The Russian launch a large rocket and drone attack (77 cruise missles/67 shot down, 7 drones/5 shot down..more rockerts also) against the Ukraine….
Biden plans to visit Poland after a year of the conflict….
Waiting for the Russian offense to start….
Jetters in Moldova…..
And acknowledgement made in public that US military intel IS working with the Ukraine military ….
The Pentagon is looking for Congress to up fund more American Special Operations programs with the Ukraine…
Ukraine President Zelensky makes a third EU stop in Poland on the way home…
Russia to cut oil production coming back at a Western cap Russian oil prices …This could raise oil prices worldwide….
Here’s what we know:
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched a “massive” attack targeting the country’s already battered infrastructure, using drones and dozens of cruise missiles.
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Russia fires missiles and drones in waves to evade air defense systems.
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Biden plans to visit Poland for the anniversary of the start of the war.
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The next few months could be critical in the war. Here’s how each side might attack.
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Ukraine’s call for an Olympic ban on Russians and Belarusians gains support from dozens of sports ministers.
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Romania says a Russian missile didn’t enter its airspace, countering a Ukrainian claim.
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Brazil says it won’t be sending weapons to Ukraine, despite a U.S. push for more support for Kyiv.
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Putin used a secret decree to pardon an ex-inmate who joined Russia’s war effort, a document shows…..
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Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe.
Key developments
- A Russian projectile came within “approximately 35 kilometers” of Romania’s border, the NATO country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday, adding that it was “mostly likely a cruise missile” launched from a ship near the Crimean Peninsula. The projectile entered Ukrainian and then Moldovan airspace before reentering Ukraine, it said. A spokeswoman for NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, asked about a Ukrainian allegation that the projectile had entered Romanian airspace, referred to the Romanian Defense Ministry’s statement.
- In Moscow, the Kremlin confirmed Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would deliver a high-profile address to the country’s Federal Assembly on Feb. 21. Under Russia’s constitution, Putin is expected to make the speech annually, but he skipped it last year. He is expected to mention the war in Ukraine, which Russia dubs a “special military operation,” as the anniversary of the invasion approaches.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said he has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare trip to Brussels. Macron told European officials Friday: “I exclude absolutely nothing.” However, he said the focus should remain on artillery and other weapons that could boost Ukraine’s defenses in the near term. Zelensky has made several requests for fighter jets and other military equipment, but many Western allies have been reluctant to commit to providing warplanes for fear of escalating the conflict.
- Ukraine uses specific coordinates provided or confirmed by U.S. military personnel for the majority of its rocket strikes, The Washington Post reported. The disclosure reveals that the Pentagon is playing a more significant role in the war than previously known.
- The Pentagon is urging Congress to resume funding top-secret programs in Ukraine, current and former U.S. officials have told The Post. The programs were suspended ahead of Russia’s invasion last year and, if resumed, could allow U.S. Special Operations troops to employ Ukrainian operatives to observe Russian military movements and counter disinformation. Congressional officials say it is difficult to predict the outcome.
Battleground updates
- Air raid alerts blared across eastern and central Ukraine on Friday. In the capital, Kyiv, the mayor urged citizens to seek shelter and reported some missile damage. The northeastern region of Kharkiv was also under attack Friday, said its governor, Oleh Synyehubov. He reported some injuries and damage to critical infrastructure that caused widespread power outages. A similar situation was reported early Friday in Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, local officials said, citing Russian rocket attacks.
- Residents of eastern and southern Ukraine were warned of potential drone attacks Friday. Dnipropetrovsk military administrator Serhiy Lysak toldpeople to stay away from critical infrastructure facilities, while the Mykolaiv governor, Vitaly Kim, issued an alert to watch out for drones overhead.
- Russia has begun an offensive in Luhansk centered on Kreminna, said the eastern region’s governor, Serhiy Haidai. “It’s possible to confirm that in principle a certain intensification has already begun, and it’s possible to say that de facto this is part of the full-scale offensive that Russia has planned,” he said in a video. Haidai added that the number of daily attacks “has increased,” and he accused Russian forces of “concentrating all their maximum efforts in the Kreminna direction.”
- Russia’s Wagner Group claims it has “completely stopped” recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, according to a post on Telegram. The private military organization is run by a Putin ally and has been a key military force in the war. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, assessed that the group “will likely continue to recruit from prisons, albeit in a much more limited capacity.”