Russia-Ukraine battle: Listing of key occasions – day 1,093

Listed below are the important thing developments on the 1,093rd day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Right here is the scenario on Friday, February 21:

Preventing

• Ukraine’s air pressure shot down 87 drones, with 70 extra in all probability misplaced to digital countermeasures, the nation’s army stated, because it responded to an in a single day assault through which Russia launched 160 drones. Two ballistic missiles additionally focused Odesa.

• Russian forces took again greater than 800 sq. kilometres (309 sq. miles) from Ukrainian troops in western Russia’s Kursk area, a Russian basic advised the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. The realm is about 64 p.c of the land initially seized by Kyiv, the newspaper claimed.
• Moscow’s forces attacked Ukraine’s power infrastructure within the southern Odesa area for a second time, Kyiv’s power agency DTEK stated. The primary assault left one in all Odesa’s districts with out heating and energy.
• Ukraine’s army stated Russian forces launched 161 drones in an in a single day assault on Ukraine, out of which 80 had been shot down and 78 had been “misplaced”. Moscow additionally attacked the northeastern Kharkiv area with 14 missiles.

Politics & Diplomacy

• Russian Central Financial institution’s Governor Elvira Nabiullina stated the financial institution was not concerned within the talks with the USA on lifting sanctions or the freeze on Russia’s international nation reserves.
• Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated any plans by the UK to ship troops to Ukraine as a part of a possible peacekeeping mission could be unacceptable. Such a transfer would contain forces from a NATO member state, which might have mandatory ramifications for Russia’s safety, Peskov stated. Russia’s international minister has branded such plans a “direct risk”.
• Peskov stated that Russia had agreed to renew dialogue with the US on “all parameters” concerning the battle on Ukraine, together with prisoner exchanges.
• He additionally slammed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his “inadmissible” and “unacceptable” remarks about different heads of state, after Zelenskyy accused US President Donald Trump of dwelling in a Russian-fuelled “disinformation bubble” when it got here to Ukraine.
• White Home Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz additionally criticised Zelenskyy’s feedback, saying Ukraine must “tone it down and take a tough look and signal that deal”, referring to the uncommon earth minerals that the US now needs for serving to Kyiv’s battle effort.

• Ukraine started talks with the Worldwide Financial Fund’s workforce engaged on the nation’s newest mortgage programme overview, which might unlock about $917m in new funds.
• Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s army intelligence company chief, stated he believes a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv might occur this 12 months. “How lengthy it will likely be, how efficient it will likely be – is one other query,” Budanov added.
• The Related Press information company reported that Zelenskyy and Trump’s particular envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg had a gathering in Ukraine, however {that a} joint information convention scheduled for afterwards was cancelled on the US’s request. Nonetheless, Zelenskyy stated the “detailed” assembly with Kellogg was “good” and “restore[d] hope.”
• NATO chief Mark Rutte stated any European safety ensures for Ukraine below a future peace deal would must be backed by the US, “not with boots on the bottom”, however backup to make sure that the deterrence is there, he stated.
• Regardless of pressure with the US, Zelenskyy stated Kyiv was able to work with Washington to supply a “robust, efficient funding and safety settlement” when coping with Russia and a peace deal.
• “We’ve proposed the quickest and most constructive strategy to obtain outcomes. Our workforce is able to work 24/7,” Zelenskyy stated.
• China’s Overseas Minister Wang Yi has advised his G20 counterparts {that a} “window for peace” is opening for the Ukraine disaster, days after high US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia.