Tuesday, February 7

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A burned car on the road as the war continues in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine on Feb. 06, 2023. (Yevhen Titov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Parliament recognizes Wagner as international criminal organization. Ukraine’s parliament on Feb. 6 recognized Russian mercenary group Wagner as an international criminal organization and called on foreign governments to do the same.

Parliament strips pro-Kremlin lawmaker of his mandate. The Ukrainian parliament on Feb. 6 stripped Ihor Abramovych, a lawmaker from the banned pro-Kremlin Opposition Platform-For Life party, of his mandate.

Parliament exempts drones, other equipment from VAT, customs duties. The Ukrainian parliament has adopted two bills abolishing VAT and customs duties on the import of drones, thermal imagers, collimators, night vision devices, and walkie-talkies, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on tax and customs policy, reported on Feb. 6.

Lawmaker: Defense minister won’t be fired this week. There will be no dismissals or appointments at the Defense Ministry this week, lawmaker David Arakhamia said in a Telegram post on Feb. 6.

Zelensky nominates Vasyl Maliuk as head of SBU. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 6 sent an official request to Ukraine’s parliament to appoint Vasyl Maliuk at the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

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Russia shells Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, damaging houses, civilian infrastructure. Russian troops shelled two districts in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with heavy artillery on Feb. 6 afternoon, according to Mykola Lukashuk, the head of the regional council. The attacks damaged three houses, three farm buildings, a car, solar panels, gas pipelines, and power lines in the Myrove community near Nikopol.

Kharkiv Oblast’s hospital catches fire following Russian shelling. Ukraine’s Health Ministry reported on Feb. 6 that a hospital is on fire in the town of Vovchansk, located 75 kilometres northeast of Kharkiv, following Russian shelling.

UK intelligence: Russia aims to Russify illegally annexed regions via sham elections in September. Russia plans to hold sham regional “elections” in illegally “annexed” occupied territories of Ukraine on Sept. 10, 2023, according to Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, the Russian parliament’s upper house.

Governor: Drone explodes near Kaluga in Russia. A drone has exploded in the air near Kaluga, a city located 160 kilometers southwest of Moscow, Kaluga Oblast Governor Vladislav Shapsha claimed on Feb. 6.

General Staff: Ukrainian forces hit 13 Russian military positions. Ukraine’s Armed Forces struck 11 temporary bases and two anti-aircraft positions of Russian troops in the past 24 hours, the General Staff reported in its Feb. 6 update.

General Staff: Russian troops regroup, conduct offensives in 5 areas. Russia’s main efforts are focused on conducting offensives near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast and Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

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Ukraine war latest: Intelligence says Russia may mobilize up to 500,000 troops

Ukraine’s intelligence claimed on Feb. 6 that Russia was prepared to mobilize 300,000 to 500,000 troops to sustain a major offensive in the Donbas and “possibly” in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast in spring and summer.

Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

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Danilov: ‘Ukraine’s national interest is Russia’s disintegration’

The next few months will be decisive in bringing Ukraine closer to victory, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov told the Kyiv Independent during an interview.

Photo: Danilo Pavlov

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The human cost of Russia’s war

Prosecutor General’s Office: Landmine explosion kills 1 person, injures another in Kharkiv Oblast. One civilian was killed, and another was wounded in a landmine explosion while riding a motorcycle in the village of Verbivka, Kharkiv Oblast, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Feb. 6.

General Staff: Russia has lost 132,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Russia has also lost 3,231 tanks, 6,415 armored fighting vehicles, 5,104 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,231 artillery systems, 461 multiple launch rocket systems, 227 air defense systems, 294 airplanes, 284 helicopters, 1,958 drones, and 18 boats, according to the report.

Video: Survivors of Russian torture chamber in Kherson share stories of abuse

Russian torture chambers have been found in all occupied territories liberated by Ukrainian forces. In Kherson Oblast alone, thousands of Ukrainians were put through physical and mental abuse in such facilities, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Two survivors spoke to the Kyiv Independent about what they had endured.

International response

Charles Michel officially invites Zelensky to European Council summit. European Council President Charles Michel has invited President Volodymyr Zelensky “to participate in person in a future summit of the European Council,” European Council spokesperson Barend Leyts said via Twitter on Feb. 6.

Polish official wants decision on fighter jets for Ukraine to be made at Munich conference. Critics argue that allies’ reluctance to supply F-16 fighters and long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will prevent Kyiv from launching a major counteroffensive and liberating the rest of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s lack of advanced aircraft and missiles will likely prolong Russia’s war of aggression and result in thousands of deaths.

NBC: Biden expected to visit Poland to mark one year of Russia’s war against Ukraine. United States President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Poland to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

PM: Norway plans to give Ukraine $7 billion over 5 years. Norway may provide some of its German-made Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine as well, after Germany allowed other countries to do so last week.

General Staff: Australian instructors start training Ukrainian soldiers in UK. Australia’s Defense Forces have started basic military training for Ukrainian recruits in the U.K. under Operation Kudu, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Feb. 6.

Bloomberg: US prepares 200% tariff on Russian-made aluminum. The U.S. is planning a 200% tariff on Russian-made aluminum to be announced “as soon as this week,” Bloomberg reported on Feb. 6, citing unnamed sources privy to the information.

Reuters: Switzerland could lift ban of exports of Swiss weapons to war zones. Switzerland could end a ban on exports of Swiss weapons to war zones as a shift in public and political opinion puts pressure on the government to end a centuries-long tradition of being a neutral state, Reuters reported.

In other news

Foreign Minister: Ukraine to send several dozen rescuers to Turkey. Ukraine may send several dozen emergency workers to Turkey to assist in clearing the rubble after two devastating earthquakes hit the country, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on national TV. Kuleba added that this amount of Ukrainian rescue personnel will permit Ukraine to aid Turkey without “harming the capabilities of rescue services in Ukraine.”

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Query, Oleg Sukhov, Dinara Khalilova, Teah Pelechaty, Olena Goncharova, and Lili Bivings.

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