The press service of the Russian Defense Ministry said on February 4 that over the past day, the country's air defense systems demonstrated high efficiency when successfully intercepting 97 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in various areas of the front.
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| Ukrainian soldiers launch a UAV on the front line, near the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, as the conflict between the country and Russia continues to escalate. (Source: AP) |
According to the agency, air defense activities are concentrated in the settlements of Velikiy Vyselok in the Kharkov region, Golikovo and Belogorovko in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), as well as in Tokmak, Novoe, Ocheretovatoye and Chistopoye in the Zaporizhzhia region.
This large-scale UAV interception clearly demonstrates the intensity of air defense operations in the current conflict and the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) to control airspace.
Since the start of the special military operation, the VS RF has destroyed a total of 568 combat aircraft, 265 helicopters, 11,775 UAVs, as well as 462 air defense missile systems, 14,904 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,216 multiple launch rocket systems, 7,963 field guns and mortars, as well as 18,230 special military vehicles.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited soldiers on the southeastern front and awarded them medals , the office of the President of Ukraine said on February 4. The move came amid speculation that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny could soon be dismissed.
Speaking after visiting the Zaporizhzhia region, President Zelensky said: "It is an honor to be here today. To support the soldiers and pay tribute to them. They face a difficult and important task to repel the enemy and protect Ukraine."
* Regarding the situation on the battlefield, on the same day, February 4, the Office of the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) said that the death toll in the attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) on a bakery in the city of Lisichansk had risen to 28 people , including one child, and 10 people were injured.
LPR Health Minister Natalia Pashchenko said four people are being treated as outpatients, six were transferred to the LPR Main Clinical Hospital overnight. Of these, four are in critical condition and are in intensive care, while the condition of two others is considered serious.
Earlier, it was reported that 20 people were killed in the attack. According to the Military Administration, about 40 people may be under the rubble. Emergency services have cleared about 65% of the rubble from the bakery. The work has been going on all night.
The city of Lisichansk is located close to the front line. Russian troops took control of the city in the summer of 2022.
* In an interview with the American television channel CNN , the Director of the General Directorate of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR), Kirill Budanov, mentioned the possibility of increasing attacks on important infrastructure facilities inside Russian territory.
Mr. Budanov warned that attacks on military and critical infrastructure could be carried out in the near future. He highlighted the list of potential targets, which includes all important facilities. This shows the seriousness of this statement.
Mr. Budanov's statement emphasized the possibility of Ukrainian intelligence organizing armed provocations and attacks on Russian territory.
It should be noted that to carry out such operations, the GUR uses both Russian citizens and specially trained fighters. Budanov's comments are an alarming signal of the Kiev authorities' intention to continue and escalate military actions inside Russian territory.
The statement also raises questions about security and counter-threat measures that Russia could take in response to potential aggression.
* In an interview on February 4 with journalist Pavel Zarubin of the state television corporation VGTRK , the press secretary of the Russian President, Mr. Dmitry Peskov, said that the 50 billion Euros allocated to Ukraine is a significant amount of money for the European Union (EU) in the context of the crisis and Russia continues to be considered an enemy.
“They (the EU) need to portray more of the enemy. Do it in a realistic, striking way to justify the increased costs,” Mr Peskov said.
According to Mr. Peskov, 50 billion euros allocated to Kiev - “on the one hand, for the EU, this is not a very large amount, but on the other hand, it is still noticeable in the context of the manifestations of the crisis in the economies of EU member states”.
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