“The retreat of the Ukrainian troops from the city of Avdiivdka was not a retreat but a 'chaotic escape'”, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Putin, Kiev's statement regarding the choice to withdraw was dictated by 'political reasons'. «Russia has never been against negotiations. We are always in favor” said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. This concerns not only Ukraine but also the dialogue on strategic stability which, Putin continued, Russia “has never rejected”.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the United States plans to announce a “major sanctions package” on Friday, aiming to hold Russia accountable for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that the country, which borders Russia, had successfully foiled a “hybrid operation” by Russian security services on its territory. Public broadcaster ERR reported that Estonia's Internal Security Service said a total of 10 people had been arrested as part of a criminal investigation linked to vandalized cars belonging to the country's Interior Minister and a journalist. The ISS said the operation took place last year. The Russian Federal Security Service has arrested a woman with dual Russian-US citizenship, Russian media reported. She is believed to be a 33-year-old resident of Los Angeles. She was arrested in the Ural mountain city of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of treason for raising money for the Ukrainian armed forces.
To know more:
– Continuous moves and distant children: the new life as a protégé of Yulia, Navalny's widow
– Gianluca Savoini, the man who connects Matteo Salvini and Vladimir Putin's court
– Renzi: “Moscow responsible for Navanly's death, so the League denies reality”
– Why Putin gave a luxury car to Kim Jong-un: how much it costs and what model it is
The first group of Ukrainian pilots will complete US F-16 training by summer
The Arizona National Guard said the first four Ukrainian pilots will complete training on F-16 fighter jets this summer. The pilots began training in mid-October at the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Arizona. The Pentagon said the training process will take several months to complete. A second group of four other pilots began training in January, according to Capt. Erin Hannigan, a spokeswoman for the Arizona National Guard, while a third group of four is currently undergoing the English-language training needed to fly the fighter fourth generation American. All pilots are expected to complete their training between May and August, Hannigan said, although the exact timing depends on the progress of the program.
Russian troops continue to advance to Avdiivka
A Ukrainian commander stationed on the outskirts of Avdiivka said Russia has the capability to continue its advance into the eastern city and “will continue to do so.” Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops are “clearly aware that the Russians have enough forces in the city itself to continue their offensive.” He said that Russian troops were headed in the direction of Lastochkyne.
Former FBI mole had helped the Russian 007s to smear the Bidens: arrested
The revelation was made by the Justice Department in a memo related to his detention. Smirnov, 43, was arrested in recent days at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas after arriving from abroad. He was considered one of the key prosecution witnesses in the impeachment inquiry launched by House Republicans against the president and his alleged complicity in his son Hunter's controversial foreign affairs. The former FBI mole was indicted for lying about the alleged involvement of father and son in the activities of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, when the former was vice president and the latter sat on the board of the company earning 50 thousand dollars a month. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted.
White House, new sanctions on Moscow will have an impact
The new “substantial” package of sanctions against Russia that the United States will announce on Friday “will cover a number of different elements of the Russian defense industrial base and sources of revenue for the Russian economy, which fuel its war machine” and “We believe it will have an impact.” This was stated by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, underlining that the new measures add to “a significant framework of sanctions that we have built with our allies and partners over the last two years”. This is, the official said in a conference call with a group of journalists, “another turn of the crank,” “a significant range of targets that we have worked persistently and diligently to identify.” The package, Sullivan said, comes the day after the death of Alexei Navalny, for which Vladimir Putin is “responsible”, and two years after the start of the invasion
Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk
A Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, injured at least three people. This was reported by regional governor Vadym Filashkin, adding that an industrial area and a residential building were damaged. “We are determining the final consequences of the bombing,” Filashkin said, urging residents to evacuate front-line towns in Donetsk Oblast. The Kramatorsk city council announced that the city's water supply may be cut following the attack.
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