Ukraine-Russia War – Live: Moscow warns of all-out war in Europe as President Zelenskiy’s motorcade nearly collides

Moscow’s chief rabbi, Pinchas Goldschmidt, witnessed Putin’s rise firsthand, writes Adam Luck.

Now in exile after criticizing the Ukraine war, he is issuing a stark warning to the West – and the Russian leader is looking beyond Kiev.

Read the full interview on Independent Premium here:

A massive explosion rang out near Ukraine’s Odesa port as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Greek Prime Minister concluded a visit to the war-torn southern city on Wednesday.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his delegation got into a car when they heard the explosion, calling it a “sharp reminder” that Odesa is embroiled in a war with Russia. . Mitsotakis said it’s one thing to hear about war and “an entirely different thing to experience it firsthand.”

President Zelenskiy said it was unclear how many people were killed and injured in the explosion. “You know what we’re dealing with. They don’t care where they attack,” he told reporters. Russian officials had no immediate comment.

Lithuanian intelligence said in a report Thursday that high oil prices, sanctions avoidance and state investments provide Russia with enough resources to continue fighting the situation in Ukraine at its current intensity for at least two more years. Ta.

“Moscow can evaluate the lessons learned and improve combat effectiveness,” Lithuanian officials added in the report, which was banned from publication Thursday morning.

The joint report was produced by two agencies: the National Security Agency, the counterintelligence arm, and the Defense Intelligence and Security Agency, a military unit under the Department of Defense.

Russia’s defense minister said on Tuesday that the country had strengthened its military forces in the north and west of the country in response to a perceived buildup of NATO forces on its borders.

A fire has reportedly broken out at a military academy in the city of Kazan that trains future Russian tank commanders and crews.

Unverified footage posted on social media showed gray smoke billowing into the sky from what state media said was the city’s Advanced Tank Command School.

The news agency said firefighters were at the scene Thursday extinguishing the blaze.

Interfax news agency said the fire was still burning but had been extinguished.

There were no injuries and initial information indicated the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring, the statement said.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that it had summoned the U.S. ambassador to Moscow and warned him against “attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.”

Ahead of Russia’s presidential election on March 15, the country said in a statement that such acts “will be firmly and categorically suppressed, including the expulsion of US embassy personnel involved in such acts as ‘persona non grata.’ “I will.”

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Ukraine conflict, independent person is hosting a virtual event that explores the grim underbelly of war, with a first-hand perspective from a former British Army soldier captured by the Russians.

Sean Pinner, along with journalist Tim White, will recount how he was captured by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic after the siege of Mariupol and later released in a prisoner exchange.

A senior Russian military official has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could escalate into an all-out war in Europe.

Russian state-run RIA news agency reported on Thursday that Colonel Vladimir Zardonitsky, director of the Military Academy of the Russian Army General Staff, made the comments in an article in “Military Thought.”

RIA quoted him as saying, “The possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, from the expansion of participants in “proxy forces” used in military conflicts with Russia to a large-scale war in Europe, cannot be ruled out.” ” he said.

“The main source of military threats to our country is the anti-Russian forces of the United States and its allies, who are conducting a new type of hybrid warfare in order to weaken Russia in every possible way, limit its sovereignty and destroy its territory. “It’s policy. Integrity,” he reportedly said.

“The likelihood that our country will intentionally become involved in a new military conflict has increased significantly.”

Russia has lost 421,430 soldiers in the Ukraine war since the invasion began in February 2022, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the Ukrainian military, Russia lost 6,695 tanks, 10,350 artillery systems, 1,009 multiple rocket systems, 701 air defense systems, 347 planes, 325 helicopters, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine.

The war in Ukraine could escalate into an all-out war across Europe, a senior Russian military official has warned, adding that the chances of Russian forces being drawn into a new conflict have increased “significantly”.

According to a report by the Russian state news agency RIA, Colonel Vladimir Zardonitsky, head of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, made the comments in an article in “Military Thought.”

“We cannot rule out the possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, from the expansion of participation in ‘proxy forces’ used in military conflicts with Russia to a major war in Europe,” he said.

“The main source of military threats to our country is the anti-Russian forces of the United States and its allies, who are conducting a new type of hybrid warfare in order to weaken Russia in every possible way, limit its sovereignty and destroy its territory. “It’s policy. Integrity,” he reportedly said.

President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, in February 2022, and have since occupied significant areas of the country’s eastern and southeastern provinces. Western allies provide weapons, training and financial support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but do not directly send troops to the conflict.