5 Major Updates: New Russian offensive could begin next week?

The Ukrainian military is preparing for a potential major Russian offensive as Moscow’s invasion approaches the one-year mark. President Volodymyr Zelensky told the war-torn nation in his nightly address Sunday that the neighbour has thrown more troops into battle.

The Governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk province says Russia is pouring in reinforcements for a major offensive that could start after February 15, Al-Jazeera reported.

5 Significant Updates

• Russia on Tuesday raised warnings against an increase in Western arms leading to NATO’s involvement. Currently, the United States is the biggest arms supplier to war-ravaged Ukraine, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany.
• Ukraine’s parliament has approved changes to the 2023 state budget to increase spending by $150 million in order to finance and modernise hospitals, reconstruct bridges, and support small businesses.
• Sweden has expressed its readiness to restart negotiations over its application to join the military alliance as soon as Turkey wants. The Scandinavian nation and its neighbour Finland had applied for NATO membership shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Ankara suspended talks last month following protests in Stockholm, where a copy of the Quran was burned in front of its embassy.
• Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who recently said Russian athletes could participate in the 2024 Olympic Games, has changed her position.
• In the latest row over chemical weapons, Russia’s state Investigative Committee said it is examining the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces. But Ukraine’s Armed Forces have denied using such non-conventional weapons and have instead accused the neighbouring nation of engaging in disinformation and of itself using banned weapons.