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The Times: Moscow’s links with separatists in Catalonia are under scrutiny after it was reported that at least seven Russian spies have travelled to the Spanish region in recent years. According to the reports, some of the agents from the Russian GRU military intelligence service travelled to Barcelona at key moments in Catalan separatists’ bid for independence (archive).

FT: Brussels is proposing to impose sanctions on three Chinese companies and one Indian business as part of its latest measures to damage Russia’s war machine. If member states approve the plan, it would be the first time businesses in mainland China and India have been hit by EU sanctions (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly planning a Western European tour which coincides with this week's Munich Security Conference. This move comes as Zelensky hopes to garner military support amidst the ongoing funding dispute in Washington.

Reuters: A preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit Kyiv last week with the hypersonic Zircon missile, its first use in the nearly two-year-old war, the head of a Kyiv research institute said on Monday, presenting a new challenge to Ukraine's air defences.

Reuters: France, Poland and Germany accused Russia on Monday of putting together an elaborate network of websites to spread pro-Russian propaganda to undermine their governments, warning of a mass spread of such content ahead of EU elections in June.

Reuters: The EU adopted a law to set aside windfall profits made on frozen Russian central bank assets, it said on Monday, in a first concrete step towards the bloc's aim of using the money to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The Moscow Times: Finland's President-elect Alexander Stubb said Monday his country will not maintain high-level ties with Russia until the Kremlin ends its war in Ukraine.

Reuters: Kyiv urged Warsaw on Monday to "hold to account" Polish farmers for stopping three trucks at a border crossing between Poland and Ukraine and spilling the Ukrainian grain they were carrying.

Reuters: A Moscow court on Monday said it had ordered the arrest in absentia of Meta Platforms spokesperson Andy Stone for two months pending trial on a number of terrorism-related counts.

Reuters: Russia's dependence on trade with Asia rose sharply in 2023 while its business with European markets plunged, with Asia's share of Russian exports and imports rising to 72% and 68% respectively, Russian customs service data showed.

POLITICO: The chair of the House Intelligence Committee is warning that time is running out for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders — and he’s pushing Speaker Mike Johnson to step up.

Reuters: Faced with stubbornly high Russian gas imports as the war in Ukraine rages on, Austria is seeking to take more radical steps, including ending energy company OMV's long-term contract to buy gas from Gazprom, Austria's energy minister said on Monday.

Reuters: Russia's war economy is in for tough times due to the outflow of people and shortages of technology, the International Monetary Fund's managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday, even as high military spending boosts economic growth.

Reuters: Russia on Monday imposed sanctions on 18 British citizens including a number of top academics and Russia experts for what Moscow said was an attempt to demonise Russia and fan the war in Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent: Russia has stopped using its infamous "human wave" attacks in Avdiivka, instead deploying small assault groups supported by aviation to probe Ukrainian defenses, Dmytro Riumshyn, the commander of Ukraine's 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.

Reuters: Poland plans to start quality checks on all grain shipments from Ukraine, Deputy Agriculture Minister Michal Kolodziejczak said on Monday as Polish farmers continued nationwide protests against EU policies, including allowing cheap grain imports from Ukraine.

Reuters: Ukraine will produce thousands of long-range drones capable of deep strikes into Russia in 2024 and already has up to 10 companies making drones that can reach Moscow and St Petersburg, Ukraine's digital minister said.

POLITICO: Russia is showing no signs it plans to wind down its unprovoked assault on Ukraine two years after launching a full-scale invasion — but Germans now view issues like migration and the threat from radical Islam as more immediate concerns than the menace in the Kremlin.

Reuters: Russian forces are obtaining Starlink satellite terminals illicitly from third countries and increasing their use on the front line, the Ukrainian military spy agency's spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.

worth mentioning

Republicans say Trump call for Russia to attack Nato allies was just fine, actually

Russian oligarch's seized yacht costs $7 million a year to maintain, US says

North Korea is building a new ski resort for Russian tourists

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