Ukraine-Russia war – live: Anti-Putin paramilitaries ‘destroy’ Russian squadron in surprise cross-border raid

The Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukrainian-based paramilitary group of Russians who oppose President Vladimir Putin, claimed accountability on Sunday for a cross-border assault a number of miles into Russia’s Belgorod area.

The group, designated as terrorist in Russia, stated it had destroyed a platoon stronghold of Russian troops close to Trebreno village, with out specifying whether or not it had destroyed infrastructure or killed troopers, and stated it had left mines behind.

Reuters couldn’t confirm the claims of the group, which says it was fashioned in spring 2022 to struggle Putin’s forces from throughout the ranks of the armed forces of Ukraine, which has prior to now denied involvement in assaults in Belgorod by Freedom of Russia Legion and one other Russian anti-Putin group.

Earlier on Sunday, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod area, which experiences frequent assaults by Ukrainian forces, stated Trebreno was underneath hearth from Ukraine’s Armed Forces and {that a} “capturing battle” was underneath approach on the village edge.

He stated no civilians had been injured however three homes and energy traces have been broken. On Saturday he posted on the Telegram messaging app that 19 villages or farms had come underneath assault from Ukrainian shelling or from explosive units dropped by drones.

On Sunday, family and mates of Ukrainian navy prisoners of struggle held placards throughout a rally calling for his or her fast trade with Russian prisoners of struggle.

The captives have been detained following the protection of Mariupol and have been dubbed “Azovstal defenders”.

The demonstration passed off at Saint Sophia Sq. in Kyiv.

“All political prisoners with yellow tags are subjected to additional bother and humiliation each day,” Sudalenka stated. “Strategies of bullying can vary from punishment cells and full info isolation, to refusing a gathering with a lawyer and denying of medical care and medication.”

A few third of Vitba-3’s 1,000 inmates are political prisoners, he stated, noting their quantity “elevated noticeably after the beginning of the struggle in Ukraine,” when arrests have been stepped up in opposition to Belarusians who opposed the Russian invasion.

Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, whose husband is serving a 19-and-a-half yr jail time period, met this month with State Division officers and lawmakers, and a Belarus-US working group on political prisoners was fashioned.

“We’re prepared to speak about altering our insurance policies, easing sanctions, and enhancing our relationships as soon as the regime releases all of its political prisoners, stops its repression of the Belarusian folks, and ends its complicity in Russia’s struggle in opposition to Ukraine,” stated State Division spokesman Matthew Miller.

He shared footage of visits to Cape Verde, Argentina to attend the inauguration of their new president, to the US to fulfill with President Biden and to Norway and Germany to fulfill state leaders.

He stated: “This was an vital week. Supporting Ukraine means defending the rules-based worldwide order. I’m grateful to the entire leaders and nations who assist us safeguard lives. I thank them for his or her important help for our protection.”

As the 2 yr anniversary of the Ukraine struggle looms, Vladimir Putin seems assured that the playing cards are stacked in his favour. Nonetheless, there’s a flaw in his recreation plan, says Russian knowledgeable and creator Mark Galeotti – and it may show deadly.

Final week Vladimir Putin held his annual marathon press convention and city corridor, and he gave no trace of any give in his method to the struggle. In any case, he could nicely really feel that, after a disastrous 2022, this previous yr has been extra profitable than anticipated, permitting him to gamble on 2024 because the yr he could possibly wrest some type of victory from the preliminary catastrophic blunders of the invasion.

When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ignited into struggle, again in Moscow, a younger Russian who now goes by the identify of Karabas was plunged into despair. Shocked by photographs of what was taking place to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he determined to behave — in opposition to Russia, his house and nation.

In the present day, he’s a part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit made up of Russians who’ve joined Ukrainian navy ranks to struggle in opposition to their homeland, hoping sometime to assist oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its members hail largely from ethnic minorities from Russia’s far east.

“I used to be disillusioned with my very own folks,” recounted Karabas, who like different fighters within the battalion spoke to The Related Press given that solely his navy name signal be used.

The transfer got here only a day after the Kremlin chief’s supporters formally nominated him to run within the 2024 presidential election as an impartial.

Just a little-known Russian presidential hopeful who requires peace in Ukraine additionally inched nearer in direction of formally registering as a candidate, securing a nomination from a gaggle of greater than 500 supporters within the Russian capital.

Dmitry Medvedev, United Russia’s chairman and a former Russian president and prime minister, known as on fellow celebration members to “mobilise all activists and supporters” in help of Mr Putin earlier than the vote, scheduled for March 15-17, based on experiences by Russian state businesses.

In a speech on the convention, Mr Medvedev referred to Mr Putin as “our candidate”, and asserted that his re-election for a fifth time period as head of state “needs to be completely logical, reputable and completely indeniable”.

A civilian was killed in a single day close to Odesa, a key port on Ukraine’s southern Black Beach, after the remnants of a destroyed drone fell on his home, Ukraine’s navy stated.

Stepped-up drone assaults over the previous month come as each side are eager to point out they aren’t deadlocked because the struggle approaches the two-year mark. Russia’s Protection Ministry on Friday night stated its anti-aircraft models destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine’s air drive on Saturday stated it had shot down 30 out of 31 drones launched by Russia in opposition to 11 Ukrainian areas the earlier night time.

Neither aspect has gained a lot floor regardless of a Ukrainian counteroffensive that started in June.

Russia has little interest in extending the Black Sea grain deal, the RIA information company reported on Sunday, quoting Russia’s agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev.

He added that to a big extent it is a political choice, however Russia will proceed to export its grain, because it has its consumers.

“Our grain export volumes, taking into consideration the winding down of the grain deal, have in no way fallen, they even barely elevated,” RIA quoted Patrushev as saying.

Russia withdrew in July from the deal which had allowed Ukraine to securely export grain from its Black Sea ports. Russia says it give up the deal as a result of the association was not delivering grain to the poorest nations, and since it nonetheless faces boundaries to its personal exports of grain and fertiliser.

Russia and Ukraine launched over a dozen drones at one another’s territory for a second straight day on Sunday, considered one of which apparently focused a Russian navy airport whereas a Ukrainian civilian was killed after drone particles slammed into his home close to the Black Sea.

A minimum of 35 Ukrainian drones have been shot down in a single day over three areas in southwestern Russia, the Russian Protection Ministry stated in a publish on the messaging app Telegram.

Additionally Sunday morning, Ukraine‘s air drive stated it shot down 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched in a single day by Russian troops in southern and western Ukraine, in addition to one X-59 cruise missile launched from the nation’s occupied south.