Russian journalist sentenced to six years in prison for criticizing Mariupol bombing
A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a journalist to six years in prison for denouncing the Ukraine offensive on Instagram.
Maria Ponomarenko, 44, was found guilty of “spreading false information” about the army, said the Russian Investigative Committee, responsible for the main criminal investigations in Russia.
According to the specialized NGO OVD-Info, she was prosecuted for having published in March 2022, a message on the social network Instagram denouncing the bombing of the theater in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, then besieged by the Russian army.
Western intelligence claims Russia is massing planes near Ukrainian border
Western intelligence officials say Russia is massing fighter jets and helicopters near the border with Ukraine, as reported English media.
The Financial Times writes that intelligence shared between NATO member states has pointed to the buildup of planes near the Russia-Ukraine border, fueling calls for urgent dispatch of air defense assets and artillery ammunition in Kiev.
UN calls for $5.6 billion for humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2023
The UN is asking for $5.6 billion (5.2 billion euros) to cover the humanitarian needs this year of 11.1 million people in Ukraine and 4.2 million refugees and host communities in Europe .
“Almost a year later, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement every day, and on a staggering scale,” said UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths in a statement.
Russian citizens of Baikonur, Kazakhstan urged to fight in Ukraine
The authorities of the city of Baikonur, located in Kazakhstan but under Russian jurisdiction, offered financial compensation to Russian citizens mobilized and volunteers to go and fight in Ukraine, one year after the start of the war.
According to a statement, the “social support measures” decided by the authorities “include payments for mobilized Russian citizens and those who have voluntarily expressed the desire to participate in the special military operation”, the euphemism used by Moscow to describe its invasion of Ukraine.
It is in this city that the famous Soyuz rockets are sent into space in particular, and thousands of Russian nationals work there.
NATO continues discussions on military aid to Ukraine
The members of NATO continue this Wednesday in Brussels their discussions to accelerate their deliveries of armaments and ammunition to Ukraine, which insists on also receiving combat planes in order to better resist the Russian invasion.
“The priority, the urgency, is to provide the Ukrainians with the armaments that have been promised to them to maintain their ability to defend themselves,” insisted Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the Alliance.
Wednesday’s day “will devote more time to tanks,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Facebook.
Volodymyr Zelensky recognizes “extremely difficult” situation in the East
In his daily address on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation on the front line remained “extremely difficult” in the east, particularly in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
“We have to understand the meaning of these battles. Every meter won there is a defense of our whole country,” he said.
The Ukrainian president notably mentioned the battle of Bakhmout, the epicenter of clashes for months, where the Russian army is regaining ground.
Hello everyone
Welcome to this direct dedicated to the war in Ukraine this Wednesday, February 15, after nearly a year of Russian invasion on the territory.
