But Air Vice Marshal Bell, who previously headed a strategic combat review for the RAF, says the reasons for this are not clear. For years, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the belief was that Western armed forces would only ever have to take part in what was known as 'expeditionary' wars. These are conflicts involving a strong military force going into a situation in which it has superiority, so it can win easily - for example the Gulf and Iraq wars and conflicts in Sierra Leone and Kosovo.
A Russian team shot and killed a brother and sister from the Khotin community of the Sumy oblast this morning, the regional military administration said. In its latest intelligence report, the UK Ministry of Defence said Ukrainian counter-attacks were holding Russians back from taking full control of Avdiivka. Since its illegal and unprovoked attack, over 300,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded. Media organisations have been shut down, and many journalists are now in Russian prisons. He was not making a case for conscription or for an imminent call up of volunteers.
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The latest repatriation of bodies appears unrelated to the downing of the plane, which crashed in Russia’s western Belgorod region on Wednesday. They engaged Ukrainian troops in 98 combat engagements, and carried out four air strikes and 78 shellings with reactive bullets. Russian forces struck the settlement of Maly Burluk on 17 January with an aerial bomb, Synegubov said. Downing Street has ruled out any move towards conscription, saying the army service will remain voluntary. They said Moscow did not ask for any specific stretch of airspace to be kept safe for a certain length of time, as it has for past prisoner exchanges.
- In extremis, a wartime government could inter anyone deemed a threat to public order or the war effort.
- Another potential threat could come from anti-war politicians, whom Kremlin propagandists might seek to incite.
- “As the main supply route remains intact, and Ukrainian forces make local counter-attacks, Avdiivka is likely to remain in Ukrainian control over the coming weeks,” the report said.
- “This represents a continuation of Russia’s minor incremental gains whilst Ukraine focuses on active defence,” the report reads.
Russia wants Nato to make a legally binding promise that Ukraine will never become a member. It also wants Nato to withdraw its forces from most Eastern European countries. It is called self-determination, and perhaps the most important aspect of this principle is that borders cannot be changed by invading armies. The memorandum is not a treaty and lawyers dispute whether it is legally enforceable. But it is a formal, public and written commitment by the UK to support Ukraine. This was in return for Ukraine giving up its massive arsenal of nuclear weapons, a legacy of its membership of the Soviet Union.
UK sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Joe Biden will host the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at the White House on 9 February to discuss aid to Ukraine. This comes as the US president has been pressing Congress to embrace a bipartisan Senate deal to pair border enforcement measures with aid for Ukraine. Some Republicans have set a deal on border security as a condition for further Ukraine aid.
- But its method - a pair of statements aimed very much at the Sunday papers - has raised eyebrows.
- We remain deeply humbled by the bravery and the resilience of the Ukrainian people and their determination to win.
- The man it named as a possible pro-Russian candidate for president, former Ukrainian MP Yevhen Murayev, seems to have dismissed the allegation, but this morning said the country needed new leaders.
- US President Joe Biden said Mr Putin had "chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering".
Those remaining have again been urged to leave Ukraine immediately - if they judge it is safe to do so. "This is a grave moment for the security of Europe. Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine is putting countless lives at risk," he said. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss summoned Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, for the second time this week to ask him to explain the "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine". Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should brace itself for the "economic pain" the country will experience by imposing sanctions against Russia. Ukrainian protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Thursday afternoon to call for more action from the UK and the international community. Ukraine has imposed martial law across the country, meaning the military has taken control temporarily, and traffic jams have built up as people attempt to flee Kyiv.
The UK has been threatened with a "military response" by Russia after pledging to send long-range missiles to Ukraine. He also wants Nato to abandon military exercises and stop sending weapons to eastern Europe, seeing this as a direct threat to Russia's security. https://euronewstop.co.uk/why-is-europe-not-helping-ukraine.html has denied it is planning any attack but Mr Putin has issued demands to the West, including that Ukraine be prevented from joining the Nato military alliance.
But far-fetched as they might sound, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of Britain’s army, believes it is time we dwelt on them more. The Netherlands has joined the IT coalition to aid Ukraine in its war efforts, Ukraine’s defence ministry said today. A 13-year-old girl died today from injuries sustained in the Russian shelling of her village in the Kharkiv oblast earlier this month, said Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional state administration.
