Russia’s offensive is intensifying with the approach of Feb. 24, the invasion’s one-year mark, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Wednesday night. It followed his comment earlier in the week that a new phase of the conflict “has started.” Poland’s prime minister outlined to a German newspaper a potential plan by Russian to surround Ukraine on multiple fronts, including from Belarus in the north, where Kremlin troops have been amassing.
(Bloomberg) — Russia’s offensive is intensifying with the approach of Feb. 24, the invasion’s one-year mark, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Wednesday night. It followed his comment earlier in the week that a new phase of the conflict “has started.” Poland’s prime minister outlined to a German newspaper a potential plan by Russian to surround Ukraine on multiple fronts, including from Belarus in the north, where Kremlin troops have been amassing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a large delegation of commissioners are in Kyiv for meetings ahead of Friday’s EU-Ukraine summit.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Biden administration and its allies are working to isolate Russia at the global body, and called for an overhaul of the Security Council to blunt Moscow’s impact. She spoke in an interview at Bloomberg’s Washington headquarters.
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Key Developments
- US Envoy Vows to Isolate Russia at the UN, Condemns Wagner Group
- Swiss Stash of Leopard Tanks Spurs Debate on How to Help Ukraine
- Putin’s War Machine Helps Keep Russian Industry Humming
- Russian Art Buying Probed by US in Search of Sanction Cheats
- Germany Plans to Spend Up to €17 Billion on Anti-Missile Shield
- EU Must Extend Gas-Demand Cuts Before Next Winter, Bruegel Says
On the Ground
Russia conducted six missile strikes and four air attacks over the past day and fired 73 salvos from multiple rocket launchers, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook. Ukrainian troops repelled assaults near 14 settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russian forces are actively conducting reconnaissance operations, General Staff said without naming specific areas. Three people were killed and 18 injured after a Russian missile destroyed part of an apartment building in Kramatorsk. The removal of the rubble continues and the damage is still being assessed.
(All times CET)
Austria Boots Four Russian Diplomats (9 a.m.)
Austria expelled four Russian diplomats due to what its foreign ministry called activities incompatible with their mandate. Two officials were accredited at Russia’s embassy to Austria; the other two worked at its mission to the United Nations in Vienna.
A militarily neutral nation and hub for international organizations, Austria has expelled fewer Russian diplomats than most European Union member states since the start of the war.
EU to Announce Another Assistance Package (9:09 a.m.)
The EU will announce a further 400 million euro ($440 million) assistance package to Ukraine to support its reform process, Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in Brussels on Thursday.
The bloc will soon propose to extend suspension of all tariffs and trade defense measures on Ukrainian imports as well to suspend Ukraine’s financial contributions for participating in EU programs for as long as the country’s financial challenges remain, he added.
Russian Stocks Extend 2023 Advance, Trails Other EMs (8:44 a.m.)
Russia’s equity benchmark rose for a fifth consecutive session on Thursday as the rising price of gold helped mining stocks, while investors digested strong manufacturing data from earlier this week.
The MOEX Russia Index climbed 0.4%, taking its gains so far in 2023 to 4%. That still trails the 9.6% year-to-date rally for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
Swiss Stash of Leopard Tanks Spurs Debate (8:30 a.m.)
Shipping weapons directly to the battlefield is out of the question for Switzerland. But mainstream politicians are now calling for a stash of almost 100 mothballed Leopard 2 battle tanks to be sold for a nominal fee to Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, replacing the tanks that their governments plan to send to Ukraine.
On Thursday, Swiss MPs will debate a bill gaining some traction in parliament that would allow Germany, Spain and Denmark to ship Swiss-made ammunition to the front as well.
Read more: Swiss Stash of Leopard Tanks Spurs Debate on How to Help Ukraine
Von der Leyen in Kyiv With 15 EC Commissioners (8:20 a.m.)
The European Commission president and 15 commissioners arrived in Kyiv ahead of Ukraine-EU summit on Friday. “We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever,” Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter. It’s her fourth visit since Russia’s invasion started.
The delegation, among them Executive Vice-Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis and EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, will hold meetings with Ukrainian officials on the outlook for reconstruction and the country’s path to EU membership, according to a statement.
Russian Offensive Intensifies Before One-Year Mark, Zelenskiy Says (12 a.m.)
The situation “is becoming even more severe” for Ukraine’s forces in the nation’s east because Russia wants something to show its people as war approaches the one-year mark on Feb. 24, Zelenskiy said in his regular nightly address on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s president said he had “several operational meetings” with military officials on Wednesday. “There is a certain increase in the occupiers’ offensive actions at the front,” he added.
Earlier in the week Zelenskiy said Russian efforts are “constantly intensifying. Every day there are either new groups of career military, or an increase in the number of Wagner militants.”
Biden Administration Says It Freezes Assets of Father-Son Arms Dealers (7:39 p.m.)
The Biden administration froze the US-based assets of people and companies linked to what it said was a father-and-son network of arms dealers that conspired to evade sanctions on Russia’s defense sector.
The group, led by Igor and Jonatan Zimenkov, “engaged in projects connected to Russian defense capabilities” including by supplying high-tech devices after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Treasury Department said. It said the network used shell companies and individuals in Singapore, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Israel to move money while “attempting to maintain a lawful appearance.”
“We are determined to crack down on Russian sanctions evasion,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet.
US Envoy Vows to Isolate Russia at UN, Condemns Wagner Group (7 p.m.)
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Biden administration is working to isolate President Vladimir Putin’s government at the global body but acknowledged the challenge inherent in Russia holding a veto-wielding seat on the Security Council.
Thomas-Greenfield singled out the Wagner Group, the private mercenary army that has fought for Putin’s forces in Ukraine, over its actions in Ukraine and on the African continent. She said the US would look for new ways to counter the group’s impact in Ukraine and Africa, where it’s providing security to several governments.
Read the full story here.
US Official Says Nations Don’t Want to Depend on Russian Arms (6:45 p.m.)
The US is being approached by countries who want to diversify away from Russian weapons in part because of their poor performance in Ukraine, Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs, said.
“We’re actually having countries come to us and saying, ‘Hey, we’re looking to diversify because of the Ukraine war, not just because of Russia’s actions but also because we’re seeing, you know, challenges with how the Russian equipment is operating,” Lewis told reporters, without naming such nations.
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