Because the battle enters its 723rd day, these are the primary developments.
Right here is the state of affairs on Thursday, February 15, 2024.
Combating
- Ukraine stated it critically damaged the Caesar Kunikov, a Russian touchdown warship, off occupied Crimea, in a drone assault, the most recent blow to the Russian navy’s Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine stated the ship, certainly one of Russia’s latest vessels, had a crew of 87 and had taken half in wars in Georgia and Syria in addition to Ukraine. There was no official remark from Russia on the assault.
- Newly-appointed Ukrainian armed forces chief Oleksandr Syrskyii visited troops preventing round the important thing flashpoint of Avdiivka on the jap entrance line, and described the state of affairs as “extraordinarily advanced and irritating”. Syrskyii, who was accompanied by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, stated Russian forces had “a numerical benefit in personnel”.
- At the very least three folks, together with a baby, had been killed and a dozen injured in a wave of Russian missile assaults in town of Selydove in Ukraine’s jap Donetsk area. Officers stated a hospital and a number of other flats had been broken.
- At the very least two folks had been killed and 4 injured after a Russian S-300 missile hit an condo block in a village within the northeastern Kharkiv area, police stated.
- One lady was injured after a Ukrainian drone assault on Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh areas and over the Black Sea. Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated air defence methods destroyed 9 drones, six of them over the Black Sea.
Politics and diplomacy
- US President Joe Biden and prime officers urged Republican Home Speaker Mike Johnson for a vote on a invoice that would offer $61bn in essential help to Ukraine however is opposed by Donald Trump, the probably Republican candidate in November’s election in america. The Senate backed the bill, which additionally consists of help for Israel and Taiwan, earlier this week.
- NATO Secretary-Common Jens Stoltenberg additionally urged US lawmakers to move the invoice. “This isn’t charity. That is an funding in our personal safety,” Stoltenberg stated.
- British International Secretary David Cameron additionally urged members of the US Congress to “do the precise factor” and approve a Ukraine help bundle.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a legislation permitting authorities to confiscate the property of individuals convicted of spreading “intentionally false info” concerning the navy.
- A Russian navy court docket sentenced Zhumagul Kurbanova, a girl in her 60s, to 10 years in a penal colony after discovering her responsible of setting fireplace to a navy recruitment centre in St Petersburg in August 2023.
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued diplomatic protests to Moscow after Russian police put main Baltic politicians, together with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, on a needed record over the destruction of Soviet-era monuments. The three Baltic states had been as soon as a part of the Soviet Union however at the moment are members of the European Union and NATO.
Weapons
- Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren informed the Reuters information company the Netherlands was becoming a member of a navy coalition with allies together with the UK to provide Ukraine with superior drone know-how and bolster its offensive capabilities.
- Canadian Defence Minister Invoice Blair stated Canada would donate $44m to Ukraine to assist in its battle with Russia.