Day 730 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia’s Losses Five Times Greater Than Those Of Kyiv

Day 730 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Zelensky: Russia's losses are 5 times more than ours
• Missiles and drones over Odesa, one person died
• Vladimir Putin has stated that 95% of Russia's nuclear forces have been modernized
• Biden met with Navalny's widow
• 106 Russian citizens on the EU sanctions list
• Over 500 will be sanctioned by the US today because of the war in Ukraine and Navalny
• Armenia has frozen its participation in Russia's military alliance
• Russian oppositionist Ilya Yashin made an appeal to the world

Zelensky: Russia's losses are 5 times more than ours

In an interview with Fox News, President Zelensky said Ukrainian losses were significantly less than Russian losses and asked for long-range munitions.

❗️"Losses of AFU are 5 times lower than the Russian ones", — Zelensky to Fox News

• Putin has crossed all red lines: he will try to destroy NATO;
• Trump is wrong when he says that the war can be ended in 24 hours - let him come closer to the front line and see for himself. pic.twitter.com/PhRUfXEsQF

— MAKS 23 ???????????? (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) February 23, 2024

Zelensky called on the President of the United States Joe Biden and the leader of the Republicans Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and see with their own eyes the tragedy caused by the Russian invasion, reported Ukrinform.

"What a brilliant Ukraine we had. We have a wonderful country, but during the war the picture and life is different," Zelensky said in an interview with journalist Bret Baier, adding that the candidates for the US presidency "should come and see the people, just to they see them in the streets".

Responding to a statement by Trump in which the former president claimed he could end the war in 24 hours, Zelensky said he "cannot understand" how he would achieve that. According to Zelensky, he is ready to receive the former American president on the front line, where "he will explain everything and explain what his thoughts are, maybe he has some ideas. I don't know."

"He will see what is happening and then I think he will change his mind, and we all understood that there are not two sides in this war: There is only one enemy and that is Putin's position," explained Zelensky.

Asked what message he would send to the US Congress, Zelensky said he was grateful for everything the president (Biden) and US lawmakers had done. He noted that without the help of the West, Ukraine would not be able not only to maintain its defense, but also to strengthen its economy in order to increase the production of its own weapons. In particular, Kyiv needs "strong weapons, long-range weapons, long-range missiles and artillery," Zelensky added.

Missiles and drones over Odesa, one person died

Missiles and drones over Odesa. At least one person died. Objects of civil infrastructure are affected.

Fires have broken out in some places. According to local authorities, all services are working to repair the damage. In a drone attack also in Dnipro, a residential building was hit. There are seven injured.

President Zelensky met with diplomats and heads of international organizations. On the eve of the second anniversary of the war, he thanked them for their support for Kyiv and for choosing to stay rather than leave the country.

In an interview with Fox News, Zelensky said Ukrainian casualties were significantly less than Russian casualties and asked for long-range munitions.

"Will Ukraine survive without the support of Congress? Of course, but not all of us will survive. And if we are aware of what the price is, if the world is ready to pay it - we will see. But this is a tragedy. It will be a tragedy - no only for Ukraine and for Ukrainians, but for all of Europe. And you will see that they will continue. Putin will never stop. He will run over Eastern Europe because he wants to," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to Russian media, the Russian army continues to advance in the area of Lyman and Avdiivka.

Vladimir Putin has stated that 95% of Russia's nuclear forces have been modernized

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that 95 percent of the country's strategic nuclear forces have been modernized and said its aerospace force had recently commissioned four new supersonic bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.

Putin made the comments as part of an official statement coinciding with Russia's annual Defenders of the Fatherland Day, dedicated to the military, a day after flying a modernized Tu-160M strategic bomber.

The Russian leader praised the soldiers fighting in Ukraine, calling them heroes fighting for "truth and justice".

At the same time, he devoted a large part of his speech to the achievements of Russia's military-industrial complex. In his message, he stated that Russia's nuclear triad - strategic air, sea and air capabilities - are up-to-date, constantly modernized and in good condition.

"Incorporating our real combat experience, we will continue to strengthen our armed forces in every way, including with the current re-equipment and modernization efforts," Putin said. He added that "today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has reached 95 percent, while the naval component of the nuclear triad is already almost 100 percent."

Biden met with Navalny's widow

US President Joe Biden met in California with the wife and daughter of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died last week, the White House reported.

During the meeting, Biden expressed his admiration for Navalny's extraordinary courage in the fight against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia where the rule of law applies equally to all, the statement said.

Biden confirmed that the US will announce major new sanctions against Russia over Navalny's death, repression and Russia's war on Ukraine, the White House said.

The intention to introduce new sanctions was announced earlier by US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

Nuland said some of the sanctions would target those responsible for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. At the same time, she specified that the main part of them will affect "Putin's military machine" and will aim to fill the gaps in the existing sanctions regimes.

"There will be a crushing new package of sanctions, there will be hundreds of sanctions over the next few days. Some of them will be directed at the people involved in Navalny's death," said Victoria Nuland at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Nuland acknowledged that the sanctions in place have not stopped Russia's defense industry.

"He (Putin) and his crooks have found a lot of loopholes," the deputy secretary of state said, but noted that the new sanctions would address the issue.

“When you see the package in a few days, you will notice that it pays serious attention to circumvention, to the nodes and networks and to the countries that help, willingly or not, to circumvent sanctions, and to the banks that support and enable it circumvention, and also the resources used for the weapons”, Nuland explained.

Forty-seven-year-old Navalny died last week at the “Polar Wolf” Penal Colony, located beyond the Arctic Circle.

106 Russian citizens on the EU sanctions list

The EU Council adopted the 13th sanctions package against Russia on the eve of the second year since its invasion of Ukraine.

106 persons and 88 entities were added to it, including and from third countries - Turkey, Serbia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Kazakhstan.

The new sanctions are aimed at the military and defense sector and related parties, including those involved in the supply of weapons from North Korea.

The list of restrictive measures includes representatives of the judicial system, local government politicians and those responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children.

Added 27 new entities directly supporting Russia's military-industrial complex for the war in Ukraine, which will be subject to additional restrictions on the export of dual-use goods and technology, as well as those that could assist in technological strengthening of Russia's defense sector.

Some of them are in third countries and are involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions, and others are Russian and are involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components to the Russian military-industrial complex.

The list of product restrictions has been expanded, including and those that help develop and manufacture drones. It also includes electrical transformers.

Over 500 will be sanctioned by the US today because of the war in Ukraine and Navalny

The US will impose sanctions on more than 500 targets today, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Reuters. This will be done "in partnership" with other countries and will be aimed mainly at the military-industrial complex and companies in third countries, facilitating Russia's access to the goods it wants.

Some of the measures will directly target those responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny last week.

The US is increasing sanctions at a time when money for Ukraine has run out, and Congress has not yet approved the new 61 billion. According to Adeyemo, the sanctions are intended to slow Russia down and make it more difficult for it to go to war, but to speed up Ukraine, it must act The Congress.

In December, the Finance Ministry said the Russian economy had been hit by sanctions, shrinking by 2.1% in 2022.

Armenia has frozen its participation in Russia's military alliance

Armenia is "freezing" its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after the pact failed to meet the country's needs.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this in an interview with France24.

He also criticized Russian authorities, saying that a few months ago, in the military operation of Azerbaijan that returned control of Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia "openly called on the Armenian population to hand over power." Moreover, the "propaganda from Moscow" aimed at him was not abating, he continued; in October, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia, Maria Zakharova, explained that Armenia, which sought more intensive contact with the West, was itself to blame for the situation that arose.

In 2023, Armenia also did not participate in several CSTO events, including two exercises and a summit in Minsk.

The decision does not yet mean the closure of the Russian base in Gyumri, northwestern Armenia, where thousands of Russian troops are stationed - Pashinyan said that was not currently under discussion and was subject to another agreement.

However, Yerevan's move is a blow to the CSTO, which includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan along with Russia, and which has been criticized by Armenia for not intervening in tensions with Azerbaijan. In 2020, a conflict between the two countries left parts of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (populated by Armenians but internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan) under Baku's control, and last year a military operation drove more than 100,000 Armenians from their homes.

Russia says that Azerbaijan, in recapturing Karabakh, was acting on its internationally recognized territory (it was not really an attack on Armenia, which refused to intervene), but Pashinyan is talking about the previous period, in previous clashes.

"The Collective Security Treaty has not met its goals with regard to Armenia, especially in 2021 and 2022. And we could not let that happen without noticing, he said. Now we have effectively frozen our participation. What's next, we'll have to see."

For months, the prime minister has been saying that the defense partnership with Moscow is not bringing Armenia the expected results and has signaled that CSTO membership is under review. In October, he said his country had no use for Russian military bases.

He also said that Azerbaijan, with which Armenia has fought two wars in the past three decades, was not adhering to the principles necessary for a long-term peace treaty, and suggested that he was preparing to launch another attack.

In his comments, Pashinyan said the prospects for reaching a long-term peace deal were affected by statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, which Armenia interpreted as laying claim to large parts of Armenian territory.

"If the principles of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders are not recognized by Azerbaijan, it is simply not possible," he told France 24. "Azerbaijan is using the situation to fuel its rhetoric. It makes one think that Azerbaijan is preparing for a new attack on Armenia."

Key elements in securing a treaty are the demarcation of borders and the creation of regional transport corridors, often through the territory of the other party's territory. Aliyev also raised the issue of determining control over ethnic enclaves on both sides of the border.

Russian oppositionist Ilya Yashin made an appeal to the world

Russian oppositionist Ilya Yashin with an emotional address on social platforms. He called on the international community to do everything possible to free Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is serving a 25-year sentence for treason.

I am worried about Vladimir Kara-Murza. After Navalny's murder, it became obvious that the life of every political prisoner was in danger. But the fate of Kara-Murza is a cause for particular concern, writes Yashin, who has also been jailed for eight years for spreading false information about the Russian military.

"And today I want to appeal to the leadership of the United Nations, to the President of the United States, to the leaders of the European Union. Show goodwill and activate all diplomatic instruments so that Kara-Murza can be released as soon as possible. Do it while it's not too late," concludes Yashin.

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