“The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the city of Avdiivdka was not a retreat, but a 'chaotic escape',” said Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Putin, Kiev's explanation of the withdrawal decision was dictated by “political reasons.” “Russia has never been against negotiations. “We are always for it,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin. This concerns not only Ukraine, but also the dialogue on strategic stability, which Russia “never rejected,” Putin continued.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the United States plans to announce a “major sanctions package” on Friday aimed at holding 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 thwarted a “hybrid operation” by Russian security services on its territory. Public broadcaster ERR reported that a total of 10 people had been arrested as part of a criminal investigation into vandalized cars belonging to the country's interior minister and a journalist, according to Estonia's domestic intelligence service. The ISS said the operation took place last year. Russian domestic intelligence has arrested a woman with dual Russian-American citizenship, Russian media reported. She is believed to be a 33-year-old Los Angeles resident. She was arrested in the Ural mountain town of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of treason for raising money for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Learn more:
– What happened yesterday
– Constant moves and distant children: the new life as a protégé of Julia, Navalny's widow
– Maksim, the Russian pilot killed by Moscow: hero for the West, traitor at home. Here is the law of tyrants
– Gianluca Savoini, the man who connects Matteo Salvini and Vladimir Putin's court
– Renzi: “Moscow is responsible for Navanly’s death, so the league denies the reality”
– Why Putin gave Kim Jong-un a luxury car: how much does it cost and what model is it?
Important points
00:23
Former FBI mole helped Russian 007 smear the Bidens: arrested
00:11
White House, new sanctions against Moscow will have an impact
There are updates at 12:30 a.m
The first group of Ukrainian pilots will complete U.S. 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 with the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Arizona. The Pentagon said the training process would take several months. A second group of four additional 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 completing the English-language training required to fly America's fourth-generation fighter aircraft. All pilots are expected to complete their training between May and August, Hannigan said, although the exact timing depends on the program's progress.
00:28
Russian troops continue to advance towards Avdiivka
A Ukrainian commander stationed on the outskirts of Avdiivka said Russia has the ability 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 Tuesday on Telegram 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 heading towards Lastochkyne.
00:23
Former FBI mole helped Russian 007 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 into the president and his alleged complicity in his son Hunter's controversial foreign business dealings. The former FBI mole was charged with lying about father and son's alleged involvement in the activities of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, when the former was vice president and the latter sat on the company's board and earned $50,000 a month. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
00:11
White House, new sanctions against Moscow will have an impact
The new “significant” sanctions package against Russia that the United States will announce on Friday “will cover a number of different elements of the Russian defense industrial base and revenue streams for the Russian economy that fuel its war machine” and “We believe it will have an impact This was stated by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, emphasizing that the new measures “contribute to a significant sanctions framework that we have been building 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 set of targets that we have worked persistently and diligently to identify.” The package, Sullivan said, is coming one day after the death of Alexei Navalny, for which Vladimir Putin was “responsible,” and two years after the start of the invasion
00:10
Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk
At least three people were injured in a Russian rocket attack on Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast. This was announced 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 frontline towns in Donetsk Oblast. Kramatorsk City Council announced that the city's water supply may be disrupted following the attack.