Exclusives
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Why Ukraine can’t just “make peace”: top historian explains what the West gets wrong about peace with Russia. While the West calls for Ukraine’s concessions to Russia, historian Yaroslav Hrytsak warns of what’s really at stake a nation’s last chance to break free from centuries of imperial bloodshed. |
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If martial law is suspended for elections, Ukraine will lose its army, Zelenskyy warns. Ukraine would be legally required to drastically reduce its wartime-sized army. Moreover, millions – most refugees abroad, soldiers, and those in occupied territories – would be unable to vote. |
Military
Ukrainian military: Russian Navy families exit Crimea as Black Sea Fleet shows no signs of return. Ukrainian forces have effectively pushed Russian warships eastward through successful drone attacks. The shift has allowed Ukraine to resume billion-dollar exports from Odesa while forcing Russia to rely on civilian vessels for military transport.
Ukrainian forces advance along Sudzha-Oboyan highway in Russia. Russian sources report Ukrainian mechanized attacks southeast of Sudzha near multiple settlements in Kursk Oblast.
Frontline Report: Ukrainian forces break through 4.5km deep in surprise Kursk offensive. Russian troops were forced to lie prone in forests without prepared positions as Ukrainian drones struck with precision during yesterday’s assault.
Russia eyes Kostiantynivka after Toretsk gains in Donetsk Oblast but Ukraine resists assaults. Russia is intensifying its offensive in Donetsk Oblast, aiming to push beyond Toretsk toward Kostiantynivka. Despite suffering heavy losses, Moscow’s forces are adapting their tactics to sustain their advance.
Russian strike hits Sumy parking lot, destroys multiple vehicles. A Russian drone attack on Sumy destroyed 15 vehicles and damaged three buildings, with no reported casualties.
Drones hit 6m-ton Afipsky oil complex in southern Russia. A key supplier of military aviation fuel in southern Russia reports damage from overnight drone strikes.
Ukraine’s military reports 87 Russian air strikes, over 5,800 shellings during past day. Ukrainian forces engaged in 99 combat clashes across the frontline on 9 February, with the Pokrovsk direction becoming the main focus of Russian attacks.
Satellite image reveals damage to Russian oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. RFE/RL shared a satellite image, showing that Ukraine’s 5 February air attack and the subsequent fire at Albashneft oil refinery in southern Russia damaged two fuel tanks.
As of 10 FEB 2025, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:
- Personnel: 850490 (+1170)
- Tanks: 10001 (+9)
- APV: 20813 (+16)
- Artillery systems: 22879 (+35)
- MLRS: 1273
- Anti-aircraft systems: 1059
- Aircraft: 370
- Helicopters: 331
- UAV: 24623 (+137)
- Cruise missiles : 3054
- Warships/boats: 28
- Submarines: 1
- Vehicles and fuel tanks: 36638 (+109)
Intelligence and Technology
Latvia to send Patria armored vehicles with 700km range to Ukraine. High-speed Patria 6×6 armored vehicles from Latvia will join Ukraine’s military arsenal by late 2024, offering advanced protection and mobility features.
Forbes: Ukraine’s Mirage 2000-5s ready to smash Russian bunkers with SCALP-EG and Hammer bombs. Ukraine’s new French jets are set to destroy Russian bunkers, but the effectiveness hinges on the availability of their critical munitions.
ISW: Russia applies drone innovations from Ukraine war against NATO states. Russian sabotage and hybrid operations against NATO members have increased throughout 2024, raising concerns about Moscow’s technological advances.
International
Polish funding approved for urgent repairs at historic Pidhirtsi Castle in Ukraine. Poland’s heritage preservation program will finance restoration work at multiple historic sites across Lviv and its surrounding Oblast.
Lithuania’s Radarom! campaign raises € 1 million to supply Ukraine with drones in one week. Lithuanians raise €1M in a week to supply Ukraine with drones and anti-drone systems, strengthening its defense amid ongoing war and looming peace talks.
Politico: Europe moves to squeeze Russia’s shadow fleet as Finland shows how it’s done. The seizure of the Eagle S by Finnish authorities, a Russian oil tanker suspected of damaging vital subsea cables in the Baltic Sea, might trigger a shift in EU strategy.
Trump’s envoy on Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg, to visit Kyiv next week. Keith Kellogg, US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is set to visit Kyiv next week as the Trump administration intensifies diplomatic efforts to end the war. The visit follows Trump’s claims of progress in talks with Putin.
Vice President JD Vance to meet with President Zelenskyy in Germany this week. President Donald Trump may also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he told reporters on 7 Feb.
Humanitarian and Social Impact
WSJ: Russian prison system designed special forces to torture program for Ukrainians. Major General Igor Potapenko instructed Russian prison special forces to “be cruel” to Ukrainian prisoners in March 2022, former officials told The Wall Street Journal.
Russian vessel reroutes Ukrainian stolen wheat cargo from Syria to Egypt – OCCRP. A Russian company with a history of selling grain from occupied Ukrainian territories exported over 20,000 tons of wheat to Egypt last month.
Political and Legal Developments
Russian Volunteer Corps commander: Moscow may wage war against Ukraine for another 10 years as it does not care for losses. The assessment comes as Russian casualties surpass 850,000.
Trump’s foreign aid freeze disrupts Ukraine’s investigation of 140,000 Russian war crimes. The suspension of foreign aid under President Trump has begun crippling Ukraine’s efforts to document and prosecute Russian war crimes, with $89 million in critical justice projects now frozen. Dozens of international experts have ceased operations. Key initiatives, including support for sexual violence victims and evidence preservation, face immediate termination.
Bloomberg: Putin’s strength in Ukraine may be an illusion as Russia’s corporate debt hits $ 446 billion. New economic data shows Russian banks quietly restructuring massive defense loans as corporate debt spikes 70% since the Ukraine invasion, challenging Moscow’s image of wartime resilience.
Trump claims progress in Russia-Ukraine talks but withholds details of recent contact with Putin. President Trump revealed ongoing communication with Vladimir Putin while claiming progress in ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, though he declined to provide specifics.
New Developments
Kyiv university professor suspended after dozens of victims accussed him of sexual harassment. Accusations of sexual harassment against Andrii Bilous, a prominent Kyiv theatre professor, have sparked a police investigation and protests by his colleagues and students demanding accountability.
Vacancy: Fundraising communications manager.
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