10.02.2023, Moscow.
We publish a summary of events concerning the situation around Ukraine as of 10 p.m., February 10.
Political situation
The topic of the possibility of concluding a peace treaty with Japan remains closed for Russia at the moment, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. She recalled the country’s Foreign Ministry statement of March 21, 2022, which stated that Russia does not intend to continue negotiations with Japan on this issue. The reason is that the signing of a fundamental document on bilateral relations cannot be discussed with a state with an openly unfriendly stance toward Russia.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Brussels before the EU summit called for peace between Ukraine and Russia, saying that sending weapons to Ukraine was akin to “putting out a fire with gasoline.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged the US to give the world an explanation regarding the US involvement in explosions at Nord Stream pipelines during a briefing in Beijing. “If Hersh is telling the truth, what he revealed is clearly unacceptable and must be answered for. The US owes the world a responsible explanation,” Mao Ning said.
India and Russia will benefit from switching to payments in national currencies, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said on the air of the TV channel Russia-24.
The authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) are developing the road map for the restoration of salt mines in Soledar, the acting head of the DPR Denis Pushylin said to journalists. “The road map for the salt mines is now being worked out,” said the head of the region.
More than 60 organizations signed the joint call to oppose this year’s Munich Security Conference, German political scientist and historian Claus Schreer said on February 9, the Junge Welt newspaper wrote.
Russia’s refusal to use the euro in favor of the yuan will lead to the internalization of China’s national currency, the Global Times wrote.
China has cut its participation in an internet cable project to link Asia with Europe, as tensions grow between Washington and Beijing over control of the physical infrastructure that transmits the world’s online traffic. Two of China’s biggest telecoms groups, China Telecom and China Mobile, withdrew their combined investment of roughly 20 per cent from the subsea cable project last year after a US company was selected to build the line over Hengtong Marine, the country’s biggest provider in the sector, according to three people briefed on the decision – Financial Times.
Ukraine
Russia delivered air strikes against Ukraine. There was information about explosions in Kiev, Kharkov, Krivoy Rog, as well as Kirovograd region. Explosions were also reported in Ivano-Frankovsk, Odessa, Zaporozhye, Khmelnitsky and Vinnitsa.
Ukrenergo reports strikes on several high-voltage infrastructure facilities. The strikes occurred in the eastern, western, and southern regions, “which led to power outages in some areas.”
Authorities in Kharkov confirm the strike on critical infrastructure.
Explosions were recorded in Vinnitsa, Khmelnytsky and Lvov regions.
The Dnepr hydroelectric power plant in Zaporozhye was damaged today due to the strike.
Western countries and their supporters
Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki: Poland may close all checkpoints on the border with Belorussia. Yesterday, Polish authorities decided to close the border crossing point with Belorussia in Bobrowniki, because of the security interests of the country. Minsk responded with a protest and said it did not see any objective reasons for this.
Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa resigned.
According to Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Valek, The situation with medicines in the Czech Republic is difficult, but it is improving, Českých noviny informed. “The whole of Europe is struggling with a shortage of medicines. Thanks to negotiations with manufacturers and distributors, it has been possible to accelerate the scheduled delivery of drugs or to provide emergency supplies of antibiotics, about hundreds of thousands of packages,” Valek said.
Czech Army electronic warfare specialists have begun training in the Libava Military District with the new STARCOM communication jammer, the Czech Army’s official website informed.
Ukraine’s military almost always launches high-precision missiles, including HIMARS, using coordinates provided by the US military, The Washigton Post wrote, citing three unnamed Ukrainian and US senior officials.
A US soldier misjudged the distance while changing lanes and caused an accident on a German highway near Kirchberg an der Jagst, while transporting weapons with an M915A5 army tractor-trailers, the press office of the Aalen Police Department wrote. “The soldiers were transporting tons of missiles and ammunition in a convoy of five M915A5 tractor-trailer vehicles around 3 p.m. when the driver of a third vehicle misjudged the distance while changing lanes,” the report said. The cab of the merging truck was torn off by the impact and the vehicle caught fire, according to a police statement Friday. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, police said. A US soldier was airlifted to a hospital and three others were injured.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius demanded to increase in the military budget of Germany, Der Spiegel reports. The budget of the armed forces of Germany should be increased by €10 billion in 2024. And in subsequent years, such an increase in funding must continue until it reaches 2% of the defense budget allocated to NATO members.
Lithuania send swedish-made Bofors L-70 anti-aircraft guns to Kiev regimer, LRT radio reported on February 10. It is reported that “the weapons will reach our allies in the near future.”
Russia could target a number of key towns and cities in Ukraine during its anticipated spring offensive later this year, a British military expert Major General Rupert Jones has warned, Express wrote.
