Day 357 (15 February)
In Kyiv, six spy balloons were downed and were probably trying to seek Ukrainian air defences.
The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson visited Ukraine and met with Zelenskyy. He supported a coalition to help supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
Russia is reported to have forced students to sign conscription forms for April in anticipation of them finishing their studies.
Switzerland will not confiscate the seized assets from Russians as it would violate their constitution. However, they stated they still support Ukraine.
In Krazna Zorka, a village in Crimea, reports claim that Russian bodies are being cremated in order to hide the number of losses.
Sweden have confirmed that Ukraine has made an official request for the transfer of Gripen aircraft, and that they are considering the request. The UK has said they will not be sending jets right now or soon to Ukraine due to practical issues, and also stated that 200 Royal Air Force personnel would have to accompany the jets.
All the Leopard 2 tanks that Canada had promised have been delivered to Poland, and Ukrainian soldiers are being trained to use them.
The Netherlands and Denmark have decided not to provide Leopard 2 tanks, and will instead contribute to the cost of refurbishing the Leopard 1 tanks in Germany.
Vira Mykhailenko is named as the new head of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) created to prosecute high profile cases.
A Ukrainian counteroffensive will take months, to train soldiers to use the new equipment and also to wait for all the equipment to arrive from the different allied countries. Russia knows this, and they are lining up their aircraft on the borders knowing that Ukraine has limited resources in this area. By turning it into a war in the air, Russia would have the upper hand as Ukraine requests countries to help supply aircraft.
In Russia, those who speak out against the special military operation are being arrested. A journalist Maria Ponomarenko has been jailed for 6 years for posting stories on social media about the attack on the theatre in Mariupol that killed hundreds of people. The crime was ‘spreading false information’ about the Russian army. Other high profile imprisonments include Ilya Yashin, jailed for 8.5 years for condemning the Bucha killings on YouTube.
Olesya Krivtsova, is a 20 year old student under house arrest for her Instagram posts criticising the special military operation. She was reported to the authorities by her classmates who were in a chat group. She faces up to 10 years in prison and is now on a list of terrorists and extremists for her social media posts which they claim are unpatriotic.
Day 358 (16 February)
Eli Cohen, the Israeli Foreign Minister arrived in Kyiv and is the first Israeli official to visit Ukraine since the invasion. Israel stated they would support the Ukrainian peace plan at the UN meeting to be held next week.
Overnight, the Russians launched attacks across northern and western Ukraine. Targeted areas included Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovhrad. Around 3-4 a.m., at least 32 missiles were launched, and while some were intercepted, some did reach their targets which were civilian buildings and energy infrastructure.
Lukashenko of Belarus has told the media that he will meet with Putin on 17 February 2023, to discuss military cooperation. Again, Belarus is supporting Russia and has been assisting them in their attacks against Ukraine.
He stated that he was ready to wage war against Ukraine with Russia, and has blamed the West for the war through provocation.
He has invited Biden (US) to come to Minsk for peace talks as he is in Warsaw next week, and says he would persuade Putin to come to the meeting to discuss peace. Somehow, I doubt such an offer would be accepted and is highly unattractive from a security point of view. Imagine Biden in Belarus, where Russian soldiers are stationed and armed, and with Putin in the same room…
I'm also ready to wage war, alongside the Russians from the territory of Belarus.
But only if someone, even a single soldier enters our territory from Ukraine with weapons to kill my people.
If you continue (West), this escalation, you will get nuclear weapons and Russia has more than anyone. (Lukashenko)
The 1,000 km border Ukraine shares with Belarus is being heavily guarded as Ukraine expects a new offensive in the coming week. This is how the invasion began, with a military drill in Belarus where the Russians hopped over the border and fired for real.
Slovakia has adopted a resolution stating that Russia is deemed a terrorist regime, and one that supports terrorism. This may encourage other countries to follow suit, which means that there are certain procedures that countries can use and follow if Russia attacks them or threatens them.
A prisoner swap saw the return of 100 Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity. Most were captured in Mariupol including those from Azovstal. Many of them were wounded, and such exchanges have taken months to negotiate.
The Russian Duma passed legislation to terminate any treaties it held with the Council of Europe, even though Russia was expelled in March 2022. These included the Convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the Convention for the suppression of terrorism, which Russia has violated.
More missile debris has been found in Moldova. This is the fourth time it has happened as far as the Moldovan government know.
The G7 are concerned about China supporting Russia who has been helping them import chips that can be used for military technology. The members are discussing whether to sanction the companies in China, Iran, and North Korea who are aiding Russia. There isn’t much to think about as Russia has been finding ways to circumvent the sanctions since the start of the invasion.
Ukraine has confirmed that some of the food purchased for the military was double the average market price in 2022. Thus, we can deduce they are admitting there was corruption in the Ministry of Defence.
Norway has announced a 5 year support program for Ukraine worth nearly €7 billion. Ukraine will receive €1.3 billion each year.
The European Parliament is considering a resolution on supplying Ukraine with fighter jets and helicopters. 444 MEPs supported the resolution, 37 abstained, and 26 opposed.