US could target Israel's Ben-Gvir, Smotrich in latest sanctions - report The sanctions were considered amid exacerbated tensions between the US and Israel due to Washington's insistence that Israel refrain from carrying out a full-fledged invasion of Rafah.
The sanctions were considered amid exacerbated tensions between the US and Israel due to Washington's insistence that Israel refrain from carrying out a full-fledged invasion of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Donald Trump
In addition to sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, US officials told the WSJ that the White House wanted to enact a package that would reverse pro-Israeli policies set by Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, as a means to show America's "strong message of discontent." The policies that were planned to be reversed included the 2020 decision to label all goods made in the West Bank's Area C as "made in Israel," as per the report. In the end, Washington settled on a special presidential order against four Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank
Biden says he told Zelenskyy he’s ‘confident’ US will renew aid to Ukraine
United States President Joe Biden has said he assured Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he is confident Congress will renew military aid to repel Russia after its forces captured the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka. “I spoke with Zelenskyy this afternoon to let him know that I was confident we’re going to get that money,” Biden told reporters on Saturday. Biden spoke to Zelenskyy in a call hours after Russia announced the capture of Avdivka following the earlier withdrawal of Kyiv’s forces, which the Ukrainian leader described as “a professional decision that will save many Ukrainian lives”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the capture of Avdiivka, an industrial hub located some 10km (6.2 miles) north of the city of Donetsk, as an “important victory” in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark. The White House said in a statement after the call that Ukrainian forces withdrew after being forced to “ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gains in months”.
Hundreds of Ukrainian Troops Feared Captured or Missing in Chaotic Retreat
The fall of Avdiivka to Russia may be more significant than it initially seemed as Ukraine struggles with morale and recruitment.
Hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured by advancing Russian units or disappeared during Ukraine’s chaotic retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka, according to senior Western officials and soldiers fighting for Ukraine, a devastating loss that could deal a blow to already weakening morale. The Russian capture of Avdiivka has emerged as a significant symbolic loss for Ukrainian troops, a sign of the battlefield impact of the failure pf the U.S. Congress, so far, to approve more military assistance as dwindling supplies of artillery shells make it even harder to hold the line. Estimates of how many Ukrainians were captured or missing vary, and a precise count may not be possible until Ukraine solidifies new defensive lines outside the city. But two soldiers with knowledge of Ukraine’s retreat estimated that 850 to 1,000 soldiers appear to have been captured or are unaccounted for. The Western officials said that range seemed accurate.
Avdiivka: Russia accused of executing prisoners of war after Ukraine withdraws
The conquest of Avdiivka represents a strategic and symbolic victory for Russia, strengthening its defence of the regional capital, Donetsk, and potentially opening up avenues for further offensives against Ukrainian-held territory. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says he ordered a retreat from the city in order to save soldiers' lives. Now evidence of possible war crimes has emerged, as relatives of six soldiers found dead following the takeover of the city say they were executed after surrendering. Ukrainian authorities are investigating. Moscow has not yet commented. The BBC has spoken to Ukrainian soldiers who withdrew from Avdiivka. Their testimony paints a picture of unresponsive commanders who refused their troops' desperate pleas to retreat as they were encircled by Russian troops. When the order finally came, they say, it was too late and and they were completely surrounded.
A video posted by Russian military bloggers following the capture of Avdiivka appears to show the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers believed to have surrendered after Russian troops captured their position. Ivan Zhytnyk, Andriy Dubnytsky and Georgiy Pavlov have been identified by relatives as the dead soldiers in the video. The BBC has spoken to them and to other soldiers who were at the base - named "Zenith", on the south-eastern outskirts of Avdiivka - in order to reconstruct the chaotic events which led to their deaths.
Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 729
US prepares to unveil hundreds of sanctions against Russian ‘war machine’; Zelenskiy tells US conservatives that sending aid now is cheaper than confronting Putin again later
The US is set to unveil hundreds of sanctions mostly targeting Vladimir Putin’s “war machine” on Friday,the undersecretary of state, Victoria Nuland, has said, ahead of the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Further sanctions will also be imposed in response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after being imprisoned by the Kremlin, and to close gaps in existing sanctions.
US President Joe Biden said he had met with Navalny’s wife and daughter. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said: “ We are going to announce sanctions against Putin, who is responsible for his death, tomorrow. We are not letting up.” The White House said the sanctions were in response to “Alexei’s death, Russia’s repression and aggression, and its brutal and illegal war in Ukraine”.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, called the west’s reaction to the death of Navalny “hysteria”, and said that western countries had no right to meddle in Russia’s affairs.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the US Congress to approve additional aid for Kyiv, saying in an interview broadcast on Thursday that a failure to do so would cost Ukrainian lives. Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have stalled the approval of $60bn in new aid for Ukraine, and Zelenskiy made his appeal for action during an interview with Fox News – a favoured channel for US conservatives. “Will Ukraine survive without Congress’ support? Of course. But not all of us,” he said in an interview near a frontline in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader also warned that the price of helping Kyiv now is much lower than the potential cost of confronting Putin later if he succeeds in Ukraine.
US targets Russia with hundreds of sanctions over Ukraine war, Navalny death
The United States on Friday imposed extensive sanctions against Russia, targeting more than 500 people and entities to mark the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and retaliate for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. President Joe Biden said the measures aim to ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin "pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home." The sanctions targeted Russia's Mir payment system, financial institutions and its military industrial base, sanctions evasion, future energy production and other areas. They also hit prison officials the U.S. says are linked to Navalny's death. The Biden administration is seeking to continue supporting Ukraine as the country faces acute shortages of ammunition, with the approval of more U.S. military aid delayed for months in the U.S. Congress. The European Union, Bitain and Canada also took action against Russia on Friday.
The U.S. Treasury Department targeted nearly 300 people and entities, while the State Department hit over 250 people and entities and the Commerce Department added over 90 companies to the Entity List.
Ukraine war: Indians ‘duped’ by agents into fighting for Russia
At least a dozen Indians have been duped by agents into fighting for Russian forces in the country's war with Ukraine with reports saying one of them was killed in a missile strike.
Hemal Ashwinbhai from Gujarat state died in a missile attack last week, The Hindu newspaper reported over the weekend. Hemal's father had told the BBC on 23 February that he spoke to his son three days ago. He said that he was posted 20-22km (12-13 miles) inside Ukraine's border and called him every few days when he got access to the mobile network. The distraught families of the remaining men have now appealed to the federal government to get them back home. The duped men, aged between 22 and 31 and hired as "helpers in the military establishment in Russia," were allegedly sent to the battlefield under the pretext of "training," according to their families.
31,000 Ukrainian Soldiers Killed in Two Years of War, Zelensky Says
The tally that President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Sunday differs sharply from that given by U.S. officials, who have said the number is closer to 70,000.
Some 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began two years ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, acknowledging for the first time in the war a concrete figure for Ukraine’s toll. “This is a big loss for us,” Mr. Zelensky said at a news conference in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. But he declined to disclose the number of wounded or missing, saying that Russia could use the information to gauge the number of Ukraine’s active forces. Mr. Zelensky’s tally could not be independently verified. It differs sharply from estimates by U.S. officials, who, this past summer, put the losses much higher, saying that close to 70,000 Ukrainians had been killed and 100,000 to 120,000 had been wounded. Russia’s military casualties, the officials said, were about twice as high. By revealing Ukraine’s losses, Mr. Zelensky said he wanted to counter Russian propaganda and other estimates that have placed Ukrainian casualties at a much higher level. He said Russia had wrongly claimed that Ukraine had lost 60,000 soldiers.
Nato allies reject Emmanuel Macron idea of troops to Ukraine
Mr Macron said there was "no consensus" on sending Western soldiers to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has warned of direct conflict if Nato troops deploy there. Russian forces have recently made gains in Ukraine and Kyiv has urgently appealed for more weapons. Mr Macron told a news conference on Monday evening: "We should not exclude that there might be a need for security that then justifies some elements of deployment. "President Biden has been clear that the US will not send troops to fight in Ukraine," it added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there had been no change to the agreed position that no European country or Nato member state would send troops to Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said the country had no plans for a large-scale military deployment to Ukraine, beyond the small number of personnel already training Ukrainian forces. The office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy's "support does not include the presence of troops from European or Nato states on Ukrainian territory".
Time could soon be ripe for China to lead negotiations to end Ukraine-Russia war
Despite efforts by China to act as a mediator in ending the fighting in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to date it has had limited influence
But with Ukraine’s recent failed counteroffensive and Western aid drying up, the time may have come for China to help broker peace
As the war in Ukraine streches into its third year, China’s efforts as a mediator, offering its services to help bring about a cessation to the fighting, have yet to win much success. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, China has often billed itself as a neutral arbitrator, capable of playing a bigger role in ending the war. To that end, last year Chinese President Xi Jinping met twice with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and in April he held a phone call with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Beijing also published its version of a peace proposal and sent a special envoy to both Moscow and Kyiv, with former foreign minister Qin Gang earlier saying that Beijing could offer “Chinese wisdom” to ease the crisis. Zhang Xin, an associate professor of international relations at East China Normal University, said China’s approach towards the war included pushing for peaceful negotiations, banning the supply of weapons to Russia and providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Putin Says West Risks Nuclear Conflict if It Intervenes More in Ukraine
“We also have weapons that can strike targets on their territory,” Mr. Putin said in an annual speech. “Do they not understand this?”
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said the West faced the prospect of nuclear conflict if it intervened more directly in the war in Ukraine, using an annual speech to the nation on Thursday to escalate his threats against Europe and the United States. Mr. Putin said NATO countries that were helping Ukraine strike Russian territory or might consider sending their own troops “must, in the end, understand” that “all this truly threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and therefore the destruction of civilization.”
Angry mobs clashing with police in eastern cities. Networks of saboteurs smuggling arms across the border for attacks on police stations and military barracks. A resentful nuclear power boosting defence production as it accuses its neighbour of ethnic cleansing. These all sound like Russia’s playbook when it first invaded Ukraine in 2014, then launched a full-scale war in 2022. But the storylines are all from Russian military training exercises based on a hypothetical Chinese invasion of its far east. The war games, which were written by Russian officers between 2008 and 2014 and leaked to the Financial Times, offer an extraordinary window on the army’s long-standing fears about Beijing’s real intentions, according to experts who reviewed the files. As well as offering unprecedented detail on Russia’s nuclear doctrine, they recount years of exercises rehearsing a possible Chinese invasion, revealing the military establishment’s deep suspicion of Beijing even as leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping began forging a “no limits” partnership.
Ukraine war: Russia says it intercepts 38 Ukrainian drones attacking Crimea
Video posted online shows a blast allegedly near a fuel depot in the south-eastern city of Feodosiya. Russian officials said 38 drones had been shot down. The Kerch bridge which connects Crimea with Russia was temporarily closed. The attack comes as Ukraine continues to urge allies to boost arms supplies. Russian troops have recently made gains in Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to sustain its forces with Western-made arms. Moscow took control last month of the key eastern town of Avdiivka. Russia has not reported any damage from the latest attack on Crimea, although eyewitnesses have reported windows shaking and car alarms going off. Kyiv has not confirmed its forces were involved.
Ukraine war: Kyiv says seven dead as drone attack sinks Russian ship
The Sergei Kotov was allegedly hit in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Ukraine's military intelligence service said the Black Sea fleet ship suffered damage to the stern as well as right and left sides. The Kremlin is yet to comment, but some Russian bloggers confirmed the sinking of the Sergei Kotov. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the extent of damage to the ship. In a Telegram post Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said 52 crew members were evacuated.
The Sergei Kotov is one of four patrol ships completed for the Russian Navy's Project 22160. It had previously been attacked by Ukraine in September last year. "Right now this ship is on the seabed," Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said, adding a helicopter may have been on board. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had "proven what we are capable of" against Russia's navy and air force, but did not reference the sinking of the ship directly. "There are no safe havens for Russian terrorists in the Black Sea and nor will there be," he said in his nightly video address on Tuesday.
According to Ukraine, the vessel played a part in the attack on Snake Island on the firdt day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, along with the Moskva cruiser. The Moskva was sunk by Ukraine in 2022. Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine almost 10 years ago. In recent months Ukraine has reportly hit Russia's Black Sea fleet stationed on the peninsula. Ukraine said the cost of the sunken Sergei Kotov ship was $65m (£51.2m), adding that it was hit near the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from Russia.
Ukraine war: Explosions hit Odesa as Zelensky meets Greek PM
Ukraine's navy says five people were killed. The BBC has been told no-one from either delegation was hurt. Mr Mitsotakis said the pair heard the sound of sirens and explosions. Russia said it targeted a maritime drone facility in a commercial port area of the city during an attack on Wednesday. President Zelensky accused Russia of "not caring who they target", saying Moscow had "either gone crazy or they don't control what their terrorist army is doing". During a joint news conference, the Greek prime minister said "we heard the sound of sirens and explosions that took place near us. We did not have time to get to a shelter." "It is a very intense experience... It's really different to read about the war in newspapers, and to hear it with your own ears, see it with your own eyes," he added.
Ukraine-Russia war - live: Moscow warns of full-scale war in Europe as Sweden finally joins Nato
A senior Russian officer has warned of a full-scale war in Europe as Sweden have finally joined Nato. Colonel-general Vladimere Zarudnitsky, head of the Russian army’s Military Academy of the General Staff, made the comments in an article for “Military Thought”, a defence ministry publication, the state RIA news agency reported on Thursday. “The possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine- from the expansion of participants in ‘proxy forces’ used for military confrontation with Russia to a large-scale war in Europe - cannot be ruled out,” RIA cited him a saying. It comes as Sweden officially joins NATOas the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden‘s “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department. “This is a historic moment for Sweden. It’s historic for the alliance. It’s historic for the transatlantic relationship,” Blinken said. “Our NATO alliance is now stronger, larger than it’s ever been.
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By: CeeJay | February 4, 2022