Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Russia has responded to the claims made by the United States that Moscow is violating the New START nuclear treaty. Russia on Wednesday (February 1) said that it intends to preserve its last remaining nuclear treaty with the US despite calling it a destructive approach by America for controlling arms. Dmitry Peskov, who is the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters that "no matter how sad the situation is at the present time", it was actually necessary to preserve at least some "hints" of continued dialogue with Washington. Peskov said that "we consider the continuation of this treaty very important" as he described it as the only one that remained "at least hypothetically viable". He added, "Otherwise, we see that the United States has actually destroyed the legal framework for arms control." For the unversed, the New START is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and Russia with an aim to have control over nuclear arms in both nations. WATCH | Russia Ukraine War: US readies $2.4bn Ukraine aid package; Zelensky lobbying hard for NATO jets × The formal name of the treaty is Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms and it was signed on April 8, 2010, in Prague. After ratification, it was entered into force on February 5, 2011. The treaty aims to put limits on the two countries over the deployment of nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. The New START is set to expire in 2026 and experts have raised concerns and urged that the treaty should be revived. Meanwhile, the US has claimed that Russia had violated the terms of the New START Treaty, stating that Moscow was refusing to allow inspection activities on its territory. A State Department spokesperson said: "Russia's refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of US-Russian nuclear arms control." (With inouts from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

New START nuclear treaty: Russia considers continuation of this 'important' treaty

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. The United Kingdom has said that it won't provide Ukraine with RAF Typhoon and F-35 fighters amid Kyiv's growing demands for fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter Russian aggression. UK-based media outlet Daily Mail reported that Britain has refused a request from Ukraine for advanced fighter jets, stating that it is not "practical". According to the report, Britain said that it won't send RAF Typhoon or F-35 fighters as it would take a long time to train pilots of Ukrainian forces. As quoted by the Daily Mail report, the prime minister's official spokesman said that it was "not currently practical" to send RAF jets. ALSO READ | The UK, Italy, Japan to set up international organisation for military innovation: Report He said, "The UK's Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly. Given that, we believe it is not practical to send those jets into Ukraine." He added, "Obviously we will continue to provide and accelerate our military support to Ukraine and listen carefully to their requests." The recent consensus among the West to send powerful tanks to Ukraine came as a boost for the war-torn nation, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to lobby the allies to supply fighter jets to repulse Russian advances. Currently, the Ukrainian air force has Soviet-era Russian fighters, mainly the Mig-29 and it has further demanded powerful weapons, missiles, especially jets, as Kyiv wants fighter planes sooner rather than later. WATCH | War in Ukraine: Kyiv to get 120-140 Western tanks in first instalment × ALSO READ | 'Russians must compete...': Moscow responds as Ukraine threatens Paris Olympics boycott French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, meanwhile, said "there was no taboo" about supplying Kyiv with fighter planes after meeting Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Paris. A report published by Reuters said that two United States officials briefed on the matter told the news agency on Tuesday that the US is preparing a $2.2 billion package of additional assistance. The Biden administration has already provided Ukraine with reportedly $27.2 billion in military aid since Russia's invasion. The news agency also reported that the US might offer Kyiv longer-range rockets for the first time and other munitions and weapons. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russia-Ukraine war: UK says it won’t supply Kyiv with RAF Typhoon and F-35 fighters, gives reason

The Russia-Ukraine war will complete one year on February 24 this year, however, there is no end in sight with many still unsure of what the future holds for them.&nbsp;Amid the bomb shellings and the sanctions&nbsp;since Russia invaded Ukrainian territory a year ago, stories emerge from the battleground every now and then that shake people to their core.&nbsp;In an interview with CNN, a former Wagner mercenary narrates his experience from ground zero where he speaks about the brutality he witnessed in Ukraine. Andrei Medvedev, who is presently seeking asylum in Norway's Oslo, talked at length and gave an insider story about the Wagner group, a private military company which Russia is reportedly using to mobilise hundreds of mercenary soldiers.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canadas-three-year-pilot-programme-to-decriminalise-possession-of-illicit-drugs-begins-in-bc-557691">Canada’s three-year pilot programme to decriminalise possession of illicit drugs begins in BC</a>

Andrei Medvedev shed light on how the Wagner fighters often have no clue when they are pushed into the battle. 26-year-old Medvedev, who joined the group as a volunteer, also described Wagner's behaviour towards the fighters as ruthless.&nbsp;

He even went on saying, “They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of newcomers."&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/norways-sovereign-wealth-fund-suffers-historic-losses-of-164-billion-557679">Norway's sovereign wealth fund suffers historic losses of $164 billion</a>

“They brought two prisoners who refused to go fight and shot them in front of everyone and buried them right in the trenches that were dug by the trainees.” Medvedev signed his contract in July 2022 and moved to Ukraine after 10 days of signing. He termed the Wagner group founders, Dmitry Utkin and Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, as “the devil”.

Watch | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-beijing-says-city-has-achieved-temporary-herd-immunity-557708">China: Beijing says city has achieved 'temporary herd immunity'</a>

“If (Prigozhin) was a Russian hero, he would have taken a gun and run with the soldiers,” Medvedev said. The bitterness is mutual as Wagner earlier said that Medvedev “should have been prosecuted for attempting to mistreat prisoners”.

“There were more dead bodies and more, and more, people coming in. In the end, I had a lot of people under my command,” Medvedev said, adding, “I couldn’t count how many. They were in constant circulation. Dead bodies, more prisoners, more dead bodies, more prisoners.”

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The Russia-Ukraine war will complete one year on February 24 this year, however, there is no end in sight with many still unsure of what the future holds for them.

The Russia-Ukraine war will complete one year on February 24 this year, however, there is no end in sight with many still unsure of what the future holds for them. Amid the bomb shellings and the sanctions since Russia invaded Ukrainian territory a year ago, stories emerge from the battleground every now and then that shake people to their core. In an interview with CNN, a former Wagner mercenary narrates his experience from ground zero where he speaks about the brutality he witnessed in Ukraine. Andrei Medvedev, who is presently seeking asylum in Norway's Oslo, talked at length and gave an insider story about the Wagner group, a private military company which Russia is reportedly using to mobilise hundreds of mercenary soldiers. Also Read | Canada’s three-year pilot programme to decriminalise possession of illicit drugs begins in BC Andrei Medvedev shed light on how the Wagner fighters often have no clue when they are pushed into the battle. 26-year-old Medvedev, who joined the group as a volunteer, also described Wagner's behaviour towards the fighters as ruthless. He even went on saying, “They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of newcomers." Also Read | Norway's sovereign wealth fund suffers historic losses of $164 billion “They brought two prisoners who refused to go fight and shot them in front of everyone and buried them right in the trenches that were dug by the trainees.” Medvedev signed his contract in July 2022 and moved to Ukraine after 10 days of signing. He termed the Wagner group founders, Dmitry Utkin and Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, as “the devil”. Watch | China: Beijing says city has achieved 'temporary herd immunity' “If (Prigozhin) was a Russian hero, he would have taken a gun and run with the soldiers,” Medvedev said. The bitterness is mutual as Wagner earlier said that Medvedev “should have been prosecuted for attempting to mistreat prisoners”. “There were more dead bodies and more, and more, people coming in. In the end, I had a lot of people under my command,” Medvedev said, adding, “I couldn’t count how many. They were in constant circulation. Dead bodies, more prisoners, more dead bodies, more prisoners.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Wagner Group defector recalls horrific killings of non-submissive fighters in Ukraine

Former United States president Donald Trump&nbsp;on Saturday (January 28) accused Joe Biden, the current president of bringing them to the brink of World War III.

Trump started his campaign trail for the first time since announcing his bid for the presidential election in 2024. The former president visited two early-voting states. He also denied the criticism that his run was off to a slow start.&nbsp;

Trump spoke firstly at New Hampshire Republican Party's annual meeting in Salem. He then headed to Columbia, South Carolina, where he made an appearance alongside his leadership team in the state.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-to-resume-issuing-visas-for-japanese-citizens-no-decision-on-south-korea-yet-557010">China to resume issuing visas for Japanese citizens, no decision on South Koreans yet</a>&nbsp;

While weighing in on the one Russia-Ukraine war and its massive impact globally, Trump said: "Through weakness and incompetence, Joe Biden has brought us to the brink of World War III."&nbsp;

"We are at the brink of World War III, just in case anybody doesn't know it. As president, I will bring back peace through strength," he added. He claimed that he would have a "peace deal" within 24 hours.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Tyre Nichols death | Memphis: Scorpion police unit disbanded, victim's family welcomes decision&nbsp;

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While speaking to a smaller crowd during the annual meeting in Salem, Trump said that he was motivated to win as he embarks on his third White House bid. He said, "I'm more angry now and I'm more committed now than I ever was."&nbsp;

At an event in the Statehouse in Columbia, Trump said, "This campaign will be about the future. This campaign will be about issues."&nbsp;

He said that Biden has put America on the fast track to ruin and destruction and we will ensure that he does not receive four more years.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Former United States president Donald Trump on Saturday (January 28) accused Joe Biden, the current president of bringing them to the brink of World War III. Trump started his campaign trail for the first time since announcing his bid for the presidential election in 2024.

Former United States president Donald Trump on Saturday (January 28) accused Joe Biden, the current president of bringing them to the brink of World War III. Trump started his campaign trail for the first time since announcing his bid for the presidential election in 2024. The former president visited two early-voting states. He also denied the criticism that his run was off to a slow start. Trump spoke firstly at New Hampshire Republican Party's annual meeting in Salem. He then headed to Columbia, South Carolina, where he made an appearance alongside his leadership team in the state. ALSO READ | China to resume issuing visas for Japanese citizens, no decision on South Koreans yet While weighing in on the one Russia-Ukraine war and its massive impact globally, Trump said: "Through weakness and incompetence, Joe Biden has brought us to the brink of World War III." "We are at the brink of World War III, just in case anybody doesn't know it. As president, I will bring back peace through strength," he added. He claimed that he would have a "peace deal" within 24 hours. WATCH | Tyre Nichols death | Memphis: Scorpion police unit disbanded, victim's family welcomes decision × While speaking to a smaller crowd during the annual meeting in Salem, Trump said that he was motivated to win as he embarks on his third White House bid. He said, "I'm more angry now and I'm more committed now than I ever was." At an event in the Statehouse in Columbia, Trump said, "This campaign will be about the future. This campaign will be about issues." He said that Biden has put America on the fast track to ruin and destruction and we will ensure that he does not receive four more years. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Donald Trump says Joe Biden 'brought us to the brink of World War III'

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.&nbsp;

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday (January 29) that Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine. His remarks come after Berlin agreed to supply 14 powerful Leopard tanks to Kyiv amid intense pressure from other European counties.&nbsp;

Ukraine has asked the West to supply powerful weapons for its fight against the Russian invasion. The West initially hesitated to engage in direct conflict with Russia, but later agreed and sent tanks.&nbsp;

Besides Germany, the United States also announced that it would send 31 of its Abrams tanks. Canada said that it will also supply heavy tanks to Ukraine.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukrainian-forces-repelled-attacks-near-blahodatne-russias-wagner-claims-control-557054">Ukrainian forces ‘repel attacks’ near Blahodatne, Russia’s Wagner claims control</a>&nbsp;

In an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper, Scholz said: "I can only advise against entering into a constant bidding war when it comes to weapons systems."&nbsp;

He added, "If, as soon as a decision (on tanks) has been made, the next debate starts in Germany, that doesn't come across as serious and undermines citizens' confidence in government decisions."&nbsp;

After receiving tanks, Ukraine demanded fighter jets and long-range missiles. Moscow has already said multiple times that it will be considered an escalation if the West agrees to supply long-range missiles, that can penetrate deep inside Russian regions.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-says-joe-biden-brought-us-to-the-brink-of-world-war-iii-557070">Donald Trump says Joe Biden 'brought us to the brink of World War III'</a>&nbsp;

Scholz in the interview warned against raising "the risk of escalation". He said,&nbsp;"There is no war between NATO and Russia. We will not allow such an escalation."&nbsp;

"I will talk to Putin by phone again," Scholz said, noting that&nbsp;it was "necessary" to continue speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The last phone call between the leaders was in early December.

"But of course, it's also clear that as long as Russia continues to wage war with unabated aggression, the current situation will not change."

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<h2>Zelensky says Ukraine needs faster supplies, new weapons</h2>

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine needs faster weapons supplies and new types of weaponry in order to counter Russian attacks as the Ukrainian troops are facing a "very tough" situation in the eastern Donetsk region.&nbsp;

In his nightly video address on Sunday (January 29), Zelensky said, "Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region -- there are constant Russian attacks."&nbsp;

He added, "Russia hopes to drag out the war and exhaust our forces. So, we have to make time for our weapons. We have to accelerate developments. We have to speed up the supply and launch of new necessary military options for Ukraine."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday (January 29) that Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine. His remarks come after Berlin agreed to supply 14 powerful Leopard tanks to Kyiv amid intense pressure from other European counties. Ukraine has asked the West to supply powerful weapons for its fight against the Russian invasion. The West initially hesitated to engage in direct conflict with Russia, but later agreed and sent tanks. Besides Germany, the United States also announced that it would send 31 of its Abrams tanks. Canada said that it will also supply heavy tanks to Ukraine. ALSO READ | Ukrainian forces ‘repel attacks’ near Blahodatne, Russia’s Wagner claims control In an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper, Scholz said: "I can only advise against entering into a constant bidding war when it comes to weapons systems." He added, "If, as soon as a decision (on tanks) has been made, the next debate starts in Germany, that doesn't come across as serious and undermines citizens' confidence in government decisions." After receiving tanks, Ukraine demanded fighter jets and long-range missiles. Moscow has already said multiple times that it will be considered an escalation if the West agrees to supply long-range missiles, that can penetrate deep inside Russian regions. ALSO READ | Donald Trump says Joe Biden 'brought us to the brink of World War III' Scholz in the interview warned against raising "the risk of escalation". He said, "There is no war between NATO and Russia. We will not allow such an escalation." "I will talk to Putin by phone again," Scholz said, noting that it was "necessary" to continue speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The last phone call between the leaders was in early December. "But of course, it's also clear that as long as Russia continues to wage war with unabated aggression, the current situation will not change." Watch this report: × Zelensky says Ukraine needs faster supplies, new weapons Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine needs faster weapons supplies and new types of weaponry in order to counter Russian attacks as the Ukrainian troops are facing a "very tough" situation in the eastern Donetsk region. In his nightly video address on Sunday (January 29), Zelensky said, "Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region -- there are constant Russian attacks." He added, "Russia hopes to drag out the war and exhaust our forces. So, we have to make time for our weapons. We have to accelerate developments. We have to speed up the supply and launch of new necessary military options for Ukraine." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Germany won't send fighter jets to Ukraine; Zelensky urges for faster supplies, new weapons

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has asked South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine. He suggested Seoul should reconsider the policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict as many other countries have also done the same after Russia's invasion.

Stoltenberg is currently in Seoul, the first stop in his Asia trip, that also includes a visit to Japan. The tour is aimed at boosting ties with the region's democratic allies in the face of the Ukraine conflict and growing competition from China.

Stoltenberg met with top South Korean officials Sunday and said that events in Europe and North America are interconnected with other regions. He added that the alliance wants to help manage global threats by increasing partnerships in Asia.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russias-latest-atrocious-attack-on-kherson-kharkiv-leave-four-dead-557115">Russia's latest 'atrocious' attacks on Kherson, Kharkiv kills four, including two nurses</a>

Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul on Monday, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine. However, he urged Seoul to work on providing more help to Kyiv, saying there was an "urgent need for more ammunition".&nbsp;

While South Korea has signed major deals to provide hundreds of tanks, aircraft and other weapons to NATO member Poland since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said that his country's law against providing arms to countries in conflicts makes providing weapons to Ukraine difficult.

Stoltenberg pointed out that Germany, Sweden, and Norway had similar policies but changed them to help Ukraine.

"If we don't want autocracy and tyranny to win, then (the Ukrainians) need weapons, that's the reality," he said.

Meanwhile, North Korea, in a statement on Monday, called Stoltenberg's visit a "prelude to confrontation and war as it brings the dark clouds of a 'new Cold War' to the Asia-Pacific region."

South Korea had opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO last year, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas.

(With inputs from agencies)

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has asked South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine. He suggested Seoul should reconsider the policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict as many other countries have also done the same after Russia's invasion.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has asked South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine. He suggested Seoul should reconsider the policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict as many other countries have also done the same after Russia's invasion. Stoltenberg is currently in Seoul, the first stop in his Asia trip, that also includes a visit to Japan. The tour is aimed at boosting ties with the region's democratic allies in the face of the Ukraine conflict and growing competition from China. Stoltenberg met with top South Korean officials Sunday and said that events in Europe and North America are interconnected with other regions. He added that the alliance wants to help manage global threats by increasing partnerships in Asia. Also Read | Russia's latest 'atrocious' attacks on Kherson, Kharkiv kills four, including two nurses Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul on Monday, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine. However, he urged Seoul to work on providing more help to Kyiv, saying there was an "urgent need for more ammunition". While South Korea has signed major deals to provide hundreds of tanks, aircraft and other weapons to NATO member Poland since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said that his country's law against providing arms to countries in conflicts makes providing weapons to Ukraine difficult. Stoltenberg pointed out that Germany, Sweden, and Norway had similar policies but changed them to help Ukraine. "If we don't want autocracy and tyranny to win, then (the Ukrainians) need weapons, that's the reality," he said. Meanwhile, North Korea, in a statement on Monday, called Stoltenberg's visit a "prelude to confrontation and war as it brings the dark clouds of a 'new Cold War' to the Asia-Pacific region." South Korea had opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO last year, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Step up' military support for Ukraine, NATO chief urges South Korea

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Kremlin on Monday (January 30) dismissed former British prime minister Boris Johnson's claim&nbsp;that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to harm&nbsp;him with a missile during a phone call before Russia launched the "special military operation" into Ukraine. Kremlin denied the accusations, terming Johnson a liar.&nbsp;

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, "What Mr Johnson said is not true. More precisely it's a lie... There were no missile threats."&nbsp;

While speaking to BBC for a documentary, Johnson alleged that the Russian president had asked him about the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO. Boris claimed he said that it would not be "for the foreseeable future".&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-army-no-longer-among-worlds-top-combat-forces-says-us-general-557256">British Army no longer among world's top combat forces, says US General</a>&nbsp;

Johnson said, "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly."

Johnson said that the call was "very long" and "most extraordinary", which took place last year in February. He added, "But I think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking, the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate."&nbsp;

During his time in office, Boris made sure that the UK become a strong ally of Ukraine. He also visited the war-torn nation several times while in office and held telephonic conversations with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy frequently. He also helped Kiyv with military assistance.&nbsp;

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<h2>Kremlin slams West for supply of weapons to Ukraine&nbsp;</h2>

Kremlin also commented on the&nbsp;supply of advanced weapons to Ukraine, stating that further supplies of powerful weaponry to Kyiv would only lead to further escalation of the war.&nbsp;

In a call with reporters, Peskov said, "Ukraine demands more and more weapons. The West is encouraging these demands, and professes its readiness to provide such weapons."&nbsp;

The reporters asked him to comment on a public request by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk for Germany to send Kyiv a submarine.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/step-up-military-support-for-ukraine-nato-chief-urges-south-korea-557136">'Step up' military support for Ukraine, NATO chief urges South Korea</a>&nbsp;

After hesitating for a long period of time, the West agreed to send powerful tanks for its fight against the Russian invasion last week. Earlier, the West didn't want to engage in direct conflict with Russia, but later agreed and sent tanks.&nbsp;

Ukraine is still demanding fighter jets and long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territories, but there's no consensus so far.&nbsp;

Peskov on Monday also said members of the Western NATO alliance were becoming more involved in the conflict. He noted that their provision of arms to Ukraine would not change the course of events.&nbsp;

"It's a dead-end situation: it leads to significant escalation, it leads to NATO countries more and more becoming directly involved in the conflict - but it doesn't have the potential to change the course of events and will not do so," he said.&nbsp;

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Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Kremlin on Monday (January 30) dismissed former British prime minister Boris Johnson's claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to harm him with a missile during a phone call before Russia launched the "special military operation" into Ukraine. Kremlin denied the accusations, terming Johnson a liar. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, "What Mr Johnson said is not true. More precisely it's a lie... There were no missile threats." While speaking to BBC for a documentary, Johnson alleged that the Russian president had asked him about the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO. Boris claimed he said that it would not be "for the foreseeable future". ALSO READ | British Army no longer among world's top combat forces, says US General Johnson said, "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly." Johnson said that the call was "very long" and "most extraordinary", which took place last year in February. He added, "But I think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking, the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate." During his time in office, Boris made sure that the UK become a strong ally of Ukraine. He also visited the war-torn nation several times while in office and held telephonic conversations with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy frequently. He also helped Kiyv with military assistance. Watch this report: × Kremlin slams West for supply of weapons to Ukraine Kremlin also commented on the supply of advanced weapons to Ukraine, stating that further supplies of powerful weaponry to Kyiv would only lead to further escalation of the war. In a call with reporters, Peskov said, "Ukraine demands more and more weapons. The West is encouraging these demands, and professes its readiness to provide such weapons." The reporters asked him to comment on a public request by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk for Germany to send Kyiv a submarine. ALSO READ | 'Step up' military support for Ukraine, NATO chief urges South Korea After hesitating for a long period of time, the West agreed to send powerful tanks for its fight against the Russian invasion last week. Earlier, the West didn't want to engage in direct conflict with Russia, but later agreed and sent tanks. Ukraine is still demanding fighter jets and long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territories, but there's no consensus so far. Peskov on Monday also said members of the Western NATO alliance were becoming more involved in the conflict. He noted that their provision of arms to Ukraine would not change the course of events. "It's a dead-end situation: it leads to significant escalation, it leads to NATO countries more and more becoming directly involved in the conflict - but it doesn't have the potential to change the course of events and will not do so," he said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Kremlin dismisses Boris Johnson's claim about Putin missile threat, calls it a 'lie'

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. The Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate with fighting raging in the Donetsk region. In the latest development, Ukraine claimed that it has repelled an attack in the area of Blahodatne in the eastern part of the Donetsk region while Russia's Wagner private military group said it took control of the village. In its daily morning report, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces mentioned Saturday's fighting, stating that its forces repelled Russian attacks in the areas of 13 other settlements in the Donetsk region. The official said that the "units of Ukraine's Defence Forces repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of...Blahodatne...in the Donetsk region". ALSO READ | Donald Trump says Joe Biden 'brought us to the brink of World War III' WATCH | WION Fineprint: Germany rules out fighter jets demand of Ukraine × Posting the update on the Telegram messaging app, the Wagner Group on Saturday claimed that its units had taken control of Blahodatne. The group has been designated by the United States as a transnational criminal organisation. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said as quoted by his press service: "Units of Wagner PMC have taken Blahodatne. Blahodatne is under our control." The situation has been escalating in the Donetsk region. The area around the town of Bakhmut has seen heavy fighting in the past few weeks. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ukrainian forces ‘repel attacks’ near Blahodatne, Russia’s Wagner claims control

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the imposition of sanctions on 182 Russian and Belarusian companies, and three individuals in a bid to block connections between Moscow, Minsk and his country.&nbsp;“Their assets in Ukraine are blocked, their properties will be used for our defence,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on Saturday.

Among those who have been slapped with sanctions include Russian potash fertiliser producer and exporter Uralkali, Belarus state-owned potash producer Belaruskali, Belarusian Railways, as well as Russia’s VTB-Leasing and Gazprombank Leasing, both dealing with transport leasing.

Since the invasion last year, Ukraine has sanctioned hundreds of Russian and Belarusian individuals and firms.

<h2>North Korea denies arm supply to Wagner</h2>

On Sunday, North Korea denied supplying arms to Moscow after the US accused it of providing rockets and missiles to Russia’s mercenary group Wagner, which has been designated as a transnational criminal organisation by Washington.

The White House citing US intelligence photographs said it had ample evidence suggesting that Russian rail cars entered North Korea to pick up infantry rockets and missiles.

The move prompted strong reactions from Pyongyang with a senior North Korean official warning that the US would face a “really undesirable result” if it persists in spreading the “self-made rumour”.

“Trying to tarnish the image of [North Korea] by fabricating a non-existent thing is a grave provocation that can never be allowed and that cannot but trigger its reaction,” said Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the department of US affairs.

He also called it “a foolish attempt to justify its offer of weapons to Ukraine”.

Apart from China, Russia is one of North Korea’s few international friends and has previously come to the regime’s aid.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the imposition of sanctions on 182 Russian and Belarusian companies, and three individuals in a bid to block connections between Moscow, Minsk and his country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the imposition of sanctions on 182 Russian and Belarusian companies, and three individuals in a bid to block connections between Moscow, Minsk and his country. “Their assets in Ukraine are blocked, their properties will be used for our defence,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on Saturday. Among those who have been slapped with sanctions include Russian potash fertiliser producer and exporter Uralkali, Belarus state-owned potash producer Belaruskali, Belarusian Railways, as well as Russia’s VTB-Leasing and Gazprombank Leasing, both dealing with transport leasing. Since the invasion last year, Ukraine has sanctioned hundreds of Russian and Belarusian individuals and firms. North Korea denies arm supply to Wagner On Sunday, North Korea denied supplying arms to Moscow after the US accused it of providing rockets and missiles to Russia’s mercenary group Wagner, which has been designated as a transnational criminal organisation by Washington. The White House citing US intelligence photographs said it had ample evidence suggesting that Russian rail cars entered North Korea to pick up infantry rockets and missiles. The move prompted strong reactions from Pyongyang with a senior North Korean official warning that the US would face a “really undesirable result” if it persists in spreading the “self-made rumour”. “Trying to tarnish the image of [North Korea] by fabricating a non-existent thing is a grave provocation that can never be allowed and that cannot but trigger its reaction,” said Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the department of US affairs. He also called it “a foolish attempt to justify its offer of weapons to Ukraine”. Apart from China, Russia is one of North Korea’s few international friends and has previously come to the regime’s aid. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Ukraine slaps sanctions on 182 Russian, Belarusian companies, three individuals

In a recent interview, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv and its Western allies are in the midst of negotiating for long-range missiles and fighter jets to push back Russian forces. The top aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about how their Western allies have been “conservative” about arms deliveries as they fear changes in the “international architecture”&nbsp;amid the ongoing conflict, reported the Associated Press. &nbsp;

“To drastically reduce the Russian army’s key weapon — the artillery they use today on the front lines — we need missiles that will destroy their depots,”&nbsp;said Podolyak to the country’s Freedom channel, as per Reuters. This comes after Washington and Berlin along with several other European countries announced that they would send their advanced battle tanks, German-made Leopard 2 tanks and US-made M1 Abrams to Ukraine.

In reference to Russia’s weapon depots, the Ukrainian top aide claimed that there were more than 100 artillery warehouses in the Moscow-occupied Crimean Peninsula. “We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war,”&nbsp;said the Ukrainian official, without mentioning any particular countries.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-slaps-sanctions-against-russian-belarusian-companies-556964">Ukraine slaps sanctions against Russian, Belarusian companies</a>

He added, “We must speak reasonably and tell them, for example, ‘This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localised’.”&nbsp;In line with this and without giving any specific details, Podolyak said, “Therefore, firstly, negotiations are already under way. Secondly, negotiations are proceeding at an accelerated pace.”&nbsp;

In his evening video address, Zelensky said, “Ukraine needs long-range missiles...to deprive the occupier of the opportunity to place its missile launchers somewhere far from the front line and destroy Ukrainian cities.” The Ukrainian president also said that the country needs US-made ATACMS missiles which have a range of 297 km, however, Washington has so far declined to provide the weapon, reported Reuters. &nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-war-3-killed-14-injured-in-russian-strike-on-residential-complex-in-east-ukraine-556928">Russia-Ukraine war: 3 killed, 14 injured in Russian strike on residential complex in East Ukraine</a>

“Ukraine is only at the stage of negotiations regarding aircraft. Aircraft models and their number are currently being determined,”&nbsp;said Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat, as per Reuters in clarification of his previous remarks which he said had been misinterpreted. He also said that F-16s might be the best option as a multi-role fighter to replace Kyiv’s ageing Soviet-era warplanes.

Notably, the recent announcement about sending tanks to Ukraine made by the West not only garnered warnings and criticism from the Kremlin and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/north-korea-condemns-us-over-abrams-tanks-556852">North Korea</a>, but also from European Union member Hungary. 
 
On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that while providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine, they have “drifted” into becoming active participants in the ongoing conflict, as per AP. Orban has previously refused to send weapons to its neighbouring Kyiv.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-steps-up-strikes-across-ukraine-556538">Russia steps up strikes across Ukraine</a>

Following his remarks, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it would summon Hungary’s ambassador over their PM’s remarks. “Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest continues on its course to deliberately destroy Ukrainian-Hungarian relations,”&nbsp;said the ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, in a statement.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Deputy White House National Security Adviser, Jon Finer on Thursday said that Washington will “very carefully” consider and discuss the idea of sending jets to Ukraine with its allies. On the other hand, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, last week in an interview said that the country has “ruled out” the idea of sending jets to Ukraine as they are “much more complex systems” compared to tanks and the decision would lead the country to “venture into dimensions that I would currently warn against”, reported Reuters. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

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In a recent interview, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv and its Western allies are in the midst of negotiating for long-range missiles and fighter jets to push back Russian forces.

In a recent interview, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv and its Western allies are in the midst of negotiating for long-range missiles and fighter jets to push back Russian forces. The top aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about how their Western allies have been “conservative” about arms deliveries as they fear changes in the “international architecture” amid the ongoing conflict, reported the Associated Press. “To drastically reduce the Russian army’s key weapon — the artillery they use today on the front lines — we need missiles that will destroy their depots,” said Podolyak to the country’s Freedom channel, as per Reuters. This comes after Washington and Berlin along with several other European countries announced that they would send their advanced battle tanks, German-made Leopard 2 tanks and US-made M1 Abrams to Ukraine. In reference to Russia’s weapon depots, the Ukrainian top aide claimed that there were more than 100 artillery warehouses in the Moscow-occupied Crimean Peninsula. “We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war,” said the Ukrainian official, without mentioning any particular countries. ALSO READ | Ukraine slaps sanctions against Russian, Belarusian companies He added, “We must speak reasonably and tell them, for example, ‘This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localised’.” In line with this and without giving any specific details, Podolyak said, “Therefore, firstly, negotiations are already under way. Secondly, negotiations are proceeding at an accelerated pace.” In his evening video address, Zelensky said, “Ukraine needs long-range missiles...to deprive the occupier of the opportunity to place its missile launchers somewhere far from the front line and destroy Ukrainian cities.” The Ukrainian president also said that the country needs US-made ATACMS missiles which have a range of 297 km, however, Washington has so far declined to provide the weapon, reported Reuters. ALSO WATCH | Russia-Ukraine war: 3 killed, 14 injured in Russian strike on residential complex in East Ukraine “Ukraine is only at the stage of negotiations regarding aircraft. Aircraft models and their number are currently being determined,” said Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat, as per Reuters in clarification of his previous remarks which he said had been misinterpreted. He also said that F-16s might be the best option as a multi-role fighter to replace Kyiv’s ageing Soviet-era warplanes. Notably, the recent announcement about sending tanks to Ukraine made by the West not only garnered warnings and criticism from the Kremlin and North Korea, but also from European Union member Hungary. On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that while providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine, they have “drifted” into becoming active participants in the ongoing conflict, as per AP. Orban has previously refused to send weapons to its neighbouring Kyiv. ALSO WATCH | Russia steps up strikes across Ukraine Following his remarks, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it would summon Hungary’s ambassador over their PM’s remarks. “Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest continues on its course to deliberately destroy Ukrainian-Hungarian relations,” said the ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, in a statement. Meanwhile, Deputy White House National Security Adviser, Jon Finer on Thursday said that Washington will “very carefully” consider and discuss the idea of sending jets to Ukraine with its allies. On the other hand, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, last week in an interview said that the country has “ruled out” the idea of sending jets to Ukraine as they are “much more complex systems” compared to tanks and the decision would lead the country to “venture into dimensions that I would currently warn against”, reported Reuters. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Kyiv in talks with Western allies for long-range missiles, fighter jets: Ukrainian official

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Russia on Saturday (January 28) claimed that at least 14 people were killed and 24 were injured in the Ukrainian strike in the eastern Lugansk region. The Russian defence ministry said that the strikes were at a hospital. In a statement, the defence ministry said that on Saturday morning in the town of Novoaidar, the Ukrainian forces "deliberately attacked the building of a district hospital with rockets of a US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system". The ministry added that 14 were killed and 24 wounded among the "hospital patients and medical staff". ALSO READ | Russia accuses US of training ‘Ukrainian IT Army’, recruiting hackers for cyberattacks Watch this report: × Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official said that three people were killed and at least two others wounded following a Russian strike on the city of Konstantynivka in eastern Ukraine. The local governor said that emergency services, rescue workers and police were at the scene to help people. They were "documenting yet another crime by the Russian occupiers on our land". 3 загиблих, 2 поранених — спустошливі наслідки ранкового обстрілу Костянтинівки. Кожен, хто досі залишається в місті, наражає себе на смертельну небезпеку — росіяни б'ють по цивільних, бо не здатні боротися з української армією. Евакуюйтесь!#StopRussia#RussiaKillsCivilians pic.twitter.com/aG7ZvwkGSJ — Павло Кириленко (@Pavlo_Kyrylenko) January 28, 2023 × Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on social media: "The Russians fired at a residential neighbourhood, damaged four multi-storey buildings, a hotel, garages and civilian cars." He added, "Three civilians were killed. At least two were wounded." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow claims 14 killed in Ukraine strike on hospital

The war in Ukraine will soon mark one year, and there appears no possibility of Russia ceasing its offensive anytime soon. Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to international governments to send weapons and military equipment to further enable his country retaliate against Russian attacks.

The war in Ukraine will soon mark one year, and there appears no possibility of Russia ceasing its offensive anytime soon. Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to international governments to send weapons and military equipment to further enable his country retaliate against Russian attacks. Recently, Germany and the United States (US) became the latest countries in the West to supply battle tanks to Kyiv, after initially being reluctant to do so. It has been observed that since the beginning of the war on February 24, 2022, there has been an upward trend in global military spending as several countries are increasing their military budgets. An increase in spending would mean more money for defence companies- particularly from the US. As Russia's offensive in Ukraine rages on, will 2023 be the year of defence companies? United States: Defence companies post higher net sales A report by the news agency Reuters on Monday (January 23) said that American defence companies were set to post higher sales in the fourth quarter bolstered by easing supply chain bottlenecks and increased defence outlays as the Pentagon and allies stepped up spending to aid Ukraine. Two defence companies — Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies — reported their fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Lockheed Martin reported fourth quarter 2022 net sales of $19.0 billion, compared to $17.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, a report by Cision PR Newswire said. On the other hand, Raytheon Technologies, an aerospace and defence company, beat analysts' expectations as it fed off a strong travel demand worldwide which boosted demand for its jet engine, parts and services. According to data from Refinitiv, Raytheon reported an adjusted net income of $1.27 per share in the quarter that ended December 31, above analysts' average estimate of $1.24 per share. The company's net sales were up 6.2% at $18.09 billion, but missed analysts' average estimate of $18.15 billion. A report by Reuters on Tuesday said that Raytheon's missiles and defence unit sales were up 6.2% to $4.1 billion in the fourth quarter. Another American company Northrop Grumman reported a fourth-quarter sales growth of 16% year-over-year to $10.03 billion, beating the consensus of $9.66 billion, a report by Benzinga on Wednesday said. Defence budgets booming worldwide Many countries assisting Ukraine, have replenished their military equipment sent to the war-torn country and now are working towards increasing their own defence budgets. Japan, which supplied bulletproof vests, helmets, medical kits and other supplies to Ukraine last year, will boost its defence budget for 2023. In December last year, the government unveiled a record $863 billion (114.4 trillion yen) budget amid rising threats from North Korea and China. The budget would include the purchase of US-made Tomahawks and other long-range cruise missiles that can hit targets in China or North Korea, a report by Al-Jazeera said. The government would also buy standoff missiles for launch from warplanes from Norway and from Lockheed Martin. French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that his government would boost military spending by more than one-third in the coming years. On January 20, Macron said the planned budget from 2024-2030 would adapt the military to the possibility of high-intensity conflicts, made all the more urgent since the start of the war in Ukraine, Al-Jazeera reported. The budget for the period will stand at $447 billion, up from $320 in 2019-2025. France, which has supplied Ukraine with rocket launchers and Crotale air defence systems, recently announced that it would supply battle tanks to the war-hit country. Germany, which announced the supply of Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine, approved its defence budget last year. Germany's core defence spending for 2023 would amount to $55.4 billion, a 0.6% nominal decrease from 2022. Since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, there has been an intense debate in Berlin over the state of the German military and the role it should play in Europe. Just three days after the war began, chancellor Olaf Scholz proclaimed “a change of era” for the country's defence policy, according to The Christian Science Monitor. Who is the biggest winner in the Ukraine war? The United States has emerged as one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine in terms of the provision of military equipment. And one cannot deny the fact Ukraine would not have been able to fight back against Russia without weapons supplied by the US. And therefore, the American arms industry is the biggest winner. However, Washington has also faced criticism. In November last year, European officials hit out at the Joe Biden administration for profiting from the war. Speaking to POLITICO, one such official said, "The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war (in Ukraine) is the US because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons." A month before the war, a likely opportunity surfaced for Western arms companies Just a month before the Russian offensive started, top Western arms companies were briefing investors about a likely boost to their profits. George J. Hayes from Raytheon said during a call, "We just have to look to last week where we saw the drone attack in the UAE … And of course, the tensions in eastern Europe, the tensions in the South China Sea, all of those things are putting pressure on some of the defence spending over there. So I fully expect we’re going to see some benefit from it," the Conversation reported in March 2022. So it's clear: the military-industrial complex is thriving once again as the world looks at prospects of more long-drawn wars, now over Ukraine and possibly soon over Taiwan. If the 49% increase in military sales by the US to foreign countries is anything to go by, 2023 will be the year of American defence companies. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Explained: As the war in Ukraine rages on, will 2023 be the year of defence companies?

Late last summer, a plot of land on the edge of a small farming community in southern Russia began to fill with scores of newly dug graves of fighters killed in Ukraine. The resting places were adorned with simple wooden crosses and brightly coloured wreaths that bore the insignia of Russia's Wagner Group - a feared and secretive private&nbsp;army.

There were around 200 graves at the site on the outskirts of Bakinskaya village in Krasnodar region when Reuters visited in late January. The news agency matched the names of at least 39 of the dead here and at three other nearby cemeteries to&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;court records, publicly available databases and social media accounts. Reuters also spoke to family, friends and lawyers of some of the dead.

Many of the men buried at Bakinskaya were convicts who were recruited by Wagner last year after its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, promised a pardon if&nbsp;prisoners survived six months at the front, this reporting showed. They included a contract killer, murderers, career criminals and people with alcohol problems.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-claims-chinese-firm-helped-russias-wagner-group-in-ukraine-places-sanctions-556469">US claims Chinese firm helped Russia's Wagner group in Ukraine, places sanctions</a>

For months, Wagner has been locked in a bloody battle of attrition to take the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Western and Ukrainian officials have said Wagner is using convicts as cannon fodder to overwhelm Ukraine's defences. Toughening sanctions on Wagner this month, White House national security spokesman John Kirby branded the group "a criminal organisation that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses." In a short open reply to the U.S. government, Prigozhin asked Kirby to "please clarify what crime was committed" by Wagner.

Videos and photographs of the graves first appeared on social media channels in the Krasnodar region in December. Reuters geolocated these images to the Bakinskaya cemetery and reviewed satellite imagery of the site from Maxar Technologies and Capella Space. Satellite pictures show that the Wagner plot was empty in the summer, had three rows of graves by the end of November and was three-quarters full by early January. Virtually the entire plot was used by Jan. 24.

Local activist Vitaly Votanovsky, who took the first pictures and has documented soldiers killed in Ukraine and buried in Krasnodar region&nbsp;graveyards, told Reuters he observed a truck delivering bodies to the cemetery. He said gravediggers told him the bodies had come from the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;city of Rostov-on-Don, close to Russia's border with Donetsk region. When Reuters visited the cemetery in January, fences and security cameras were being installed around the plot and another burial was underway.

Russian&nbsp;state-owned news agency RIA Novosti published footage in early January of Prigozhin visiting the cemetery, crossing himself and laying flowers on one grave. He told local media that the men buried there had expressed a wish to be laid to rest at a Wagner chapel outside the nearby town of Goryachiy Klyuch, rather than having their bodies returned to relatives. The Bakinskaya plot was provided by the local authorities, he said, after the chapel ran out of space. In 2019, Reuters reported on the existence of a Wagner training camp in the village of Molkino, around 5 miles (9 km) from Bakinskaya.

Of the 39 convicts Reuters identified, 10 had been imprisoned for murder or manslaughter, 24 for robbery and two for grievous bodily harm. Other crimes included manufacturing or dealing in drugs and blackmail. Among the convicts were citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, and the&nbsp;Russian-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia. Wooden markers on their graves at Bakinskaya and three nearby cemeteries show the men perished between July and December 2022, at the height of the battle for Bakhmut.

One of the youngest, buried at the nearby Martanskaya cemetery, is Vadim Pushnya. He was just 25 years old when he died on Nov. 19. Pushnya was imprisoned in 2020 for burgling garages, a beer shop and a cement factory in his hometown of Goryachiy Klyuch, close to the Wagner chapel. The birthdate on Pushnya's grave matches the date given on his social media accounts and in court records.

The oldest, Fail Nabiev, was serving one-and-a-half years for burglary in Ivanovo region's Penal Colony No. 2, 200 miles northeast of Moscow, at least his second such prison spell. He had been convicted in May 2022 by a court in the picturesque tourist town of Suzdal of stealing a string trimmer and a sanding machine valued at a total of 5,500 roubles ($80) from a garage. According to his simple wooden grave marker, emblazoned with an Islamic crescent moon, Nabiev died in October, less than five months after being sentenced. He was 60.

Nabiev's common-law wife, Olga Viktorova, confirmed to Reuters that Nabiev had been killed while serving with Wagner in the military campaign in Ukraine. She said that her husband had been nearing the end of his prison term, and that he had substantial credit card debts that she was now left to pay. She said she did not know that her husband had joined Wagner until after his death.&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;independent news site iStories has reported that Prigozhin visited Penal Colony No. 2 to recruit fighters in August. Reuters couldn't independently verify the report.

"He always had crazy ideas. An incorrigible optimist," Viktorova said. Nabiev probably "thought that he'd take a quick trip to Ukraine and earn some money."

The Kremlin, Russia's Defence Ministry and&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;prison authorities did not reply to questions for this article. The&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;government has in the past praised the "courageous and selfless actions" of Wagner fighters. Wagner's founder Prigozhin, who also didn't comment, has said previously he is giving convicts "a second chance at life."

Though Reuters was unable to confirm where exactly the men died, the mother of one said that her son was killed in the Donetsk region. The social media accounts of several others also indicate that they were in Ukraine prior to their deaths.

Since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine, the previously secretive Wagner and founder Prigozhin have assumed an increasingly public profile. In the past, Wagner fighters have deployed to Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic in support of Russia's allies. Prigozhin, known in Russia as "Putin's chef" because of his Kremlin catering contracts, consistently denied any links to Wagner. Then, last September, he confirmed he founded the private&nbsp;army, which he described as a "group of patriots."

Since then, Prigozhin has repeatedly visited the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, while also criticising Russia's military leadership and some senior officials, and personally spearheading a drive to recruit fighters from Russia's sprawling penal system.

According to a regular report published by the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;Federal Penitentiary Service, Russia's penal colony population decreased by about 8% from 353,210 in August to 324,906 in early November, the largest drop in more than a decade. The report gave no reasons for the sudden, sharp decline, which coincided with the beginning of Wagner's prison recruitment push. The Federal Penitentiary Service did not reply to detailed questions for this article.

Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. intelligence community believes that Wagner had approximately 40,000&nbsp;prisoner&nbsp;recruits deployed in Ukraine as of December, accounting for the vast majority of Wagner personnel in the country. Wagner has not commented on the figure or provided any information on fighter numbers. In a Jan. 14 video message, Prigozhin described Wagner as a fully independent force with its own aircraft, tanks, rockets and artillery. It is "probably the most experienced&nbsp;army&nbsp;that exists in the world today," he said.

Some of the convicts identified by Reuters were violent offenders who had spent much of their adult life in prison or were facing long sentences. Court papers reviewed by Reuters also portray men who had struggled with alcohol problems. The names of some others are on banking blacklists, suggesting personal financial troubles.

Their lives bring into bleak focus the realities of Russia's criminal underclass. Wagner founder Prigozhin in December told&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;news site RBC that he is giving convicts an opportunity "to redeem themselves." In January, he appeared alongside the first group of fighters to be pardoned, having survived their stints in Ukraine. A few weeks later, he wrote an open letter to the speaker of Russia's parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, asking him to criminalise any actions or publications that discredit Wagner fighters and to outlaw public disclosure of their criminal pasts. He wrote that those "who are risking their lives every day and dying for the Motherland are being portrayed as second-class people, stripping them of the right to atone for their guilt." Volodin did not reply to Reuters' request for comment.

Among the&nbsp;prisoners identified by Reuters was 43-year-old Anatoly Bodenkov. He was serving a 16-year sentence after his conviction as a contract killer, court papers show. According to a local news report on the case, in 2016 Bodenkov murdered a local real estate agent in the northern city of Kirovo-Chepetsk with a sawn-off shotgun for 400,000 roubles ($5,720). The grave marker says Bodenkov died on Nov. 27, 2022. It doesn't say where.

A second&nbsp;prisoner, Viktor Deshko, 40, was sentenced to 10 years for a murder in 2021, according to court documents and local media reports. He cut a woman's throat during a drunken argument over money in the forests near the mining town of Shakhty, close to the border with the&nbsp;Russian-controlled Donbas. Court documents describe Deshko as "an aggressive person, given to abusing alcohol." He was on probation at the time of the killing, having previously served three and a half years for assault with a deadly weapon.

For Bodenkov and Deshko, the full names and dates of birth on the grave markers matched their social media and court records. Reuters was not able to contact friends or family of the two men, and their lawyers did not reply to requests for comment.

A third man, Vyacheslav Kochas, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a St. Petersburg court for murder and armed robbery in 2020, when he was 23. According to&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;court documents, Kochas and another man burst into the apartment of an acquaintance while drunk in an attempted robbery. He beat the acquaintance and a female victim unconscious, using an iron and a metal clothes horse. Kochas then set fire to an item of clothing and threw it at the unconscious man. Much of the apartment was gutted by the fire, and the man succumbed to his wounds two days later.

Photographs of Kochas on social media show a baby-faced man. In some, he is embracing an unidentified young woman. Kochas' profile on VKontakte, Russia's Facebook equivalent, now reads: "Killed in the Donbas." Kochas' grave marker at Bakinskaya gives his date of death as July 21, shortly after his 25th birthday and in the earliest days of Russia's push towards Bakhmut.

Kochas' lawyer, Stepan Akimov, described his former client as "a really ordinary guy" whom he said had been unfairly convicted. The last he heard from Kochas was a text message after his appeal failed, thanking Akimov for his help. Akimov learned from Reuters that his ex-client had joined Wagner.

"I can imagine, given the length of his sentence, and how young he was, it seemed to him a way to go free," said Akimov. "When a&nbsp;prisoner&nbsp;has a double-digit sentence, here they're offering release in six months. Apparently, Vyacheslav thought this offer was a way out."

Reuters was unable to reach Kochas' surviving relatives.

Russia has one of the world's largest prison populations per capita. Mark Galeotti, author of The Vory: Russia's super mafia, a book on Russia's criminal and prison cultures, says the potential appeal of Wagner to inmates is wider than just a bid for clemency. Service with Wagner, he said, offers pride and a sense of purpose to convicts with few prospects after release, people who have spent time in a prison culture suffused with "a very strong&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;nationalist tinge."

"Yes, this will give you the chance to get out of prison, but also it gives you the chance to actually be someone," said Galeotti. "This is a way in which actually Wagner can appeal to people who definitely are, or believe themselves to be, marginalised, outsiders, losers in some way in the system, and gives them the chance to think of themselves as becoming winners."

At least one of the men buried at Bakinskaya concealed their criminal record and prison time from loved ones.

For over half a decade after she got married and left her hometown of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, Svitlana Holyk believed that her brother Yury Danilyuk was working somewhere in the far north of Russia. The two Ukrainian-born siblings had few living relatives and rarely spoke after&nbsp;Russian-backed proxies seized their home city in 2014, she said. Svitlana knew only that her brother travelled regularly for work to the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;border city of Bryansk, 500 miles (800 km) away.

But while Svitlana was building a new life in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Yury was using social media to subscribe to pro-Russian&nbsp;groups supporting the Donbas separatist insurgency, his online activity shows. In 2016, having been out of touch for a year and a half, Yury told his sister that he had moved to Russia's Arctic north. She said his messages were short, and he said little about his life.

"I suspected then that something had happened, that he might have some troubles that he did not want to or could not talk about for some reason," she told Reuters, speaking Ukrainian, in a telephone call from Dnipro. The city is now a major logistics hub for the Ukrainian&nbsp;army&nbsp;fighting in the Donbas, and a constant target of&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;missiles.

A close friend of Yury Danilyuk spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The friend said that Yury lied to his sister, whom he deeply loved, to avoid upsetting her with news of his imprisonment. In reality, he had been sentenced in 2016 to nine years and eight months in prison on drugs charges. The two men were incarcerated together in Krasnodar region's Penal Colony No. 6.

The friend said he last spoke to Yury in September 2022 and heard later that month from other inmates that Yury had joined Wagner. Olga Romanova, a&nbsp;prisoners-rights activist with the Russia Behind Bars watchdog group, told Reuters that Yevgeny Prigozhin has visited Penal Colony No. 6 to recruit inmates on two separate occasions. Reuters couldn't independently verify these visits.

The friend said that during his time in jail, Yury fell in with a faction of&nbsp;prisoners who refuse to cooperate with prison authorities on principle – a common phenomenon in Russia's penitentiary system. That meant Yury forfeited the chance of early release for good behaviour. He said Yury's decision to join Wagner was motivated by the knowledge that he would likely otherwise serve his long sentence in full.

According to his grave, Yury Danilyuk died on Nov. 30, 2022. He was 28.

Danilyuk's sister, Svitlana, said she had known nothing of her brother's prison sentence, service with Wagner, and eventual death during Russia's war against the country of their birth until contacted by Reuters journalists. Holyk said: "The fact that Yury died I learned from you. I re-read your message several times when you wrote to me. Somehow I couldn't believe it."

The inmate friend recalled Yury as a fierce patriot of his native Donbas, with a passion for cars. "I blame it all on him not wanting to cooperate with the prison authorities," the friend said. "If he had agreed, he'd be alive. But he refused, so he's a fool."

&nbsp;

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Late last summer, a plot of land on the edge of a small farming community in southern Russia began to fill with scores of newly dug graves of fighters killed in Ukraine.

Late last summer, a plot of land on the edge of a small farming community in southern Russia began to fill with scores of newly dug graves of fighters killed in Ukraine. The resting places were adorned with simple wooden crosses and brightly coloured wreaths that bore the insignia of Russia's Wagner Group - a feared and secretive private army. There were around 200 graves at the site on the outskirts of Bakinskaya village in Krasnodar region when Reuters visited in late January. The news agency matched the names of at least 39 of the dead here and at three other nearby cemeteries to Russian court records, publicly available databases and social media accounts. Reuters also spoke to family, friends and lawyers of some of the dead. Many of the men buried at Bakinskaya were convicts who were recruited by Wagner last year after its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, promised a pardon if prisoners survived six months at the front, this reporting showed. They included a contract killer, murderers, career criminals and people with alcohol problems. Also Read | US claims Chinese firm helped Russia's Wagner group in Ukraine, places sanctions For months, Wagner has been locked in a bloody battle of attrition to take the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Western and Ukrainian officials have said Wagner is using convicts as cannon fodder to overwhelm Ukraine's defences. Toughening sanctions on Wagner this month, White House national security spokesman John Kirby branded the group "a criminal organisation that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses." In a short open reply to the U.S. government, Prigozhin asked Kirby to "please clarify what crime was committed" by Wagner. Videos and photographs of the graves first appeared on social media channels in the Krasnodar region in December. Reuters geolocated these images to the Bakinskaya cemetery and reviewed satellite imagery of the site from Maxar Technologies and Capella Space. Satellite pictures show that the Wagner plot was empty in the summer, had three rows of graves by the end of November and was three-quarters full by early January. Virtually the entire plot was used by Jan. 24. Local activist Vitaly Votanovsky, who took the first pictures and has documented soldiers killed in Ukraine and buried in Krasnodar region graveyards, told Reuters he observed a truck delivering bodies to the cemetery. He said gravediggers told him the bodies had come from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, close to Russia's border with Donetsk region. When Reuters visited the cemetery in January, fences and security cameras were being installed around the plot and another burial was underway. Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti published footage in early January of Prigozhin visiting the cemetery, crossing himself and laying flowers on one grave. He told local media that the men buried there had expressed a wish to be laid to rest at a Wagner chapel outside the nearby town of Goryachiy Klyuch, rather than having their bodies returned to relatives. The Bakinskaya plot was provided by the local authorities, he said, after the chapel ran out of space. In 2019, Reuters reported on the existence of a Wagner training camp in the village of Molkino, around 5 miles (9 km) from Bakinskaya. Of the 39 convicts Reuters identified, 10 had been imprisoned for murder or manslaughter, 24 for robbery and two for grievous bodily harm. Other crimes included manufacturing or dealing in drugs and blackmail. Among the convicts were citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, and the Russian-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia. Wooden markers on their graves at Bakinskaya and three nearby cemeteries show the men perished between July and December 2022, at the height of the battle for Bakhmut. One of the youngest, buried at the nearby Martanskaya cemetery, is Vadim Pushnya. He was just 25 years old when he died on Nov. 19. Pushnya was imprisoned in 2020 for burgling garages, a beer shop and a cement factory in his hometown of Goryachiy Klyuch, close to the Wagner chapel. The birthdate on Pushnya's grave matches the date given on his social media accounts and in court records. The oldest, Fail Nabiev, was serving one-and-a-half years for burglary in Ivanovo region's Penal Colony No. 2, 200 miles northeast of Moscow, at least his second such prison spell. He had been convicted in May 2022 by a court in the picturesque tourist town of Suzdal of stealing a string trimmer and a sanding machine valued at a total of 5,500 roubles ($80) from a garage. According to his simple wooden grave marker, emblazoned with an Islamic crescent moon, Nabiev died in October, less than five months after being sentenced. He was 60. Nabiev's common-law wife, Olga Viktorova, confirmed to Reuters that Nabiev had been killed while serving with Wagner in the military campaign in Ukraine. She said that her husband had been nearing the end of his prison term, and that he had substantial credit card debts that she was now left to pay. She said she did not know that her husband had joined Wagner until after his death. Russian independent news site iStories has reported that Prigozhin visited Penal Colony No. 2 to recruit fighters in August. Reuters couldn't independently verify the report. "He always had crazy ideas. An incorrigible optimist," Viktorova said. Nabiev probably "thought that he'd take a quick trip to Ukraine and earn some money." The Kremlin, Russia's Defence Ministry and Russian prison authorities did not reply to questions for this article. The Russian government has in the past praised the "courageous and selfless actions" of Wagner fighters. Wagner's founder Prigozhin, who also didn't comment, has said previously he is giving convicts "a second chance at life." Though Reuters was unable to confirm where exactly the men died, the mother of one said that her son was killed in the Donetsk region. The social media accounts of several others also indicate that they were in Ukraine prior to their deaths. Since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine, the previously secretive Wagner and founder Prigozhin have assumed an increasingly public profile. In the past, Wagner fighters have deployed to Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic in support of Russia's allies. Prigozhin, known in Russia as "Putin's chef" because of his Kremlin catering contracts, consistently denied any links to Wagner. Then, last September, he confirmed he founded the private army, which he described as a "group of patriots." Since then, Prigozhin has repeatedly visited the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, while also criticising Russia's military leadership and some senior officials, and personally spearheading a drive to recruit fighters from Russia's sprawling penal system. According to a regular report published by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, Russia's penal colony population decreased by about 8% from 353,210 in August to 324,906 in early November, the largest drop in more than a decade. The report gave no reasons for the sudden, sharp decline, which coincided with the beginning of Wagner's prison recruitment push. The Federal Penitentiary Service did not reply to detailed questions for this article. Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. intelligence community believes that Wagner had approximately 40,000 prisoner recruits deployed in Ukraine as of December, accounting for the vast majority of Wagner personnel in the country. Wagner has not commented on the figure or provided any information on fighter numbers. In a Jan. 14 video message, Prigozhin described Wagner as a fully independent force with its own aircraft, tanks, rockets and artillery. It is "probably the most experienced army that exists in the world today," he said. Some of the convicts identified by Reuters were violent offenders who had spent much of their adult life in prison or were facing long sentences. Court papers reviewed by Reuters also portray men who had struggled with alcohol problems. The names of some others are on banking blacklists, suggesting personal financial troubles. Their lives bring into bleak focus the realities of Russia's criminal underclass. Wagner founder Prigozhin in December told Russian news site RBC that he is giving convicts an opportunity "to redeem themselves." In January, he appeared alongside the first group of fighters to be pardoned, having survived their stints in Ukraine. A few weeks later, he wrote an open letter to the speaker of Russia's parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, asking him to criminalise any actions or publications that discredit Wagner fighters and to outlaw public disclosure of their criminal pasts. He wrote that those "who are risking their lives every day and dying for the Motherland are being portrayed as second-class people, stripping them of the right to atone for their guilt." Volodin did not reply to Reuters' request for comment. Among the prisoners identified by Reuters was 43-year-old Anatoly Bodenkov. He was serving a 16-year sentence after his conviction as a contract killer, court papers show. According to a local news report on the case, in 2016 Bodenkov murdered a local real estate agent in the northern city of Kirovo-Chepetsk with a sawn-off shotgun for 400,000 roubles ($5,720). The grave marker says Bodenkov died on Nov. 27, 2022. It doesn't say where. A second prisoner, Viktor Deshko, 40, was sentenced to 10 years for a murder in 2021, according to court documents and local media reports. He cut a woman's throat during a drunken argument over money in the forests near the mining town of Shakhty, close to the border with the Russian-controlled Donbas. Court documents describe Deshko as "an aggressive person, given to abusing alcohol." He was on probation at the time of the killing, having previously served three and a half years for assault with a deadly weapon. For Bodenkov and Deshko, the full names and dates of birth on the grave markers matched their social media and court records. Reuters was not able to contact friends or family of the two men, and their lawyers did not reply to requests for comment. A third man, Vyacheslav Kochas, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a St. Petersburg court for murder and armed robbery in 2020, when he was 23. According to Russian court documents, Kochas and another man burst into the apartment of an acquaintance while drunk in an attempted robbery. He beat the acquaintance and a female victim unconscious, using an iron and a metal clothes horse. Kochas then set fire to an item of clothing and threw it at the unconscious man. Much of the apartment was gutted by the fire, and the man succumbed to his wounds two days later. Photographs of Kochas on social media show a baby-faced man. In some, he is embracing an unidentified young woman. Kochas' profile on VKontakte, Russia's Facebook equivalent, now reads: "Killed in the Donbas." Kochas' grave marker at Bakinskaya gives his date of death as July 21, shortly after his 25th birthday and in the earliest days of Russia's push towards Bakhmut. Kochas' lawyer, Stepan Akimov, described his former client as "a really ordinary guy" whom he said had been unfairly convicted. The last he heard from Kochas was a text message after his appeal failed, thanking Akimov for his help. Akimov learned from Reuters that his ex-client had joined Wagner. "I can imagine, given the length of his sentence, and how young he was, it seemed to him a way to go free," said Akimov. "When a prisoner has a double-digit sentence, here they're offering release in six months. Apparently, Vyacheslav thought this offer was a way out." Reuters was unable to reach Kochas' surviving relatives. Russia has one of the world's largest prison populations per capita. Mark Galeotti, author of The Vory: Russia's super mafia, a book on Russia's criminal and prison cultures, says the potential appeal of Wagner to inmates is wider than just a bid for clemency. Service with Wagner, he said, offers pride and a sense of purpose to convicts with few prospects after release, people who have spent time in a prison culture suffused with "a very strong Russian nationalist tinge." "Yes, this will give you the chance to get out of prison, but also it gives you the chance to actually be someone," said Galeotti. "This is a way in which actually Wagner can appeal to people who definitely are, or believe themselves to be, marginalised, outsiders, losers in some way in the system, and gives them the chance to think of themselves as becoming winners." At least one of the men buried at Bakinskaya concealed their criminal record and prison time from loved ones. For over half a decade after she got married and left her hometown of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, Svitlana Holyk believed that her brother Yury Danilyuk was working somewhere in the far north of Russia. The two Ukrainian-born siblings had few living relatives and rarely spoke after Russian-backed proxies seized their home city in 2014, she said. Svitlana knew only that her brother travelled regularly for work to the Russian border city of Bryansk, 500 miles (800 km) away. But while Svitlana was building a new life in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Yury was using social media to subscribe to pro-Russian groups supporting the Donbas separatist insurgency, his online activity shows. In 2016, having been out of touch for a year and a half, Yury told his sister that he had moved to Russia's Arctic north. She said his messages were short, and he said little about his life. "I suspected then that something had happened, that he might have some troubles that he did not want to or could not talk about for some reason," she told Reuters, speaking Ukrainian, in a telephone call from Dnipro. The city is now a major logistics hub for the Ukrainian army fighting in the Donbas, and a constant target of Russian missiles. A close friend of Yury Danilyuk spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The friend said that Yury lied to his sister, whom he deeply loved, to avoid upsetting her with news of his imprisonment. In reality, he had been sentenced in 2016 to nine years and eight months in prison on drugs charges. The two men were incarcerated together in Krasnodar region's Penal Colony No. 6. The friend said he last spoke to Yury in September 2022 and heard later that month from other inmates that Yury had joined Wagner. Olga Romanova, a prisoners-rights activist with the Russia Behind Bars watchdog group, told Reuters that Yevgeny Prigozhin has visited Penal Colony No. 6 to recruit inmates on two separate occasions. Reuters couldn't independently verify these visits. The friend said that during his time in jail, Yury fell in with a faction of prisoners who refuse to cooperate with prison authorities on principle – a common phenomenon in Russia's penitentiary system. That meant Yury forfeited the chance of early release for good behaviour. He said Yury's decision to join Wagner was motivated by the knowledge that he would likely otherwise serve his long sentence in full. According to his grave, Yury Danilyuk died on Nov. 30, 2022. He was 28. Danilyuk's sister, Svitlana, said she had known nothing of her brother's prison sentence, service with Wagner, and eventual death during Russia's war against the country of their birth until contacted by Reuters journalists. Holyk said: "The fact that Yury died I learned from you. I re-read your message several times when you wrote to me. Somehow I couldn't believe it." The inmate friend recalled Yury as a fierce patriot of his native Donbas, with a passion for cars. "I blame it all on him not wanting to cooperate with the prison authorities," the friend said. "If he had agreed, he'd be alive. But he refused, so he's a fool." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

A rapidly expanding cemetery in Russian village reveals Wagner’s prisoner army

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

The dynamics of the 11-month-old Russia-Ukraine war appear to be shifting gradually from its initial state and is taking an indirect&nbsp;form of&nbsp;a global conflict.&nbsp;A European Union official however went ahead to claim that Moscow has taken the war to a different level from the initial 'special operation' and is now at "war against NATO and the West".&nbsp;

The remarks were made after the United States and Germany agreed to send powerful tanks to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia after much debate. Besides, the West has also provided Kyiv with a fresh package of advanced and sophisticated weapons.&nbsp;

Stefano Sannino, who is the secretary general of the European Union's European External Action Service, said that Russia has taken the war to "a different stage" by&nbsp;its&nbsp;continuous, indiscriminate&nbsp;attacks on civilian target in&nbsp;Ukraine. Sannino insinuated that Russia&nbsp;has apparently triggered Germany and the United States to send advanced tanks to Ukraine.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-claims-chinese-firm-helped-russias-wagner-group-in-ukraine-places-sanctions-556469">US claims Chinese firm helped Russia's Wagner group in Ukraine, places sanctions</a>&nbsp;

As quoted by Radio Free Europe, Sannino told reporters in Tokyo that Putin had "moved from the concept of a special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West." Sannino alleged that Moscow is engaging in "indiscriminate attacks" on civilians&nbsp;and cities and is no longer targeting just military positions.&nbsp;

The EU official backed the proposed supply of tanks to Ukraine saying that they will be used for a counter-offensive&nbsp;and are not intended for an attack.&nbsp;

"I think that this latest development in terms of arms&nbsp;supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia started moving the war into a different stage," he said.&nbsp;<meta name="uuid" content="uuidzw6VMbfHw8PE" /><meta charset="utf-8" />

WATCH |&nbsp;Russia: Cemetery for Wagner mercenaries; 200 graves in Southwestern Russia&nbsp;

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<h2>West to send tanks to Ukraine&nbsp;</h2>

For a very long time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to send tanks and long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territories.&nbsp;

The West initially hesitated to engage in direct conflict with Russia and Moscow had also warned that the supply of powerful weapons by West will be considered a provocation.&nbsp;

But, the West has finally relented to&nbsp;the demand as consensus grew among countries. Earlier this week, Germany agreed to supply 14 powerful Leopard tanks to Ukraine amid intense pressure from other European counties. Notably, the German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks are considered one of the best-performing tank models worldwide.&nbsp;

Canada said that it will also supply heavy tanks to Ukraine, with a shipment of four fully operational Leopards. Norway also said it would send Leopard 2 tanks to the war-torn nation.&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden also announced that his administration will send 31 top-of-the-line M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, although delivery may not be very soon. The countries have also said that they would train Ukrainian forces for using the advanced tanks.

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Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. The dynamics of the 11-month-old Russia-Ukraine war appear to be shifting gradually from its initial state and is taking an indirect form of a global conflict. A European Union official however went ahead to claim that Moscow has taken the war to a different level from the initial 'special operation' and is now at "war against NATO and the West". The remarks were made after the United States and Germany agreed to send powerful tanks to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia after much debate. Besides, the West has also provided Kyiv with a fresh package of advanced and sophisticated weapons. Stefano Sannino, who is the secretary general of the European Union's European External Action Service, said that Russia has taken the war to "a different stage" by its continuous, indiscriminate attacks on civilian target in Ukraine. Sannino insinuated that Russia has apparently triggered Germany and the United States to send advanced tanks to Ukraine. ALSO READ | US claims Chinese firm helped Russia's Wagner group in Ukraine, places sanctions As quoted by Radio Free Europe, Sannino told reporters in Tokyo that Putin had "moved from the concept of a special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West." Sannino alleged that Moscow is engaging in "indiscriminate attacks" on civilians and cities and is no longer targeting just military positions. The EU official backed the proposed supply of tanks to Ukraine saying that they will be used for a counter-offensive and are not intended for an attack. "I think that this latest development in terms of arms supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia started moving the war into a different stage," he said. WATCH | Russia: Cemetery for Wagner mercenaries; 200 graves in Southwestern Russia × West to send tanks to Ukraine For a very long time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to send tanks and long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territories. The West initially hesitated to engage in direct conflict with Russia and Moscow had also warned that the supply of powerful weapons by West will be considered a provocation. But, the West has finally relented to the demand as consensus grew among countries. Earlier this week, Germany agreed to supply 14 powerful Leopard tanks to Ukraine amid intense pressure from other European counties. Notably, the German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks are considered one of the best-performing tank models worldwide. Canada said that it will also supply heavy tanks to Ukraine, with a shipment of four fully operational Leopards. Norway also said it would send Leopard 2 tanks to the war-torn nation. US President Joe Biden also announced that his administration will send 31 top-of-the-line M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, although delivery may not be very soon. The countries have also said that they would train Ukrainian forces for using the advanced tanks. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ukraine war: EU official says ‘Russia has changed ‘special operation’ into war with NATO and West’

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday (January 25) that a pathway for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes should be further explored for next year's Paris Olympics, ignoring calls from the Ukrainian government to ban them completely. In a statement, the IOC said that no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport.&nbsp;

"Respect the rights of all athletes to be treated without any discrimination, in accordance with the Olympic Charter. Governments must not decide which athletes can participate in which competition and which athletes cannot," the statement said. "A pathway for athletes’ participation in competition under strict conditions should therefore be further explored," it added.

As per the IOC, the first strict condition was that athletes from Russia and Belarus would participate in competitions as “neutral athletes” and in no way represent their state or any other organisation in their country.

The second condition was only athletes who fully respect the Olympic Charter would participate. "This means in particular: first, only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete. Second, only athletes who fully comply with the World Anti-Doping Code and all relevant anti-doping rules and regulations would be eligible. There must be individual checks carried out for all entered athletes," the statement added.&nbsp;

The IOC warned that athletes failing to respect the conditions should be immediately removed from the competition by the sports event organiser, suspended from further competitions and report such incidents to "the committee for its consideration for further measures and sanctions."

The committee also said that there was unanimous support to continue and even strengthen the full and unwavering commitment to solidarity with the Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community to have a strong team from the NOC of Ukraine at the Paris Olympics.&nbsp;

The IOC's statement comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a total exclusion of Russian and Belurasian athletes. After speaking with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Zelensky posted on Telegram on Tuesday, "I particularly emphasised that athletes from Russia should have no place at the Olympic Games in Paris."

Meanwhile, after the IOC's remarks, the Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said later on Wednesday that the voice of common sense had been heard. “The priority for us remains the same — to secure the rights and interests of our athletes,” Pozdnyakov said, the news agency AP reported.&nbsp;

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday (January 25) that a pathway for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes should be further explored for next year's Paris Olympics, ignoring calls from the Ukrainian government to ban them completely.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday (January 25) that a pathway for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes should be further explored for next year's Paris Olympics, ignoring calls from the Ukrainian government to ban them completely. In a statement, the IOC said that no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport. "Respect the rights of all athletes to be treated without any discrimination, in accordance with the Olympic Charter. Governments must not decide which athletes can participate in which competition and which athletes cannot," the statement said. "A pathway for athletes’ participation in competition under strict conditions should therefore be further explored," it added. As per the IOC, the first strict condition was that athletes from Russia and Belarus would participate in competitions as “neutral athletes” and in no way represent their state or any other organisation in their country. The second condition was only athletes who fully respect the Olympic Charter would participate. "This means in particular: first, only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete. Second, only athletes who fully comply with the World Anti-Doping Code and all relevant anti-doping rules and regulations would be eligible. There must be individual checks carried out for all entered athletes," the statement added. The IOC warned that athletes failing to respect the conditions should be immediately removed from the competition by the sports event organiser, suspended from further competitions and report such incidents to "the committee for its consideration for further measures and sanctions." The committee also said that there was unanimous support to continue and even strengthen the full and unwavering commitment to solidarity with the Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community to have a strong team from the NOC of Ukraine at the Paris Olympics. The IOC's statement comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a total exclusion of Russian and Belurasian athletes. After speaking with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Zelensky posted on Telegram on Tuesday, "I particularly emphasised that athletes from Russia should have no place at the Olympic Games in Paris." Meanwhile, after the IOC's remarks, the Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said later on Wednesday that the voice of common sense had been heard. “The priority for us remains the same — to secure the rights and interests of our athletes,” Pozdnyakov said, the news agency AP reported. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

IOC to explore pathway for Russian, Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris Olympics

The top Russian official in Germany has warned about possible escalation amid Moscow’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine after Berlin approved supplying Leopard 2 tanks following mounting pressure from Kyiv and its Western allies. In a statement, on Wednesday (January 25) the Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, called this decision “extremely dangerous” and warned that this will not inevitably lead to the deaths of not only Russian soldiers but also the civilian population, reported the Moscow Times.&nbsp;

“This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation, and contradicts statements by German politicians about the unwillingness of the German Federation to get involved in it”, said Nechaev, reported AFP, citing the statement.&nbsp; 
 
This comes after Berlin had initially been reluctant to send tanks to Ukraine but after facing pressure from its Western allies and following a debate in the German parliament&nbsp;early Wednesday. Reports suggest that Berlin has agreed to provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from the Bundeswehr (Germany’s military) stocks.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/germany-all-set-to-send-leopard-2-tanks-to-ukraine-report-suggests-555700">Germany approves delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine</a>

Additionally, they also granted the approval for other European countries to send their own stock of German-made Leopard tanks to Kyiv, which required Berlin’s permission. Addressing the parliament, on Wednesday, German&nbsp;Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said, "We must always make it clear in everything we do that we are doing what is necessary and possible to support Ukraine, but that at the same time, we are preventing the war from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO."

Furthermore, Nechayev also claimed that it will lead to the “death of not only Russian soldiers, but also the civilian population,” reported, the Moscow Times.&nbsp;The Russian official also said that Russia&nbsp;is convinced that Germany, like its closest allies “is not interested in a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis.”

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-has-officially-requested-germany-to-send-leopard-2-tanks-to-ukraine-555491">Poland officially requests Germany to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, will ask compensation from EU</a>

He added that by supplying additional and heavier weapons to Kyiv, Berlin has destroyed “the remnants of mutual trust and causes irreparable damage to the already deplorable state of Russian-German relations.” On the other hand, countries like the United Kingdom, Poland, and France have hailed Germany’s decision of&nbsp;supplying tanks to Ukraine that it has long sought.&nbsp;

Germany had earlier indicated that it won't send its Leopard tanks unless the US also agrees to send its own M1 Abrams tanks.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
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The top Russian official in Germany has warned about possible escalation amid Moscow’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine after Berlin approved supplying Leopard 2 tanks following mounting pressure from Kyiv and its Western allies.

The top Russian official in Germany has warned about possible escalation amid Moscow’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine after Berlin approved supplying Leopard 2 tanks following mounting pressure from Kyiv and its Western allies. In a statement, on Wednesday (January 25) the Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, called this decision “extremely dangerous” and warned that this will not inevitably lead to the deaths of not only Russian soldiers but also the civilian population, reported the Moscow Times. “This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation, and contradicts statements by German politicians about the unwillingness of the German Federation to get involved in it”, said Nechaev, reported AFP, citing the statement. This comes after Berlin had initially been reluctant to send tanks to Ukraine but after facing pressure from its Western allies and following a debate in the German parliament early Wednesday. Reports suggest that Berlin has agreed to provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from the Bundeswehr (Germany’s military) stocks. ALSO READ | Germany approves delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine Additionally, they also granted the approval for other European countries to send their own stock of German-made Leopard tanks to Kyiv, which required Berlin’s permission. Addressing the parliament, on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said, "We must always make it clear in everything we do that we are doing what is necessary and possible to support Ukraine, but that at the same time, we are preventing the war from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO." Furthermore, Nechayev also claimed that it will lead to the “death of not only Russian soldiers, but also the civilian population,” reported, the Moscow Times. The Russian official also said that Russia is convinced that Germany, like its closest allies “is not interested in a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis.” ALSO READ | Poland officially requests Germany to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, will ask compensation from EU He added that by supplying additional and heavier weapons to Kyiv, Berlin has destroyed “the remnants of mutual trust and causes irreparable damage to the already deplorable state of Russian-German relations.” On the other hand, countries like the United Kingdom, Poland, and France have hailed Germany’s decision of supplying tanks to Ukraine that it has long sought. Germany had earlier indicated that it won't send its Leopard tanks unless the US also agrees to send its own M1 Abrams tanks. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

‘Extremely dangerous’: Russia warns of potential escalation as Germany agrees to send tanks to Ukraine

Following a months-long bloody battle, Ukrainian forces have pulled back from the eastern salt-mining Soledar town, in what can be seen as a triumph for the Russians after a series of setbacks since the invasion last year.&nbsp;Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s forces in the east, told the AP news agency that the Ukrainian army has strategically retreated from the town in the Donbas region to “preserve the lives of its personnel”.&nbsp;

He added that the Ukrainian soldiers have gone back to their previously prepared defence positions, without giving further details.&nbsp;

Soledar, which had a pre-war population of around 10,000 people, is six miles (about 9 km) northeast of Bakhmut, a city in the eastern part of Ukraine known as Donbas.&nbsp;

On January 13, Russia claimed that its forces seized control of Soledar, but Ukraine immediately denied it.&nbsp;

Though the importance of the town is debated, Moscow believes that taking control of Soledar is key to seizing Bakhmut and the prized Donbas region.

<h2>War in Ukraine: Russia launches fresh attack on Ukrainian cities, claims victory in Soledar</h2>

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Since the invasion, Russia has been eyeing control of the Donbas region, where the separatists backed by Moscow have been fighting the Ukranian government since 2014.&nbsp;

Russia has already taken control of most of Luhansk, while about half of Donetsk remains under Ukraine’s control.&nbsp;

“Russia is not reducing combat activity in Donbas, leaving a scorched desert where the Russian military manages to advance,” Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said on state television.&nbsp;

It is believed that Russians will gain an upper hand after taking control of Soledar as it can successfully cut off supply lines of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut region.&nbsp;

The Institute for the Study of War, a&nbsp;US think tank, said it was "not an operationally significant development".&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;&nbsp;

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Following a months-long bloody battle, Ukrainian forces have pulled back from the eastern salt-mining Soledar town, in what can be seen as a triumph for the Russians after a series of setbacks since the invasion last year.

Following a months-long bloody battle, Ukrainian forces have pulled back from the eastern salt-mining Soledar town, in what can be seen as a triumph for the Russians after a series of setbacks since the invasion last year. Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s forces in the east, told the AP news agency that the Ukrainian army has strategically retreated from the town in the Donbas region to “preserve the lives of its personnel”. He added that the Ukrainian soldiers have gone back to their previously prepared defence positions, without giving further details. Soledar, which had a pre-war population of around 10,000 people, is six miles (about 9 km) northeast of Bakhmut, a city in the eastern part of Ukraine known as Donbas. On January 13, Russia claimed that its forces seized control of Soledar, but Ukraine immediately denied it. Though the importance of the town is debated, Moscow believes that taking control of Soledar is key to seizing Bakhmut and the prized Donbas region. War in Ukraine: Russia launches fresh attack on Ukrainian cities, claims victory in Soledar Since the invasion, Russia has been eyeing control of the Donbas region, where the separatists backed by Moscow have been fighting the Ukranian government since 2014. Russia has already taken control of most of Luhansk, while about half of Donetsk remains under Ukraine’s control. “Russia is not reducing combat activity in Donbas, leaving a scorched desert where the Russian military manages to advance,” Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said on state television. It is believed that Russians will gain an upper hand after taking control of Soledar as it can successfully cut off supply lines of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut region. The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said it was "not an operationally significant development". (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Ukraine pulls back from eastern Soledar town after months-long battle against Russians

Two Britons who went to Ukraine last March as volunteers have now been declared dead by their family members. The duo went missing earlier this month while travelling to the war-torn eastern regions of Ukraine. The UK volunteers have been identified as 48-year-old Andrew Bagshaw and 28-year-old Christopher Parry. Ukraine Police said they lost contact with them on January 9 while they were heading to the town of Soledar, in the eastern Donetsk region. Bagshaw’s family said his car was hit by a Russian artillery shell while he attempted to save an elderly woman in an area of intense military action.

<h2>Who was Andrew Bagshaw?</h2>

As per New Zealand media reports, Andrew Bagshaw, a resident of New Zealand, was involved in delivering humanitarian aid to the war-torn areas of eastern Ukraine. His family informed the media that Bagshaw was a scientific researcher in genetics but he chose to volunteer as an aid worker.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine war: Russia targets Ukrainian energy centres

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Now, Bagshaw’s mortal remains will be dispatched to New Zealand, where his family is living. His family said in a statement, “Andrew selflessly took many personal risks and saved many lives; we love him and are very proud indeed of what he did.”

<h2>Christopher Parry: The second volunteer to lose his life</h2>

Parry’s family released a separate statement through the British foreign office. The family stated he was a software engineer and loved rock climbing, cycling, running and skydiving. He was fond of travelling around the world. The statement by his family read, “His selfless determination in helping the old, young and disadvantaged there has made us and his larger family extremely proud.”

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-announces-deaths-of-four-foreign-military-volunteers-485085">Ukraine announces deaths of four foreign military volunteers</a>

<h2>Russia’s Wagner Group found the dead bodies first?</h2>

Concerns about the duo’s well-being were raised after the chief of Russia’s Wagner Group said on January 11 that the dead body of one of the two missing volunteers was recovered from Soledar.&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

Two Britons who went to Ukraine last March as volunteers have now been declared dead by their family members. The duo went missing earlier this month while travelling to the war-torn eastern regions of Ukraine.

Two Britons who went to Ukraine last March as volunteers have now been declared dead by their family members. The duo went missing earlier this month while travelling to the war-torn eastern regions of Ukraine. The UK volunteers have been identified as 48-year-old Andrew Bagshaw and 28-year-old Christopher Parry. Ukraine Police said they lost contact with them on January 9 while they were heading to the town of Soledar, in the eastern Donetsk region. Bagshaw’s family said his car was hit by a Russian artillery shell while he attempted to save an elderly woman in an area of intense military action. Who was Andrew Bagshaw? As per New Zealand media reports, Andrew Bagshaw, a resident of New Zealand, was involved in delivering humanitarian aid to the war-torn areas of eastern Ukraine. His family informed the media that Bagshaw was a scientific researcher in genetics but he chose to volunteer as an aid worker. Watch: Russia-Ukraine war: Russia targets Ukrainian energy centres × Now, Bagshaw’s mortal remains will be dispatched to New Zealand, where his family is living. His family said in a statement, “Andrew selflessly took many personal risks and saved many lives; we love him and are very proud indeed of what he did.” Christopher Parry: The second volunteer to lose his life Parry’s family released a separate statement through the British foreign office. The family stated he was a software engineer and loved rock climbing, cycling, running and skydiving. He was fond of travelling around the world. The statement by his family read, “His selfless determination in helping the old, young and disadvantaged there has made us and his larger family extremely proud.” Also Read | Ukraine announces deaths of four foreign military volunteers Russia’s Wagner Group found the dead bodies first? Concerns about the duo’s well-being were raised after the chief of Russia’s Wagner Group said on January 11 that the dead body of one of the two missing volunteers was recovered from Soledar. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Two Britons working as volunteers, delivering humanitarian aid in Ukraine declared dead

Atomic scientists set the "Doomsday Clock" closer to midnight than ever before on Tuesday, saying threats of nuclear war, disease, and climate volatility have been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, putting humanity at greater risk of annihilation.

'Doomsday Clock' moves to 90 seconds to midnight as the nuclear threat rises

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Kremlin on Monday (January 23) said that people in Ukraine will suffer if the West sent tanks to Kyiv. Kremlin also said that the Ukrainian people will pay the price "for all this pseudo-support".

The apparent warning comes days after the United States and other allies finalised fresh military assistance to the war-torn nation to help in its fight against Russian aggression.&nbsp;

However, the West saw a difference of opinion over providing Ukraine with the german-made Leopard 2 tanks. During a recent US-hosted defence ministers' talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the Western allies failed to agree to supply German tanks to Ukraine.&nbsp;

They come up with massive military aid for Kyiv's fight against Russian forces, including another powerful defence package by the US worth $2.5 billion.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-orders-estonias-ambassador-to-leave-accuses-the-country-of-total-russophobia-555125">Russia orders Estonia's ambassador to leave, accuses country of 'total Russophobia'</a>

As Ukraine is facing the wrath of the 11-month-old war, it demanded advanced weapons, heavy tanks and long-range missiles to hit Russian territories deep inside. Leopard 2 tanks remained a key demand from Kyiv.&nbsp;

Several allies criticised Germany for not sending the tanks but the newly-appointed German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that it was "wrong" to blame Berlin. He mentioned that all pros and cons must be weighed very carefully. He also added that "there are good reasons for a delivery and there are good reasons against it".&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;EU minister to discuss $545 million Ukraine aid&nbsp;

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ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zelensky-vows-action-against-corruption-in-ukraine-what-we-know-so-far-555090">Zelensky vows action against corruption in Ukraine: What we know so far</a>&nbsp;

While responding to the same on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the indecisiveness over tanks represents that there was increasing "nervousness" within the NATO military alliance.&nbsp;

He further said, "But of course all countries which take part, directly or indirectly, in pumping weapons into Ukraine and in raising its technological level bear responsibility (for continuing the conflict)."&nbsp;

"The main thing is that it is the Ukrainian people who will pay the price for all this pseudo-support," Peskov added.&nbsp;

<h2>West's tank's conundrum</h2>

Meanwhile, Poland and Finland have hinted that they would be willing to send German tanks to Ukraine. However, they need German approval for the move.&nbsp;

On Monday, Poland said it would ask Germany for permission to send some of the Polish army's Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, "We will seek this approval." Morawiecki told reporters a day after Germany's foreign minister said Berlin was ready to approve such a transfer.&nbsp;

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Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Kremlin on Monday (January 23) said that people in Ukraine will suffer if the West sent tanks to Kyiv. Kremlin also said that the Ukrainian people will pay the price "for all this pseudo-support". The apparent warning comes days after the United States and other allies finalised fresh military assistance to the war-torn nation to help in its fight against Russian aggression. However, the West saw a difference of opinion over providing Ukraine with the german-made Leopard 2 tanks. During a recent US-hosted defence ministers' talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the Western allies failed to agree to supply German tanks to Ukraine. They come up with massive military aid for Kyiv's fight against Russian forces, including another powerful defence package by the US worth $2.5 billion. ALSO READ | Russia orders Estonia's ambassador to leave, accuses country of 'total Russophobia' As Ukraine is facing the wrath of the 11-month-old war, it demanded advanced weapons, heavy tanks and long-range missiles to hit Russian territories deep inside. Leopard 2 tanks remained a key demand from Kyiv. Several allies criticised Germany for not sending the tanks but the newly-appointed German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that it was "wrong" to blame Berlin. He mentioned that all pros and cons must be weighed very carefully. He also added that "there are good reasons for a delivery and there are good reasons against it". WATCH | EU minister to discuss $545 million Ukraine aid × ALSO READ | Zelensky vows action against corruption in Ukraine: What we know so far While responding to the same on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the indecisiveness over tanks represents that there was increasing "nervousness" within the NATO military alliance. He further said, "But of course all countries which take part, directly or indirectly, in pumping weapons into Ukraine and in raising its technological level bear responsibility (for continuing the conflict)." "The main thing is that it is the Ukrainian people who will pay the price for all this pseudo-support," Peskov added. West's tank's conundrum Meanwhile, Poland and Finland have hinted that they would be willing to send German tanks to Ukraine. However, they need German approval for the move. On Monday, Poland said it would ask Germany for permission to send some of the Polish army's Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, "We will seek this approval." Morawiecki told reporters a day after Germany's foreign minister said Berlin was ready to approve such a transfer. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Kremlin calls out West's 'pseudo-support' to Kyiv, says Ukrainians will suffer if Europe sends tanks

The Doomsday Clock was created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer & other scientists. Know here all about the Doomsday Clock ahead of its first update since the Ukraine war started.

What is the Doomsday Clock? Know here ahead of its first update since Ukraine war

The Western allies failed to finalise the supply of German-made Leopard tanks to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. During defence ministers' talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, the United States including other allies agreed to send massive military assistance for Kyiv's fight against Russian forces, but the package didn't include the hotly-debated German tanks.

The Western allies failed to finalise the supply of German-made Leopard tanks to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. During defence ministers' talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, the United States including other allies agreed to send massive military assistance for Kyiv's fight against Russian forces, but the package didn't include the hotly-debated German tanks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who sought heavy tanks and long-range missiles, said that there was "no alternative" but for the West to give heavy tanks. In his evening address, Zelensky said, "The partners are principled in their attitude -- they will support Ukraine as much as is necessary for our victory." "Yes, we will still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks, but every day we make it more obvious that there is no alternative, that a decision about tanks must be made," he added. Pressure mounts on Berlin? Pressure has been growing on Germany to send the tanks to Ukraine. As it appears that the onus of decision has been pinpointed on Berlin, but the newly appointed Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday that it was “wrong” to say Germany was blocking a decision. Pistorius mentioned that all pros and cons must be weighed very carefully. He further added that a lot of allies are saying that they share the views he again presented. 'There are good reasons for a delivery and there are good reasons against it," Pistorius said. Meanwhile, Poland and Finland have hinted that they would be willing to send German tanks to Ukraine. However, they need German approval for the move. Will US send heavy tanks to Ukraine? As the West mulls over the decision of sending German-made Leopard tanks to help Ukraine, sources said that Berlin would move if Washington agreed to send its Abrams tanks. But the US say that the Abrams would create logistical issues for Ukrainian troops as the fuel and maintenance required would be so different from any other equipment they use. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

The fuss over German-made Leopard tanks as pressure mounts on Berlin to approve delivery

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.&nbsp;

Russian state media reported Sunday (January 22) that the troops are moving towards two towns in the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region.&nbsp;On Saturday, reports emerged that the Russian troops launched an offensive in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, where they had captured the nuclear power plant earlier in the conflict.&nbsp;

However, the fighting in Zaporizhzhia was stalled but the fighting intensified this week after several months. Major concerns were raised over a potential nuclear disaster because shelling and artillery fire took place nearby when Russia had captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-and-germany-must-become-pioneers-to-relaunch-europe-says-macron-554930">France and Germany must become ‘pioneers’ to relaunch Europe, says Macron</a>

The news agency AFP reported that Vladimir Rogov, who is the Russian-installed official in the region said offensive actions were concentrated around two towns: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole.&nbsp;

As per reports, Orikhiv is around 50 kilometres south of the Ukrainian-controlled regional capital Zaporizhzhia and Hulyaipole is further east.&nbsp;

As quoted by Ria Novosti news agency, Rogov said, "The front is mobile, especially in two directions: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole." Rogov mentioned that there was active fighting in those areas, and added, "The initiative is in our hands."&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;WION Fineprint | War in Ukraine: Ukraine asks for special tanks ahead of Russia's new assault&nbsp;

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ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-makes-unannounced-visit-to-ukraine-meets-president-zelensky-554924">Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson makes unannounced visit to Ukraine, meets President Zelensky</a>&nbsp;

The Ukrainian army also said "more than 15 settlements were affected by artillery fire" in Zaporizhzhia. Britain's Ministry of Defence in its update notes that both sides have massed "significant forces" in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, officials from the Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions said on Saturday that Russia increased shelling of Ukraine's eastern regions outside the main front line in the Donbas industrial area.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Russian state media reported Sunday (January 22) that the troops are moving towards two towns in the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region. On Saturday, reports emerged that the Russian troops launched an offensive in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, where they had captured the nuclear power plant earlier in the conflict. However, the fighting in Zaporizhzhia was stalled but the fighting intensified this week after several months. Major concerns were raised over a potential nuclear disaster because shelling and artillery fire took place nearby when Russia had captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. ALSO READ | France and Germany must become ‘pioneers’ to relaunch Europe, says Macron The news agency AFP reported that Vladimir Rogov, who is the Russian-installed official in the region said offensive actions were concentrated around two towns: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole. As per reports, Orikhiv is around 50 kilometres south of the Ukrainian-controlled regional capital Zaporizhzhia and Hulyaipole is further east. As quoted by Ria Novosti news agency, Rogov said, "The front is mobile, especially in two directions: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole." Rogov mentioned that there was active fighting in those areas, and added, "The initiative is in our hands." WATCH | WION Fineprint | War in Ukraine: Ukraine asks for special tanks ahead of Russia's new assault × ALSO READ | Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson makes unannounced visit to Ukraine, meets President Zelensky The Ukrainian army also said "more than 15 settlements were affected by artillery fire" in Zaporizhzhia. Britain's Ministry of Defence in its update notes that both sides have massed "significant forces" in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Meanwhile, officials from the Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions said on Saturday that Russia increased shelling of Ukraine's eastern regions outside the main front line in the Donbas industrial area. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ukraine war: Russia pushing towards two towns in Zaporizhzhia region

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. The Russian army on Saturday (January 21) said that its troops launched an offensive in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. Earlier in the conflict, Russia had captured the nuclear power plant in the region, where fighting was stalled for weeks, but it reportedly intensified recently. The Russian forces in its daily report said that they led "offensive operations" in the region and claimed to have "taken more advantageous lines and positions". As reported by British news websites, the United Kingdom defence chiefs have said that Russian and Ukrainian forces are massing in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. When Russia captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, concerns were raised over a potential nuclear disaster because shelling and artillery fire took place nearby. UK's Ministry of Defence in its latest update noted that both sides have massed "significant forces" in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. It added that the forces have conducted artillery exchanges and skirmishes, but have avoided any large-scale offensive effort. "Overall, the conflict is in a state of deadlock. However, there is a realistic possibility of local Russian advances around Bakhmut," the defence update added. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 21 January 2023 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/4UqLNksneU 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/fUXFhi6VBW — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 21, 2023 × Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that it held a training exercise on repelling air attacks in the Moscow region. As quoted by the news agency AFP, the ministry said in a statement, "In the Moscow region, a training session was held with the personnel of the anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Western Military District on repelling air attacks on important military-industrial and administrative facilities." WATCH | Vladimir Putin calls Pakistan 'a key partner' after latter decides to buy oil, gas from Moscow × Russia also said that an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was involved in the training as combat was simulated. The statement said: "As they marched, soldiers repelled an attack by a mock enemy sabotage group on a military convoy. Under the cover of a smoke screen, the air defence convoy was able to get out of the attack and continue fulfilling its tasks." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ukraine war: Russian army launches ‘offensive operations’ in Zaporizhzhia, claims ‘advances’

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday (January 22) and met President Volodymyr Zelensky and top officials in the capital city of Kyiv.“It’s an absolute honour to be here,” Johnson told Zelensky. “Honour for us,” the Ukrainian President responded, news agency Reuters reported. Johnson visited the Borodyanka and Bucha suburbs of Kyiv. As the British PM, Johnson had visited Ukraine thrice — the last visit being on August 24 last year.&nbsp;

In Bucha, he took selfies with residents and laid flowers in tribute to the victims of the ongoing war. Johnson told Bucha's mayor that the United Kingdom (UK) will be sticking by Ukraine, adding, "You're going to win and you're going to get all the Russians out of your country, but we will be there for the long-term. And we will also want to be helping you to reconstruct."&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putins-ally-warns-of-global-catastrophe-due-to-the-wests-deliveries-of-new-weapons-to-ukraine-554911">Putin’s ally warns of ‘global catastrophe’ due to the West’s deliveries of new weapons to Ukraine</a>

While in Borodyanka, Johnson walked the streets by ruined residential blocks. Kyiv's regional governor Oleskiy Kuleba, who accompanied the former British Prime Minister, said that 162 residents were killed during the month-long Russian occupation of the suburb last year, adding 60% of the residents had returned.&nbsp;

Boris Johnson's unannounced visit to Ukraine comes just days after he urged allies to double down on sending military equipment to Ukraine and speed up an end to the war with Russia.&nbsp;

"There is nothing to be lost by doubling down on the material, and equipment that we are sending to Ukraine and there is nothing to fear in escalation, and the best thing for the world is to get this thing done, and done fast," the former British Prime Minister said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Thursday, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

"That is the cheapest solution. It's the solution that has the lowest cost in human life and suffering," he added. A day earlier, Boris Johnson was named an honorary citizen of Kyiv by mayor Vitali Klitschko in Davos.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/attitude-unacceptable-poland-hits-out-at-germanys-decision-not-to-supply-leopard-tanks-to-ukraine-554882">'Attitude unacceptable': Poland hits out at Germany's decision not to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine</a>

Last week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his government would provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv's forces to push Russian troops back. Sunak's pledge saw an immediate reaction from Moscow which warned it would only "intensify" the conflict.

"Bringing tanks to the conflict zone, far from drawing the hostilities to a close, will only serve to intensify combat operations, generating more casualties, including among the civilian population,"&nbsp;the Russian embassy in the UK said last week.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday (January 22) and met President Volodymyr Zelensky and top officials in the capital city of Kyiv.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday (January 22) and met President Volodymyr Zelensky and top officials in the capital city of Kyiv.“It’s an absolute honour to be here,” Johnson told Zelensky. “Honour for us,” the Ukrainian President responded, news agency Reuters reported. Johnson visited the Borodyanka and Bucha suburbs of Kyiv. As the British PM, Johnson had visited Ukraine thrice — the last visit being on August 24 last year. In Bucha, he took selfies with residents and laid flowers in tribute to the victims of the ongoing war. Johnson told Bucha's mayor that the United Kingdom (UK) will be sticking by Ukraine, adding, "You're going to win and you're going to get all the Russians out of your country, but we will be there for the long-term. And we will also want to be helping you to reconstruct." ALSO READ | Putin’s ally warns of ‘global catastrophe’ due to the West’s deliveries of new weapons to Ukraine While in Borodyanka, Johnson walked the streets by ruined residential blocks. Kyiv's regional governor Oleskiy Kuleba, who accompanied the former British Prime Minister, said that 162 residents were killed during the month-long Russian occupation of the suburb last year, adding 60% of the residents had returned. Boris Johnson's unannounced visit to Ukraine comes just days after he urged allies to double down on sending military equipment to Ukraine and speed up an end to the war with Russia. "There is nothing to be lost by doubling down on the material, and equipment that we are sending to Ukraine and there is nothing to fear in escalation, and the best thing for the world is to get this thing done, and done fast," the former British Prime Minister said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Thursday, Reuters reported. "That is the cheapest solution. It's the solution that has the lowest cost in human life and suffering," he added. A day earlier, Boris Johnson was named an honorary citizen of Kyiv by mayor Vitali Klitschko in Davos. ALSO READ | 'Attitude unacceptable': Poland hits out at Germany's decision not to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine Last week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his government would provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv's forces to push Russian troops back. Sunak's pledge saw an immediate reaction from Moscow which warned it would only "intensify" the conflict. "Bringing tanks to the conflict zone, far from drawing the hostilities to a close, will only serve to intensify combat operations, generating more casualties, including among the civilian population," the Russian embassy in the UK said last week. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson makes unannounced visit to Ukraine, meets President Zelensky

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has warned of global catastrophe. Volodin said that the West's deliveries of new offensive weapons to Ukraine will cause mass destruction.&nbsp;

Volodin, the speaker of the Duma — Russia's lower house of parliament, said that such military assistance to &nbsp;Kyiv will threaten Russia's territories.&nbsp;

On the Telegram messaging app, Volodin said that if the United States and NATO nations supply weapons that will be "used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories", it will lead to "retaliatory measures" using more powerful weapons.&nbsp;

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-challenger-tanks-to-caesar-howitzers-western-allies-step-up-weapons-supplies-to-ukraine-554609/#us-bradley-fighting-vehicle-stryker-armoured-personnel-carriers-and-more-554603">From Challenger tanks to Caesar howitzers: Western allies step up weapons supplies to Ukraine</a>&nbsp;

His remarks come after the Ukrainian allies agreed to send massive military assistance for Kyiv's fight against Russian forces during their defence ministers' talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany last Friday.&nbsp;

Volodin said, "Arguments that the nuclear powers have not previously used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts are untenable."&nbsp;

"Because these states did not face a situation where there was a threat to the security of their citizens and the territorial integrity of the country," he added.&nbsp;

"Deliveries of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime will lead to a global catastrophe," he said.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;UK donates helicopter to Ukraine, Germany says 'in close dialogue' with partners on issue of tanks&nbsp;

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The West announced a powerful military package that included Stryker armoured personnel carriers, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Avenger air defence systems.&nbsp;

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the fresh package and called it an "important" help to fight against the aggressor, but called out West's "indecisiveness" over the supply of German tanks.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has warned of global catastrophe. Volodin said that the West's deliveries of new offensive weapons to Ukraine will cause mass destruction. Volodin, the speaker of the Duma — Russia's lower house of parliament, said that such military assistance to Kyiv will threaten Russia's territories. On the Telegram messaging app, Volodin said that if the United States and NATO nations supply weapons that will be "used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories", it will lead to "retaliatory measures" using more powerful weapons. IN PICS | From Challenger tanks to Caesar howitzers: Western allies step up weapons supplies to Ukraine His remarks come after the Ukrainian allies agreed to send massive military assistance for Kyiv's fight against Russian forces during their defence ministers' talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany last Friday. Volodin said, "Arguments that the nuclear powers have not previously used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts are untenable." "Because these states did not face a situation where there was a threat to the security of their citizens and the territorial integrity of the country," he added. "Deliveries of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime will lead to a global catastrophe," he said. WATCH | UK donates helicopter to Ukraine, Germany says 'in close dialogue' with partners on issue of tanks × The West announced a powerful military package that included Stryker armoured personnel carriers, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Avenger air defence systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the fresh package and called it an "important" help to fight against the aggressor, but called out West's "indecisiveness" over the supply of German tanks. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Putin’s ally warns of ‘global catastrophe’ due to the West’s deliveries of new weapons to Ukraine

The United States administration on Friday (January 20) designated Russian mercenary group Wagner as a&nbsp;transnational criminal organisation with White House national security spokesperson John Kirby saying that the group is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses. Kirby said that Wagner has about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and 80 per cent of them are drawn from prisons. Wagner "is a criminal organisation that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses. We will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose and target those who are assisting (it)," Kirby said, according to a report by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Showing photographs of North Korea supplying arms to Wagner for its operations in Ukraine, Kirby said the mercenary group has become a rival to the formal Russian military. The photographs from November 18-19 last year, showed Russian rail cars entering North Korea, picking up a load of infantry rockets and missiles, and returning to Russia, Kirby said, adding, the US presented its intelligence on Wagner's purchase to the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) unit on North Korea sanctions.&nbsp;

The arms transfers from North Korea are in direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, he further said.&nbsp;

The White House national security spokesperson also pointed out that Wagner is becoming a rival power centre to the Russian military and other Russian ministries.&nbsp;

"Prigozhin is trying to advance his own interest in Ukraine and Wagner is making military decisions based largely on what they will generate for Prigozhin, in terms of positive publicity," Kirby further said on Friday. He added that the US Treasury was formally designating Wagner as a transnational criminal organisation. The designation would allow the wider application of sanctions on the group's sprawling network across the world, which includes operations in Africa and elsewhere too.

Since the beginning of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed credit for Moscow's advances over several months towards the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, including the capture last week of neighbouring Soledar. On Thursday, Prigozhin, a businessman close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Russia had a lot to learn from Ukraine's army.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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The United States administration on Friday (January 20) designated Russian mercenary group Wagner as a transnational criminal organisation with White House national security spokesperson John Kirby saying that the group is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses.

The United States administration on Friday (January 20) designated Russian mercenary group Wagner as a transnational criminal organisation with White House national security spokesperson John Kirby saying that the group is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses. Kirby said that Wagner has about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and 80 per cent of them are drawn from prisons. Wagner "is a criminal organisation that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses. We will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose and target those who are assisting (it)," Kirby said, according to a report by news agency AFP. Showing photographs of North Korea supplying arms to Wagner for its operations in Ukraine, Kirby said the mercenary group has become a rival to the formal Russian military. The photographs from November 18-19 last year, showed Russian rail cars entering North Korea, picking up a load of infantry rockets and missiles, and returning to Russia, Kirby said, adding, the US presented its intelligence on Wagner's purchase to the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) unit on North Korea sanctions. The arms transfers from North Korea are in direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, he further said. The White House national security spokesperson also pointed out that Wagner is becoming a rival power centre to the Russian military and other Russian ministries. "Prigozhin is trying to advance his own interest in Ukraine and Wagner is making military decisions based largely on what they will generate for Prigozhin, in terms of positive publicity," Kirby further said on Friday. He added that the US Treasury was formally designating Wagner as a transnational criminal organisation. The designation would allow the wider application of sanctions on the group's sprawling network across the world, which includes operations in Africa and elsewhere too. Since the beginning of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed credit for Moscow's advances over several months towards the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, including the capture last week of neighbouring Soledar. On Thursday, Prigozhin, a businessman close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Russia had a lot to learn from Ukraine's army. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

US designates mercenary group Wagner as 'transnational criminal organisation'

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday (January 22) hit out at Germany's decision not to supply the Leopard 2 tanks to war-hit Ukraine by saying that Berlin's attitude is unacceptable. "Germany's attitude is unacceptable. It has been almost a year since the war began, innocent people are dying every day," Morawiecki told the PAP agency. He said that Russian bombs were wreaking havoc in Ukrainian cities, adding civilians were being attacked and women and children were being murdered, a report by news agency AFP said.&nbsp;

Germany is the manufacturer of Leopard tanks and has been reluctant to supply them to Ukraine or allow other countries having them to do so. Earlier, the Polish government had announced that it was ready to supply 14 tanks to Ukraine and said it was discussing the matter with around 15 countries.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Morawiecki said that he was waiting for a clear signal from Berlin whether countries who have Leopards could transfer them to Kyiv. He further pointed out that if Berlin refuses, "we will set up a 'small coalition' of countries ready to donate some of their modern equipment, their modern tanks," the report added.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-war-allies-offer-more-weapons-to-kyiv-but-no-decision-on-tanks-yet-554651">Ukraine war: Allies offer more weapons to Kyiv, but Germany's reluctance stalls decision on tanks</a>

On Friday, a meeting of about 50 Ukrainian allies led by the United States was held at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany during which the supply of the Leopard&nbsp;tanks to Ukraine was one of the dominating issues. The countries agreed to provide billions of dollars worth of military hardware, including ample armoured vehicles and munitions needed to push back the Russian military. However, German defence minister Boris Pistorius, who was a part of the meeting, said, "We still cannot say when a decision will be taken, and what the decision will be when it comes to the Leopard tank." 
 
On Saturday, the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states urged Berlin to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH | World at War: Will United States &amp; Germany send their M1 Abram &amp; Leopard tanks?

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A report by news agency Reuters early Sunday quoting German sources said that German-made tanks would be allowed to be sent to Ukraine if the United States agrees to send its own tanks. However, US officials earlier said that the Joe Biden administration was not poised to send its own tanks including the M1 Abrams.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, German defence minister Pistorius announced that he will visit Ukraine soon, "probably even within the next four weeks." In an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper published on Sunday, Pistorious, when asked about the supply of tanks said, his government was in very close dialogue with its international partners, first and foremost with the US. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday (January 22) hit out at Germany's decision not to supply the Leopard 2 tanks to war-hit Ukraine by saying that Berlin's attitude is unacceptable.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday (January 22) hit out at Germany's decision not to supply the Leopard 2 tanks to war-hit Ukraine by saying that Berlin's attitude is unacceptable. "Germany's attitude is unacceptable. It has been almost a year since the war began, innocent people are dying every day," Morawiecki told the PAP agency. He said that Russian bombs were wreaking havoc in Ukrainian cities, adding civilians were being attacked and women and children were being murdered, a report by news agency AFP said. Germany is the manufacturer of Leopard tanks and has been reluctant to supply them to Ukraine or allow other countries having them to do so. Earlier, the Polish government had announced that it was ready to supply 14 tanks to Ukraine and said it was discussing the matter with around 15 countries. On Sunday, Prime Minister Morawiecki said that he was waiting for a clear signal from Berlin whether countries who have Leopards could transfer them to Kyiv. He further pointed out that if Berlin refuses, "we will set up a 'small coalition' of countries ready to donate some of their modern equipment, their modern tanks," the report added. ALSO READ | Ukraine war: Allies offer more weapons to Kyiv, but Germany's reluctance stalls decision on tanks On Friday, a meeting of about 50 Ukrainian allies led by the United States was held at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany during which the supply of the Leopard tanks to Ukraine was one of the dominating issues. The countries agreed to provide billions of dollars worth of military hardware, including ample armoured vehicles and munitions needed to push back the Russian military. However, German defence minister Boris Pistorius, who was a part of the meeting, said, "We still cannot say when a decision will be taken, and what the decision will be when it comes to the Leopard tank." On Saturday, the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states urged Berlin to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now. ALSO WATCH | World at War: Will United States & Germany send their M1 Abram & Leopard tanks? × A report by news agency Reuters early Sunday quoting German sources said that German-made tanks would be allowed to be sent to Ukraine if the United States agrees to send its own tanks. However, US officials earlier said that the Joe Biden administration was not poised to send its own tanks including the M1 Abrams. Meanwhile, German defence minister Pistorius announced that he will visit Ukraine soon, "probably even within the next four weeks." In an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper published on Sunday, Pistorious, when asked about the supply of tanks said, his government was in very close dialogue with its international partners, first and foremost with the US. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Attitude unacceptable': Poland hits out at Germany's decision not to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the funeral of helicopter crash victims on Saturday. The memorial service commemorated seven senior officials killed in a helicopter crash.&nbsp;The war-torn nation had sustained a fresh blow on Wednesday when the former interior minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and five other high-ranking officials were killed in a helicopter crash.&nbsp;

The accident had happened when their French-made Super Puma helicopter had crashed into a nursery on the eastern outskirts of Kyiv.&nbsp;

The incident is being investigated as another seven people were killed, including one child, in the crash. Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash.&nbsp;

In his Telegram post, Zelensky wrote: "The indescribable sadness is covering the soul."&nbsp;

In&nbsp;his video address on Saturday, Zelensky talked only about the death of Monastyrskyi. He said, "My condolences to all relatives and friends. It hurts to think about it, it hurts to talk about it."&nbsp;

He added, "We are losing people every day, whom we will always remember and regret we can't bring back." The Ukrainian president further talked about "how many bright people are taken by wartime".&nbsp;

Kyrylo Budanov, who is the military intelligence chief, said that the death of Monastyrskyi is "a huge loss". "If not for (Monastyrskyi), everything could have been completely different," he told Ukrainian media.&nbsp;

Budanov referred to the resistance Ukraine mounted after Russia's invasion last year on February 24 and he called Monastyrskyi a "true hero of this country".&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the funeral of helicopter crash victims on Saturday. The memorial service commemorated seven senior officials killed in a helicopter crash.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the funeral of helicopter crash victims on Saturday. The memorial service commemorated seven senior officials killed in a helicopter crash. The war-torn nation had sustained a fresh blow on Wednesday when the former interior minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and five other high-ranking officials were killed in a helicopter crash. The accident had happened when their French-made Super Puma helicopter had crashed into a nursery on the eastern outskirts of Kyiv. The incident is being investigated as another seven people were killed, including one child, in the crash. Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash. In his Telegram post, Zelensky wrote: "The indescribable sadness is covering the soul." In his video address on Saturday, Zelensky talked only about the death of Monastyrskyi. He said, "My condolences to all relatives and friends. It hurts to think about it, it hurts to talk about it." He added, "We are losing people every day, whom we will always remember and regret we can't bring back." The Ukrainian president further talked about "how many bright people are taken by wartime". Kyrylo Budanov, who is the military intelligence chief, said that the death of Monastyrskyi is "a huge loss". "If not for (Monastyrskyi), everything could have been completely different," he told Ukrainian media. Budanov referred to the resistance Ukraine mounted after Russia's invasion last year on February 24 and he called Monastyrskyi a "true hero of this country". (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Volodymyr Zelensky honours top Ukrainian minister, top officials killed in helicopter crash

As Russia's offensive in Ukraine continues, Kyiv's western allies dampened its hopes for a rapid shipment of battle tanks to boost its firepower. A meeting of some 50 Ukrainian allies led by the United States on Friday (January 20) came through billions of dollars worth of military hardware, including ample armoured vehicles and munitions needed to push back the Russian military.

As Russia's offensive in Ukraine continues, Kyiv's western allies dampened its hopes for a rapid shipment of battle tanks to boost its firepower. A meeting of some 50 Ukrainian allies led by the United States on Friday (January 20) came through billions of dollars worth of military hardware, including ample armoured vehicles and munitions needed to push back the Russian military. One of the main issues which dominated the meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany was whether the German government would agree to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, or permit other countries that have them to do so, news agency Reuters reported. After the meeting, the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that while time was of the essence for Ukraine to take the fight to Russia's forces in spring, "Ukraine was well-equipped even without the Leopards." "Ukraine is not dependent on a single platform," Austin added. The secretary of defence also defended Germany against criticism that it was doing enough to help Ukraine, emphasising that Berlin was a reliable ally. ALSO READ | US designates mercenary group Wagner as 'international criminal organisation' Regarding the supply of Leopard 2 tanks, German defence minister Boris Pistorious said on Friday that his government still could not say what the decision will be and when it would be taken. Poland and Finland indicated they would be willing to send these tanks to Ukraine, but needed approval from Germany to do so, a report by the news agency AFP on Saturday said. Meanwhile, Ukraine's defence minister Oleskii Reznikov said, "We had a frank discussion on Leopards 2. To be continued." On Friday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was no alternative but for the West to give his country heavy tanks. "Yes, we will still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks, but every day we make it more obvious that there is no alternative, that a decision about tanks must be made," Zelensky said. However, he thanked the countries that already promised to deliver weapons. Ukraine carries out military exercise in Chornobyl Exclusion Zone On Friday, the Ukrainian military carried out drills in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone near the Belarus border involving tanks and western-provided tactical vehicles. Commander of Ukraine's joint forces Serhiy Nayev told Reuters that there was no immediate danger of invasion from Belarus, adding this time was being used to increase fighting capacity and strengthen defence. “As of now, there is no immediate danger of land action from the territory of Belarus, of the joint army that is stationed there, the danger level is low. But we are using this time to increase our fighting capacity, to strengthen our defence,” Nayev said. Red cross says it needs more access to POWs on both sides of conflict The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), whose President Mirjana Spoljaric visited Moscow, said on Friday that it urgently needs more access to prisoners of war (POW) on both sides (Russia and Ukraine) in the conflict. In a statement, the ICRC said that Spoljaric's priority was that prisoners of war were treated humanely and receive regular visits from the organisation. "It is time to see meaningful progress. Lives are at stake, and people on both sides of the international armed conflict are desperate for news of their loved ones," the statement added. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ukraine war: Allies offer more weapons to Kyiv, but Germany's reluctance stalls decision on tanks

The demand for oil storage tanks in Singapore is rising, a sign that a flood of fuel from Russia is being mixed and re-exported globally. Tank space in the country is being snapped up because of an increase in interest and profits from mixing supplies of cheap fuel from Russia with shipments from other sources, a tank operator official and a consultant on the matter said as per report by news agency Bloomberg.&nbsp;

Singapore has not banned the import of Russian oil or petroleum products, unlike the United States and European Union (EU) countries which have done so as retaliation for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. However, financial institutions in Singapore are prohibited from financing or dealing with Russian goods and companies, the Bloomberg report said.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February last year, Russian crude oil and fuel flows to Asia and the Middle East increased after western buyers turned away in retaliation. These (Russian) shipments have increasingly made their way to blending and redistribution hubs like Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates where they can be co-mingled, repackaged and re-exported globally, the report added.&nbsp; 
 
These Russia to Asia shipments would increase in the coming weeks as the EU would impose new sanctions on &nbsp;Russian petroleum products from February 5.&nbsp;

A spokesperson for Advario Asia Pacific Pte, an oil storage firm, told the news agency that the firm has observed an increase in the number of inquiries of short/spot-term storage in the period leading up to December. The spokesperson added that the firm verified the source of products to ensure compliance with Russian sanctions before accepting them.&nbsp;

A spokesperson from the Jurong Port Universal Terminal Pte did not talk about the movement of specific products but said the firm complies with all applicable sanctions.

William Tan from Singapore-based Miyabi Industries, a marine fuel consultancy firm, told Bloomberg that traders and fuel suppliers are all over oil storage and blending plays right now because of “very good” profit margins from such activities. Tan said that traders can enjoy close to 20% profit margin from mixing Russian components with other grades to make a blended fuel oil product, adding this trend has been going on since October last year.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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The demand for oil storage tanks in Singapore is rising, a sign that a flood of fuel from Russia is being mixed and re-exported globally. Tank space in the country is being snapped up because of an increase in interest and profits from mixing supplies of cheap fuel from Russia with shipments from other sources, a tank operator official and a consultant on the matter said as per report by news agency Bloomberg.

The demand for oil storage tanks in Singapore is rising, a sign that a flood of fuel from Russia is being mixed and re-exported globally. Tank space in the country is being snapped up because of an increase in interest and profits from mixing supplies of cheap fuel from Russia with shipments from other sources, a tank operator official and a consultant on the matter said as per report by news agency Bloomberg. Singapore has not banned the import of Russian oil or petroleum products, unlike the United States and European Union (EU) countries which have done so as retaliation for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. However, financial institutions in Singapore are prohibited from financing or dealing with Russian goods and companies, the Bloomberg report said. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February last year, Russian crude oil and fuel flows to Asia and the Middle East increased after western buyers turned away in retaliation. These (Russian) shipments have increasingly made their way to blending and redistribution hubs like Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates where they can be co-mingled, repackaged and re-exported globally, the report added. These Russia to Asia shipments would increase in the coming weeks as the EU would impose new sanctions on Russian petroleum products from February 5. A spokesperson for Advario Asia Pacific Pte, an oil storage firm, told the news agency that the firm has observed an increase in the number of inquiries of short/spot-term storage in the period leading up to December. The spokesperson added that the firm verified the source of products to ensure compliance with Russian sanctions before accepting them. A spokesperson from the Jurong Port Universal Terminal Pte did not talk about the movement of specific products but said the firm complies with all applicable sanctions. William Tan from Singapore-based Miyabi Industries, a marine fuel consultancy firm, told Bloomberg that traders and fuel suppliers are all over oil storage and blending plays right now because of “very good” profit margins from such activities. Tan said that traders can enjoy close to 20% profit margin from mixing Russian components with other grades to make a blended fuel oil product, adding this trend has been going on since October last year. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Demand for oil storage tanks in Singapore is rising. Here's the reason

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