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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 02-23-2024 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
What's transpired over the past two years, its significance, and on how it might shape Ukraine's and Europe's future in the premiere episode of Talking Substance.
"We can also see that in these two years, global security has only deteriorated. More and more wars and conflicts are flaring up across the globe," Kuleba said.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia at the UN General Assembly on Friday of ignoring the will of the world as its war against Kyiv enters a third year.
The meeting was held as Ukraine prepares to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion while vital US aid to Ukraine remains blocked by the US Congress and Russia is emboldened by fresh gains in recent weeks.
The agreement between Ukraine and Denmark includes a strong military section, which significantly differs from previous security pacts with Great Britain, Germany, and France.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen signed a 10-year agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between the two nations Friday.
According to Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of Zelensky's Office, the first security agreement of Ukraine with the state outside the G-7 differs significantly from the previous ones as it includes a "strong military section" in addition to the classic provisions, which are:
Ukrainian Children are being forced into re-education summer camps, where they are flooded with pro-Russian militaristic narratives and handle riot gear and guns with Belarusian security forces.
Ukrainian Children that Russians abducted from the occupied territories are being forced into re-education summer camps in Belarus with the blessings of the country’s unelected leader, a new investigation by Radio Liberty finds.
Since October 2023, the Russians have taken at least 2,442 children illegally abducted from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Belarus, as reported by the Humanities Research Laboratory of the Yale School of Public Health last November.
Zelensky proposed the meeting earlier this week but has so far received a cold shoulder from Warsaw, which does not want to antagonize Polish farmers.
Ukraine's president said he would send the country's prime minister to the Polish border Friday for talks on ending a blockade by Polish farmers event though Warsaw has refused immediate ministerial negotiations.
Relations between the neighbors have soured over the blockade, which Kyiv argues threatens its exports and has even held up deliveries of much-needed weapons for its war against Russia.
The Moldovan pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria, which lies across Ukraine’s southwestern border, may announce a renewed call for annexation by the Kremlin next week, ISW analysts warn.
According to a warning from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the pro-Kremlin breakaway Transnistria region of eastern Moldova may ask next week to be annexed to Russia as part of Putin’s Russky Myr, or Russian World, plan.
The new warning by the ISW says: “The pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria may call for or organize a referendum on Transnistria’s annexation to Russia at a recently announced Transnistrian Congress of Deputies planned for Feb. 28.”
Ukraine relies on Western military backing to help it defend against Russian attacks, which have accelerated as Moscow seeks to take advantage of Kyiv's stretched resources on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Friday for Western countries to accelerate deliveries of promised air defense systems and fighter jets, on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion.
He spoke as vital US aid to Ukraine has been blocked by the US Congress and as Russia has been emboldened by fresh gains in recent weeks.
As Italy and Ukraine get ready to sign a security agreement, their cultural bonds are secured with a performance by the Odesa Orchestra in the Italian parliament.
To remember two years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, on Feb. 22, the Italian Parliament welcomed the Orchestra of the Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre along with a delegation from the Verkhovna Rada.
In the most important hall of the Chamber of Deputies, the Hemicycle, the concert “Elegy for Peace,” played live on the Italian national TV Rai3. It was introduced by Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber.
Republican legislators in the House have stalled approval of $60 billion in aid for Kyiv, with Ukrainian forces running low on supplies and Russia recently scoring a key battlefield gain.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived Friday in Ukraine in an effort to put pressure on his Republican opponents in Congress to unlock crucial aid as Russia's war enters its third year.
“We are here to show the Ukrainian people that America stands with them and will (continue) fighting to get the funding they so desperately need and deserve,” Schumer said in a statement from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Set in Manhattan’s hippest neighborhood, this Ukrainian coffee shop with humble origins has seduced refugees, artists and Hollywood stars alike. Now it’s starring in its own film.
Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine, the Veselka restaurant in New York City decided to donate the proceeds of every bowl of borsht sold to the Ukrainian war effort.
The move was a success – even though Veselka (which means “rainbow” in Ukrainian) was successful even before the war.
Ukraine has had success in the Black Sea but been weakened on land by the blocking of US aid, its failed counter-offensive and worsening ammunition shortages.
President Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed Russia's “heroes” fighting in Ukraine on the eve of the second anniversary of the Kremlin's offensive, with Moscow bolstered by gains against ammunition-starved Ukrainian troops.
Putin's message came on Russia's “Defender of the Fatherland Day,” a holiday that has always been an occasion for military pomp and Kremlin-sponsored patriotism.
Serhiy Kolyada on the killer in Kremlin securing wavering "voters" before his 're-election
The exact number of casualties is impossible to establish, with both sides giving little information about their losses, to avoid undermining morale among the troops and wider public.
In two years of war in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have lost their lives.
The exact number of casualties is impossible to establish, with both sides giving little information about their losses, to avoid undermining morale among the troops and wider public.
The US president said the new sanctions would target individuals connected to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and impede overseas supply for Moscow’s war machine.
US President Joe Biden announced a new package of sanctions consisting of more than 500 sanctions aimed at crippling Moscow’s ability to resupply itself on the eve of the two-year anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The new sanctions will target the Kremlin's financial and defense sectors, as well as individuals culpable in the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whom Biden called “a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin’s fiercest opposition leader.”
Two years on, leading specialists comment on what Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine signifies for them.
From the editors:
In connection with the second anniversary of Russia launching its all-out war against Ukraine, we have invited a number of prominent political, business and military people, analysts and journalists, to share their thoughts on what this somber date means for them and for all of us.
David Arakhamia said the audit had already revealed entire units, numbering tens of thousands of troops, that have not been on the front lines once since the war began two years ago.
Ukraine’s new Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), Oleksandr Syrsky, has launched an audit of the Ukrainian forces, as there is still a number of units that have never been to the front line, these could number hundreds of thousands of troops.
Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to Ukraine’s President said during the national 24/7 newscast on Feb. 9, the day after Syrsky was appointed, that one of the C-in-C’s first tasks would be to conduct an audit.
ATESH partisans observed the arrival of Russian tanks in Yevpatoriya, counting over 30 T-62 tanks at the Tovarna station.
Agents of the Atesh partisan movement documented the arrival of a substantial fleet of Russian tanks at the Yevpatoriya railway station in occupied Crimea, according to a post on their Telegram channel.
The partisans released pertinent videos, highlighting that “the successful actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the front are forcing the occupiers to deplete their reserves.”
Germans are divided on how Russia's war against Ukraine should end and on whether Russia would continue its invasion to other countries.
More and more Germans are in favor of increasing weapons and military support for Ukraine to fight Russia’s invasion.
The latest ZDF Politbarometer poll saw the number of those supporting increased military aid for Ukraine rising to 62, up from 51 percent in January.
Former Russian President Medvedev told the world all Russia wants Odesa, a famously Russian-speaking city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, to “come home.” Deadly kamikaze drones hit hours later.
Former Russian president Dmitriy Medvedev on Thursday said all Russians love the Ukrainian city of Odesa and hope and pray for its return to the Russian fold.
Later the same day the Kremlin hit the Black Sea port with kamikaze drones, killing three residents including a child.
While those responsible haven’t been identified, the latest spillage is likely to further enflame the tension between Ukraine and Poland over its farm imports dispute.
In the latest escalation of the ongoing Polish-Ukrainian farm imports dispute, three trucks carrying a cargo of rapeseed en route to Hamburg, Germany, were reportedly opened by unknown perpetrators at the Dorohusk railway station on the Ukraine Poland border.
Ukrainian official Oleksandr Kubrakov published the photo of the alleged incident on Twitter and said it took place this morning, and that “criminals must be punished” to deter similar incidents from happening again.
The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.
Lyudmila Navalnaya said that investigators allowed her to see her son's body late on February 21 in the Arctic city of Salekhard. In a video statement, Navalnaya said she signed a death certificate, but that the authorities continued to hold her son's body. Navalnaya said she spent 24 hours in the directorate of the Investigative Committee in Salekhard and was brought to a morgue, where she saw her son's body for the first time since his death was made public on February 16. Navalnaya said she was brought to the morgue "secretly" and signed the death certificate there, stressing that the authorities were breaking the law by not releasing her son's body to her and by "putting forward conditions on where, when, and how Aleksei should be buried." The authorities in her presence "were receiving commands either from the Kremlin or from the Investigative Committee's central office," Navalnaya said. "They want the burial to be held secretly without any farewell ceremonies," she added in the video. "They want to bring me to the edge of a cemetery and say to me, 'Here is where your son is resting.' I do not agree with that." - RFE/RL
U.S. President Joe Biden on February 22 met the wife and daughter of Aleksei Navalny in California "to express his heartfelt condolences," the White House said in a statement. During the meeting, Biden expressed his admiration for Navalny's "extraordinary courage and his legacy of fighting against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the rule of law applies equally to everyone," the statement said - RFE/RL
The Polish parliament has expressed its gratitude to the brave Ukrainians who “not only protect their own borders but also deter Russian imperialism.”
On the eve of the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the Polish parliament (known as the Sejm) has adopted a resolution, urging the governments of NATO and EU countries to strengthen support for Ukraine by ensuring the fastest provision of military equipment and ammunition, Polska Agencja Prasowa reported.
On Feb. 22, the Presidium of the Sejm presented a draft resolution commemorating the victims of Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine, which was later passed by lawmakers.
The European Council adopts its thirteenth package of sanctions against Russia on the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.Josep Borrell reaffirms EU's resolve to "dent Russia’s war machine."
The European Council, according to its official press release, has adopted its thirteenth package of restrictive measures against Russia, marking the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
These measures target individuals and entities supporting Putin's regime and perpetuating the "illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified war of aggression."
Russia claimed to have captured Maryinka, west of Donetsk, in December 2023, while Ukraine said its forces remained on the outskirts. Fighting was frozen mainly until recent days.
Ukraine's armed forces said Friday that Russia had intensified attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, focusing on the town of Maryinka after having taken the symbolic hub of Avdiivka.
As the war nears its third year, Moscow's troops have mounted heavy attacks and taken Avdiivka -- a key eastern town -- while Ukrainian troops are struggling with a lack of ammunition.
The majority expect Ukraine to win have no idea when the victory in the war will come and the number of “don’t knows” is increasing.
85 percent of Ukrainians are sure that Kyiv’s forces will win the war with Russia – but 8.5 percent have doubts. This is according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Razumkov Center.
Residents in the western regions of Ukraine are the most confident of victory - almost 90 percent. In the eastern regions, only 78 percent of respondents agree with this statement.
Zelensky said that he awarded Zaluzhny the Hero of Ukraine title in gratitude for the general’s defense of the nation, stating “I am very grateful to him.”
The replacement of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, is connected with the reboot of the military leadership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Fox News channel.
Zelensky spoke with American television host Bret Baier at a location near the front lines in Kharkiv.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with European leaders on Monday to discuss strengthening cooperation in supporting Kyiv while showing allies are not “fatigued with Ukraine.”
French President Emmanuel Macron will host several European leaders and government representatives for a meeting on Ukraine in Paris on Monday, as Reuters reported regarding Macron’s office.
“Two years after the start of the [full-scale – ed.] invasion of Ukraine, this working meeting will be an opportunity to explore ways to strengthen cooperation between partners in support of Ukraine,” the agency quoted the Elysee Palace press service.
Fatigue and calls to give soldiers relief pose a dilemma for military leaders who need more manpower to hold off Russian attacks.
Having rushed to join the Ukrainian army when Russia invaded, Ivan Zadontsev is now exhausted as the grinding campaign enters its third year.
"What I'm feeling is just fury. Just how long can it take?" Zadontsev, a press officer in the 24th Separate Assault Battalion, told AFP.
Ukrainian forces neutralized a Starlink satellite communication terminal discovered at Russian troop positions with an FPV drone.
Ukrainian paratroopers disabled a Starlink satellite communication terminal that had been discovered at Russian troops' positions near the front.
“The Russians have begun utilizing SpaceX's satellite communication platforms, which has been widely discussed. However, until now, we had not been able to film them,” the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported.
The former Georgian leader says he remains the only person Putin has poisoned but not yet been able to kill, while Zelensky now is “confidently leading” as Putin’s main enemy in the post-Soviet space.
The ex-leader of Georgia, political prisoner Mikheil Saakashvili, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin considered him and the murdered Russian opposition leader Oleksiy Navalny equally dangerous until 2022.
“We both fell into his (Putin’s) clutches,” Saakashvili writes in his Ukrainska Pravda column.
Donald Trump and the right-wing MAGA Republicans are Polezni Duraks, useful idiots, employed by Putin and the Kremlin to advance their goals over US national security, and that of its allies.
A wave of Russian disinformation swept Donald Trump into office: Fake articles on Facebook blared the Pope’s endorsement. The New York Post informed us Hillary was going to be indicted and die of a rare disease next week.
Since then, Trump has adapted that fake news operation to turn around the negative publicity from 91 felony counts.
On Thursday, the Russian defense ministry announced the capture of Pobeda ('victory' in Russian), a frontline village about five kilometers (three miles) west of Donetsk city.
The United States plans to impose sanctions Friday on more than 500 targets involved in Russia's war in Ukraine, as Moscow claims fresh battlefield advances two years after its invasion.
Ukraine, grappling with hold-ups to much-needed Western military aid, has been pushed back from the front line in recent months.
President Zelensky addresses insane Moscow statements; Ukraine prepares for F-16s; Medvedev says Russia must take Kyiv and Odesa, either now or later.
Overview
President Zelensky says only Ukrainian victory will restore some sobriety in Russia
Russian troops launched 31 Shahed drones over Ukraine, with Ukrainian Air Defense Forces successfully downing 23.
In Odesa, rescuers discovered the bodies of three individuals beneath the debris of an industrial building, where a downed Russian attack drone had crashed, according to a report from the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine via Telegram.
Initially, it was reported that one person had perished in the attack.
Navalny’s demise reveals just how emboldened Vladimir Putin has become, while the West continues to navel-gaze rather than taking its own courageous leap for what is right.
The killing of Alexei Navalny reveals Russian President Vladimir Putin to be an arrogant barbarian with no regard for civility or humanity. It reveals that Russia considers the West feckless. It should be a wake-up call for the US and Europe. It removes any illusions that Putin is yet another leader of a country that we simply do not understand. It confirms that Russia and the democratic US and Europe are at the crossroads of a conflagration unless we address this problem now.
The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is significant because Navalny was the leading opponent to Russia's and Putin's regime, even though he was thousands of miles away from Moscow, in a prison camp in the Arctic Circle.
The aid, announced almost two years to the day after Russian forces poured across the border, must still be approved by the IMF executive board.
The International Monetary Fund said Thursday it will disburse $880 million to Ukraine in the third phase of a $15.6 billion aid package approved last year as Kyiv fights the Russian invasion.
The aid, announced almost two years to the day after Russian forces poured across the border, must still be approved by the IMF executive board.
The Western operational command of the AFU released a video of the destruction of the Russian ammunition depot in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
Ukraine’s Western operational command posted a video on its Telegram channel that shows a Russian ammunition depot in the Zaporizhzhia area being obliterated by the 44th separate artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) using an FH70 howitzer.
“The 44th separate artillery brigade shows a master class on sorting and disposing of garbage,” the caption to the video read.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
