What did the war's pressure look like by 15 February 2023?

What did the war look like in the days leading up to 15 February 2023? Reports from the preceding week describe pressure on the front line, on infrastructure and on Ukraine's neighbours.

On 9 February 2023, Russia launched drone and cruise missile strikes across the south and east of Ukraine. Large explosions were reported in the Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The following day, on 10 February 2023, a Russian Navy drone boat struck the Zatoka railway bridge on Highway H33 near Odesa. It was believed to be the first use of that naval weapon by Russian forces in the war.

Spillover beyond Ukraine

Also on 10 February 2023, Moldova said Russia had fired missiles over its territory at targets inside Ukraine. Moldova condemned the flyover as a violation of its sovereignty and summoned the Russian ambassador for an official explanation. The same day, Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavrilița resigned amid an economic crisis and the collateral effects of the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Tension was visible elsewhere on the border of the region too. On 9 February 2023, Poland announced it was closing a major border crossing with Belarus until further notice, amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Only two checkpoints remained open between them.

The front at Bakhmut

On 14 February 2023, the day before the date in question, Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge between Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka as Russian troops and Wagner Group fighters advanced on Bakhmut.

Taken together, the reports from those days show a conflict pressing on several fronts at once: missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian territory, an attack on transport infrastructure near Odesa, a fight for Bakhmut, and political and security strain in Moldova and along the Polish–Belarusian border.