Russia Ukraine war live: Drones cut power to Crimea as Germany says allies ‘not angry or upset’ over leaks

As part of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s ever-increasing clampdown on dissent, authorities in recent years have adopted a slew of laws restricting fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech and assembly, as well as the rights of minorities and religious groups.

These laws have taken aim at “foreign agents” allegedly seeking to exert influence on Russia, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and organizations spreading information critical of the Kremlin or contrary to official narratives, especially regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

They have helped the Kremlin to maintain tight control over the country’s political system, and as a result, Putin is expected to extend his rule virtually unchallenged in a presidential election this month.

Human rights advocates worry that more repressions are ahead.

Here’s a look at some of the restrictive laws passed in Russia:

Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, has also claimed that Moscow is likely to have tapped into the call not through a spy or targeted surveillance, but by widespread monitoring.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, he said that the unnamed senior military officer had called in from Singapore where an air show with other high-ranking European military officials was taking place – and then dialled into the Webex call using either his mobile phone or the hotel’s wifi but not a secured line – as would be mandatory for such calls.

Ukraine downed at least 38 drones fired by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a morning update.

At least 42 Shahed-type attack drones were fired by Russia, it added.

Russian forces fired five S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles using the occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk oblast and also fired drones from the illegally occupied Crimea, the air force said.

Several drones were also fired from the Kursk oblast and the Russian port city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk in southern Krasnodar Krai.

Ukraine’s Air Force said it activated mobile fire groups and anti-aircraft missile units over various parts of Ukraine. Several explosions were also reported overnight in the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Khmelnytskyi.

Russia and China are considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon from 2033-35, Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said on Tuesday, something he said could one day allow lunar settlements to be built

Borisov, a former deputy defence minister, said that Russia and China had been jointly working on a lunar programme and that Moscow was able to contribute with its expertise on “nuclear space energy”.

“Today we are seriously considering a project – somewhere at the turn of 2033-2035 – to deliver and install a power unit on the lunar surface together with our Chinese colleagues,” Borisov said.

“Solar panels would not be able to provide enough electricity to power future lunar settlements, he said, while nuclear power could.“This is a very serious challenge…it should be done in automatic mode, without the presence of humans,” he said of the possible plan.

Borisov spoke also of Russian plans to build a nuclear-powered cargo spaceship. He said all the technical questions concerning the project had been solved apart from finding a solution on how to cool the nuclear reactor.

“We are indeed working on a space tugboat. This huge, cyclopean structure that would be able, thanks to a nuclear reactor and a high-power turbines…to transport large cargoes from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications,” Borisov said.

Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska has declined the White House’s invitation to attend the 7 March State of the Union address, reported The Washington Post.

A White House official said that the Ukrainian official’s decision was likely influenced by “schedule conflicts”, adding that the seating plan is typically finalised towards the end of the planning process.

The report added that the initial seating plan for the top leaders included Jill Biden alongside Olena Zelenska and Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny.

Sources aware of the development said the seating arrangement at the address was aimed to present a powerful image of both women being symbolic representation against the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Uncrewed, remote-controlled boats have been around since the end of World War II. Late last century, technological innovations broadened their potential uses.

Ukraine claims it is the first country to set up a specific unit dedicated to producing them. Yemen-based Houthis have also deployed armed unmanned surface vessels as suicide drone boats that explode upon impact.

The 2-year-old Ukraine conflict has become a laboratory for new military technology, and naval drones are set to become an essential part of the combat toolbox in 21st-century warfare.

Unmanned vessels — also called drone boats or maritime drones — have had a broad range of applications for years. They have been employed for scientific research, search and rescue operations, surveillance and coastal patrols.

Read the full story here…

Russia scrambled an Su-27 fighter jet to escort two French fighter jets and a reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

It claimed the escorting was done to “prevent them from violating the Russian state border”.

The ministry claimed that after the Russian fighter approaching the foreign military aircraft made a U-turn and left the airspace over the Black Sea.

France has not issued a comment on claims from the Russian Defence Ministry.

Ukraine has claimed it had sunk another Russian warship in the Black Sea using high-tech sea drones.

Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said a special operations unit destroyed the large patrol ship Sergey Kotov overnight with Magura V5 uncrewed vessels that are designed and built in Ukraine and laden with explosives.

Ukraine said the cost of the sunken patrol ship, which was hit near the Kerch Strait, was $65m (£51.2m).

A video posted on social media appears to show the moment the Sergey Kotov was hit.

Russian authorities have not confirmed the claim.

Ukraine’s war-time leader Volodymyr Zelensky has not sought foreign troops on the battlefield but weapons and aid, the White House said yesterday.

Answering a question on France’s suggestion of Western boots on the ground in Ukraine, John Kirby, the White House’s national security council coordinator for strategic communications, said the US does not intend to send troops to fight the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

“He’s [Joe Biden] also been very clear since the very beginning of this war: There’s not going to be US troops on the ground fighting inside Ukraine. And you know what? President Zelensky isn’t asking for that. He’s just asking for the tools and capabilities,” Mr Kirby said at a regular press briefing last night.

Mr Zelensky has “never asked for foreign troops to fight for his country”, Mr Kirby said. “He – he and his troops want to do that. But they need the tools, and that’s what we need to help with,” he said.