(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged European leaders visiting Kyiv on Thursday to pile more sanctions on Russia, where President Vladimir Putin evoked a famous World War Two victory over the Nazis to rally his nation.
CONFLICT
* Rescuers combed debris in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk where an overnight Russian missile strike destroyed an apartment building and damaged nine others, killing at least three people and wounding 18.
* Russia, determined to make progress before Ukraine receives newly promised Western battle tanks and armoured vehicles, has picked up momentum on the eastern front and it announced advances north and south of Bakhmut, which has suffered persistent Russian bombardment for months.
Russian forces are pushing from both the north and south to encircle Bakhmut, using superior troop numbers to try to cut it off from re-supply and force the Ukrainians out, Ukrainian military analyst Yevhen Dikiy said.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian forces would respond to the delivery of longer-range Western weapons to Kyiv by trying to push Ukrainian forces further away from its borders to create a safe buffer zone.
* Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Russia’s arms suppliers would “significantly” increase their deliveries in 2023 to help its forces inflict a “crushing defeat” on Ukraine.
* Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said a fresh Russian offensive could begin around Feb. 24, which will be the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.* Reuters could not verify battlefield reports.
* The United States has answered President Zelenskiy’s plea for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the conflict with Russia. Now Russian forces will need to adapt or face potentially catastrophic losses.* A former commander of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group who fled to Norway told Reuters he wanted to apologise for fighting in Ukraine and was speaking out to bring the perpetrators of atrocities in the conflict to justice.
* President Vladimir Putin, evoking the spirit of the Soviet Red Army that defeated Nazi German forces at Stalingrad 80 years ago, declared that Russia would defeat a Ukraine he described as being in the grip of a new incarnation of Nazism.
ARMS, AID, DIPLOMACY
* Ukraine urged the European Union to impose more sanctions on Moscow, as some of the bloc’s top officials visited Kyiv in a show of solidarity that offered no quick path to EU membership during Russia’s invasion.
* Germany needs to order new Leopard tanks quickly to replace those going to Ukraine, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said, adding that he did not care where the money came from.
* EU countries will seek a deal on Friday on a European Commission proposal to set price caps on Russian oil products amid divisions between member states, diplomats said.
WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATIONS
* European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine would be set up in The Hague.
CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN* Ukrainian authorities raided an influential billionaire’s home, part of what Zelenskiy said was a drive to root out corruption – seen as an effort to boost Kyiv’s prospects of joining the European Union.
(Compiled by Robert Birsel, Himani Sarkar and Mark Heinrich)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.