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Morning Headlines
AP News: Facing a torrent of criticism from conservatives, Senate Republicans on Monday resisted advancing on a bipartisan proposal intended to clamp down on illegal border crossings, signaling a likely defeat in Congress that would leave leaders with no clear path to approve wartime aid for Ukraine.
Reuters: Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet bihus said on Monday that a branch of the domestic security service SBU put its journalists under illegal surveillance.
ISW: The Kremlin is reportedly nationalizing private enterprises in Russia quietly.
Bloomberg: Two years after the invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states are wary of an emboldened Russia with imperialistic ambitions.
AP News: Russia accused the United States on Monday of aggression against Iraq and Syria aimed at preserving its global dominance and salvaging the Biden administration’s “image” ahead of U.S. elections. The U.S. retorted that its military response to unjustified attacks by Iranian-backed proxies against American forces is not only legal but will continue.
More News
The European Commission and IFC have signed a guarantee agreement to support investments that will help drive an inclusive and sustainable reconstruction in Ukraine.
The Insider: At least two major European paint companies continue to do extensive business in Russia. Finnish Tikkurila and Dutch AkzoNobel remain the largest manufacturers of paints and coatings in the aggressor country.
AFP: Thousands of farmers protested across Latvia on Monday, calling for a ban on Russian grain and food imports into the European Union.
The Moscow Times: Bulgaria on Monday arrested an employee of the interior ministry unit for fighting organized crime on suspicion of spying for Russia, the ministry's chief of staff said.
POLITICO: Russian media reported Monday that writer Tom Rogan and chief editor Hugo Gurdon of the Washington Examiner had been added to a database of extremists and terrorists. Russia’s federal financial monitoring service runs the list.
The Insider has revealed the true identities of three Kremlin agents working inside Russia. All three are operatives of GRU Unit 29155 posing as human rights activists, journalists, and filmmakers — while spying on their fellow citizens.
The Moscow Times: Russian authorities will "most likely" start blocking major VPN services in March, the head of the Kremlin-aligned Safe Internet League said Monday.
The Kyiv Independent: The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had detained five individuals allegedly spying on the Ukrainian military and passing information to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the SBU’s press service reported.
POLITICO: Trump blasted the Senate’s bipartisan border bill Monday morning, calling the legislation, which would tighten asylum standards and automatically shut down the southern border to illegal crossings if encounters reached a certain daily threshold, a “great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party.”
AFP: Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson killed four people and injured one other person on Monday, a local official said. Since being recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November 2022, Kherson has faced near continuous Russian bombardment.
POLITICO: The Dutch government said Monday it would send Ukraine six additional F-16 fighter jets after cancelling the planned sale of the aircraft to a private contractor, said Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren.
The Guardian: The Kremlin has declined to say whether Putin would grant an interview to Tucker Carlson, the far-right American journalist, after the former Fox News presenter was spotted in Moscow.
POLITICO: Hungary's ruling party on Monday boycotted an extraordinary parliamentary session called by opposition groupings to speed the approval of Sweden's NATO membership bid.
Reuters: Georgia's State Security Service said on Monday that it had seized a clandestine shipment of explosives bound for the Russian city of Voronezh from the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
The Kyiv Independent: The Finnish Nammo Lapua's ammunition factory will increase production fivefold in 2024 due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Finnish public broadcaster YLE reported on Feb. 4, citing the regional director of the factory, Ilkka Heikkila.
Reuters: The Kremlin on Monday warned the West that any attempt to use frozen Russian assets as collateral to raise funds for Ukraine would be illegal and lead to years of litigation because Moscow would challenge any such action.
FT: German opposition to the proposed overhaul of an EU military support fund risks delaying arms deliveries to Ukraine, officials have warned, amid intense pressure on Kyiv’s allies to respond to a step up in Russian attacks (archive).
Reuters: Russia's foreign ministry will summon Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin over "unacceptable comments" she made in an interview, the TASS news agency cited the ministry as saying on Monday.
worth mentioning
Data study helps explain underpinnings of Russia's invasion and Ukraine's resilience
Why the $5.2 billion sale of Russia's Yandex is significant
Fire damage, sanctions delay start of new Russia zinc mine
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