Ukraine war latest: Kyiv asks UN, Red Cross to investigate execution of Ukrainian POWs in Avdiivka

Key developments on Feb. 20:

Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Feb. 20 that he appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate the killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war at the Zenit strongpoint in Avdiivka.

Ukrainian forces withdrew from Avdiivka just north of Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Feb. 17 after months of resisting Russia’s intensified offensive against the town.

During the withdrawal, several seriously injured Ukrainian servicemen could not be evacuated from the Zenit strongpoint due to continuous bombardment and the complete encirclement of the area, Ukraine’s 110th Brigade said on Feb. 19.

Ukrainian forces reportedly contacted organizations negotiating with Russia on prisoner exchanges to provide assistance to the wounded, unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.

“The enemy informed the coordinators of this process that they agreed to evacuate our wounded, provide them with assistance, and exchange them later. Our soldiers were ordered to save their lives,” the brigade wrote on Facebook, saying that Russian troops broke their promise and shot the Ukrainian soldiers.

According to the 110th Brigade, among the executed were Andrii Dubnytskyi, Ivan Zhyntnyk, Heorhii Pavlov, Oleksandr Zinchuk, and Mykola Savosik. Information on the fate of a sixth soldier has not yet been confirmed.

“This is not the first time that Russia grossly violates the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions by executing prisoners of war,” Lubinets said on Telegram.

“I call on the entire civilized world to unite and increase pressure on the terrorist country because there are no laws and agreements for Russia. They perceive only force.”

In the most recent reported case, Russian forces killed two Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 18, Ukraine’s Ground Forces reported.

Read also: Russia takes Avdiivka at steep price, as Ukraine forced to face shortcomings

Sweden unveils its largest defense aid package for Ukraine worth $682 million

Sweden will provide Ukraine with military support worth 7.1 billion Swedish krona ($682 million), Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Feb. 20 in an announcement of Stockholm’s largest aid package to date.

This brings the total value of Swedish military assistance to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022 to 30 billion Swedish krona ($2.88 billion).

The latest tranche will include 10 CB 90 combat boats, 20 group boats, and underwater weapons, Jonson said.

Ukraine will also receive artillery ammunition worth 2 billion Swedish krona ($192 million), RBS 70 man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), anti-tank missiles, Carl Gustaf grenade launchers, hand grenades, and medical supplies, the SVT public broadcaster reported.

“This aid package will add ~1 billion (Swedish krona, $96 million) to the Swedish-Danish joint procurement of CV90s to Ukraine. This means that Sweden and Denmark will jointly invest 4 billion (Swedish krona, ~$385 million) towards this goal,” Jonson revealed.

The minister noted that the “package meets some of Ukraine’s most pressing needs and is in line with the military capability coalitions that are taking shape within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.”

“Ukraine is not only defending its own freedom but that of all of Europe. Sweden will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Russia cannot be allowed to win this war,” Jonson said.

Read also: Swedish minister reaffirms willingness to send jets to Ukraine after finalizing NATO bid

Death toll of Russian attack on Sumy Oblast rises to 5

The death toll of a Russian attack against the Nova Sloboda community in Sumy Oblast in the early morning of Feb. 20 has risen to five, the regional military administration reported.

Russia carried out the attack against Nova Sloboda at around 5 a.m. local time using artillery and aviation, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration said on Telegram.

The strike reportedly caused a fire in a residential building. After the fire was extinguished, rescuers found the bodies of the victims on the site.

“As a result of the attack, a family has died: a mother and her two sons, as well as two of their distant relatives – a grandmother and a woman who came from another city,” authorities said.

Nova Sloboda lies around 90 kilometers northwest of the city of Sumy and less than 10 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Read also: ‘I still imagine being there:’ A trip through memories of Ukrainian cities in tatters from Russia’s war

Bild: Germany plans to send long-range missile systems, Taurus missiles not mentioned

Germany’s coalition parties are preparing an arms proposal for Ukraine that does not include Taurus cruise missiles, German media reported on Feb. 20.

The new proposal aims to increase provisions of ammunition, vehicles, and weapons systems to Kyiv but does not specifically mention the Taurus missiles.

Taurus missiles have been the subject of extensive discussion since Ukraine submitted a request for the weapons, which have a range of up to 500 kilometers, in May 2023.

Much of the debate surrounding the supply of Taurus is connected to the prospect of the missiles being used within Russia’s territory.

According to Bild, the plan will address “the supply of additional necessary long-range weapons systems and ammunition to enable Ukraine…to enable targeted attacks in accordance with international law on strategically relevant targets far in the rear area of ​​the Russian aggressor.”

Late last week, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that there is still no new information about Germany sending Taurus long-range missiles.

German lawmakers are expected to vote on the initiative later this week.

Read also: Ex-German president calls for Germany to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine

Kyiv says it will ‘firmly respond’ if Moscow attempts to involve Transnistria in war

Kyiv will “firmly respond” to any attempts to involve the Russian-controlled Moldovan region of Transnistria in Russia’s war against Ukraine and destabilize the situation in Moldova, the Foreign Ministry said amid increased Russian pressure on Chisinau.

Transnistria is internationally recognized as part of Moldova. Russian troops have occupied Transnistria since the early 1990s when Russia invaded the region under the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians.

Moldova has called Russia’s military presence in Transnistria illegitimate and called for the withdrawal of Russian forces.

There have been heightened tensions between Moldova and Transnistria since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine when there were fears that armed conflict could erupt in Moldova.

Vadim Krasnoselsky, the Russian proxy leader in Transnistria, called for increased military drills and heightened readiness on Jan. 22 in what he claimed was a response to alleged provocations from Moldova.

Ukraine’s special envoy, Paun Rohovei, traveled to Moldova on Feb. 19 to meet with Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian and Krasnoselsky.

The officials discussed the current status of the Transnistrian conflict and other issues in the relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a press release.

Kyiv has backed a peaceful settlement of the conflict with the preservation of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

“In addition, Ukraine continues to advocate for a quick withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the Transnistrian region, disposal of ammunition in warehouses in Cobasna, and reformatting of the mission on the Dniester River from a military to civilian one,” reads the ministry’s press release.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry added that Moldova’s accession into the European Union will create “new opportunities for both banks of the Dniester, development, and prosperity of the inhabitants of all Moldova.”

Read also: Investigation: Leaked document exposes Kremlin’s 10-year plan to undermine Moldova

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