Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 29.01 – 04.02

Destroyed nearly 900 Russians and hundreds of their vehicles

According to the General Staff, Ukrainian defenders have eliminated 860 Russian occupiers, 26 of their artillery systems, and 10 tanks in the past day.

The overall combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 2022, to February 3, 2024, are estimated as follows:

• Personnel - approximately 387,940 (+880) individuals,

• Tanks - 6,341 (+10) units,

• Combat armored vehicles - 11,805 (+13) units,

• Artillery systems - 9,300 (+26) units,

• Multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) - 979 (+1) units,

• Anti-aircraft missile systems - 663 (+0) units,

• Helicopters - 324 (+0) units,

• Aircraft - 332 (+0) units,

• Tactical UAVs - 7,161 (+15) units,

• Cruise missiles - 1,847 (+0) units,

• Ships / Boats - 24 (+0) units,

• Submarines - 1 (+0) unit,

• Motor vehicles and tankers - 12,352 (+36) units,

• Specialized equipment - 1,473 (+3) units.

 

Zelensky: Two more air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on February 2 that two additional air defense systems, capable of "shooting down everything," have arrived in Ukraine.

"And the main news for today – the news we have all been eagerly awaiting, for which we have been working at various levels for months. The result is that two more air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine. Not all details should be discussed publicly, of course. But these systems – they shoot down everything. We will defend the regions. While the systems are still insufficient for the complete protection of Ukraine, we are working towards that goal every day.", - Zelensky stated.

Zelensky also mentioned that Ukraine is gradually preparing for international efforts in the coming weeks.

Zaluzhnyi outlines three main goals for the war with Russia in 2024

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, outlined three primary goals to focus efforts on in the war against Russian aggression in his column for CNN. Therefore, in 2024, we must concentrate our main efforts on three fronts:

• Establishing a system to equip our Armed Forces with high-tech means.

• Implementing a new philosophy of training and conducting military operations that takes into account limitations in resources and methods of their application.

• Quickly mastering new combat capabilities.

According to him, Ukraine already possesses the capabilities to destroy the enemy and ensure the existence of statehood.

“Our goal should be to seize the moment – to accumulate the maximum modern combat capabilities that will allow us to allocate fewer resources to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, halt aggression, and protect Ukraine from it in the future,” emphasized Zaluzhnyi.

 

Tusk: Europe is tired not of Ukraine but of Orban

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is confident that eventually, EU countries will find arguments to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to unlock financing for Ukraine.

"There is no so-called fatigue problem from Ukraine; there is a fatigue problem from Viktor Orban. We have so many problems to solve, and of course, today we need to strengthen our unity around Ukraine," Tusk stated.

According to him, he cannot understand and accept this "very strange" and "very selfish game" from Orban. The head of the Polish government added that there is no room for compromise on the Ukrainian issue.

“It is up to Viktor Orban to decide whether Hungary is part of our community or not. It’s a black and white story. My intuition tells me that we will find strong arguments to eventually convince Orban,” emphasized Tusk.

The Polish Prime Minister expressed the view that in the medium-term perspective, "we should think more, perhaps not about harsh measures, but about more explicit consequences" regarding Hungary.

“The Ukrainian issue is an existential issue not only for Poland but for all of us, and Viktor’s current position concerns security. It is something so obvious and at the same time unacceptable, so we must think about all possible measures and all possible consequences in the future, but maybe not today,” Tusk concluded.

 

State Department: The U.S. is not against Ukraine in NATO, Biden supports membership

The United States Department of State has refuted claims that the Biden administration opposes Ukraine's NATO membership. In response to a journalist's question about why, based on information available to him, the U.S. administration appears to be against Ukraine joining the Alliance despite the purported support from the majority of member countries, a representative from the State Department dismissed these claims.

"These reports do not reflect reality. You have heard the President himself, as well as the Secretary of State, repeatedly state that Ukraine will be a member of NATO."

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell to tell about current news and events in Ukraine.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти про актуальні новини та події в Україні.