Russia-Ukraine struggle dwell: Ukrainian forces destroy giant Russian touchdown ship off Crimea | Ukraine

• Ukraine claims to have severely broken and sunk a Russian touchdown ship in its latest drone attack towards Moscow’s Black Sea fleet. Ukrainian army intelligence launched video on Wednesday that it stated confirmed a number of naval drones approaching the Ropucha-class giant touchdown ship Cesar Kunikov off the coast of Crimea.

• The Netherlands is becoming a member of a army coalition with allies together with Britain that can provide Ukraine with superior drone expertise and bolster its offensive capabilities within the struggle towards Russia, the Dutch defence minister stated. The pledge from the Netherlands comes along with F-16 fighter jets, artillery, ammunition and air defence methods supplied by the Dutch to Kyiv, Reuters studies.

• The Kremlin on Wednesday denied a Reuters report that Russian president Vladimir Putin proposed a ceasefire in Ukraine to the United States by way of intermediaries. Asked if the Reuters report that Russia had made peace proposals was true, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated: “No. It is not true.”

• Russia’s parliament will vote on 21 February on suspending the nation’s participation within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and cooperation (OSCE), Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated on Tuesday. The OSCE, which counts Ukraine, the US and Russia amongst its 57 members, is the successor to a chilly war-era organisation for Soviet and western powers to interact, Reuters studies.

• Russia’s air defence methods destroyed 9 Ukraine-launched drones over Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh areas, in addition to over the Black Sea, RIA state information company reported on Wednesday. It cited the Russian defence ministry.

• British overseas secretary David Cameron on Wednesday urged US lawmakers to vote for a $95bn safety support bundle for Ukraine and different allies. “Britain has announced its support package for the next year. The European Union has announced their package for the next year. And I urge members of Congress in the United States who will be looking at this today to vote for the package,” Cameron informed reporters throughout a go to to Bulgaria.

• Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a regulation Wednesday that can permit authorities to confiscate money, valuables and different belongings from folks convicted of spreading “deliberately false information” in regards to the nation’s army, AP reported. The invoice sailed by means of the decrease and higher homes of the Russian parliament, and was unanimously endorsed by the higher home final week.

• Ukraine will want $9bn over 10 years for its tradition and tourism sectors to get better, the United Nations’ cultural company stated on Tuesday, including that the two-year struggle had up to now cost the nation over $19.6bn in tourism income. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered the deadliest battle in Europe because the second world struggle, with no signal of an finish to the struggle in sight, Reuters studies.

• The EU is proposing to sanction firms in mainland China for the primary time as a part of its latest measures geared toward shutting down loopholes that permit Russia to route army expertise by way of third international locations to its weapons factories. Three firms in mainland China, in addition to 4 in Hong Kong and one in India, are on a 91-page doc of firms and people who EU member states wish to add to a rising sanctions record earlier than the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

• Germany has met a Nato alliance goal to spend 2% of its gross home product on defence for the primary time since 1992, the dpa information company reported on Wednesday, as spending ramped up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years in the past. The German authorities is allocating the equal of $73.41bn for defence spending within the present yr, dpa reported. This is a report determine for Germany in absolute phrases and could be 2.01% of GDP.

• Russian bombing raids killed three folks together with a toddler late on Tuesday close to Ukraine’s japanese metropolis of Donetsk, the native council stated. It reported that the strikes hit 9 condominium blocks and a hospital in Selydove, about 20km (12 miles) west of the frontline. Twelve folks have been additionally reported injured together with 4 kids.

• Russian state information stated Ukraine launched 9 drones over Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh areas, in addition to over the Black Sea. The report used the customary Russian official language that each one the drones have been intercepted – this was not independently confirmed.

• The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has welcomed the US Senate vote that accepted $61bn in support for Ukraine and despatched it to the House of Representatives for a vote. “American assistance brings just peace in Ukraine closer and restores global stability, resulting in increased security and prosperity for all Americans and all the free world,” Zelenskiy stated.

• The Democratic majority chief within the Senate, Chuck Schumer, stated he was assured the invoice – additionally offering help to Israel and different allies – would cross the House with assist from each Republicans and Democrats if there have been a vote, and referred to as on House leaders to do the precise factor.

• The House speaker, Mike Johnson, requested if he deliberate to place the invoice to a vote, stated “I certainly don’t” and instructed members have been busy with different issues. But Republicans and Democrats in favour of supporting Ukraine might pressure a vote utilizing a course of referred to as a “discharge petition” if sufficient of them banded collectively. The US president, Joe Biden, has urged members of the House to disregard the hectoring of Donald Trump and approve the invoice.

• Russians forces blasted eight settlements and areas of Ukraine’s Sumy area 331 occasions on Tuesday, native officers stated. Explosions have been attributable to mortars, artillery, a tank, kamikaze drones and different munitions. The communities that reportedly got here beneath fireplace have been Khotinsk, Yunakivsk, Bilopolsk, Krasnopilsk, in addition to Myropilsk, Velikopysarivsk, Shalyginsk and Seredino-Budsk. There have been no studies of casualties.

The Kremlin on Wednesday denied a Reuters report that Russian president Vladimir Putin proposed a ceasefire in Ukraine to the United States by way of intermediaries.

Asked if the Reuters report that Russia had made peace proposals was true, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated: “No. It is not true.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin despatched alerts to Washington in 2023 in public and privately by means of intermediaries, together with by means of Moscow’s Arab companions within the Middle East, that he was prepared to think about a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian sources informed Reuters.

Intermediaries met in Turkey in late 2023, based on three Russian sources, and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan telephoned Putin’s overseas coverage adviser, Yuri Ushakov, in January.

Ukraine claims to have sunk Russian touchdown ship in drone attack

Andrew Roth

Ukraine claims to have severely broken and sunk a Russian touchdown ship in its latest drone attack towards Moscow’s Black Sea fleet.

Ukrainian army intelligence launched video on Wednesday that it stated confirmed a number of naval drones approaching the Ropucha-class giant touchdown ship Cesar Kunikov off the coast of Crimea.

The drones hit the port aspect of the ship, the company stated in a press release, including that it “suffered critical holes on the port side [of the hull] and began to sink”.

The Cesar Kunikov is a Project 775 giant touchdown ship that may carry 87 crew members onboard and was lively within the conflicts in Syria, Georgia, and Ukraine, the company stated.

Video launched on social media additionally confirmed a plume of smoke rising from a ship stated to be within the Black Sea, and there have been studies in native Russian media of a search-and-rescue operation utilizing helicopters beneath manner over the water.

Russian army bloggers, who often publish details about incidents earlier than they’re confirmed by Russia’s army, additionally corroborated studies of an attack towards the Cesar Kunikov.

If confirmed, the strike could be the second profitable operation this month towards a Russian warship working within the Black Sea.

On 1 February, Ukrainian Magura V5 sea drones struck the Russian warship Ivanovets in a classy nighttime attack that confirmed the vulnerability of Russia’s Black Sea fleet towards unmanned naval vessels.

Lisa O’Carroll

The EU is proposing to sanction firms in mainland China for the primary time as a part of its latest measures geared toward shutting down loopholes that permit Russia to route army expertise by way of third international locations to its weapons factories.

Three firms in mainland China, in addition to 4 in Hong Kong and one in India, are on a 91-page doc of firms and people who EU member states wish to add to a rising sanctions record earlier than the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As the EU, the UK and US representatives put together to fulfill in Brussels on Wednesday, a supply stated extra instruments have been wanted to make sure Moscow couldn’t get round current restrictions.

A supply stated: “Russia is straining every sinew to get around our sanctions but we need to do more. We need to shut down loopholes, target circumvention routes, drive down revenues further.”

Good morning and welcome to the Ukraine dwell weblog. We begin with information that Ukrainian armed forces have destroyed the big Russian touchdown ship Tsezar Kunikov off occupied Crimea within the Black Sea, the Ukrainian army stated on Wednesday.

“The Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with the Defence Ministry’s intelligence unit, destroyed the large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov. It was in Ukrainian territorial waters near Alupka at the time of the hit,” the army stated on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainska Pravda, a significant Ukrainian media outlet, revealed a number of movies exhibiting a column of smoke over the ocean off the southern coast of Crimea, in addition to helicopters flying over the ocean.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko stated the focused ship was the Tsezar Kunikov, which took half in Russian army operations in Georgia in 2008.

In different information:

• Russian bombing raids killed three folks together with a toddler late on Tuesday close to Ukraine’s japanese metropolis of Donetsk, the native council stated. It reported that the strikes hit 9 condominium blocks and a hospital in Selydove, about 20km (12 miles) west of the entrance line. Twelve folks have been additionally reported injured together with 4 kids.

• Russian state information stated Ukraine launched 9 drones over Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh areas, in addition to over the Black Sea. The report used the customary Russian official language that each one the drones have been intercepted – this was not independently confirmed.

• The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has welcomed the US Senate vote that accepted $61bn in support for Ukraine and despatched it to the House of Representatives for a vote. “American assistance brings just peace in Ukraine closer and restores global stability, resulting in increased security and prosperity for all Americans and all the free world,” Zelenskiy stated.

• The Democratic majority chief within the Senate, Chuck Schumer, stated he was assured the invoice – additionally offering help to Israel and different allies – would cross the House with assist from each Republicans and Democrats if there have been a vote, and referred to as on House leaders to do the precise factor.

• The House speaker, Mike Johnson, requested if he deliberate to place the invoice to a vote, stated “I certainly don’t” and instructed members have been busy with different issues. But Republicans and Democrats in favour of supporting Ukraine might pressure a vote utilizing a course of referred to as a “discharge petition” if sufficient of them banded collectively. The US president, Joe Biden, has urged members of the House to disregard the hectoring of Donald Trump and approve the invoice.

• Russians forces blasted eight settlements and areas of Ukraine’s Sumy area 331 occasions on Tuesday, native officers stated. Explosions have been attributable to mortars, artillery, a tank, kamikaze drones and different munitions. The communities that reportedly got here beneath fireplace have been Khotinsk, Yunakivsk, Bilopolsk, Krasnopilsk, in addition to Myropilsk, Velikopysarivsk, Shalyginsk and Seredino-Budsk. There have been no studies of casualties.

• Sanctions towards Russia are having an impact however have to be broadened and extra strictly enforced, based on Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Nato secretary common. Rasmussen argued that Ukraine’s allies should tighten sanctions enforcement to cease western parts moving into Russian armaments, improve sanctions towards Russia’s war-mobilised heavy business, and use frozen Russian belongings to profit Ukraine.

• Rasmussen writes within the Financial Times: “Victory will depend largely on whether Ukraine and its allies can outproduce Russia. We must realign our sanctions policy with this objective. We should recognise that although the measures will not force Moscow to end the war overnight, they are another tool to disrupt and degrade the country’s means of production. Every Russian tank we prevent from being built is one less that Ukrainian forces need to destroy.”

• Britain’s overseas secretary, David Cameron, will urge allies to improve defence manufacturing to assist Ukraine, his workplace stated forward of a diplomatic tour to Bulgaria, Poland and Germany.

• Russia’s parliamentary speaker has stated it’ll vote on 21 February on suspending its participation within the parliamentary meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE). The OSCE has 57 members together with Russia and Ukraine.

• Russia attacked the central Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro with missiles and drones on Tuesday, damaging an influence plant and reducing off water provides to some residents, Ukrainian officers and media stated.

• Russia is getting ready for a army confrontation with the west throughout the subsequent decade and may very well be deterred by a counter buildup of armed forces, Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has stated.

• Moscow has put the Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, and different Baltic states officers on a needed record, as Estonia warns of an imminent Russian army buildup alongside its border. The Russian overseas ministry stated they have been accused of “destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers”. Kallas stated she wouldn’t be silenced and would proceed her sturdy assist for Ukraine and for “increasing Europe’s defence”.

• Russia has misplaced greater than 3,000 tanks throughout its invasion of Ukraine – the equal of its whole prewar lively stock – however has sufficient lower-quality armoured autos in storage for years of replacements, based on the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Ukraine had additionally suffered heavy losses however western army replenishments had allowed it to keep up inventories whereas upgrading high quality, ISS analysts wrote.