Zaluzhnyi and Budanov were awarded Hero of Ukraine title, and Syrskyi told about his plans: highlights for February 9

Syrskyi spoke about his plans

General Oleksandr Syrskyi has outlined the tasks he faces after being appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to Syrskyi, first of all, a clear and detailed planning of the actions of all military command and control bodies, associations, formations, and units is needed, taking into account the needs of the frontline for the latest weapons supplied by international partners.

Syrsky also emphasized that the lives and health of servicemen "have always been and remain the main value of the Ukrainian army."

Meanwhile, on the evening of February 9, several dozen people rallied on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. They are convinced that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a mistake when he dismissed the chief of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Zaluzhnyi and Budanov were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to the dismissed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

The title was also awarded to the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov. They will both be awarded the Order of the Golden Star.

Territorial recruitment centers will work around the clock

The Cabinet of Ministers has authorized territorial recruitment and social support centers (military enlistment offices) to work around the clock during mobilization and/or martial law.

In particular, the Territorial Recruitment Centers will be able to conduct medical examinations at night and keep personalized records of persons liable for military service.

Meanwhile, the first recruiting center for the Armed Forces is to be opened in Lviv. It will provide information on vacancies, counseling, and career guidance tests.

Putin gave an interview to Carlson

American pro-Russian journalist Tucker Carlson interviewed Vladimir Putin. It was the first conversation between the Russian president and a Western journalist since the full-scale invasion.

Putin spent more than 30 minutes telling a distorted story of Russia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. In his monologue, he began with the reign of Prince Oleg in the ninth century and ended with a critique of Lenin's foreign policy.

In addition, the Russian president said that Poland allegedly provoked Hitler to attack the country in September 1939. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already responded to these statements.

Poles blocked the border again

Polish protesters have once again started blocking traffic near the Medyka-Shehyni, Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska, and Dorohusk-Yagodyn checkpoints.

Polish Minister of Agriculture Czeslaw Sekerski said that in some areas it will be necessary to completely block imports from Ukraine, as in the case of grain. At the same time, the official called for an end to the strike at the checkpoints.

In addition, Hungarian farmers are going to strike against the privileges for imports of Ukrainian agricultural products.

Security Service of Ukraine attacked oil refineries in Russia

On the night of February 9, the Security Service of Ukraine attacked two oil refineries in the Krasnodar Territory of Russia - Ilya and Afip - with drones, a law enforcement source told Hromadske.

A large fire broke out at the Ilya refinery. According to our source, a primary processing unit with a capacity of 3.6 million tons per year was damaged. Without it, it is impossible to produce diesel fuel for military needs. The price of such a unit is $50 million.

Other important news of the day:

• Occupiers killed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Donetsk region. Law enforcement officers have launched an investigation.
• An almost intact Shahed was found in the Dnipropetrovsk region. It will be disassembled for examination.
• Russians dropped seven air bombs on the Sumy region: there are dead and wounded.
• Ecuador may give Ukraine its old Soviet equipment. In exchange, the country wants modern weapons from the United States.
• Near the Mykolaiv seaport, webcams spied on Ukrainian ships. The culprit was detained.
• A Russian soldier was caught near Avdiivka during the evacuation.