Zelenskyy spoke at Munich Security Conference, Auchan supplied goods to Russian military: today's highlights

Zelenskyy spoke at the Munich Security Conference

On February 17, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the Munich Security Conference. He called on partners to make decisions on supporting Ukraine as soon as possible and emphasized that Ukrainians would not agree to territorial concessions. This is stated on the website of the President's Office.

Zelenskyy spoke at a part of the conference called David on the Dnipro. He noted that although he sees this as respect for Ukraine, he believes that David is now the entire free world. The head of state thanked the partners for the weapons but emphasized that efforts to win must be accelerated.

Russian Defense Ministry comments on missile strike on Ukraine on February 16

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that on February 16 it launched a missile attack on Ukrainian enterprises that allegedly provide fuel and ammunition to the Defense Forces. This was reported by Russian propaganda media.

The ministry claims that “the purpose of the strikes was achieved, all facilities were hit,” and that they allegedly disrupted the supply of fuel to Ukrainian troops.

On the night of February 16, the occupiers launched a massive attack on Ukraine: they launched drones and missiles. As a result, there were hits, in particular, at a critical facility in Lviv Oblast, as well as strikes in Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad Oblasts.

Auchan supplied goods to the occupiers as humanitarian aid and helped mobilize Russians

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the French company Auchan has been supplying goods to Russian soldiers in the occupied regions of Ukraine and helping Russian military enlistment offices recruit mobilized people from among its employees. This is stated in a joint investigation by The Insider, Le Monde, and Bellingcat.

The journalists found out that the supplies to the occupiers were presented as “humanitarian aid” and consisted of both goods from Auchan warehouses and goods collected by occupation volunteers in Auchan stores in different regions of Russia. Sometimes the supplies were organized in direct cooperation with local authorities.

Auchan also collected and submitted data on its employees to military enlistment offices. Subsequently, after the mobilization was announced, the store helped the military enlistment offices: employees were handed summonses at their workplaces and offered to resign, The Insider writes.

Occupiers start open mobilization in Mariupol

In temporarily occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, the occupiers have started the open mobilization of locals into the Russian army. This was reported by the press service of the city council.

They say that a mobilization order was sent to one of the educational institutions in Mariupol. Now men who work as teachers and were the first to receive Russian passports will be sent to the trenches.

Before that, three employees of the occupiers' Avtodor utility company were also mobilized and sent to the front.

A collaborator from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was handed over to Russia

Ukraine handed over a collaborator from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) to Russia during an exchange on February 16 to bring home a hundred Ukrainians. This was reported by a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, during a telethon.

 “Yesterday, in order to return our guys, one collaborator, a so-called clergyman of the Moscow Patriarchate, was handed over at the request of the other side and with his consent,” said Yusov.

He noted that the collaborator assisted the occupiers, “leaked” various information, and helped to conduct so-called pseudo-elections.