Explaining complex things in simple words: Destiny of Ukrainian war prisoners, war on Russian territory, NATO preparation measures

THE DESTINY OF UKRAINIAN WAR PRISONERS

Representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine Andrii Yusov reported that Russia did not express it was ready to hand over to Ukraine prisoners of war who were allegedly aboard the IL-76 that crashed on January 24 in Belgorod region (Russia).

• Despite the big claims, the Russian side still has not provided any evidence that Ukrainian prisoners of war were aboard the IL-76 on January 24.
• The Russian side's refusal to hand over the bodies of the allegedly deceased Ukrainians raises even more doubts about the veracity of Moscow's statements.
• Ukraine insists on an international investigation of the circumstances of the IL-76 crash in Belgorod region and demands to find out the fate of the captives from the lists published by Russia.
• If the military cargo plane of the Russian Armed Forces indeed transported prisoners, then Russia once again cynically used people as a human shield in direct violation of international law.
• The Ukrainian side continues working on the exchange process with Russia despite all obstacles.

WAR ON THE RUSSIAN TERRITORY

National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksii Danilov said that Ukraine would continue attacks on military targets on the Russian territory.

• Ukraine has a legitimate right to fight on the territory of the aggressor country.
• Every day, Russia causes enormous damage to Ukraine: on the temporarily occupied territories, on the frontline, and in the rear, where it attacks civilian targets with missiles and drones.
• While destroying Ukrainians’ homes and lives, Russia should not feel impunity. Ukraine is capable of fighting back and will do it so that the aggressor would also experience damage and losses on its own territory.
• Ukraine attacks exclusively legitimate military targets: objects that service Putin’s aggression against Ukraine, including oil depots, military industrial complex facilities, and logistical hubs. On principle, Ukraine does not use weapons received from Western partners for this purpose.
• The more Moscow continues the war against Ukraine, the more damage Russia itself will suffer. The intensity of Ukrainian attacks will only grow further.

NATO PREPARATION MEASURES

On January 30, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland signed an agreement to simplify procedures to coordinate the transfer of NATO forces from Western to Eastern Europe.

• The agreement is meant to eliminate excessive bureaucracy that prevents rapid movement of forces through the territories of NATO member states.
• Thus, NATO increases its mobility and capacity in case of a large-scale conflict.
• Simultaneously, NATO is conducting the largest exercise in the past 30 years, Steadfast Defender 2024, training the transportation of US forces to Europe in the situation of a large-scale conflict with an almost equal enemy.
• The extraordinary NATO activities are directly tied to the Russian threat after the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
• This is also a political signal to Moscow that NATO is ready for a resolute response to Putin’s further escapades.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security