In light of the US Congress voting down funding for Ukraine, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said: “There is no real financial alternative to US support for Ukraine.”
The United States has not negotiated with Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine and will not do so, the State Department told RBC in response to a request for comment on Reuters’ publication that Washington has refused to consider the Moscow’s proposal to freeze the conflict.
“We are faithful to the principle “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”. We would not support forcing Ukraine to give up territory. Russia may think that the way to end this war is through Washington. This, of course, is not true,” the message reads.
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary of NATO reported that: “We have made it clear to Moscow that President Putin must not expand the conflict beyond Ukraine.”
The controversy continues over the postponement of French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Kiev, according to France 24 it was discovered that some wanted to attack the president when he was in Kiev to blame the Russians and have the spotlight again and the attention and weapons to continue to fight.
The Latvian Foreign Minister said he had summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to ask for explanations regarding the inclusion of the Baltic ministers on Moscow’s wanted list.
“Russia is ready for a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine based on taking into account the realities on the ground,” Sergei Lavrov reiterated to the press. And he added: “Given the current position of the West, there are no options for reaching an agreement on the issue of Ukraine.” Basically the war continues.
In Ukraine, on February 14, Umerov and Syrsky were in Kramatorsk, they gathered the entire headquarters. Judging by the intensity of night transfers, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will fight to the end, will try to buy time in Adviika. The new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, called the situation in the Avdiivska and Kup”jans’k directions extremely difficult and tense. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are conducting defense operations in “extremely difficult conditions”.
And now a look at the front line updated at 4pm on February 14th.
Russians on the social sphere talk about American and Polish mercenaries of the Black Maple company (of Canadian origin) in the area of the Northern Military District.
Adviika remains the nerve center of the fighting. Russian troops have intensified offensive operations in the south. To the north, the offensive of the Russian armed forces continues towards the central part of the city, the Ukrainian armed forces are retreating into multi-storey buildings in the hope of sheltering from high explosive bombs, also advancing in the area of the metallurgical industry . Same sending of troops to Chasovy Yar. The Russian army continues its advance to Avdiivka, about 100 meters from the main supply line. There is also progress south of the city and the lake. The southern borders of Avdiivka also came under heavy attack.
According to social media sources, the Russian army continues to close the cauldron around the Zenit fortified area at the air defense base. Russian troops yesterday advanced to the village of Dacia west of the Avdiivka private sector and from the Opytne side and continue to close the ring around the fortified area of the air defense base.
Northeast of Opytne, Russian troops advanced in the direction of Vinogradniki 2 station in an area up to 1.4 km wide to a depth of up to 930 m. They are bypassing the fortified areas of Zenit and Cheburashka, threatening to surround them. On the Ukrainian social sphere we read: “The Russians advanced and gained a foothold in the northern part of the Vinogradniki 2 district to a depth of 300 meters.”
The III Ukrainian assault brigade would already be operational at the front, Azov and the Russians would have sent other men to fight street by street. Exactly like what happened to Bachmut. “Street fighting is underway: Russia has sent 50,000 soldiers, special forces and attack planes to assault Avdiivka” source, spokesperson for the Tavria Armed Forces Group. According to the editorial director of the Ukrainian newspaper Novynarnya, Dmytro Lykhoviy, street fighting has been ongoing in Avdiivka for several days and that the situation “forces a certain change in military tactics.” The situation is “tense but under control”.
According to social sources: “The third separate assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been transferred to Adviika, probably to prepare the last attempt to defend the city” “Alternative supply routes will be established in case of loss of the main one” . The Ukrainian army concentrates for a counterattack and begins a breakthrough operation on the northern and southern flanks of Avdiivka. On the other hand, Ukrainian troops, under heavy fire, are trying in small groups to cross the three-kilometer line and reach the city. The Ukrainian army is also preparing a global counteroffensive.
Avdiivka had been stormed earlier by small infantry groups of the Russian Armed Forces, including special forces and landing troops. Recently, armored vehicles have been increasingly used.
The most difficult situation for the Ukrainians is at the Zenit and Cheburashka fortifications south of Avdiivka, in the area of the former air defense unit. The Ukrainian garrison is physically surrounded. Throughout the night between 13 and 14 February the Russian army carried out powerful attacks using UFAB, MLRS and heavy artillery. Our assault groups continue to move forward. Our army brought the main forces into battle. The “Azovs” are already suffering losses near Avdiivka.
Russian Far Eastern Marines of the 155th Brigade defeated the Ukrainians at Novomykhailivka. Airborne assault units of the 155th Marine Brigade knocked out the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Novomykhailivka and the surrounding area. the assault troops operate with the support of artillery and tanks, fighting in trenches and buildings.
According to sources in the social sphere, Ukrainians have recorded significant losses of personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Selidovo training camp, 30 km west of Avdiivka. One post reads: “Repeated attacks by the Russian Armed Forces against the manpower buildup destroyed and injured up to 1,500 Ukrainian servicemen preparing to enter the Avdiivka sack.” There are no denials or confirmations of the news.
In the direction of Kherson, soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have difficulty supplying food and ammunition; Ukrainian boats are sunk by UAV operators. The offensive of Russian troops continues in the direction of Krasnyi Yar. The success of the Russian Armed Forces is reported west of Khromove, south of the Buyerak-Popovsky forest, with an advance to the front up to 1.5 km and to a depth of 750 m.
At night, 9 aircraft-type UAVs were intercepted and destroyed over the territories of the Belgorod (2 UAV) and Voronezh (1 UAV) regions, as well as over the Black Sea (6 UAV). In the evening, a UAV was shot down over the Bryansk region. Bombing continues in the Belgorod region; in Donetsk (DPR), a civilian born in 1963 was killed and a man born in 1956 was injured following the launch of an APU from a UAV.
The situation in the sector of the Marinka-Vuhledar front becomes increasingly critical for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, due to the collapse of Adviika. Combat operations are gaining intensity in the area both in Maryinka and Vuhledar, where the main objective is to create a bridgehead to develop an offensive and cutting Ukrainian lines of communication.
The Russians expanded control along the Marinka – Pobeda – Kostjantynivka highway to a depth of more than 1.5 km, pushing back the Ukrainian formations. This allowed the attacking formations of the Russian Armed Forces to gain a foothold on the eastern outskirts of the village, knocking out the enemy stronghold as they approached it.
The Ukrainians continue to hold positions on the territory of the farm at points 47.860570, 37.498791, acting with the support of the Alcor air reconnaissance group.
Although not confirmed by Moscow’s Defense Ministry, the Russians lose a landing craft to a marine drone attack. It is from a large landing ship “Caesar Kunikov”, the Ukrainian videos of what happened are irrefutable. Ukraine used about 5 Magura V5 unmanned surface vehicles to attack the Russian ship and it happened at 6:15, almost abeam Yalta According to social sources: “The attack on the landing ship was carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the support of NATO unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, namely American RQ-4B Global Hawk UAVs, and on time real. The American drone is now returning to its base in Italy.”
Russian social-military analysts complain that the landing craft was immobile, did not exceed 10 knots and that while observing the video the crew on board did not notice the arrival of the drones. According to the Russians, these events denote not a Ukrainian capability but a serious lack on the part of the leaders of the Black Sea Fleet. As this is the third ship to be intercepted and sunk in the exact same way. It is also emphasized that these marine drones are blind without the use of drones in the sky, this time Global Hawk.
Russian ships travel at low speed and there are no thermal imaging cameras or night vision devices on their decks, or they were not used. Basically, the night attack on immobile ships in the open sea uses the modified Wolfsrudeltaktik (Wolf Pack) tactic created by German Admiral Karl Doenitz during the Second World War.
Graziella Giangiulio
