Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Kyiv denies ‘absurd’ declare by Moscow that it’s constructing nuclear weapon with Europe

The Kremlin’s efforts to push greater control over the information space with restrictions on Whatsapp and Telegram has caused domestic trouble in Russia.

Russia’s reliance on Telegram as the most widely used social media platform for communication and access to information, says Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of Russian political analysts R.Politik and senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

“Although preparations for such a move had been evident, the decision nonetheless came as a shock to many, including senior officials, businesses, and representatives of the pro-war community,” she said.

The move “has triggered unexpected internal resistance across the elite, including from domestic policy overseers, regional authorities, parts of United Russia, the military, pro-war bloggers and even the systemic opposition,” analysts have said.

She added that while the systemic opposition’s decision to speak out against the measure carries no tangible political weight, “it signals emerging discrepancies within the ruling elite”.

“The FSB, which stands behind the decision, was compelled to justify its actions publicly,” she added.

“The measure is highly likely to be implemented, yet it will have a noticeable impact on public sentiment.”

Ukraine has dismissed Russian claims that Kyiv was trying to obtain nuclear weapons with the help of Britain and France as “absurd”.

“Russian officials, known for their impressive record of lies, are once again trying to fabricate the old ‘dirty bomb’ nonsense,” Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, told Reuters.

“For the record: Ukraine has already denied such absurd Russian claims many times before, and we officially deny them again now. We urge the international community to reject and condemn Russia’s dirty information bombs.”

Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), without providing evidence, accused Britain and France of preparing to secretly supply Ukraine with nuclear weapons parts and technology. Britain and France, both nuclear powers, did not immediately respond to the allegation.

Volodymyr Zelensky, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council president Antonio Costa are currently holding a press conference at a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

Costa said Moscow must accept it will not win this war, adding that he anticipates significant progress in Ukraine’s accession path to the European Union in the foreseeable future.

Asked about the 90 billion euro EU loan for Ukraine, von der Leyen said it would be delivered “one way or another”, after threats by Hungary that it will block the loan.

She added that a new “winter energy package” of 920 million euros would be provided to Ukraine for 2026-2027.

An unidentified attacker detonated an explosive device next to a police patrol vehicle in central Moscow early on Tuesday, killing himself and one officer, while injuring two others, officials have confirmed.

The incident occurred just after midnight near the Savyolovsky Train Station in the Russian capital’s downtown area, according to Moscow’s Interior Ministry branch. The assailant reportedly approached a traffic police car before detonating the device, resulting in the immediate death of an officer and hospitalisation for two colleagues.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry into the attack. No details regarding the assailant’s identity, potential motives, or further specifics have been released.

Ukrainians who have fled the ongoing war in their home country with Russia are being given longer to renew their stay in the UK.

The Government said it had trebled the period during which people can apply to extend their stay to 90 days after Ukrainians raised concerns that 28 days was too short a window and caused undue stress and uncertainty about their legal status in the UK.

The announcement came on the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Migration minister Mike Tapp told Ukrainians the UK “will remain your safe haven for as long as the war continues”.

There were 278,529 visas issued between the Ukraine schemes opening in 2022 and the end of September last year, according to the latest Home Office data published in November.

Mr Tapp said: “We have listened to the concerns of the Ukrainian community and acted to offer greater peace of mind. This country will remain your safe haven for as long as the war continues.

“Britain will always offer sanctuary to those in genuine need.”

South Africa’s government has said that 11 of a group of 17 men who were lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine were set to return home soon, after an initial four landed back in the country last week.

A further two remained in Russia, with one in a hospital in Moscow, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement.

Ramaphosa raised the fate of the 17 men, who sent distress calls to the South African government in November after getting trapped in Ukraine’s Donbas region, in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month.

Reports of African men being lured into Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine’s front line have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved.

A Kenyan intelligence report presented to lawmakers last week estimated that more than 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine. Kenya’s foreign minister has said he plans to visit Russia to address the issue.

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that it was “only a matter of time” before his country recovered all of its lost territory.

But for months, opposing forces have been locked in a stalemate along a 1,200km (745-mile) frontline as developments in tactics and technology slow progress to a crawl.

Diplomatic efforts are at a similar impasse, with neither side appearing to have the momentum on the battlefield to force the other into making concessions.

Ahead of an expected fourth round of direct talks this week, Russia still clings to its maximalist demands for territory, while Ukraine says it cannot and will not give its eastern provinces to the aggressor.

The Independent’s James Reynolds reports:

During his televised speech, Putin also accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage the peace process by threatening Russian energy pipelines.

He claimed Ukraine was working with Western intelligence agencies to threaten infrastructure.

In his address earlier today to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky called for Donald Trump to visit Ukraine.

“Only by coming to Ukraine, and seeing with one’s own eyes our life and our struggle, feeling our people and the enormity of this pain – only then can one understand what this war is really about. And because of whom. Who the aggressor is here and who must be pressured,” the Ukrainian president said in the address, as he stressed the importance of a visit by Trump.

He said Ukraine is defending life, adding that it is “not a street fight” but an “attack by a sick state on a sovereign one”.

Zelensky added: “Putin is this war. He is the cause of its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in its place. So that there can be real peace.”

Speaking at the FSB’s annual assembly, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin blames Ukraine of trying to torpedo the ongoing peace process.

He said that Ukraine and its allies are so determined to defeat Russia that they are pushing themselves to the edge – something “they will regret”.

He also accuses blames a claimed spike in recent terror attacks in Russia on Ukraine and Western intelligence agencies.