“Ukraine confirms poisoning of intelligence chief’s wife by an Ukraine’s military intelligence official who has stated that Marianna Budanova, wife of Ukraine’s intelligence head, Kyrylo Budanov, has been poisoned and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital. The poisoning was previously reported by Ukrainian media outlets and confirmed by an official at the GUR military intelligence agency, Andriy Yusov. Budanova, an adviser to the Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, was hospitalized after her condition took a turn for the worse.
In other news, Finland has announced the closure of its entire border with Russia to travelers for the next two weeks to halt the flow of asylum seekers to the Nordic nation. Similarly, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reported that Russian forces have made further small advances on the northern axis of a pincer movement as part of an attempt to surround Avdiivka.
The recent photos from the newswires show the devastating impact of the war in Russia-controlled Ukraine, where families are trying to cope with the constant shelling.
As the war in Ukraine drags on, Canada’s foreign minister has reaffirmed Ukraine’s current strategy to defeat Russia. On the same note, Lithuania’s foreign minister emphasized the importance of the western allies continuing to support Ukraine and the consequences of failing to provide Ukraine with enough ammunition.
Most discussions surrounding Ukraine’s war with Russia seem to focus on the context of foreign support and strategy, as the fate of the proposed US and EU military aid packages remains uncertain.
However, the controversial attendance of the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, at the OSCE meeting in Skopje continues to spark deep divisions among European nations, with Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania boycotting the meeting in response to Lavrov’s invitation.
Despite Bulgaria’s decision to open its airspace to the Russian minister, Ukraine has announced that it will boycott the OSCE meeting if Russia is allowed to attend.
Meanwhile, the UK’s foreign secretary is expected to show Britain’s unwavering support for Ukraine at his first Nato foreign ministers meeting in Brussels today.”
