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Biden to visit Poland; Moscow seen moving troops into east Ukraine ahead of expected offensive

This was CNBC's live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine on Feb.7, 2023. See here for the latest updates. 

Ukraine is focused on preparing for a much-anticipated, large-scale Russian offensive that's expected to be concentrated on the east of the country.

The Ukrainian governor of the mainly Russian-occupied Luhansk province in the east of the country warned Monday that Russia is moving troops into eastern Ukraine ahead of its anticipated action, saying "we are seeing more and more (Russian) reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in."

"They bring ammunition that is used differently than before - it is not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive," Governor Serhiy Haidai told Ukrainian television.

A Ukrainian soldier in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Feb. 6, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukrainian officials believe Russia could begin its offensive in the next two weeks, with one official telling the Financial Times the offensive could begin by Feb. 15. Last week, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Kyiv expected it could be launched around the first anniversary of the war, on Feb. 24.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that the country must now spend every day preparing for the Russian offensive that's likely aimed at seizing the entire eastern Donbas region.

UN says more than 7,100 killed in Ukraine since start of war

An elderly man walks among the graves of unidentified people, killed during Russian occupation, who were reburied from a mass grave in the small Ukrainian town of Bucha, near Kyiv, on January 12, 2023.
Sergei Supinsky | Afp | Getty Images

The United Nations has confirmed at least 7,155 deaths and 11,662 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor nearly a year ago.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.

"Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes," the international organization wrote in a release.

— Amanda Macias

Russian team should not be allowed at 2024 Games in Paris if war continues, city's mayor says

The Olympic flag and Russian flag are raised as the Russian National Anthem is sung during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony at Fisht Olympic Stadium on February 23, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Paul Gilham | Getty Images

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says there should be no Russian delegation allowed at the Paris Olympics next year if Moscow continues its war against Ukraine.

Hidalgo previously said Russian competitors could take part under a neutral flag but she backpedaled on Tuesday in an interview with French media France Info.

Acknowledging that a final decision belongs to the International Olympic Committee, Hidalgo said she wishes Russian athletes will be banned "as long as there is this war, this Russian aggression on Ukraine."

"It is not possible to parade as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation that comes to Paris while the bombs continue to rain down on Ukraine."

Hidalgo's comments came after Ukraine's sports minister last week renewed a threat to boycott the games if Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete and said Kyiv would lobby others to join.

No nation has so far declared it will boycott the 2024 Summer Games. But Ukraine won support from Poland, the Baltic nations and Denmark, who pushed back against an IOC plan to allow delegations from Russia and ally Belarus to compete in Paris as "neutral athletes" without flags or anthems.

— Associated Press

Associate of sanctioned oligarch Viktor Vekselberg indicted for sanctions evasion and money laundering

Viktor Vekselberg, Russian billionaire, pauses during a panel session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forumin St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 7, 2019.
Chris J. Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Federal prosecutors charged a Russian citizen living in the United States with attempting to help sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg evade sanctions.

According to court documents unsealed in New York, Vladimir Voronchenko participated in a "scheme to make over $4 million in U.S. dollar payments to maintain four real properties in the United States that were owned by Viktor Vekselberg."

Vekselberg was most recently sanctioned by the United States in the weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He was previously designated in 2018 for his role in supporting the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea.

Voronchenko, 70, attempted to sell two of those four properties on Vekselberg's behalf; a Park Avenue apartment in New York City and a Southampton estate. Voronchenko also worked to conceal the ownership of Vekselberg's luxury properties.

The case is the latest operation carried out by the Department of Justice task force, dubbed KleptoCapture, aimed at depriving Russian oligarchs of assets and other tools used to evade sanctions.

— Amanda Macias

Russian court upholds shutting top independent newspaper

Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, holds up a copy of his paper after the conclusion of bidding during a charity auction at The Times Center on June 20, 2022 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

A court in Moscow upheld an earlier verdict to revoke the license of a top independent newspaper that has been critical of the Kremlin for years, part of the authorities' relentless crackdown on dissent.

The ruling by the Moscow City Court against Novaya Gazeta, which was Russia's most renowned independent newspaper until the authorities ordered it shut last year, comes as Russia's grinding military campaign in Ukraine approaches its one-year mark.

The court rejected Novaya Gazeta's appeal against September's ruling by a district court in Moscow that approved a petition by Russia's media regulator to revoke Novaya Gazeta's license. The regulator accused the newspaper of failing to submit its newsroom charter to authorities on time, the claim that Novaya Gazeta rejected as a cover for what it described as the authorities' effort to muzzle an independent voice.

Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor-in-chief of the newspaper, denounced Tuesday's ruling, saying that it "serves a bunch of people who want to leave the nation facing only propaganda."

Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, the Kremlin-controlled parliament approved legislation that outlawed alleged disparaging of the Russian military or the spread of "false information" about the country's military campaign in Ukraine.

Dozens of Russian independent media outlets were banned as a result, while others announced that they were halting any reporting related to Ukraine.

— Associated Press

Zelenskyy sends aid and rescue workers to Turkey following devastating earthquakes

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) in Lviv, Ukraine on August 18, 2022.
Turkish Presidency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following devastating twin earthquakes.

Zelenskyy told his Turkish counterpart that he will provide humanitarian aid to Turkey to help with the emergency situation in the country caused by the earthquakes. He also said that a group of Ukrainian rescuers and the necessary equipment will also be sent to help the people of Turkey.

"Ukrainian specialists have relevant experience in overcoming the consequences of natural disasters and will arrive in the affected regions as soon as possible. They will help with the whole range of work on the recovery from the earthquake," Zelenskyy told Erdogan, according to a Ukrainian readout of the call.

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine's defense minister thanks German counterpart for Leopard 2 tanks

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Twitter that the first Leopard 2 tank arrived in Kyiv, holding a small acrylic box with a model of the German-made weapon.

"Thank you to Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz my colleague Boris Pistorius and the German people. The tank coalition is marching ... to victory!"

Last month, Scholz decided to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks and "quickly assemble two tank battalions." The country will supply 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks in what it called a "first step."

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine's parliament taps new Minister of Interior following deadly helicopter crash

Newly appointed Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko looks on during a session of Ukrainian parliament, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 7, 2023.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters

Ukraine's parliament appointed Ihor Klymenko as the country's new Minister of Interior after a deadly helicopter crash last month killed the previous minister as well as several other Ukrainian officials.

Klymenko was previously serving as the acting interior minister on the heels of the helicopter accident. He previously served as head of Ukraine's national police.

— Amanda Macias

Ukrainians lay flowers at the Turkish embassy in Kyiv following twin earthquakes

Flowers and toys laid are seen in front of the Turkish Embassy building in Kyiv, Ukraine after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit Turkiye's Kahramanmaras, on February 07, 2023.  Getty Images)
Danylo Antoniuk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukrainians leave flowers and notes in front of the Turkish Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine after twin earthquakes rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.

Authorities have previously given an estimated death toll of 5,000 people but have added that the loss of life could rise as rescue crews work to find survivors buried in the rubble.

Turkey declared seven days of national mourning.

A woman leaves flowers in front of the Turkish Embassy building in Kyiv, Ukraine after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit Turkiye's Kahramanmaras, on February 07, 2023. 
Danylo Antoniuk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Turkish flag at half-mast in front of the Turkish Embassy building in Kyiv, Ukraine after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit Turkiye's Kahramanmaras, on February 07, 2023. 
Danylo Antoniuk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A man crosses himself as lays flowers outside the Turkish embassy in Kyiv on February 7, 2023, to pay tribute to the victims of a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, killing at least 4,800 people and flattening thousands of buildings.
Dimitar Dilkoff | Afp | Getty Images
Women light candles outside the Turkish Embassy in Kyiv on February 7, 2023, to pay tribute to the victims of a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, killing at least 4,800 people and flattening thousands of buildings.
Dimitar Dilkoff | Afp | Getty Images

— Danylo Antoniuk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Biden expected to travel to Poland in support of Ukraine, sources tell NBC News

US President Joe Biden steps off Air Force One upon arrival at New Castle Airport in New Castle, Delaware on October 27, 2022.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Poland this month to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, three people familiar with the planning told NBC NEWS.

The sources added that the trip is still under discussion and the itinerary could change.

Since Russia's invasion, the Biden administration has committed more than $29 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, according to figures provided by the Pentagon.

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova will attend the State of the Union as a guest of first lady Jill Biden

U.S. first lady Jill Biden applauds her guest Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova in the first lady's box as President Joe Biden welcomes Markarova during his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House of Representatives Chamber at the Capitol in Washington, U.S. March 1, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

Ukraine's U.S. Ambassador Oksana Markarova will attend the State of the Union as a guest of first lady Jill Biden.

Markarova joined the first lady in her viewing box last year and received a standing ovation after President Joe Biden called for a show of solidarity with Ukraine.

Markarova, who is Ukraine's former Minister of Finance, has served as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's top diplomat in the United States since 2021.

— Amanda Macias

Russian forces trying to break through Ukraine's defenses around Bakhmut

Ukrainian servicemen make a trench near Bakhmut on Feb. 1, 2023, as they prepare for a Russian offensive in the area.
Yasuyoshi Chiba | Afp | Getty Images

Russian troops are attempting to push through Ukraine's defenses in the Bakhmut and Lyman area but are suffering large losses, according to an update by Ukraine's Ground Forces on Facebook Tuesday.

"Ukrainian defenders are heroically repelling the attacks of the Russian occupiers along the entire line of the eastern front," Ukraine's Ground Forces said in a statement.

"In the eastern direction of the front, the Russian occupiers do not stop their offensive attempts in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions," the statement, translated by Google, noted. It added that Russian forces continue "to make attempts to break through our defenses" but suffer "heavy losses."

"On the approaches to Bakhmut, our military showed great endurance and professionalism, which hindered the enemy's actions and caused enormous losses in manpower for the Russian occupiers," the statement continued, saying that as a result, Russian forces had not been able to break through the defenses of the "Bakhmut fortress." 

CNBC was unable to verify the information in the update.

Russian forces and mercenaries belonging to the private military company known as the Wagner Group have been attempting to capture Bakhmut for months. Capturing the city in Donetsk is seen as a strategic goal for Russia as it tries to seize the region and wider Donbas area of eastern Ukraine.

Russia is expected to launch a large-scale offensive action to try to seize Donbas in the coming weeks.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine's parliament amends 2023 budget, raises spending

Ukraine's parliament approved changes to the 2023 state budget on Tuesday, raising state spending to support small businesses and channel more funds into reconstruction and recovery projects following Russia's invasion.

Roksolana Pidlasa, the head of the parliamentary budget committee, said spending had been increased by 5.5 billion hryvnias ($150 million).

The increase included funds to finance and modernise hospitals in the capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, and to rebuild bridges damaged in Russia's war on Ukraine.

Skyline in Kyiv, Ukraine
Chris Mcgrath | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The amended budget also plans for 1.28 billion hryvnias in additional support for small businesses in the processing industry and state guarantees for loans in the agriculture sector.

Almost a year of war has ravaged Ukraine's public finances, leading to double-digit inflation, higher unemployment, a sharp fall in exports and big losses in revenue and tax income.

Ukraine's budget deficit this year is expected to be about $38 billion. The government plans to cover the deficit with Western foreign aid.

The finance ministry has said the budget received 35.8 billion hryvnias from tax revenues and 31.5 billion hryvnias from customs in January. The government also received 155.24 billion hryvnias in foreign aid last month.

— Reuters

NATO arms for Ukraine bring the alliance into the war, Russia's defense minister says

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attends an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2022. 
Mikhail Klimentyev | Sputnik | Reuters

Russia's defence minister said Western arms shipments to Ukraine have effectively brought NATO countries into the conflict.

"The USA and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on a conference call reported by Russia's Ministry of Defense on Tuesday.

"With this purpose, they have started to deliver heavy offensive weapons openly urging Ukraine to capture our territories," he said, without providing evidence. Such steps, he added, bring NATO into the conflict "and can lead to an unpredictable level of its escalation."

NATO has offered Ukraine weapons to fight Russia, but has repeatedly insisted that they must be used in a defense capacity and not deployed against targets on Russian territory.

Destroyed buildings in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Nov. 20, 2022.
Diego Herrera Carcedo/ | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Shoigu said Russian forces were making progress in eastern Ukraine, listing a number of settlements that Russia has captured in recent weeks, including Soledar. He said Russian forces were making progress around Vuhledar and Bakhmut (called 'Artemovsk' by Russia).

"The groups of Russian forces continue grinding all the armament and hardware delivered to Kyiv [by its allies], both at the routes of their delivery, and at the combat positions," Shoigu said, adding that Ukraine was suffering "considerable losses."

Russia and Ukraine both claim that each others' forces have suffered high death tolls from relentless combat in parts of eastern Ukraine. Analysts say that Russian forces have made incremental gains in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks.

— Holly Ellyatt

Reforms continue, Ukraine's defense minister says, amid speculation over job

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Tuesday that he was "holding the line" amid speculation that he is about to lose his ministerial position.

"Thank you all for your support, as well as constructive criticism," Reznikov said on Twitter.

A top Ukrainian lawmaker said Sunday that Reznikov was going to be replaced as defense minister with the chief of Ukraine's military spy agency, Kyrylo Budanov.

The government has not yet officially confirmed the move, however, and the official — David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's parliamentary bloc — said Monday that the changes would not take place this week.

Ukraine's Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov speaks during a presentation of distinctions and diplomas to residents of Kyiv on Jan. 17, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images

The prospect of a possible wartime reshuffle, which has not been confirmed by the government, has raised eyebrows as it comes ahead of an expected Russian offensive in mid-February, and after a purge of government officials as part of a crackdown on corruption.

Several defense officials lost their jobs as part of the crackdown following a procurement scandal at the defense ministry, although Reznikov had denied allegations made against it.

On Tuesday, Reznikov said reforms continue to take place in Ukraine, even during the war.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia's network of bomb shelters and bunkers reportedly being repaired

A Cold War-era bunker in Moscow that was once a heavily restricted military site.
Laski Diffusion | Hulton Archive | Getty Images

Bomb shelters across Russia are being repaired following an order from the Kremlin to fix Soviet-era infrastructure, according to The Moscow Times.

The English-language online paper said a large part of thousands of bunkers, reinforced cellars and other safe hideouts had been out of use for decades but that the war in Ukraine had prompted the authorities to spend millions of rubles to make them fit for use again.

"A decision to inspect the network of bomb shelters was made by the government in the spring," one Russian official told the news outlet, citing knowledge of government meetings on the matter. 

"The command for a large-scale inspection and to put things right was given by the Emergency Situations Ministry, the Defense Ministry and [other] civilian ministries," the unnamed official said.

The paper noted that the overhaul of the country's bomb shelter network comes against the backdrop of Kremlin nuclear saber-rattling and "a growing militarization of daily life in Russia."

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia moves troops into eastern Ukraine ahead of offensive, says governor

Soldiers on a tank in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Feb. 6, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Russia is moving troops into eastern Ukraine ahead of its anticipated offensive, a Ukrainian governor warned Monday.

"We are seeing more and more (Russian) reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in," Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine's governor of the mainly Russian-occupied Luhansk province, said Monday, according to Reuters.

"They bring ammunition that is used differently than before - it is not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive," Haidai told Ukrainian television.

"It will most likely take them 10 days to gather reserves. After Feb. 15 we can expect (this offensive) at any time."

Ukrainian officials have been warning for weeks that Russia is planning to launch a large-scale offensive in mid-February — and perhaps times to coincide with the first anniversary of the invasion — in order to try to capture the entire eastern Donbas region. Fighting has been relentlessly intense in Donetsk and Luhansk, which make up the Donbas, for months.

Ukraine is in a tricky position as it prepares to defend its positions in eastern Ukraine but awaits battle tanks and longer-range weaponry from its international allies. The delivery of tanks could take several months at least, Western officials say.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia making gains but lacks manpower and munitions for successful offensive, UK says

Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects a training ground in the Ryazan region of Russia for recruits who were summoned for military service under a partial mobilization, on Oct. 20, 2022.
Kremlin Press Office | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

It is highly likely that Russia has been attempting to restart major offensive operations in Ukraine since early January but it's unlikely to have the manpower needed to affect the outcome of the war, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday.

Russia's "operational goal is almost certainly to capture the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk Oblast [region]," it added in its daily intelligence update on Twitter.

"Russian forces have only managed to gain several hundred metres of territory per week. This is almost certainly because Russia now lacks the munitions and manoeuvre units required for successful offensives."

The ministry noted that senior commanders are likely making plans "requiring undermanned, inexperienced units to achieve unrealistic objectives due to political and professional pressure" with Ukrainian intelligence suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the Donbas region to be captured by March.

"Russian leaders will likely continue to demand sweeping advances. It remains unlikely that Russia can build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war within the coming weeks," the ministry said.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia moves troops into eastern Ukraine ahead of offensive, says governor

Soldiers on a tank in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Feb. 6, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Russia is moving troops into eastern Ukraine ahead of its anticipated offensive, a Ukrainian governor warned Monday.

"We are seeing more and more (Russian) reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in," Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine's governor of the mainly Russian-occupied Luhansk province, said Monday, according to Reuters.

"They bring ammunition that is used differently than before - it is not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive," Haidai told Ukrainian television.

"It will most likely take them 10 days to gather reserves. After Feb. 15 we can expect (this offensive) at any time."

Ukrainian officials have been warning for weeks that Russia is planning to launch a large-scale offensive in mid-February — and perhaps times to coincide with the first anniversary of the invasion — in order to try to capture the entire eastern Donbas region. Fighting has been relentlessly intense in Donetsk and Luhansk, which make up the Donbas, for months.

Ukraine is in a tricky position as it prepares to defend its positions in eastern Ukraine but awaits battle tanks and longer-range weaponry from its international allies. The delivery of tanks could take several months at least, Western officials say.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine defense minister expects help from Western warplanes

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov talks during an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, Ukraine November 10, 2022. 
Murad Sezer | Reuters

Ukraine's defense minister expressed confidence Sunday that Western allies would agree to the country's latest weapons request — warplanes to fight off Russian forces that invaded nearly a year ago.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told a news conference in Kyiv that Ukraine has already received everything from its "wish list to Santa," except planes.

"There will be planes, too," Reznikov predicted. "The question is just what kind exactly.... Consider that this mission is already completed."

So far, Ukraine has won support from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets. But several Western leaders have expressed concern that providing warplanes could provoke the Kremlin and draw their countries deeper into the conflict, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and wreaked massive destruction.

Kyiv says such jets are essential to challenging Russia's air superiority and ensuring success in a Russian offensive that Reznikov predicted could begin around the war's one-year anniversary, Feb. 24.

— Associated Press

Russian offensive likely to focus on Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia

Russian citizens recruited as part of a partial mobilization attend combat training in the training spots of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on Oct. 5, 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Russia could call up 500,000 people for military service in the spring and summer of 2023 in order to support offensive operations in the east and south of Ukraine, according to a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

"In January 2023, we saw that Russia intended to mobilize 300,000 to 500,000 people into the army to support offensive operations in the east and south of Ukraine in the spring and summer of 2023," Vadym Skibitskyi, the spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate said Monday, according to news agency Ukrinform.

"The relevant order to mobilize 500,000 conscripts in January is in addition to the 300,000 called up in October 2022," he said. "This is another clear sign that the Kremlin has no intention of ending the war."

A widely-expected and forthcoming Russian offensive may be launched in Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, and Zaporizhia in the south, Skibitskyi said.

"At the same time, Russian troops will further defend [a part of the] Kherson region and Crimea," Skibitskyi said, according to Ukrinform.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine offers help to Turkey after deadly earthquake

A destroyed building in Diyarbakir, Turkey, after a massive earthquake and its aftershocks leveled buildings in Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, 2023.
Omer Yasin Ergin | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his Turkish counterpart his condolences after a deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria early on Monday that killed hundreds of people.

A state of emergency has been declared in Turkey, where the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 284, with 2,323 people injured, Vice President Fuat Oktay told a news conference. He added that 1,710 buildings had collapsed.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that Kyiv is ready "to provide the necessary assistance to overcome the consequences of the disaster." Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba echoed that offer.

— Holly Ellyatt

'Very difficult' situation in Donetsk where battles are raging, Zelenskyy says

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the area of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine continues to be a hot spot in the war, with the country now preparing for a Russian offensive aimed at seizing the entire eastern Donbas region.

"There are already many reports that the occupiers want to do something symbolic in February. To try to avenge their last year's defeats," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Sunday evening, referring to Russia's expected offensive.

"We see this increased pressure in various areas of the frontline, as well as pressure in the information field," the president added.

Ukrainian servicemen walk on the road toward their base near the front line in the Donetsk region on Feb. 4, 2023.
Yasuyoshi Chiba | Afp | Getty Images

Donetsk has been the scene of intense fighting for several months, with Ukrainian forces battling regular Russian army units as well as mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group private military company. In recent weeks, Russian forces have been seen to have made gains around the area of Bakhmut, capturing which is a key aim for them.

Zelenskyy remarked Sunday that "it is very difficult in the Donetsk region - there are fierce battles. But no matter how hard it is and no matter how much pressure there is, we have to withstand it."

He added that every day has to be spent reinforcing "our defense at the front, to strengthen our international position, to increase pressure on Russia and to give our people new opportunities to get through this difficult time."

— Holly Ellyatt

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