Putin followed up on last week’s announcement by signing the suspension of the New Start treaty for nuclear non-proliferation. He does so on the day Moscow discovers itself vulnerable: unmanned aircraft are sighted in various regions of the South and even 100 kilometers from the capital. But today a denial of involvement arrives from Kiev: “Ukraine does not strike Russian territory,” said Zelensky adviser Mikhailo Podolyak. Meanwhile, fighting is raging on Ukrainian territory especially around Bakhmut.
Lukashenko to Xi: “Full support for the Chinese peace initiative”
Belarus “fully supports the initiative” of China on the proposals for international peace and security, many of which were taken up in the 12-point peace document presented by Beijing on the Ukrainian crisis, rejected however by Kiev, the US and Europe. This is what Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Kremlin head Vladimir Putin, said in his conversation in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, according to the report by Minsk’s official Belta news agency.
Podolyak denies Kiev’s involvement in drone attacks: “Ukraine does not strike on Russian territory”
Mikhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the president’s office, said on Twitter that Ukraine is not targeting Russia’s territory, denying allegations that Ukraine yesterday attacked regions of the Russian Federation with drones. “Ukraine is waging a defensive war in order to de-occupy all its territories” said Podolyak for which processes of panic and disintegration are growing in Russia, “a manifestation of which is an increase in internal attacks by unidentified flying objects against infrastructural structures”.
Born, Stoltenberg invites Zelensky to the summit in Vilnius
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Alliance summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July: Stoltenberg himself said this in an interview with Lithuanian radio and television station LRT. “I have invited President Zelensky to attend the NATO summit in Vilnius. I strongly believe that this will be a strong sign of our solidarity, of the support allies have for Ukraine, and I hope that Mr. Zelensky will be able to attend.
Of course, this will depend on the situation in Ukraine, which is still in the midst of a war,” he said.
Ukraine, GB intelligence: “Less number of attacks, Moscow has exhausted the stock of kamikaze drones”
Russia’s fewer drone strikes in Ukraine indicate an apparent “depletion” of its arsenals, a fact that is likely to prompt Moscow to look to restock. This was written in its daily report by British intelligence, according to which Russia is also trying to use “a different axis” to carry out this type of attack, starting from points closer to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
NATO, the Hungarian president: “Ratify the accession of Sweden-Finland”
The Hungarian president Katalin Novàk, urged the ratification of Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO “as soon as possible” as the debate on the motions began in Parliament after months in which the bills had been blocked. The Guardian reports it. “It’s a complex decision, with serious consequences, so careful consideration is required,” Novak said on Facebook. “My position is clear: in the current situation, the accession of Sweden and Finland is justified. I trust that the national assembly will take a wise decision as soon as possible!” added the president. Hungary and Turkey are the two NATO members that have yet to ratify the entry of Sweden and Finland.
Russia, Duma to vote: up to 15 years for those who discredit fighters
The Duma, Russia’s parliament, today began voting on amendments to the law that further strengthen the country’s censorship laws, providing for up to 15 years in prison for those who discredit the armed forces and voluntary military organizations such as the Wagner group. “Any kind of public dissemination of knowingly false information and public actions aimed at discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, volunteer units are inadmissible,” said the chairman of the Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on Telegram, as reported by Interfax.
Ukraine, Russian bombs on Kherson: 5 dead
Five people died and seven others were injured during yesterday’s Russian shelling of the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, the Regional Military Administration announced, as reported by the Ukrainian media. The city and the region of the same name were hit 86 times during the day. “They fired from MLRS (multiple launch missile systems, ed.), mortars, artillery, tanks, drones and aircraft. Kherson was bombed nine times by the Russian army: once again they hit the residential districts of the city,” he says the report noting that the area of a state-owned enterprise was also affected as well as some houses.
Ukraine, GB intelligence: “Moscow launches drones from Briansk, increases threat to Kiev”
The Russian military has begun launching its Shahed kamikaze drones from Russia’s Briansk region, a move that poses a greater threat to Kiev, the British Defense Ministry wrote in its daily intelligence update. In its report published on Twitter, the ministry comments that the attack with the Shahed on February 26 probably started from the Bryansk region – which is located about 200km from the Ukrainian capital – while the only launch site observed since mid-December 2022 was that of the Krasnodar region, across the Sea of Azov. “A second launch site would give the Russians a different axis of attack, closer to Kiev,” commented the London experts.
Kiev: “Russians continue to evacuate occupied Crimea”
The Russians continue to evacuate the occupied Crimean peninsula: the General Staff reports Armed Forces of Ukraine on his Facebook page. “Once again, the evacuation of some categories of citizens from the occupied Crimea has been recorded. Recently, the soldiers of the Russian occupation forces stationed in Perevalny (central-east, ed.) sent their families to Russia”, it is law in the army report. At the same time, the Russians are strengthening their defenses on the peninsula and building fortifications.
US: “China spends billions on pro-Russian disinformation”
China has spent billions of dollars spreading disinformation globally, including pro-Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine. The special envoy of the United States James Rubin, coordinator of the Global Engagement Center, a US State Department body set up to “expose and counter” foreign propaganda and disinformation. A journalist and former Clinton administration official, Rubin also argued that the West has been too slow to respond to this disinformation. In which China spends much more money than Russia.
Matt Pottinger: “Italy won’t renew the agreement. Only Beijing helps with the Silk Road”
by our correspondent Paolo Mastrolilli
Media: explosions in Crimea overnight
Explosions in the western part of occupied Crimea: Ukrainian media report it, citing local Telegram channels. The explosions occurred in Yevpatoria, about 65 km north of Sevastopol, and in the village of Chornomorske.
“They were heard in Chornomorske all night until 5 in the morning… In Chornomorske, windows shook from explosions at 1:54, 2:55 and 4:20,” local sources said. Explosions were also reported in Yevpatoria, one of them in the northern part of Sevastopol
Plane alarm in Mykolaiv
An air raid alarm went off this morning in the Mykolaiv region, in southern Ukraine: the governor of the region, Vitaly Kim, announced it on Telegram, as reported by the Guardian.
IAEA: the bombings near the Zaporizhzhia plant are worrying
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, has expressed concern about the new artillery shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the temporary loss of the only remaining backup power line.
Kiev: five Russian drones shot down over Poltava oblast
Ukraine’s air defense has shot down five Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Poltava oblast during the night. This was reported by the governor Dmytro Lunin quoted by ‘The Kyiv Independent’.
In Kiev, there is a strong threat of attacks with kamikaze drones
Kremenchuk mayor Vitaly Maletskyi said sounds similar to explosions were heard in the city. Kyiv region police report a high threat of attack by Iranian “Shahed” UAVs, known as ‘kamikaze drones’.
CNN: The US has trained more than 4,000 Ukrainian servicemen
The United States has already trained more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers since January and more than 4,000 since the start of the Russian invasion. CNN reported it. “Collective training is underway throughout Europe” said General Douglas Sims II, director of operations of the Joint Chief of Staff explaining that “since January, the US military has trained over 1,000 Ukrainians, bringing the total number of trained soldiers from the United States to just over 4,000″.
Kiev invia altre truppe a Bakhmut
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces and Eastern Operational Command, ordered more troops to be sent to Bakhmut after his trip to the front lines on 25 February. This was reported by The Kyiv Independent.
Air warning in Kiev and other regions
Air raid alerts went off in various regions of Ukraine, including in Kiev. Sirens, writes UNIAN, sounded in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad regions and in the Nikopol district, Dnipropetrovsk region. The head of the Poltava regional military administration, Dmytro Lunin, reported on Telegram that a Russian unmanned aircraft had been shot down.