Almost two years on, the war in Ukraine is far from over. On both sides, attacks are added, accusations are exchanged and a trail of thousands of deaths is left along the way.
After Kiev claimed an offensive Russian oil depot in St. PetersburgUkrainian airstrikes extend to the Baltic Sea It hit a Russian gas terminal and several military facilities in the Smolensk, Tula and Oryol regions.
For the Kremlin's part, Russian air defenses claimed a interception Ukrainian airstrikes against several positions on the Crimean peninsulaPart of Ukraine occupied by Russia in 2014. Still on the Russian side, the Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of carrying out a “barbaric act of terrorism” in the Donetsk region, which left at least 25 dead and 20 injured.
A Ukrainian drone was responsible for the fire at a Russian gas terminal in the Baltic Sea operated by the Russian company Novatek in Ust-Luka, according to a source from the Ukrainian secret services cited by the RBK media group. “The attack is precise. This caused a huge fire that has not yet been extinguished”, the source said, adding that the Russians were forced to “evacuate the workers”.
The liquefied gas terminal where the explosion occurred is located 110 kilometers west of St. Petersburg and 1,000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, and the aforementioned source of Ukrainian military secret services said the “fuel” was processed there. And that, in particular, goes to the Russian army”. “A successful attack against this terminal not only causes economic losses to the enemy and the opportunity to earn money in the war in Ukraine, but also significantly complicates the fuel logistics of the Russian army,” he added.
On Ukrainian territory, where most of the conflict is taking place, Kiev troops were blamed by Russia for the attack in the occupied Donetsk region, where the conflict is intensifying. According to information posted by the Donetsk mayor on Telegram, 18 people were killed and 13 injured in the attack. However, an update by the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, which is responsible for the Russia-aligned regional body, raised the death toll to 25 and injuries to 20, “including two children of moderate severity”.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, pointed out that “the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev, supported by the United States and its satellites, has once again committed a barbaric act of terrorism against the public of Russia.” however, Kiev has not commented on the attack And, according to the Associated Press Agency, it has not yet been possible to independently verify the information transmitted.
According to Russian reports, its air defenses managed to repel a major Ukrainian air strike against several positions on the Crimean peninsula. Russia confirmed it shot down two Ukrainian drones off Crimea's western coast, shot down two missiles headed toward the peninsula while flying over the Genisesk region (in the Russian-controlled Kherson region) and shot down an “aircraft object” beyond Sevastopol.
The Russian governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Rasvozhayev, confirmed “several explosions” in the city and the Crimean Bridge and public transport were temporarily closed, although traffic was restored an hour later.
Other news of the day:
⇒ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted he will not sign any deal to hand over Crimea and the Donbass to Russia, while rebuking his Russian ally Vladimir Putin for not really wanting peace. “He [Putin] I never want peace, but want to occupy the whole country,” the Ukrainian president said in an interview with Channel 4 news. “If we want to prevent it, if the world wants this to never happen again, the best thing to do is to deal with it now so that this aggression doesn't happen again for a few years,” he argued.
⇒ North Korea said this Sunday that Vladimir Putin expressed his willingness to visit the country in the near future in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong-un, the official KCNA news agency reported. KCNA reported that the Russian president conveyed his wish to North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui during his visit to Russia between January 15 and 17. The state agency also said the North Korean minister's visit to Moscow “came at a time when friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries have firmly entered the path of a new integrated development.”
⇒ Former NATO Secretary General George Robertson warned of the international consequences of a Russian victory in the war with Ukraine. In Interview with The Telegraph, George Robertson acknowledged that we live in “dangerous times” and argued that a strategy of stalling conflict with Russia would be self-defeating. “If Ukraine loses, our enemies will decide the world order,” he stressed, warning the remaining countries of the importance of a Ukrainian victory that would only be possible with the help of remaining allies.
⇒ In Lisbon, over 100 people took part in a protest rally against Vladimir Putin this Sunday. The participants also demanded the release of political prisoners. Both Lisbon and Porto participated in initiatives in at least 120 cities in 40 countries around the world, promoted by an anti-corruption foundation founded by Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. For the organization, Timofey outlined the goal of “mobilizing people against Putin ahead of the election mockery.” “Each one of us here today should sensitize 10 more people against this protest,” he told Lusa. All demonstrations are being held at the Russian embassy on Saturdays, and on election day – March 17 – there will be a “substantial demonstration” at the same venue, they said.