Ukraine news latest — Putin plotting ‘dangerous escalation’ of war as West warned over Russia’s air-force capabilities

Boris reveals Putin threatened to kill him

Putin made a chilling threat to Boris Johnson that he could kill him in a missile attack, the former PM reveals today.

Mad Vlad’s menacing phone call came a day after Boris visited Kyiv last February amid fears of a Russian invasion.

Mr Johnson makes the shock claim in a BBC series starting tonight.

Mr Johnson tried to use his trip to warn the Kremlin an assault would be disastrous.

Paranoid Putin feared Nato encroachment on his borders.

Moscow was told there would be tough sanctions if Putin invaded and “more Nato, not less” in the region — which triggered Mad Vlad’s threat.

Russia ‘kill one resident of Donetsk region’

Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, has reported on the situation in the region.

In his daily briefing he said: “No one was injured in the Volnovakha direction under fire from Vuhledar, Novoukrainka and Prechystivka.

“In the Donetsk direction, Kurakhove was shelled five times — five private houses were damaged.

“Russians killed one resident of Donetsk region, wounded one more.”

Russian deputy foreign minister rules out talking to ‘puppet masters’

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has ruled out talking to Kyiv or its Western “puppet masters” after their continues support to Ukraine.

According to the RIA news agency he said no one in the West has come up with any serious initiatives on resolving the crisis.

Zelensky slams IOC decision

Zelensky has slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), claiming that by allowing Russia to compete it would show that “terror is somehow acceptable”.

Speaking during his nightly address, Zelensky said the IOC’s attempt “to bring Russian athletes back into the Olympic Games are attempts to tell the whole world that terror is somehow acceptable”.

Zelensky has raised the issue with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Zelensky calls for faster weapon delivery

Volodymyr Zelensky has called for faster delivery in weapons as Vladimir Putin continues Russian attacks.

In his nightly address Zelensky said: “The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region – there are constant Russian attacks.

“Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. So we have to make time our weapon. We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine.” 

Fighter jets ruled out

German chancellor Olaf Scholz, has ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, despite pleas to create a “fighter jet coalition”.

His decision comes just days after committing to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

This announcement, along with the United States pledge of M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, is said to have infuriated the Kremlin.

During an interview with a German newspaper, Olaf Scholz also warned against a bidding war for weapons.

He said: “The fact we’ve only just made a decision (on sending tanks) and the next debate is firing up in Germany, that just seems frivolous”.

Vladimir Putin ‘to launch pre-emptive strike on West in just weeks’

Secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, Oleksiy Danilov said that troops are preparing for a new wave of attacks from Russia.

They believe that Putin will strike again to mark the first anniversary of the war on February 24, 2023.

He told Radio Svoboda: “Now they are preparing for maximum activation, and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.

“There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say.”

Friends say their last goodbye to volunteer Andrew Bagshaw

On Sunday, friends and volunteers gathered together in Kyiv’s St Sophias Cathedral to say their last goodbye to Andrew Bagshaw, 48.

The New Zealand-British national went missing earlier in January along with Briton Christopher Parry while going to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region, where there was heavy fighting.

The two volunteers were evacuating people from a front-line Ukrainian town.

Ukrainian tank crews arrive in the UK for traning

The UK’s Ministry of Defence announced yesterday the tank crews from Ukraine have arrived in Britain.

The crews will be undergoing training on how to use and maintain and everything they need to know about the Challenger 2 tanks which will be provided to Ukraine.

One in four of Russian troops are convicts freed from jail

UK military expert Ian Stubbs revealed that one in four Russian troops fighting in Ukraine are convicts that have been released from jail.

They have been promised a full pardon for the crimes they were convicted of if they survive for six months on the front line.

Mr Stubbs said: “Wagner has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign. It almost certainly commands up to 50,000 fighters.

“At least 40,000 of these appear to be convicts. This means approximately one quarter of all Russian personnel serving in Ukraine are convicts recruited by Wagner.

“However we see evidence of tension between the military leadership and Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin.”

Austrian lender claims that it’s a target of Ukraine’s sanctions

Raifessen Leasing Russia – a unit of Austrian lender Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) said that it has become one of the 182 companies targeted by Ukrainian sanctions.

RBI operates in both Russia and Ukraine – which called for companies such as RBI to leave Vladimir Putin’s nation.

Half of its profit is earned from Russia making it one of the most exposed European banks to the market.

An RBI spokesperson said: “The political decision of the Ukrainian government to put around 30 Russian leasing companies, including Raiffeisen Leasing Russia, on a sanctions list means that leased goods of Raiffeisen Leasing Russia’s customers can be confiscated on Ukrainian territory.

“Raiffeisen Leasing Russia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raiffeisenbank Russia. The leasing volume it financed amounted to 362 million euros ($393 million) at the end of December 2022. It has not concluded any new leasing contracts since the outbreak of the war.”

Germany’s Scholz on speaking with Putin

The Berlin daily Tagesspiegel published an interview with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in which he said: “I will also speak to Putin again because it is necessary to speak.

“The onus is on Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine to end this horrendous, senseless war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives already.”

The last time Scholz and Putin spoke was over the phone in December when the Russian President told Germany to rethink their approach as at the time the German and Western line on Ukraine was “destructive.”

Vladimir Putin open to communicate with Germany

A Kremlin spokesman told the state RIA Novosti news that Russian president Vladimir Putin is open to speaking with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “For now, there are no agreed talks (with Scholz) in the schedule. Putin has been and remains open to contacts.

North Korea denies providing Russia with weaponry

Washington had accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia.

On Sunday, director general of the Department of US Affairs, Kwon Jong Gun said: “Trying to tarnish the image of (North Korea) by fabricating a non-existent thing is a grave provocation that can never be allowed and that cannot but trigger its reaction.”

The statement, released through the official Korean Central News Agency, added that the US would face “really undesirable result” if it kept spreading the “self-made rumour”.

Pentagon urged by US military to send F-16s to Ukraine

US military officials are asked the Pentagon to provide Ukraine with F-16 jets to help protect people from Russian missiles and drones.

It comes after over on Friday through Saturday, Ukraine suffered a series of attacks from Russian forces.

The danger that will follow for years to come from landmines

More than 40% of Ukraine is now contaminated with mines and experts believe that it is now the most-mined country in the world.

Kateryna Templeton from the Mines Advisory Group told Sky News that the contamination is so “massive” that it isn’t “even comparable to Syria and Afghanistan.”

Since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, to January 10, 2023, there have been 611 mine-related casualties recorded in Ukraine.

These make the land very dangerous, in fact, agricultural production has already been affected.

Meanwhile, newly-liberated towns may remain dangerous to live in for a long time after the Russians have been forced out.

‘Russia will lose this war’, says Zelensky

President Zelensky has this evening addressed the attack which took place in Olenivka, six months ago.

Taking to Twitter, the Ukrainian leader wrote: ”6 months ago, Russia carried out a horrific terrorist attack in Olenivka.

”We won’t allow this crime to be forgotten, we remember every killed Ukrainian warrior.

”And we’re working to punish all those responsible for their deaths. The perpetrators will be found and brought to justice.

He continued: ”The insidious mass murder in Olenivka will be one of the charges at the international tribunal against Russian aggressor.

”Russia will lose this war. Evil and meanness always lose. We must bring all Ukrainians home from Russian captivity. We are working for this.”

One in four of Russian troops are convicts freed from jail

UK military expert Ian Stubbs revealed that one in four Russian troops fighting in Ukraine are convicts that have been released from jail.

They have been promised a full pardon for the crimes they were convicted of if they survive for six months on the front line.

Mr Stubbs said: “Wagner has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign. It almost certainly commands up to 50,000 fighters.

“At least 40,000 of these appear to be convicts. This means approximately one quarter of all Russian personnel serving in Ukraine are convicts recruited by Wagner.

“However we see evidence of tension between the military leadership and Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin.”

Russia reportedly conducts offensive in Donetsk Oblast

According to the General Staff, Russian military conducted an offensive in Donetsk Oblast today, The Kyiv Independent reports.

The report added that the offensive was conducted toward the settlements of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka.

650 Russians killed according to Ukraine

Ukraine’s armed forces have claimed that 650 Russian soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours.

The total number of losses is estimated to be 126,160 according to Ukraine.

Zelensky: We need faster supplies, new weapons to confront ‘tough’ situation

Ukraine is facing a “very tough” situation in the eastern Donetsk region and needs faster weapons supplies and new types of weaponry to withstand Russian attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

“The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region — there are constant Russian attacks,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

“Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. So we have to make time our weapon.

“We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine.”