04.02.2024

The Guardian: A story about the Ukrainian children taken to Russia for “re-education” (which forms basis of indictment of Putin for war crimes), the humiliating treatment many faced there, and the demands to bring them back as soon as possible.

Bloomberg: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday signaled a preference to retain Russian air defenses which Washington wants Ankara to ditch if it wants to buy F-35s fighter jets.

CBC: Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada and Ukraine are in the final push when it comes to reaching an agreement on security "assurances" for the embattled country.

The Kyiv Independent: The Russian missile corvette Ukraine reported to have sunk off the coast of occupied Crimea on Feb. 1 was destroyed using six naval drones, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Feb. 4.

The Insider: Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has imposed sanctions on the Russian company I Machine, which came under scrutiny in the investigation by The Insider and The Reporter for supplying Taiwanese machine tools to Russia's military-industrial complex.

AFP: Russia's deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko visited South Korea to discuss the Ukrainian war and bilateral ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday, as the two countries trade increasingly heated rhetoric over the nuclear-armed North.

WSJ: A surge in aviation-safety incidents in Russia shows how Western sanctions are hindering the country’s ability to source spare parts and conduct proper maintenance (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: Territorial Defense Forces in Sumy Oblast successfully fought off a Russian subversive and reconnaissance group attempting to cross into Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, responsible for the defense of Ukraine's northern border, reported on Feb. 4.

Meduza: Vladimir Sergiyenko, a Ukrainian-born political strategist who was suspected of working for Russia’s Federal Security Service left his position as an aide for Eugen Schmidt, a member of the German parliament and member of the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

BBC News: Russia has been releasing prisoners to fight in Ukraine for more than a year, originally offering them a pardon and freedom after six months, even if they have been convicted of a violent crime. But the BBC has discovered this deal is a thing of the past. Now, they no longer get a pardon, face tougher conditions and instead of going home early, they must fight until the end of the war.

03.02.2024

AP News: House Republicans will move forward with a $17.6 billion package next week that provides military aid to Israel and replenish U.S. weapons, but leaves out more help for Ukraine, underscoring the challenges facing supporters of a comprehensive national security package that would also include billions of dollars for immigration enforcement.

FT: Western governments are drawing up plans to issue debt to help fund Ukraine, using Russian assets as a backstop for the repayment in a move that would force Moscow to start paying for its invasion (archive).

Ukrainska Pravda: A new aid package from Estonia has arrived in Ukraine, including Javelin anti-tank systems, machine guns, rounds for small arms, various ground and water vehicles, and diving equipment.

The Kyiv Independent: Oleg Stegachev, the crew commander of a Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber, was shot in the Russian city of Engels, Ukraine's military intelligence agency reported on Feb. 3.

RFE/RL: Nearly two years after EU-wide sanctions were imposed to blunt Russian propaganda supporting the Kremlin's war on Ukraine, the websites of the Kremlin-backed RT and Sputnik media outlets are still easily accessible in many countries across the EU, including in the very institutions that drafted the regulations targeting them.

Reuters: Around 20 journalists were detained by police in central Moscow for several hours on Saturday at a rally of Russian soldiers' wives calling for their men to be returned from the front in Ukraine, a Reuters witness said.

Reuters: Poland's president declared on Saturday he had always been unwavering in his support for Ukraine after coming under strong criticism for saying he was unsure whether Kyiv would be able to regain control over Russian-occupied Crimea.

Reuters: South Korea has called in Russian diplomats to lodge complaints over Moscow's criticism of President Yoon Suk Yeol for remarks about North Korea's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal, the foreign ministry said.

Reuters: Two Ukrainian attack drones struck the largest oil refinery in southern Russia on Saturday, a source in Kyiv told Reuters, detailing the latest in a series of long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities.

Deadline: HBO has parted ways with actor Miloš Biković who will no longer be part of The White Lotus‘ upcoming third season set at a Thailand hotel, sources tell Deadline. The decision comes more than a week after Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called out HBO over the casting of Biković.

02.02.2024

Reuters: The Ukrainian government has informed the White House that it plans to fire the country's top military commander overseeing the war against Russian occupation forces, two knowledgeable sources said on Friday.

The Kyiv Independent: Canada's opposition Conservative Party asked the government to send tens of thousands of decommissioned rockets to Ukraine instead of destroying them, CBC reported on Feb. 2.

The Insider: The son of former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev has been successfully evading sanctions for 2 years — with help from Gunnar Nordsletten, son of the former Norwegian ambassador Øyvind Nordsletten.

RFE/RL: Moldova is "accelerating work" to comply with EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine after an RFE/RL investigation showed Moldovan firms have continued to supply airplane parts to Russian airlines and companies.

Reuters: The United Nations' highest court on Friday ruled that it will hear a case in which Kyiv has asked it to declare it did not commit genocide in eastern Ukraine, as Russia claimed as a pretext for attacking its smaller neighbour.

LRT: On Friday, Lithuania handed over a new aid package to Ukraine, comprising ammunition for Carl-Gustaf grenade launchers and RISE-1 remote detonation systems.

BBC News: French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed two French aid workers were killed in a Russian strike in Ukraine, condemning the attack as "cowardly".

The Moscow Times: A Russian journalist was kidnapped and threatened over his reporting on combat drone production in the central city of Izhevsk, a local Telegram news channel where the journalist works said Thursday.

Reuters: Armenia can no longer rely on Russia as its main defence and military partner because Moscow has repeatedly let it down so Yerevan must think about forging closer ties with the United States and France, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

Meduza: The Ukrainian military struck at least three Russian aircraft in a January 31 attack on Russia’s Belbek military airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea, reported Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat.

Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here.

And here are my: Telegram & Socials