Putin orders troops to take Donbass by March
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Tuesday’s claim by Ukrainian intelligence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military leaders to complete the seizure of the Donbass industrial region from eastern Ukraine by March.
Peskov, asked to comment on the claim, said: “I cannot, and I have no intention of doing so,” the Russian state agency said. Cup reported media.
Andrey Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s intelligence services, said Putin gave the order to Valery Gerasimov, the new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine. The report comes as Western nations scramble to supply Ukraine with tanks and missile defense systems aimed at repelling the Russian invasion that began nearly 11 months ago.
The Donbass region has been the main focus of the war for months. It includes the oblasts or provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed militants have sought to establish self-proclaimed “people’s republics”. Russia “annexed” the region late last year but failed to gain full military control.
Other developments:
►Army General Mark Milley, a senior US army officer, met his Ukrainian counterpart, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, near the Ukrainian-Polish border for the first time on Tuesday.
►Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska urged world leaders and business leaders at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland to use their influence to reverse the global damage from Russia’s war in Ukraine, such as food shortages.
►Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that his country’s military would increase his strength from 1.15 million servicemen to 1.5 million by 2026. He also pledged to increase the number of training grounds – including “in the new territories of Russia”, apparently in Ukraine .
►As he is in a rush to supply Ukraine with advanced tanks, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has appointed regional official Boris Pistorius Minister of Defence. Pistorius replaces Christine Lambrecht, who resigned on Monday following heavy criticism for the country’s wavering response to the war in Ukraine.
►Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and other US officials met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday. They reiterated Washington’s “strong and unwavering commitment to Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
PENAL PROCEDURE start for the Russians behind the missile strike; Ukrainian soldiers arrive at Fort Sill: live updates
Death toll rises in Russian missile strike on Dnipro building
Six children were among at least 45 people killed when a Russian missile was rammed into a building in central Ukraine last weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
National Police Chief Igor Klymenko said search and rescue operations had ended at the site of the nine-story building that housed around 1,700 people in Dnipro. Sixteen children were among the 79 injured, including 28 hospitalized, 10 in serious condition, Klymenko said in a statement. Facebook to update.
Twenty people are still missing, including four children. Some people were trapped on upper floors and some called for help with lights on their cellphones. Around 400 people lost their homes.
“There is no doubt: anyone guilty of this war crime will be identified and brought to justice,” Zelenskyy said.
The Kremlin denied responsibility and claimed that Ukrainian air defense systems had caused the damage.
“Russian armed forces do not hit residential buildings or social infrastructure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “They hit military targets.”
Russian missile that hit apartment building ‘notoriously inaccurate’
The missile that hit the Dnipro building on Saturday was one of dozens fired by Russia targeting infrastructure in Ukraine and likely hit the building by accident, the The UK Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in its latest war review. A large AS-4 KITCHEN anti-ship missile, launched from a Russian bomber, was likely the culprit, according to the assessment.
“Russia falsely implied that a Ukrainian air defense missile was responsible,” the assessment said. “KITCHEN is notoriously inaccurate when used against ground targets, as its radar guidance system fails to differentiate targets in urban areas.”
Similar weapons have caused other mass civilian casualties, including a strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk in June that killed at least 20 people.
“While some missiles such as KITCHEN are not suitable for precision strikes, evidence from the Ukraine war suggests that the dysfunction in Russia’s long-range strike capability runs deeper,” the assessment says.
Ukrainian official resigns after mistakenly blaming building strike on air defense
A senior Ukrainian official has resigned after falsely saying the Russian missile that hit the Dnipro building on Saturday exploded and fell after Ukrainian air defenses shot it down – a report Russia quickly seized on to escape blame for an attack that killed dozens of civilians.
Presidential adviser Oleksii Arestovich said he had “made a big mistake” in his remarks during an interview on Saturday evening, which caused an uproar. The Ukrainian Air Force immediately disputed his statement, saying the country’s military was not capable of shooting down Russian Kh-22 missiles. , the guy who hit the building
“Since the beginning of Russia’s military aggression, more than 210 such missiles have been launched into the territory of Ukraine,” the Air Force said. “None were shot down by means of anti-aircraft defence.”
Arestovitch wrote: in a Facebook post“I would like to show an example of civilized behavior: error in principle, therefore resignation.”
Flag flap at the Australian Open
The Australian Open tennis tournament on Tuesday banned the flags of Russia and Belarus after officials deemed them disruptive. National flags are generally allowed at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, but those representing Russia and Belarus – the country that allowed Moscow – have been excluded.
“Our initial policy was that fans could bring (flags) but could not use them to cause disruption,” Tennis Australia said in a statement. “Yesterday we had an incident where a flag was placed near the pitch. We will continue to work with players and our fans to ensure this is the best possible environment to enjoy tennis.
A Russian flag was unfurled as Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl beat Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova in three sets on Monday. Later in the day, highly ranked Russian player Daniil Medvedev received his country’s flag for an autograph after their 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron.
Russian and Belarusian players were banned from Wimbledon last year due to the war in Ukraine. They were allowed to participate in the other three Grand Slam events, but as “neutral” athletes without recognition from their country of origin.
Contribute: The Associated Press
