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Leaders of Italy, Canada and Belgium and European Commission president arrive in Ukrainian capital
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has demanded that Russian authorities release his body for burial and accused a “demonic” Russian president Vladimir Putin of “torturing” his corpse.
In a six minute video posted on YouTube, Navalnaya accused Putin of holding her husband’s body “hostage”, and questioned Putin’s often-professed Christian faith, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian spy plane on Friday, the air force chief said. If confirmed, it would be a major win for the country as the war enters its third year. Gen Mykola Oleshchuk thanked Ukraine’s military intelligence for helping down the A-50 early warning and control aircraft. Ukrainian media carried footage purportedly showing a huge fire that erupted when the big warplane crashed in the Krasnodar region on the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov. Russia’s military did not comment, but emergency officials in the Krasnodar region said a plane crashed in the area, without identifying it. Several Russian military bloggers confirmed the plane’s loss. It would be the second such aircraft Ukraine shot down in just over a month.
Ukraine on Saturday marked two years since Russia’s invasion, entering a new year of war weakened by a lack of western aid and ammunition while Russia is emboldened by fresh gains. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that decisions on arms supplies had to be “the priority”. The overall picture remains uncertain for Kyiv due to the US Congress blocking a vital $60bn (£47bn/€55bn) aid package and delays in promised European deliveries.
Russian drones attacked Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday for the second night running, hitting a residential building, killing one person and injuring three, the regional governor said. In all, six people died and 12 were injured in various Ukrainian regions over 24 hours. Odesa’s regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said on Telegram that the body of a man had been recovered from under rubble in the city. Three people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
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