by Paola Caruso and the online editorial team
The news about the war in Ukraine on Saturday, February 17th, live. The dissident's spokeswoman: “The body is not in the specified morgue.” Avdiivka fell
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• Navalny, Putin's number one opponent, died in prison at the age of 47.
• Biden: “I’m not surprised, but I’m outraged, Putin is responsible for this.”
• UN: “Moscow must end the persecution of politicians and activists.”
• Navalny's wife: “This is proof of Putin's brutality”
This live broadcast has been closed. Click here to read the latest news on the war in Ukraine.
1:04 a.m. – Kiev: “Russian attack on Kramatorsk, 2 dead”
A Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk hit homes and killed at least two people, while rescuers searched for a third person believed to still be under the rubble, the regional governor said, speaking of a woman aged 47 and a 23-year-old. year old man. Kramatorsk is the last major city in Donbass under Ukrainian control and lies about 20 kilometers from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Since the war began two years ago, the city has been repeatedly attacked by Russian forces. In April 2022, Kramatorsk train station was the target of a bomb attack that killed more than 60 people.
00:22 – Biden: “I told Zelensky that I am convinced of US help.”
“I spoke to Zelensky this afternoon (yesterday for readers) to let him know that I am confident we will get the money.” There is so much at stake. NATO is fundamental to our survival,” US President Joe Biden told reporters in Delaware. The president said that “no one can be sure” that no other Ukrainian city will fall after Avdiivka before Congress approves the aid. “I find it absurd and immoral,” he continued, assuring that “I will fight to provide Ukrainians with the ammunition they need.”
12:04 a.m. – Biden: “Putin will pay a price for Navalny’s death”
“I said there will be a price to pay”: This is what US President Joe Biden said when he commented on the death of Alexei Navalny with journalists in Delaware. “I have heard several things that have not been confirmed. But the fact is that Putin is responsible for this. Regardless of whether he ordered it, he is responsible for the circumstances… It is a reflection of who he is. This cannot be tolerated,” Biden said.
9:52 p.m. – Tajani: “Killed Navalny directly or indirectly”
“I have said from the beginning that the truth about the death of Alexei Navalny must be found out,” but the fact is that he was in a gulag near the North Pole. You can't kill a person directly, but you can also let them die, which is the same thing. I don't know if he was sentenced to death because of the way he was held in prison, but in any case he was killed, either directly or indirectly by the regime. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani underlined this when he answered questions from Serena Bortone during the Rai3 program Chesarà… following statements made by the deputy secretary of the League, Andrea Crippa.
9:21 p.m. – Putin congratulates the soldiers on Avdiivka
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the armed forces on the “important victory” won in the city of Avdiivka after being briefed on the military operation by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this, citing Russian news agencies.
8:33 p.m. – Biden calls Zelensky: We will continue to support you
Joe Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today “to underscore the United States' determination to continue supporting Ukraine ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion.” The Ukrainian leader warned that Kiev's army would be forced to withdraw to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration their ammunition as supplies dwindle due to congressional inaction, allowing Russia to make its first “significant gains on the ground in months.”
8:22 p.m. – The US transfers confiscated Russian funds to support Kiev
The United States will transfer seized Russian funds to Estonia to be used to support Ukraine, the Justice Department announced. It is the first operation of its kind since the beginning of the war. This involves almost $500,000,000 that came from “an illegal supply network that attempted to import into Russia a high-precision machine tool of American origin with applications in the defense and nuclear proliferation sectors.” The funds will be transferred to Tallinn as legislation does not allow direct transfer to Ukraine.
7:09 p.m. – Navalny, the G7 is not directly implicating Putin
(by Giuseppe Sarcina) The G7 of Foreign Ministers calls on “the Russian authorities to fully clarify the circumstances” that led to the death of Alexei Navalny. The final statement does not contain the tones used yesterday, Thursday, February 16, by the heads of state and government of the major countries. Joe Biden denounced Vladimir Putin’s “brutality”. Canadian Justin Trudeau called the Russian leader “a monster.” The Frenchman Emmanuel Macron spoke of the “Gulag”. Today, Friday, February 17, the diplomatic heads of the seven most industrialized countries decided at their meeting on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich not to question Putin's specific responsibility without first obtaining more detailed information. This year Italy holds the G7 presidency and it was therefore the task of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to find a synthesis. So the caution of the first sentence is balanced by the next passage: “We call on Russia to stop the unacceptable persecution of political dissidents, as well as the systematic suppression of freedom of expression and the illegitimate restrictions on civil rights.”
Read the article here.
6:58 p.m. – FdI, FI, Pd, M5S, Lega and Nm also take part in the torchlight procession in the Capitol for Navalny
In addition to the Democratic Party, the moderates Fratelli d'Italia, Forza Italia, Movimento 5 Stelle, Lega and Noi also took part in the torchlight procession launched by Action in memory of Alexei Navalny, which will take place on Monday at 6.30 p.m. in the Campidoglio. “The FdI will be present with one of its delegations,” writes the deputy and head of the party organization, Giovanni Donzelli, on social media in response to Carlo Calenda. As far as we know, the Pd, Avs, +Europa unions as well as the CISL and UIL unions have also announced their participation so far.
5:17 p.m. – Navalny's body cannot be found: The mother's odyssey
(by Matteo Castellucci) Where has Aleksei Navalny's body gone? The circumstances in which Vladimir Putin's main opponent died are unclear – the most important circumstances were those that the Kremlin had not (yet) eliminated – but it is not even known where his body is now. The dissident's team knows nothing about this, nor does his mother Lyudmila, 69, who reached the IK-3 penal colony in the Arctic Circle accompanied by the lawyer Vasily Dubkov. It was here that her son died at 2:17 p.m. local time on Friday, according to a document they gave her.
Read the article here.
4:59 p.m. – The number of people arrested at pro-Navalny rallies rises to 359
The number of people who stopped at rallies in memory of Alexei Navalny in 32 different cities in Russia between yesterday and today has risen to 359. This is reported by the NGO Ovd-Info, a group that monitors political repression in Russia. Cities where spontaneous rallies were held in memory of Navalny include St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Taganrog, Bryansk, Belgorod, Stavropol, Sochi and Yekaterinburg.
4:28 p.m. – The cause of death for Navalny is “sudden death syndrome,” authorities told his mother
Today, Alexei Navalny's mother was told that the Russian opponent was the victim of “sudden death syndrome” and that the body would only be returned to the family after the investigation was completed. “When the lawyer and Alexei's mother arrived at the penal colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny's death was sudden death syndrome,” said Ivan Zhdanov, who heads Navalny's anti-corruption foundation. “Sudden death syndrome” is a general term for various cardiac syndromes that lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death, reports the Guardian.
4:13 p.m. – Calenda launches initiative for Navalny. Schlein: The Democratic Party is here
Carlo Calenda launches the idea of a demonstration in memory of Navalny, and Elly Schlein will soon announce that she will join the Democratic Party. “Large spontaneous squares have gathered all over Europe” to do this. “This did not happen in Italy.” “It is appropriate that the pro-European and democratic political forces push forward a joint initiative in Rome on Monday afternoon when parliamentary work resumes,” writes the head of Action on X. And Schlein responds on social media: “We are here.” To confront a regime that kills dissent and freedoms, in solidarity with those arrested in Russia today for having a dissenting opinion on Putin and protesting the death of Navalny. “
Across Europe, large spontaneous spaces gathered to commemorate #Navalny. This did not happen in Italy. I think it is appropriate for the pro-European and democratic political forces to push forward a joint initiative on Monday afternoon in Rome, when parliamentary work resumes.
— Carlo Calenda (@CarloCalenda) February 17, 2024
We are here. To confront a regime that kills dissent and freedoms, in solidarity with those being arrested in Russia today for expressing an opinion about Putin and protesting his death #Navalny. https://t.co/RXUwa8U0Si
– Elly Schlein (@ellyesse) February 17, 2024
4:08 p.m. – G7: outraged about Navalny, enough repression in Russia
The G7 foreign ministers “expressed their outrage at the death in custody of Alexei Navalny, who was wrongly convicted for legitimate political activities and his fight against corruption.” They called on the Russian authorities to fully clarify the circumstances of his death” and “Call on Russia to end its unacceptable persecution of political dissidents, as well as its systematic suppression of freedom of expression and undue restrictions on civil rights.” This can be read in the statement by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani at the end of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Monaco.
3:42 p.m. – The silence of the Russian media and the storm on social media regarding Navalny
Navalny's death received little coverage in Russian state media, in contrast to the storm of news and commentary that swept social media. Public television provided little news and with a long delay, without going into detail about the opponent or the reasons for his imprisonment. In one case, a liberal politician, Yabloko Party leader Nikolai Rybakov, attempted to exert influence during an interview with the NTV television channel. “I cannot help but express my condolences on the death of Alexei Navalny, and I hope that this will lead to the release of all political prisoners,” Rybakov said before being interrupted by the moderator, who asked him what this had to do with the topic do that was discussed at the time.
However, on social media in Russia, Navalny's death was the main topic, especially on the platform
12:53 p.m. – Navalny's spokeswoman: “They lie about the body and cover their tracks”
“Just an hour ago, the lawyers were told that the (medical examination of Alexei Navalny's body, editor's note) had been completed and no crime had been established: they literally lie every time, go around in circles and blur their Traces.” This was said by Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh after a series of contradictory information about the dissident's body, which has not been returned to his family and will most likely be in the hands of the Russian authorities for days.
12:53 p.m. – Navalny's spokeswoman says his body is not in the Salekhard morgue in Russia
Alexei Navalny's aides said his body was not in the morgue in the Arctic city of Salekhard, the location specified by the Russian dissident's mother. “Aleksei's lawyer and his mother arrived at the Salekhard mortuary. It was closed, even though the (prisoner) colony had assured that it would be opened and Navalny's body was there. The lawyer called the phone number on the door. He was told that he was the seventh caller today and that Aleksei's body was not in the morgue,” explained Kira Yarmysh, spokeswoman for the dissident who died yesterday on the X.
11:48 a.m. – Navalny: 15 arrests in Moscow at memorial demonstration
Around fifteen people were arrested by Russian police today during a demonstration in Moscow in memory of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, independent Russian media outlet Sota reported. According to videos broadcast on the media's Telegram account, police officers with their faces covered stopped protesters who were laying flowers at a monument commemorating victims of Soviet political repression in the center of the Russian capital.
11:45 a.m. – Navalny: Protests in front of Russian embassies and honors around the world
The death of Russia's main political opponent, Alexei Navalny, has sparked protests and tributes around the world. Supporters of the political activist gathered outside Russian embassies and other locations in major cities including London, Paris, Geneva and New York, the BBC reports. In Berlin, the crowd chanted “Putin to The Hague,” referring to the International Criminal Court based in the Dutch city. Outside the Russian embassy in London, demonstrators held signs reading “Navalny is our hero.” More than 100 people gathered outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, showing portraits of Navalny and laying flowers.
11.42 a.m. – G7 Munich: Minute of silence for Navalny
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani just opened the G7 ministerial meeting in Munich by asking his colleagues for a minute's silence in honor of Alexei Navalny. “For his ideas and for his fight for freedom and against corruption in Russia, Navalny was actually led to his death.” Russia must investigate his death and stop the unacceptable suppression of political dissent.”
10:45 a.m. – Zelensky to Trump: “Come to Ukraine, come to the front, it’s not a war on Instagram”
“We are very open. We want to give Trump real information about the war. If Mr. Trump wants to come, I am also ready to travel with him to the front. We have to show the decision-makers on Instagram what real war means, not war.” This is how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered a question from an audience member at the Munich Security Conference who asked him about Donald Trump and the possibility of his re-election to the White House.
9:48 a.m. – Zelensky: “Joint reaction to Putin or risk of catastrophe”
“If we don't act now,” said Russian leader Vladimir, “Putin will manage to turn the next few years into a catastrophe.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his speech at the Munich Security Conference and called on Kiev's allies greater support in the war against the Russian invasion. “We don't have to do anything, but everything possible,” said the Ukrainian president. The Ukrainian army's withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka was a “right decision” to “save as many lives as possible” as Ukrainian soldiers struggled to withstand the onslaught of Russian troops, he added. “It was a logical, correct and professional decision to save as many lives as possible.”
8:43 a.m. – Zelensky returns to Munich to ensure support for Kiev
As the Kremlin-led invasion enters its third year, Ukraine faces several challenges: Russian soldiers are on the offensive, U.S. military aid is still pending and Kiev's army is short of men, weapons and ammunition. Ukraine has been hoping for months for around $60 billion in aid decided by Joe Biden's government and is fighting for a second term in office, hampered by a Republican opposition influenced by Donald Trump's positions. Not granting this aid to the American Congress would be tantamount to a “gift to Putin,” warned Kamala Harris during her speech in Munich yesterday.
06.12 a.m. – Night alert about a rocket attack in the Kursk region
A warning of a missile attack in the Russian city of Kursk and surrounding areas was issued overnight. Tass reports it. “Residents were urged to stay away from windows and seek shelter in rooms with solid walls,” Kursk Region Governor Roman Starovoit wrote on Telegram.
5:47 a.m. – Antonov, the US reaction to Navalny is disrupting Russian politics
The US reaction after the death of Alexei Navalny was “another attempt by the American authorities to interfere in Russia’s domestic politics,” said Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov. “The death of a human being is always a tragedy,” said the Russian ambassador. “In this situation, it is extremely important to understand all the details of the event.” “However, American politicians do not want to wait and have already blamed the Russian authorities,” Antonov continued. “The question naturally arises here: Who is the judge? There is another attempt to interfere in the internal politics of the Russian Federation. And death is just an excuse. “Such a policy is unacceptable. It would be better if local leaders focused on the problems in their country that require urgent action,” Antonov noted. The Russian ambassador said: “Here we are looking for a reason for despicable attacks and, above all, for the introduction of additional sanctions.” The main task is to save the collapsing Pax Americana. US President Joe Biden said on Friday that Washington was considering “many options” following the prison death of Russian blogger Alexei Navalny. “We are looking at a whole range of options,” he said when asked whether the US could tighten sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death.
04:57 a.m. – The Ukrainian army withdrew from the city of Avdiivka
The Ukrainian army has withdrawn from the city of Avdiivka, an eastern city where the situation has deteriorated significantly in recent days, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, commander in chief of the region, announced. “According to the order received, we retreated from Avdiivka to the positions prepared in advance,” he wrote on Telegram. This is Russia's biggest symbolic victory since the failure of the Kiev counteroffensive last summer.
“Due to the operational situation around Avdiivka, I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense on more favorable lines in order to avoid encirclement and protect the life and health of the military,” the general wrote on Telegram.
4:50 a.m. – CNN announces details of the mysterious Russian nuclear space weapon
A nuclear space weapon capable of destroying satellites and generating a massive wave of energy, potentially disabling a large number of commercial and government satellites on which the world depends. Sources close to the intelligence community gave CNN a more detailed look at Russia's work – and the threat it could pose – than the US government has already disclosed. Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sparked excitement in Washington on Wednesday when he said he “possessed information about a serious threat to national security.” On Friday, President Joe Biden publicly confirmed that Turner was referring to a new Russian nuclear anti-satellite capability, but officials steadfastly refused to discuss it further, citing the top-secret nature of the intelligence. The weapon is still in development and is not yet in orbit, Biden administration officials publicly emphasized. But if used, they say, it would cross a dangerous Rubicon in the history of nuclear weapons and could be extremely disruptive to daily life in ways difficult to predict. This type of new weapon – commonly referred to by military space experts as a nuclear EMP – would produce a pulse of electromagnetic energy and a stream of highly charged particles that would destroy satellites orbiting Earth. Biden publicly emphasized on Friday that “with what Russia is doing right now, there is no nuclear threat to the American people or anywhere else in the world.” “Everything they do and/or will do concerns satellites and space and potentially harming these satellites,” he said. The Defense Department and intelligence community have been tracking Russia's efforts to develop a wide range of anti-satellite weapons, including an EMP, for years. And in recent months, there have been a number of intelligence reports specifically related to Russia's efforts to develop nuclear-powered anti-satellite capabilities, according to a defense official. But Russia has recently made progress in its efforts to develop a nuclear EMP, a related but much more worrisome technology. “Our general knowledge of Russia's pursuit of this type of capability goes back many, many months, if not a few years,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. “But only in recent weeks have intelligence agencies been able to assess with greater confidence how Russia continues to pursue this goal.”
February 17, 2024 (modified February 18, 2024 | 03:50)
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