I know I am supposed to write about the anniversary of the war and the resilience of Ukraine. But I will just put up the pictures of our alumni who have died defending Ukraine during this year. Anton Golovchenko 1/
Russia praised him as a wounded war hero. He now says he shot himself in the leg so he wouldn’t go back to the war in Ukraine.
Officer Yevgeny Korobov: the only way out was dead or wounded.
He chose wounded, fled Russia, and faces up to 15 years for desertion — RFE/RL. 1/
In 2022, Russian state TV staged a reunion with his mother and claimed he had saved his unit under fire.
Korobov says his commander embellished the story. He stood on stage in uniform while recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and fearing they would send him back. 2/
He is a career officer and academy graduate who also served in Syria.
His brigade — the 15th Motorized Rifle Brigade — pushed toward Kyiv in early 2022. He says months at the front convinced him the only exit was death or injury. 3/
Zelenskyy for Bloomberg: None of the sides is keen on the idea of a free economic zone in Donbas — neither the Russians nor us.
The next round is tentatively set for Tuesday or Wednesday in the US. There is understanding on ceasefire monitoring, but more work is needed.
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Zelenskyy: I accepted a US offer to host talks next week; territory issue will be central.
Neither side is keen on a free economic zone. We have different views and will return with a clearer vision. If it is our territory — and it is — Ukraine must govern it.
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Zelenskyy: The war could end within months if negotiations proceed in good faith.
The Trump team proposes wrapping up talks by June. The US wants all documents signed at the same time.
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Former MI6 Chief Moore: If we don't stand up to Putin and ensure that he does not win in Ukraine, then his stomach will grow with the eating.
He may test Europe in other ways. We have to stick by the Ukrainians. 1/
Moore: Behind Putin is Xi Jinping and the Chinese government.
Putin would have already have lost were it not for the Chinese support that he has garnered. Making sure that the Ukrainians win through in the end is absolutely vital. 2/
Moore: Putin is more comfortable than he should be. The casualties now are astonishing and even the Russians will struggle to replace that level of losses.
Putin has completely mortgaged the Russian economy to the war effort. 3/
FT: Ukraine plans to announce elections on February 24 after the US told Kyiv to hold them by May 15 — or risk losing proposed US security guarantees.
At the same time, the Zelenskyy Office says elections are impossible without proper security conditions. 1/
According to the FT, Kyiv is considering holding presidential elections alongside a national referendum on any peace deal with Russia.
Ukrainian and Western officials familiar with the discussions confirm active planning. 2/
The May 15 deadline comes amid White House pressure to finalize a peace framework by June.
Zelenskyy said on February 9 that Washington wants a “clear schedule” and aims to close the war before US midterm campaigning intensifies in November. 3/
Russia knows it can’t create a second Ukrainian SSR. Its goal is the destruction of Ukraine — “Novorossiya,” LNR/DNR, “Malorossiya.”
Signs of genocide are clear, including deporting children, Ukrainian Institute of National Memory head Oleksandr Alfyorov for Ukrainska Pravda.1/
Alfyorov: “In Ukraine, Russia needs only two resources: history and children.”
Russia uses history as a weapon — through “Novorossiya,” “LNR,” “DNR,” “Malorossiya,” and the myth of a “fight against Nazism” to justify occupation and erase Ukrainian statehood.
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Alfyorov: “Russians violate territories with their markers and people.”
They glorify Soviet generals, invent imperial continuity, and turn memory into a tool that normalizes war, borders, and violence.
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