Ukraine: Putin orders Wagner group and Russian troops to advance in ‘most sectors’ but MoD says gains won’t ‘achieve decisive effect’ February 14, 2023 Vladimir Putin’s troops have been commanded to advance in “most sectors” but are struggling to achieve a major breakthrough on the Ukrainian front line, British military chiefs have said. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday that the Russians have “not massed sufficient offensive combat power” on any one axis to “achieve a decisive [...]
Berlusconi: Ex Italy PM and long-time Putin ally blames Russia’s war in Ukraine on president Zelensky February 13, 2023 Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has blamed Ukraine’s president for Russia’s invasion, again putting him at odds with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s support for Kyiv. Mr Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party is part of Ms Meloni’s right-wing coalition government, is a long-time friend and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the war in [...]
Energy: UK forked out £90bn protecting customers from Russian supply squeeze as Europe spent £700bn February 13, 2023 European countries have forked out over £700bn to shield businesses and households from soaring gas prices since the energy crisis began.
Russia slashes oil output by 500,000 barrels per day in response to Western sanctions February 11, 2023 Russia will cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day after the West imposed price caps on Russian oil and products.
Ukraine: Russia unleashes barrage of bombers, drones and rockets amid speculation Putin still wants Kyiv February 10, 2023 Russia has unleashed strategic bombers, killer drones and rockets in a barrage of attacks on Ukrainian targets. The assault comes as a Russian military push that Kyiv says has been brewing for days appeared to pick up pace ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin’s forces focused their bombardments on [...]
UK imposes ‘first of their kind’ sanctions on Russian hackers who attacked British firms, schools and hospitals February 9, 2023 The UK government has imposed “first of their kind” sanctions on seven Russian hackers accused of using ransomware attacks to take millions from British firms. The Russian hackers are alleged to have used “cynical cyberattacks” to extort at least £27m from 149 British victims, including schools, hospitals, and private businesses. The cybercriminals will now be [...]
Zelensky’s visit: UK sanctions six Russian weapons makers and eight members of country’s ‘elite’ February 8, 2023 The UK government has sanctioned six Russian weapons makers and a further eight members of the country’s “elite” following Volodymyr Zelensky’s first visit to Britain since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Foreign secretary James Cleverly said the new sanctions work to undermine Putin’s “war machine” as he vowed to block Russia from accessing the frozen assets [...]
Ukraine’s president Zelensky to make surprise UK visit TODAY, meet PM Rishi Sunak and address parliament February 8, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of his country, with Rishi Sunak promising extra military support. The Prime Minister announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots, paving the way for them eventually being able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard jets, a key request from Mr Zelensky. Downing [...]
UK in the dark about real owners of £6.7bn worth of British properties February 7, 2023 The UK government is still in the dark about who owns tens of thousands of British properties, after thousands of offshore firms failed to comply with new transparency laws, which campaigners said exposes the UK property market to huge money-laundering risks. There are almost 52,000 properties in Britain, worth a combined sum of £6.7bn, that [...]
Johnson piles pressure on Sunak: No.10 insists ex-PM ‘acting in own capacity’ with plea to give Ukraine UK fighter jets February 1, 2023 Boris Johnson has piled pressure on Western leaders to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, setting up a clash with Rishi Sunak. The UK said it is not practical to provide sophisticated planes used by the RAF, such as Typhoons and F-35s, and US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending F-16 fighters. Downing Street stressed [...]