Victorious news on 342nd day of war: AFU may return Crimea by summer, former Pentagon chief and Lithuanian president urge to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine, France to provide 12 more Caesars

Former Pentagon chief calls on the US to provide Ukraine with fighter jets and long-range missiles as soon as possible

Former Pentagon chief Mark Esper (2019-2020) urged the United States to provide Ukraine with modern fighter jets and long-range missiles as soon as possible. He said that the aid announced at Ramstein would not reach Ukraine in time for the planned Russian offensive in March. Therefore, the White House should not delay in providing the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range ATACMS missiles and F-16 fighters.

Lithuanian President says "red lines" imposed by Russia must be crossed and Ukraine must be given more modern weapons

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda also supported the delivery of fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine, emphasizing that they are important assistance at this stage of the war.

Nausėda said that Russia imposes "red lines" on democratic countries through threats and intimidation. At the same time, many of the restrictions that were in place at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion have already been overcome by Western partners, the Lithuanian president emphasized. As an example, he cited Germany, which at first promised only helmets and body armor, and then handed over battle tanks and other weapons.

Oleksii Reznikov to discuss possible delivery of F-16s to the Ukrainian Armed Forces with French president

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov is to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the possibility of supplying Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. As early as January 30, the French president emphasized that this step would depend on several factors, including the need to avoid escalation and assurances that the aircraft "will not touch Russian soil."

AFU destroyed 5 light motor boats used by the Russian troops

The head of the Joint Press Center of the Tavria Defense Forces, Yevhen Yerin, said that the situation in the sector remains difficult but under control. According to him, there was some activity of enemy reconnaissance groups on small boats in the area of the islands.

“Our soldiers discovered and destroyed at least five small light motorized boats used by the enemy. They also shot down several UAVs and destroyed enemy munitions depots in the Zaporizhzhia direction,” Yerin said. 

AFU liquidated 850 Russian soldiers in one day

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost at least 127,500 soldiers, 3,201 tanks, and 1,951 UAVs in Ukraine. In particular, over the past day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated 850 Russian soldiers, 9 of their armored vehicles and 4 drones.

Ukraine can return the Russian-occupied Crimea by summer 2022

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kyrylo Budanov, believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are able to return the Russian-occupied Crimea by the summer of this year. Asked whether he believes that the de-occupation of Crimea could prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons, Budanov said: “This is not true. And Crimea will be returned to us. I'll tell you more: it all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will end there.”

12 more CAESAR howitzers from France

France will provide Ukraine with 12 more Caesar systems in addition to the 18 already delivered in the previous months. French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said this after meeting with Oleksii Reznikov. It should be noted that in May and June 2022, France already supplied 18 Caesars, the flagship of French artillery, to the Ukrainian army.