Zelenskyy announced Ukraine's losses in war, tons of Ukrainian grain were scattered in Poland: highlights of February 25

Zelenskyy spoke about plans for 2024

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a press conference as part of the “Ukraine. Year 2024”.

He said that he does not consider the current situation to be the weakest moment for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion. He also believes that the format of the end of the war will depend on 2024.

According to Zelenskyy, Russia plans to launch its next offensive in late May or early June. He also noted that it would be “difficult” for Ukraine in the coming months, in particular because of “fluctuations” in the United States.

At the same time, the head of state admitted that some brigades that were supposed to take part in the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 did not receive the equipment that their partners had promised to provide. It never arrived in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.

He also added that Ukraine is currently planning a future counteroffensive, for which not just one plan will be prepared, but several due to possible information leaks. Because, according to him, in the fall of 2023, the Kremlin knew the plans for Ukrainian counteroffensives before they began.

He also noted that the new counteroffensive plan is linked to a change in military leadership.

We have collected the most important statements from the president's press conference here.

31,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war

For the first time, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war with Russia — 31,000 in total. At the same time, 180,000 soldiers were killed on the Russian side, and 500,000 people were wounded.

Russians shot Ukrainian prisoners

Russian occupiers in the Bakhmut district shot Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered.

The crime of the occupiers became known, in particular, from a video that spread on social media. The video shows how Russian soldiers first ordered Ukrainian defenders to leave the trench. Then, having gathered all the defenders in one place and moved a few meters away, the occupiers fired machine guns at them.

Law enforcement officers launched a pre-trial investigation into the violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets will send official letters to the UN and the ICRC to ensure that the organizations record and publicly acknowledge that the Russian military is killing Ukrainian prisoners.

Ukrainian grain scattered in Poland again

On the night of February 25, Ukrainian agricultural products from 8 gondola cars were scattered at the railway station in Kotomierz.

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine noted that 160 tons of grain were damaged. At the same time, Ukrzaliznytsia reported that about 180 tons of corn were spilled. The company emphasized that it would appeal to Polish law enforcement.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told hromadske that Ukraine's reaction to the scattering of more than 160 tons of Ukrainian corn in Poland would not be emotional.

In addition, Polish farmers continue to block traffic on the border with Ukraine in six directions. As of the morning of February 25, almost 2,400 trucks were queuing up in Poland.

Other important news of the day:

• Last year, 47 agent networks working for Russian special services were discovered in Ukraine.
• Shmyhal: Ukraine expects almost $12 billion from the US in 2024.
• Budanov: The operation to destroy the A-50 aircraft was prepared for two weeks. If one more such aircraft is destroyed, the Russians will not be able to be on duty in the sky around the clock.
• Russians massively attacked Kostiantynivka: the train station and church were damaged.
• In Nikopol, Russians dropped explosives on a truck from a drone: a man was killed.