February 24, 2024 - Russia-Ukraine news

Russian forces claim that they have captured “some 200” Ukrainian troops during the fight for Avdiivka, the country’s defense ministry (MOD) said Saturday.

Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, who visited Russia’s Center military grouping of troops in the “special operation zone” on Saturday, emphasized on the humane treatment of the captured troops from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU).

“You heard what the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces said – to treat them humanely, as it has always been," Shoigu said as per the MOD.

Russia advances: Hours after Russian troops raised their flags over Avdiivka, reports emerged of several injured soldiers who failed to escape – and were later killed as Russian troops reached their position.

Avdiivka has been on the front lines since pro-Moscow separatists seized large portions of the Donbas region, including the nearby city of Donetsk, in 2014.

The town is Russia's most significant victory since it captured Bakhmut last year.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko called for continued US support as Ukraine enters the third year of war against the Russian invasion.

Thanking the US for its financial and military support, Klitschko said that while the country is better protected than before receiving the anti-missile system from the US, “we still need much more protection” because “no one feels safe in Ukraine.”

Kyiv citizens, including children, have suffered over the past two years of war, Klitschko said and alleged that Russia stands in clear violation of the rules of warfare that call for sparing civilian women and children.

Remember: A constant drip feed of aid from Western countries, particularly the US, as well as the provision of modern weaponry, has proved a vital lifeline for Ukraine in its war.

But in early 2024, a US aid package for Ukraine stalled. The US Senate passed with bipartisan backing a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill, which includes $60 billion to support Ukraine. However, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has resisted moves for a quick vote, which would likely face a revolt from members of his own party.

Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Saturday that “no one in the world believed that we would stand” in an emotional post marking the second anniversary of Russian’s war on Ukraine.

In the post, Syrskyi reiterated his praise for the thousands of Ukrainians who volunteered to help the military, many taking up weapons and serving in the frontlines.  

Syrskyi also paid tribute to those who lost their lives for Ukraine, vowing to “take revenge” and commended volunteers working closely with the emergency services for their work in bringing “victory closer.”

“Today, more than ever, we need unity. I am convinced that unity is our victory. And it will definitely be. Because light always defeats darkness!” Syrskyi added.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has so far cost the lives of over 10,300 civilians, according to the United Nations.

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska has highlighted the illegal abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia in comments marking two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court last year issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

The Russian government has defended the practice, saying they are saving the children and deny that the deportations are forced. The Kremlin has labeled the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable.”

In July 2023, Ukrainian prosecutors said Ukraine has opened more than 3,000 criminal cases over Russia’s alleged crimes against children in the country, including dozens of torture cases.

Ukrainian security services were behind an overnight drone strike that caused a fire at a major metal plant in south-central Russia, a Ukrainian source said. 

According to the source, a drone strike on the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant was organized by two Ukrainian intelligence services, the Security Service of Ukraine and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

Video that surfaced on social media appeared to show a fire at the plant. According to the Ukrainian security services, drones hit the facilities intended for primary cooling of untreated coke oven gas.

Russian state news agencies quoted the governor of the Lipetsk region as saying that fire broke out in one of the plant's workshops and had been extinguished with no casualties. There was no threat of release of hazardous substances, the governor added, according to RIA-Novosti.

The governor cited preliminary information from Russian intelligence services saying the fall of an aircraft caused the fire, and said information and videos posted on social networks were being verified, RIA reported.

Foreign leaders have begun arriving in Kyiv on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday morning, according to a government source traveling with Trudeau.

Writing on X, Trudeau said Canada's support for the Ukrainian people remains "steadfast."

“To reaffirm that support, I’m in Kyiv with @CAFreeland [Canadian Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland] and @BillBlair [Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair]."

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who developed a close relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his time in power – is also there.

“On this grim second anniversary of Putin’s invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putin’s forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need,” Johnson wrote on X.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also travelled to Kyiv on Saturday to express her solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the Embassy of Ukraine to Italy posted on X.

This post has been updated with details on other foreign arrivals.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that Germany and Europe need to beef up its defense capabilities and make sure it can weather any military attack from outside.

NATO was the best guarantee of defense "on both sides of the Atlantic,” Scholz said. ''Together with our allies, we must be so strong that nobody dares to attack us."

Scholz added that Ukraine would be supported in its self-defense "for as long as necessary.”  

Earlier this month, Germany met the NATO alliance target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defense for the first time since the Cold War. In his address, Scholz said that Germany - Europe's largest economy - will continue to hit that target in future decades.

Germany was once largely reluctant to get involved in foreign conflicts but shifted its defense policy in the wake of Russia's invasion.

Russian drone strikes killed one person and injured three on Friday evening, according to Ukraine’s National Police.

The strikes caused a fire at a residential building in Odesa, the police said on Saturday, adding that the blaze had since been extinguished.

One of the injured was rescued from the rubble of the building; all three were hospitalized.

Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa region military administration, said that a 72-year-old woman suffered severe burns and fractured limbs after remaining under the rubble for almost two hours.

The other two injured were a mother and a daughter, he said.

The mother, over the age of 60, suffered severe burns over 70% of her body, while her daughter, who is in her thirties, also suffered severe burns along with numerous fractures.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited his country's "Center" group troops who are involved in the fighting in Ukraine on Saturday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, in a trip that comes on the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion. 

Shoigu “listened to reports from the commander of the Center group and staff officers on the current situation, the nature of the enemy's actions and how Russian troops are performing combat tasks in the operational area,” the defense ministry said.

Russian Colonel-General Andrei Mordvichev, commander of the “Center” group of troops, reported to Shoigu that during the operation to “liberate” Avdiivka, Ukrainian forces had been pushed back more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the ministry said.

Shoigu also noted the role of drones in the fighting. Full-time units tasked with drone operations have been created, Mordvichev reportedly told Shoigu.