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Canada will provide Ukraine with a new military assistance package that includes 25 LAV III APCs, four F-16 flight simulators, additional ammunition, drones, and first aid kits, as announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Support Ukraine Summit in Kyiv. This is in addition to providing the first tranche from a CA$5 billion (USD$3.5 billion) package funded by frozen Russian assets and a grant for Ukraine's energy security. The LAV III is no longer in production and will come from Canada's army stocks. They are armed with 25mm Bushmaster cannons compatible which fired the same ammunition as US Bradley fighting vehicles. The LAV III is an 8x8 vehicle and is broadly similar to the Stryker; both are descended from the Swiss Piranha III. The side armor is rated to stop 14.5 mm ammunition and the front armor is rated to stop 30mm ammunition.
A drone attack struck the Ryazan oil refinery on February 24, 2025, around 3 a.m. This is the third strike on this refinery this year. Local residents reported explosions, followed by smoke and fire. Ryazan region governor Pavel Malkov claimed air defense systems shot down two drones, with falling wreckage causing a fire. He reported there were no casualties. NASA’s FIRMS fire monitoring satellites detected fires at the refinery beginning at 1:52 a.m., earlier than official reports. Footage shows intense, widespread fires burning at the facility. The previous attacks on the same facility took place on January 23 and 26, 2025. Additionally, it has been reported that an oil depot in the Uzlovsky district of Tula Oblast was attacked. Video shows a fire burning there at night, and a daytime photo shows a burned storage tank.
Shield AI, the manufacturer of the V-BAT drone, is looking for Ukrainian manufacturers to produce laser-guided munitions to integrate with the V-BAT drone. The company has a permanent office and R&D facility in Kyiv. V-BAT drones were delivered to Ukrainian Defense Forces in January 2025, have a 150 km range an 11 kg payload, and can remain airborne for up to 10 hours. They can also function as repeaters for other strike systems. The drones are equipped with optoelectronic and infrared imaging sensors, and they utilize AI to help identify targets. In August of 2025, photos were published of BK-3OF high-explosive laser-guided munitions mounted on Ukrainian drones.
Kyrylo Budanov, the Chief of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, assured that there is no significant risk of Starlink being blocked for Ukraine. He added that over the past week and a half, Starlink devices which were being used by Russians in combat zones, have been disconnected, occasionally cutting off communication for entire units.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that he was willing to resign from the presidency under two conditions: either to secure peace for Ukraine or to gain NATO membership for Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently stated that Ukraine joining NATO would be "unacceptable" to Moscow and a "direct threat" to Russian sovereignty.
Ukrainian defense company Ukroboronprom has signed an agreement to produce Roshel armored vehicles in Ukraine. A local factory will receive the blueprints and materials needed for manufacturing. Roshel has supplied 1,400 Senator armored vehicles to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. It announced plans to localize production in Ukraine back in May 2024 and pledged to invest millions in building a Ukrainian plant to provide vehicles to both Ukraine and other European customers. The company has already established service centers in Ukraine and is also expanding with new production facilities in the United States and possibly Poland in the future.
Germany will provide Ukraine with 370,000 artillery shells in 2025. This is 30,000 more shells than they provided in 2024. Germany will also provide Ukraine with six RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzers this year. Ukraine will get 54 of these systems in total. The first one arrived on January 13 and is being used to train crews. Germany will also train 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers in 2025. These trainees will include medics and snipers.
Ireland will deliver Giraffe Mark IV air defense radars to Ukraine, as the Irish Government’s commitment to providing non-lethal aid to Ukraine. These radars are a large partition of the country’s aging air defense network.
The Australian Government has announced its largest package of sanctions on Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion began in 2022, consisting of further targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 70 persons, and targeted financial sanctions on 79 entities. The sanctions target officials in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as those involved with facilitating North Korea’s involvement in the war.
New Zealand also announced new sanctions on Russia, targeting 52 individuals and entities involved in Russia’s military-industrial complex, its energy sector, North Korea’s support to Russia’s war effort, and the forced relocation or re-education of Ukrainian children. Additionally, New Zealand allocated $3 million to the World Bank-administered Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund.
Spain will provide Ukraine with a military aid package worth €1 billion, according to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. This comes from part of a 10-year bilateral security agreement signed last year between Ukraine and Spain. In addition, Spain plans to create a special Ukrainian hub in Alicante, Spain to support Ukraine's recovery.
Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Støre announced that Norway will provide Ukraine with €3.5 billion of aid for 2025. €300 million will be allocated to purchasing weapons from Ukraine’s defense industry.
Denmark announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth €270 million to purchase ammunition for Ukrainian soldiers and the development of a brigade-sized Ukrainian force together with the Nordic and Baltic countries. Additionally, Denmark allocated €54 million to Ukraine for humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts.
Sweden announced it will allocate an additional €100 million to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense.
Finland will allocate €4.5 million to support infrastructure recovery, public services, and Ukraine’s EU integration.
President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen announced that the EU will provide Ukraine with €3.5 billion in March.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, announced that the UK will allocate €5.4 billion for Ukraine’s defense in 2025,
Additionally, the United Kingdom announced its largest-ever sanctions package on Russia. The UK’s Foreign Office said it was sanctioning producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics, and dual-use goods including microprocessors used in weapons systems. These were based in a wide range of countries, including Turkey, Thailand, India, China, and several Central Asian countries, among others. A further 40 vessels used in Russia’s shadow fleet were sanctioned, which were responsible for carrying €5 billion worth of Russian oil in the past six months alone. Additionally, the sanctions targeted North Korea's defense minister No Kwang Chol over the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia. For the first time, a foreign financial institution used to support Russia’s war machine was sanctioned, which is the Kyrgyzstan-based OJSC Keremet Bank. 13 Russian targets, including LLC Grant-Trade, its owner Marat Mustafaev and his sister Dinara Mustafaeva, who have used the company to funnel advanced European technology into Russia were sanctioned as well. Lastly, the UK sanctioned 14 ‘New Kleptocrats’, some of whom are fronting up strategic sectors of Russia’s economy. Among them is Roman Trotsenko, one of the wealthiest men in Russia, worth €2.6 billion.
Russian milblogger rusich_army:
F-16 activity in the Kursk direction
In the last week, American-made fighter jets have resumed their activity. Only this time, they are increasingly being observed in the Kursk direction.
If at first they took off from the Vasilkov airfield and flew to the border with the Sumy region, now they are approaching closer to the Russian border. And, as a rule, it is accompanied by two MiG-29 fighters.
A couple of days ago, one F-16 and two MiG-29s from Vasilkov. One of the MiG-29s dropped two guided bombs in the direction of Sverdlikovo. So F-16 activity has really become more frequent.
And another interesting point is that Ukrainian formations continue to send reserves to Sumy Oblast. The 6th Bohr of the state special transport service is being formed at the 169th training center in Desna. Upon completion of training, the battalion (up to 400 people) is planned to be transferred to Sumy Oblast by March 2.
The use of F-16 fighters near the Kursk region, as well as the planning of the transfer of new reinforcements, indicates a desire to maintain a wedge in the Kursk region. At the same time, it is possible that the enemy will try to strike in other areas, for example, in Volchansk.
Quote of the Day:
― Abraham Lincoln