Victory Chronicles-DAY 1085

A Russian ballistic missile strike overnight on Kyiv killed one innocent civilian and injured four others, including a 9-year-old girl, the Ukrainian Emergency Services reported.

Three of Kyiv’s ten administrative districts were targeted. 

The attack, which occurred around 4:30 a.m. local time, struck an office building in the northern Obolon district. A warehouse fire erupted in Holosiivskyi district, while a residential building’s roof caught fire in Solomianskyi area.

Officials say Russia launched four Iskander ballistic missiles at the capital. The attack also damaged offices of state broadcasters Freedom TV and Dim, though no casualties were reported there. The strike comes amid intensified Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent months.

Russia plans to expand its military by 12-15 divisions, adding approximately 150,000 troops in 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells  The Guardian.

The expansion will rely on mobilization, training, and North Korean military personnel, with training expected to take place in Belarus, according to Ukraine’s second war-time president.

He noted that Ukraine currently maintains 110 combat brigades against Russia’s 220, with Russian forces potentially growing to 250 brigades next year. By comparison, European forces, including U.S. troops stationed on the continent, comprise about 82 combat brigades.

Zelenskyy warned that without Ukraine, Russian military strength would outnumber European forces by a ratio of three to one. He emphasized that Ukrainian forces are currently battling a million-strong Russian army, preventing potential Russian military expansion into Africa, Syria, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

Russian forces launch combined missile and drone attack across Ukraine, killing one civilian and injuring four others, including a child, in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

The strikes damaged residential buildings, commercial properties, and civilian infrastructure throughout the country.

“[Kremlin ruler Vladimir] Putin is not seeking peace. He continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy our cities,” Zelenskyy said, calling for increased international pressure on Russia to end the attacks.

The Ukrainian president urged allies to maintain unity in supporting Ukraine’s defense efforts.

Drones operated by Ukrainian border guards from ’Phoenix’ brigade successfully destroy three Soviet 152 mm cannons. The drones targeted the enemy with precision in the Kupyansk axis of the Kharkiv region. This information was shared by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to good faith peace negotiations with Russia and the particular importance of US military assistance to Ukraine’s security.
• Russian officials are reportedly attempting to constrain Russian milblogger reporting about the current frontline in Kursk Oblast, likely in response to concerns that the West will pressure Russia into trading Russian territory for occupied Ukrainian territory.
• Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery and reportedly struck Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast on the night of February 10 to 11.
• The Russian State Duma voted to remove Russian State Duma deputy and former Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District (SMD) retired Lieutenant General Andrei Gurulev from the Duma Defense Committee on February 11.
• The Kremlin may be setting informational conditions for possible false flag attacks in the Baltic Sea and against Russian opposition politicians living abroad in order to discredit Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Borova, Lyman, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Velyka Novosilka, and Hulyaipole.
• Russian regional authorities are reportedly reducing payments due to regional budget deficits for Russian soldiers who received minor injuries.

Police Sgt. Oleksii Koshchii was killed in the line of duty on July 13, 2024, in the village of Budy, Kharkiv region.  On that day, he was saving people after the arrival of a military echelon. A crowd gathered around when Koshchii shouted that another missile was incoming. The second strike was fatal for the officer. He was 35 years old.

Koshchii was born in Krasnokutsk, a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. He worked as a police officer in the rapid response sector of Patrol Police Department No. 3 under the Kharkiv District Police Department No. 1.

In his free time, he enjoyed spending time with his family in the countryside. He was passionate about fishing, a hobby he shared with his son. He also loved cooking and playing soccer. He was a devoted Chelsea FC fan.

“He was the best of people. If I could take that day back, I would save him,” said his wife, Anna.

“Lesha. My Oleksii. Since childhood, he wanted to be a police officer. He served in the army, studied in Sumy, and became a patrol officer in Nova Vodolaha. Later, he transferred to the district police station in Bohodukhiv.

“When I became pregnant, they offered me a job at the department in Merefa. At the time, I was working at a college, so Lesha moved in with my parents while I lived with his. I went on maternity leave and visited him often.

“We had our long-awaited son, and my husband adored Andriy. Then the war started, and my son and I left. Lesha stayed behind to care for the household, raising animals and tending a vegetable garden so that when we returned, we would have food.

“When we came back, we lived together and rented a house. That day, it was a Saturday. I was at home when I heard the explosions. I called my Oleksii because I saw the smoke—just five minutes before we were supposed to meet again.

“And then, life was no more. A loss… I had to tell my parents, my son. This terrible year… The unknown… My Oleksii is gone, and I don’t know how to go on living. My son is keeping me strong, and he is so brave.”

Koshchii was buried in his native village. He is survived by his 9-year-old son, his wife, parents, and brother.

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

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