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Russo-Ukraine War - 01 February 2023 - Day 343

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in recent days, some of the most intense shelling in the conflict has likely taken place along the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine. This has included continued Russian shelling of Kherson city with artillery firing from the east of the river.

On 29 January 2023, local authorities reported another three civilians killed in Kherson, while two foreign-owned ships moored on the river were damaged, causing an oil spill.

Kherson remains the most consistently shelled large Ukrainian city outside of the Donbas. Russia's precise rationale for expending its strained ammunition stocks here is unclear. However, commanders are likely partially aiming to degrade civilian morale and to deter any Ukrainian counter-attacks across the Dnipro River.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day, Russian forces carried out 2x missile strikes (on civilian infrastructure of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, Donetsk oblast); 2x air strikes and 24x MLRS attacks. The threat of air and missile strikes remains high across Ukraine.

Russia undertakes reconnaissance missions and makes preparations to resume offensives on certain axes. Despite heavy losses, Russian forces make further attempts to advance on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka axes.

Volyn, Poliske, Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no Russian offensive groups were identified. Russian troops undergo military training on various training grounds in belarus. Moreover, Russia maintains military presence in the areas close to the border with Ukraine; maintains cross-border shelling of Ukrainian settlements with mortars and artillery systems. In particular, Klyus and Yelina (Chernihiv oblast); Katerynivka, Vovkivka, Oleksandrivka, and Volfyne (Sumy oblast); and Veterynarne, Neskuchne, Ternova, Ohirtseve, Vovchansk, and Budarka (Kharkiv oblast) were subjects to cross-border attacks.
Kup'yans'k axis: the vicinities of Dvorichne, Ivanivka, Kup'yans'k, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Krokhmalny, and Pischany (Kharkiv oblast); Novoselivka and Stelmakhivka (Luhansk oblast) came under fire.
Lyman axis: Russian forces shelled Nevske and Dibrova (Luhansk oblast); Terny and Serebryanka (Donetsk oblast).
Bakhmut axis: tank and artillery shelling took place in the vicinities of Verkhn'okam'yans'ke, Spirne, Bilohorivka, Vesele, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Stupochki, Druzhba, and New York (Donetsk oblast).
Avdiivka axis: Avdiivka, Pervomaiske, Nevels'ke, Krasnohorivka, Heorgiivka, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka came under Russian fire.
Novopavisk axis: Vuhledar, Novoukrayinka, Prechistivka, Velyka Novosilka, and Neskuchne (Donetsk oblast) were hit by artillery fire.
Zaporizhzhia axis: more than 20x settlements came under Russian fire, in particular, Vremivka in the Donetsk Oblast and Poltavka, Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Charivne, and Novodanilivka (Zaporizhzhia oblast).
Kherson axis: the city of Kherson, as well as Dmytrivka (Mykolaiv oblast) were subjects to artillery attack.

Russia continues to use civilian infrastructure in the temporarily captured territories for its own purposes. Thus, the Russian occupiers use the city hospital of Dniprorudny (Zaporizhzhia oblast) as a military hospital. Medicines and surgeons were brought from the russian federation.

The Russian invaders continue to put pressure on the citizens of Ukraine, thus violating human rights. In particular, in Starobilsk (Luhansk oblast) the russian occupation authorities force people to send children aged 6 and over to a so-called Cossack-cadet corps for supposedly "proper patriotic education". People who refuse to send their children to the specified corps are threatened with deprivation of parental rights.

Ukrainian missile and artillery units attacked 3x concentrations of Russian troops and 1x command post.

Statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

During the daily briefing, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units and accumulations of equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kupyansky and Limansky directions were hit during the day. In total, the enemy lost up to 125 military personnel, 3 combat armored vehicles, 2 pickup trucks and a car, a D-20 howitzer.

In the Donetsk direction, Russian units took more advantageous positions, hitting the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and destroying the ammunition depot of Ukrainian troops. The enemy lost more than 100 military personnel, a tank, 3 combat armored vehicles, the Msta-B howitzer, the Uragan multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) combat vehicle, and the Caesar gun mount.

In the South-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, units of Ukrainian troops and territorial defense were hit. The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amounted to more than 60 personnel, a tank, infantry fighting vehicles, 2 armored personnel carriers and 3 vehicles, as well as 3 howitzers. In the Zaporozhye region, an AN / TPQ-37 counter-battery radar was destroyed.

In the Kherson direction in the area of ​​Lake Kruglik, 2 motor boats and up to 10 troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed. During the counter-battery fight, 3 ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the region were destroyed.

Operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 88 artillery units, manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 131 districts. In the Sumy region, the shops of an enterprise for the production of ammunition were destroyed.

Air defense systems shot down 9 unmanned aerial vehicles in the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Zaporozhye region. 3 HIMARS MLRS shells were intercepted.

DPR

During the day, Ukrainian troops opened fire on Donetsk, as well as the settlements of Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, and Nikolskoye. In Nikolskoye, a monastery came under shelling, 2 people were killed.

Acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said that Kyiv continues to transfer new reinforcements to Vuhledar, including brigades of marines. Advisor to the head of the republic, Yan Gagin, said that the offensive of the allied forces on the city slowed down, but did not stop.

War correspondent Alexander Simonov spoke about the ongoing fighting in the city of Bakhmut, as well as in its suburbs - in the south of Paraskovievka and the north of Krasnaya Gora. According to the military correspondent, Wagner PMC fighters also expanded the zone of control in the south of the city from the side of Experienced. In parallel, they are moving south of Bakhmut towards the highway to Konstantinovka. However, it is still premature to talk about the operational environment, Simonov stressed.

Businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said that units of the Wagner PMC liberated the settlement of Sakko and Vanzetti in the vicinity of Soledar.

LC

The press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the LPR reported that another convoy of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered 105 tons of sugar to the republic.