Weekly newsletter
This is a newsletter of exclusive materials of "Ukrinform" for a week
Photo of the week:
A man during the restoration of a residential high-rise that was hit by a Russian S-300 missile on October 6, 2022, Zaporizhzhia, February 1, 2024.
Interviews and materials:
World
Katarina Mathernova, EU Ambassador to Ukraine
On the day when all 27 leaders of EU member states agreed to set up the Ukraine Facility in the amount of EUR 50 billion for the next four years, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova shared with Ukrinform her impressions of this landmark event, spoke about the details of the expected extension of trade preferences for Ukrainian products on the European market, the reasons behind the long discussions surrounding the use of frozen Russian assets, collective measures to deter Russian aggression and strengthen the EU defense potential, and more.
Politics
Putin is going to visit Erdogan: what they might talk about
For the first time since his large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin will visit Turkey, a NATO member state, where he will hold talks with President Recep Erdogan. This was confirmed by Ushakov, an aide to the Russian dictator, as well as an unnamed Turkish official in a comment to Reuters, who said that the meeting is scheduled for February 12.
We are asking experts what the purpose of the visit is, what topics are likely to be discussed, what does Putin hope to gain from this meeting, and what does Erdogan hope to gain? How will NATO react to all this?
Economy
Reforming BES: vision of government, MPs and experts
According to the terms of the Memorandum with the IMF, the reboot of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine should begin no later than the end of June
The government draft law No. 10439 "On the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine", registered in late January in the parliament, has once again divided "interested" Ukrainians. Some politicians and businesses (more of the former) believe that the proposed innovations are enough to breathe new life into this relatively young institution, while others (mostly entrepreneurs and experts) say that the proposed changes are actually half-steps, not a complete reboot of the Bureau, which is what the country needs and what our international partners want. Both seem to be open to finding a compromise. But each on the basis of their own idea: representatives of the executive branch - a project from the Cabinet of Ministers, business associations - the draft law No. 10088-1 "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Priority Measures to Reform the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine" registered in the fall. How do these documents differ from each other and which one has a better chance of becoming law?
Frontline
In Kupiansk and Avdiivka, situation is consistently difficult, but not fatal
Recently, an alarming article appeared on the pages of Forbes, the main message of which is that the enemy plans to capture the city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, by March. They say that this deadline was not chosen by chance, given the presidential "elections" to be held in Russia in March.
"Successful completion of this task would be a significant gift to Putin from the Russian army on the day of the presidential election in Russia," Forbes writes, emphasizing that Russia has mobilized 500 tanks, up to 600 combat vehicles, many howitzers and about 40,000 soldiers.
And then there is the traditional one: that according to the Kremlin's plans, by the end of March, Donbas is expected to be fully controlled, starting with Avdiivka.
So what can we objectively say about the situation in these two areas, how dangerous is it? Do we have enough forces and resources to hold/repel the enemy's invasion, and what are the general forecasts?
Consequences of terrorism:
Missile attack on Kyiv: Destruction, victims and lives saved
On the morning of February 7, Russian forces launched another massive air attack on Ukraine, including a missile strike on Kyiv.
Russian fake:
Bank cards blocked in Ukraine for failure to appear at military recruitment center
Propagandists faked a screenshot in an attempt to discredit the Ukrainian authorities
Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels have spread information that Ukraine’s Oschadbank has allegedly started blocking clients' cards for a failure to appear at territorial military recruitment centers. In support of this, they provided a screenshot of a message supposedly sent to one of the clients. It says that "the client's card is blocked" and that more information can be found at the territorial military recruitment center where the client is registered.
Top Videos:
International support: Josep Borrell visited one of the training centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell arrived in Ukraine and during his visit, he visited one of the training centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Borrell had the opportunity to see how military training is conducted. During the visit, he visited five locations: he passed through a checkpoint, observed training on the detection of sabotage-reconnaissance groups, saw how first aid is provided to the wounded after an explosion and how military personnel hand over injured persons to medics. He also had the opportunity to personally observe how sappers are trained to demine territories, and at the end, he saw the place where biological samples are taken from exhumed bodies. After the training, Josep Borrell held a press conference where he made a statement.
Russian terrorism: Consequences of the night attack on Odesa
Enemy drones' strikes damaged an unfinished multi-storey building, shattering glass. Additionally, damage to an educational institution building was recorded - the roof was punctured, ceilings were damaged, and windows were shattered. Two policemen were injured.
Frontline: Side by side with the military, law enforcement officers are fighting the enemy on the front lines. Yesterday's investigators and criminalists are now joining other units of the Armed Forces in assault operations, adjusting fire, conducting reconnaissance behind enemy lines, and eliminating the adversary.
The leader of the group, also known as a senior police lieutenant and head of the UAV department with the call sign "Inoy" ("Another"), revealed that his unit in the Zaporizhzhia special unit was established only on January 1st, but is already extensively flying and carrying out combat tasks – identifying and destroying enemy positions, adjusting the fire of the unit's mortar calculations, and detecting enemy UAVs. "Inoy" confirms the common belief that FPV drones have long been a weapon of today.
The crew working on FPV drones consists of the unit commander, pilot, charger, driver, plus an anti-drone cover group.
Everyone at the positions works quickly and precisely, raising antennas, pulling cables, checking communication, preparing drones and charges (several types, depending on the target being attacked), and waiting for information from aerial reconnaissance about the target. Once the target is identified, they secure the channel in a closed chat.
"Kit" is the first to fly, targeting enemy command posts, but his FPV enters the sector of influence of enemy EW – communication is lost, the drone is lost. Everyone is saddened.
Next is "Chechnya". He's 21 years old, joined the police at 19, just before the full-scale invasion. A typical nerd, he was into computer games at school, hence the attraction to FPV, a youthful hobby coming in handy in adult life, gaming skills helping to kill the enemy. He underwent drone school training – from simulators and training flights yesterday to his first battle today. Everyone is rooting for him.
The target is hit. "Chechnya," a young pilot from Zaporizhzhia police, achieves his first victory on an FPV drone.
News that may affect events in the country:
Global support
Scholz discusses support for Ukraine with US leadership
Continued support for Ukraine will be one of the main topics of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to the United States.
This became known to a Ukrinform correspondent from government circles.
According to the source, a special emphasis during the chancellor's conversation with the US president and politicians will be the continuation of funding for Ukraine.
The visit will be an opportunity for the head of the German government to inform about the latest EU decisions, including the allocation of €50 billion for Ukraine until 2027, as well as the planning of more than €7 billion in the German budget for military aid in 2024.
Russian sanctions
Ukraine could get up to EUR 15B annually off frozen Russian assets - Tusk
According to Tusk, during the negotiations on the new package of EU sanctions against Russia, Poland will demand a wide list of sanctions measures, as well as for Ukraine to be able to utilize the frozen Russian assets.
Recovery
Japanese companies show huge interest in Ukraine Recovery Conference – ambassador
Japanese companies are showing a huge interest in the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will take place in Tokyo on February 19-20, 2024. Many of them created special offices to develop plans related to Ukraine.
See you next Friday!