In occupied Donetsk region, public sector employees may lose their jobs if they do not take Russian passports - AFU General Staff

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the information in a morning report on February 21.

Russia continues to forcibly "passport" Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk region.

In particular, public sector employees received an order from the so-called Russian occupation administration of Horlivka to acquire Russian citizenship.

Those who do not receive Russian passports by July 1 will be dismissed from their positions.

Ukrainian Armed Forces shoot down 3 drones, hit an MLRS battery and several Russia personnel concentrations

Over the course of February 20, the aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched 16 strikes on concentrations of Russian personnel and military equipment and struck an anti-aircraft missile system at a firing position.

Ukrainian defenders also shot down 3 Lancet UAVs.

Ukrainian missile and artillery units destroyed 2 Russian air defense positions and a MLRS battery yesterday.

Ukrainian defense forces repel Russian attacks in 3 regions

Over the past day, Ukrainian Defense Forces units repelled Russian attacks near 2 settlements in the Kharkiv region, 1 in the Luhansk region and 8 in the Donetsk region.

Russia launches 6 missile, 28 air strikes and 86 MLRS attacks

On February 20, Russian troops launched 6 missile and 28 air strikes against civilian infrastructure in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. 

They also fired 86 MLRS attacks. 

As a result of the Russian fire, civilian houses, schools and shops were destroyed and damaged. There are dead and injured.

The threat of further Russian air and missile strikes throughout Ukraine remains high.

Russian troops are shelling different regions and are focused on attacking in 5 directions

The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on offensives in the Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk directions.

No signs of enemy offensive groups were detected near the northern and northeastern Ukrainian border with Belarus and Russia.

During the day, 2 settlements in the Chernihiv region, 5 in the Sumy region and more than 25 settlements in the Kharkiv region came under Russian fire. 

In addition, Russian troops launched an air strike on the village of Hraniv, Kharkiv region, from the territory of Russia.

In the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, Russian troops fired at 5 settlements in the Kharkiv region, 4 in the Luhansk region and 4 more in the Donetsk region.

They launched an air strike at Bilohorivka and Spirne.

In the Bakhmut direction, more than 20 settlements in the Donetsk region came under fire.

In the Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk directions, Russian troops shelled over 30 settlements in the Donetsk region.  

They also launched air strikes near Oleksandropol, Kamianka, Avdiivka, Mariinka and Vuhledar.

In the Zaporizhzhia direction, over 25 settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions came under Russian fire.

In the Kherson direction, over 35 settlements in the Kherson region suffered from Russian artillery fire. 

• Earlier, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that in Skadovsk and Kalanchak, Kherson region, Russia threatened to take away property and deprive people of pensions for refusing to get Russian passports.

• Alisa Sysoieva, a deputy of Zaporizhzhia District Council and journalist, told Espreso TV that Russian forces are forcing everyone on the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region to get Russian passports and renounce Ukrainian citizenship.