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Ukrainian state defence company completes testing of long-range strike drone. The project to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle with a range of more than 1,000 kilometres and a payload of up to 75 kilograms “has reached such a stage that, unfortunately, we cannot talk about it,” Nataliia Sad, Ukroboronprom spokesperson, said.
Ukraine has liberated 40% of territories occupied by Russia since February 24. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi published a post summarizing the achievements of 2022, “the year that went down in world history under the name of Ukraine and its Armed Forces.”
Ukraine planning major counter-offensive in spring. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, said in an interview with ABC News that Ukraine is planning a major offensive in spring.
War damage to Ukraine's economy has already reached $700bn.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, it is planned to conduct another identification of Ukraine's needs for the fastest possible recovery together with the World Bank. Shmyhal added that the state budget for the current year has allocated UAH 35.5bn for the Fund for the Liquidation of the Consequences of Armed Aggression. These funds will go towards constructing and repairing public buildings, critical infrastructure facilities, and housing for internally displaced persons. Also, soon, the government plans to begin recovery from the funds confiscated from Russian banks. There is already UAH 17bn in a particular account for this purpose. The first priority is the destroyed civilian housing.
No "peace plan" on Ukraine is possible if it does not account for four new regions joining Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday. "To begin with, so far, there is no Ukrainian ‘peace plan’ of any kind," the Kremlin official said replying to a request to comment on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s initiative to come up with a "peace plan" by February when he would like to hold a "peace summit" at the UN. "And again, no Ukrainian ‘peace plan’ is possible if it does not take into account the modern reality - with Russia’s territory, with four new regions joining Russia," Putin’s press secretary stressed. "Any plan that does not take into account these circumstances cannot claim to be a peace plan," he added.
US senators call on Biden to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and ATACMS. Republican Lindsey Graham, as well as Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse, welcomed the announcement that the US and Germany will send tanks to Ukraine. In their opinion, German tanks are well suited for this war, and the combination of the American Abrams and the German Leopard will give Ukraine powerful military potential and the ability to expel the Russian invaders. At the same time, they called on the US administration and the Western allies to send more long-range weapons, such as ATACMS and fighter jets, such as the F-16 and MiG-29, to Ukraine. US senators believe a combination of ATACMS, tanks, fighter jets, and tactical missile systems will help Ukraine resist a future offensive by Russian forces and go on the offensive both in the east and in the south to undermine further the Kremlin's ability to continue the war.
Ukraine retrieved almost 1,600 POWs from Russian captivity in 2022. Among them were 1,464 service people and 132 civilians from Russian
17 UKRAINE Country Report February 2023 www.intellinews.com