Vladimir Putin has no doubts: the military plane that crashed two days ago near Belgorod in northern Russia was shot down by the Ukrainians. The president, quoted by Tass, said: “I don’t know if they did it intentionally or accidentally, but it’s obvious that they did it. In any case, what happened is a crime, whether negligent or intentional.” And then he added: “The missiles that shot down the Il-76 with Ukrainian military personnel on board were fired from Ukrainian territory. “
[[(FckEditorEmbeddedHtmlLayoutElement) include guerra]]
Important points
3:51 p.m
The EU is preparing a new plan for wheat imports from Ukraine
12:11 p.m
Washington Post: New US plans will only support short-term military operations
4:28 p.m
President of the Duma calls for the outbreak of a “Third World War”
The speaker of the Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin, recalled the danger of a third world war on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the blockade of Leningrad. “Fascist ideology has become the norm for the leadership of NATO countries,” Volodin said on his Telegram channel, accusing Western governments, including explicitly that led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of supporting a policy of genocide in Ukraine. “This is a dangerous path that could lead to a new world war,” Volodin said.
3:51 p.m
The EU is preparing a new plan for wheat imports from Ukraine
The European Commission is ready to present on Wednesday, January 31, the new proposal on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, sugar, poultry and fruit from Ukraine.
As we understand it, Brussels should propose the renewal of trade measures in support of Kiev – including the suspension of import tariffs, quotas and trade defense measures – while introducing safeguard clauses to protect European farmers, especially neighboring countries, in particular Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.
3:30 p.m
Kremlin, “the same old horror story about the Russian bear from the West”
The ongoing discussions in the West about the war against Moscow are just an “old horror story about the Russian bear,” denounced the Kremlin in response to the words of the German Defense Minister. Boris Pistorius about the danger of war with Russia, which is unlikely but for which we must be prepared. “German farmers are demonstrating on the streets, patience is running out. What is the best distraction? We would all do better to remember the tired horror story of the Russian bear,” the spokesman said. Dmitry Peskov.
3:02 p.m
Kiev: Russians executed two people near Andriivka
“This morning a Russian reconnaissance and sabotage group executed people from the Khotyn municipality: two civilians, a brother and a sister, who lived in the village of Andriivka near Bakhmut were killed,” said the military chief of the northeastern region of Sumy Volodymyr Artyukh, and underlines that the village attacked by Russian troops is located in a border area 5 kilometers from the Russian Federation. Artyukh, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda and the Guardian, made a new appeal to residents, urging them to evacuate as Russian terrorists continue to kill civilians.
2:38 p.m
British intelligence: “Russian priority is to take control of Avdiivka in Donetsk”
In the latest updated report, British intelligence said Ukrainian counterattacks are preventing Russian troops from taking full control of Avdiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine in Donetsk that has been under attack for months. “The main priority of the Russian armed forces is the city of Avdiivka,” said the analysis by the Defense Ministry in London. “Kremlin troops are organizing a three-pronged attack to encircle the city from the south and north, and are also fighting on the outskirts of the eastern district of the eponymous city of Avdiivka”. However, British intelligence explains that Russian forces are suffering heavy losses in personnel and armored vehicles, often caused by Ukrainian drones. “Although they continue to try to bypass the Ukrainian fortifications by entering the outskirts of the city through service tunnels – an infiltration method they have been attempting since October 2023 – the counterattacks prevent them Not only that, “with the main supply route remaining intact and Ukrainian forces conducting local counterattacks, Avdiivka will likely remain under Ukrainian control in the coming weeks,” the report says .Russian forces captured the villages of Krokhmalne in Kharkiv Oblast on January 21 and Vesele near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on January 18, but British analysts consider them strategically insignificant: Vesele had a prewar population of 102 and Krokhmalne of 45: “This represents a continuation of Russia’s small incremental progress as Ukraine focuses on active defense.”
2:06 p.m
British intelligence: “Kiev repelled three attacks on Avdiivka”
Ukraine has repelled three attacks by Russian forces near Avdiivka, preventing Russia from taking full control of the industrial city in the Donetsk region, British intelligence said, estimating it is likely to fall in the next few weeks will remain under the control of Ukrainian armed forces. “Avdiivka is a top priority for the Russian armed forces. “The Russians have carried out three sustained attacks to surround the city from the south and north and on the eastern outskirts,” British intelligence wrote, stating that Russian forces suffered heavy losses in personnel and armaments. The Moscow military continues to try to overcome the fortified Ukrainian barrier through the service tunnels.
12.45 p.m
Kiev: The Russian army has increased its attacks in the southeast
The Russian army has intensified its offensive operations and attacks in the Vervovoy district of the Melitopol region in southeastern Ukraine, where there are at least 50 clashes every day. The Kiev Defense Press Center, cited by RBC Ukraine, reports that Kremlin troops have carried out about a hundred air strikes in the Donetsk region over the week, most of them with guided aerial bombs. In the morning, Slavyansk, also in Donetsk, was bombed, destroying a craft center and damaging several residential buildings and a kindergarten. Images published by Ukrainska Pravda show one of the buildings reduced to rubble.
12:11 p.m
Washington Post: New US plans will only support short-term military operations
According to Washington Post sources, the American document – always subject to congressional approval – will guarantee support for short-term military operations and for the creation of a future Ukrainian military force capable of “deterring Russian aggression,” and “promise and Specific Information” include programs” to “protect, rebuild and expand Ukraine’s industrial and export base” and to support the country in political reforms. We are talking about a document that is intended to have four phases: combat, construction (with a view to future security forces and weapons production), recovery and reform. By 2024, the West hopes that Ukraine will not lose any more territory. president Volodymyr Zelensky insists that Ukraine remains in the offensive phase. “It is very difficult to imagine a serious and global strategic offensive operation in 2024, especially when we consider the general state of aid, not only from the US,” the parliamentarian commented Serhii Rachmanin. In the United States it is believed that the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year will end with negotiations, but it is not believed that the Russian leader Wladimir Putin He will take the talks seriously this year, also because he hopes to return Donald Trump in the White House. In this context, the Post writes about a long-term strategy that has its roots in last summer's G7 statement and the risks that Ukrainians could begin to blame their government for the stalemate on the front lines give. Even in the capitals of the West there is an awareness that the “patience” of public opinion regarding the financing of Ukraine is not endless.
08:21
Cluster bombs on Gorlovka
The Ukrainian armed forces bombed Gorlovka with stray bullets: this was reported by the Russian agency Ria Novosti, citing sources from the Russian administration of the occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. These are two NATO cluster bombs of 155 mm caliber, according to the Telegram profile of the region's representative office in the Russian Center, which monitors war crimes in Kiev. Gorlovka is located 50 kilometers north of Donetsk. The city is home to the Stirol chemical company and coal mining companies. It is one of the most populous areas of Donbass: before the start of the conflict, over 250,000 people lived there. The news agency reminds that Ukraine is among the countries that have ratified the international convention banning this type of weapons.
00:58
Washington Post: “US plans to support Ukraine without taking back territory”
The Biden administration is working on a long-term strategy to support Ukraine despite the funding crisis in Congress. However, according to a Washington Post report citing anonymous US officials, the plans do not involve recapturing lost territories for Russia's benefit, but rather aim to help Kiev fend off new Russian advances and strengthen its fighting power and economy by 2024 .
The aim is to support short-term military operations and create a future Ukrainian military force to deter Russian aggression. The strategy includes programs to rebuild and expand Ukraine's industrial base and exports, as well as to support the country in the political reforms necessary for integration into Western institutions.
00:01
Conte: “The conflict in Ukraine has no way out”
The conflict in Ukraine “there is no way out, we will not be able to maintain arms supplies” Ukraine. Wasn't it wiser to set up a peace negotiation straight away?” This was said by M5 leader Giuseppe Conte, guest of the show “Breaking Italy Night” at the Dal Verme Theater in Milan. “The more time passes, the more we reduce our bargaining power,” he concluded. “The stubborn pursuit of military strategy means handing Ukraine over to Russia.”