Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Intense fighting after tanks pledged to Ukraine

* A 74-year-old Spanish man arrested earlier this week over a spate of letter bombs sent to institutions including the Spanish Prime Minister and the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid in late 2022 sought to pressure his country's authorities to drop support for Ukraine, an investigating magistrate said. * A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army.


Reuters | Updated: 27-01-2023 20:16 IST | Created: 27-01-2023 20:16 IST
Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Intense fighting after tanks pledged to Ukraine

Ukraine on Friday battled Russian troops trying to pierce its lines in the east and northeast before Kyiv takes delivery of tanks from its Western allies, saying the fighting showed it needed more weapons to repel the invaders. FIGHTING

* Local officials reported heavy shelling in the north, northeast and east of Ukraine, scene of some of the heaviest combat since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24 last year. * Ukraine comes under a Russian missile onslaught on Thursday after securing tanks from allies. Ukraine's military said it shot down 47 of 59 Russian missiles - some fired from Tu-95 strategic bombers in the Russian Arctic. Russia also launched 37 air strikes, 17 of them using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. All drones were downed, the military general staff said.

* Reuters was unable to independently verify battlefield reports. * A 74-year-old Spanish man arrested earlier this week over a spate of letter bombs sent to institutions including the Spanish Prime Minister and the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid in late 2022 sought to pressure his country's authorities to drop support for Ukraine, an investigating magistrate said.

* A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner's prisoner army. There were around 200 graves at the site on the outskirts of Bakinskaya village in Krasnodar region when Reuters visited in late January. WEAPONRY

* Poland will send an additional 60 tanks to Ukraine on top of the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has already pledged, the Polish prime minister said in an interview with Canadian television on Thursday. * Canada will send four Leopard 2 battle tanks, the Canadian defence minister said, after Germany this week allowed other countries to re-export the German-built tank.

* France and Italy are close to finalising the technical details to supply an SAMP/T air defence system, two diplomatic sources said. * The Kremlin said it saw the promised delivery of Western tanks as evidence of growing "direct involvement" of the United States and Europe in the 11-month-old war, something both deny.

SANCTIONS * Japan tightened sanctions against Russia following its latest wave of missile attacks in Ukraine, adding goods to an export ban list and freezing the assets of Russian officials and entities.

* Russia said Japan's sanctions were nothing to worry about and that it was adapting to life under such restrictions. * The United States stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labelling it a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses.

* In response, the Kremlin said Washington had been demonizing the Wagner Group for years with no basis. CORRUPTION

* Ukrainian government officials who shirk their duties during wartime will be quickly removed, a top aide to President Zelenskiy said amid a crack down on corruption. (Compiled by Grant McCool)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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