Recent developments in the Donbas war zone
- Ukraine’s Joint-Forces Operation Command (JFO) reported that it recorded no attacks by Russian hybrid forces in the war zone on Feb 4.
- JFO recorded six attacks on Feb 5, some of which involved heavy artillery, two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. Two more attacks were reported on Feb 6.
- On 5 February, Russian hybrid formations dropped 4 explosive devices on the residential area of Pavlopil, Mariupol sector – two hit the closed school, others blew up near homes shattering two windows, the local administration reported.
- As of 19:30 Feb 3, OSCE’s Special Monitoring Team (SMM) recorded 29 violations, including 4 explosions in Donetsk Oblast; 31 violations, including 6 explosions in Luhansk Oblast.
- As of 19:30 Feb 4, the SMM recorded 85 violations, including 2 explosions in Donetsk Oblast; 73 violations, including 1 explosion in Luhansk Oblast.
- 42-year-old Oleksandr Hryshnenko of special police forces died of a heart attack on the front line in Donetsk Oblast on January 28, 2022.
Quick Ukraine news
- Poland to send missiles, drones, thousands of artillery rounds to Ukraine
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to visit Kyiv on Feb 14 before the scheduled visit to Moscow on Feb 15.
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to make her second visit to Ukraine.
- Leaders of Germany, France, and Poland will meet in Berlin to discuss security issues in Eastern and Central Europe, Ukraine.
- US national security adviser Jake Sullivan says Russia’s attack could take many forms even annexation of the Donbas, reports CNBC.
- Ukraine gets batch of MK19 grenade launchers from US.
- PMs of Lithuania and Latvia advocate pan-European sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime
- CIT Team found that a massive Russian military camp near Yelnya has relocated to the Ukrainian border
- Nuclear Power At Full Throttle Underscores Fragility Of Ukraine’s Energy Sector Amid Russian Squeeze.
Canada sends more non-lethal military aid to Ukraine
Canada has sent more non-lethal military aid to Ukraine late on February 3, the Canadian Ministry of National Defence reported on 5 February. This equipment includes “personal protective and load carriage equipment, as well as surveillance and detection equipment.”
More military aid from the UK, US, undisclosed cargo from Denmark
On February 5, the 8th American and 11th British planes landed in Boryspil Airport near Kyiv, delivering the latest shipments of military aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian state-owned concern Ukroboronprom published a video of the Antonov An-225 Mriya arriving in one of Kyiv airports commented that the air giant has brought a cargo of “weapons for the Armed Forces, handed over by Denmark.”
Finally, Ukrainian border guards have received three more Airbus helicopters from France.
Israel keeps rejecting to arm Ukraine
When Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced they had received permission to transmit US-made weapons to Ukraine as part of an effort to support Kyiv in the face of a potential Russian invasion, it raised questions about what other systems could be handed over to the Ukrainian government.
BreakingDefense citing unnamed sources says that in December, the Israeli MoD “sent word to the three Baltic nations that if they ask to transfer weapons to Ukraine, they will be denied” — an almost unheard-of preemptive denial, driven by Israel’s need to balance its relations with Russia.
Back in September 2014, Israel banned all drone supplies to Ukraine, reportedly for maintaining good relations with Russia.
Scholz says Germany’s the strongest economic supporter of Ukraine, but won’t supply weapons
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to criticism that Germany has not done enough to support Ukraine in an interview for the Washington Post published on Sunday, while also emphasizing that Russia will face a “high price” if it invades. He added that Germany had contributed $2 billion (€1.75 billion) to Ukraine over the past seven years. Scholz went on to say that the country is following strict criteria on the export of weapons into crisis regions, once again giving the excuse most popular among German politicians.
Macron to meet Putin in Moscow, Scholz heading to US as Ukraine diplomacy goes into overdrive
A fresh round of diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions over Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine kicks off on February 7, with French President Emmanuel Macron meeting Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Moscow and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz heading to the United States for talks with President Joe Biden, RFE/RL reports.
“Meanwhile, Kyiv has played down the US warnings that Moscow had stepped up preparations for a major incursion into Ukraine, with an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisting that the chance of resolving the crisis through diplomacy remained greater than that of an attack,” adds RFE/RL.
Russians creating a secret air-base on an abandoned airfield near Belarusian Gomel – drill training plans don’t mention using it
Military equipment and manpower are accumulating at the abandoned military base of the USSR Strategic Aviation near the village of Zyabrawka, near Gomel, Belarus, 25 km from the Ukrainian border. Official plans by both Russian and Belarusian military for exercise “Union Determination 2022” didn’t mention that the facility would be used, according to the Gomel newspaper Flagshtok cited by Espresso TV.
How disinformation helps Russia fabricate a pretext to invade Ukraine
Disinformation is laying the ground for Russia to fabricate a pretext to invade Ukraine. As Russian troops keep amassing at Ukraine’s borders, a surge of fake allegations about imminent Ukrainian attacks on Donbas is raising worries that a further escalation is indeed imminent.
How disinformation helps Russia fabricate a pretext to invade Ukraine
Why Ukraine can’t solve its language problem by adopting policies from Switzerland or France
What language policies could be a solution for Ukraine? Many westerners view Ukraine as a linguistically divided country and suggest giving Russian official status, others say Ukraine needs to adopt a protectionist approach. However, a close review of the international experience reveals there is no magic bullet. Ukraine will have to find its own path – but it makes sense to learn from the successes and failures of other countries.
Why Ukraine can’t solve its language problem by adopting policies from Switzerland or France
Majority of Ukrainians consider Russia to be behind the conflict in Donbas and reject Moscow’s ‘solutions’
A recent survey by the major Ukrainian pollsters, Democratic Initiatives Foundation and Razumkov Centre, has found that a fairly large majority of Ukrainians view the conflict in Donbas as Russian aggression, with this number having increased significantly over the past six months: 65% overall consider Russia responsible, with only 15% seeing the conflict as internal. Also, 68% consider the conflict in the Donbas to be Russian aggression with the use of local fighters – this figure saw an increase of 14.5% since May 2021, according to the pollsters.
Russian officers speak out against attacking Ukraine, urge Putin to resign
General Leonid Ivashov, the Chairman of the “All-Russian Officer Assembly,” wrote an appeal to the Russian people and President Vladimir Putin called “On The Eve Of The War” against armed aggression towards Ukraine. He stated that the war against Ukraine threatens Russia’s statehood.
Russian officers shun policy of provoking war against Ukraine, urge Putin to resign
“Ready for war within 24 hours, a Ukrainian combat veteran lives in limbo”
“Russia stole my home,” Luhansker Oleksandr Makhov, 35-year-old Ukrainian army veteran, says during an interview with Coffee or Die Magazine at his apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city,
“My private war isn’t finished, and my home is still under Russian occupation.”
More war-related reporting:
- 51-year-old Marta has volunteered to join Ukraine’s military to send a message to Russia: Invasion would be costly: Video
- On The Front Line With The ‘Badgers’: In The Trenches, A Ukrainian Unit Waits — And Fights Boredom: RFE/RL’s reportage
- In Photos: New Images Capture Russia Massing Weaponry Around Ukraine
A March of Unity in Kharkiv
On 5 February, according to depo.ua, more than 5,000 people marched through the central streets of Kharkiv, the northeastern Ukrainian city dozens of kilometers away from the Russian border. The participants chanted “Glory to Ukraine! – “Glory to the Heroes!”, “ Ukraine above all else!”, “Only one, united Ukraine!”, “East and West together!”, etc. The march was organized by several local patriotic organizations, including National Corps Kharkiv.
Rallies of solidarity with Ukraine take place in Canada, US, EU, Brazil
As the threat of a Russian escalation against Ukraine remains, rallies of solidarity with Ukraine keep taking place in various countries worldwide. This weekend, a wave of protests took place in Canada.
Rallies of solidarity with Ukraine take place in Canada, US, EU, Brazil
Ukrainian chefs proclaim Manifesto to promote Ukrainian cuisine, food tourism
On February 7, 2022, prominent Ukrainian chefs and government officials announced the Ukrainian Cuisine Manifesto, which aims at promoting Ukrainian dishes in the global gastronomic community, creating new formulas for ancient dishes, and developing gastronomic tourism.
Ukrainian chefs proclaim Manifesto to promote Ukrainian cuisine, food tourism
China, Egypt, Türkiye were main importers of Ukrainian grain in 2021
Ukraine’s revenue from exports of grain crops in 2021 amounted to $12.3 billion, the largest trading partners were China, which imported $2.55 billion, as well as Egypt ($1.39 billion), and Türkiye ($0.92 billion), according to a report by the Institute of Agrarian Economics (IAE). Other major grain importers from Ukraine were:
- Indonesia with $750 million,
- Spain with $645 million,
- the Netherlands with $552 million,
- Iran with $533 million,
- Pakistan with $355 million,
- Libya with $342 million
- Tunisia with $306 million.
Mass opposition to QR codes to identify individuals in Russia
A Russian commentator says that Russians oppose far broader than vaccination the recently introduced personal QR codes to identify individuals and control their movement.
Opposition to QR Codes in Russia far broader and more political than to vaccines, Kagarlitsky says
Russia refuses to investigate torture that FSB uses to fabricate ‘evidence’ against Crimean Tatar leader Nariman Dzhelyal
The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group reports that Russia’s FSB intensified its use of torture in fabricating criminal charges against Crimean Tatars and other Ukrainians in 2021, with the charges against Crimean Tatar Mejlis leader Nariman Dzhelyal and two other men based solely on ‘evidence’ obtained through such means.
Moscow’s continuing lies about Katyn ‘analogous to Holocaust denials,’ Romanov says
In December 2021, an all-Russian TV channel aired a show to deny the Soviet’s involvement in the Katyn tragedy – the mass murder of 14,000 Polish soldiers in 1940 and then blaming it on the Germans. The episodes of the show continued to insist on the Soviet version of events, a lie that is “analogous to Holocaust denials,” according to a Russian commentator.
Moscow’s continuing lies about Katyn ‘analogous to Holocaust denials,’ Romanov says
7 myths about Ukraine-Russia conflict debunked
The EU disinformation watchdog EU vs Disinformation has addressed the seven most prevalent and dangerous myths of the Russian propaganda machine — and often outright lies — related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including the false statements that “Ukraine and West’s persistent aggressive behavior caused current tensions,” “NATO and the West triggered the current crisis,” “Russia is encircled by NATO,” “Ukraine belongs to Russia’s sphere of influence.”
Disinformation on current Russia-Ukraine conflict: 7 myths debunked
Monument to Russian military leader Aleksandr Suvorov dismantled in Poltava
Initially, the monument stood in the courtyard of the Ivan Bohun Military Lyceum in Kyiv, but the administration decided to remove it. It was then moved as an exhibit to the Poltava Museum of Heavy Bomber Aviation, a branch of the National Military History Museum. Finally, it was dismantled.
Considered a formidable general by many, Suvorov massacred thousands of Poles and Ukrainians during his military campaigns. The monument was erected in 1974 as part of Soviet visual agitation and propaganda, which lost its relevance after Ukraine’s independence.
“Dismal Russian record in occupied Eastern Ukraine serves as warning”
The Russian-occupied areas of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine, once engines of the Ukrainian economy, are now impoverished, depopulated enclaves that increasingly rely on Russian subsidies to survive. It’s what many fear could happen to the rest of the country if Vladimir Putin carries out a broader invasion. Read the Wall Street Journal’s reportage from the east of Ukraine.
“Russia’s Fusion of state and criminal world in Russia even more dangerous than absence of democracy”
A London-based Russian expert says that Russia’s fusion of the state and the criminal world that occurred in the 1990s and continues to this day is something new and is if anything more dangerous for the country than the absence of democracy.
Mote notable op-eds:
- Russia is already holding many Ukrainian POWs without any declaration of war – KHPG
- Ukraine Gave Up a Giant Nuclear Arsenal 30 Years Ago. Today There Are Regrets: NYT
- Why Russia is winning the information war in Slovakia
- How to Stop the Kremlin’s Genocidal Rhetoric on Ukraine: StopFake
- Vladimir Putin Caught Between Choosing Expensive Ukraine War or Humiliating Retreat: Newsweek
- Why we must not appease Putin’s approach to Ukraine: Toronto Sun
