Latest in Ukraine: Updates on Russia's war and a look ahead (Feb. 13)

By NPR Staff

Published February 13, 2023 at 9:59 AM EST

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) walks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the tarmac of Vélizy-Villacoublay airbase as they prepare to board a flight together, en route to Brussels for a summit at European Parliament, on Feb. 9. Zelenskyy made a surprise Europe tour last week.

Here's a look ahead and a roundup of key developments from the past week.

What to watch

NATO defense chiefs are set to meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels, including a gathering of the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Also Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to address an annual gathering of judges, including those in military courts.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the World Government Summit in the United Arab Emirates the same day.

And Yale University will release a report that afternoon on the Russian government's alleged kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will give a foreign policy address to parliament on Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, U.N. agencies will launch Ukraine refugee and humanitarian response plans.

Next week will mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

What happened last week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise Europe tour, meeting leaders in London, Paris and Brussels, and reiterating his call for allies to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Russian forces began their next major offensive in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, attacking Ukrainian defensive lines and making marginal advances, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Analysts at the Atlantic Council also said Russian forces are pushing to encircle Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova attended President Biden's State of the Union speech, for the second year in a row, but the war in Ukraine received far less attention in the address this time.

There's "strong indication" Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the go-ahead to supply anti-aircraft weapons to separatists in Ukraine, according to the international team investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.

Russia launched killer drones, cruise missiles and bombers across Ukraine on Friday, targeting the country's energy infrastructure.

A British defense intelligence assessment said Russia had suffered its highest rate of casualties since the start of the war.

In-depth

Russia is draining a massive Ukrainian reservoir, endangering a nuclear plant.

Why Zelenskyy visited the U.K. nearly 1 year into Russia's war on Ukraine.

Europe bans Russian oil products, the latest strike on the Kremlin war chest.

In 2022, Ukraine was a rallying cry in the State of the Union. In 2023, not so much.

Malaysian Airlines shootdown probe finds "strong indications" Putin approved missiles.

Special report

Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world: See its ripple effects in all corners of the globe.

Earlier developments

You can read past recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR's coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.