Establishment of special UAV forces, SBU head Malyuk's reaction to surveillance of Bihus.info: highlights

Creation of Unmanned Systems Forces

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered to study the issue of creating a separate type of force within the Armed Forces – the Unmanned Systems Forces.

The document states that its purpose is to increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use unmanned and robotic air, sea, and ground systems. It also aims to ensure readiness to use such systems for their intended purpose.

Death of a toddler from a Russian strike

Overnight on February 5, Russian occupation forces struck Zolochiv, Bohodukhiv district, Kharkiv Oblast, hitting a hotel. Rescuers recovered from the rubble the body of a two-month-old boy born on December 4, 2023.

Three women aged 21, 28, and 39 were also injured and taken to a medical facility.

Comments on mobilization bill

Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the updated draft law on mobilization again contains a number of controversial provisions. The Ombudsman's office wrote a letter to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, in which comments on draft law No. 10449 took up nine pages.

According to Lubinets, many provisions of the draft law do not comply with the Constitution. At the same time, he assured that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is "ready to respond to the comments."

Malyuk's reaction to the surveillance of journalists

The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, publicly reacted to the surveillance of Bihus.info journalists by his subordinates, saying that such actions are unacceptable. MPs decided to summon the head of the SBU to the Verkhovna Rada to report on the wiretapping of the project's journalists.

Meanwhile, the surveillance case was transferred from the SBU to the State Bureau of Investigation.

Special services officials worked for Russia's FSB

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has announced the exposure of a "powerful agent network" of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which included former and current officials of Ukrainian special services. As a result of a multi-stage special operation in different regions, five suspects were detained.

Among the detainees are former officials of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, as well as an employee of a regional SBU office. The agents were supposed to pass intelligence on Ukraine's defense forces and strategically important energy facilities to Russia.

Local-funded EW systems

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the government to develop a mechanism for purchasing electronic warfare systems at the expense of regional and local budgets.

"I ask the Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, the Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction, and the Minister of Defense to develop such a procurement mechanism, to work on the issue of taking the purchased equipment on the balance sheet and incorporating it into a common system that will protect our critical infrastructure," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Transportation of explosives through Georgia

The Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia responded to the incident involving the transportation of explosives from Ukraine through Georgia. They are investigating all the circumstances of the case and called for "not politicizing" it.

The day before, on February 5, the State Security Service of Georgia announced that it had detained a cargo with six explosive devices that were being transported from Odesa. Some of them were allegedly to be delivered to the Russian city of Voronezh "to carry out terrorist attacks."

Other important news

• The Verkhovna Rada has been urged to allow journalists to attend meetings and the sidelines.
• The Parliament supported the extension of martial law and general mobilization for 90 days.
• Three families with minor children were rescued from the occupied territory.
• Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Knyazev was suspended from administering justice.