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On the eve of a new round of talks in Geneva, Kyiv carried out its most massive attack in the last 24 hours on Russia’s Bryansk region. The raid on this region lasted more than 12 hours, with 229 drones shot down over the region during the day. According to unofficial data, more than 400 Ukrainian UAVs were recorded over Russian regions in total.
The target of the strikes on the Bryansk region was the energy infrastructure. The most serious damage was sustained by the 750 kV “Novobryanskaya” substation, a key energy hub that redistributes power. As a result of the attack, five municipalities and part of the regional center were left without heat and electricity.
Simultaneously, Belgorod came under massive shelling. Ukrainian forces struck the “Luch” thermal power plant and other energy infrastructure facilities in the city. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported serious damage to infrastructure facilities.
Against the backdrop of the massive Ukrainian drone attack, the Russian airstrike on Ukraine last night seemed restrained. Only 62 attack drones were deployed. The main strike targeted the Zaporizhzhia region, where fires and water supply interruptions were recorded. Strikes were also carried out on the Kharkiv, Sumy (Konotop), Chernihiv regions, and the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration in Donbas.
The most notable strike was on the Kyiv region. Russian forces used the latest Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile to hit the “Kyivska-750” electrical substation near Makariv. This facility is a key distribution hub for the central energy node, ensuring power flows to the capital region. This is already the fifth instance of Zircon use since the beginning of the year, indicating serial production of these missiles.
According to Ukrenergo, consumers in the Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, and Odesa regions remain without power as of morning. A significant part of Odesa is still de-energized. This is happening against the backdrop of returning severe frosts: on Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, the temperature in Kyiv and several regions will drop to -17 degrees Celsius, and snowfall is already creating transport problems.
The internal political situation in Ukraine is also heating up. On the eve of the Geneva talks, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) served a suspicion notice to former Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko. He was detained while trying to leave the country, and the ex-minister is now being charged with creating a criminal organization and laundering money as part of the so-called “Mindich case.”
Herman Halushchenko
According to the investigation, in February 2021, a fund was registered on the island of Anguilla to attract about $100 million in “investments.” Among the investors was Halushchenko’s family. To conceal involvement, two companies were created in the Marshall Islands, which were included in a trust structure in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The ex-official’s ex-wife and four children were registered as beneficiaries.
The investigation claims that through a trusted person nicknamed “Rocket,” the criminal organization received over $112 million in cash from illegal activities in the energy sector. Part of the funds were laundered through cryptocurrency and “investment” into the fund. More than $7.4 million was transferred to the fund’s accounts, which were controlled by the family. Another over 1.3 million Swiss francs and 2.4 million euros were given in cash and transferred directly to the family in Switzerland.
In Ukrainian political circles, two versions of the timing of this detention are being discussed. According to the first, the order came from the Americans as part of pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who rejected concessions on Donbas in Munich, and now they are signaling personal risks to him.
The second version suggests that the scandal is being stoked by European structures and the opposition, seeking to reformat the government and gain control over lucrative sectors. If Zelenskyy does not concede, the next target could be the former head of his office, Andriy Yermak.
Tomorrow in Geneva, a new important round of talks in the USA-Russia-Ukraine trilateral format is scheduled. According to Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, “the range of issues to be discussed will be broader than in Abu Dhabi, including the topic of territories.”
It is in connection with these talks that Kyiv, apparently, assembled its UAVs for a massive aerial strike on February 16-17 – an attempt to demonstrate strength before the diplomatic round. However, Ukrainian monitoring resources are recording the preparation of Russian forces for a massive retaliatory strike during the current night. According to intelligence, several signs have been noted that may indicate preparations for a missile strike by Tu-95ms and Tu-22m3 bombers. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already held an emergency meeting, instructing additional measures to protect facilities and to accelerate the supply of air defense missiles as much as possible.
How impressive the possible “final” Russian strike before Geneva will be will become known in the coming hours. But one thing is clear: the parties prefer to conduct dialogue from a position of strength, and energy infrastructure remains the main battlefield on the eve of the diplomatic battles.
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the thief of kyev has billions in us taxpayer cash in his offshore bank accounts. best to make sure his dependents receive it very soon.
ukraine paved itself into a corner long before 2014. the idiotic buffoon ziolensky is only the latest muppet to inherit the filthy throne…