The situation as of 8:00 a.m. on February 13, 2023
- Russian troops, although suffering numerous losses in manpower and equipment, carry out active offensives in several areas (near Kupiansk, Kreminna, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Vuhledar and Marinka), but are unable to break through the Ukrainian defense.
- On February 9-10, another large-scale attack was conducted against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure facilities using kamikaze drones and various types of missiles.
- On February 8-9, Volodymyr Zelenskyi undertook a European tour, visiting London, Paris, and Brussels. The main purpose of the visit was to secure additional military assistance to Ukraine, including combat aircraft, and to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
OPERATIONAL SITUATION
Russian troops have stepped up offensives in several areas on the eastern frontline. The growing intensity of the attacks indicates that it is a coordinated large-scale operation aimed at capturing all the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In the north, Russian troops are trying to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces away from the Svatove-Kreminna road. They are attacking in the direction of Kupiansk and have advanced south of Kreminna.
The situation in the area of Bakhmut remains the most severe for Ukrainian units, where Russian troops are gradually expanding their footholds on the flanks of the garrison while storming the eastern outskirts of the city. Conditions are being created to surround the city.
Russian troops launched a series of attacks in the directions of Avdiivka, Marinka, and Vuhledar. However, their offensive failed and they suffered significant losses in armored vehicles.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces strike at Russian military bases in the temporarily occupied territories. Over the past week, successful attacks on facilities in Berdiansk (Zaporizhzhia region) and explosions in Mariupol (Donetsk region) were recorded.
On February 9-10, Russian troops carried out another attack against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The attacks involved several rounds of kamikaze drones strikes, as well as a combined missile strike by strategic aviation and ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to Ukrainian sources, the missiles flew through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. However, the Romanian side did not confirm that its borders had been crossed. In addition, Russian troops continued to use S-300 air defense systems in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions to strike ground targets. Besides, a surface drone was used to attack a strategically important bridge across the Dniester Estuary in Odesa region.
The Ukrainian air defense system shot down the majority of enemy UAVs and cruise missiles. In Zaporizhzhia region, the shelling on February 10 was the largest in terms of the number of hits since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The situation with energy supply is also challenging in Kharkiv and Odesa regions.
Russian troops keep on systematically attacking civilian infrastructure in the frontline and border regions of Ukraine with missiles and artillery. As a result, over the past week, civilian casualties amounted to at least: in Donetsk region – 8 people killed and 40 people wounded; in Kherson region – 4 people killed and 15 people wounded; in Kharkiv region – 3 people killed and 16 people wounded. Shelling also continues in certain districts of Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk (where 4 people were injured on February 9) regions. In Kherson region, 2 people died as a result of a car mine explosion.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
Recent personnel changes in the Ukrainian government demonstrate a tendency to appoint representatives of the security and law enforcement agencies to the positions of heads of ministries and regional military administrations. On February 7, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved Police General Ihor Klymenko as Minister of Internal Affairs (before that, Klymenko had been the head of the National Police of Ukraine since 2019). The parliament also approved the appointment of Major General Vasyl Maliuk, who had previously served as the interim head of the Security Service of Ukraine, as the head of the service. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supported the appointment of new heads of regional military administrations – Brigadier General Serhii Lysak in Dnipropetrovsk region and Colonel Yurii Malashko in Zaporizhzhia region (both former SSU officers); and Oleksandr Prokudin in Kherson region (former head of the National Police in Kherson region).
On February 12, President Zelenskyi signed a decree imposing personal sanctions against 199 Russian citizens associated with Rosatom. This move constitutes Ukraine’s call to the international community to join global sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry.
During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,200 healthcare facilities were damaged. At the same time, 540 hospitals were partially destroyed and 173 were completely destroyed. According to the Minister of Health of Ukraine, V. Liashko, it may take up to $1 billion to rebuild the destroyed hospitals.
Almost two dozen power units of thermal power plants remain damaged due to constant attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Considering this and the occupation of energy facilities, Ukraine has temporarily lost 44% of its nuclear generation, 75% of its thermal power plant capacity, and 33% of its combined heat and power plants.
FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi toured European countries. On February 8, the President arrived in the United Kingdom, where he met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The leaders signed a Declaration of Unity on allied cooperation and mutual support between the two countries. In turn, Rishi Sunak confirmed that the UK would begin training Ukrainian pilots on British fighter jets. During the visit, V. Zelenskyi addressed both houses of the UK Parliament, calling for the provision of aircraft to Ukraine to protect its airspace from Russian attacks.
On the evening of the same day, in Paris, the President of Ukraine held talks with President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, urging them to provide Ukraine with long-range artillery and combat aircraft.
On February 9-10, Volodymyr Zelenskyi took part in the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels. The President of Ukraine spoke at a special meeting of the European Parliament and the European Council, calling on the EU to impose sanctions against the Russian nuclear, missile, and UAV industries, and to make efforts to bring all those responsible for the war to international justice. On the sidelines of the summit, the Ukrainian President discussed defense support for Ukraine and informed his partners about the situation at the frontline. Following the summit, EU leaders adopted a resolution reaffirming their support for Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression and calling on Russia to immediately withdraw all troops.
This week, the newly appointed German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius and Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas paid visits to Ukraine.
International partners continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine to strengthen its defense capabilities. Sweden approved military aid to Ukraine worth 4.3 billion Swedish kronor (about $406 million), including anti-tank weapons, demining equipment, Robot 57 anti-tank missiles, and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. The German government issued export licenses to German arms companies for up to 178 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks for Ukraine. On its part, Lithuania will transfer to Ukraine 36 L-70 anti-aircraft missile systems to destroy Iranian Shahed drones, 2 Mi-8 helicopters and other military equipment worth over €126 million.
The United Kingdom introduced a new package of sanctions that applies to individuals and 6 companies that supply military equipment, including drones, used to wage war against Ukraine.
The information in the newsletter is collected from official sources—reports of state authorities of Ukraine, Ukrainian and international news agencies. The accuracy of the data is carefully checked by the project team and corrected in case of fake news.