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Ukraine marks the Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred
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Ukraine marks the Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred

20 February 2023
Today, on Monday (20 February), Ukraine is marking the Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred in commemoration of those who died during the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, also known as the Revolution of Dignity. It has been marked annually on 20 February following a Presidential Decree signed by then-Ukrainian President on 11 February 2015, "On commemorating the feat of the participants in the Revolution of Dignity and perpetuating the memory of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred." "The Heavenly Hundred" refers to the 108 people who died during the Euromaidan protests nine years ago. This includes 105 Ukrainians and three foreigners, one from Belarus and two from Georgia. It was between 18-20 February 2014 that the Revolution was at its most violent, during which time 78 protesters were killed on Independence Square in Kyiv. After 20 February, over 20 protesters died of their injuries. The day began with a short address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said: "The time comes when the voices of millions merge into a single voice of the people, saying that Ukrainians want and will live only in a free state. In their own Ukraine. Which will certainly survive. And which will certainly preserve freedom."
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South Caucasus leaders share Munich platform to outline vision for the region
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South Caucasus leaders share Munich platform to outline vision for the region

19 February 2023
The leaders of the three South Caucasus countries made a rare joint appearance at the Munich Security Conference this weekend, to outline their vision for the future of the region. There was a certain awkwardness in the air as Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and Irakli Garibashvili of Georgia answered questions put by the moderator, Christoph Heusgen, during a panel entitled "Moving mountains, building security in the South Caucasus". The moderator further complicated things when he described the event as a historic first meeting of the leaders of the three South Caucasus countries. An appearance at the same event can hardly be called a meeting. Despite this however, the appearance of the the leaders together is a rare event, and augurs well for future regional co-operation which up to now has been largely non-existent. On the margins of the Munich conference, president Aliyev and prime minister Pashinyan also had a face to face meeting in a gathering hosted by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. After a hiatus of several months it now seems that the peace process between the two countries is starting to gather pace again.
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Russia may have lost up to 200,000 troops, according to UK intelligence
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Russia may have lost up to 200,000 troops, according to UK intelligence

17 February 2023
In a security briefing on the Russia-Ukraine war released on Friday (17 February), the UK Ministry of Defence has announced that they believe that Russia may have lost anywhere between 175,000 and 200,000 soldiers since the 24 February 2022. This figure includes regular soldiers from the Russian Armed Forces and private military contractors from the likes of the Wagner group. The briefing adds that the number of killed could be anywhere between 40,000 and 60,000, and that the casualty rate has significantly increased since Vladimir Putin announced his 'partial mobilisation' in September 2022. It goes on to say that by modern standards, "these figures represent a high ratio of personnel killed compared to those wounded", adding that the casualty rate has likely been exacerbated by "extremely rudimentary medical provision across much of the force". Finally, the briefing writes that Wagner forces have deployed large numbers of convict recruits, who have probably seen a casualty rate of up to 50%.
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It took an earthquake to jolt Armenia-Turkey relations out of decades of animosity
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It took an earthquake to jolt Armenia-Turkey relations out of decades of animosity

16 February 2023
The earthquake that hit Turkey and parts of Syria on 6 February was a massive tragedy. As of Thursday (16 February) it has left nearly fifty thousand people dead, many tens of thousands injured and millions affected directly or indirectly. The world rallied around the beleaguered communities, putting aside political differences and diplomatic obstacles. The impact of the earthquake on Turkey was enormous. Ten out of eighty one Turkish provinces were affected, and some Turkish towns were wiped away almost completely. Humanitarian aid started pouring into Turkey from every part of the world. The contribution of one small neighbouring country was particularly significant, not only as part of the humanitarian effort, but also for its political and diplomatic symbolism. Armenia and Turkey have had a difficult relationship for decades. The two neighbouring countries do not have diplomatic relations. Their borders are closed. Recent attempts to normalise relations appeared to be moving at very slow speed – both sides having to manoeuvre around many sensitive issues, and a heavy baggage of history. It took an earthquake to jolt relations out of decades of animosity.
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Russia launches another wave of missile strikes on Ukraine after very heavy losses
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Russia launches another wave of missile strikes on Ukraine after very heavy losses

16 February 2023
Russia has unleashed a 15th wave of missile strikes against Ukraine overnight on Thursday (16 February) after reportedly sustaining very heavy losses in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. According to the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces Valery Zaluzhny, overnight Russia launched 36 air and sea-based cruise, guided air-to-surface, and anti-ship missiles. He added that 16 of them were shot down by Ukrainian air defence. In a post on Telegram on Thursday morning, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said, "the situation [in the East] is tense. Yes, it is difficult for us. But our fighters are not allowing the enemy to achieve their goals and are inflicting very serious losses." The latest wave of strikes comes after the military think tank, The Institute for Strategic Studies, suggests that Moscow's has lost as much as 50% of its pre-invasion fleet of modern T-72B3 and T-72B3M main battle tanks. Meanwhile, the UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has suggested that as many as two-thirds of Russia's tanks could be either "destroyed or broken". Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday (15 February), Mr Wallace added that they believe that as much as 97% of Russia's entire army are now in Ukraine.