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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Ukraine launched waves of drone attacks targeting oil and power facilities in western parts of Russia overnight, officials and media outlets reported on Wednesday.
Axios: The U.S. military transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland this week in order to deliver them to Ukraine.
Reuters: State-owned Russian bank VTB said it expects the retail lending market to go into hibernation mode this year as banks prioritise the quality of their loan portfolios with the central bank's key rate at 21%.
ISW: A senior NATO official acknowledged that Russia is escalating a sabotage and destabilization campaign against European NATO member states to deter further military assistance to Ukraine.
BBC News: Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich could owe the UK up to £1bn after a botched attempt to avoid tax on hedge fund investments, evidence seen by the BBC suggests.
More News
The Kyiv Independent: The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has launched a criminal investigation into the potential abuse of power, as well as office position by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Jan. 28, citing NABU's statement.
Reuters: A senior member of the Polish government accused Russia on Tuesday of attempting to recruit Poles on the dark net to try to influence Poland's presidential election campaign.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's Security Service reported on Jan. 28 that it had dismantled a Russian spy network tasked with gathering intelligence on Ukrainian aircraft for strikes on aviation infrastructure.
Politico: The European Union aims to speed up Ukraine’s membership in the bloc by opening two negotiating “clusters” during the first half of this year, a senior official said Tuesday.
The Kyiv Independent: Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov on Jan. 28 refuted the Russian Defense Ministry's claims that Russian forces had captured the village of Dvorichna in the Kupiansk district, emphasizing that fighting in the area is ongoing, Ukrinform reported.
The Moscow Times: A Belarusian state-owned firm is supplying Russia with microchips needed to build rockets using Western equipment, components and raw materials in defiance of international sanctions, a new investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Center has revealed.
The Kyiv Independent: The Italian parliament's lower house on Jan. 28 approved the prolongation of military support for Ukraine until Dec. 31, 2025, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
ISW: Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally shifted and intensified the Russo-Iranian relationship. Tehran has leveraged Moscow’s growing material and financial requirements to sustain its war effort and support Iran's own domestic and foreign policy objectives.
The Kyiv Independent: Uzbekistan Airways airliners have changed their routes when flying to Europe to avoid Russian and Belarusian airspace as a "precautionary measure," the Uzbek news outlet Repost reported on Jan. 28.
The Moscow Times: The European Union is planning to ban the sale of Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation gaming consoles to Russia as part of its next sanctions package, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday.
AFP: China called on Washington and Moscow on Tuesday to "further reduce" their nuclear arsenals as a precondition for its participation in potential disarmament talks called for by US President Donald Trump.
Reuters: Ukraine's government on Tuesday sacked a deputy defence minister in charge of weapons purchases amid infighting over procurement that is complicating Kyiv's attempt to reassure key Western partners at a critical moment in the war with Russia.
The Kyiv Independent: The European Union does not plan to extend the preferential trade agreement framework in its current form past its June 5 expiration date and is considering a new set of rules instead, the Polish news portal RMF24 reported on Jan. 28.
Politico: A senior NATO official has confirmed that there was a Russian scheme to kill Armin Papperger, the head of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.
Reuters: Russian prosecutors are seeking to recover nearly $33 million of funds that they say were allocated for the defence of the western Kursk region, but stolen instead by corrupt officials.
The U.S. has suspended its refugee program for Ukrainians called "Uniting for Ukraine," the country's Citizenship and Immigration Services website showed on Jan. 28.
Reuters: Dutch bank ING Groep said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement to sell its business in Russia to local company Global Development JSC, taking a 700-million-euro hit to its profits and showing that Western banks still have a route to exit the country.
Reuters: Trade for March-loading Russian oil in top buyer Asia has stalled as a wide price gap between buyers and sellers emerged in China after costs for chartering tankers unaffected by U.S. sanctions jumped.
worth mentioning
Russian state 'military' bank in talks to buy electronics giant
Russia faces surge in corporate bankruptcy, experts warn
Man arrested in Stockholm for attempting to drive onto Russian Embassy grounds
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