Russian attack
Hours of air alert throughout Ukraine – explosions in Kiev
Russian troops have fired on the Kharkiv region of Ukraine with repurposed S-300 anti-aircraft missiles
© SOPA Images / Imago Images
Russia is financing its war against Ukraine with money from oil and gas exports. That’s why Ukraine is targeting refineries and fuel depots. Also: nationwide air alert in Ukraine. The overview from the night.
At the end of December, Russia used Tu-95MS fighter jets to launch a wave of attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. 39 people were killed.
Ukraine hopes for new weapons
After consultations with its supporters, Ukraine hopes to soon receive more anti-aircraft weapons, artillery ammunition, drones and the first Western combat aircraft. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov announced this on Facebook on Wednesday. The partners of the country attacked by Russia had previously discussed matters at NATO in the so-called Ramstein format. According to Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), Germany will lead an alliance with France to improve Ukraine’s air defense.
On Thursday night, a Ukrainian drone hit set fire to a large fuel depot in Russia’s Kursk region near the border, Russian authorities said. There were no injuries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj discussed with his leadership in Kiev how Ukraine could better combat Russian reconnaissance drones. Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for almost two years. Next week on February 24th is the anniversary of the start of the war.
Waiting for the F-16
The Ramstein format, led by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, met in Brussels before a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday. The introduction of the US F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine is “on schedule,” Umjerov said without providing further details. Ukrainian pilots and ground crews are currently being trained for the aircraft. The Netherlands and Denmark will deliver jets to Ukraine, which are expected there this year. Umyerov also reported on a drone supply alliance led by Latvia and a demining alliance led by Lithuania.
Berlin and Paris lead alliance for Ukrainian air defense
Germany and France lead another of these so-called capability coalitions, namely for air defense. Pistorius and his French colleague Sébastien Lecornu signed the founding documents in Brussels. The alliance is intended to ensure long-term efficient support for Ukraine in the area of ground-based air defense. After the immediate aid, it is now about long-term capabilities, explained Pistorius. Air defense is a basic prerequisite for the success of the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against the Russian aggressor.
According to Pistorius, Germany will also co-lead a planned coalition for armored combat vehicles – this time not alongside France, but alongside Poland. Germany also wants to take part in alliances for artillery, maritime security, demining and drones.
Ukraine is arming itself against Russian reconnaissance drones
Drones of the Orlan type are “the eyes for the Russian artillery and combat drones,” Zelenskyj wrote on Wednesday on the X portal (formerly Twitter). Ukraine can technically make such drones blind. What is needed, however, is a systematic approach from identifying enemy drones to using electronic warfare against them and destroying them. A close connection between the army and arms producers is necessary. “Manufacturers must clearly understand the needs of the front, while the army should know the production capacities in each region,” the president explained.
Zelensky also addressed this meeting in his evening video speech and looked to the future. The technology that Ukraine is now developing will also be able to be exported after the war, he said.
Russian fuel depot near Kursk shot up
The fire in the fuel depot near Kursk continued a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil and gas industry facilities. Russia finances the war with export revenue. In the past few weeks, facilities in Ust-Luga and St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea and Tuapse on the Black Sea were hit. “An oil depot caught fire in the Kursk district due to an attack by a Ukrainian drone,” regional governor Roman Starovoit wrote on Telegram.
Air alerts were raised in several areas in eastern Ukraine on Thursday night due to the threat of Russian missile attacks. Explosions were reported in the city of Kharkiv. On Wednesday, Russian troops shelled the settlement of Velykyj Burluk in the Kharkiv region with repurposed S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. According to Ukrainian authorities, two people were killed and five injured. Four people were rescued from the rubble of a residential building that was hit.
Russia sees itself at war against the unified West
Almost two years after the Russian attack on Ukraine, Moscow sees itself in a war with the entire Western world, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said this on Wednesday, according to Russian agency reports. “The special military operation began as an operation against Ukraine,” Peskov was quoted as saying. “Over time it has taken the form of a war against the collective West.” But this also means that the special military operation – as Moscow officially calls the war of aggression against Ukraine – will take longer than expected. “But it doesn’t change the way things are going,” Peskov said. Putin also often interprets his war in Ukraine as a conflict in which Russia has to defend itself against the Western world.
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Pistorius: Munich Security Conference should help Ukraine
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the Munich Security Conference starting next Friday is intended to provide an impetus for “the unity of the free, democratic world to continue to support Ukraine.” This would be the “most important signal” that could come from the meeting, the SPD politician told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). Russia’s war against its neighboring country concerns everyone. “Because it would encourage autocrats and dictators around the world to do similar things if Putin got away with it.”
That will be important on Thursday
The defense ministers of the NATO states are discussing further cooperation with Ukraine and the ongoing expansion of the alliance’s deterrence and defense capabilities. After days of blockades by Polish farmers at several border crossings between Poland and Ukraine, Ukrainian truck drivers want to close a crossing for Polish trucks.