U.S. Senate supports aid to Ukraine, Russian troops attack Dnipro - Tuesday brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
U.S. Senate voted for the final approval of an aid package to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian forces launched drone attacks on Dnipro and its surroundings, hitting energy and infrastructure facilities.
RBC-Ukraine has compiled the top news for February 13.
Russia's war against Ukraine: Latest updates
- Russian occupiers struck the village of Kurylivka in the Kharkiv region, hitting a farm.
- Russia proposes a bill to raise the retirement age for contract military personnel, including those conscripted before June 2023, to 65 years old, and to 70 years old for officers. Essentially, they would serve until death.
- According to a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia has lost over 3000 tanks since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, equivalent to its entire pre-war arsenal.
South Korea threatens North Korea over missile tests
South Korean military states they are ready to respond to any North Korean provocations as Pyongyang escalates tensions with a series of new weapon tests.
Recently, North Korea claimed to have developed a guided multiple rocket launcher system with a caliber of 240 mm and a ballistic control system to expand its arsenal.
Italy's Defense Minister hospitalized
Italy's Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, was urgently taken to the hospital.
According to representatives of the Italian Ministry of Defense, Crosetto arrived at the San Carlo di Nancy hospital on foot yesterday morning, complaining of severe chest pains.
House Speaker criticizes Senate bill on Ukraine and Israel aid
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, criticized the Senate-supported bill for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, amounting to $95 billion, stating that the initiative may fail in the House of Representatives.
He notes that the current Senate bill "is silent on the most pressing issue facing our country" - the defense of U.S. borders.
Johnson says that the House of Representatives will now work on the border issue.
U.S. Senate approves $60 billion aid package for Ukraine
The U.S. Senate voted for the final approval of the aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan amounting to $95.34 billion.
However, this isn't the final decision, as the bill still needs to pass through the House of Representatives, whose speaker, Mike Johnson, has already criticized the document.
Ecuador to receive Black Hawk helicopters from U.S. in exchange for supplying Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine - media
Infodefensa reports that the United States will supply Sikorsky UH-604/L Black Hawk helicopters to Ecuador in exchange for transferring Soviet and Russian Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine.
However, as noted by the media, the nuance is that only one of the planned Mi-17 helicopters to be transferred from Ecuador's Air Force inventory is serviceable, while the others may only be useful for spare parts.
EU urges Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia to lift Ukraine's grain import restrictions
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis called on Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia to lift unilateral restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine. The EU has developed alternative mechanisms to help protect European farmers from an excess of Ukrainian products.
Russia announces its withdrawal from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Russia has labeled the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as "an absolutely dependent, politicized organization dancing to Washington's tune." It plans to exit the organization in February.
Polish farmers announce complete blockade of Ukraine border
Polish farmers have declared that they will block all border crossing points with Ukraine, including access roads to railway stations and seaports.
Syrskyi and Umerov discuss Ukraine's priorities with Supreme Allied Commander of Europe
Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, held a conversation with the Supreme Commander of the NATO Armed Forces in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli.
"A clear and substantive conversation. We discussed our military plans for 2024," Umerov wrote.
Night strike on Dnipro
Russian forces attacked the Dnipro region and its surroundings with drones, targeting energy and infrastructure objects. Only in the Dnipro region, air defense forces shot down 10 kamikaze drones.
During the night of February 13, Russia attacked Ukrainian territory with 23 Shahed-136/131 combat drones from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk region of the Russian Federation and Cape Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea. In total, air defense forces shot down 16 enemy drones.
