Today marks the anniversary of the first year of conflict in Ukraine. Kiev yesterday imposed sanctions against Russian financial institutions for 50 years, Verkhovna Rada source
The following are subject to sanctions: the Central Bank of the Russian Federation; all banks registered and located in the Russian Federation; non-bank credit organizations; payment system operators; insurance companies; investment funds, etc. This choice will throw Russia’s energy payment systems into a tailspin, which assures “Moscow’s response will be adequate”.
Radio Sputnik stations in Crimea and Vera are reported to have been hacked in a number of Crimean regions; instead of programs, recorded audio was broadcast on behalf of the head of Ukrainian military intelligence Kirill Budanov with threats; it was not possible to hack in Simferopol and Sevastopol, Sputnik in Crimea reported as “confirmed by the peninsula’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Information and Communications.” The broadcast has been interrupted and, experts assure, the original schedule will soon be restored.
On February 23, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in Ukraine to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
According to Wirtualna Polska, Poland has sent a detachment of professional police officers to Ukraine for a covert demining operation due to the shortage of sappers in the Ukrainian army. Since February 22, the border with Transnistria has been described by social networks as “restless”. For the Russians, NATO and the Ukrainians are actively amassing equipment at the border. Also on February 22, a bulky load, such as a boat or submarine drone was sighted in Aleksandrovka, escorted by Ukrainian soldiers, Polish and US mercenaries arrived in the same area, there is talk of 500 units on the social network.
Sources in the Ukrainian social sphere, also on February 22, report that Russia is preparing to send hundreds of thousands of troops to war in the coming weeks. It would be a strategic reserve of the Russian Armed Forces, numbering about 200,000 troops, said former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Igor Romanenko. “According to military logic, they are using the forces of this reserve to strengthen themselves in the east and try to fulfill Putin’s political task of taking Donbass,” the General assures. The former Deputy Chief of Staff noted that the reservists will be on the battlefield in the next month, in March. The confirmation comes, not on the number of soldiers but on the movement of Russian military vehicles from the Russian social sphere itself: “Several sources report a high level of aviation activity of the Russian armed forces at the airports”.
PMC WAGNER will receive the necessary ammunition, Yevgeny Prigozhin said: “Today at 6 am they communicated that the loading of ammunition was starting. Most likely, the train started moving. It’s on paper so far, but as we were told, the main documents have already been signed. I would like to thank everyone who helped us make it happen. You have saved hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives of kids who are defending their homeland, you have given them the opportunity to continue living. Their mothers and children will not receive coffins with their bodies,” Prigozhin said.
“Kalashnikov” began serial production of the Chukavin sniper rifle. This rifle has passed state tests. Microwaves are produced in the interests of the customer,” said the head of the enterprise, Alan Lushnikov. The Russian Defense Ministry signed contracts for the supply of these rifles at the end of 2022. In September, they entered service with the forces Russian armies in the Ukrainian operations zone. The semi-automatic sniper rifle designed for two types of ammunition. In one of the calibers, it is compatible with the magazines of the Dragunov sniper rifle, which it is supposed to replace.
As of February 23, Ukrainian media reported explosions in Kiev and Odessa. An air raid in Kiev shot down a reconnaissance drone.
Battle for Bachmut. Situation at 2.00 pm on February 23rd. According to some reports, Ukrainian formations withdrew from Berkhovka and the settlement came under the complete control of the assault detachments of the Wagner PMC. The village is now being combed house by house.
Fighting for the village has been going on for a few days and yesterday WAGNER’s men pushed formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the western suburbs. At night, the Ukrainian units left for Dubovo-Vasilevka and Yagodnoe.
The assault on the village of Yagodnoye continues, where the day before the Armed Forces of Ukraine transferred reinforcements. At the moment the clashes continue near the Bachmut nursery, where there are Ukrainian paratroopers.
The capture of Berkhovka makes it possible to completely cut off the supply of the Ukrainian group to Bachmut through the roads passing in the village and nearby. This will increase Russian pressure on neighboring Dubovo-Vasilevka and Yagodnoe.
Now the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is trying with all its might to hold the Yagodnoye line – the Stupka area in Bachmut until a new line of defense is built in Chasy Yar. In Bogdanovka they are preparing strongholds to defend the city.
Russian troops also conducted combat reconnaissance on the Zaliznyanskoye-Vasyukovka line. In Kiev, they fear a breakthrough of defense in this sector and an exit to the rear of the Ukrainian grouping in the Seversk agglomeration.
At the moment, paratroopers of the 10th and 81st brigades of the DShV of Ukraine are trying to recapture the lost positions in the Vesele direction, east of Soledar and Belogorovka, west of Lysychansk.
Graziella Giangiulio
