A Russian governor blamed a fire at an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Ukrainian forces. Vyacheslav Gladkov said two Ukrainian helicopters started the fire.
Yet a German journalist claimed that Ukraine’s General Staff has denied having knowledge of the attack, suggesting the attack could have been a Russian false-flag operation to justify attacks on Ukraine.
Fox News has as yet been unable to confirm the report.
Zelenskyy demotes two generals, calls them ‘traitors’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a speech Friday that he has demoted two of his own generals, describing them as “traitors.”
“Today another decision was made. Regarding antiheroes. Now I do not have time to deal with all the traitors. But they will all be punished,” Zelenskyy said.
“That is why the ex-chief of the Main Department of Internal Security of the Security Service of Ukraine Naumov Andriy Olehovych and the former head of the Office of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region Kryvoruchko Serhiy Oleksandrovych are no longer generals,” he continued.
Zelenskyy didn’t explicitly say why the generals were demoted, but said “according to Article 48 of the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, those servicemen among senior officers who have not decided where their homeland is, who violates the military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people as regards the protection of our state, its freedom and independence, will inevitably be deprived of senior military ranks. Random generals don’t belong here!
Ukraine claims Russian forces have left Chernobyl, handed over control
Ukraine state energy company Energoatom said Friday that Russian forces have handed back control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Energoatom claimed the pullout happened after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone around the closed plant.
Yevhen Kramarenko, the leader of the agency in charge of the area, confirmed the departure of Russian troops from the Chernobyl plant, but added that “Russians were seen in the exclusion zone this morning,” according to Reuters.
Energoatom said Thursday that the Russian soldiers were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus and that its forces were also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Republican Governor sends military equipment to Ukraine
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Thursday that his state is sending 9,000 pounds of equipment and supplies to Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.
“Arizona stands with Ukraine. Everyday citizens are risking their lives, fighting for their freedom, and deserve all the assistance we can give them,” Ducey said in a statement. “These surplus bullet proof vests and armor will help as they defend their country from Vladimir Putin.”
Eleven local, county, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies donated the equipment, which includes 874 bullet proof vests, 77 helmets, miscellaneous tactical clothing, footwear, pads and shields. The Ukrainian Relief Group will transport the 17 pallets of equipment to the besieged European country in the next two weeks, according to the governor’s office.
Georgia, the country just south of Russia’s border near the Caucasus Mountains — a country which Russia invaded in 2008 — has joined the Western effort to place sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, just over a month after Tblisi said it would not do so.
Georgia joins Western sanctions effort against Russia
“We are participating in all the international financial sanctions [on Russia and that really already means something for our financial sector,” Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said Thursday. “As of now, we also participate in all international resolutions that are being created to support Ukraine.”
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Feb. 25 that the country did not plan to impose sanctions on Russia. Later, the country’s National Bank restricted the Georgian branch of VTB bank’s ability to serve individuals and borrowers due to Western sanctions on Russia.
The leader of Georgia’s Moscow-backed separatist region of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, announced Thursday that the region is looking to hold a referendum on joining Russia. Tblisi called this move “unacceptable.”
“I believe that the unification with Russia is our strategic goal,” Bibilov told Russian state television. “It is our path. And the South Ossetia will move on that path.”
Cracks in the Kremlin
It’s been said more than once in recent days that Russian President Putin has likely been misinformed by his security and military services about the war in Ukraine–from the initial prospects for victory to progress on the ground. To date, no one suggests this is part of a conspiracy but rather the result of advisors being afraid to tell Putin things he doesn’t want to hear.
It may be that now finally, Putin has become clear-headed, seeing that a month in, Russia has not achieved its goals that were supposed to have come with lightning speed. It did not take Ukraine in a couple of days. Without regrouping or changing tack, the path ahead looks long and uncertain.
And now Putin’s inner circle, which once appeared to be in lockstep about the war and the officially declared reasons for it, is quite split between those who want to cut Russia’s losses and run and those who want to fight until the bitter end, to deliver Ukraine in its entirety to the Russian people. “Some think that Russia should be realistic about its goals and about its resources,” Oleg Ignatov of the International Crisis Group, told Fox News.