills 2 police officers, injures 6 more. A Russian strike on the village of Khotin near Sumy killed two police officers and wounded another six, Ukraine’s National Police reported on Feb. 27.

Russian attacks against Ukraine injure 9 over past day. Russian attacks against Ukraine injured nine people over the past day, regional authorities reported early on Feb. 27.

General Staff: Russia has lost 411,550 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. Russia has lost 411,550 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Feb. 27. This number includes 850 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

South Korea: Pyongyang sent nearly 7 thousand ammunition containers to Russia. North Korea reportedly sent 6,700 ammunition containers to Russia following the Sept. 2023 summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced on Feb. 27.

Kirby: US will not be sending troops to Ukraine. The U.S. will not send American troops to Ukraine, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a press conference on Feb. 27.

Biden meets with Congress leaders to discuss government funding, Ukraine aid package. “I think the consequence of inaction every day in Ukraine is dire. I’ve been speaking to some of our G7 partners, and they’re very concerned,” U.S. President Joe Biden said.

Warsaw eyes imposing embargo on additional Ukrainian goods. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Feb. 27 that Poland may expand the list of banned Ukrainian goods.

Zelensky discusses peace formula, bilateral cooperation with Saudi crown prince. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a meeting during Zelensky’s visit to Saudi Arabia where they discussed the implementation of Ukraine’s peace formula, among other topics, the Presidential Office reported on Feb. 27.

Danish PM criticizes Europe’s ‘naivety’ in confronting Russia’s aggression. Europe must spend more on defense to deter Russia, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with Financial Times on Feb. 27. She called Europe “naive,” for not doing it sooner.

Polish farmers stage mass protest in Warsaw against Ukrainian imports, EU Green Deal. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Warsaw on Feb. 27 to join the Polish farmers’ protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports and EU environmental policies.

NATO members say they are not considering sending troops to Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as leaders of Germany, the U.K., and other European NATO member states, have reportedly said they are not considering deploying their troops to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the possibility of Western military presence in the country.

European Parliament approves 50 billion euro package for Ukraine. The European Parliament voted to approve the 50 billion euro ($54 billion) funding package for Ukraine, known as the Ukraine Facility, as part of the EU budget on Feb. 27.

VoA: US military using own funding to train Ukrainian soldiers. U.S. military officials told the VoA that if nothing changes, the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa may run out of resources “for everything,” including the support for Ukraine and training with NATO partners, by summer.

France, Netherlands back Czech plan to buy ammunition for Ukraine outside EU. France and the Netherlands back Czechia’s plan to procure hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds for Ukraine from outside the EU, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told journalists on Feb. 26.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: The UK needs to up its cyber defense as Russia’s war continues

As one of the leading contributors of military aid to Ukraine, the U.K. now ranks as the third most frequently targeted country for cyber attacks, trailing only behind the U.S. and Ukraine. Given the leading role that the U.K. is playing in supporting Ukraine, it should be prepared to address its digital vulnerabilities,“ writes David Kirichenko of the Henry Jackson Society.

Photo: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In other news

Latvia extends entry ban for Russian citizens. Latvia has extended visa restrictions for Russian citizens until March 2025, the Latvian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Feb. 27.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Elsa Court, Dinara Khalilova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kate Tsurkan, Kateryna Hodunova, Teah Pelechaty, and Rachel Amran.

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