140 tanks for Ukraine, situation in Bakhmut and scandalous HRW report: today's highlights

Tanks for Ukraine

Ukraine will receive up to 140 western tanks in the first wave of contributions from international partners, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. The tanks in question are Leopard 2, Challenger 2, and M1 Abrams, and Ukraine is also counting on Leclerc.

Officially, the international tank coalition now has 12 members. Kuleba said it was too early to name all the coalition countries and their practical contributions, as some of them have to make formal decisions in accordance with their internal procedures.

Situation in Bakhmut

Russian troops are unable to cut the route that delivers supplies to Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut, said Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In general, Bakhmut remains one of the main areas of enemy attacks. Thus, over the past day, the occupation forces fired 197 times at the positions of Ukrainian troops with rocket and cannon artillery, and 42 combat engagements took place.

According to Cherevatyi, the occupiers suffered heavy losses over the day: 277 soldiers were killed and more than 250 sustained injuries of varying severity. The fighting took place in the areas of Spirne, Krasna Hora, Paraskoviivka, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, and other settlements.

Civilians in Bakhmut are suffering as a result of Russian shelling. On January 31, the Russian occupation forces shelled a residential area in the city with cannon artillery. The shelling killed a man and a 12-year-old boy. Another 5 people were injured.

Human Rights Watch report

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch has published a report accusing Ukrainian troops of using banned PFM anti-infantry mines (also called "petal mines") in and around Izium when the area was temporarily occupied by Russia.

The Ministry of Defense responded that Ukraine complies with international humanitarian law, in particular the prohibition of the use of certain weapons. However, the ministry said that until the war is over, it cannot comment on what types of weapons were used during the fighting.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that the HRW report was taken into account and will be properly analyzed by the relevant Ukrainian institutions.

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraine fully complies with its international obligations by exercising its right to self-defense.

“Russia, having attacked Ukraine, has used and continues to use the entire range of prohibited mines, including the POM-3 Medallion mines, which are particularly dangerous for civilians,” the ministry emphasizes.

Assistance to Ukraine

France will provide Ukraine with 12 additional Caesar self-propelled artillery systems in addition to the 18 systems already delivered. Moreover, France will send 150 of its soldiers to Poland to train Ukrainians. A total of 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are expected to be trained by the summer.

The UK government is close to transferring 2.6 billion euros (2.3 billion pounds) received from the sale of the Chelsea football club owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to a humanitarian aid fund for Ukraine. The Telegraph writes about this, citing sources.

The administration of US President Joe Biden announced a new aid package for Ukraine, which may be presented to the public soon.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Lula da Silva said that his country would not provide Ukraine with ammunition for German-made Gepard anti-aircraft systems. Instead, he called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Hungary and Austria agreed not to send weapons to Ukraine because they “do not want an escalation”. The countries' defense ministers said they instead send humanitarian aid to Kyiv and accept refugees in their countries.

Other news:

• The government has canceled the state examination for students in grades 4 and 9 in 2023. The same decision may be made for graduates.
• Ukraine is changing the procedure for paying additional remuneration to the military. Starting February 1, the calculation of additional monetary payments to military personnel will directly depend on the areas where they are stationed, as well as the complexity and specificity of the tasks they perform. At the same time, the amount of the bonus for military personnel directly involved in combat operations will not change.
• The Ministry of Defense promises to return public control over some procurement (subject to martial law restrictions). Information about contracts will also be published on the ministry's website.
• The US has not recorded any misuse of its funds in Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department has stated that it will continue to cooperate with the Ukrainian authorities to prevent possible corruption.