Vladimir Putin said that the Russian military plane that crashed near the border was shot down by Ukrainian air defense on purpose or by mistake. Moscow blames Kyiv for shooting down an Il-76 jet over Russia’s Belgorod region on Wednesday, killing 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian military prisoners. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that it shot down the plane, and denied Moscow’s version of who was on board and what happened.

A Ukrainian soldier with a mortar in Donetsk regionPhoto: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

All information about the war in Ukraine – day 703 – LIVE on HotNews.ro:

06:35 The Biden administration is working on a long-term strategy to support Kyiv, despite the funding impasse in Congress. But these plans do not foresee significant successes of Ukraine against Russia in 2024.

01:40 After a few days ago, President Zelensky announced to his compatriots about “serious problems” with the business environment, on Friday evening he announced that he had a meeting with the tax office and that a communication mechanism with entrepreneurs had been created.

01:17 Russia’s Investigative Committee released a video on Friday that it said showed Ukrainian prisoners of war boarding a Russian military transport plane that crashed on Wednesday.

A brief summary of recent events:

  • The President of the House of Representatives believes that there is no agreement in the US Congress on aid to Ukraine.
  • Hungary is “further complicating” negotiations on EU aid to Ukraine, a senior EU official says.
  • European Union leaders are considering a so-called “nuclear option,” suspending a member state’s voting rights if Hungary blocks a deal on a multi-year, €50 billion package for Ukraine at a summit next week, multiple European sources told Politico. EU.
  • The UN Commissioner for Refugees notes that the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is very serious. “Airstrikes occur every day.”
  • Vladimir Putin has said that the Russian Il-76 military transport plane that crashed on Wednesday was shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire and that the authorities in Kyiv knew that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board.
  • The Kremlin denies that Putin has hinted in U.S. signals that he might abandon key demands on Ukraine.
  • NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said he expects Hungary’s parliament to ratify Sweden’s accession as soon as it reconvenes in late February.
  • “There is no need to prepare for war,” Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Čolaku responded on Friday, in the context of which several European leaders and the top of NATO publicly spoke about the expansion of the war with Russia at the European level.
  • VIDEO Think outside the box: A unique way in which Ukrainians used remote control robots at the front.
  • The manufacturing company admitted that the hypersonic Zircon missiles, which the Russians continue to boast about, still need time to be put into service.
  • German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for a “serious national debate” on the future of the country’s armed forces, saying they are currently unable to meet the security challenges facing Europe.

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  • Friday’s events regarding Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro