The situation at the front
Fierce fighting is underway in the Bakhmut region , writes military observer Chuck Pfarrer. The goal of the Russian military is to cut the supply lines of Ukrainian troops and seize road junctions in order to reduce the enemy’s ability to maneuver. Russian forces, including units of the Airborne Forces, are trying to cut the junction on the M03 / T0513 highway.
Former Defense Minister of the "DPR" Igor Girkin (Strelkov/Runov) writes in his Telegram channel that the situation on the Donetsk front has not changed significantly over the past two days. “Advancement takes place only in Bakhmut (it is alleged that the village of Krasnaya Gora, the northeastern elevated part of the city, has completely passed under the control of Wagner). And also to the south-west of the indicated settlement. – in the area east of the village of Stupochki, where the advanced units of the PMC managed to take control of the Kramatorsk-Bakhmut highway (Stupochka-Ivanovskoye section) under fire control in a small area. In the city itself, there are advances in urban development, but most of Bukhmut is still controlled by the UAF,” he says.
He also notes that confirmation of information about the alleged serious successes of the RF Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction has not yet been received. “Apparently, our troops managed to oust the Armed Forces of Ukraine tactically due to superiority in artillery. But there is no serious progress, it was not possible to occupy any settlements in the Kharkov region. Artillery is actively shelling the positions and rear of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this area, ”writes Strelkov.
British intelligence reports that after the de-occupation of Kherson, local battles in the Dnieper delta did not stop. The Russian Armed Forces use boats to transfer soldiers to the islands on the Dnieper, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine resist landings with long-range artillery. Small groups of both sides are present on the Kinburn Spit. So the parties are trying to control the movement along the river and resist possible attempts by the enemy to cross it. But the chances that the RF Armed Forces will make such an attempt are extremely small.
shelling
The center of Kharkiv came under rocket fire in the late evening of 7 February. Four missiles, presumably S-300, hit the aircraft factory. As a result, several buildings were destroyed and a fire started. Several blows also fell on the territory of the Central Park of the city.
“During the day, the enemy massively shelled Volchansk, Kupyansk, Dvuhletnaya, Strelecha, Veterinary and other settlements close to the line of collision in the Chuguevsky, Kupyansky and Kharkov regions,” wrote Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv administration. Fighting continues on the line of contact.
During the shelling of Volchansk, a 74-year-old woman was killed. A 16-year-old girl was injured and was taken to the hospital. The city hospital, which had already been hit by shelling, came under attack again.
Local public reports about the shelling of the Leninsky district of Donetsk:
Arms supply and military training
The UK plans to expand the training of Ukrainian military personnel for marines and pilots. The training will allow Ukrainian pilots to fly modern NATO fighters in the future. This and other issues were discussed in London on February 8 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Zelensky also met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and spoke before the British Parliament. Zelensky presented the speaker of the British Parliament with a Ukrainian pilot's helmet with the inscription "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it." “Today I will leave parliament thanking you in advance for the powerful British aircraft,” the Ukrainian president said at the end of his speech, adding to this the phrases “God save the king” and “Glory to Ukraine.” Also earlier today, the UK expanded the sanctions list of Russian citizens and companies.
British Challenger 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in March, Sunak said during a visit with Zelensky to the Lulworth military base in Dorset, where the Ukrainian military is being trained to operate the Challenger.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the first battalion of Leopard 2 tanks could be sent to Kiev within the first three to four months of 2023.
Germany has published a list of a new package of military aid that has been delivered to Ukraine:
▪️ 2 ZSU Gepard, including about 6 thousand shells;
▪️ 5 cars to guard the border;
▪️ 29 generators;
▪️ 6 trucks with a carrying capacity of 15 tons;
▪️ 6 mobile antenna mast systems;
▪️ 10 containers.
Death of nationalist Mangushev
Nationalist Igor Mangushev, whose wife said he had been massacred in the rear, died after being shot in the head. On February 5, Tatyana Azarevich, Mangushev's wife, said that her husband, who was fighting on the territory of Ukraine, had been massacred in the rear, but no one was dealing with this matter.
Earlier, Z-channels wrote that Mangushev was brought to the neurosurgery of the city of Stakhanov in the "LPR" with a gunshot bullet wound to the head, and that the shot was fired in the back of the head at close range.
Mangushev is known as the ex-leader of the PMC "E.N.O.T", created on the basis of the nationalist movement "Light Rus'" and the association of military-patriotic clubs "Reserve". "Raccoons" took part in military campaigns in the east of Ukraine and in Syria, as well as in the Crimea. Mangushev is closely connected with the "troll factory" of Yevgeny Prigozhin, which he himself admitted . Also, by order of Prigozhin, he organized provocateurs who worked for money against Lyubov Sobol in the elections to the Moscow City Duma.
In August 2022, Mangushev held a stand -up with a skull in his hand. According to him, it was the skull of a Ukrainian soldier killed near Azovstal. During his speech, he said that all Ukrainians must be destroyed.
Complaints of the mobilized
The mobilized from Saratov recorded an appeal to the Russian authorities, in which they said that the “DPR” command was trying to form an assault detachment from them, although they were trained as artillerymen. The military said that they were mobilized at the end of September and trained for three months in reconnaissance, conducting and adjusting artillery fire. They arrived in the NMD zone in January, lived in the fields for a month, waiting for the promised equipment and guns. Instead, they were sent to the "DPR" units, where they are now trying to turn them into attack aircraft in a short time.
This is the second such complaint. The military of the 1479th regiment, mobilized from the Irkutsk region, also recorded a video message to the authorities, in which they said that they were sent to the military unit of the “DPR” and formed an assault detachment from them. Despite the fact that the average age of the military is 30-40 years, besides, "many have chronic diseases, overweight and other limitations." “It is difficult to imagine how such a combat unit can perform tasks related to the assault,” the military said in a statement. The mobilized were trained to serve in the defense, they were supposed to guard strategic facilities and bridges.
Read also The Insider's summary of February 7: " Shoigu announced successes, Prigozhin – about" rats "in Soledar, Germany will send 178 Leopard 1 to Ukraine. What is happening at the front ."