On Thursday, February 1, 2024, as the war entered its 708th day, there were several key developments:
Fighting:
– A Russian bomb hit a hospital in northeastern Ukraine, leading to the evacuation of patients and causing injuries.
– Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 14 out of 20 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack, resulting in damage and injuries.
– Russia claimed to have destroyed 20 missiles launched by Ukraine over the Black Sea and Crimean peninsula, which Russia had invaded and annexed in 2014.
– Ukraine’s air force struck the Belbek military airfield in Crimea, although details were not provided.
Politics and diplomacy:
– Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war.
– German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to rally European partners to provide substantial support for Ukraine, ahead of a key European Union summit.
– Victoria Nuland, the United States acting deputy secretary of state, visited Kyiv and expressed confidence in a US military aid package for Ukraine while hinting at potential surprises for Russia on the battlefield.
– The International Court of Justice rejected much of Ukraine’s case against Russia regarding alleged support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, stating that Moscow had failed to investigate alleged breaches.
– Boris Nadezhdin submitted his bid to run for the Russian presidency and promised to end the war in Ukraine.
Weapons:
– The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell admitted that the EU’s promise to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells by March would fall short, with just over half expected to be delivered by the deadline. The remaining artillery shells are likely to be delivered by the end of the year.