{"id":233539,"date":"2023-02-03T00:30:04","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T22:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=233539"},"modified":"2023-02-03T00:30:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T22:30:09","slug":"day-344","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/day-344","title":{"rendered":"Day 344: Russia\u2019s missile strikes on Kramatorsk; statements by EU, Ukraine officials ahead of summit in Kyiv"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russian missile strikes kill civilians in Kramatorsk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the evening of February 1, a Russian missile hit an apartment building in Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region, killing at least three people and wounding 20 others. People may remain under the rubble. The Russian forces targeted the residential neighborhood with an Iskander-K missile that destroyed an apartment building and damaged seven more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, on February 2, Russia unleashed another barrage of missiles against Kramatorsk. At least five people were wounded in the attack, head of the Donetsk regional military administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Russian missiles have struck the center of Kramatorsk today, he added. \u201cThey damaged 13 two-story buildings, three four-story buildings, a children\u2019s clinic and school, garages and cars,\u201d Kyrylenko said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past day, Russia\u2019s attacks in Ukraine killed at least eight civilians and wounded twice as many more. In Chernihiv region, four people were killed, and one more was wounded. Two were killed in Kharkiv region. In Luhansk region, one person was wounded. In Donetsk region, three people were killed, and eight others wounded. In Kherson region, one person was killed, and four more people were wounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EU to slap new sanctions on Russia by February 24 \u2014 one year since invasion, von der Leyen says ahead of EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The EU aims for a fresh round of sanctions on Russia by February 24, exactly one year since the invasion, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in Kyiv on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called on the EU to tighten sanctions on Russia as it adapts to the restrictive measures in place today. \u201cThis is a common European task, to reduce Russia\u2019s capability to evade sanctions. The sooner this task is achieved, the closer we will be to the defeat of Russia\u2019s aggression,\u201d Zelenskyi told a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU\u2019s sanctions campaign has slightly slowed down recently, Zelenskyi said, while the terrorist state is increasingly adapting to the sanctions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyiv expects the European Union to continue economic pressure on Russia and include Russia\u2019s nuclear energy industry in its next round of sanctions, Ukraine\u2019s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during a meeting with EU\u2019s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Kyiv on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU-Ukraine summit will be held in Kyiv on Friday, February 3. Ukraine readies to demonstrate progress on all seven recommendations of the European Commission and expects the EU\u2019s positive evaluation, including a clear prospect of the start of accession negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin wants to capture all of Donetsk, Luhansk regions by March<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by March, Andriy Chernyak, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told Kyiv Post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are signs that Russia is preparing a renewed push to capture the two eastern regions, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Russian forces are redeploying additional assault groups, more units, weapons, and military equipment to the east. According to Ukraine\u2019s military intelligence, Putin has ordered to seize all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by March,\u201d Chernyak said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victim testimonies of a russian terrorist attack in Dnipro. Ukraine in Flames #329<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The russian missile that hit a multi-apartment building in Dnipro claimed 46 lives and seriously injured 80 people. It\u2019s one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Watch Ukraine in flames #329 to hear heart wrenching stories of residents of this apartment building, who survived the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n