Victory Chronicles-DAY 737

Despite intensified shelling by Russia in the Avdiivka sector, Ukrainian troops have managed to hold their ground and have even recaptured some lost territory, according to General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the commander of the Tavria operational and tactical group. Ukraine was forced to retreat from Avdiivka on February 17, followed by other nearby villages due to a lack of ammunition caused by delays in U.S. aid. 

The Russian offensive has been focused on the frontline, particularly near Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar. Russian troops have increased artillery strikes and infantry attacks while bringing in reserves. However, Ukrainian troops have managed to regain lost ground in some areas and establish additional firing positions and observation posts. In the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have repelled 25 Russian attacks, resulting in the death or injury of 319 Russian soldiers and the destruction of 36 pieces of equipment. 

Chasiv Yar is seen as a key location for Russia’s further advance towards Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk. Russian forces are pushing to capture it, concentrating their efforts in the sector. Ukrainian forces have been preparing the defense of Chasiv Yar for some time, fortifying it with minefields and anti-tank barriers.

France will be purchasing 100 drones from French company Delair, and these drones will be delivered to Ukraine in the summer, according to French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecorne. This move is part of an innovative program involving France ordering 2,000 remotely piloted munitions. The drones are essential for Ukraine in their defense against the ongoing war with Russia. Lecorne’s announcement came in the wake of a summit on Ukraine hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, attended by several European heads of state and Western officials.

Over the past day, the invaders launched 200 attacks on 11 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. As a result of Russian attacks, private and apartment buildings and vehicles were damaged. A 71-year-old man was killed during a missile strike on the territory of Novooleksandrivska territorial community, and another 68-year-old woman was hospitalized.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has reported that on February 29, 2024, a Russian Pantsyr S-1 missile and gun system was successfully attacked, causing damage to the system. The attack took place near the village of Holovchyno in the Belhorod region. As a result of the attack, the Pantsyr S-1 system was disabled, and two Russian occupants who were part of the crew were wounded. The Pantsyr S-1 is designed to provide defense cover for military and military-industrial facilities. It is a significant system with a high price tag, costing around $15 million. 

Ukrainian officials are reportedly concerned about the possibility of significant Russian territorial gains in summer 2024 in the event of continued delays in Western security assistance. Bloomberg reported that internal Ukrainian assessments state that Russian advances along the frontline could gain significant momentum by summer 2024 unless Ukraine’s partners increase provisions of artillery ammunition. 

Bloomberg reported that sources close to Ukrainian leadership stated that Ukraine expects Russian forces to decide between continuing their current focus on gradual tactical advances and preparing for a larger breakthrough attempt in summer 2024 depending on the results of current Russian offensive operations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on February 25 that Russian forces are preparing for a new offensive effort that will start in late May or summer 2024.

Russian forces are currently trying to exploit tactical opportunities offered by the Russian seizure of Avdiivka and are attempting to push as far as possible in the area before Ukrainian forces establish harder-to-penetrate defensive lines. Russian forces may determine to adjust future offensive operations based on the level of success they have in attacking subsequent Ukrainian defensive lines west and northwest of Avdiivka, and Ukrainian defenses in the Avdiivka area may impact Russian perceptions of the wider state of Ukraine’s defense along the frontline. 

Russian forces are also conducting a multi-axis offensive operation along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line but have not made any recent significant gains in the area, and the relative success or failure of that effort could similarly influence how the Russian military command views Russian prospects for operationally significant advances. The Russian ability to make operationally significant advances is still largely dependent on the level of Western support for Ukraine, however, as well-provisioned Ukrainian forces have proven that they can prevent Russian forces from making even marginal gains during large-scale Russian offensive efforts.

Bloomberg also reported that Ukrainian intelligence assessments stated that Russian Vladimir Putin has not given up his original goal of seizing major Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Odesa. Putin has recently falsely claimed that Odesa is a “Russian city” and other Russian officials have also applied that expression to Dnipro, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv cities. The Kremlin has resumed expansionist rhetoric in recent months that explicitly calls for the occupation and annexation of additional Ukrainian territory. The Kremlin has intentionally framed this rhetoric to avoid setting limits for further Russian expansion in Ukraine, and this rhetoric may aim to allow Putin to introduce new objectives for conquest in Ukraine when he sees fit.

Fighter Pavlo Stretovych, with the call sign Zootechnik, died on August 3, 2023, while performing a combat mission near the village of Robotyno, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He received fatal injuries as a result of enemy shelling of a helicopter. The warrior was 36 years old.

Pavlo was from the village of Meleni, Zhytomyr Oblast. He studied at a local school. In 2007, he graduated from Nemishayiv Vocational College. He worked as an assistant excavator driver at the Irshansky processing plant. He was fond of hunting.

In December 2022, the man was mobilized into the ranks of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 46th separate airmobile brigade. Together with his comrades, he defended the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions. “I really miss my beloved husband, the smile that was always on his face, the positive attitude. Pavlo was the best dad for our two sons,” said the deceased’s wife.

Posthumously, the paratrooper was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the III degree. Pavlo was buried in the village of Irshansk, Zhytomyr Oblast. Pavlo is survived by his wife Maia and two sons, Serhii and Mykhailo.

*Pavlo’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• Pentagon: US aid critical for Ukraine to liberate occupied territories
• OSCE activates ‘Moscow Mechanism’ for Ukraine’s civilian hostages in Russia
• French Defence Minister says France will focus on providing Ukraine with aircraft bombs
• Johnson says House will consider Ukraine aid ‘as soon as government is funded’
• Official: Over 270 Ukrainians killed by mines, explosives during full-scale invasion
• European Parliament calls on EU to ‘give Ukraine whatever it needs to defeat Russia’
• Finnish Defense Minister: Ukraine can use Finnish-provided weapons to strike Russia