Unity Day
Ukraine marked Unity Day on 16 February. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced it two days ago at the peak of concerns about imminent Russian invasion.
Border situation
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the Ukrainian military controls the situation on our state's borders, while a full-fledged withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian border has not yet been observed.
"We don't see any change yet. We see a large accumulation of troops, it has not changed in recent weeks. We see some or other small rotations. I would not call these rotations today a withdrawal of troops by the Russian Federation. We cannot state that," Zelenskyy said upon his return from Mariupol.
Belarus
A pontoon bridge across the Prypyat Rivet has been installed within the Belarusian part of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant's exclusion zone, 4 km away from the Ukrainian border, the Militarny portal has reported, quoting OSINT activists. It noted that it is unclear whether the bridge was put in place for the Belarusian-Russian military exercise Union Resolve. This area was not among the official venues listed for the exercise.
Ukraine seeks UNSC involvement
Ukraine has asked the UN Security Council to discuss on 17 February the Russian Stat Duma's proposal to recognize the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics, "which undermines the Minsk agreements and the peace process", Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has tweeted.
Poll on Minsk deal
The majority of Ukrainians believe that the Minsk agreements on Donbas and that Ukraine should sign new ones. This opinion is held by 63% of respondents and their share is increasing, a poll conducted by the Rating pollster has found.
Only 11% of respondents believe that Ukraine should meet all the requirements whereas 18% say Ukraine should withdraw from the negotiation process.
Journalist's trial
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned a verdict handed down on Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesipenko by the Russian occupying authorities' court in Crimea and demanded his release. He was sentenced to six years in colony and a fine for "collecting intelligence for Ukraine and making an IED.
"This verdict is groundless and politically motivated and once again confirms the suppression of freedom of speech on the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
DDoS attack
The 15 February DDoS attacks on a number of government websites may have been carried out by foreign special services, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has said. The cyber police are working to identify the vectors of the attacks. Digital Transformation Minister Mykhaylo Fedorov suggested they sought to sow panic among Ukrainians and destabilize the country.
Eurovision
Singer Alina Pash has decided to withdraw her candidacy as Ukraine's representative at Eurovision 2022.
Following the announcement of the results of the Eurovision 2022 national selection, where she received the highest score, a media scandal broke out. It transpired that she could have violated the conditions of participation. In particular, in 2015 she visited occupied Crimea in violation of Ukrainian legislation.