#UKRAINERUSSIAWAR. The Russians break through at Krasnohorivka, north of Marinka. Zelensky asks Macron for NATO soldiers in Ukraine

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The news that alerted the Western world and Russia started from the Paris summit on February 26th and then traveled around the world. France, or rather President Emmanuel Macron said that: “We will do everything possible so that Russia cannot win this war”. Not effectively excluding the participation of NATO troops on the Ukrainian front.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in Paris that NATO troops will be sent to Ukraine, during a closed debate: several NATO countries have announced their decision to send troops to Ukraine. This step would presumably force Russia to make concessions.

Fico explained that Slovakia cannot prohibit such a step. However, he is aware that such a decision could lead to an even greater escalation. Fico clarified that Slovakia will not send its military personnel and will not provide its bases to the Ukrainian armed forces and that there can be no talk of transfer of weapons and “not even cartridges”.

He also fears for security in the region due to a possible escalation. Fico also criticized NATO’s leadership, stressing that any bilateral agreements should be approved in the NATO Council and not during closed-door meetings. “We will not make concessions and under no circumstances will we send our military to Ukraine. I am shocked, they only have one word in mind: war, war, war,” Fico added. The topics we talked about send shivers down my spine. From these theses it appears that a group of NATO and EU countries are considering the possibility of sending their soldiers to Ukraine on the basis of bilateral agreements”, Fico said after the meeting of the Slovak Security Council. The “peacekeeping mission ” that we talked about has already begun.

An AFP agency confirmed this orientation: “For weeks the European allies have been studying Paris’ plan to send troops to Ukraine”. At the level of public information, however, Macron has received resounding Nos from: Germany, Italy, Poland, Estonia, the United States; the UK stated that: “There are no plans for a large-scale troop deployment in Ukraine.” The Representative of the Spanish Government: “We do not agree with the sending of European soldiers to Ukraine”. The UN calls for a refrain from conflict-inciting rhetoric in a note from the Secretary-General’s office on Macron’s words on Ukraine.

To close the issue on February 27, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg stated that the Alliance has no intention of sending troops to Ukraine. But which countries, apart from France, want to send troops to Kiev?

Yet Prime Minister Fico, on the wave of emotion upon leaving the Paris summit, said: “I will limit myself to saying that (…) a certain number of NATO and EU member states are considering the possibility of sending the their troops in Ukraine on a bilateral basis,” Fico said, quoted by Reuters.

Fico, in fact, “highlighted” the new NATO plan to support Ukraine, mired in the swamp, dragging into this swamp the “jury” formed by the armies of the individual NATO countries, which must “individually” go to war. It is clear that we are talking, first of all, about the Eastern European armies of Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and the Baltic countries.

According to the Belarusian social sphere: “The cunning of the authors of this plan is also understandable. You can sense the characteristic style of US Presidential Security Assistant Jake Sullivan, the “curator” of this war. His strategic plan of “slowly digesting the Russian frog”, according to which, during the two years of war, there was a slow but steady increase in NATO intervention in the war in Ukraine. First at the level of military supplies and supplies of increasingly high-tech weapons, and now, apparently, not having achieved the goal at this level, Sullivan decided to move on to the next one: throwing NATO into battle. But, as usual, let’s start “little by little” so that the Russians have no reason to take over the atomic club. “Train them” that NATO is now fighting in Ukraine. But not all of NATO, just some of its members!”

On February 27, Macron specified that the issue was discussed at a meeting of Western countries in Paris, but no consensus was reached. “We have discussed it, no consensus has been reached yet, but nothing can be ruled out,” Macron said. Regarding bilateral agreements, our thoughts immediately turn to the security agreements that each country is making with Kiev. Also from France, the head of theFrench Foreign Ministry said that “certain types of assistance to Kiev may require the presence of military personnel on the territory of Ukraine without participating in the conflict,” he said.

On February 27, the European Parliament voted on a new aid fund for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros. And the Commission clarified: “The issue of sending troops to Ukraine is the responsibility and sovereign decision of the EU countries.” Therefore not excluding sending.

Adding to the confusion on the topic is Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, who on February 28 declared that he would discuss with Macron the idea of stationing NATO troops on Ukrainian territory during his visit to Ukraine in mid-March this year.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia where he discussed the “peace formula” and the return of prisoners of war with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. A statement from Zelensky’s office said the parties were “close to holding the first peace summit.” Earlier, on February 25, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin visited Saudi Arabia. He had met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. We remind you that in recent days a plane from Saudi Arabia arrived at the military base in Poland with a plane loaded with humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

In Ukraine, however, politics is struggling with a solution to keep Zelensky in power even after his mandate expires on May 20th. The office of the Ukrainian president has prepared the text of an appeal to the Constitutional Court (CC) of Ukraine regarding the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky’s term as head of state after the expiration of his powers on May 20, local source Mirror of the Week.

Although according to the Constitution voting cannot be organized during martial law, the Office intends to clarify whether the Basic Law allows presidential elections to be held under these conditions. The second issue concerns the legitimacy of the president’s powers after his five-year term expires. The publication writes that, according to the plan of the management of the presidential office, deputies of the pro-presidential Servant of the People party will appeal to the Constitutional Court. But the appeal has not yet been forwarded to parliamentarians.

In Russia the issue of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory has been clarified already in 2023, if this happened there would be an escalation and the use of nuclear power is not excluded. On February 28, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that “military personnel from numerous NATO countries have been in Ukraine for a long time and are actively helping the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” On February 28, Moscow confirmed that its position on Sweden after its membership of NATO depends on Stockholm’s actions. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the steps Moscow takes after Sweden joins NATO will depend on Stockholm’s specific actions in the alliance.

Preparations for Navalny’s funeral continue, representatives of government agencies contacted Navalny’s associates, offering a room for 500 people at the Khovanskoye cemetery (pictured), where a farewell could be held. But they flatly refused, staging a provocation on social networks with statements about interfering with the funeral.

Meanwhile, at the Borisovskoye cemetery they began to free up a place for a new burial, presumably this is where Alexei Navalny is wanted to be buried on March 1. The day before the number of free places for the tombs had dropped from 9 to 8. A place was purchased in the cemetery, about 100 meters from the entrance; its cost is estimated at about 3 million rubles.

To return to the issue of the Northern Military District, according to the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shougu, the Ukrainian armed forces have lost over 444 thousand soldiers. While Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: “Moscow believes that Russia’s solution proposal prepared by Zelensky is an ultimatum.”

And now a look at the front line updated at 5.30pm on February 28th.

Units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdraw from Orlivka. In the night heavy bombing registered in Odessa.

Russian artillery is actively working in the Svatove-Kreminna direction. The advance of the Russian armed forces near Ternove was noted.

In the direction of Kupjans’k there is a counter-battle in the Tabaovka area.

In Bachmut, the Russian armed forces advanced into the eastern part of Liman along Sodovaya Street. The assault on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues northwest of Kleshchiivka.

North of Kleshchiivka, Russian infantry attacked the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The attack didn’t go well. Militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had reconnaissance UAVs in flight. As a result, uncovered electronic warfare equipment was burned by Ukrainian FPV drones.

In the Avdiivska direction the Russian armed forces occupied the forest south of Stepove. Advancement is measured in an area up to 2.4 km wide to a depth of 650 m. Fighting continues in the eastern outskirts of Berdychi, east of Orlivka, north and east of Tonen’ke and west of Sjeverne.

On Kurachove, the area of ​​the ventilation shaft of the Trudovskaya mine comes under the control of Russian troops. Advancement is recorded in a section up to 1.6 km wide to a depth of up to 700 m.

Zaporozhzhie direction: the battle for Rabotino continues: the Russians use heavy artillery, the LBS is not stable. South of Huljajpole, Russian armed forces successfully attack Marthopolis. As for the Vremevsky ledge, the Russians advance in the direction of Zolota Nyva.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Kherson are carrying out the searches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces remaining in Krynki. To do this, Russian fighters use FPV drones and artillery.

At the end of the data collection, pro-Russian social media sources reporting statements from the People’s Militia of the DPR state that the Russians have broken through the Ukrainian defense lines in Krasnohorivka north of Marinka. “The stormtroopers of the 5th brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps of the Southern Group of Forces, with the support of brigade tank and artillery crews, as well as army aviation, broke through the defensive lines of the Ukrainian militants in Krasnohorivka village,” reads one post. Currently the Russians, according to these sources, have gained a foothold on the outskirts of the town.

An American Boeing P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane was spotted near the Black Sea departing from Sigonella. According to the news flow of the social sphere soon, given the aerial reconnaissance, an attack will take place in Crimea. “Judging by the concentration of NATO reconnaissance platforms near the borders of Romania, another attack is being prepared against the Black Sea Fleet and Crimea” reports the social sphere.

Graziella Giangiulio 

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