Zelensky: If Russia is ready for a ceasefire, it must stop massive strikes on Ukraine.
Also, we reviewed Trump’s proposal in London, adjusted some minor details, and sent it back for approval.
0/
Zelensky: Trump’s team proposed a strategy for a ceasefire during London talks.
Ukraine, European countries, and the U.S. reviewed it, adjusted certain points, and created a document that's now awaiting Trump’s approval.
1/
Zelensky: Russia dislikes Ukraine’s presence in Africa and opposes normal humanitarian and economic relations between Ukraine and African nations.
Russia seeks exclusive influence not only in Africa but globally.
2/
Zelensky: Russia kidnapped thousands of Ukrainian children. Today, I handed President Ramaphosa a list of 400 names.
We seek South Africa's assistance in returning them home.
3/
Zelensky: If Russia says it's ready for a ceasefire, it must stop massive strikes on Ukraine. That's Ukrainians who have been under constant Russian attacks.
Kyiv School of Economics advocates another way to hit Russian oil revenues: completely blocking oil tankers from key sea routes and ports unless they have proper international P&I insurance — Brookings
This would cut Russia’s oil export tax revenues from the Baltic by 5.6–14% 1/
If a tanker is stopped, the pressure shifts to the country whose flag it sails under.
Russia registers its tankers in poor states and insures them there.
If the EU forces those states to enforce real insurance rules, former flag countries won’t give these ships insurance.
2/
This is also beneficial for Europe.
Currently, if an accident with a tanker from shadow fleet occurs, European taxpayers pay for it. In a new approach, the tanker will simply not be allowed to go to sea.
But if an accident does occur, the country of registration will pay.
3/
In 2017, after pressuring a Russian model for nude photos, he abruptly wrote, “My Russian ambassador friend… just died in New York.”
He meant Vitaly Churkin, Putin’s UN envoy — a close Epstein contact, Times. 1/
Churkin held coffee meetings with Epstein.
Sergei Belyakov, Russian deputy economy minister and FSB academy graduate, called Epstein a very good friend, sought multi-entry visas for him, and pitched him as a channel for US investment into Russia. 2/
Epstein claimed he had FSB backing.
After a Russian model allegedly tried to blackmail businessmen, he wrote that friends in the FSB warned threats would be dealt with extremely harshly. 3/
Russia abducted Ukrainian journalist Yana Suvorova in occupied Melitopol when she was 18.
After a closed, staged trial, she was sentenced to 14 years for “terrorism” and “treason.” Her case is classified. She vanished from exchange lists, United24. 1/
Yana: “The cell is cold. Rats run around. The light is on constantly.”
Her boyfriend says her condition collapsed after transfer to Donetsk — held with girls who had attempted suicide. Psychological pressure was constant. 2/
Russia is prosecuting journalists as “terrorists” — to erase them from prisoner swaps.
By reclassifying Ukrainian media workers as terrorists, Moscow locks them out of exchanges, hides them from public view, and sentences them to decades in prison. 3/
The Davydenko family in Kyiv is escaping the cold together with their 7 pigs. Their apartment drops to -2°C, but leaving the city would feel like a gift to Putin, they say — Reuters. 1/
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid left their 12th-floor apartment without electricity for 8 days and without heating for nearly 2 weeks.
Night temperatures fell to -20°C. Sleeping there became impossible. 2/
So the family moved with 3 children, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and 7 pigs into their own business — Piggy Cafe Kyiv.
A generator provides power. Heating still works. At night, they roll out mattresses on the floor. 3/
Germany broke up a network supplying Russia’s defense industry.
Police arrested 5 suspects accused of exporting sanctioned goods to Russian military firms. The network shipped €30M worth of goods since 2022 — Reuters. 1/
German prosecutors say the group used shell companies and fake end-users inside and outside the EU to hide shipments to 24 Russian defense firms.
Raids took place in multiple cities, assets were frozen, and 5 more suspects remain at large. 2/
An asset freeze has been ordered against the equivalent value of the transactions.
Finance minister Lars Klingbeil: “Today's operations, ordered by federal prosecutors, show that we rigorously enforce the sanctions we have agreed on the EU level.” 3X
Kyiv will get just four to six hours of electricity a day in February.
Russia launched the largest attack on Ukraine's power grid since the start of the year during severe cold. Two key substations hit, while temperature was -13 degrees — New York Post. 1/
Stanislav Ihnatiev, head of the Ukrainian Renewable Energy Association: Damage to substations of this class is a strategic blow to the entire energy system.
These facilities ensure the distribution of large amounts of power on a national scale. 2/
Frequent attacks make repairs nearly impossible. Emergency power cuts introduced during Ukraine's coldest winter in a decade.
Ihnatiev: “Restoration of unique equipment will take months or years.” 3X