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Ukraine Invasion
Defense Policy / Programs
Foreign Policy
News Reports

Ukraine Invasion

• Statement by Russian Defence Ministry Russia MoD 20 Feb 2024 -- At around 08.00 a.m., the Russian Armed Forces have foiled another attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by fixed-wing UAVs against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation.
• Statement by Russian Defence Ministry Russia MoD 20 Feb 2024 -- At night, the Russian Armed Forces have foiled another attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by three fixed-wing UAVs against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation.
• Russian Forces Carried Out Operation to Take Control of Avdeyevka With Minimal Losses - Shoigu Sputnik 20 Feb 2024 -- Russia has been preparing the operation to take control of Avdeyevka since the fall of 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
• Medvedev says drones change fate of war as Russia flies flag in Ukraine's Avdiivka Press TV 20 Feb 2024 -- Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says drones are taking over the modern military landscape amid Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine, urging an increase in the production of drones.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu President of Russia 20 Feb 2024 -- The President met with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Kremlin.
• Meeting with Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev President of Russia 20 Feb 2024 -- The President had a working meeting with Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev. The Minister of Agriculture informed the President about humanitarian aid shipments to six countries on the African continent.
• Russia Always Against Deployment of Nuclear Weapons in Space - Putin Sputnik 20 Feb 2024 -- Russia has always been against deployment of nuclear weapons in space, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday during a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
• Reconstituted Wagner Group Expanding Russian Influence In Africa, Mideast, Report Finds RFE/RL 20 Feb 2024 -- Russia is using unconventional methods to expand its influence, evade containment, and destabilize and disrupt its adversaries, including a rebranding of the private Wagner mercenary group that is making progress in forwarding the Kremlin's Africa policy to gain access to natural resources, according to a new report.
• About 32,000 NATO Troops Deployed Near Russia, Belarus Borders - Lukashenko Sputnik 20 Feb 2024 -- About 32,000 NATO soldiers, over 1,000 armored vehicles, 235 airplanes and helicopters are deployed near Russia's and Belarus's borders, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

Foreign Policy

• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to media questions at a joint news conference following talks with Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil, Caracas, February 20, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20 Feb 2024
• Comment for the media by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following the talks with Miguel Díaz-Canel, President of Cuba and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Havana, February 19, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20 Feb 2024
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks during talks with Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil, Caracas, February 20, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20 Feb 2024
• Moscow City Court Rejects U.S. Journalist Gershkovich's Appeal Against His Pretrial Detention RFE/RL 20 Feb 2024 -- The Moscow City Court rejected another appeal by U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich over his pretrial detention on an espionage charge that he, his employer, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and the U.S. government reject.
• Russia: Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Mission to the EU summoned by the EEAS European External Action Service (EEAS) 20 Feb 2024 -- The EEAS Managing Director for Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, regional cooperation and OSCE, Michael Siebert, summoned the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union, Kirill Logvinov, in Brussels.
• Comment by Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna on Russia's hybrid operation against Estonia Estonia MFA 20 Feb 2024 -- It is clear that Russia is systematically trying to undermine our society by organising hybrid operations against our state, our people and our security. It is also clear that we will not break and for us, there is nothing surprising about Russia's hybrid activities.
• Tsahkna in Brussels: Navalny's murderer Putin must get a strong response from the EU Estonia MFA 20 Feb 2024 -- On 19 February, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, where the agenda included comprehensive support to Ukraine, the death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, and the situation in the Middle East and the Sahel.
• MFA statement on summoning to MFA of Ambassador of Russian Federation Sergey Andreev Poland - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20 Feb 2024 -- On 20 February 2024, Ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergey Andreev was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The MFA called on the Russian authorities to take responsibility for the death of Alexei Navalny and conduct a full and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances and the cause of his death.
• China slams NATO over 'hyping' death of Russian opposition figure Press TV 20 Feb 2024 -- China has criticized US-led NATO countries for hyping up the death of the Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, asking them to "stop their tricks", and interference in the internal matters of other countries.
• N Korean leader receives a luxurious car gift from Putin: state media Radio Free Asia 20 Feb 2024 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a Russian-made passenger car, according to the North Korean media, the latest sign of the enhanced ties between the two nations.
• Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Receives Gift from Russian President KCNA 20 Feb 2024 -- Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), was presented with a car made in Russia for his personal use by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation.
• There's no alternative to JCPOA: Russia IRNA 20 Feb 2024 -- Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's ambassador and permanent representative to international organizations based in Vienna has reiterated that there is no alternative to the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA.

News Reports

• 'If Anyone Can Continue His Work, Yulia Can': Navalny's Widow Steps Forward In Russian Opposition's Darkest Hour RFE/RL 20 Feb 2024 -- Fighting back her emotions just days after her husband's suspicious death in a remote Russian prison, Yulia Navalnaya, the 47-year-old widow of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, vowed to press on with her husband's activism against the increasingly authoritarian government of President Vladimir Putin.
• In Video Message, Navalny's Mother Pleads With Putin To Return Her Son's Body RFE/RL 20 Feb 2024 -- Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny's mother has made an impassioned plea to Russian President Vladimir Putin to release the body of her son, who died on February 16 in a remote Arctic penal colony, as outrage mounts over the authorities' handling of Navalny's death.
• Navalny's Mother Pleads With Putin to Release Her Son's Body VOA 20 Feb 2024 -- The mother of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny pleaded Tuesday with President Vladimir Putin to intervene and release her son's body to her so he can be buried with dignity.