World leaders, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, are meeting in Germany for the Munich Security Conference 2023, where the Ukraine war is top of the agenda. In remarks via video, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged leaders to act quickly on agreements, deliveries and decisions.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has “deep concern” about Russia’s efforts to destabilize the government of Moldova.
Russia launched another deadly round of shelling in Ukraine over the last 24 hours, killing five in the eastern Donetsk region and three in the southern Kherson region.
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Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.
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Exclusive: US is monitoring Russian efforts to circumvent sanctions, treasury official says
From CNN's Sam Fossum and Jeremy Diamond
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo plans to put Russia and its intelligence services on notice next week: The US is monitoring their efforts to circumvent US sanctions and is cracking down.
“As we look forward, one of the centerpieces of our strategy will be to counter attempts to evade our sanctions,” Adeyemo is set to say Tuesday at the Council on Foreign Relations, according to excerpts of his speech obtained by CNN. “We know Russia is actively seeking ways to circumvent these sanctions. … In fact, one of the ways we know our sanctions are working is that Russia has tasked its intelligence services — the FSB and GRU — to find ways to get around them.”
Adeyemo will deliver the remarks ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reflecting on the US-led efforts to destabilize the Russian economy and push crushing sanctions to undermine Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to wage war.
His remarks also come as the Kremlin increasingly turns to its clandestine services to avoid Western sanctions.
Since Russia launched its bloody war against Ukraine, the US has imposed thousands of sanctions against Russian politicians, oligarchs and companies, cut off the Russian central bank from its dollar-denominated reserves as well as the global financial messaging system, undermined Russia’s defense-industrial base and imposed a price cap on Russian oil and petroleum products.
Despite the impact sanctions have had on the Russian economy, some observers have pointed to concerns over Moscow’s ability to evade sanctions and re-orient trade routes to continue to acquire some of the technologies and financing needed to fund its war machine through countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Ukrainian soldier was told his legs could be amputated. A New York hospital might help him walk again
From CNN's Omar Jimenez
Vladyslav Orlov sits in his hospital bed after two major reconstructive surgeries.
(Omar Jimenez/CNN)
Vladyslav Orlov, an officer in Ukraine’s national guard, didn’t see what hit him, but the next thing he knew, the car he was traveling in last October was rolling over and in flames. He suspected Russian gunfire.
Pinned in the back seat, Orlov says he was initially unable to get out of the vehicle – his feet had been crushed by the car and his legs had been wounded by the explosion. Once he finally did, he and his team lay in the nearby grass watching the flames and figuring out their next steps, in disbelief they had survived.
He was eventually taken to a Ukrainian hospital. He was told he may need to have at least one leg amputated or that he may never walk again, in part due to inundated hospitals and strains on resources after months of war.
He was told the focus was to save his life, not necessarily his limbs.
“(There are) a lot of wounded guys, you know?” Orlov said. “Our doctors, everybody (is) working hard like from morning to evening, working absolutely hard but (there’s) no free space, ya know? (There’s not) enough medicine because it’s war,” he said in limited English.
So began the pursuit of another option – any option.
Ashley Matkowsky, Orlov’s American girlfriend and a videographer who had been working in Ukraine, recorded what Orlov looked like after the attack.
That video caught the attention of some US volunteers and eventually made its way to Gary Wasserson, a retired American businessman from New York who was already coordinating volunteer aid resources to the region.
“I sprung into action and started making calls in the United States,” Wasserson told CNN.
"Better than nothing." Ukraine's military is making do with ancient Soviet-era helicopters
From CNN's Sam Kiley and Olha Konovalova
Ukrainian helicopter pilot Hennady got his education in Russia and served as a Russian officer for three years. He never imagined he would one day need to fight against them.
(Sarah Dean/CNN)
Given the gigantic advantage that Russia enjoys over Ukraine in terms of aircraft and pilots, it’s staggering that Ukraine can still threaten Russian forces. Indeed it’s baffling that almost one year into the conflict Ukraine has an air force and helicopter fleet at all, given the effort to destroy them.
Ukraine’s air force and army aviators along with their planes and helicopters are priority prey for Russia’s missiles. They’re likely top of the Kremlin’s list.
Ukraine gets more equipment by capturing it from Russian troops than it gets donated by allies. President Volodymyr Zelensky has begged NATO and other allies for, among other things, jets and other aircraft.
The response so far has been close to nil.
After striking a tree, engineers work to replace the blades on the Soviet-built Mi-8 helicopter.
(Sarah Dean/CNN)
The United Kingdom has offered to boost Ukraine’s helicopter fleet with a handful of ancient Sea King aircraft that have been decommissioned from the military. Portugal, meanwhile, has given six Russian-made Ка-32А11VS – none of which are even airworthy and which, its defense minister said, Ukraine would have to fix itself.
So, Ukraine’s military is making do.
Ukrainian pilot Serhiy told CNN that his team has set up temporary locations near the front line where they hide fuel and ammunition. Support crews tuck themselves out of sight. Perimeter security exists but it’s invisible.
Yuri, a young flier who’s paired with another pilot, said teams would benefit from newer fleet.
Ukraine claims Russian meddling with reservoir could leave a million people without drinking water
From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko in Kyiv and Amy Cassidy in London
More than a million Ukrainians are at risk of losing access to drinking water because Russian forces are meddling with a reservoir in southeast Ukraine, according to Ruslan Strilets, the country’s environment minister.
Speaking at a media briefing in Kyiv, Strilets accused Russia of deliberately spilling water at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.
His comments echo Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who on Tuesday accused Russian forces of damaging and intentionally reopening floodgates at the power plant.
Strilets said there has been a “huge drop” in water levels at the Kakhovka reservoir, which is now sitting at 13.83 meters, compared to the average level of 16 meters. He warned that a drop below 12 meters would be devastating for surrounding habitats.
The environment minister said meddling with the reservoir could also endanger the ability to cool reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The toll of Russia’s attacks on infrastructure: In December, CNN reported that Russia’s persistent attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid had, at least temporarily, left millions of civilians without electricity, heat, water and other critical services in the bitter winter months.
In November, one of Ukraine’s largest state hospitals was “on the verge of evacuating” some patients after it lost water supply because of Russian air strikes, a regional official told CNN.
With previous reporting from CNN’s Maria Kostenko, Lauren Kent, Olga Voitovych, Sophie Tanno and Gabriel Kinder.
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Zelensky addresses world leaders as shelling continues in Bakhmut. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
Fierce fighting continues around the strategic eastern city of Bakhmut, where Russian strikes killed five people in the last 24 hours, according to local Ukrainian military leaders.
At the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to lobby world leaders for more support as the war creeps up on the one-year mark.
Here’s what else to know:
Russian shelling in the east: Five people were killed and 10 were injured over the last 24 hours by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, military governor in Donetsk. The deaths occurred in the area of Horlivka, while a majority of the injuries occurred in the city of Bakhmut, an area where fighting has intensified, Kyrylenko said. Russian forces have reinforced their presence around Bakhmut through different units but Ukrainian units continue to try to prevent the city from falling into Russian hands, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said Thursday.
Munich Security Conference: Zelensky told world leaders “there is no alternative to Ukrainian victory” as he continued to lobby for his country’s admission to the EU and NATO. He also urged leaders to “hurry up” with additional agreements, delivery of aid and other decisions, a sentiment that was echoed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who asked allies to deliver tanks to Ukraine quickly.
Biden to Poland: President Joe Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and other NATO leaders during his trip to the country next week, the White House said. Biden is expected to reaffirm the United State’s support for Ukraine. It comes as Russia’s invasion reaches the one-year mark.
Fighter jets: A group of five bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden, requesting his administration send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Asked last month whether the US would be providing the US-made F-16 to Ukraine, Biden responded with a flat “no,” though he later said talks with Kyiv about weapon supplies are ongoing.
Ongoing training: The first group of Ukrainian soldiers completed training at a United States base in Germany, according to the Pentagon, and a second group is already underway. The five-week course is aimed at teaching the troops maneuver, medical and basic soldier training. The course is part of an expanded US program to prepare Ukrainian forces to fight — a sign of US effort to train and prepare Ukrainians for a long-term war.
Other impacts of the war: The energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine could push 141 million people worldwide into extreme poverty, according to a report published Thursday in the journal Nature Energy. Researchers modeled the impacts of increased energy prices in 116 countries and found household spending increased up to 4.8% on average, as coal and natural gas prices surged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding to post-pandemic increases.
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More than 30,000 Wagner fighters have been wounded or killed in Ukraine, US estimates
From CNN's Sam Fossum
The US government estimates the private military company Wagner Group has suffered more than 30,000 casualties, including roughly 9,000 fighters killed, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
About half of those 9,000 have been killed since mid-December, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said. And about 90% of those killed in December were recruited from Russian prisons.
The group has relied heavily on convicts to fill out its ranks. “That doesn’t show any signs of abating,” Kirby said Friday, though Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed last week that he will no longer recruit from prisons.
Kirby said Russia made “incremental gains” in and around the city as the fighting intensified over the last several days. He said the US cannot predict whether Russia will break through.
Even if they do, Kirby said the city holds “no real strategic value,” because the US believes Ukraine would maintain its strong defensive lines across the broader Donbas region.
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Top US diplomat expresses deep concern about Russia plotting against Moldova
From CNN's Michael Conte
Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a bilateral meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu during the Munich Security Conference on February 17.
(Petr David Josek/AFP/Getty Images)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the US has “deep concern” about Russia’s efforts to destabilize the government of Moldova.
This comes as Moldova President Maia Sandu said earlier this week that Russia was plotting a coup in Moldova.
“We have deep concern about some of the plotting that we’ve seen coming from Russia to try to destabilize the government,” Blinken said at a meeting with Sandu in Germany on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “We stand strongly with Moldova in support of its security, its independence, its territorial integrity, the very important reform efforts that the president and the government are making.”
Sandu described 2022 as an “incredibly difficult year for Moldova” and thanked the US for its support with its myriad challenges, including with energy, the economy and security.
Why Moldova is important: Moldova, situated between Ukraine and Romania, was previously part of the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, a handful of “frozen conflict” zones in eastern Europe emerged, including a slither of land along Moldova’s border with Ukraine known as Transnistria.
The territory declared itself a Soviet republic in 1990, opposing any attempt by Moldova to become an independent state or to merge with Romania. When Moldova became independent the following year, Russia quickly inserted itself as a so-called “peacekeeping force” in Transnistria, sending troops in to back pro-Moscow separatists there.
This supposed “peacekeeping” presence, which has in practice seen the Kremlin prop up a puppet state that seeks to undermine Moldova’s sovereignty, has also mirrored Moscow’s pretext for invasions in Georgia and Ukraine.
Alarm bells in Moldova and the West grew louder following familiar refrains from the Kremlin that the rights of ethnic Russians were being violated in Transnistria – another argument used by Putin to justify his February 2022 invasion of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, which contained two breakaway Russian-backed statelets.
In the context of the war today, the Russian-backed separatist enclave at the southwestern edge of the country could now present a potential bookend to any Russian assault westwards from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
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Biden will meet with Polish president and other NATO leaders in Warsaw next week, White House says
From CNN's Sam Fossum
US P
(Getty Images)
President Joe Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda during his trip next week to thank him for the military and humanitarian assistance Warsaw has provided to Ukraine, the White House said.
The president will also deliver remarks and meet with the Bucharest Nine, the group of Eastern flank NATO allies, John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said.
The trip “comes at an important moment” as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches the one-year mark, Kirby said.
Biden meets with Duda on Tuesday morning.
During his meeting with leaders of the Bucharest Nine on Wednesday, Biden will “reaffirm the United States’ unwavering support,” according to Kirby.
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Pentagon says first group of Ukrainians completed training at US base in Germany
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
The first group of Ukrainian soldiers completed training at a United States base in Germany, the Pentagon said. A second group is already underway in the five-week course that will teach the troops maneuver, medical and basic soldier training.
The first group of 635 Ukrainians wrapped up the course at Grafenwoehr Training Area, according to a statement from Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, where the US conducts its own combined arms and maneuver training. The Ukrainian battalion also trained on the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
More on the training: The training began in mid-January, part of an expanded US program to prepare Ukrainian forces to fight. Previously, the US had offered smaller-scale training on individual weapons systems, such as HIMARS rocket launchers. The transition to battalion-level training marked a significant expansion of the US effort to train and prepare Ukrainians for a long-term war.
A second group of 710 Ukrainian forces has already begun training at Grafenwoehr, Ryder said. The troops will train on the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M109 Paladin, a self-propelled howitzer that the US recently announced it will send to Ukraine.
In addition, another 890 Ukrainian troops will begin training on Stryker fighting vehicles next week.
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US should give Ukrainians "everything they need to win this thing," House Foreign Affairs chair says
From CNN's Andrew Millman
Texas congressman Michael McCaul.
(CNN)
Republican Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Kaitlan Collins on CNN This Morning that the United States should give Ukrainians “everything they need to win this thing.”
“We can’t wait,” McCaul said while speaking from the Munich Security Conference in Germany. He reiterated Ukraine’s call for Western fighter jets and more advanced weaponry ahead of a Russian offensive.
When asked if he thought the new Russian offensive had begun yet, McCaul responded, “I do think it’s going to start soon. I know that the new general that Putin put in place is there to launch a major offensive,” continuing that “Putin does look at dates. I think February 24th, the one-year anniversary may be a target date. We just heard from the Supreme Allied Commander in a private briefing I had with him, that it could be as late as the springtime, late springtime, for this offensive.”
McCaul said he asked in the aforementioned meeting about more air-to-surface aircraft for Ukraine and US Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, NATO’s supreme allied commander, “agreed with that assessment, as well as longer range artillery to hit the Iranian drones in Crimea, which currently Ukraine does not have, but they desperately need.”
When asked if he believes he could get another round of funding for Ukraine passed in this Congress, McCaul replied, “I believe so. It would have to be bipartisan” he said, because “there are fringes on the far-left and -right who disagree with this conflict and assisting and helping Ukraine win this fight for democracy and freedom, but the majority of the majority still support this effort.”
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to assure the audience at the conference that top Republicans currently in Washington are committed to US global leadership despite a mixed message that may have come from former President Donald Trump, who he didn’t cite by name.
The Kentucky Republican went on to pledge GOP support for NATO, Ukraine, and boosting military spending and argued Republicans are making a stronger rhetorical case day to day about those issues that President Joe Biden is. He also chided European allies and said they must “mirror” the commitment the US is making said they have not been “uniformly generous towards Ukraine.” He urged them to prepare to counter the robust threats coming China and Russia and to quickly admit Finland and Sweden into NATO.
CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed reporting to this post.
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US Vice President Harris and France's Macron pledge support for Ukraine at Munich Security Conference
From CNN's DJ Judd
US Vice President Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands as they meet during the Munich Security Conference on February 17.
(Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)
US Vice President Kamala Harris greeted French President Emanuel Macron ahead of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference Friday.
The meeting is aimed at highlighting the two nations’ commitment to providing military aid to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion nearly one year ago.
For his part, Macron thanked Harris for her hospitality during his visit to Washington, DC, last year.
German chancellor warns "to be prepared for a long war"
From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca in London and Claire Calzonetti in New York
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour at Germany’s annual Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 17.
(CNN)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday that it is “wise to be prepared for a long war” in Ukraine, adding that Kyiv’s allies will remain together for the duration.
“The really important decision we should take all together is saying that we are willing to do it as long as necessary, and that we will do our best,” the chancellor said.
Scholz, while avoiding committing to an end target date for the war, said the unity among Ukrainian allies has surprised Putin.
“I’m absolutely sure that Putin never expected that there would be that united Europe, and that there would be that united world. He never thought that the transatlantic partnership would work that good,” he said.
Scholz singled out the United States for their continuous and vital support.
“We just do it together with our friends and partners, and especially with the United States,” Scholz said, adding that he really appreciates his government’s “strong alliance” with the US.
On arming Ukraine: Amanpour asked Scholz about the deployment of more German-made Leopard 2 tanks on the ground in Ukraine.
Scholz said more would be deployed “very soon,” together with trained soldiers, but he warned that many of Ukraine’s partners aren’t able to deliver the most modern models of the fighting vehicles.
“I learned many are not able to deliver the most modern things … but in the ones they are delivering we will give the support as well,” Scholz said. “And as you know, there is also a big number of older tanks which we will deliver.”
Confronted on concerns over dwindling ammunition stockpiles, Scholz stressed the need for a “permanent production of the most important weapons,” including ammunition.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also present at Friday’s meetings, saying the Munich conference is “more important than ever,” given the Russian invasion.
“From the beginning, the security conference has always been a place of understanding and dialogue. What is new is that this is now taking place at the same time as a war of aggression is being waged on European soil by Russia against Ukraine,” Pistorius said. “That raises the stakes for the conference even higher.”
CNN’s Inke Kappeler contributed to this report from Berlin.
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Bipartisan group of US lawmakers urges Biden to send fighter jets to Ukraine
From CNN's Lauren Fox
An F-16C Fighting Falcon flies by at the Nevada Test and Training Range September 14, 2007.
(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A group of five bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, requesting his administration send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The effort by members likely won’t change anything or impact the administration’s decisions in what it sends to Ukraine, but it comes just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war’s start and President Joe Biden’s trip to Poland.
The letter was signed by Reps. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine; Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas; Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado; Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania; and Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin.
Some background: Since securing pledges for hundreds of modern battle tanks from Western allies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned his attention to modern fighting planes.
Asked last month whether the US would be providing the US-made F-16 to Ukraine, Biden responded with a flat “no,” though he later said talks with Kyiv about weapon supplies are ongoing.
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Belarus ready to start production of Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft, Lukashenko says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Belarus is ready to launch the production of Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft, which “have proved to be efficient in Ukraine,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting Friday, according to Belarus state news agency BelTA.
“As I was informed by the government, they are ready for the production of the Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft that have proved to be efficient in Ukraine. We are even ready to produce them in Belarus if the Russian Federation provides a little bit of technological support,” Lukashenko told Putin, according to BelTA.
“We have three factories: two military and one civilian. They used to be repair shops. Today they produce component parts,” Lukashenko said, according to BelTA.
The two met Friday at Putin’s official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo in the Moscow region, according to the Kremlin.
Speaking at a small gathering of journalists from international media, including CNN, at Minsk’s Palace of Independence, Lukashenko ducked questions from international media about his country’s complicity in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and instead blamed the West for escalating the conflict by sending weapons to Ukraine.
CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen and Zahra Ullah contributed to this post.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urges allies to "act quickly" to deliver tanks to Ukraine
From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca in London and Claire Calzonetti in New York
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at the 59th Munich Security Conference on February 17, in Munich, Germany.
(Sven Hoppe/picture alliance/Getty Images)
Allies with the resources to deliver tanks to Ukraine should act quickly, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, adding that Berlin would provide great assistance to encourage their partners.
“I see this as an example of the kind of leadership which everyone is entitled to expect from Germany, and I expressly offer it to our friends and partners.” Scholz said.
In addition to supplying weapons, ammunition, training for soldiers and other military goods, Scholz said Germany has supported Ukraine by providing more than one million Ukrainian refugees with full access to labor market, schools and universities.
However, Scholz also warned that there needs to be “a balance between providing the best possible support for Ukraine and avoiding an unintended escalation.”
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"There is no alternative to Ukrainian victory," President Zelensky tells Munich Security Conference
From CNN’s Alex Hardie in London
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears on the screen during the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany, on February 17.
(Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told world leaders at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that “there is no alternative to Ukrainian victory” as he continued to lobby for his country’s admission to the EU and NATO.
People, Europe and freedom cannot be the “subject of compromise,” he added.
Zelensky told leaders that he hopes that in upcoming years, the conference will be held in post-war conditions where Ukraine is free.
The Ukrainian leader also provided his assessment on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy, saying “it’s obvious that Ukraine is not going to be his last stop. He’s going to continue his movement all the way — I don’t know — including all other states that at some point in time were part of … the Soviet bloc.”
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Zelensky urges world leaders to "hurry up" with agreements, delivery and decisions
From CNN’s Alex Hardie
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged leaders Friday at the Munich Security Conference Friday to “hurry up” with agreements, delivery and decisions.
“Delay has always been and still is a mistake. While we negotiate how to strengthen our defense with modern tanks, the Kremlin is thinking, thinking about ways to strangle Moldova,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky opened the conference with other world leaders set to speak including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Remember: In recent weeks, Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials have been pushing for fighter jets, arguing they need them urgently to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian government officially asked the Netherlands for American-made F-16 fighter jets.
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Russian President Putin to discuss military cooperation with Belarusian President Lukashenko
From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to discuss mutual plans of military cooperation with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during their Friday meeting at Putin’s official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow.
Lukashenko, in turn, said that Belarus has fulfilled its obligations to Russia in the sphere of security and defense in 2022.
Remember: Russia used the territory of Belarus as one of its entry points for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Joint military drills over the last year between Belarus and Russia have contributed to concerns that Belarusian troops could join Russia’s forces in Ukraine, but Lukashenko has repeatedly dismissed speculation that his troops would join the fighting in Ukraine.
This includes a rare press conference from the Belarusian strongman in Minsk on Thursday, where he said he would not send troops to Ukraine unless Belarus is attacked, but also defiantly declared that Russia is a staunch ally of his country.
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Russia "unlikely" to capture symbolic city of Bakhmut by invasion anniversary, researchers say
From CNN's Tim Lister, Radina Gigova and Kostan Nechyporenko
Black smoke rises after shelling in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 3.
(Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)
It is “unlikely” that Russian forces will meet the goal of capturing the symbolic city of Bakhmut by the one-year anniversary of the invasion, according to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published Thursday.
Capturing Bakhmut by February 24 “would require a significantly higher rate of Russian advance than anything seen for many months,” researchers said.
They had previously assessed that the Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut “would likely prevent Putin from claiming that Russian forces secured the city on the anniversary of the invasion in an attempt to renew hope in a Russian victory in Ukraine.”
The think tank warns that the Kremlin may launch “another series of missile strikes on civilian targets throughout Ukraine to mark the symbolic anniversary as actual military success continues to evade the Russian military.”
A Ukrainian military spokesperson said Thursday that Russian forces have reinforced their presence around Bakhmut through different units — air defense, special forces, mechanized infantry and private military contractor group Wagner — but Ukrainian units continue to try to prevent the city from falling into Russian hands.
Ukrainian servicemen fire an anti-aircraft gun towards Russian positions on a frontline near the town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on January 15.
(Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters)
But “time will tell” how much Russia is able to gain by February 24, Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said Thursday on Ukrainian television. “Our soldiers have been fighting for many months … For more than seven months, Bakhmut has become an absolute symbol of heroism and courage.”
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It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to join world leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where the war in Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will be among those speaking Friday, the first day of the three-day summit, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will appear by videolink.
The conference comes just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Catch up on the latest developments:
Soaring energy costs could push millions into extreme poverty, report says: The energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine could push 141 million people worldwide into extreme poverty, according to a report published Thursday in the journal Nature Energy. Researchers modeled the impacts of increased energy prices in 116 countries and found household spending increased up to 4.8% on average, as coal and natural gas prices surged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding to post-pandemic increases.
Russian shelling kills 3 and injures 7 in Kherson region: Three people were killed and seven were injured by Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Kherson region on Thursday, the Kherson region military administration said in a statement Friday. Russian forces attacked the Kherson region 76 times over the last 24 hours, the regional military administration said. “They fired from MLRS, mortars, artillery, tanks and UAVs,” it added.
Russian shelling kills 5, injures 10 in Donetsk region: Meanwhile, Russian shelling killed 5 residents of the Donetsk region and injured 10 others over the last 24 hours, the Donetsk region military governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said in a Facebook post Friday. The deaths occurred in the area of Horlivka, while the majority of the injuries occurred in the city of Bakhmut, Kyrylenko said.
Kremlin says Washington “unlikely” to welcome Lukashenko’s suggestion of three-way summit with Putin and Biden: The Kremlin said Friday that Washington is “unlikely” to welcome the initiative put forward by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to mediate talks between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Thursday, Lukashenko said he wants to host peace talks, calling on CNN to relay the message.
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In photos: Ukrainians securing remains of Russian missile
From CNN Digital's Photo Team
Russia launched a total of 36 air and sea-based cruise missiles, guided air-to-surface missiles and anti-ship missiles at Ukraine overnight into Thursday, according to Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zaluzhnyi said 14 cruise missiles and 2 guided air-to-surface missiles were shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The pictures below show a Ukrainian emergency services team securing the remains of an S-300 missile fired by Russian forces in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Friday.
Here’s a look:
Ukrainian emergency services employees prepare to load the remains of an S-300 missile fired by Russian forces onto a truck in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 17.
(Vadim Ghirda/AP)
Ukrainian emergency services employees push the remains of an S-300 missile fired by Russian forces onto a truck in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 17.
(Vadim Ghirda/AP)
A Ukrainian emergency services employee uses a rope to secure the remains of an S-300 missile fired by Russian forces in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 17.
(Vadim Ghirda/AP)
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Russian shelling kills 5, injures 10 in Donetsk region, military governor says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Russian shelling has killed 5 residents of the Donetsk region and injured 10 others over the last 24 hours, the Donetsk region military governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said in a Facebook post Friday.
The deaths occurred in the area of Horlivka, while the majority of the injuries occurred in the city of Bakhmut, Kyrylenko said.
In Bakhmut, 10 high-rise buildings, 3 private houses and an administrative building were damaged, he said.
Two houses were also damaged by Russian shelling in the city of Lyman.
Some of the heaviest shelling was also reported in the areas of Vuhledar and Soledar, Kyrylenko said.
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Kremlin says Washington "unlikely" to welcome Lukashenko’s suggestion of three-way summit with Putin and Biden
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko speaks as he meets with foreign media at the Independence Palace, in Minsk, Belarus, on February 16.
(Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)
The Kremlin said Friday that Washington is “unlikely” to welcome the initiative put forward by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to mediate talks between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It is unlikely that Washington will respond positively to this initiative,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a regular press briefing.
Pressed further if the Kremlin is ready for such a meeting in principle, Peskov said: “President Putin is always ready for a dialogue with the president of Belarus, who will be in Moscow today.”
On Thursday, Lukashenko said he wants to host peace talks, calling on CNN to relay the message: “If Biden has a desire, pass on to him through your channels that we are ready to welcome him in Minsk and have a serious talk with him if he wishes for peace in Ukraine. Even Putin will fly to Minsk, and we can meet here, the three of us – two aggressors and a peace-loving President. Why not?”
Putin is expected to hold talks with Lukashenko in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence Friday. The two presidents are planning to consider “key issues of further development of Russian-Belarusian relations of strategic partnership and alliance, as well as integration cooperation within the framework of the Union State,” according to the Kremlin.
World leaders gather ahead of war anniversary to discuss more support for Ukraine
By CNN staff
Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defense, makes a statement in front of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof before the start of the 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on February 17.
(Sven Hoppe/picture alliance/Getty Images)
US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to join world leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where the war in Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will be among those speaking Friday, the first day of the three-day summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also appear by videolink.
The conference comes just ahead of the one-year anniversary of of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell are among other top officials in attendance.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet on Friday morning: “It has now been almost one year since Russia brought an imperialistic war to our continent. At the @MunSecConf, let us renew our commitment to a global order governed by the rule of law – not the right of might.”
Russian government officials were not invited to this year’s annual MSC.
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Russian shelling kills 3 and injures 7 in Kherson region, regional authorities say
From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Radina Gigova
Three people were killed and seven were injured by Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Kherson region on Thursday, the Kherson region military administration said in a statement Friday.
Russian forces attacked Kherson region 76 times over the last 24 hours, the regional military administration said. “They fired from MLRS, mortars, artillery, tanks and UAVs,” it added.
“The Russian army attacked Kherson city 9 times – residential areas of the city once again came under enemy fire,” the regional military administration said.
“The occupiers hit the commercial port and residential buildings,” the regional military administration added.
Some background: The regional capital of Kherson was captured last March in the early stages of Russia’s invasion, and many of its 290,000 citizens left then. In November, Ukrainian forces swept into the key city as Russian troops retreated to the east, delivering a major victory to Kyiv. Since then, Kherson has been the scene of Russian shelling, and many residents have fled, on the advice of Ukraine’s administration.
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Russia-backed governor says Ukrainian drone shot down in Crimea
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Olga Voitovych
A Ukrainian drone was shot down Friday morning near a power station in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, according to a local Russia-backed official.
Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev said in a Telegram post that air defenses shot the drone down near the Balaklava thermal power plant and there was no damage to the facility.
It comes after two Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Thursday near Sevastopol and “several more” unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down over the waters around the Crimean Peninsula, according to Razvozhaev.
Some context: Sevastopol, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognized as being part of Ukraine. It is the largest city in the peninsula and has been an important port and a major naval base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to “liberate” all of the country’s territory including Crimea, which has been under Russian occupation since 2014.
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Inside the Pentagon's plan to keep Ukraine armed
From CNN's Haley Britzky and Oren Liebermann in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Artillery shells are packed for shipping at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania on Thursday.
(Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
Inside a sprawling factory just off the President Biden Expressway in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, the future arsenal of Ukraine’s war effort is being forged, one red hot artillery shell at a time.
Running full-tilt, as it was on a recent January morning, the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant churns out roughly 11,000 artillery shells a month. That may seem like a lot, but the Ukrainian military often fires that many shells over just a few days.
To meet that demand, the Scranton plant is undergoing a massive expansion, fueled by millions of dollars in new defense spending from the Pentagon. It’s investing in new high-tech machinery, hiring a few dozen additional workers and will eventually shift to a 24/7 schedule of constant production.
“It’s certainly ramped up over the last year. As we bring in more modern equipment, it’ll be able to ramp up even further,” said Todd Smith, senior director of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, which operates the plant for the Army.
The US and its allies have already sent nearly $50 billion in aid and equipment to Ukraine’s military over the past year. To keep that up, and to rebuild its own stockpiles, the Pentagon is racing to re-arm, embarking on the biggest increase in ammunition production in decades, and putting portions of the US defense industry on a war-footing despite America technically not being at war.
Energy crisis sparked by war could push 141 million into extreme poverty, report says
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam
A Lotos gas station is seen in Gdansk, Poland on February 5.
(Michal Fludra/NurPhoto/Getty Images/FILE)
The energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine could push 141 million people worldwide into extreme poverty, according to a report published Thursday in the journal Nature Energy.
Researchers from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China and the United States modeled the impacts of increased energy prices in 116 countries and found household spending increased up to 4.8% on average, as coal and natural gas prices surged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding to post-pandemic increases.
In low-income countries, the report said poorer households already facing severe food shortages were at greater risk of poverty due to higher energy costs. Households in higher income countries also felt the impact of rising energy prices but were more likely to be able to absorb them into household budgets, the report said.
Russian strikes kill 5 civilians near embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian official says
From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko and Amy Cassidy
Russian strikes around the fiercely embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut left three men and two women dead Thursday, according to a regional official, and nine other civilians also sustained various wounds from shrapnel.
The five civilians killed varied in age between 32 and 66, according to a statement published online by the Donetsk region prosecutor’s office.
The statement said the shelling also damaged many residential buildings.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk appealed to the civilians who remain in Bakhmut to leave the city immediately.
“Those who choose to stay in Bakhmut are endangering themselves and loved ones,” creating additional risks for the military and police, and “preventing our defense and security forces from working properly in the city,” she said.
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Zelensky rules out conceding territory in potential future peace deal with Russia, he tells BBC News
From CNN's Allegra Goodwin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not agree to give up any Ukrainian territory in a potential future peace deal with Russia, he said in an interview with BBC News, warning it could lead Russia to “keep coming back.”
Zelensky also said a spring offensive, warned of by Kyiv officials, had already begun.
He also responded to comments made at a Thursday news conference by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in which Lukashenko insisted he would not send troops into Ukraine unless Belarus itself is attacked.
“I hope [Belarus] won’t join [the war],” Zelensky told BBC News. “If it does, we will fight and we will survive.”
Zelensky added it would be a “huge mistake” to allow Russia to use Belarus as a staging area for an attack.
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EU lawmakers urge leaders to seriously consider providing Ukraine with fighter jets
From CNN’s James Frater in Brussels and Amy Cassidy in London
European leaders must “seriously consider” providing Kyiv with fighter jets, lawmakers in the European Union parliament said in a resolution adopted Thursday.
The resolution marked nearly one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ukraine must not only be able to defend itself, but also to regain full control of its entire internationally recognised territory,” it added.
The resolution, which is non-binding, also calls on the EU to implement a 10th package of sanctions against Moscow by the end of February and to tighten those already in place. Assets seized from Russian oligarchs should be used to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction, lawmakers said.
The legislators also urged the European Commission — the EU’s executive arm — and national governments to begin talks with Kyiv this year on Ukraine’s bid for EU membership.
Russian response: The Russian Mission to the EU slammed the parliament’s resolution as a “paragon of disinformation” unsupported by “data, facts or evidence,” in a statement posted on its website.
“Obviously, the resolution is aimed at deliberately misleading the European public and trying to justify the European Union’s course to escalate the Ukrainian conflict and increase sanctions pressure on our country,” the mission said.
Moscow has faced constant diplomatic pressure from the EU, including economic sanctions, since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine.
More background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took his plea for the supply of Western fighter jets directly to European countries last week, including in a surprise visit to London and at a European Union summit.
Ukrainian pilots will start training on NATO jets in the United Kingdom soon, but it’s unclear how soon allies could make a decision on whether to send the modern fighting planes.
NATO’s secretary general said Tuesday that the question of sending modern fighter jets to Ukraine is “not the most urgent issue” right now, focusing instead on delivering the military support it has already committed to Ukraine.
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Russian attacks hit infrastructure in Lviv and Kirovohrad regions, Ukrainian authorities say
From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko in Kyiv
Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday that Russia attacked infrastructure facilities in the Lviv and Kirovohrad regions.
Three missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility in the Drohobych district of the western Lviv region, according to the head of the district’s military administration Stepan Kulyniak.
There were no injuries, but “a number of buildings were destroyed and damaged,” Kulyniak said in a social media post. He did not specify what type of infrastructure facility was hit.
Meanwhile, in the Kirovhohrad region, authorities said an early morning missile attack hit “reservoirs with petroleum products,” causing a fire that was later extinguished.
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Senior US diplomat says new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine is "very pathetic"
From CNN's Michael Conte and Jennifer Hansler
Russia’s newly declared offensive is “very pathetic,” according to a top US State Department official, who questioned whether the Russian people would continue to support the war in Ukraine.
“You see the war grinding in the east, in Bakhmut,” said US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. “Russia has declared that it is launching a new offensive. Well, if this is it, it is very pathetic, I would say.”
She said Ukraine is planning its own counteroffensive “for later on.”
Nuland also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is arrogant enough to believe that he can defeat Ukraine.”
More on Bakhmut: Earlier this month, the head of Russia’s Wagner private military group said the capture of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine was far from imminent.
“Bakhmut will not be taken tomorrow, because there is heavy resistance and grinding, the meat grinder is working,” Yevgeniy Prigozhin said in a statement distributed on a Wagner Telegram channel. “For the meat grinder to work properly, it is impossible to suddenly start festivities. There won’t be any festivities anytime soon.”
CNN’s Mick Krever contributed to this post.
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Belarus says it won't send troops to Ukraine unless it is attacked as border tensions escalate
From CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, Zahra Ullah, Claudia Otto and Rob Picheta
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed there is “no way” his country would send troops into Ukraine unless it is attacked, amid fears Russia’s close ally will help to facilitate a spring offensive by Moscow.
“We are peaceful people. We know what war is and we don’t want war,” the authoritarian leader Lukashenko, who has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said at a small gathering of journalists from international media, including CNN, at Minsk’s Palace of Independence.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile announced that Putin will meet with Lukashenko in the Moscow region on Friday.
Belarus helped Russia launch its initial invasion of Ukraine last February, allowing the Kremlin’s troops to enter the country through the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) Ukrainian-Belarusian border to the north of Kyiv.
Minsk has since claimed on numerous occasions that Ukrainian drones and missiles have entered its territory, sometimes without providing evidence.
