Russia launches another major missile attack on Ukraine, fires 36 cruise missiles
Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine overnight into Thursday, February 16. Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 16 of the 36 Russian missiles launched against a number of Ukrainian regions.
Thursday’s attacks involved 12 air-launched Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles, 12 air-launched anti-ship Kh-22 missiles, eight Kalibr missiles launched from ships, three Kh-59 and Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles, and an anti-ship Oniks missile.
At around 3 a.m., air raid sirens wailed across all of Ukraine. In Kremenchuk, Poltava region two missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility. A group of hostile drones was spotted in the region, head of the Poltava regional military administration Dmytro Lunin said. There were no casualties, preliminary reports stated.
Rockets struck a critical infrastructure facility in Lviv region, according to head of the regional military administration Maksym Kozytskyi. “Three rockets hit a critical infrastructure facility. The only thing I can clarify is that this is not a facility that is crucial for electricity supply in Lviv region. A fire broke out and it was quickly extinguished,” he said.
In Kirovohradska region, Russian rockets targeted a critical infrastructure facility in Kropyvnytskyi district. All emergency services were sent to the site, head of the regional military administration Andriy Raykovych said.
A 79-year-old woman was killed in a missile attack on Pavlohrad, in Dnipropetrovska region. At least seven more people were wounded. Two of them – a 79-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were taken to hospital. They are in a fair condition, according to head of the Dnipropetrovska regional military administration Serhiy Lysak.
An industrial site was damaged in the attack. A fire broke out there and was extinguished by rescuers. Seven private houses were destroyed and 30 others were damaged, Lysak said.
EU Commission scraps Russia nuclear sanctions plans, Politico says
The European Commission has abandoned plans to sanction Russia’s nuclear sector or its representatives in its next sanctions package, three diplomats told Politico on Thursday.
The EU executive initially told EU countries that it would try to draw up sanctions targeting Russia’s civil nuclear sector. And, ahead of a meeting of EU leaders last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi urged the bloc at least to issue sanctions against Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom. But that plan has failed, the three diplomats said, pointing to the latest sanctions drafts.
Hungary has long opposed targeting the nuclear sector, pointing to its dependency on Rosatom. To overcome a potential veto by Hungary, the EU had considered putting individual employees of Rosatom and other companies on the list — but chose in the end not to do so.
European Parliament urges EU nations, allies to provide Ukraine with all types of weapons it needs “without exception”
On Thursday, February 16, the European Parliament passed a resolution in support of Ukraine on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Members of the European Parliament urged EU nations and allies to supply Ukraine with all types of weapons it needs, without exception.
The resolution passed by a vote of 444 to 26 with 37 abstentions. Members of the European Parliament strongly condemn Russia’s aggression and reiterate their unwavering solidarity with the people and leadership of Ukraine. They reaffirm their support for providing military assistance to Ukraine for as long as is necessary and call for serious consideration to be given to delivering Western fighter jets and helicopters, appropriate missile systems and substantial increases in munitions delivery to Kyiv.
How search-and-rescue dogs help Ukrainian forces during the war. Ukraine in Flames #343
The Ukrainian military has made extensive use of four-legged soldiers since the outbreak of the war – dogs help to detect mines and explosives, rescue survivors, search for the bodies of the dead under the rubble and look for remains of soldiers on the battlefield. Watch Ukraine in flames #343 to find out about a canine unit that is a part of a humanitarian mission of AFU and learn about challenges to find and train suitable service dogs.
Guests:
- Larysa Borysenko, Head of the Search and Rescue Canine Squad “Antares”
- Yevhen Mykhailov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Regional Club of Service Dog Breeding