Victorious news of 709th day of war: Ukrainian army targets Russian Murom, Ironiya systems, Germany to allocate €7.6bn to help Ukraine

Bundestag approves state budget with €7.6bn to help Ukraine, while information about Russia taking Bohdanivka and Tabayivka is fake

Information about Russia's capture of Bohdanivka and Tabayivka is fake

The Ukrainian defense forces hold half of Bohdanivka, while fighting continues for Tabayivka. 

National Guard Colonel Serhiy Sidorin said that Russian statements about the capture of Bohdanivka are not true. He noted that the frontline in the Bakhmut sector is dynamic, with some positions changing hands within a day. The Ukrainian defense forces continue to hold half of Bohdanivka.

"The hottest spots today are Bohdanivka, Ivanivske and Klishchiivka. Despite the statements of the Russian media about the capture of Bohdanivka, this is not true. The Ukrainian defense forces continue to hold half of this settlement. The contact line is dynamic, some positions change hands within a day," said the colonel.

In addition, the Ukrainian forces deny Russia's information that Russian troops have captured the village of Tabayivka in Kharkiv region, as fighting is ongoing there.

Bundestag passes state budget, providing almost €7.6 billion in aid to Ukraine

At a meeting on February 2, members of the German Bundestag adopted the state budget for 2024 in the second and immediately in the third reading. The vote was cast by 388 MPs of the ruling coalition, while 279 MPs voted against it. 

The document provides about €7.6 billion for military assistance to Ukraine.

Now the document must be approved by the members of the Bundesrat (representatives of 16 federal states).

"Ukrainians must be able to withstand the aggression of Russian President Putin in the long term. This is a significant, clear signal to the Russian president, who is obviously betting that international support for Ukraine will decrease," Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the coalition government, told reporters.

Russian Murom and Ironiya systems destroyed

Pilots of drones of the Steel Border Offensive Guard Brigade hit the "eyes of Mordor", which Russian forces use to conduct reconnaissance, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.

In the Kharkiv sector, as a result of a successful attack by FPV drones, border guards destroyed the latest Russian optoelectronic complex Ironiya-M. And thanks to the soldiers of the 101st Transcarpathian Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian enemy's Murom-P autonomous surveillance system exploded.

"This war is rightly called the 'war of drones'! Lightweight and maneuverable drones are capable of performing a variety of tasks: from reconnaissance and artillery fire adjustment to direct destruction of enemy equipment or manpower. Thanks to the reconnaissance men of the 101st Transcarpathian Territorial Defense Brigade, another Murom-P autonomous surveillance system exploded," the statement said. 

Spain trains Ukrainian soldiers to maintain Patriot missile systems

Spain is training Ukrainian soldiers in the maintenance of Patriot missile systems, Army Inform reports, citing the General Staff of the Spanish Armed Forces.

This is one of the new areas of training that Spain has pledged to organize for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024.

"The current situation has made Patriot missiles an important means of protecting the Ukrainian population and infrastructure. Several countries have contributed to this project to equip and train their units," the statement said.

Spain is conducting the training as part of the European Union Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM-UA), a mission established by the European Union to train the Ukrainian military.

The Ukrainian military is training at a center in Toledo, which is under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Armed Forces Operational Command. It coordinates the requests of the Ukrainian government.

One of the anti-aircraft artillery units of the Spanish Army is directly responsible for the training.