Victory Chronicles-DAY 702

Russia has not provided the UN Security Council with evidence to support its claim that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the military transport plane that recently crashed in the Belgorod region. Russia has rejected the demand for an international commission to investigate the incident. The UN has stated that it was unable to verify the reports from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides regarding the cargo of the crashed plane and the circumstances of the crash. 

The spokesperson for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine emphasized that Russia did not inform Ukraine that the aircraft would be used to transport Ukrainian prisoners of war. The spokesperson also stated that an open international commission is needed to determine the specific reasons for the downing of the aircraft. Despite Russia’s rejection, Ukraine remains committed to working on the return of its defenders and civilians from Russian captivity. This incident is seen as another attempt by Russia to use the issue of prisoners of war for provocative purposes.

Russia also has not yet provided information to the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding Ukrainian prisoners of war who were believed to be on a military plane. This information was supposed to include details about the prisoners’ conditions, locations, and health, but it has not been shared with the Red Cross. The spokesperson for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine emphasized that this information should be made public and given to the Red Cross, as they are responsible for monitoring and ensuring the well-being of prisoners of war.

After a powerful rocket attack on Kharkiv on January 23, 62 buildings, including 20 architectural monuments, were damaged in 5 minutes. This attack was the largest in terms of damage documented during a full-scale invasion. The targets were two areas with a large number of historic buildings: the Zalopany district and the central part of the city. The buildings closest to the missile impact site, such as Pushkinska Street and Rozhdestvenska Street, were the most affected. The National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, a key cultural site, suffered serious damage: the roof, floor, walls, and partitions collapsed. The attack also affected the glazing, interior decoration, roofs, and structural integrity of other cultural sites, including community centers, restaurants, and places of worship. Sadly, this attack resulted in over 60 injuries and 10 deaths, making it the deadliest of the invasion.

A volunteer worker of the UN Refugee Agency’s Proliska humanitarian mission was targeted by a Russian FPV drone while distributing aid in Chasovyi Yar, Donetsk Oblast. The drone hit the volunteer’s car, which was clearly marked with blue humanitarian mission markings, causing an explosion that damaged the trunk and broke the car’s glass. Fortunately, the volunteers and the journalists filming the distribution of aid were able to hide and were unharmed. A resident named Tamara, who was receiving aid, was standing closest to the car but also escaped injury. The drone’s charge was believed to be cumulative, meaning it did not contain shrapnel, which likely saved the lives of those involved. It was observed that the drone first flew over the car before turning around and striking a few seconds later.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces released a video showing operators of the 8th Separate Regiment of the Special Forces conducting a successful raid on an enemy stronghold in the Donetsk sector. 

“The combat team acted quickly and smoothly: while one part of the operators distracted the enemy with RGP-40 fire, the other part approached the enemy from the rear. The Ukrainian Armed Forces cleared the stronghold and captured two enemy soldiers,” the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.

Russian forces are reportedly increasing their use of chemical weapons in Ukraine in continued apparent violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is party. Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Center for the Research of Trophy and Prospective Weapons and Military Equipment of the Ukrainian General Staff Captain Andrii Rudyk stated on January 25 that Russian forces began using RG-VO grenades with chloroacetophenone, a type of tear gas used for riot control (also known as a Riot Control Agent [RCA]), in December 2023 and that Ukrainian officials observed 81 instances of Russian forces using the RG-VO grenades in December 2023.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported on January 13 that Russian forces began using a new type of special gas grenade containing CS gas (2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile – also an RCA) on December 14 and that Russian forces have used chemical weapons at least 51 times in the first two weeks of 2024. The Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade previously acknowledged on December 22 that the brigade deliberately uses chemical weapons by dropping K-51 grenades with CS gas from drones onto Ukrainian positions near Krynky in the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast.[

Rudyk stated that the RG-VO grenades can kill personnel in a dugout or an enclosed room within five minutes and that a study found that a recently used Russian RG-VO grenade was manufactured in an unspecified but likely Russian factory in 2023. Rudyk added that Russia may be trying to gauge international reactions to the Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine in order to expand the type of weapons Russian forces are using. Russia is party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which prohibits the use of RCAs as a method of warfare.

28-year-old Junior Sergeant Oles Husak, with the call sign Floyd, tragically died on June 19, 2023. The fighter proved to be a brave warrior against the Russian invaders. Oles was born in the village of Bania Lysovytska, Lviv Oblast. He lived in Lviv. There he studied at school #62 and a music school. He was also involved in judo. He graduated from the College of Technology of Lviv Polytechnic University and Lviv State University of Internal Affairs. He worked as a lawyer. Later, he decided to change his career and became a fitness trainer. He played guitar, sang, and wrote music. He read a lot. He loved spending time with his favorite dog, Tyler Floyd.

From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, the man and his father joined the 3rd Svoboda Battalion of the Rubizh Rapid Response Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine (4th Operational Brigade). At first he defended Kyiv, then went to Luhansk Oblast to fight for Rubizhne and Sievierodonetsk. According to his comrades, Floyd was an extremely skillful grenade launcher. He destroyed many units of enemy armored vehicles. 

The fighter was awarded the Order “For Courage” III class, and medals: “For Merit to the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and “Honor. Glory. State” medals. 

“When leaving Sievierodonetsk, where there was almost a closed ring, Oles made 12 evacuation flights under fire. He saved the lives of 59 people. He also saved the lives of many other comrades. He destroyed enemy equipment. His commanders and senior officers admired him. Oles was the embodiment of justice and wisdom. He seemed to have seen and known everything. He was a man who had an extraordinary talent for everything he did. A warrior who could cross the most terrible line and win there (this is according to the colonel who saw Floyd’s strong will and actions). A grenade launcher who worked in a way that the laws of physics did not always explain. No one believed that it could be real at all. Floyd, who was the stuff of legends even during his lifetime. I have never seen how he could love in books or movies. A man whose biggest dream was a family. He loved us madly. Everyone who saw and knew Oles can confidently say that he saw the greatest miracle of this world,” said the wife of the fallen fighter.

The National Guard was buried on the Mars Field of Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv. Oles is survived by his parents Ulyana and Andriy, sisters Ustyna and Zoreslava, brother Yaromyr, wife Khrystyna and dog Tyler-Floyd.

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

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