Page 15 - UKRRptFeb23

24, following Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s promise on Monday that “personnel changes” were imminent amid recent corruption scandals. Deputy Defence Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who was accused of overseeing food purchases for troops at inflated prices; Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko, who reportedly borrowed a Kyiv businessman’s car to take a vacation in December; and President's Office Deputy Head Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who was accused of using an SUV donated for humanitarian use as his personal vehicle, all left their posts.
German intelligence alarmed by high losses of Ukrainian army in Bakhmut. According to Der Spiegel, during a secret meeting held this week in the Bundestag, the foreign intelligence service informed security politicians that Ukraine is losing a "three-digit number of soldiers" daily. The report doesn't specify how the losses are counted and do they include wounded and captured.
The leadership of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs died in a helicopter crash on January 18. A helicopter carrying the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs fell from the sky near a kindergarten and a residential building in Brovary, in the Kyiv region. The National Police of Ukraine reported that the Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskyi, his first deputy Yevhen Yenin, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lubkovich were killed. All nine people on board died, among them six representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and three members of the crew of the State Emergency Service. In total, 14 people died in the helicopter crash, including one child. Another 25 people were injured, including 11 children. Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said that the investigation will consider all possible causes of the accident: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction, and deliberate sabotage meant to destroy the helicopter.
Allies have provided Ukraine with over 4,000 weapon systems since Feb. 24, 2022. So far, Ukraine has received 410 Soviet-era tanks; 300 infantry fighting vehicles, of which 250 are Soviet designed; 1,100 armored personnel carriers; 925 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles; over 1,540 infantry mobility vehicles; 300 towed howitzers; 95 multiple rocket launchers, and over 59 air defense systems, according to Bloomberg.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry: Russia again shows it's not interested in peace. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's rejection of President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace plan shows that Russia is not interested in peace, said Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.
Putin orders new commander to seize Donbas by March. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the new commander of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Valeriy Gerasimov, to seize Donbas, comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, reported the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate spokesperson Andriy Yusov.
The EU wants to become a leader in the restoration of Ukraine. The European Union is ready to play a leading role in restoring Ukraine's infrastructure, European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero said. She noted that the G7 countries have agreed to coordinate activities on this issue. The commission offered to take over as the secretariat of the reconstruction
15 UKRAINE Country Report February 2023 www.intellinews.com