Zelensky: Thank you Meloni, we are waiting for you in Ukraine. Meeting of European foreign ministers today in Brussels, Kuleba will be received by Commissioner Varhelyi. The United States accuses China of considering supplying arms to Russia. During the night air raids in three Ukrainian regions.
Media, Wang Yi in Moscow for peace plan talks
Chinese Communist Party chief of diplomacy Wang Yi has arrived in Moscow for talks on a possible peace plan for Ukraine. This is reported by Sky News. According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Wang Yi traveled to Russia for the meeting yesterday. “The main purpose of his trip is to strengthen Beijing’s role” in the Ukraine issue, the newspaper writes, adding that the talks “are aimed at accelerating the resolution of the crisis, which is a growing cost for Beijing in relations with the West brings with it”. while Western accusations that Beijing might provide military support to Moscow remain in the background.
Duda to Ft: NATO will provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the post-war period
Polish President Andrzej Duda, on the eve of US President Biden’s visit to Warsaw to reaffirm Western support for Kiev a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, appealed to NATO for Ukraine to receive post-war security guarantees.
Duda gave an interview to the Financial Times in which he said the promises of security guarantees were “important” for Ukraine and for soldiers’ morale because they would “increase this feeling that NATO is standing by their side”.
Moscow: Ukrainian bombs on Russian territory, civilians killed
According to the Tass news agency, a woman was killed and another civilian wounded in a shelling by Ukrainian forces on Russian territory this morning. Ukrainian forces shelled the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka in the Belgorod region and hit a chicken farm, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel.
Intelligence UK: Moscow could pretend to capture Bakhmut
Russia could lay claim to the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on the anniversary of the war, regardless of the reality on the ground. This is backed by the UK MoD in its latest intelligence update shared on Twitter. “Russian forces are likely to be under increasing political pressure as the anniversary of the invasion approaches. Russia will likely claim that Bakhmut was captured to align with the anniversary, regardless of the reality on the ground,” the update said. “Should Russia’s spring offensive fail to produce results, tensions within the Russian leadership are likely to escalate.” According to British intelligence, “Russia continues to pursue several axes of attack in eastern Ukraine: Vuhledar, Kreminna and Bakhmut. The number of casualties is reported to remain high, particularly in Bakhmut and Vuhledar. In particular, the “elite” 155th and 40th Marine Infantry Brigades suffered very high casualties at Vuhledar and are likely to be ineffective in combat.
Zelenskyy imposes sanctions on 333 Russians and the Moscow Stock Exchange
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implemented the decision of the National Security and Defense Council by imposing sanctions on 333 Russian citizens and the Moscow Stock Exchange. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, explaining that the published list contains 333 people associated with the banking sector of the Russian Federation and one legal entity – a public joint-stock company of the Moscow Stock Exchange MICEX-RTS.
Russia: Crimean bridge reopened to traffic
The Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula with Russia, has been fully reopened to traffic after being closed in the early hours of the morning due to a traffic accident. This was reported by the Ria Novosti agency, citing sources from the local administration. According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Crimea, three people died in the accident.
Kiev: 25 airstrikes and 10 rockets fired by Russia yesterday
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that yesterday, February 19, Russia launched 25 airstrikes and 10 missiles against the Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions. This is reported by the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces also carried out 62 empty missile system attacks. The attacks claimed civilian casualties and injuries.
The General Staff said Russian forces set up illegal detention units against citizens suspected of collaborating with Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainian Air Force launched 29 strikes against enemy makeshift bases as the military shot down the Russian Su-25 jet, a Soviet-era air support aircraft, two Orlan-10 UAVs and two drones, the Lancet suicide bomber.
Russia: Crimean bridge closed due to accident
The Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula with Russian territory, is closed to traffic after a road accident that left three vehicles dead. This was announced by the emergency services quoted by the Tass agency. Last October, the bridge over the Kerch Strait was hit by a car bomb.
Zelensky: «Thank you Meloni, we are waiting for you in Ukraine»
From Italy “we received an aid package, which means that support from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has not changed. In fact, I thank you and I’m waiting for you, I know it’s coming”. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admits that the position of the Italian government towards Ukraine, despite the crisis provoked a week ago by Silvio Berlusconi’s statements about the Ukrainian leader is always the same.”We have great respect for Italy and the Italian people,” the President said ahead of Meloni’s visit to Kiev.
Kiev: Russian attacks in Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk repelled
In the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks in areas of seven settlements in Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk regions. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing the morning summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the General Staff, the Russians are concentrating their main efforts on attempts to conduct offensive actions in the direction of Kupyansk, Lymansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk.
Kiev: Russian attacks on Sunday in Kramatorsk, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk
Russian forces hit Kramatorsk industrial zone with two rockets yesterday. This was announced by the mayor of the eastern Ukrainian city, Alexander Goncharenko, via telegram. “Two enemy missiles hit the Kramatorsk industrial zone,” the mayor reported, explaining that there were no injuries but damage and the blast partially smashed the windows of a residential building. Yesterday the Russians also bombed five territorial communities in the Sumy region, while two people were injured in four bombings in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
US Ambassador: China would cross the border with aid to Moscow
In an interview with CNN, the US ambassador to the United Nations said that “the red line would be crossed” if China provided lethal aid to Russia. “We welcome the Chinese announcement that they want peace because that’s what we always want to pursue in situations like this,” he said, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. “But we must also be clear that it is unacceptable if there are any thoughts and efforts by the Chinese and others to lethally assist the Russians in their brutal attack on Ukraine,” he added. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on February 18 that Washington fears Beijing is considering providing “deadly support” such as arms to Moscow.
According to Blinken, the US has already seen Chinese firms providing non-lethal support to Russia. Blinken warned senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi that supplying arms to Russia “would have serious consequences for our relationship.”
Mayor of Kramatorsk: City hit by Russian missiles, no casualties
Russian forces fired two rockets at an industrial area in the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on February 19. This was said by Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
According to Honcharenko, there were no casualties in the missile attack, but there was damage. A blast wave also shattered the windows of an apartment building. Russia has relentlessly attacked civilian infrastructure and residential buildings across Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24.
Air alert in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kharkiv
The air raid alarm went off in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kharkiv tonight. This was announced by the country’s official anti-aircraft warning portal, which was quoted by local media. According to the same sources, the alarm stopped after about 4 hours. There is currently no news of bombings in the Ukrainian oblasts affected by the warning.
Kiev: repelled 7 attacks near Bakhmut, killing 40 Russians
Ukrainian forces repelled seven Russian attacks near Bakhmut, killing 40 enemy soldiers. This was reported by the Ukrainian State Border Service via Telegram, quoted by UNIAN. “Border guards repelled ten attacks on the Eastern Front, seven of them towards Bakhmut,” the service said. “Estimated enemy casualties were 40 dead and 37 wounded,” he added.
Read the interview: Zelensky: «We are stronger than a year ago. We chose Europe, that is our horizon”
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