Russia blames Ukraine after fire at major oil refinery

Volgograd’s governor has now confirmed that a fire erupted at a major Russian oil refinery in the south-western region overnight after a drone attack blamed on Ukraine.

Ukraine has launched drone attacks on Russia for months after Moscow’s almost two-year offensive.

Governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram:

Last night, the air defence and electronic jamming repelled an attack by drones in the Volgograd region’s Kalachyovsky and Zakanalye districts.

A fire started at the Volgograd refinery after one of the downed drones fell.

He added that the fire service had already brought the blaze under control by the start of the morning.

Industry giant Lukoil, which operates the refinery, says on its website it is “the biggest producer of oil products in the federal south district” which covers eight regions of south-west Russia.

The plant is located south of the city of Volgograd. Local media V1 published photos it said showed an overnight explosion during the attack. A local resident told V1 they heard two explosions.

Russian national guard integrating former Wagner units into its ranks, states UK Ministry of Defence

According to the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD), Russia’s national guard, also known as Rosgvardia, is incorporating three previous Wagner assault detachments into its initial volunteer corps formation.

In an intelligence update released on X, the MOD highlighted that Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a law on December 25th last year, permitting Rosgvardia to establish its own volunteer units. Rosgvardia is often referred to as Putin’s “private army.”

The statement further elaborated:

“Rosgvardia is likely to deploy its new volunteer detachments to Ukraine and Africa. Reportedly, Rosgvardia is offering six-month contracts to volunteers for service in Ukraine and nine-month contracts for service in Africa.

The inclusion of former Wagner assault detachments in Rosgvardia’s volunteer corps strongly suggests that Wagner has been successfully placed under Rosgvardia’s control, thereby enhancing the Russian state’s command and authority over the Wagner group.”

Russia and Ukraine swap war prisoners, according to Moscow’s announcement

The Russian defense ministry has confirmed the release of 195 Russian prisoners of war from Ukraine, in exchange for an equal number of Ukrainian PoWs.

Reuters reports:

In a statement on Wednesday, the Russian defense ministry declared that it had successfully concluded a prisoner exchange with Ukraine, with each side receiving 195 soldiers. The statement mentioned that Russian soldiers would be transported to Moscow for medical and psychological treatment.

According to the RIA state news agency, the United Arab Emirates played a role in facilitating the deal.

“On January 31, as a result of the negotiation process, 195 Russian servicemen who were in grave danger in captivity were returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In return, exactly 195 prisoners from the armed forces of Ukraine were handed over,” stated the defense ministry.

This marks the first prisoner exchange since the crash of a Russian military transport plane last week, which Moscow claims carried 65 Ukrainian soldiers who were intended to be part of the exchange.

Russia alleges that Ukraine shot down the plane with a surface-to-air missile, resulting in the death of all 74 individuals on board.

Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the plane crash and has demanded evidence regarding who was aboard the aircraft.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasizes the need for a ‘air shield’ to safeguard Ukraine from missile and drone attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has restated his call for an “air shield” to defend the country against missile and drone assaults.

On X, Zelenskiy highlighted, “Russia has fired more than 330 missiles of different kinds and around 600 combat drones at Ukrainian cities since the start of the year.

“To withstand such terrorist pressure, a robust air shield is necessary. And that is the kind of air shield we are constructing with our partners.

“We must ensure Ukraine’s control over its airspace, which is also crucial for ensuring security on the ground – from frontlines to hospitals and schools in the rear. Air defense and electronic warfare are our top priorities. Defeating Russian aggression is within reach.”

An embedded video in the post highlights the importance of an “effective” air shield comprising multiple layers extending from the frontlines to areas where commercial and civilian infrastructure are situated.

The Russian state-owned electric power company InterRAO reduced its power exports by 21.3% to 10.7 billion kWh in the previous year after suspending exports to the European Union, as revealed by the executive board member, Alexandra Panina, in a statement to reporters over the weekend, as reported by Reuters.

InterRAO, which is responsible for handling all Russian electric power exports and imports, disclosed that its largest market last year was Kazakhstan, which consumed 4.7 billion kWh, followed by China with 3.1 billion kWh.

Panina stated that InterRAO plans to export at least the same amount of power this year.

Russia conducts airstrikes on Ukrainian infrastructure

In a series of drone and missile attacks, Russia has targeted civilian and critical infrastructure across Ukraine, according to Kyiv’s air force. The attacks, which have been escalating in recent months, have primarily focused on military, energy, and transport infrastructure. While there have been no reported casualties thus far, an industrial site in the city of Kremenchuk was hit, resulting in a fire. Emergency crews are currently working to extinguish the blaze. In another incident, an infrastructure site in the Zaporizhzhia region was struck by a drone attack, although details of the damage and casualties remain unknown. Ukraine’s air defense systems managed to destroy four of the eight Russian-launched drones. Independent verification of the reports has not been possible, and Russia has not yet issued any comments regarding the attacks.

Ukraine successfully resisting three-pronged attack on Avdiivka, states UK

According to the latest intelligence report from the UK Ministry of Defence, Ukrainian forces are effectively defending against Russian attempts to seize control of Avdiivka.

The report indicates that Russian forces have launched a three-pronged assault on Avdiivka, seeking to encircle the city from multiple directions. However, Ukrainian counter-attacks have halted their progress, preventing them from taking over the eastern quarter of the city.

Despite facing heavy losses in personnel and armored vehicles, Russian forces continue their efforts to infiltrate the city’s edges through service tunnels. This method of infiltration has been ongoing since October 2023. Nevertheless, Ukrainian troops are successfully holding them back from advancing further within Avdiivka.

The report predicts that as long as the main supply route remains intact and Ukrainian forces continue their local counter-attacks, Avdiivka is likely to remain under Ukrainian control in the coming weeks.

While Russian forces have managed to capture the hamlets of Krokhmalne in the Kharkiv oblast and Vesele near Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast, the UK Ministry of Defence considers these gains strategically insignificant. The report emphasizes that these minor incremental gains align with Russia’s focus on incremental advances while Ukraine prioritizes active defense.

Ukraine extends invitation to Xi Jinping for peace negotiations

In a significant move, Ukraine has formally invited Xi Jinping, the President of China, to participate in the upcoming peace talks, according to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s top advisor.

Switzerland has been chosen as the host country for the summit, which is expected to witness the presence of numerous global leaders. However, specific details such as the venue and date are yet to be finalized, revealed Sky News.

Igor Zhovkva, Zelenskiy’s advisor, stated:

We are extending a formal invitation to China, urging their highest-ranking official, President Xi Jinping, to participate in the summit.

China’s involvement in this summit holds immense significance to us. We are engaging our partner countries across the globe to emphasize the importance of China’s participation.

Chinese involvement could play a crucial role in resolving the ongoing conflict. Despite China’s close ties with Russia since Ukraine’s invasion in 2022, Beijing has previously expressed its willingness to mediate in the dispute while emphasizing respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

Xi remains one of Vladimir Putin’s key allies among major powers, and his stance on a potential peace plan could significantly impact the future course of the Ukrainian conflict.

Casualties as Russian strikes target Kyiv and Kharkiv

Three people were killed and at least 60 wounded in the latest series of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, Ukrainian officials have said.

Russia unleashed a mass airstrike on Ukraine on Tuesday, mostly targeting the country’s two largest cities, the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv in the east.

On Telegram, governor Oleh Synehubov said three people were killed and 42 wounded in Kharkiv in strikes on apartment buildings.

In Kyiv, 20 people including three children had been wounded across at least three districts, and that several apartments and non-residential buildings had caught fire, mayor Vitalii Klitschko said.

‘Don’t worry,’ EU foreign affairs chief tells Ukrainians as ministers focus on Middle East

Arriving at the foreign affairs’ meeting this morning in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said: “The fact that we are engaged [in] looking for a solution in the Middle East doesn’t mean that we are not continuing supporting Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s foreign minister is expected to speak at today’s session via videoconference.

Don’t worry, don’t worry, Ukrainians have not to worry – European support continues as stronger as ever, and it will continue.

The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, speaks as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels on Monday. Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP