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Russo-Ukraine War - 28 February 2023 - Day 370

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 on 19 January 2023, amateur aircraft spotters observed a Russian A-50 MAINSTAY Airborne Early Warning (AEW) System accompanied by two MIG-31K FOXHOUND fighters departing from Machulishchy air base, Belarus. Participating in joint Russian-Belarusian air drills between 16 January and 1 February 2023.

On 26 February 2023, Belarusian partisan group BYPOL and exiled opposition leaders reported an A-50 MAINSTAY had sustained damaged from Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacks at Maschulishchy air base. BYPOL reported two explosions and damage to the front and middle sections of the A-50 MAINSTAY as well as the radar antenna.

The A-50 MAINSTAY is a Russian airborne early warning and control platform. Its role is to build a recognised air picture and to provide coordination to adjoining fighter aircraft.

Attribution and damage has not been officially corroborated. However, the loss of an A-50 MAINSTAY would be significant as it is critical to Russian air operations for providing an air battlespace picture. This will likely leave 6 operational A-50s in service, further constraining Russian air operations.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russian Federation focuses its main efforts on conducting offensive actions on the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtars'k axes. During the last day, Ukrainian soldiers repelled more than 60x enemy attacks on the indicated axes. At the same time, Russian forces launched 8x missile and 32x air strikes. Fired 85x rounds from MLRS.

The threat of further missile strikes is significant throughout the territory of Ukraine.

Volyn', Polissya, Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no formations of Russian offensive groups were detected. The Russian occupiers shelled the settlements of Tymonovichi and Berylivka of the Chernihiv Oblast; Starykove, Brusky, Buvalyne, Kruzhok, Manukhivka, Atynske, Porozok in the Sumy Oblast and Chervona Zorya, Veterinarne, Strelecha, Gatishche, Vovchansk and Vovchanski Khutory in the Kharkiv Oblast.
Kupyansk and Lyman axes: Russian forces carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Makiivka, Ploshanka, Kreminna, Dibrova and Bilogorivka settlements of the Luhansk Oblast. They carried out artillery shelling in the areas of Dvorichna, Liman Pershiy, Hryanikyvka, Kurylivka, Kislivka and Tabaivka settlements of the Kharkiv Oblast; Novoselivske, Nevske, Chervopopivka and Dibrova - Luhansk and Spirne and Rozdolivka in Donetsk Oblast.
Bakhmut axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled Russian attacks in the areas of Vasyukivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Yagidne and Bakhmut settlements of the Donetsk Oblast. Zaliznyanske, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Stupochki, Kostyantynivka, Klishchiivka, Zalizne, Ozaryanivka, Mayorsk, Pivdenne and New York came under Russian fire.
Avdiivka and Shakhtars'k axes: Russia continues to attack the positions of our troops, and has carried out several unsuccessful offensives in the direction of Kam'ianka, Krasnohorivka, and Mar'yinka, Donetsk Oblast. They carried out artillery and mortar shelling of the areas of the settlements of Avdiivka, Lastochkine, Netaylove, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Krasnohorivka, Nevelske, Mar'yinka, Bogoyavlenka, Novomykhailivka, Velyka Novosilka, Neskuchne, and Vugledar.
Zaporizhzhia axis: more than 20x settlements were affected by fire. Among them are Vremivka and Novopil' of Donetsk Oblast; Komyshuvakha, Olhivske, Malynivka, Gulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Charivne, Orihiv and Novoandriivka of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Kherson axis: 25x settlements of the Kherson Oblast were damaged by the artillery fire of the Russian occupation forces, in particular, Havrylivka, Kachkarivka, Vesele, Tyaginka, Inzhenerne, Antonivka, Berehove and Kherson.

Russia is restricting the movement of the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson Oblast. In particular, entry into the settlement of Promin' is allowed only to citizens with local registration and with a special pass.

During the past day, units of the Defense Forces destroyed 11x Iranian attack UAVs of the "Shaheed-136" type and 1x - of the "Zala" type.

Ukrainian aircraft made 4x strikes on areas where the occupiers were concentrated. And units of missile and artillery forces hit one control point, two areas of concentration of enemy manpower and two air defense positions.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that, in the Kupyansk direction, the Russian Armed Forces hit the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) in the areas of Sinkovka, Krakhmalny and Novoselovsky with artillery fire. At the same time, up to 25 enemy soldiers and two pieces of equipment were destroyed. In addition, an ammunition depot near the village of Tokarev in the Kherson region was blown up.

During the day, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation attacked 93 artillery positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 162 areas of concentration of manpower and equipment. Six HIMARS rockets and eight Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down.

US citizen John McIntyre defected to Russia after a year of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He claims that he himself is a communist and anti-fascist, and initially joined the Ukrainian army with the intention of collecting useful information and crossing the front line. In confirmation, he provided documents, files, maps and his intelligence. He explained the impossibility of doing this earlier by shooting defectors by Ukrainian snipers.

Also today, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the board of the Federal Security Service (FSB), instructed to establish a barrier on the Ukrainian border in order to complicate the penetration of sabotage groups into Russian territory.

The situation in the Donbass

In the Limansky direction, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in the settlements of Stelmakhovka, Chervonopopovka, Chervonaya Dibrova and Kuzmino. During the day, up to 120 Ukrainian servicemen, four armored combat vehicles and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer were destroyed here.

In the meantime, 350 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two armored combat vehicles, four cars, a D-20 howitzer and two D-30 guns were liquidated near Donetsk.

In the South-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the RF Armed Forces hit the enemy in Ugledar, Shevchenko and Zeleny Gay. The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amounted to 45 people killed and wounded, two infantry fighting vehicles and three pickup trucks. An ammunition depot was destroyed near the village of Chervonoe.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting continues in the Bakhmut (Artemovsk) area and its environs, where Russian attack aircraft operate.