War in Ukraine The replacement of General Zaluzhny, a decision that divides the Ukrainian army
War in Ukraine Six dead, including a one-year-old girl, in a Ukrainian attack in the Russian city of Belgorod
War in Europe Pessimism spreads among Ukraine's allies after two years of war
The Russian opposition leader,
Alexei Navalny
, died suddenly today in the Russian
Arctic prison
where he had been since last December, according to the Russian penitentiary services (FSIN).
"On February 16, 2024, in penitentiary center No. 3, prisoner Navalny AA
felt unwell after a walk
. The necessary resuscitation procedures were performed on him, which did not give any results. Emergency doctors confirmed the death of the convicted. The causes of death are being established," the FSIN of the Arctic region of Yamal said in a statement.
Kremlin spokesman
Dmitri Peskov
has assured that he has no information about the causes of the death of Navalny,
47:
"The doctors have to clarify it."
Update narration
12:55
The president of Latvia: "Navalny has been brutally murdered by the Kremlin"
Navalny has been "brutally murdered by the Kremlin," said the president of Latvia, according to AFP.
For their part, Norwegian diplomatic sources, cited by the French agency, have stated that the Russian government "has a great responsibility" in the death of the Russian opponent.
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12:45
The Kremlin says it has no data on the causes of Navalny's death
The Kremlin has no information about the causes of the death in prison of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, the spokesman for the Russian Presidency,
Dmitri Peskov
, announced this Friday, minutes after the news of the politician's death was known.
"The doctors have to clarify it," said Peskov, quoted by the TASS agency, after the penitentiary services confirmed the death of the well-known opponent.
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12:30
Russian opponent Alexei Navalny dies
The Russian opposition leader
Alexei Navalny
died suddenly today in the Russian
Arctic prison
where he had been since last December, according to the Russian penitentiary services (FSIN).
"On February 16, 2024, in penitentiary center No. 3, prisoner Navalny AA felt unwell after a walk. The necessary resuscitation procedures were performed on him, which did not give any results. Emergency doctors confirmed the death of the convicted. The causes of death are being established," the FSIN of the Arctic region of Yamal said in a statement.
Navalny was 47 years old and serving a 19-year sentence.
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11:50
The battle of Avdivka is more difficult than that of Bakhmut, according to a Ukrainian brigade
The battle of Avdivka is in a
"critical"
phase and is more difficult than that of
Bakhmut
, which lasted months until the Russian army took this Ukrainian city, a Kiev military spokesman declared on Friday.
"The situation is critical. The enemy continues to press," the spokesman for the 3rd assault brigade, Oleksandr Borodin
, declared on television
. "There [in Bakhmut], it was difficult,
now it is extremely difficult
," facing better-armed Russian forces, he said.
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11:15
Zelensky lands in Germany, where he will meet with Steinmeier and Scholz
The president of Ukraine,
Volodymyr Zelensky
, has landed in Berlin where he will meet this Friday with the president of Germany,
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
, and with the chancellor,
Olaf Scholz
, with whom he will sign an agreement on security guarantees.
"I begin two important days. Meetings with partners in Germany and France, new agreements and the Munich Security Conference," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel about the program for the next two days.
With his visit to Germany and France, Zelensky seeks to seal
new security agreements with
these two European powers that are among the main providers of military aid to Ukraine amid the uncertainty of the continuity of US assistance to Kiev.
After meeting with Scholz, Zelensky will travel to France, where he will meet with his counterpart,
Emmanuel Macron
.
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10:50
Ukraine denounces that Russia attacks the Avdivka coke plant with phosphorus ammunition
The Third Separate Assault Brigade, which has been deployed in Avdivka to contain the Russian offensive, denounced today that Russia is attacking the town's coke plant, where this elite Ukrainian brigade has been established, with phosphorus ammunition.
"The occupiers use phosphorus ammunition, which
causes the fuel tanks to catch fire
," reads a note published by the brigade on its official Telegram account. "The
poisonous smoke
is released throughout the territory of the plant," adds the note, explaining that this infrastructure is now "the new 'home'" of the brigade.
The text is accompanied by a video in which a large black smoke is seen rising next to the plant, located in the northwest of Avdivka.
The note also explains that Russia bombs the plant with about
60 aerial bombs a day, in addition to attacking it with artillery and rockets
and launching "continuous assaults with armored vehicles" and infantry.
"But our units continue to face the enemy with dignity," adds the note, which highlights the
"record" levels of casualties that Russia would be suffering
in its offensive to take Avdivka.
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9 o'clock
kyiv reinforces its troops in Avdivka
The Ukrainian army assured this Friday that it is reinforcing its troops who are "resisting" in the city of Avdivka, where fierce fighting is taking place as Russian forces approach.
"In accordance with the decision made
, the scheduled reinforcement of units is underway
and troops are maneuvering on threatened axes," the Ukrainian military said on social media. "Ukrainian defenders continue to push back the enemy trying to encircle Avdivka (...) Ukrainian soldiers remain firm," the Army added.
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8:30
Russian air defenses shoot down five Ukrainian drones
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down five Ukrainian drones
on Thursday night , one of them over the
Belgorod
region
, bordering Ukraine, and the remaining four over the waters of the
Black Sea
, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported this Friday, reports Efe. .
"Tonight an attempted terrorist attack by the kyiv regime with fixed-wing drones against facilities in the territory of the Russian Federation was foiled," said the military report published on Telegram.
Attacks by the Ukrainian Army with drones or missiles against the Russian rear, particularly against the Russian border regions and the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, have become common during the last year.
This Thursday, seven people, including a baby, were killed and 19 others were injured in a rocket attack on a shopping center in Belgorod.
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8:20
Ukraine will sign security agreements with France and Germany
Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky
will travel today to Berlin and then to Paris to sign security agreements that guarantee his country long-term military and financial support.
The head of the German government,
Olaf Scholz
, will receive Zelensky in Berlin in the morning, where they will sign the agreement and then hold a press conference, said a spokesman for the German executive.
Afterwards, the Ukrainian leader will go to Paris to close a similar agreement with President
Emmanuel Macron
, with whom he will also have a meeting and a joint appearance.
Almost two years after the start of the Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022, "our determination (to support Ukraine) is still there, it does not weaken and will not weaken," said an advisor to the French presidency. "We are determined to make Russia's bet fail," which "plays long term with our fatigue," he insisted.
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8:05
"The priority is to preserve the life of every Ukrainian soldier"
Ukrainian General
Oleksandr Tarnavski, responsible for Kiev's forces in the east, has stated on social networks that
Ukrainian and Russian troops are fighting "fierce battles" inside Avdivka. "Our troops use all available forces and means to contain the enemy," he added.
Russia has been trying to take this city for months. If achieved, it would represent an important symbolic victory for Moscow. Tarnavski also noted that his troops were preparing "new positions" in the city and that they "continued to prepare powerful fortifications taking into account all possible scenarios."
He also assured that the most important thing was to protect his troops: "We value every piece of Ukrainian land, but the most valuable thing and the priority for us is to preserve the life of every Ukrainian soldier." According to the general, the situation in Avdiivka is "difficult but controlled" and the commanders were given the mission to "stabilize the situation."
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