+++ 21:15 Weapons for Kiev: Bulgarian parliament overrules pro-Russian head of state +++

NATO member Bulgaria will support Ukraine in the Russian war of aggression with armored transport vehicles and air defense missiles. The parliament in Sofia overturned a veto by President Rumen Radev. Head of state Radev, who is considered to be pro-Russia, had justified his veto on Monday by stating that the 100 or so armored vehicles would be needed for border or civil defense in his own country. The presidential veto has now been rejected by a majority of 162 members of parliament from the pro-Western government camp.

+++ 20:40 USA and Ukraine agree on armaments cooperation +++Washingtonand Kiev want to cooperate more closely in the area of armaments in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Both countries have signed a memorandum of understanding on "co-production and technical data exchange" to meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian armed forces in the areas of air defense systems, repair and maintenance, and production of ammunition, according to the US Department of Commerce.

+++ 20:01 Tusk announces change of course in dispute with Ukraine +++Followingthe election victory of his pro-European coalition, Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk has announced a decisive change of course. If he takes over the government, he will immediately take measures to repair the damage caused by the right-wing nationalist PiS, Tusk said in Warsaw. He accused the PiS of "spending its last weeks in power devastating and destroying the Polish state and channeling money to its own people". The new government would also lift the border blockade and reduce tensions with Ukraine.

+++ 19:29 Estonia massively increases military budget +++TheNATO member state Estonia, which borders Russia, has adopted a national budget for 2024 with record defense spending. According to the budget approved by parliament in Tallinn on Friday, the military budget will exceed the three percent mark for the first time and amount to 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). In absolute figures, the Baltic EU country will spend 1.3 billion euros on defense in the coming year.

+++ 18:56 Jäger on the front line: "We are now facing two defending armies" +++

+++ 18:34 Despite Ukraine blockade: EU pays out 900 million euros to Hungary +++Hungarywill receive 900 million euros in EU aid despite its blockade of Ukraine. The European finance ministers agreed to the EU Commission's proposal late this afternoon in Brussels, according to a joint statement. Brussels had not attached any conditions to the disbursement. The funds are intended to mitigate the consequences of the energy crisis.

+++ 18:01 Navalny's lawyers worried: radio silence from his cell +++For thethird day in a row, the lawyers of imprisoned Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny have been denied access to his prison. Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh says that they have not received any letters from him all week. This was reported by the Russian exile platform Meduza. According to her, Navalny fell ill in his cell last week. Navalny's team had launched an election campaign "Russia without Putin" the day before.

+++ 17:25 "New York is made up of bums": Russian politician threatens students +++

+++ 16:55 Ukraine is still waiting for many promised battle tanks +++Themomentum of support for Ukraine is slowing down. Newly pledged aid reaches a low between August and October 2023. According to the Ukraine Support Tracker, it has fallen by almost 90 percent compared to the same period in 2022. However, even weapons that have already been pledged are often still not available. There is a considerable gap between commitments and deliveries, especially for battle tanks.

+++16:20 Orban insists on no to Ukraine's EU membership +++HungarianPrime Minister Viktor Orban has reiterated his no to Ukraine's EU membership. "Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world," said the right-wing populist in an interview with the French weekly "Le Point". "If their agriculture becomes part of EU agriculture, it will destroy it," he added. Furthermore, two thirds of the Hungarian population are against the opening of accession negotiations. At best, a "strategic partnership" between the EU and Ukraine is conceivable, Orban emphasized. "If we manage to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, then we will see in a few years' time."

+++15:45 Eight injured and one dead after Russian missile attack +++++Thenumber of people injured in a Russian missile attack on the Pavlohrad district of the Dnipropetrovsk region has risen to eight. According to Governor Serhii Lysak, one person has died. In the morning, Russia attacked Ukraine with 19 cruise missiles. (Entry at 08:12) Damage was reported in Pavlohrad itself and in the communities of Ternivka, Yuriivka and Mezhyrich. Around 20 residential buildings as well as a school, a power line and nine other buildings were damaged, the governor said.

+++15:14 Ukrainians load trucks onto train to bypass blockade +++

+++14:41 Sweden's NATO accession: Erdogan demands F-16 fighter jets in return +++++TurkishPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making his country's ratification of Sweden's accession to NATO conditional on the approval of F-16 fighter jets from the USA. The US has said that it "will not take action on the F-16 issue until Congress approves them, but I also have a parliament," Erdogan told journalists this afternoon. If Washington makes its contribution "simultaneously and in solidarity", the parliament in Ankara will do the same, he said.

+++14:09 "Not that Russia is advancing everywhere" +++Theimpression has recentlybeen growing that the Russian army is gaining the upper hand along the front in Ukraine. However, ntv Moscow correspondent Rainer Munz sees the overall picture as much more complex. However, it is also clear that if the West stops its support, further reconquests will be "completely impossible".

+++ 13:40 Ukraine: Russia detains hundreds of medical professionals +++Accordingto Ukrainian sources, Russiahas detained almost 500 medical professionals. This is according to the Ukrainian ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Yevheni Tsimbalyuk, as reported by the news agency Ukrinform. This is a violation of the Geneva Convention. The employees can only be held to provide medical assistance to Ukrainian prisoners of war and must be released as soon as their help is no longer needed, says Zimbaljuk, who represents Ukraine on the OSCE Permanent Council. The Geneva Conventions state that medical personnel "must be respected and protected in all circumstances".

+++ 13:03 Plane forced to make an emergency landing - Russian authorities launch investigation +++Afteranother problem with a passenger plane in Russia, the authorities launch an official investigation. A Boeing 737-800 had to make an emergency landing this Friday, according to state investigators. The S7 airplane was on its way from Novosibirsk in Siberia to Moscow when an engine malfunction occurred. The plane had to turn around again, the investigators explained. "The landing was safe. There were no casualties." The incident occurred just one day after a cargo plane had to make an emergency landing in Siberia due to a fire in the engine.

+++ 12:33 Western dispute over aid - "Putin is probably rubbing his hands" +++Heavy fighting continues in Ukraine. However, there are no "major territorial gains", reports Carolin Unger. The ntv reporter summarizes the situation of the war in Ukraine, where major attacks on infrastructure have so far failed to materialize this winter. She also comments on the dispute over Western aid.

+++ 12:23 Putin to run again in the 2024 presidential election +++Itcomes as no realsurprise: Russian President Vladimir Putin will run again in the 2024 presidential election. This is reported by Russian news agencies. He announced this in the Kremlin after receiving an award from soldiers, writes TASS. The election will take place from March 15 to 17. The 71-year-old has no serious rival. Russia's best-known opposition politician Alexei Navalny is serving a total of more than 30 years in a penal colony following an internationally criticized trial.

+++ 11:42 Mölling sees a "pretty dramatic situation" +++Security expert Christian Mölling expects US supplies to Ukraine to be interrupted. "As things stand at the moment, it looks as if there will be no more aid pledges this year," says Mölling in the "Stern" podcast "Ukraine - the situation": The question now is whether Washington will find ways to raise funds without parliament. If this does not succeed, we will "run into a gap in the financing of support", says the Research Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. It is unclear how long Ukraine will be able to maintain its war efforts without new aid. But the development is already causing massive damage to Ukraine. "It's a pretty dramatic situation," says Mölling. He also sees no chance of the Europeans compensating for the loss of US aid, especially as Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban is obstructing joint decisions. "We will see that the European Union will no longer deliver because it will be blocked for the time being," says Mölling. "We are at a pretty difficult point here."

+++ 11:09 Russia deplores shelling of Belgorod region +++According to Russian reports, theUkrainian armed forces have fired almost 25 different types of ammunition at the Russian region of Belgorod over the past 24 hours. This was reported by the Russian agency TASS, citing Governor Vyacheslav Gladko. "In the Krasnoyarutsky district, the village of Grafovka came under artillery fire four times. There were no casualties. Three private houses were damaged: windows, fences and roofs. An administrative building was also damaged," the governor wrote on Telegram.

+++ 10:35 EU apparently wants to make it easier to block Russian gas imports +++TheEU is preparing to give its member states the power to block Russian gas imports in order to curb Moscow's energy revenues. This was reported by the "Financial Times", citing a draft document available to the paper. Despite Brussels' goal of being free of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, several EU members remain heavily dependent on Russian gas, with imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia reaching record highs this year.

+++ 09:51 Ukraine mourns the death of a "real warrior" +++Ukraine mourns the death of actor Vasyl Kucharsky. The 42-year-old, who starred in numerous television and film roles, was seriously injured at the front in September and has now died, it has been announced. Kucharsky joined the Ukrainian armed forces shortly after the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. His wife Nataliya Gordiy-Kukharska remembers him as "a real warrior, a brave Cossack, a talented actor, a father you can only dream of".

+++ 09:19 Expert warns: "If things stay as they are now, the war will simply continue +++EugeneFinke, professor of international politics, warns of a long war. "If things stay as they are now, the war will simply continue. People will continue to die and most of the refugees will not return home. Ukraine will not be rebuilt, and the autocrats of this world - above all Russia, Iran and China - will feel stronger and bolder," he tells Der Standard. The war in Gaza is also shifting attention - and that is exactly what Russia's President Vladimir Putin needs. "For him, freezing the conflict would be tantamount to a tactical victory. If that happens, he will next try to achieve a strategic victory and subjugate Ukraine militarily or politically." The West's war-weariness will lead to war in Europe for many years to come. "Ukraine will pay the highest price for this, but I don't believe that the decision-makers in the EU understand that their countries will also pay for it."

+++ 08:45 ISW: Mass arrests of gang members in Russia +++TheRussian security forces are apparently carrying out mass arrests against gangs in Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to the Institute for the Study of War ISW, citing the Russian Ministry of the Interior, employees of the Ministry of the Interior and the National Guard have also been arrested. They are members of a gang that has committed crimes such as murders, kidnappings and robberies in the Moscow, Kaluga and Krasnoyarsk regions since 1998. The arrests also include the leader of the Moscow gang, who had previously lived in Ukraine and traveled to Russia to coordinate activities until his arrest in spring 2023. "Both the raids in Moscow and St. Petersburg enable the Russian security agencies to consolidate internal control against dissidents and corruption," concludes the US think tank. At the same time, the conditions would be created "to portray foreigners - including those from Ukraine, the South Caucasus and Central Asian states - as a threat to Russia's internal security that Russia must eradicate".

+++ 08:12 Air alert in parts of Ukraine +++Thereis a warning about cruise missiles inparts of Ukraine. Air defenses are active in the outskirts of the capital Kiev, writes "Kyiv Independent", citing the head of the city's military administration, Serhii Popko. There are also reports of missiles flying over the Kharkiv region in the direction of Dnipropetrovsk. According to the air force, Russia is again using Shahed "kamikaze" drones, some of which have been shot down. Ukrainian officials warn that Russia is likely to step up its missile attacks as soon as temperatures drop.

+++ 07:30 Ex-Foreign Minister Kneissl considers Putin "the most intelligent gentleman" +++FormerAustrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who now works in St. Petersburg, is enthusiastic about Russian President Vladimir Putin. "He is the most intelligent gentleman, with the emphasis on gentleman - and I have met a few," says Kneissl, who curtsied to Putin at her wedding a few years ago. "In the sense of what Jane Austen wrote about the accomplished gentleman in 'Pride and Prejudice', he meets that standard." Asked about repression in Russia, she says in the BBC interview: "I haven't seen any repression in my immediate environment." When the interviewer counters that a young Russian woman in her immediate neighborhood was recently sentenced to seven years in prison for replacing price tags in a supermarket with anti-war slogans, the Vienna native laughs and says: "What do I have to do with it?"

+++ 06:55 USA takes action against Russian group over cyber campaign +++USApublishes an indictment against two Russians who allegedly led a campaign to hack computers in NATO member states on behalf of Moscow. "The Russian government continues to target the critical networks of the United States and our partners, according to the indictment released today," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen. Washington accuses the so-called Star Blizzard Group of conducting cyber operations. The group is associated with an FSB unit responsible for cyber attacks on NATO countries. "Today's indictment is part of a coordinated international response to send a message to the conspirators that the entire U.S. government stands together and is working with our international partners to identify and disrupt cyber espionage actors, particularly those who seek to obtain government information and wreak havoc on democratic processes," U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey explained.

+++ 06:22 Blinken: Ukraine aid creates growth in the USA +++Thereis great resistance to further aid for Ukraine. Now US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is using solid arguments to promote further support for Kiev: "If you look at the investments we've made in Ukraine's defense (...), 90 percent of the security assistance we've provided has actually been spent here in the United States - with our manufacturers." Blinken emphasizes, "That has created more American jobs and more growth in our own economy." In addition to the importance of Kiev's support for global politics and US national security, this is also a benefit, emphasizes Blinken.

+++ 05:52 Kharkiv: At least five missile strikes +++Accordingto Ukrainian reports, at least one person is injured in Russian missile attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The regional military administration stated on Telegram that the city had been hit by six missiles. Several residential buildings were damaged. One injured person is being treated on site. According to the military administration, the city was presumably attacked with Russian S-300 missiles. Kharkiv's mayor Igor Terekhov speaks of at least five missile strikes.

+++ 05:20 Russian forces intensify attacks near Avdiivka +++Accordingto the Ukrainian military spokesman, Russianstrike forces are stepping up air strikes and deploying more assault troops to capture the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. "For the second day in a row, the occupying forces have actively deployed kamikaze drones and aircraft. The number of battles has increased significantly," said Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Stupun on state television.

+++ 03:16 Study: Young people in Germany are most afraid of war +++According to a study, young peoplein Germany are most afraid of war: According to the study, 53 percent of respondents cite wars as a reason for great personal fears, according to the Sinus Youth Study just published in Berlin on behalf of the health insurance company Barmer. In 2022, the figure was as high as 56 percent.

+++ 01:13 Putin thanks Iran: "We have gained good momentum in the past year" +++RussianPresident Vladimir Putin praises relations between the two countries at a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. "Our relations are developing very well," Putin told Raisi during his visit to Moscow. The Russian president emphasized Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, thanks to whose support "we have gained good momentum in the past year". Western countries accuse Iran of supporting Russia's offensive in Ukraine with a large number of drones and other weapons.

+++ 23:07 Ukraine concludes agreement with US companies on artillery shells +++Ukraine says it has reached an agreement with two US companies on the joint production of 155 mm artillery shells. The ammunition is to be manufactured in Ukraine, said the Minister for Strategic Industry, Alexander Kamyshin, on television. However, the implementation of the agreement will take years.

+++ 22:25 Selenskyj hopes for positive EU decision +++Arounda week before the decision on the opening of EU accession negotiations for his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj is once again hopeful. It is a Ukrainian "priority" to make the final decisions in parliament, for example, so that Ukraine fulfills all the required conditions, said Selensky in his evening speech. "We believe that the EU will also fulfill all its promises to Ukraine," he added. However, the outcome is still uncertain. Hungary has recently threatened a blockade.

+++ 22:01 Power plant hit: Ukraine calls on people to save electricity +++Ukraine is calling on its residents to save electricity after a power plant near the frontline was hit in Russian attacks. The energy ministry appealed to consumers in the evening to "use electricity wisely and economically, especially during peak load times". Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal calls on "everyone to reduce electricity consumption" in online services. According to the energy ministry, Russia attacked a thermal power plant in the front area in the afternoon, without disclosing the exact location.

You can read all previous developments here.