Lithuania has banned its servicemen from traveling to Belarus, Russia and China for personal purposes due to fears of their recruitment, LRT reports. From the United States comes news that the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has supported a bill to confiscate Russian assets and transfer them to Ukraine.
“The European Union has no ‘Plan B’ in case Hungary again blocks the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine,” Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem said in an interview with Bloomberg. And the Bloomberg agency also states that Hungary will withdraw its objections to the creation of a military aid fund for Ukraine. But the issue of approving the 50 billion euro package “remains unresolved”.
According to Reuters, the EU is unlikely to confiscate the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank, Reuters writes, referring to senior EU officials. “There will be no confiscation of capital from Russian assets. There is no agreement between EU member states on this matter,” said a senior source at the agency familiar with the negotiations. European officials believe this poses too many legal risks.
The United Kingdom offered Germany an option that would put an end to discussions on the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine As the Handelsblatt newspaper reported, citing sources in German government circles, London wants to buy weapons of this type from Berlin, this will give the British the opportunity to send more Storm Shadow missiles to Kiev. According to the newspaper, the Kingdom’s offer arrived several weeks ago at the relevant federal department. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is studying it.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmygal, told him that he does not believe in the possibility of resolving the ongoing conflict in his country with military methods. “In today’s rather long meeting in Uzhgorod it was shown that our opinions with the Prime Minister of the Government of Ukraine on some topics diverge significantly. This is, first of all, the opinion on the very war that is taking place in Ukraine: “I repeated to the Prime Minister of Ukraine that I do not believe in a military solution to this conflict,” Fico said.
The controversy over the shooting down of the Il-76 plane with Ukrainian soldiers on board ready to return home in exchange for Russian hostages is still heated. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that “the Main Intelligence Directorate and the SBU are investigating the circumstances of the crash of an Il-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region with Ukrainian prisoners of war on board. According to him, Ukraine will request an international investigation.” Zelensky said: “I called Umerov, Zaluzhny, Shaptal, Budanov and Malyuk: they reported the situation with the plane and the exchange. It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of relatives and with the emotions of our society.” “Facts” is the main word now. I listened to the commander in chief and the general staff on the use of air forces. The Main Intelligence Directorate is investigating the fate of all prisoners. The security service is investigating all circumstances. And I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to inform partners about the data available in Ukraine. Our state will insist on an international investigation.”
The SBU opened a criminal case after the crash of the Il-76 under the article of “violation of the laws of war”, is finding out the “circumstances of the crash” Ukrainian media reports. Kiev continues to deny its involvement in the shooting down of the Russian Il-76 plane, on board which there were 65 prisoners of the Ukrainian armed forces. RBC-Ukraine was the first to attribute the plane crash to the Ukrainian Armed Forces until the details – that it was carrying Ukrainian military prisoners – became clear. Subsequently, the Ukrainian media changed their version and removed the articles from the social sphere.
The Main Intelligence Directorate on January 25 issued an airspace warning without any specification, accusing Russia of insufficiently ensuring the safety of prisoners, indirectly admitting for the first time its involvement in the Il-76 crash. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in light of information about the shooting down of the Il-76 plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war by Ukrainian troops, stated that it will continue to “take measures to destroy delivery vehicles” in the “Belgorod” area. Kharkov direction.
An investigation into the facts was requested by Russia through a call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on the Il-76 shot down with Ukrainian prisoners on board. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the UN in New York, announced a request for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council: “on the crash of an Il-76 plane in the Belgorod region, shot down as a result of an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
Furthermore, Lavrov stated that: “A prisoner exchange was agreed between Russia and Ukraine, but instead Kiev shot down an Il-76. Subsequently, Kiev declared a “courageous victory” for the Ukrainian armed forces; After it became known that there were prisoners of war on this flight, Ukrainian propaganda began to “sweep” its bravura messages under the carpet; The attack on the Il-76 in the skies over the Belgorod region is the use of terrorist methods by Ukraine; Moscow hopes for the urgent convening of the UN Security Council on the Il-76 by France, which currently chairs the Security Council”. France rejected Russia’s request to hold a UN Security Council meeting on the Il-76 shot down on January 24.
Meanwhile, both black boxes from the Il-76 shot down in the region were found in Belgorod. “Exchanges of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine will continue,” said the head of the State Duma defense committee Andrei Kartapolov, “our country cannot abandon its boys.”
Among other statements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, at the UN we report: “I hope that those who warn of the need to prepare for war with Russia still have the instinct of self-preservation. “The Russian Federation does not need to attack no one, statements against the EU and NATO make no sense”.
Vladimir Putin visited the Kaliningrad region on January 25. Dmtrj Peskov reported that his visit “is not a hint to the NATO countries, but a planned work”. “When the president visits the regions of the Russian Federation, this is not at all a “message” to the NATO countries. This is the main thing that the president does. This is what he has been doing for many years: working on the development of our country, of our regions”, he underlined.
A direct corridor was not requested for Putin’s flight to Kaliningrad; the Russian presidential plane will fly over neutral waters. Special security measures are always taken wherever the head of state is involved. This time too, measures have been taken. Everything that needs to be done is done to ensure the security of the head of state, we read in the Russian social sphere.
People close to Erdogan have reported that Turkey does not intend to deviate from the principles of the Montreux Convention and allow warships to enter the Black Sea during the ongoing war in Ukraine. There is no change in Turkey’s position on this issue. Even though Turkey said yes to Sweden in NATO.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3pm on January 25th.
During the night, Russia carried out numerous air raids and drone strikes in the Odessa and Kharkiv regions. According to the social stream “The attacks are probably carried out on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from where the attack on the Il-76 was launched.” Explosions also heard in the Nikolaev region.
Svatove-Kreminna direction. In the Kup”jans’k sector, Russian fighters have advanced towards Berestove. Direct clashes are expected in the town. The Russian army attacks in Bilohorivka.
Bachmut Directorate (Artemovsk). The Russian army attacked in the Bohdanivka area and advanced towards Liman. Fighting continues in the Kleshchiivka area.
Donetsk direction. In the Avdiivka sector battles are recorded near Stepove and on the southern outskirts of Avdiivka. In the Maryinka sector Russian fighters assault the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Heorhiivka and Novomykhailivka . Another account reports that for the third day in the Avdiivska direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to regain positions in the area of the Tsarskaya Okhota recreation center, recently under their control, concentrating reserves with up to three battalions on a narrow section of the front. As regards the progress in Advvika, an operation prepared for months by Russian intelligence should be noted. With an underground landing operation, approaching the rear of the fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces “Hunt for the Tsar”. Basically the Russians have brought vehicles and machinery to the front to dig tunnels which led to the subsequent destruction of the Ukrainian fortified areas from underground.
A post by a war journalist reports: “The feat was carried out by military intelligence officers of the Russian armed forces. Special thanks deserve the artillerymen, who provided incredible help when the enemy came to his senses and began to try to knock out our soldiers. We thank the sappers who, without the slightest rustle, eliminated the enemy’s minefields and opened the passage. Our gratitude also goes to the detachment of “Veterans”, who marched in the second echelon and consolidated in the positions “conquered by the tigers”, while the first, taking advantage of the confusion in the enemy ranks, advanced. Glory to military intelligence!”.
As night fell, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to attack the Bryansk region with UAVs four times. Numerous bombings continue in the Belgorod region. In Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory, an explosion and large fire occurred at an oil refinery. Flights were canceled at Sochi airport, local residents posted footage of UAVs in flight, the silhouette resembling drones of Ukrainian aircraft of the Beaver type.
Graziella Giangiulio
