LIVE – Ukraine: Two Russian ships reportedly attacked in Crimea

Russia's intelligence activities pose a major threat to Finland's security, the Finnish Intelligence Service (Supo) said in its annual report on Tuesday. Russia, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Finland, views its neighbor as an “unfriendly country and a target of espionage and malicious influence.” “Counterintelligence operations, expulsions of intelligence officers and strict visa policy allowed Finland to weaken conditions for Russian human intelligence last year, intelligence operations remain a threat,” he adds.

“This is a long-term threat, an easy way for Russia to keep Finland under its protection,” Subo's interim president Teemu Duranen was quoted as saying in the press release.

NATO is “considering shooting down Russian missiles approaching its borders,” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said on Tuesday. “Various ideas are being analyzed within NATO, including the possibility of shooting down these missiles when they are too close to the borders of one of the member states,” he said. “Russia knows that if a missile comes close to Poland, it will be shot down. There will be a counterattack,” he added, referring to the Politype that recently flew over Polish airspace.

Almost two years after Emmanuel Macron's appeal to arms manufacturers, the government wants to maintain military support for Ukraine while achieving its sovereignty objectives. To do this, the Minister of Armed Forces did not “reject” requests to speed up production.

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced Tuesday that he “does not rule out” requiring manufacturers to prioritize military needs in order to speed up production of personnel, stocks or production equipment.

“For the first time, I do not exclude what the law allows the Minister and the General Representative (DGA) to do, that is, if there is no account based on production rates and deadlines, to make requests. If necessary or use the right of priority”, confirmed the Minister during a press conference in the presence of all the heads of staff.

The powerful secretary of Russia's Security Council told Russian media on Tuesday that Ukraine was behind the attack on Crocus City Hall, which killed at least 139 people, although the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility.

“Of course it's Ukraine,” Nikolai Patrushev told Russian agencies, responding to a question about whether Kyiv or IS planned the attack.

“We are paying for the underinvestment of the past,” said Sébastien Lecornu, citing 2007 and recognizing the desire to separate from the powder industry.

According to the Minister of the Armed Forces, “average orders between 2012 and 2016 were 9.5 billion euros. In 2023, this will be 20 billion in order receipts.”

“We have completely changed the times. It gives vision to our businessmen,” the minister said.

The Ukrainian navy said on Tuesday it had hit two more Russian ships during Sunday's strikes in annexed Crimea, after Kyiv had already announced the first two Russian ships had been hit.

In addition to the Yamal and Azov vessels reported on Sunday, “Ukrainian defense forces were able to attack the reconnaissance vessel Ivan Kurz and the large amphibious vessel Kostyantin Olsansky,” the Ukrainian Navy said.

A Russian court on Tuesday extended until June 30 the pretrial detention of American journalist Ivan Gershkovich, who was arrested a year ago on espionage charges.

“The Moscow City Court considered the request of the preliminary investigation authorities and extended the term of Ivan Gershkovich's detention until June 30, 2024,” the news service of Moscow courts reported on Telegram.

A national belonging to a pro-Ukraine group was killed in a bomb blast while being arrested in the Samara region where he was planning an attack, the Russian Security Services (FSB) said.

“When the teacher was arrested, the bomb he was holding exploded, causing non-life-threatening injuries. Members of the security forces and civilians were not injured,” FSB state agency Ria Novosti said, without saying. Was the explosion intentional or accidental? According to this source, the individual was a member of the “Russian Volunteer Corps,” a group fighting against Kremlin forces based in Ukraine.

Five people were injured in a rocket attack from Ukraine on the Russian region of Belgorod, Russian officials said on Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said it destroyed 13 rockets fired by vampire organizations in the Belgorod region during the night from Monday to Tuesday.

“For me, this episode is a personal wound,” LCI Vladimir Fedorovsky, a historian and former Russian diplomat, described Friday's attack in Moscow as an “absolute tragedy” that reminded us that “radical Islam” is a “mortal enemy.” of Civilization”.

Two of the suspects arrested for participating in Friday's attack in Moscow traveled freely between Russia and Turkey and boarded a flight together to return to Russia on March 2, a Turkish security source said.

“The two men were free to travel freely between Russia and Turkey without arrest warrants against them,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

• The military announced on Monday that Ukrainian forces were in a “difficult” situation near the town of Chasiv Yar in the east of the country, where Russia is concentrating its offensive.
• In a sign of ties to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin admitted for the first time on Monday that the attack near Moscow was carried out by “radical Islamists”. “Why did the terrorists, after their crime, try to go to Ukraine? Who was waiting for them there? Supporters of the Kiev regime do not want to be accomplices of terrorism and supporters of terrorism, but many questions arise. He said.
• At least 139 people were killed and 182 injured in a terrorist attack near Moscow, according to a new report released Monday evening.
• Kyiv is ready to establish a “system of export licenses” for grain for Poland, the Ukrainian agriculture minister said on Monday. He is due to meet his colleagues from the twenty-seventh in Brussels this Tuesday.
• On Monday, 10 people were injured by debris from a Russian missile shot down at Kew. It was the third airstrike on the capital in five days.
• The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, on Monday urged the US Patriot to provide anti-aircraft systems “capable of repelling any Russian attack”. “Patriots must stop here and now to save human lives,” he said at X.