When will finland join nato

Evicting Turkey from NATO would be a ‘strategic mistake,’ Gen. Jack Keane warns

Fox News senior strategic analyst Jack Keane, a retired general, explains how the outcome of Turkey’s presidential election could impact the U.S. and the importance of keeping Turkey as a NATO member.

Russia ‘s plot, according to Moldovan President Maia Sandu, called for attacks on government facilities, hostage-taking, and other violent operations by gangs of saboteurs in order to put the country “at the disposal of Russia ” and thwart its aspirations to join the European Union.

Responding Tuesday, Russia ‘s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Sandu’s claims as “absolutely unfounded and unsubstantiated.”

She said: “They are built in the spirit of classical techniques that are often used by the United States, other Western countries and Ukraine .”

“First, accusations are made with reference to purportedly classified intelligence information that cannot be verified, and then they are used to justify their own illegal actions.”

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg played down on Tuesday the importance of Finland and Sweden joining the world’s biggest security organization at the same time as Turkey refuses to ratify their membership, mostly due to a dispute with Sweden.

Mr Stoltenberg told reporters: “The main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together. The main question is that they are both ratified as full members as soon as possible.”

The long-held consensus at NATO has been that both the Nordic neighbors should join at the same time.

Sweden and neighboring Finland abandoned decades of nonalignment and applied to join the 30-nation alliance in the wake of Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine . All NATO members except Turkey and Hungary have ratified their accession, but unanimity is required.

Turkey has accused the government in Stockholm of being too lenient toward groups it deems as terror organisations or existential threats, including Kurdish groups. Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara has fewer problems with Finland joining.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that finding ammunition and air defenses is “much more important at the moment than the discussion about fighter jets”.

Pistorius told reporters that getting pilots up to speed on new aircraft and “training just to fly them takes several months, never mind teaching the abilities needed to deploy the weapons systems.”

He said Ukraine ’s partners “should focus on what is now at center stage, particularly in view of a Russian offensive that is apparently taking place.”

He said Germany has signed a deal to produce ammunition for self-propelled, anti-aircraft guns it provided to Ukraine , after Kyiv ran into problems finding munitions elsewhere.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s Defence Minister (Image: Germany)

Ukraine on Tuesday renewed its appeal to Western countries for fighter jets to help frustrate Moscow’s invasion, but the United States and its NATO allies and partners are more concerned about Kyiv’s needs for large amounts of ammunition as the war with Russia is set to enter its second year.

Ahead of the meeting of the Ukraine contact group at NATO headquarters, Ukraine made its requirements clear. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, when asked what military aid his country is seeking now, showed reporters an image of a fighter jet.

Questioned about where he hoped they might come from, Reznikov said only: “From the sky.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed hard for combat planes last week when he visited London, Paris and Brussels on just his second foreign trip since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. That plea came days after Western allies pledged to provide Kyiv with tanks.

What NATO allies have on their mind, though, is how to keep up a steady supply of ammunition to Ukraine without depleting their own stockpiles.

According to some estimates, Ukraine is firing up to 6,000-7,000 artillery shells each day, around a third of the daily amount that Russia is using.

The Russian embassy warned in a statement that supplying cutting-edge fighter jets to Ukraine would be “on London’s conscience” because of the “bloodshed, next round of escalation, and subsequent military and political ramifications for the European continent and the entire globe”.

The threat came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week continued his push for combat aircraft and long-range missiles as he toured European capitals.

The UK will be the first nation to start training Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard aircraft, and Mr Wallace will investigate which planes the UK could potentially give to Ukraine .

NATO defence ministers will gather in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday to coordinate weapons supplies for Ukraine and discuss the threat posed by spy balloons.

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The Dutch F-35s, along with German Eurofighters, shadowed the Russian aircraft, which were reportedly violating international air safety rules and posing a danger to other air users.

It comes as Nato defence ministers will gather in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday to coordinate weapons supplies for Ukraine and discuss the threat posed by spy balloons.

The meeting at the alliance’s headquarters in the Belgian capital comes ahead of the first anniversary of Russia ‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine .

It also follows the shooting down of a series of objects in western airspace by the US military, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

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Vladimir Putin is using an armoured train to travel instead of planes. The Russian president started travelling by rail in the second half of 2021 as Russia ‘s army started to prepare for the invasion of Ukraine .

The firm which owns the armoured train used to belong to the nephew of Yuri Kovalchuk, who is the main shareholder of Rossiya Bank and a close friend of Putin’s, according to the Dossier Centre, which tracks the criminal activity of people associated with the Kremlin.

The Dossier Centre cites an acquaintance of Putin who told the publication that the latest version of the train was fitted in 2014-15 though Putin reportedly started using it before Russian troops were sent to the border with Ukraine .

Putin is believed to use the train because it cannot be tracked whereas aircraft can be monitored using a number of trackers.

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Russia: Rupert Jones on Putin’s next move

Elite Russian units made multiple unsuccessful attempts to capture a fortified coal mining town in Vuhledar, Donetsk in broad daylight, resulting in heavy military losses for Russia .

Ukrainian officials reported significant numbers of enemy troops killed, wounded, and captured during the battle, and a marine brigade of 5,000 men was almost completely destroyed for the third time since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Kremlin nearly a year ago.

Russian hardliners have demanded open prosecutions for the inept generals who were in charge of what turned out to be the slaughter of their soldiers on the battlefield as a result of the battle’s substantial casualties and destruction of at least 130 armoured vehicles.

Some of these generals, in the words of Igor Girkin, a former Russian intelligence officer who participated in the pro-Moscow uprisings in Donetsk and Crimea, are “complete cretins” who continually made the same errors.

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Further north, in Kreminna-Svatove, the MoD said the Russians are making “continuous offensive efforts” but on “too small a scale to achieve a significant breakthrough”.

The MoD said: “Overall, the current operational picture suggests that Russian forces are being given orders to advance in most sectors, but that they have not massed sufficient offensive combat power on any one axis to achieve a decisive effect.”

Defence sources believe Putint’s feared spring offensive may not be launched simultaneously across the front line.

But the use of conscripts during the increasing military activity to attack in specific areas could be a means of testing weaknesses in the Ukrainian position.

Vladimir Putin ‘s troops have been commanded to advance in “most sectors” but are struggling to achieve a major breakthrough on the Ukrainian front line, British military chiefs have said.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday that the Russians have “not massed sufficient offensive combat power” on any one axis to “achieve a decisive effect”.

Its intelligence assessment said Wagner Group mercenaries have likely made “further small gains” around the northern outskirts of the heavily-contested town of Bakhmut.

But the Ukrainian defence is continuing and the Russian advance to the south “has likely made little progress”.

The Nato chief warned that “we’re seeing the start already” of a fresh Russian offensive in Ukraine .

He also said he expected the possible supply of fighter jets to Kyiv to be discussed at the two-day gathering.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week continued his push for combat aircraft and long-range missiles as he toured European capitals.

Britain will be the first nation to start training Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard aircraft, and Mr Wallace will investigate which planes the UK could potentially give to Ukraine .

In the wake of the alleged spy balloon incident, allies will also discuss strengthening the defence of their airspace and boosting cooperation in space, Mr Stoltenberg said.

Western leaders will gather for the Munich Security Conference this weekend.

Prior to the meeting, Mr Stoltenberg said defence ministers would work to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence and defence, increase industrial capacity and replenish members’ munitions stockpiles, as well as “step up and sustain our support for Ukraine “.

He told reporters: “It is clear that we are in a race of logistics.

“Key capabilities like ammunition, fuel and spare parts must reach Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield.

“Speed will save lives.”

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General (Image: GETTY)

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg will use today’s Ramstein meeting to push countries to provide more weapons to Ukraine – admitting there was “now a discussion going on” about aircraft.

And he stressed there was no time to waste – saying fresh Russian offensive was already underway.

The meeting at the alliance’s headquarters in the Belgian capital comes just days before the first anniversary of Russia ‘s full-scale invasion.

It also follows the shooting down of a series of objects in western airspace by the US military, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who is expected to join the Brussels meeting on Wednesday, has announced Britain will conduct a security review into the issue.

Ukraine ‘s Defence Ministry has shared a clip of a missile battery firing projectiles at Russian troops, describing them as “Deadly Valentines for occupiers”.

Deadly Valentines for occupiers. pic.twitter.com/zOAO11hIti

\u2014 Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 13, 2023

The document shared by Where Is Russia Today:

Interesting comms coming out from the Kremlin to \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddfa-aligned media outlets: #WagnerPMC and #Prigozhin may NOT be mentioned when discussing combat operations in \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6. pic.twitter.com/uUvt3LMoZf

\u2014 WhereisRussiaToday (@WhereisRussia) February 13, 2023

Vladimir Putin has “completely lost faith” in Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and “wants him removed”, insiders have claimed in an indiction of deep divisions within the Russian command structure.

The explosive claims have levelled by the Where is Russia Today website, which monitors propaganda coming out of the country, and which tweeted a screenshot of directives sent to Russian state media.

It states: “Interesting comms coming out from the Kremlin to Russia -aligned media outlets: ‘#WagnerPMC and #Prigozhin may NOT be mentioned when discussing combat operations in’, ‘Do not cite ANY of Prigozhin’s statements related to the war in Ukraine .

Where Is Russia Today adds: “It is now obvious: Prigozhin’s failures in #Bakhmut and elsewhere in Ukraine means that Putin has completely lost faith in him – and wants him removed.”

Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, a spokesman for the Tavriskiy district of Ukrainian defence forces, says they think Russia is likely to have lost a 5,000-strong brigade from its elite 155th naval infantry.

Speaking to Politico, Mr Dmytrashkivskyi said: “A large number of enemy forces, including the command staff, were destroyed near Vuhledar and Mariinka in Donetsk Oblast.

“In addition, over the past week, the enemy lost about 130 units of equipment, including 36 units of tanks.”

The 155th naval infantry and the separatist Vostok Battalion have been at the heart of Moscow’s attempts to take Vuhledar.

Mr Dmytrashkivskyi added: “The 155th brigade already had to be restaffed three times.

“The first time after Irpin and Bucha; the second time they were defeated near Donetsk – they recovered again. And now almost the entire brigade has already been destroyed near Vuhledar.”

Satellite images captured by US-based Maxar Technologies show the extent of the fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces as the battle for the strategic town of Vuhledar continues.

new satellite images (from Feb. 8-10) in and around Vuhledar, Ukraine, where Russia reportedly suffered a disastrous loss of troops, equipment last week. Image 1:-2 armored vehicles deployed along treeline southeast of Vuhledar. Image 3: craters SW of Pavlyvka. \ud83d\udcf8 @Maxar pic.twitter.com/xpFUsj6C94

\u2014 Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) February 13, 2023

The headquarters of a pro-Russian separatist battalion near the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar has been destroyed in a Himars rocket strike.

Writing on the Telegram app, Alexander Khodakovsky, the Vostok battalion’s commander, said at least one Russian officer had been killed in the Ukrainian strike.

The separatist battalion has been engaged in heavy fighting to try to capture the coal-mining town of Vuhledar, in the Donetsk region, losing around five thousand troops in an attempt to take it.

Daily Telegraph reports that in recent weeks the town, which is around 100 miles southwest of Bakhmut, has become one of the focal points of Russia ’s renewed offensive.

Ukrainian military officials say that Moscow’s forces were losing between 150 and 300 troops a day in its attempts to capture Vuhledar.

Rishi Sunak has paid tribute to New Zealand’s support for Ukraine in a call with the country’s new premier Chris Hipkins.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Hipkins, who took office following the unexpected resignation of Jacinda Ardern, this evening, Downing Street said.

According to a readout of the call, Mr Sunak paid tribute to New Zealand’s support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia ‘s invasion, “including the important role the country was playing in training Ukrainian soldiers in the UK”.

“Both leaders agreed that the continued international solidarity in support of Ukraine sent a strong message to aggressors across the world,” No 10 said.

Mr Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st prime minister last month.

The Labour Party politician served as education and police minister under Ms Ardern, who dramatically resigned saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to fulfil the demanding role.

Rishi Sunak had a call with New Zealand’s new prime minister (Image: PA)

Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘s favourite TV propagandist has called for Parliament to be targeted in a missile attack on the UK. Vladimir Solovyov asked in comments translated from Russian why Moscow couldn’t strike London .

Read the full story here

Russian pundit discusses possible ‘strike’ against London

Events to mark the start of Vladimir Putin ‘s war on Ukraine are set to begin on Saturday ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia ‘s invasion.

The Ukraine Forever programme was announced earlier today at Edinburgh Castle by Lord Provost Robert Aldridge.

He joined other representatives at the landmark ahead of a series of events to mark the war’s beginning which include a planned parliamentary debate and march next week.

On February 24 2022, Putin’s troops tried to storm the country but they have met stiff resistance from Ukrainian fighters defending their homeland.

To mark the start of the full-scale invasion attempt, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the castle and the City War Memorial on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Mr Aldridge said: “On this most sombre of anniversaries, we are reminded of the terrible consequences of Russia ‘s illegal invasion during the past year.”

In cities and towns north of the border there will be events to mark the start of the war, with other wreath-laying events to take place as well as church services and processions.

Edinburgh’s first event, a commemorative gala concert in support of Ukraine , will be held at St Cuthbert’s Parish Church, Lothian Road, on February 18.

And as part of the Ukraine Forever programme in Edinburgh, there will be events including a fundraiser for a paramedic charity at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on February 23, and a night of music with Scottish and Ukrainian artists at the Usher Hall on February 28.

Hannah Beaton-Hawryluk, Edinburgh’s branch chairwoman of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, said she hoped the programme of events would “provide an opportunity for both residents of Edinburgh and Ukrainians living in the city to come together to commemorate the human sacrifice in the defence of Ukraine “.

She added: “The first anniversary is a really important, but sombre, milestone to ensure that the profile of Ukraine ‘s fight is kept at the forefront of society’s discourse in the coming year ahead.

“We need all of your help to continue supporting Ukraine .”

On February 23, there will be a special debate at the Scottish Parliament, with politicians from across the spectrum set to take part.

And, two days later, there will be a march in support of Ukraine , which will head from Edinburgh Castle to the Scottish Parliament.

MSP Neil Gray, the minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine , said as the anniversary approached it was “important for us to take a moment to pause and reflect, and to remember all those who have lost their lives in the conflict”.

He added: “Edinburgh’s Ukraine Forever programme will help us all to show our continued support and solidarity with Ukrainians all over the world.

“To all the Ukrainians in Scotland, my message remains clear, we stand with you and want you to know that Scotland is your home for as long as you need it to be.”

Thousands of Ukrainian refuges have made Scotland home since the invasion, with more than 22,000 people from the war-torn country arriving north of the border through private sponsors or super-sponsor scheme.

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh pictured with King Charles last September (Image: PA)

Poland’s president and defence minister have met the instructors who are intensively training Ukrainian troops to operate the German-made Leopard 2 tanks that some European countries and Canada have offered Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.

President Andrzej Duda and minister Mariusz Blaszczak also watched Leopard 2 training at a military base and test range in Swietoszow, in southwestern Poland.

The training is part of the European Union’s military assistance to Ukraine , but Canadian instructors also have a role, as do Norwegians.

Taking part are Ukrainian tank crews from units fighting in the east of the country.

The intensive training lasts up to 10 hours a day, including weekends, the Polish military said. Instruction is also being held in Germany.

President Duda said he hoped the tanks would help Ukrainian forces “in a much efficient way to defeat the enemy.”

He said the Ukrainian trainees have come straight from the front line. “You can see in their faces that these people have gone through terrible things, but they are determined to defend their homeland.”

Stationed in Swietoszow are Poland’s 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and a U.S. armored cavalry combat group.

Warsaw is among the most active supporters of neighboring Ukraine , and has pushed European nations to provide the Leopard 1 and 2 tanks. Germany has pledged at least 178 Leopard 1 tanks and 14 Leopard 2s. Poland has pledged 14 Leopard 2s. Other contributing countries include Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, while Britain has pledged Challenger tanks and the U.S. its M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

Duda especially thanked Germany for allowing the German-made tanks to be made available to Kyiv and for its own contribution.

Poland has also provided or pledged more than 300 of its Soviet-era T-72 tanks and modernized PT-91 tanks.

Ukrainian officials say they expect Russian forces to make a new drive in eastern and southern Ukraine , as the Kremlin strives to secure territory it illegally annexed in late September and where it claims its rule is welcomed.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said last week that the first battalion of 31 Leopard 1 tanks in Ukraine should be ready in April.

The first Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on the tanks departed for Germany last week.

Poland’s president and defence minister meeting the instructors who are doing the training (Image: Anadolu)

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that Ukraine is using up ammunition far faster than its allies can provide it and putting pressure on Western defence industries, just as Russia ramps up its military offensive.

He said: “The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles.

“The current rate of Ukraine ’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defence industries under strain.”

According to some estimates, Ukraine is firing up to 6,000-7,000 artillery shells each day, around a third of the daily amount that Russia is using almost one year into the war.

Speaking on the eve of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers, Stoltenberg said the waiting time for the supply of “large-calibre ammunition has increased from 12 to 28 months,” and that “orders placed today would only be delivered two-and-a-half years later.”

The former Norwegian prime minister said that President Vladimir Putin has already begun Russia ’s long-anticipated spring military offensive in Ukraine , “so we must continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to win and to achieve a just and sustainable peace.”

“It is clear that we are in a race of logistics. Key capabilities like ammunition, fuel, and spare parts must reach Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield. Speed will save lives,” he told reporters in Brussels.

NATO members and Ukraine ’s other allies are meeting at the alliance’s headquarters on Tuesday under U.S. supervision to drum up more weapons and ammunition for the war-torn country.

Many NATO allies are bilaterally supplying weapons to Ukraine , but NATO as an organization only provides non-lethal aid.

Tomorrow evening, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his counterparts will separately hold talks with Ukraine ’s defence minister. On Wednesday, they will discuss NATO’s defences on its eastern flank, close to Russia . Moves to beef up military budgets are also on the agenda.

Good afternoon from London. I’m Robert Fisk, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Ukraine war. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.

You can send me a DM on Twitter @RobertFisk or email me [email protected]

At least 18 advanced armoured drones were delivered by Iran to the Russian Navy last November, sources close to the operation have revealed.

Russian officers who visited Iran in November selected six Mohajer-6 drones and 12 Shahed 191 and 129 drones from Tehran’s stocks.

The drones have a range of around 200km and can carry two missiles under each wing with advanced air-to-ground strike capability, an expose in the Guardian has revealed.

They are also designed to deliver bombs and return to base unscathed unlike the so-called kamikaze drones used so far by Vladimir Putin ‘s military against Ukraine .

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Silvio Berlusconi has blamed Vladimir Putin ‘s decision to invade Ukraine on the Ukrainian President, as he argued Zelensky should have ceased to “attack” the republics of Donbas against Russian occupation.

The former Italian Prime Minister said he judges Zelensky’s behaviour “very negatively”.

Speaking in Milan, Mr Berlusconi, who has a long-standing friendship with Putin, said: “It would have been enough for him to stop attacking the two autonomous republics of Donbass and this war would not have happened. So I judge this gentleman’s behaviour very, very negatively.”

The Italian leader of Forza Italia, part of the coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni, also attacked his premier claiming he would have never engaged in talks with Zelenksy at last week’s European Council Summit in Brussels.

Silvio Berlusconi and Vladimir Putin in Crimea in 2015 (Image: GETTY)

Moldova’s President outlined Monday what she described as a plot by Moscow to use external saboteurs to overthrow her country’s government, put the nation “at the disposal of Russia ” and derail its aspirations to one day join the European Union.

President Maia Sandu’s briefing comes a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country had intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova, claims that were later confirmed by Moldovan intelligence officials.

Ms Sandu told reporters: “The plan for the next period involves actions with the involvement of diversionists with military training, camouflaged in civilian clothes, who will undertake violent actions, attack some state buildings, and even take hostages..

“The purpose of these actions is to overthrow the constitutional order, to change the legitimate power from Chisinau to an illegitimate one, which would put our country at the disposal of Russia , in order to stop the European integration process.”

She vowed: “The Kremlin’s attempts to bring violence to our country will not succeed.”

In the neighboring Luhansk region, Russian troops pulled back after several days of intense fighting near the key city of Kreminna, although they’re not “running out of steam”, Luhansk Governor. Serhii Haidai told Ukrainian television.

In the partially occupied southern region of Kherson, artillery fire hit more than 20 cities and villages over the past 24 hours including the regional capital of the same name which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November.

Two men were killed in one of the villages when their car ran over a landmine.

In the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian shelling of the city of Nikopol killed one person and wounded two others. The shelling also damaged a residential building, a water treatment facility and a college.

Fierce battles raged outside Bahkhut as Russian forces pushed their advance on the eastern city with heavy shelling and infantry attacks, Ukraine ‘s presidential office said Monday, with at least five civilians killed and as many wounded in action across the war-torn country in the last 24 hours.

The presidential office said the situation in Bakhmut’s northern suburb of Paraskoviivka is “difficult” as Russian forces continued to pummel the area with “intense shelling and storming actions.” The nearby town of Vuhledar is also under heavy bombardment.

Russian forces shelled a dozen cities and villages in the Donetsk region in the last 24 hours including in Druzhkivka where a missile hit a hospital and in Pokrovsk where shelling damaged seven houses and a kindergarten.

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: “The shelling intensifies, and the Russians accumulate more forces for an attack on peaceful cities. We’re seeing a very tough battle in which the Russians aren’t sparing neither themselves, nor us.”

Vladimir Putin has sent out an order for Russian spy agencies to intensify their recruitment of “kamikaze” intelligence operatives in Britain, leaked emails suggest.

Former members of Britain intelligence have warned that the UK is a “major” target for the Kremlin, which will be taking every step to “get access to people and turn agents in useful places”.

According to The Sun, emails from a Russian intelligence source close to Putin’s administration suggest that Moscow will “intensify undercover work with secret informants” in Britain, including sitting politicians and civil servants.

The leaked email said: “Another direction – to intensify undercover work with secret informants in all spheres of society in Britain, mainly among civil servants and politicians of all ranks – including those who sit in Parliament and members of the Lords.”

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: GETTY)

The Kremlin’s support for the mercenary Wagner Group is waning due to fears of its leader’s unpredictability. Sergei Markov, a well-known pro- Vladimir Putin commentator, revealed that he had received a directive from the leadership because Prigozhin had become too unpredictable.

The order came after Prigrozhin claimed that Wagner forces had taken control of a village close to Bakhmut, the center of the conflict in eastern Ukraine .

He shared a video that he claimed showed Wagner fighters at the entrance of Krasna Hora, a village that had a pre-war population of 600.

In an audio message, he also stated that only Wagner fighters were in control within a 50km radius of Bakhmut.

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Russian Wagner soldiers appear to attack their commander

More than three decades may have passed, but some things never change. Today’s grim relationship between Moscow and Washington continues to be at its lowest point since the Cold War, with despot Vladimir Putin ‘s incessant push to take over Ukraine sending the West into despair.

Much of the bad blood with Russia in recent history has been played out with the US.

While many near clashes were faced during the second half of the 20th century, one, in 1988, saw the American missile cruiser USS Yorktown purposefully rammed by its Soviet rival, in the form of a frigate called Bezzavetnyy, on the Black Sea.

The exchange took place on Soviet territory, which Yorktown countered by claiming it was on an innocent passage through the sea, something Moscow claimed was in its waters.

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A Wagner Group mercenary was allegedly killed with a sledgehammer after he refused to continue to fight for Russia against Ukraine .

A video showing the horrific attack is circulating the Telegram channel GrayZone, which is close to PMC Wagner, a private military company working for Vladimir Putin and recruiting soldiers to fight Ukraine .

Posting the video, the group wrote that the mercenary “fell ill with the same disease, from which you lose consciousness in the cities of Ukraine , then in Kiev, now in the Dnieper, and then you wake up in the basement at your last court session”.

Earlier, the same group had posted a video with the execution of Wagner PMC fighter Yevgeny Nuzhin.

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Moscow has secured Red Sea expansion with an agreement to allow Russia to establish a presence on one of the world’s busiest waterways.

Western authorities are worried that the first Russian naval base in Africa could be used to project power into the Indian Ocean.

Discussions about the base originally began during Omar al-Bashir’s rule, but were disrupted when he was removed from power in 2019.

However, two years later, the country’s democratic transition was interrupted by a military coup, and there are currently negotiations for a military-civilian power-sharing arrangement.

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Russian hackers are disrupting contact between Nato and military aircraft offering aid to victims of the Turkish-Syrian earthquake.

A Nato official said that the alliance was the cyber attack thought to have been undertaken by the Killnet group of hackers.

The Killnet group of hackers claimed responsibility for the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks without offering further details.

It posted on Telegram: “We are carrying out strikes on Nato. Details in a closed channel.”

The website of Nato Special Operations Headquarters, based in Belgium, was down for only a couple of hours before being was restored, reported the Telegraph.

Yevgency Prigozhin, the man who bankrolls the Russia ‘s mercenary army the Wagner Group, has hinted at divisions with the Kremlin as he claimed his forces had captured a key village close to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine .

Prigozhin, sometimes called Putin’s chef because of his links in the catering business, said: “Today, Wagner’s assault units took the town of Krasna Hora.

“After the capture of Soledar and the mass hype saying that there were other soldiers besides Wagner in Soledar, of course, the guys were very frustrated.

“Within a 50 kilometers radius, more or less, only Wagner fighters remain, and they will take Bakhmut.”

Yevgeny Prigozhin (Image: GETTY)

Pictures have shown the devastation impact Russian bombs have had on Ukraiine since the start of the war almost a year ago.

Ukraine: The damage caused by Russian airstrikes (Image: GETTY)

Ukraine: The damage caused by Russian airstrikes (Image: GETTY)

DefenceHQ’s latest update

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 13 February 2023 https://t.co/ixYOQYQdXc #StandWithUkraine \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com/mmbgKuxUpo

\u2014 Ministry of Defence \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@DefenceHQ) February 13, 2023

An ex-commander from Russia has called his country’s generals “complete morons” following Ukrainian claims that they have destroyed almost an entire tank brigade in Vuhledar.

Vladimir Putin is said to have had an entire tank brigade smashed in a battle for the small coal-mining town in the Donetsk region because of a vehicle pile-up.

The former commander Igor Girkin, who was sentenced to life in prison by a western court after a trial in abstenia for bringing down the MH17 flight in 2014, said Ukraine pounded the vehicles “like in a shooting gallery”.

He noted how the vehicles, including tanks, piled up along a narrow road while the Ukrainian artillery fired at them.

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Russia is scrambling to boost its defences in southern Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces eyes a strategic breakthrough through which could offer access to Crimea.

The UK Defence Ministry’s latest bulletin suggests Vladimir Putin ’s forces were bolstering defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhzhia Oblast, especially near the town of Tarasivka.

The statement explained: “Despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, Russia remains concerned about guarding the extremities of its extended front line.”

This was demonstrated by continued construction of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts and deployments of personnel, the MoD’s post continued.