Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow warns West ‘directly involved’ in conflict after tank deal

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has accused the West of “direct involvement” in the conflict over the provision of tanks to Ukraine.

“European capitals and Washington constantly give statements that sending various types of weapons, including tanks, in no way means their involvement in hostilities,” Mr Peskov told Sky News.

“We strongly disagree with this. In Moscow, this is perceived as direct involvement in the conflict and we see that this is growing.”

The US State Department has placed 531 members of the Russian military on a travel blacklist for actions that threaten or violate the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.

“This action supports our goal to degrade Moscow’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine, to promote accountability for those responsible for Russia’s war of aggression and associated abuses, and to place further pressure on Russia’s defence sector,” US secretary of state Antony Blinken said.

It came as Joe Biden’s administration also expanded sanctions against Russia’s Wagner Group (see post below).

The United States has increased its sanctions against Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group and dozens of its affiliates, some in Africa and the Middle East.

The sanctions also hit the president of Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern, the original manufacturer of the AK-47 assault rifle, and a company known as Spacety China, which has supplied Wagner Group affiliates with satellite imagery of Ukraine that supports Wagner’s military operations there.

“Today’s expanded sanctions on Wagner, as well as new sanctions on their associates and other companies enabling the Russian military complex, will further impede Putin’s ability to arm and equip his war machine,” said US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen.

Meduza, one of Russia’s most widely-read independent news sites, has been branded an “undesirable organisation” by Moscow – effectively outlawing it from operating in Russia.

Russia’s general prosecutor said the Latvia-based news outlet “poses a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system and the security of the Russian Federation”, as the site joined more than 50 other organisations on the “undesirable” list.

The news site said it would continue to work, despite the designation, publishing an article which said: “Undesirable organisations are banned from operating on Russian territory under threat of felony prosecution.

“Anyone who ‘participates or cooperates’ with such groups can face felony prosecution – an especially serious limitation for journalists who must speak to sources to report the news.”

Shortly after invading Ukraine, Russia’s parliament passed legislation outlining jail terms of up to five years for “discrediting” the armed forces and up to 15 years for spreading “deliberately false information” about them.

Upon passing the laws last March, Russian authorities moved swiftly to block access to dozens of websites, including Meduza’s, spurring dozens of Russian and international news outlets to leave the country.

Another independent news site, Mediazona, said on Thursday its publisher Pyotr Verzilov had been accused of spreading “fakes” about the army, motivated by political hatred.

Ukrainian officials who shirk their duties during wartime will be quickly removed, an aide to Volodymyr Zelensky has said, after a week in which more than a dozen people have been removed from their post, including a deputy defence minister and presidential aide.

“Everyone should understand their level of responsibility to the country and nation during the war. Whoever forgets about it receives a quick reaction,” said Andriy Yermak, the head of Mr Zelensky’s office.

“This will happen to everyone who allows themselves to forget [their duties], regardless of names and offices,” Yermak wrote on Twitter.

France and Italy are close to finalising the technical details to supply an SAMP/T air defence system to Ukraine, two diplomatic sources have told Reuters.

Kyiv specifically requested the system – the only one in Europe capable of intercepting ballistic missiles – in November, and both nations’ defence ministers are set to meet in Italy on Friday.

“We are finalising it with the Italians. It’s not very far off,” said a French diplomatic source.

“A political decision was made. It’s now just finalising the technical details because it’s a complicated system,” said a second diplomat, adding that the expectation was that France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni would make the decision official.

The system, known as Mamba, is capable of intercepting 10 targets at once.

A lieutenant colonel in Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, Kyiv has said.

The official allegedy sent data to his Russian handlers revealing the location of military checkpoints and other “secret information”, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said.

A search found mobile phones, Russian SIM cards, cash and other evidence proving “longstanding ties” to Russian state and law enforcement structures, the bureau said.

“Today the service works as a single team and is doing the maximum for Ukraine’s victory,” said SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk. “And the self-cleansing of our ranks from traitors is an important part of this process.”

Volodymyr Zelensky fired the previous SBU director, a childhood friend of his, last July, citing collaboration with Russia by officials in the powerful agency.

A famous Russian comic has been referred to prosecutors over a new song satirising Moscow’s war in Ukraine – by a patriotic organisation which believes it discredits the army, which now a criminal offence.

The song, by Semyon Slepakov, is called “Lullaby” and likens Russia, with dark irony, to a mother who glorifies the idea of dying on the battlefields of Ukraine and believes it is her sons’ duty to lay down their lives for her own greatness.

Slepakov has more than 1.4 million followers on YouTube, where a video of him singing his song with a guitar has been viewed over 700,000 times since it was released on Tuesday and tens of thousands of times on other platforms.

Our international correspondent Borzou Daragahi reports:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has has created a moment of existential crisis for Europe, with Finland and Sweden seeking the security of Nato membership. However Turkey’s opposition to that expansion – as its leader faces a tight spring presidential election – threatens that plan.

Turkey’s long-troubled relationship with Sweden has taken on a whole new dimension since the burning of a copy of the Quran by a far-right politician at a protest outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm at the weekend, and demonstrators last week also hung an effigy of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan from a lamppost in the Swedish capital.

“At this point I fail to see how the situation could get even worse,” says Paul Levin, an international affairs expert focused on Turkey and Europe at Stockholm University.

“It’s a volatile mix of a Turkish president facing an election and needing a fight, and Swedish groups on the far right and left who may use free speech to provoke Erdogan in order to sabotage the Nato process.”

You can read the full report here: