As the Russian-Ukrainian war enters its 347th day, we take a look at the main events.
Here is the situation on Sunday, February 5, 2023:
Fight
- In an overnight address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation on the front lines in the east was becoming increasingly difficult.
- Ukrainian officials reported shelling of Chernihiv, Zaporozhye, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Lugansk, Donetsk and Mykolaiv regions
- Russia and Kyiv exchanged about 200 prisoners of war, both sides said, and the bodies of two British volunteers – Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw – were also sent back to Ukraine.
- Germany has collected evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, the country’s chief prosecutor said in a newspaper interview, adding that he sees the need for an international trial.
- Odessa has restored power to critical infrastructure after a fire broke out at an overloaded substation, leaving nearly 500,000 people in the Ukrainian port city without power following months of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. Officials said repairs could take weeks.
Diplomacy
- US President Joe Biden will visit Poland, the Polish president’s foreign policy adviser said. This comes amid reports that Biden’s trip to Europe could coincide with the February 24 anniversary of the Russian invasion.
- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Zelenskyy agreed on the importance of the international community speeding up aid to Ukraine, Sunak’s office announced after the two leaders’ talks.
- Portugal will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said, without specifying how many.
- Canada has sent the first of four promised Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced on Twitter.
- Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that the delivery of more advanced American weapons to Ukraine will only provoke new retaliatory attacks by Russia, to the extent of Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
- The US recently warned Turkey about exporting to Russia chemicals, microchips and other products that may be used in Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, saying it could punish Turkish companies or banks that violate sanctions.
- Zelenskyy revoked the citizenship of several former influential politicians in the latest step in “cleansing” Ukraine of pro-Russian influences.
- State media said they included several leading politicians from the office of Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president of Ukraine who was ousted in 2014.