10:32
Marina: “The Russians will reach the Ionian Sea without any problems”
“There is an unstable balance in the overcrowded Mediterranean Sea. Four Allied aircraft carrier groups had never been seen in the Mediterranean: Italian, French, American and the Spanish amphibious ship. The Russians get as far as the Ionian Sea without any problems, they aim at the Ionian Sea with a naval group of three modern ships. The most modern ship is the Russian one, which is currently in South Africa and embarks hypersonic missiles: we don’t know if they are effective or not, we’ll see, but the ship will enter the Mediterranean Sea. The Russians say it will be the most modern in the world. The situation is complex and turbulent, and the risk of accidents is high. Thus, the Navy’s chief of staff, Enrico Credendino, becomes the chamber’s defense commission.
10:29
UK Defense Secretary: ‘The war in Ukraine may last another year’
The war in Ukraine could last another year, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview with Lbc Radio. According to Wallace, more than 188,000 Russian soldiers have died or been injured as a result of Vladimir Putin’s “catastrophic miscalculation.” He added: “I think Russia completely despised not only the lives of Ukrainians, but also that of its own soldiers.” And about the Kremlin chief’s intentions, he said: “If someone has crossed the border and sees fit, this also against his own people and managing the army with a meat grinder, I don’t think he will stop.” .
10:05
Stoltenberg: “Signals that China intends to supply weapons to Moscow”
There are “some indications” that China has plans to help Russia invade Ukraine, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is appealing to Beijing to “refrain” from its plans which, by supporting an illegal war, could violate the law international law would constitute law. “We have seen some signs that (the Chinese) may be planning this. NATO allies and the US have warned them that this should not happen. China should not support Russia’s illegal war,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with the AP reported by the Guardian. For the NATO chief, direct support for Moscow’s war effort would be “a violation of the United Nations Charter, of international law.” Stoltenberg then reaffirmed the support of the Atlantic Alliance for Ukraine “for as long as necessary”.
09:30
Moldova denies Moscow’s allegations of Kiev’s invasion of Transnistria
Moldova has denied Russia’s claims that Ukraine is planning military action against the breakaway pro-Moscow region of Transnistria. CNN reports it. “State authorities do not confirm the information released this morning by the Russian Defense Ministry,” read a message on the Moldovan government’s official Telegram channel. “We call for calm and invite the population to follow the official and credible sources of Moldova. Our institutions cooperate with foreign partners and inform the public immediately if there is a risk to the country.”
09:10
Italian Navy: “Russian fleet is increasing its presence in the Mediterranean”
“The immediate impact of the war in Ukraine on our security has again been reflected at sea and is the impressive increase in the number of Russian fleets in the Mediterranean and Black Seas to levels not reached even during the Cold War era. The number of Russian ships in the Mediterranean has increased, a high number that does not pose a direct threat to the national territory but greatly increases tensions. The Russians have an aggressive stance that was not common in the Mediterranean and has only been seen in the Baltics so far. The risk of an accident is possible and with an accident like this you never know where it could end up». This was stated by the Navy’s Chief of Staff, Enrico Credendino, in a hearing before the Chamber’s Defense Commission.
08:15
Moscow: “Kiev prepares attack on Transnistria”
“Kiev is preparing an armed provocation against Transnistria,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram, quoted by RIA Novosti. “According to available information, in the near future the Kiev regime is preparing an armed provocation against the Transnistrian Republic of Moldova, which will be carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including with the participation of the Azov formation,” the ministry said. «As a pretext for the invasion, Kiev plans to organize an offensive from the Transnistria region. The saboteurs will wear Russian military uniforms,” the department said.
Moscow’s Defense Ministry says it has received evidence of a plan under which soldiers from the Ukrainian army and the nationalist Azov Battalion, “dressed in uniforms of the Russian armed forces,” would stage a fake invasion of Ukraine, beginning in the territory of Transnistria, the self-proclaimed Pro-Russian Republic on the territory of Moldova. This would provide Kiev’s forces with an excuse to attack Transnistria. The Russian Defense Ministry warns that it is closely monitoring the situation along the Ukraine-Transnistria border and is “ready” to respond to any developments. Moscow has a contingent of about 1,500 soldiers on the territory of Transnistria.
08:14
Putin: “Let’s strengthen nuclear weapons”
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Defender of the Fatherland Day in a video address published on the Kremlin’s website that special attention will be paid to improving the country’s nuclear weapons. The tax office reports it. Putin said Russia’s flagship silo-based Sarmat missile systems, armed with liquid-fueled orbital heavy ICBMs capable of carrying nuclear charges, would enter service in 2023. Onboard deliveries of Zircon hypersonic missiles will also begin in 2023.
08:14
Moldova, Tajani: “Putin is trying to scare European countries”
“Russia is waging a war and also trying to scare others,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Italian press in New York, commenting on Vladimir Putin’s decision to repeal a decree that partially supported Moldova’s sovereignty as part of the Transnistrian future policy . «In Transnistria – he said – there are Russian military detachments. I met the Foreign Minister of Moldova who was in Brussels to address the European Foreign Affairs Council, that’s probably a reaction.”
On the eve of the anniversary of the Russian invasion ofUkraine atU.N. A new peace resolution is being voted on, from which massive support for Kiev is expected. The document calls for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the foreign minister reminded Antonio Tajani He intervened among the first in the assembly and at the end of his speech he hugged his Ukrainian counterpart Kuleba. The minister reiterated the government’s unity on the issue and urged increased diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. However, the Lega is holding back on the new arms shipment to Kiev amid tensions over Berlusconi’s comments on the war and reaction to Russia Zelensky.