What happened on Ukraine's front line on 17 February 2022?

What did the security picture look like on 17 February 2022? Reports from that day described shelling in eastern Ukraine, a diplomatic expulsion in Moscow and fresh troop movements in the Baltic region, all in the shadow of Russia's military buildup on the Ukrainian border.

Shelling in Luhansk Oblast

The Ukrainian government accused Russian separatists of shelling a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska, Luhansk Oblast, with artillery. Three civilians were injured. The Luhansk People's Republic gave a different account, saying its forces had been attacked by the Ukrainian military with mortars, grenade launchers and machine-gun fire. At least 32 shells hit the city, causing power outages and damaging multiple structures. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that shelling had begun in eastern Ukraine.

Diplomacy under strain

The United Nations Security Council convened to discuss Russia's military buildup on the Ukrainian border. The same day, the US State Department confirmed that the US deputy ambassador to Russia had been expelled from the country. White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the expulsion "unprovoked".

Senior British officials said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had now decided to invade Ukraine, citing "changes in the last 24 hours".

Reinforcement in the Baltic

Germany deployed 130 troops and 60 armoured personnel carriers to Lithuania. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the German forces were authorised to defend the country from threats, and more troops were expected to arrive later that week.

The days before

The 17 February reports came after a run of developments earlier in the week. On 15 February, Putin said diplomatic talks would continue, and Russia announced that troops would be partially pulled back from the border while exercises went on. The same day, the State Duma passed a bill to recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as independent states, and sent it to Putin for final approval.

Cyber activity added to the pressure. A cyberattack hit the websites of Ukraine's armed forces, several banks and ministries on 15 February, and a denial-of-service attack on the Defence Ministry's website was reported as continuing on 16 February. The US and its European NATO allies said on 15 February that they were ready to retaliate against Russian cyberwarfare on Ukraine, depending on the severity of the attacks.

Also on 15 February, an attempted terrorist attack on a memorial rally in Luhansk was reportedly stopped. Russian media blamed the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and "special services". A video showed an improvised explosive device being found inside a garbage can.

Taken together, the reports from 17 February showed shelling on the ground, diplomatic confrontation and military reinforcement continuing at once.