Highlighting perceived double standards, the MEA pointed out that both the U.S. and EU continue extensive trade with Russia, which includes vital goods like LNG, fertilizers, chemicals, and metals. In 2024, EU trade with Russia in goods reached €67.5 billion, with services adding another €17.2 billion. LNG imports by Europe hit a record 16.5 million tonnes in 2024. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride, palladium, and fertilizers. The MEA emphasized that, unlike India’s trade based on national necessity, such Western trade is not a vital compulsion. “In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” the ministry stated, reaffirming that India will take all necessary steps to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

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Ukraine’s Operational Command South said this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.

Ukrainian aircraft launched the attack near Pravdyne, Arkhanhelske, Olhyne, Bilohirka, and Novopetrivka.

Rocket and artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine killed 15 Russian soldiers and destroyed an anti-tank missile system and six vehicles, including armored vehicles.

On February 24, Russia began a new phase of its eight-year war against Ukraine – an all-out invasion.

Meanwhile Russia blamed saboteurs for explosions at one of its military bases in Moscow-annexed Crimea while Ukraine hinted it was responsible as its officials said their strategy was to destroy supply lines supporting Russia’s invasion.

The blasts on Tuesday engulfed an ammunition depot at a military base in the north of the Crimean peninsula, disrupting trains and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people from a village, according to Russian officials and news agencies.

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Russian bombers have likely been launching heavy 1960s-era anti-ship missiles in Ukraine, the UK Defence Ministry said. The Kh-22 missiles were primarily designed to destroy aircraft carriers using a nuclear warhead. When used in ground attacks with conventional warheads, they are highly inaccurate and therefore can cause severe collateral damage and casualties, the ministry said.

Both sides have expended large amounts of weaponry in what has become a grinding war of attrition for the eastern region of coal mines and factories known as the Donbas, placing huge strains on their resources and stockpiles.

Russia is likely using the 5.5-tonne (6.1-ton) anti-ship missiles because it is running short of more precise modern missiles, the British ministry said. It gave no details of where exactly such missiles are thought to have been deployed.

As Russia also sought to consolidate its hold over territory seized so far in the 108-day war, the U.S. defense secretary said Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all.

It’s what happens when big powers decide that their imperial appetites matter more than the rights of their peaceful neighbours, Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Asia. And it’s a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in.

A Ukrainian governor accused Russia of using incendiary weapons in a village in the eastern province of Luhansk, southwest of the fiercely contested cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.

While the use of flamethrowers on the battlefield is legal, Luhansk Gov. Serhii Haidai alleged the overnight attacks in Vrubivka caused widespread damage to civilian facilities and an unknown number of victims.

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Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that 694 Ukrainian soldiers at the Azovstal steel plant have surrendered over the past 24 hours.

That brings the total of Ukrainian troops who have left the plant this week to 959.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported Tuesday that 265 Ukrainian troops, including 51 wounded, had surrendered during the previous 24 hours.

Ukrainian authorities did not confirm the latest numbers.

Konashenkov said that there were 29 wounded soldiers among the 694 troops who had surrendered over the past 24 hours.  meanwhile

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Biden’s comments came amid heightened tensions between Russia and the US, fuelled by fears that Moscow plans to invade Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied that it has plans to attack Ukraine.

Giving an update to reporters from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Biden on Friday said the US is doing everything in its power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.

Look, we have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week — in the coming days. We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people, Biden said.

Make no mistake: If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice. The United States and our allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security as well, he said.

Biden said that he is convinced that Russia is going to invade Ukraine.

He ruled out sending troops in to fight in Ukraine but said the US will continue to support the Ukrainian people.

Responding to a question if he thinks it is wise for the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to leave Ukraine if an invasion is as imminent as the US, Biden said, that’s a judgment for him to make and a determination as to whether or not. I’ve spoken with Zelenskyy a dozen times — maybe more, I don’t know.

Biden said that the US and its allies and partners will support the Ukrainian people. We will hold Russia accountable for its actions. The West is united and resolved. We’re ready to impose severe sanctions on Russia if it further invades Ukraine, he said.

But I say again: Russia can still choose diplomacy. It is not too late to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table, he said.

Noting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have agreed to meet on February 24, Biden said if Russia takes military action before that date, it will be clear that they have slammed the door shut on diplomacy.

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The announcement came in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 20 million people and killed nearly 750,000 worldwide, thus, crippling world economies.

Russia dubbed its newly launched vaccine against coronavirus “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite, the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund said, as per reports.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday, industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses, AFP reported.

Further, the president has asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to keep him informed about the Covid-19 vaccine, while at the same time noting that he knows “it works quite effectively” and “forms a stable immunity”, according to Russian news agencies.

“This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered” in Russia, Putin said during a televised video conference call with government ministers, as per news agency AFP.

Putin further thanked everyone who worked on the vaccine’s development and described it as “a very important step for the world”. He hopes the country’s research body will soon start mass production of coronavirus vaccine.

“I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks,” said Putin.

He emphasized that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests. He added that one of his two daughters has received a dose of the vaccine and is feeling well, according to Associated Press reports.

Putin said that his daughter had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on the day of the first vaccine injection, and then it dropped to just over 37 degrees (98.6 Fahrenheit) on the following day. After the second shot she again had a slight increase in temperature, but then it was all over. “She’s feeling well and has high number of antibodies,” Putin added.

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Partial results, announced five hours before polls closed, indicate the former KGB officer who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister will win the right to run for two more terms.

That means he could remain president for 16 more years.

The Central Election Commission said just over 70% of votes counted across the world`s largest country had supported changing the constitution. Almost 29% had voted no of the 2.68% of ballots counted. Fuller results are due at 1900 GMT.

Russians have been encouraged to vote with prize draws offering flats and an ad campaign highlighting other constitutional amendments in the same reform bundle, such as the pensions protection and a de facto ban on same-sex marriages.

One-off payments of 10,000 roubles ($141) were transferred to those with children at Putin`s order as people headed to polling stations on Wednesday, the last day of the vote, held over seven days to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

“I voted for the amendments to the constitution,” Moscow resident Mikhail Volkov said. “We need radical changes and I`m for them.”

Others voted for the changes with less enthusiasm.

“I didn`t read about the amendments if I`m honest,” another voter, Lyudmila, said. “What`s the point of voting if they`ve already decided for you. It`s like that in our country – read something and vote. I voted.”

Turnout had reached nearly 60% by midday, election officials said. The required turnout is 50% and the amendments will pass if they are backed by a simple majority of voters.

Putin, 67, made no mention of how the changes could affect his own career in an eve-of-vote speech on Tuesday. They would allow him to run for another two six-year, consecutive stints after his current term expires in 2024.

Putin has said he has yet to decide on his future. Critics say they are sure he will run again, but some analysts say he may want to keep his options open to avoid becoming a lame duck.

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“China is in the middle of a significant modernisation of its nuclear arsenal. It is developing a so-called nuclear triad for the first time, made up of new land- and sea-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft,” the report warned.

“India and Pakistan are slowly increasing the size and diversity of their nuclear forces, while North Korea continues to prioritise its military nuclear programme as a central element of its national security strategy,” it said.

In its 2019 report, SIPRI had said that China’s nuclear arsenal contained 290 warheads while India’s had 130-140. Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was calculated at 150-160, a number which remains the same in this year’s assessment.

According to the report, Russia tops the table with 6,375 warheads, followed by the US with 5,800, and the UK with 215 warheads. The figures have been updated till January 2020.

The nuclear arsenals of the other nuclear-armed states are considerably smaller but all these states are either developing or deploying new weapon systems or have announced their intention to do so, the report said.

“The nine nuclear-armed states – the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea – together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020. This marked a decrease from the 13,865 nuclear weapons that SIPRI estimated these states possessed at the beginning of 2019,” the report said.

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Recalling that the Russian Federation had celebrated Christmas recently as per the tradition in Russia, the Prime Minister conveyed season’s greetings to President Putin and to the friendly people of Russia.

President Putin warmly reciprocated the greetings and wished Prime Minister Modi and the people of India prosperity, progress, peace and happiness.

The two leaders expressed happiness at the significant landmarks the Special Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries had covered in the recent past, particularly in the year 2019. They agreed to continue consulting closely and working assiduously to further strengthen India-Russia ties in all spheres the year 2020.

The Prime Minister stressed that the year 2020 would be of special significance for Russia, and recalled with gratitude the invitation of President Putin to the Prime Minister to participate in the 75th Victory Day Celebration in Moscow in May this year. The Prime Minister stated that he looked forward also to participating in the Summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS countries in Russia this year, and welcoming President Putin in India for the 21st bilateral Annual Summit.

The two leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues and underlined the great similarity and convergence in the approaches of India and Russia for ensuring regional and global security, peace and stability.

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