Key developments on Feb. 10: * Russia massing troops for new assaults in Chasiv Yar, military warns * Drones reportedly target key Russian oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai * Trump claims 'progress' on ending Russia-Ukraine war, confirms contact with Putin * Ukraine approves high-speed Baton drones for battlefield deployment * Ukraine to receive Patria 6x6
Funding for at least five of these projects has already been frozen, five sources told Reuters, citing payment disruptions. Those affected were working on issues ranging from preserving evidence from the battlefield to anti-corruption initiatives and reforming Ukraine's prosecution system.
The Ukrainian military's "special contracts" for recruited volunteers aged 18 to 24, who are exempt from mobilization, will reportedly include a number of benefits, including a Hr 1 million ($24,000) annual salary, 0% interest mortgage rates, as well free higher education, Ukrinform reported on Feb. 10.
WIG Ukraine, Ukrainian companies' stock price index on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), rose by almost 25% in a few days, reaching pre-war levels, Polish media outlet Puls Biznesu reported.
"There will be some (high-profile) people from President Trump's team here in Ukraine this week, even before the Munich Security Conference," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Keith Kellogg said that the proposals are still being developed, according to Semafor.
Editor’s note: The transcript of this interview has been edited for length and clarity. Poland holds a special position among Kyiv's partners — with a shared history of Russian oppression and conquest, its leaders have left no room for doubt that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine represented an existential threat
The European Union's lending arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), has signed agreements to mobilize close to 1 billion euros ($1.03 billion) in investments into Ukraine’s public and private sectors as the U.S. moves to cut funding to development projects in the country. U.S. President Donald
"Now, in a sober state, I deeply regret what happened," the 58-year-old suspect said at the start of his trial.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) launched an investigation on Jan. 28.
The Patria 6x6 is a six-wheeled armored personnel carrier produced by the Finnish defense industry company Patria.
The Baton drones are designed to meet military requirements for simplicity and reliability in difficult battlefield conditions.
According to media outlet Aktualne.cz, members of Skupina D are suspected of supplying drones to Ukraine, possibly with the involvement of Czech military personnel, without authorization from the parliament.
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Feb. 8, 2025, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to The Counteroffensive, click here. Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine — In the early hours of December 2024, as the sun
"Now there is a period of accumulation and concentration (by Russia)... on the approaches to Chasiv Yar and regrouping in the town itself for further assault operations," a military spokesperson said.
"If we compare January with July last year, we see a 45% decrease," State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said.
German Chancellor Olaf Schlolz and his main challenger in the upcoming elections, Friedrich Merz, agreed during a television debate on Feb. 9 that Berlin must continue supporting Ukraine and that Russia's war must end.
The news comes as 19 EU member states have proposed expanding financing for arms production through the EIB on Jan 31.
"If we are talking, I don't want to tell you about the conversations. I do believe we're making progress," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
Overnight, Russia launched 83 Shahed-type combat drones and decoy drones, the Air Force said.
The refinery, located roughly 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the front line, is a strategic logistics hub for diesel fuel and aviation kerosene used by Russian troops, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, claimed.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Vice President JD Vance are expected to meet during the Munich Security Conference later this week, CBS News reported on Feb. 9, citing undisclosed sources.
This number includes 1,170 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
U.S. aid to Kyiv "is going to be a partnership with the Ukrainians in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas, and also buying ours," Trump's national security adviser said on Feb. 9.
The president said the cross-border offensive was "one of our most successful operations" and that it forced Russia "to give up their military units from the Zaporizhzhia direction."
The project seeks to enhance combat effectiveness by expanding the use of drones within elite units of the Ground Forces and the State Border Guard Service.
Key developments on Feb. 8-9: * Ukraine says it downed Russian Su-25 warplane in Donetsk Oblast * Syrskyi marks first year in office by highlighting key achievements, including strikes on 377 military targets in Russia * Military to introduce 'special contracts' to motivate younger volunteer fighters, Zelensky says * 70 Russian drones shot down
Germany's Bundeswehr is investigating potental espionage after unidentified drones were spotted flying over a sensitive German military base six times in January where Ukrainians have been training, Der Spiegel reported on Feb. 9.
Ukraine is maintaining high levels of gas imports from the EU after a series of Russian missile attacks on its gas facilities, according to a Reuters report on Feb. 9.
Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, said on Feb. 8 that the preparations for the exhumation of remains of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy are underway.
A Russian kamikaze drone injured two men in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, on Feb. 9, Governor Serhii Lysak reported on Telegram.
Ukrainian air defense shot down 70 Russian drones across the country overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Feb. 9.
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