• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Combat Operations
Ukraine
Russia
United States
NATO
United Nations
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Combat Operations

• Ukraine Downs 11 Russian Drones; Atomic Watchdog Chief Says Less Shelling At Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant RFE/RL 08 Feb 2024 -- Ukraine says its air defenses said shot down 11 out of 17 drones launched by Russia at four regions - Mykolayiv, Odesa, Vinnytsya, and Dnipropetrovsk - early on February 8, but regional authorities reported that the attack caused damage to infrastructure.
• 'The Situation Is Critical': What The Looming Fall Of Avdiyivka Says About Ukraine's Battlefield Mood RFE/RL 08 Feb 2024 -- In a wooded southeast corner of Avdiyivka, the industrial Donbas city where Ukrainian troops have been desperately holding out against Russian assaults, there's a facility called Tsar's Hunt, once frequented by tourists relaxing in its restaurant, a low-slung hotel, gardens, and outdoor pool.
• Russia, Ukraine Conduct 100-for-100 Prisoner Swap With UAE Mediation Sputnik 08 Feb 2024 -- Russia has returned 100 prisoners of war from the territory under Kiev's control, following negotiations, while Kiev also received 100 prisoners in exchange, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Ukraine

• Starting today, a new management team takes over the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine 08 Feb 2024
• Zelenskiy Names New Ukrainian Military Commander, Says It's Time For 'Renewal' RFE/RL 08 Feb 2024 -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appointed Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy as the Ukrainian Army's commander in chief just minutes after announcing it was time for a "renewal" and "renewed leadership" of the country's armed forces.
• Zelenskyy Fires Top Military Commander VOA 08 Feb 2024 -- After days of speculation in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday fired General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the country's top military commander who has led the two-year fight against Russia's invasion, and replaced him with Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi.
• Ukraine's Zelensky removes army chief amid war with Russia Press TV 08 Feb 2024 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has removed the top military commander Valery Zaluzhny in what seems to be a major shake-up of the country's war strategy in the third year of the conflict with Russia.
• Zaluzhny Removed as Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Replaced by Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky Sputnik 08 Feb 2024 -- The general's ouster comes after months of intrigue between himself and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who slammed the commander for revealing that Kiev's summer 2023 counteroffensive had ended in failure.
• Ukrainian Military Suffering Severe Shortage of Infantry, as Morale Plummets - Report Sputnik 08 Feb 2024 -- The Ukrainian government introduced a new bill on mobilization in the Verkhovna Rada on January 30. On Wednesday, the parliament passed it in the first reading.
• Another 100 Ukrainian warriors returned home from Russian captivity; most of them are defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal - address by the President of Ukraine President of Ukraine 08 Feb 2024
• Ukraine launched negotiations with Denmark on the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement President of Ukraine 08 Feb 2024

Russia

• Statement by Russian Defence Ministry Russia MoD 08 Feb 2024 -- This night an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by a fixed-wing UAV against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation was foiled.
• Russian Troops Destroyed Over 12,000 Ukrainian Drones Since Start of Special Op - MoD Sputnik 08 Feb 2024 -- On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) shared the latest developments on the course of the special operation.
• Russian Air Defenses Down Ukrainian Drone Over Crimea Sputnik 08 Feb 2024 -- Russian air defenses on duty destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the territory of Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
• Putin Says In Interview With U.S. Commentator Russia Has 'No Interest' In Expanding War Into Poland RFE/RL 08 Feb 2024 -- Russia has no interest in invading NATO member Poland, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a controversial interview broadcast on February 8 in which he also said he believes a deal is possible to free detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

United States

• US Senate Advances Stand-Alone $95 Billion Foreign Aid Bill VOA 08 Feb 2024 -- The U.S. Senate advanced a stand-alone $95 billion foreign assistance bill Thursday by a vote of 67-32, setting up a final vote on $60 billion in aid to Ukraine and $14 billion in assistance for Israel.

NATO

United Nations

• Update 210 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine IAEA 08 Feb 2024 -- Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi took stock of the nuclear safety and security situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in person this week as part of the ongoing efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help prevent a nuclear accident during the current conflict.
• UN Committee Accuses Russia of Violating Ukrainian Child Rights VOA 08 Feb 2024 -- A U.N. watchdog group Thursday accused Russia of violating the rights of Ukrainian children in both Russian occupied territories in Ukraine and in Russia.
• Advocates Plead for Help Rescuing Ukrainian Children Abducted to Russia VOA 08 Feb 2024 -- "The military came to my house in Kherson and said that they were taking me to a children's camp in Crimea," explained 18-year-old Denys Berezhnyi, addressing U.S. lawmakers in Washington last month. His parents are deaf and mute, he said, and couldn't argue with the Russian soldiers.

Foreign Reactions

• Undersecretary Kyllike Sillaste-Elling in Ukraine: Estonia reaffirms its long-term support to Ukraine and begins signing a bilateral agreement Estonia MFA 08 Feb 2024 -- Undersecretary for Political Affairs Kyllike Sillaste-Elling was on a visit to Ukraine on 6 and 7 February, meeting with Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Oleksandr Ilkov, General Director of the Government Office for the Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration; and Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the the Verkhovna Rada's Committee of Ukraine's integration into the European Union.
• Russia's unprovoked, illegal war is an attack on Ukraine, a sovereign, democratic state and an attack on the OSCE's founding principles: UK statement to the OSCE UK FCDO 08 Feb 2024 -- Ambassador Neil Holland welcomes the visit of OSCE Chair in Office, Foreign Minister Borg, to Ukraine and condemns Russia's aggression which is in complete violation of international law.
• UK response to the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: UK statement to the OSCE, February 2024 UK FCDO 08 Feb 2024 -- Ambassador Neil Holland thanks the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for the Assembly's important election observation role and enduring support for Ukraine.

News Reports

• Investigation: China's Hikvision, Dahua Security Cameras Heighten Risks Of Russian Attacks On Ukraine RFE/RL 08 Feb 2024 -- As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears the two-year mark, hundreds of thousands of Chinese-made Hikvision and Dahua video-surveillance cameras, used by government-run security systems, residences, and private companies throughout Ukraine, heighten the risks of attacks by the Russian military, Ukrainian digital-security experts and government officials fear.