Ukraine war latest: Russia threatens families of Ukrainian POWs to register Starlink terminals
Key developments on Feb. 10
- Russia threatens families of Ukrainian POWs to register Starlink terminals, Ukraine says;
- More arms purchases for Ukraine under NATO-led PURL initiative on the way;
- 11-year-old child killed alongside mother after Russia strikes Sloviansk with glide bombs;
- Japan to join NATO-led initiative to purchase US weapons for Ukraine
- 'Second stage' of Ukrainian military's corps reform underway, Syrskyi says
Russia is coercing the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war to register Starlink terminals for use by Russian troops on the battlefield, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Feb. 10.
The claim comes a week after Ukraine's defense ministry agreed with Starlink parent company SpaceX to introduce mandatory registration for the internet terminals inside Ukraine, a move meant to prevent their use by Russian forces.
"Searching for a way out of the difficult situation they found themselves in, the occupiers have turned their attention to families of prisoners of war," the Coordination Headquarters wrote.
"Cases have been recorded of threats and demands that people officially register Starlink terminals in their own names. This equipment is then intended to be used against Ukraine and Ukrainians."
More arms purchases for Ukraine under NATO-led PURL initiative on the way, US ambassador says
More vital military aid for Ukraine will soon be pledged under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO initiative to purchase U.S. equipment and ammunition, Washington's ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Feb. 10.
Signed by the U.S. and NATO in July, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) agreement lays out a mechanism for NATO member states and partners to purchase high-priority equipment for Ukraine.
Twenty-four countries, including two non-NATO member states Australia and New Zealand, have so far joined the initiative.
Some $4.5 billion in military aid has already been pledged to Ukraine through the scheme, Whitaker told journalists, as cited by Reuters.
Three European nations — Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands — have contributed the most to the program, the ambassador added.
11-year-old child killed alongside mother after Russia strikes Sloviansk with glide bombs
Russian forces struck the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast with glide bombs on Feb. 10, killing an 11-year-old child and her mother, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said.
The attack occurred in the morning, with the number of injured reaching 14 — including another Ukrainian child — by the afternoon, as first responders worked on the scene.
The attack brings the official number of children confirmed killed by Russia's war to 681, according to statistics published by the Prosecutor General's Office.
"Every day for Donetsk Oblast is a new war crime by the Russians," Filashkin wrote on Telegram. "Attacks on peaceful cities, on homes, on children are terror that has no justification."
Sloviansk, with a pre-full-scale invasion population of around 105,000, is one of the largest cities still under Ukrainian control in Donetsk Oblast.
Japan to join NATO-led initiative to purchase US weapons for Ukraine, media reports
Japan is set to join the NATO-led program to fund the purchase of weapons from the U.S. to support Ukraine, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Feb. 10, citing unnamed NATO officials.
Signed by the U.S. and NATO in July, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) agreement lays out a mechanism for NATO member states and partners to purchase high-priority equipment for Ukraine.
24 countries, including two non-NATO member states Australia and New Zealand, have so far joined the initiative.
According to the NHK report, aid that Tokyo could fund for Ukraine through the program would be limited to non-lethal provisions.
When asked by the Kyiv Independent about the news, a representative of the Japanese embassy said they are aware of the news, but denied that Japan had entered the program yet.
'Second stage' of Ukrainian military's corps reform underway, Syrskyi says
The transition of Ukraine's military to a corps command system has entered its "second stage," with more work to be done to improve each corps' effectiveness on the battlefield, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb. 10.
The reforms, officially announced in early 2025, came as a response to criticism of the previous structure where brigades fought under large temporary command umbrellas that did not take direct responsibility for the units under them.
"The increase in enemy losses is one of the results of the corps reform," Syrskyi said in a post on the Ukrainian General Staff's Facebook page.
According to the general, brigades continue to be reshuffled into their native corps' areas of responsibility, a process made more dangerous by the lack of reserves and Russia's readiness to attack during rotations of larger units.
