Russia increasing hybrid threats around Sweden, says Swedish military intelligence
Russia has stepped up its hybrid threat activities and seems willing to take greater risks in Sweden and the region, the head of Sweden’s military intelligence told AFP.
“Russia has, in certain cases, stepped up actions and increased its presence – and perhaps with a greater risk appetite — in our vicinity,” Thomas Nilsson, head of Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST), told AFP.
He added that he believed Moscow would “unfortunately” continue doing so – regardless of whether it succeeds in Ukraine or not.
Nilsson did not cite any particular attacks, but MUST said in its yearly threat review released Tuesday that Russia “has developed a wide range of methods that can be used within the framework of hybrid warfare,” including disinformation, cyberattacks, economic sanctions, intelligence operations, and election interference.
Russia military police building collapses near Saint Petersburg, causes unclear
A Russian military police building collapsed on the grounds of an army base outside Saint Petersburg, the local governor said Tuesday, adding that authorities were probing the causes of the incident.
“I have instructed the security forces to assist the military in clearing the rubble and rescuing victims following the collapse of a military police building on the territory of a military unit in Sertolovo,” governor Alexander Drozdenko said.
“The causes of the incident are being investigated,” he added.
Sertolovo is a small village just outside Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-biggest city.
Two killed in blast at military facility in Russia’s Leningrad region, Mash reports
Two people were killed in a blast at a military facility in the town of Sertolovo in Russia’s Leningrad region, the Mash Telegram channel reported.
Governor Alexander Drozdenko said that the blast occurred in a military police building. He provided no additional details.
“I have instructed the security forces to assist the military in clearing the rubble and rescuing those injured in the collapse of the military police building on the territory of the military unit in Sertolovo,” Drozdenko said.
France releases suspected Russia ‘shadow fleet’ tanker after fine
France on Tuesday released a tanker called Grinch suspected of being part of Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet” after its owner paid a fine of several million euros, a minister said.
The public prosecutor’s office and regional authorities said that, “as part of a guilty plea procedure, the company that owns the vessel was sentenced by the Marseille judicial court to a financial penalty”.
French forces and their allies boarded the oil tanker last month between Spain and Morocco after it started its journey in Russia. It was escorted to a port near the southern city of Marseille. The European Union lists 598 vessels suspected of being part of the “shadow fleet” that are banned from European ports and maritime services.
Russian drone kills three energy workers in east Ukraine
A Russian drone strike on east Ukraine early Tuesday killed three energy workers near the industrial town of Sloviansk, Kyiv said, after a massive Russian attack targeted Ukrainian energy facilities overnight.
“In the morning, a Russian UAV attacked a vehicle carrying employees of the Sloviansk TPP. Sadly, three of them were killed,” said Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Energy Artem Nekrasov in a social media post.
Russia ‘disregards peace efforts’ with missile, drone strikes, says Ukraine
Russia was undermining peace efforts by launching dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones ahead of talks in Geneva, said Ukraine’s foreign minister.
“The extent to which Russia disregards peace efforts: a massive missile and drone strike against Ukraine right before the next round of talks in Geneva,” Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on social media.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 29 missiles and 396 drones in attacks that local officials said targeted critical infrastructure.
Russian strike on Odesa region causes ‘incredibly serious’ damage to power infrastructure
A Russian strike on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region caused “incredibly serious” damage to power infrastructure supplying the regional capital, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said.
“Repairs will take a long time to restore the equipment to working order,” the company said on social media.
Putin aide warns European powers over seizure of vessels
Russia could use the navy to prevent European powers seizing its vessels and may retaliate against European shipping if Russian vessels are seized, Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin has been quoted as saying.
“If we don’t give them a tough rebuff, then soon the British, French and even the Balts will become arrogant to such an extent that they will try to block our country’s access to the seas at least in the Atlantic basin,” said Patrushev, a senior politician and security official who has served on the Security Council of Russia as well as the FSB intelligence service in the past.
Russian delegation arrives in Geneva for talks on Ukraine, Interfax reports
The Russian delegation has arrived in Geneva for talks on Ukraine, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
Land in focus at Geneva peace talks between Russia and Ukraine
As Russian and Ukrainian teams meet in Geneva, the US-mediated peace talks are likely to focus on land, the main sticking point.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk that Moscow has failed to capture, which Kyiv refuses to do.
Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion.
More than 150 Ukrainian drones repelled overnight, says Russian state media
Russia repelled more than 150 Ukrainian drones overnight, Moscow’s defence ministry has told state media ahead of talks in Geneva.
“Overnight, air defence forces destroyed 151 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, as well as over the Black and Azov Seas,” the ministry reported.
In Russian-annexed Crimea, Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said two dozen drones were shot down during “one of the longest attacks in recent times”.
“Unfortunately, there were injuries. According to preliminary information, one child was wounded,” he posted on Telegram.
Who are the lead negotiators in Geneva?
The Russian delegation in Geneva is led by Vladimir Medinsky, a nationalist hawk and former culture minister who now serves an advisor to President Vladimir Putin. The head of Russian military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov, is also on the negotiating team, while Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev takes part in a separate working group on economic issues.
Ukraine’s team is led by former defence minister Rustem Umerov, while the US team is led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Ukraine made fastest battlefield gain in 2.5 years last week, data analysis shows
Ukraine recaptured 201 square kilometres (78 square miles) from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday last week, taking advantage of a Starlink shutdown for Russian forces, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The recaptured area is almost equivalent to the Russian gains for the entire month of December and is the most land retaken by Kyiv’s forces in such a short period since a June 2023 counter-offensive.
“These Ukrainian counterattacks are likely leveraging the recent block on Russian forces’ access to Starlink, which Russian milbloggers (military bloggers) have claimed is causing communications and command and control issues on the battlefield,” the ISW, which collaborates with the Critical Threats Project, another US think-tank, stated.
On February 5, military observers noted disruption of the Starlink antennas used by Moscow on the front lines, following announcements by Elon Musk of “measures” to end the Kremlin’s use of this technology.
Why the Kremlin reinstated Medinsky as lead negotiator for Geneva talks
For the talks in Geneva, the Kremlin has reinstated nationalist hawk and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky as its lead negotiator.
“This time, we plan to discuss a broader set of issues, focusing on key ones related to the territories and other demands,” a spokesperson for Vladimir Putin told reporters, explaining the personnel change.
Trump says Ukraine must move ‘fast’ to sign peace deal
“Ukraine better come to the table, fast,” US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Washington.
Zelensky claims necessity of ‘sufficient pressure on Russia’
“Even on the eve of the trilateral meetings in Geneva, the Russian army has no orders other than to continue striking Ukraine. This speaks volumes about how Russia regards the partners’ diplomatic efforts,” Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media Monday.
“Only with sufficient pressure on Russia and clear security guarantees for Ukraine can this war realistically be brought to an end,” he added.