More than 1,000 Russian troops killed on Monday, 14 tanks destroyed, General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces says
On Monday, 1,030 Russian personnel were killed in fighting in Ukraine, raising the total since the invasion began to more than 133,000. U.S. officials estimate that the number of Russian troops killed and wounded in Ukraine is approaching 200,000, The New York Times reported.
Bakhmut holds out
The Russian forces do not have roads into Bakhmut, in Donetsk region within range, head of the Donetsk regional military administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said in an interview with RFE/RL.
He said the Russian forces are trying to trap the Ukrainian troops in a pincer as they close in on Bakhmut on both flanks. Kyrylenko denied that the highways M03 and N32 leading to Bakhmut were captured by the Russians.
“There are other roads, but these are the best asphalt paved highways to get to Bakhmut, and control the situation on the Slovyansk axis. I would not say that they are within full fire control [of the Russian forces],” Kyrylenko said. Bakhmut remains one of the hottest spots on the frontline as fierce fighting continues to rage. Last week, the Russian forces threw all their efforts into breaking through Ukrainian defense and encircling Bakhmut, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine will not give up on Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on February 3.
Number of rounds Ukrainian troops fire a day equals annual orders of a smaller European state, Financial Times says
Ukraine is firing more than 5,000 artillery rounds every day — equal to a smaller European country’s orders in an entire year in peacetime, the Financial Times said, quoting Morten Brandtzæg, chief executive of Norway’s Nammo, which makes ammunition and shoulder-fired weapons.
He said Ukraine has been firing an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 artillery rounds a day, which he said is similar to the annual orders of a smaller European state before the war.
Podcast Explaining Ukraine. Incredible stories of the Ukrainian resistance
This war is full of incredible stories of Ukrainians who resisted the Russian invasion. We went to northeastern Ukraine, right along the Russian border, and talked to people there who lived through very difficult moments one year ago. In this episode, we will tell you their stories. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre.
Prospects of Ukraine’s movement towards EU membership. Ukraine in Flames #334
Last summer the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the EU. While it is a first step to membership, the process typically takes many years, and some countries are currently waiting decades to sign the agreement. Watch Ukraine in flames #334 to get a rational update on Ukraine’s progress towards membership and what obstacles Ukraine might encounter along the way.
Guests:
- Matti Maasikas, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine
- Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union
- Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament and Head of the international association “Together for Ukraine”
- Vadym Galaychuk, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union
