Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 02-21-2024

It only included the names of soldiers publicly identified in open-source data – mainly obituaries – and warned the real toll may be twice as high.

The BBC Russian Service and news outlet Mediazona have confirmed the identity of around 45,000 Russian soldiers who died in Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022.

The issue of military casualties is extremely sensitive in both countries. Russia has banned criticism of the conflict and no official figures have been released since 2022.

Representatives from 10 major US IT software companies with operations in Ukraine have met with Qatari officials in Doha to foster cooperation and bring Ukrainian IT expertise to the region.

Representatives from 10 US IT companies with offices in Ukraine had gathered in Doha, Qatar, to establish partnership relations and cooperation with representatives of the Qatari government and local businesses to foster IT service exports in the region.

The companies include EPAM, Sigma Software, ELEKS, Computools, Intellias, AltexSoft, NIX, Global Logic and Tripmaker.

Polish farmers have been blocking Ukrainian trucks from entering their country to protest what they say is unfair competition from cheaper imports from Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday proposed a meeting with the Polish government to solve the border blockade, which he said only benefitted Moscow.

The blockade that could impede weapons deliveries has reignited tensions between the neighbors, and a Polish protestor's banner calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to come get Ukraine “in order” triggered outrage. 

Kyiv Post took to the streets of Kyiv and Washington DC and found that most passerby supported further aid to Ukraine for a variety of reasons.

As a $60 billion US aid package critical to Ukraine’s defense stalls in Congress, Kyiv Post correspondents took to the streets of Kyiv and Washington D.C. to ask ordinary people the question “Should Western Support for Ukraine Be Increased or Reduced?”

By and large, the passersby Kyiv Post spoke with were in favor of increased aid to Ukraine to help it fight Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion – and they were in favor for a variety of reasons.

For the European Union and Ukraine to start negotiations, the executive, led by von der Leyen, must draw up a framework for the talks, which must be approved by all 27 EU member states.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that Brussels aimed to present its framework for EU accession talks with Ukraine by the “beginning of summer.”

European leaders agreed in December to open membership talks with Kyiv in a historic move almost two years into Russia's war on the country.

Ukraine has been prompted into launching an investigation of probable violations of the laws of war after video footage was released showing the Feb. 18 shooting incident.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that it has begun an investigation into the shooting of three Ukrainian Prisoners of War (POW) near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region by the Russian military.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated under the charge of violating the laws and customs of war, coupled with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

The White House will announce a new "major sanctions" package on Friday "to hold Russia accountable" in response to Alexei Navalny's death, said National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby. “Whatever story the Russian government decides to tell the world, it's clear that President [Vladimir] Putin and his government are responsible for Mr. Navalny's death," Kirby said Tuesday morning. Russia is already heavily sanctioned. Kirby did not go into detail about what the new package would include - ABC News

The White House has said it is seeking information after Russia announced it had arrested a dual US-Russian citizen on treason charges, accusing her of collecting funds for Ukrainian organisations and openly opposing the Russian war in Ukraine. A Russian legal NGO said the woman, named by Russian media as Ksenia Khavana, may stand accused of transferring $51 (£40) to a Ukrainian charity in February 2022, on the day Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of the country. She faces up to 20 years in prison. Russia’s FSB reported on Tuesday that it had detained a 33-year-old woman from Los Angeles who holds dual citizenship. Reports said she had attended the Ural Federal University in Ekaterinburg and later married an American citizen and moved to the US. Photographs from social media showed Khavana smiling, flanked by two American flags, as she holds her US naturalisation documents - Guardian

While Nepali soldiers-for-hire can bank in a month nearly double what they could earn in a year back home, conditions are brutal and many have been killed or wounded.

Nepali mercenaries are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, lured to kill far from their Himalayan homeland by promises of a passport and cash, but wounded returnees warn anyone tempted to join the war: "Do not come."

While Nepali soldiers-for-hire can bank in a month nearly double what they could earn in a year back home, conditions are brutal and many have been killed or wounded.

In one of the latest escalations at the Polish-Ukrainian border, a bus from Ukraine was stopped and a passenger holding an Israeli passport was allegedly handcuffed by protesters.

Protesting farmers from Poland stopped a passenger bus from Ukraine and allegedly handcuffed a passenger who claimed to be an Israeli citizen, with the parties involved exchanging verbal abuses in different languages.

A protestor could be heard shouting: “We don’t want you here, kurwa,” the latter being a common insult in Polish with different derogative meanings.

If reports from both sides of the line are to be believed, hundreds of men from a Siberian infantry unit were standing in the open getting ready to be inspected by a Major General.

A Ukrainian long-range missile strike shattered a Russian infantry battalion drawn up in parade formation, killing dozens of soldiers as they waited for a top Kremlin-appointed general and other army brass to inspect their ranks, Wednesday reports from both sides of the lines said.

Russian milbloggers blamed US-made M2 precision-guided missiles loaded with cluster munitions, and local commanders either ignorant or uncaring about the long-range of the American weapon system, for the devastating attack hitting a training area east of the Kremlin-occupied Ukrainian city of Volnovakha.

The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations (AFUO) is calling on the government to cut out some of the obstacles that it says are making it difficult for Ukrainians to work and get visas.

As the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches on Saturday, Feb. 24, Ukrainians who came to Australia seeking refuge are increasingly asking about their future in the country.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, many Ukrainians moved to Australia – which offered three-year visas.

Only 10 percent of Europeans believe Ukraine can defeat Russia on the battlefield. The poll comes as Kyiv has acknowledged facing frontline difficulties, and doubts swirl over Western backing.

Only 10 percent of Europeans believe Ukraine can defeat Russia on the battlefield, according to a survey released Wednesday ahead of the second anniversary of the war.

The European Council on Foreign Relations poll comes as Kyiv has acknowledged facing frontline difficulties and doubts swirl over Western backing.

The details of the mysterious murder of a Russian Mi-8 pilot who defected and brought his helicopter to Ukraine last summer have yet to be revealed.

The death of a Russian pilot Kuzminov in Spain who defected with his military Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine last year is surrounded by mystery and riddles, but Spanish authorities have refused to provide details of the investigation.

Who is Maxim Kuzminov and what did he do for Ukraine?

Serhiy Kolyada on that sinking feeling debilitating Russia's Black Sea fleet.

The Amsterdam Court of Appeals rules that the Kremlin owes private shareholders of the Yukos energy company $50B and allows for liquidation of Moscow assets abroad to recoup the cash.

Nearly twenty years after the Kremlin raided the Yukos energy company, seizing it from its private shareholders, an international court of arbitration has ruled that the Kremlin must pay investors $50 Billion.

Former Yukos Oil shareholders received much welcome news as the Amsterdam Court of Appeals ruled that they should receive $50 Billion, from the Russian Federation, due to the illegal exploitation of their company two decades ago. The court had earlier ruled that the shareholders would have the right to liquidate Russian government assets abroad to recover the money.

The absence of Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov, following a January missile attack, led to widespread speculation that he had been killed or seriously wounded.

The Russian Ministry of Defense Telegram channel posted video on Wednesday that purported to show Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov visiting troops in Ukraine and distributing medals for “the liberation of Avdiivka.”

The news that Gerasimov has resurfaced should finally put the conjecture that he had been killed by a Jan. 8 missile strike on a Russian command post in occupied Crimea to bed.

The banner at a farmers' protest calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to get Ukraine "in order" sparked anger in Kyiv.

Poland's foreign ministry on Wednesday denounced pro-Putin and anti-Ukrainian slogans at farmers' protests there, saying they were "possibly" influenced by Russia.

During the protests on Tuesday against competition from imports of cheaper Ukrainian products, farmers in Gorzyczki, southern Poland, unfurled a banner saying "Putin, get Ukraine, Brussels and our government in order".

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the village of Krynky had been “cleared” of Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine’s Operational and Strategic Command Pivden (South) on Wednesday, Feb. 21, denied statements made by Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, that Moscow’s forces had captured the areas around Krynky, a crucial bridgehead situated on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River.

Ukrainian troops established positions around the tiny east bank village in 2023, crossing into the Moscow-controlled side of the river in what was touted as a major success. 

Alexei Navalny was a convert from atheism to Orthodoxy. Now the question of what to do with his body might prove to be an embarrassment for Putin and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The unexpected death of Alexei Navalny at the age of 47 in a Siberian prison plunges the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate into disarray because they do not know what to do with this cumbersome corpse.

The Kremlin’s delaying tactics aimed at not showing his body to his loved ones and even not having access to it at all are raising all sorts of suspicions about the real causes of his death.

Ukraine has recently shot down seven Russian fighter-bombers, the latest another Su-34. Air Force officials haven’t released the location or methods of the engagement.

Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) have downed another Russian Su-34 fighter bomber, marking the seventh Russian plane recently shot down.

“This time, the pilot of the Su-35 was fortunate – he managed to maneuver and evade risks. However, the crew of the Su-34 now joins our column of ‘eternal flight brothers,’ Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk reported in a Telegram message

Emerging from the darkness at a humanitarian crossing on the Belarus border, the children hugged family members who had been waiting for more than six hours.

Eleven Ukrainian children crossed the border from Belarus to Ukraine Tuesday evening, in the latest return of children taken to Russia and occupied territories during the nearly two-year Ukraine war.

Emerging from the darkness at a humanitarian crossing on the Belarus border, the children hugged family members who had been waiting for more than six hours.

The following is Part 4 of a four-part excerpt from the previously unpublished novel Ashen Glory: War Within, set during the four climactic days of Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in February 2014.

February 21, 2014: The Aftermath

I’m not just witnessing a revolution, I’m taking an active part in it, Novak reflects as he lies in bed alone, finally back in his own room. Despite his elation, he plumbs his own knowledge of history in an effort to come up with a violent revolution that ended well. He can’t. The stark sense of celebration down below envelopes him as he dozes off to a mental litany of tragedies.

Russia's FSB said the woman had been "proactively collecting funds... which were subsequently used to purchase tactical medical items, equipment, and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces".

Russia's FSB security services said on Tuesday it had arrested a US-Russian woman on allegations of treason for raising funds for the Ukrainian army.

The FSB in the central Urals city of Yekaterinburg said it had "suppressed the illegal activities" of a 33-year-old woman, a resident of Los Angeles with dual citizenship, and taken her into custody.

The unique footage showcases raids on positions captured by the Russians and destruction of its forces and equipment in the city using FPV drones and copters.

While in Avdiivka, units of the Third Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) found themselves wholly surrounded but managed to break free, the Deputy Commander Maksym Zhorin reported on Telegram.

“Now we can say that for a certain time, some units of the Third Assault Brigade were completely surrounded in Avdiivka itself but were able to get out,"” he wrote.

Targets for blame include – so far – bad Russian air traffic control, Russian friendly fire, tricky Ukrainians deploying advanced missiles close to the fighting line, and stupid Kremlin generals.

Russian frustration boiled over in the wake of the destruction of seven of Russia’s most advanced combat jets over a little more than five days, but pro-Kremlin narratives were badly split on why it happened and whom to blame for the close to $300 million in losses, not counting the pilots.

Ukrainian air force spokesmen citing battlefield video and radar tracking data on Feb. 17 claimed air defenses knocked down two Su-34 attack jets ($36 million each) and one Su-35 ($85 million each) fighter, followed by the Feb. 18 destruction of another Su-34, and the Feb. 19 shootdown of another Su-34 and Su-35.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Ukraine has been defending itself against illegal Russian military intervention and aggression for 10 years.
• Russia’s grand strategic objective of regaining control of Ukraine has remained unchanged in the decade since its illegal intervention in Ukraine began.
• Russia worked hard to obfuscate its grand strategic objectives of regaining control of Ukraine between 2014 and the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
• Russian military intelligence is reportedly learning from its failures in recent years and has renewed efforts against NATO states.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu preened themselves on the Russian seizure of Avdiivka.
• Shoigu also claimed that Russian forces completely seized Krynky in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast, although available open-source visual evidence and Ukrainian and Russian reporting suggests that Ukrainian forces maintain their limited bridgehead in the area.
• The Kremlin likely prematurely claimed the Russian seizure of Krynky to reinforce its desired informational effects ahead of the March 2024 presidential election, although the Kremlin is likely setting expectations that the Russian military may fail to meet.
• The New York Times (NYT) reported that the Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka may have left hundreds of Ukrainian personnel “unaccounted” for.
• Ukrainian officials launched an investigation into additional apparent Russian violations of the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war (POWs) in Zaporizhia Oblast.
• Russian forces made a confirmed advance west of Avdiivka amid continued positional engagements along the entire frontline.
• The Kremlin continues to promote Russia’s efforts to expand its defense industrial base (DIB).
• Zaporizhia Oblast occupation authorities are expanding public services provision in occupied parts of the oblast to consolidate bureaucratic control and generate dependencies on the occupation administration.