1 RUSSIA
West wants to ‘dismember’ Russia, Putin claims
Vladimir Putin accused the west of seeking to “dismember” Russia. In an interview with the state TV channel Rossiya, Putin claimed the US and its Nato allies wanted to “inflict a strategic defeat on us”. The aim, he said, was to “make our people suffer”, adding: “How can we ignore their nuclear capabilities in these conditions?”
Russia’s president said this alleged plot had been under way since the collapse of the USSR, adding that the west was complicit in Ukraine’s “crimes”. If Washington got its way, Russia would be divided into Moscow, the Urals, and other disparate regions, he said, claiming there was “written proof” for his assertion.
Putin’s comments are part of an apparent attempt to boost popular support for Moscow’s war of choice by recasting it as a defensive struggle for Russia’s survival reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s battle against the Nazis.
The remarks come at a time when Russian troops have made local gains in Ukraine’s east but have failed to achieve a major breakthrough. Moscow’s military focus is to capture the entirety of the Donbas region, much of which remains under Kyiv’s control.
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2 ITALY
At least 62 dead as migrant boat wrecked on rocks
At least 62 people, including a newborn baby and other children, died after a wooden sailing boat
