The war has entered its 722nd day and the main developments are as follows:
This is the situation as of Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
finding
- At least 10 people were killed in Russian drone and artillery fire across eastern, central and northern Ukraine, including three at a market in northeastern Kharkiv.
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Missile and drone attacks on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk damaged power plants and forced authorities to close schools and evacuate hospitals.Ukrainian Air Force says shots were fired Destroyed 16 out of 23 drones.
- UNESCO, the United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural organization, announced that Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused an estimated $3.5 billion in damage to the country's heritage and cultural heritage and destroyed about 5,000 sites.
politics and diplomacy
- U.S. House of Representatives Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has blocked support for the war in Ukraine, ignoring President Joe Biden's pleas that passing the bill is essential to confronting “Russian dictator” Vladimir Putin. Johnson, who is close to presidential candidate Donald Trump, told reporters he had no intention of even allowing a vote on the Senate-passed bill.
- Hours after the Baltic state's intelligence services warned that Russia was preparing, Russia and Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kalas over the “destruction” of a Soviet-era war memorial and alleged hostility to Russia. Two high-ranking officials have been added to the wanted list. There will be a war with NATO in the next ten years. Karas is one of Ukraine's most vocal supporters.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke this week about former Marine Paul Whelan, who is imprisoned in Russia on spying charges, and about Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovitch, who is being held pending trial on spying charges. He pledged to make sustained efforts toward his release. The men and the U.S. government rejected the claims of espionage. The United States found Mr. Whelan and Mr. Gershkovic to be “unlawfully detained.”
- Russia's Military Appeals Court has overturned a five-year prison sentence and fine for left-wing scholar Boris Kagarlitsky, who criticized Russia's war in Ukraine, his lawyer said.
weapons
- The annual report “Military Balance'' by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think tank, states that global defense spending increased by 9% last year to a record high of $2.2 trillion, and is projected to increase by 2024. It is likely that the number will increase further.
- According to the report, Russia has lost about 3,000 main battle tanks in the fighting in Ukraine, about the same number of tanks it had in active duty before launching a full-scale invasion two years ago. He added that they are currently using old tanks that have been refurbished.
