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Ukraine war – latest: Russia threatens US with ‘consequences’ over blog post; ‘inappropriate’ Zelenskyy invitation criticised by European leader; Wagner Group changes recruitment policy
Russia has warned of “consequences” after a blog by a US investigative journalist alleged Washington was behind the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Listen to the latest episode of the Ukraine War Diaries podcast while you scroll.
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Key points
Russia trying to annihilate European values, Zelenskyy says in address to EU Parliament View post
Kremlin threatens ‘consequences’ over blog alleging US behind Nord Stream pipeline blasts View post
One EU leader refuses to applaud Zelenskyy at summit View post
Russian forces ‘have regained the initiative’, say analysts View post
UK will probably supply fighter jets to Ukraine, former ambassador says View post
Wagner Group to stop recruiting Russian prisoners View post
Live reporting from Faith Ridler and Samuel Osborne, with updates from Deborah Haynes in Ukraine and Diana Magnay in Moscow
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54m ago
14:44
Polish TV labels Zelenskyy ‘President of Great Britain’
His enduring defiance in the face of Russia’s invasion has helped Volodymyr Zelenskyy achieve the rare feat of straddling most political divides.
He commands respect among most western leaders, regardless of their politics.
But while the Ukrainian’s perceived courage has won countless plaudits, even his most ardent supporter would be hard-pressed to justify the title bestowed on him (presumably accidentally) by a Polish TV station today.
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1h ago
14:00
Evacuations continue from eastern front
The war in Ukraine is nearing a year old, and though millions have fled to neighbouring European countries or been transported to Russia, some remain.
The Kanishchev family have lived at the Yampil village in the Donetsk region since the conflict erupted, and are now attempting to flee the war-torn area.
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2h ago
13:30
US sanctions Russian hacking gang
The United States has imposed sanctions against seven leading members of a notorious Russian hacking gang.
Known as Trickbot, the group’s malicious software was at one point counted among one of the internet’s most pernicious security threats, capable of stealing financial data, spreading across networks, and dropping ransom software.
The group behind it was seen as particularly ruthless.
In its announcement, the US Treasury noted that “during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Trickbot targeted hospitals and healthcare centres, launching a wave of ransomware attacks against hospitals across the United States.”
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2h ago
13:00
Macron responds to Italy PM’s anger over ‘inappropriate’ Zelenskyy dinner snub
As mentioned here earlier (see 11.24 post), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vented her annoyance at the failure of France and Germany to invite her to a dinner in Paris with the country’s two leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Ukraine’s president on Wednesday night ahead of today’s EU summit.
But while previous Italian PM Mario Draghi worked closely with Mr Macron and Mr Scholz on Ukraine, Ms Meloni was left out in the cold.
She told reporters at the Brussels summit earlier today that the snub was “inappropriate”.
But, asked about her comments, Mr Macron insisted he thought Wednesday’s dinner had been fitting.
“As you know, Germany and France have had a special role on the Ukraine question for eight years,” he told reporters, referring to joint mediation by the two countries that tried, and failed, to prevent conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
While she has pledged to maintain the same pro-Ukraine stance, despite the misgivings of some of her coalition allies, Ms Meloni’s brand of nationalist politics has put her at odds with both Mr Macron and Mr Scholz on an array of other issues.
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3h ago
12:30
Watch: Zelenskyy addresses European Council
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon addressed the European Council in Brussels, as he continues to ask the West to provide fighter jets.
He thanked the bloc for supporting Ukraine and stressed again the shared values between the European Union and his own country.
You can watch more of Mr Zelenskyy’s speech in the clip below…
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3h ago
12:00
Ukrainian pilots might only complete UK training ‘post-conflict’ – Wallace
Ben Wallace, the UK’s defence secretary, has suggested that Ukrainian air force pilots might only complete their training in the UK “probably post-conflict”.
It comes as Ukraine continues to push Western allies to supply fighter jets in a bid to shift the balance in the war against Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Mr Wallace, speaking at a joint UK-Italy ministerial press conference in Rome, said: “Britain’s position on some capability (on fighter planes) is nothing to do with trying to cause problems or challenges.
“It is fundamentally that some of our equipment is solely sovereign. Challenger tanks – I don’t have to ask permission of another country to send them, I can just make a decision in collaboration with my foreign secretary and prime minister.
“They are British sovereignty, so it just quicker rather than… if you were to talk about Typhoon fighter jets, there are four nations in that. But also Britain hasn’t said it is necessarily going to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
“What it has said is we’re going to start training to improve the resilience of Ukraine, probably post-conflict, which is no different from what we were doing in 2015 where Britain, Sweden, Canada, America were training the Ukrainians to form their defence.
“That’s not new. All of us on this platform know that over the last year, we shouldn’t rule anything in and we shouldn’t rule anything out.”
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4h ago
11:30
How could the UK help Ukraine to secure Western jets – and do we have any to offer?
Philip Ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer, has told Sky News how the UK might best help Ukraine with its bid to secure donations of jets.
Rather than donate fighters directly, Britain could “fund jets coming from somewhere else”, he said, “until they can get and procure other more Western ones themselves”.
Mr Ingram went on to talk through the jets the UK currently has to hand – and whether donating them to Ukraine is really an option as things stand.
He said the RAF currently has two types of frontline jet.
But the one everyone is talking about “coming in” is new – the F35, he explained.
He said: “There’s only 30 of them, there’s only another seven being delivered this year – and in 2024 and 2025 another 11 being delivered after that.
“That’s a fifth-generation jet, far too sophisticated and [it] still hasn’t got the ability to carry out all of the different operations [that Ukraine needs].”
The “staple jet” the RAF has is the Eurofighter, Mr Ingram added.
“The UK has got five squadrons of 12 frontline jets – but they are being used on a daily basis to help protect NATO’s borders,” he said.
“But across Europe, there are over 570 of them.
“So there’s a pool of them there, and some of the early ones are coming up for replacement.”
Ultimately, the US will need to step up to supply the bulk of the fighters Ukraine is after, Mr Ingram believes – especially if they are the much-discussed F-16s.
“We keep hearing about the F-16, and that’s because there’s over 4,000 of them in different countries around the world,” he said.
“Therefore, with numbers, it’s easy to put that out there. It may not necessarily be the right jet, it’s just the numbers are getting people to think about that.
“The Americans have got the biggest pool.”
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5h ago
10:37
Ukraine to repair heavy armour in Czech Republic
The Ukrainian army’s armoured vehicles will be repaired in the Czech Republic, the country’s Defence Ministry has said.
State-owned company VOP CZ signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine’s government arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom on the repairs on Monday, the ministry said.
“The memorandum… contains a specific plan and timetable for the repairs or securing of spare parts,” said Ales Vytecka, director of the Czech government’s AMOS agency for military cooperation.
The Czech Republic has been one of the top weapons providers to Kyiv since Russia invaded and has supplied Ukraine with armoured personnel carriers, tanks and howitzers.
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5h ago
10:14
Russia must boost tank production, former president says
Russia must boost its production of tanks in response to Western arms supplies to Ukraine, former president Dmitry Medvedev has said.
Visiting a tank factory in the Siberian city of Omsk, Mr Medvedev said: “As we know, our adversary (Ukraine) has been begging abroad for planes, missiles, tanks.
“How should we respond? It is clear that in this case, it is natural for us to increase production of various armaments including modern tanks.”
Mr Medvedev, who was perceived as a relative liberal during his presidency from 2008-2012, has since positioned himself as one of the most hawkish advocates of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
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5h ago
09:43
Zelenskyy: Ukraine intercepted Russian plans to destroy Moldova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country has intercepted plans by the Russian secret services to destroy Moldova.
Speaking to EU leaders in Brussels, he said he had told Moldovan President Maia Sandu about the alleged scheme.
“I have informed her that we have intercepted the plan of the destruction of Moldova by the Russian intelligence,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
He said the documents showed “who, when and how” the plan would “break the democracy of Moldova and establish control over Moldova”.
Mr Zelenskyy said the plan was very similar to the one devised by Russia to take over Ukraine.
But he said he did not know whether Moscow ultimately ordered the plan to be carried out.
Last week Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West is considering turning Moldova into “another Ukraine”.
He said the West backed the 2020 election of Ms Sandu, claiming she is eager to take the nation into NATO and merge the country with Romania.
In December, Moldova’s national intelligence agency said Russia could launch a new offensive this year with the aim of creating a land corridor through southern Ukraine to Moldova’s Moscow-backed breakaway region of Transnistria – which broke away after a 1992 civil war but is not recognised by most countries.
Russia has stationed around 1,500 troops as “peacekeepers” in the breakaway region.
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6h ago
09:27
Russia says it destroyed four artillery depots in Donetsk
Russia’s Defence Ministry has said its forces have destroyed four artillery depots in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
In its daily briefing, the ministry also said it destroyed a US-made radiolocation system and an M109 Paladin artillery system.
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6h ago
09:08
New EU sanctions target Russian propagandists
EU sanctions against Russia will include new export bans worth more than €10bn (£8.9m) and will target Vladimir Putin’s propagandists, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.
“We will target Putin’s propagandists because their lies are poisoning the public space in Russia and abroad”, Ms von der Leyen said during a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels.
The new sanctions “will further starve Russia’s military machine and shake the foundations of its economy”, she added.
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6h ago
08:50
Some EU leaders ready to give jets to Ukraine, Zelenskyy claims
Several EU leaders have said they are ready to provide Ukraine with aircraft to help it fight against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
“Europe will be with us until our victory. I’ve heard it from a number of European leaders… about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including the aircraft,” Mr Zelenskyy told a news conference in Brussels.
“I have a number of bilaterials now, we are going to raise the issue of the fighter jets and other aircraft.”
Moments earlier Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, posted on social media: “The question of long-range weaponry and fighter jets for Ukraine has been resolved.”
“Details still to follow,” he added.
European Council chief Charles Michel said “the road to peace, reconstruction and membership will be a long, hard road,” before adding: “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”
He also said there would be an update on Ukraine’s process of accession to the EU by the end of the year.
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7h ago
08:33
Orban condemned for being only leader not to applaud Zelenskyy at EU summit
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban “can’t even muster the decency to applaud the leader of a nation being wiped off the earth by Russia,” Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt has said.
The former leader of the liberal alliance in the European Parliament made the remarks alongside a video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being applauded by EU leaders as they gathered in Brussels – with the notable exception of Mr Orban.
“The spirit of ’56 has left Hungary’s regime for good,” the former prime minister of Belgium tweeted, a reference to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution in which the country rose up against the USSR’s domination of Hungary’s government.
Hungary has previously criticised EU sanctions on Russia over the invasion, arguing they failed to weaken Moscow meaningfully and risked destroying the European economy, and the country has refused to send weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Orban was criticised last year for wearing a scarf to a football match which depicted some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary.
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7h ago
08:24
Zelenskyy: ‘Long term peace is only possible if Ukraine is an EU member’
In the last few moments, we’ve been hearing from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He has insisted that “long term peace” in Europe is only possible when Ukraine wins the war with Russia – and becomes a member of the European Union.
He added that it is “only fair” that Ukraine takes part in a meeting of EU leaders.
“The EU will be with us until the victory of Ukraine,” he said.
Mr Zelenskyy also used his address to press the need for fighter jets.
He made a similar point on Wednesday when speaking in the UK.
“It is in the interest of all of us that Russia should not make missiles, and should not attack our cities,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader added that the country needs “necessary support on aircraft”, and he will “raise the issue of fighter jets… with EU members”.
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7h ago
07:55
US and French troops stage NATO military drills in Romania
US and French troops will hold a military exercise today to test the 30-nation alliance’s eastern flank defences amid Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The battlegroup’s combat drills at the Black Sea training range in Capu Midia, dubbed Eagle Royal 23, will involve some 350 multinational troops who will practice firing live ammunition.
Romania’s defence ministry said the goal of the drills, held between 2 and 10 February, was to test NATO’s “interoperability of artillery systems” in a fictitious Article 5 collective defence scenario on the alliance’s southeastern territory.
Article 5 requires every alliance member to come to the assistance of any ally that requests it.
NATO bolstered its presence on Europe’s eastern flank in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, sending additional multinational battlegroups to alliance members Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
Last month, around 600 French soldiers deployed to Romania held live combat exercises to test NATO’s readiness in the region in a drill involving some 200 military vehicles and four French Leclerc battle tanks.
NATO also deployed surveillance planes to Romania last month, from where they will fly missions for several weeks to monitor Russian military activity near the alliance’s borders.
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8h ago
07:35
NATO must act together on supplying jets to Ukraine, Poland says
Any decision to supply fighter jets to Ukraine must be taken by NATO as a whole, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said.
He said Poland would not be the first country to supply such aircraft.
“Our position is clear, we can only act within the entire formation of NATO,” Mr Morawiecki told reporters ahead of Mr Zelenskyy’s speech to the European Parliament.
“We will not be the first ones to hand over the fighter jets, but we will respond positively, provided that those who have the most of these jets will be able to give them to Ukraine.”
Mr Morawiecki said Poland did not have enough fighter jets to be the first to supply them to Ukraine and that it could not take steps that would weaken its own security.
He also argued for further sanctions against Russia and said they would be agreed over the next two weeks.
“We must introduce very specific provisions that will show Russia that we are determined in the fight for victory,” he said.
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8h ago
07:18
Russian forces ‘have regained the initiative’ – thinktank
Russian forces “have regained the initiative” in Ukraine and “have begun their next major offensive” in Luhansk Oblast, a US-based thinktank has said.
“The commitment of significant elements of at least three major Russian divisions to offensive operations in this sector indicates the Russian offensive has begun, even if Ukrainian forces are so far preventing Russian forces from securing significant gains,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
It warned the Russian offensive “likely has not yet reached its full tempo”, adding: “Russian forces are gradually beginning an offensive, but its success is not inherent or predetermined.”
However, it also said Russian officials were continuing to “propose measures to prepare Russia’s military industry for a protracted war”.
The institute said the paramilitary Wagner Group was “reportedly resorting to more coercive tactics in its campaign to recruit prisoners” – throwing into doubt comments made by founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, that the group was no longer recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine.
It added: “The Wagner Group will likely continue these more coercive practices as it seeks to replenish its forces in Ukraine with more convict recruits following months of highly attritional human wave attacks in eastern Ukraine.”
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8h ago
06:56
No free Europe without free Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said “a free Europe cannot be imagined without a free Ukraine”.
Addressing the European Council, Mr Zelenskyy thanked the EU for giving support on a “consistent and large scale”.
“Europe should not have grey zones, our whole continent should be open to European destiny,” Mr Zelenskyy told the 27 national EU leaders.
“Unity of Europe is fundamental to security.”
Mr Zelenskyy poses with European Union leaders
Mr Zelenskyy poses with European Union leaders
The Ukrainian president holds the EU flag with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola
The Ukrainian president holds the EU flag with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola
He said the bloc needed to be more practical on sanctions against Russia, citing the drone industry and warning that drone terror would remain a threat.
He called on Europe to be just and deliver justice, and demanded a tribunal against Russia.
