(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ukraine Invasion Day 346: will Bakhmut be surrendered and will it matter [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-03 Dissonance: A local Ukrainian commander said Monday that if his country's forces were to withdraw from the long-embattled city of Bakhmut, it would be done only to save the lives of Ukraine's troops. However, despite the limited operational value of this town and significant Russian losses, this may indicate that the capture of Bakhmut has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia. ⚡️ WAR IN #UKRAINE - FEB 3 Note from @Rebel44CZ : next 🇺🇦 update will cover 4 days worth of losses VISUALLY CONFIRMED: 3.12x losses to date 2.67x counteroffensive 2.21x 30-day average 📈 https://t.co/GsIx58OgFZ pic.twitter.com/PlR5us578U Kyiv’s forces are preparing for the war’s most intense phase, world affairs editor Julian Borger reported from the Ukrainian town of Huliaipole 60 miles (100km) east of Zaporizhzhia city. Russia is relentlessly building up its forces while Vladimir Putin is moving the economy towards a war footing to churn out new tanks and missiles. The chief of the Russian general staff, Valery Gerasimov, has been put in direct charge of Ukrainian operations, a move seen by many analysts as presaging a major offensive. According to Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, Moscow is planning a major offensive to coincide with the one-year anniversary of its invasion, on 24 February. Speaking to French media, Reznikov warned that Russia would call on a large contingent of mobilised troops. Referring to Russia’s general mobilisation of 300,000 conscripted soldiers in September last year, he claimed that numbers at the border suggest the true size could be closer to 500,000. www.theguardian.com/... The main statements made at the EU-Ukraine summit: The EU is preparing the tenth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation worth €10 billion by February 24, 2023. According to the President of the European Council Charles Michel Russia will not intimidate Europe, and Ukraine will be a member of the EU. the President of the European Council Charles Michel Russia will not intimidate Europe, and Ukraine will be a member of the EU. The EU will provide Ukraine with the first billion euros for reconstruction after the war. Ukraine has for the first time documented its intention to join the European Union. NATO top spokesperson calls for "Wartime Economy" of NATO Alliance Countries and that NATO is preparing for a direct clash with not only Russia, but also China in around 2025. Media: Kremlin bribed EU officials to recognize Crimea as part of Russia x I understand the isolationist impulses from people on my feed saying "Ukraine is not our war, not our problem." But a Putin victory in Ukraine would threaten our NATO allies & embolden future wars of annexation. As we learned bitterly in WWII, eventually those would threaten us. — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) February 2, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said that the Ukrainian defenders need 300-500 tanks to launch another offensive. The German government has approved the delivery of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine from industrial stocks and is in talks with Qatar over purchasing back 15 Gepard armored anti-aircraft guns to send to Kyiv, the Reuters news agency reported on Feb. 3, citing the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The delivery of the Leopard tanks to Ukraine could happen at any time once the tanks are repaired, the newspaper reported, citing government sources. Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) want to recondition dozens of Leopards 1 tanks and could supply them to Ukraine if Kyiv was willing to buy them, it added. english.nv.ua/… The Russian armed forces are currently using the T-72, T-80 and T-90M Proryv tanks for the war against Ukraine. In November, it was reported that the T-14 Armata was conducting tests at a military training ground in Kazan. Moscow - According to British intelligence, a small number of the latest Russian T-14 Armata tanks are ready for use on the front lines of the Ukrainian battlefield. Moreover, in November 2022, the T-14 Armata tank was recorded carrying out tests at a military training ground in Kazan. According to European Truth, the UK Defense Ministry said the Russian Federation has prepared a small number of T-14s for front-line use in the war against Ukraine. This will be the first use of the T-14 Armata tank model in real combat. However, Russian combat troops are reportedly still hesitant to use the T-14 Armata tank due to "unsatisfactory conditions." It is not yet clear what "unsatisfactory conditions" halted production of the T-14 Armata tank. According to Western reports quoted from the Bulgarian Military website, Friday (27/1/2023), Russia has problems with tank engines. It also stated that a problem had been discovered with the main battle tank's thermal imaging system. www.international-military.com/... FIM-92 Stinger DMS MANPADS installation on an HMMWV chassis, with 12 Russian targets destroyed As western allies refused Ukraine’s requests for F-16 fighter jets, Dan Sabbagh looked at what F-16s are and why Ukraine is asking for them. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a lightweight fighter aircraft that was initially designed as long ago as the 1970s. It first went into service in 1979, and was used heavily by the US air force in both Iraq wars and in Afghanistan. Originally built by the US in a consortium with Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, the jet, which can travel twice the speed of sound, became one of the most popular military aircraft of all time and remains widely in use. Lockheed Martin, the US manufacturer, says there are more than 3,000 F-16s in service in 25 countries. Today, it has been superseded by the F-35, but is it still being manufactured for sale by Lockheed in South Carolina. That’s because it is cheaper – costing in the tens of millions – and because the US does not always give export permission for the more modern jet. Ukraine had a small air force of Soviet-standard jets at the start of the war, amounting around 120 combat capable aircraft, according to the IISS thinktank. That number has dwindled as the war has gone on, although, remarkably, given the numbers of Russian aircraft and air defences, experts say Ukraine retains a limited air capability. But as time goes on, its air force will need to be replenished. www.theguardian.com/... 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