Victory Chronicles-DAY 1083

Ukraine’s 82nd Air Assault Brigade successfully repelled a Russian attack in the neighboring occupied Kursk region. Kyiv’s forces invaded the region in August and Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin pledged to “liberate” it but to no avail. The enemy used two infantry fighting vehicles to break through the Ukrainian defenders’ positions in their attack. However, the defenders were able to detect their movement in a timely manner and prepare for the attack. 

After destroying the armored vehicles, the Russian infantry to find cover in a nearby forest but were quickly detected and destroyed by the 82nd Brigade’s drones. This is not the first time the above-mentioned brigade has defeated Russian assault groups as they previously defeated an enemy platoon attempting to break through the village of Nikolske. In both battles, the Ukrainian paratroopers inflicted significant casualties on the enemy, with many infantrymen killed and wounded.

Russia targets 11 Ukrainian regions with 83 various drones, including Iranian-provided Shaheds. Nearly 100 Russian-launched drones on Feb. 9 in a salvo that affected 11 of Ukraine’s 25 administrative regions that includes the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed in the initial invasion of 2014. However, none of them were successful in hitting their intended targets. 

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that 61 drones were downed in regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. Additionally, 22 enemy mock drones were lost locally, without causing any damage. 

A Russian strike on Donetsk regional town of Kramatorsk overnight on Feb. 9causes one fatality and nine injuries. A Russian FAB-500 precision-guided bomb targeted a densely populated residential area in one of the Donetsk region’s most populated centers that is controlled by Kyiv. 

The strike damaged seven single-family homes, high-rise residential buildings, a family medicine outpatient clinic, an educational institution, and trade facilities. The State Emergency Service reported that the body of the deceased individual was recovered from the rubble, and a passenger car caught fire from the impact but was extinguished by firefighters. In total, 12 people sustained injuries of varying severity from the strikes in Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka in the same region, with considerable damage to buildings, garages, vehicles, power lines, and a gas pipeline.

A Ukrainian explosive device demolishes Russian flag after Moscow troops hoist their country’s flag on a mine. On the morning of Feb. 9, invading Russian forces placed their country’s flag on a digger’s mine only to be destroyed by Ukrainian defenders from the Khizhik Brigade. The Predator Brigade of the Patrol Police Department published a video of the event to dispaly Russia’s propaganda folly of trying to portray a victory in the war that it is losing. 

Key Takeaways:

• Russia continues to leverage its partnerships with US adversaries, including North Korea, to offset the resource shortages constraining Russia’s economy and war effort.
• The arrival of North Korean workers to Russia demonstrates how Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), is violating UNSC Resolution 2397.
• North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un continues to reiterate his support for Russia and its war effort in Ukraine.
• German authorities reportedly failed to down suspected Russian reconnaissance drones flying near a German military facility in January 2025 where Ukrainian forces have undergone training.
• Russia appears to be leveraging the technological innovations it is developing in its war in Ukraine directly against NATO states.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Vovchansk.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka.
• Russia continues efforts to recruit Russians and citizens of other Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) countries to sign military service contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).

Sgt. Maj. Ivan Solovey was killed on Feb. 2, 2024, while performing a combat mission near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region. The defender was 57 years old. Solovey was born in the village of Pryvitne, Volyn region. After educational instruction in civilian life, he was a driver, and for the last 15 years he traveled abroad, where he worked as a construction worker. 

In his leisure time, he loved to fish and pick mushrooms – a much treasured eastern European tradition. He adored his family and tried to spend a lot of time with them. During the full-scale war, Soloveybecame joined Ukraine’s military. He served in the 118th Mechanized Brigade. He held the position of a combat vehicle commander of a squad.

“Dad was the best dad in the world. He always protected us. He tried to fulfill all our dreams and requests. He was very kind, never confronted us, but he also did not allow us to violate his boundaries. We are very proud of him, we love him,” said Victoria, the eldest daughter of the deceased.

Solovey was buried in his native village. The soldier is survived by his wife Lesia, daughters Victoria and Natalia, grandchildren Artem and Elina, and son-in-law Oleksandr.

*Ivan Solovey’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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