(10) Kremlin says Boris Johnson's claim about Putin missile strike threat "is a lie" - CNN

Former British premier curate Boris Johnson meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (not pictured) successful Kyiv, Ukraine, connected January 22. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The Kremlin said Monday erstwhile British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s assertion astir Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening him with a rocket successful a telephone telephone up of Russia's penetration of Ukraine “is a lie.”

Peskov said he's alert of what was discussed during that conversation, but stressed “there were nary rocket threats.”

According to Peskov, “Speaking astir the information challenges for the Russian Federation, Putin noted that successful the lawsuit of Ukraine joining NATO, the imaginable deployment of NATO oregon American missiles adjacent our borders would mean that immoderate rocket would scope Moscow successful a substance of minutes.”

“If this transition was understood successful this way, it is simply a precise awkward situation,” helium added.

Johnson told the BBC earlier Monday that Putin threatened him with a rocket that “would lone instrumentality a minute.” The speech was released arsenic a preview to the documentary "Putin vs the West," scheduled to merchandise aboriginal Monday, which examines Putin's interactions with satellite leaders.

The Olympic rings are pictured extracurricular Olympic House, successful Lausanne, Switzerland, during a gathering of the International Olympic Committee successful September 2022. (Laurent Gillieron/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been accused by a Ukrainian statesmanlike advisor of being a "promoter of war, execution and destruction" pursuing the committee's decision to see ways for Russian athletes to vie successful the 2024 Olympic Games.

Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted Monday that the IOC was offering Russia "a level to beforehand genocide & encourages their further killings."

In a connection published Wednesday, the IOC emphasized the body’s "strong committedness to the unifying ngo of the Olympic movement" and that "no jock should beryllium prevented from competing conscionable due to the fact that of their passport."

The IOC went connected to accidental that athletes’ information nether strict conditions, for illustration participating arsenic "neutral athletes" and not representing their state, should beryllium explored.

For context: Last week, the IOC outlined a multi-step program for Russian and Belarusian athletes to vie successful the 2024 Summer Olympic Games successful Paris and the 2026 Winter Olympic Games successful Milan. Athletes' rights radical Global Athlete and Ukrainian Athletes responded to the determination with a joint statement, saying that the IOC's program to let Russian and Belarusian athletes lone strengthens "Russia's propaganda machine."

Emergency responders analyse a damaged residential gathering aft a Russian shelling successful Kherson, confederate Ukraine, connected January 29. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)

Battles are underway successful the southbound and eastbound of Ukraine arsenic authorities study much casualties and harm to civilian infrastructure connected Monday.

Donetsk region

Donetsk portion continues to spot immoderate of the heaviest fighting. On Monday, the Ukrainian subject said that Russian forces are trying to beforehand toward Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed successful the metropolis of Krasnohorivka, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the caput of the Donetsk portion subject administration.

Kherson region

Russian forces person fired 42 times successful the portion successful the past 24 hours, the determination subject medication said Monday. "The force attacked civilian settlements of the portion with artillery, MLRS, mortars, tanks, and infantry warring vehicles," it said.

At slightest 3 radical were killed by Russian shelling successful the metropolis of Kherson connected Sunday and 8 civilians sustained injuries of varying severity, the determination subject medication said.

Kharkiv region

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 3 wounded successful the metropolis of Kharkiv connected Sunday, said Oleh Syniehubov, caput of the Kharkiv portion subject administration.

Preliminary investigations suggest the rocket was fired from an S-300 aerial defence system, helium said.

"The rocket deed a 4-story residential gathering successful the Kyivsky district," said Syniehubov. "The precocious floors and extortion of the gathering were destroyed, and a large-scale occurrence broke out."

Rescuers enactment astatine the tract wherever an flat gathering was heavy damaged by a Russian rocket onslaught in Kharkiv, Ukraine, connected January 30. (Yevhen Titov/Reuters)

Kupiansk, Vovchansk, Strilecha, Dvorichna and different towns came nether force fire, added Syniehubov, with backstage houses, shops and different buildings damaged.

In Kupiansk, a 41-year-old antheral was wounded arsenic a effect of force shelling, helium said.

Zaporizhzhia region

The concern remains comparatively unchangeable arsenic Russian forces are concentrating connected holding occupied territories successful the region, the Zaporizhzhia portion subject medication said Monday. 

Russian shelling damaged residential houses and buildings successful assorted parts of the region, the determination constabulary said.

A location burns aft a Russian subject onslaught adjacent the metropolis of Vuhledar, Ukraine, connected January 27. (Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters)

Russian forces person established a beingness successful the eastbound portion of the municipality of Vuhledar successful the Donetsk portion successful eastbound Ukraine, the person of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) told Russian authorities media connected Monday. 

"Our units proceed their beforehand toward Vuhledar. We tin accidental present that the units person gained a foothold in Vuhledar’s east, and enactment is underway connected its outskirts, too," Denis Pushilin told authorities transmission Russia 24, adding that warring continues adjacent the town.

Pushilin said that it is excessively aboriginal to accidental erstwhile Vuhledar could beryllium taken nether Russian control.

Vuhledar has been the country of fierce warring betwixt Ukrainian and Russian forces as the municipality is simply a large logistics hub and its seizure would assistance chopped disconnected the Ukrainian army's supplies, Pushilin said. 

Yan Gagin, an advisor to Pushilin, told Russian authorities quality bureau TASS earlier that the seizure of Vuhledar would marque it imaginable to present strikes connected the Ukrainian subject successful respective directions.

The Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works is pictured connected October 29, 2022. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

Russia's lawman overseas minister Sergei Ryabkov claims Ukraine is "dragging its feet" connected negotiations to make a information portion astir the Zaporizhzhia nuclear powerfulness plant.

Since past fall, Grossi has reiterated the urgency of creating a information portion astir the works successful southeastern Ukraine, which has been nether the power of Russian forces since March past year.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russian forces of storing dense weaponry wrong the analyzable and utilizing it arsenic screen to motorboat attacks, knowing that Kyiv's forces can’t instrumentality occurrence without risking hitting 1 of the plant’s reactors.

According to RIA, Ryabkov accused Kyiv of giving "the content that it is utilizing this installation for atomic blackmail" and claimed the IAEA has nary close to interfere successful its security. 

The determination by the United States and NATO allies to nonstop tanks to Ukraine has made it "pointless" for Moscow to prosecute successful immoderate talks with Kyiv, Russia's lawman overseas curate Sergei Ryabkov told authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti successful an interrogation released Monday.

"We are consenting to see immoderate superior initiatives to resoluteness the Ukrainian crisis, but truthful acold nary 1 has articulated them properly," helium added.

Ukraine received a boost past week when Germany said it would nonstop 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, portion besides permitting different countries that person the Leopards, including Norway, to proviso them.

In summation to the Leopards, Ukraine is acceptable to person dense armor from some the United States, which is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks, and the United Kingdom, which has pledged 14 Challenger tanks.

Prisoner swaps: Ryabkov besides said Russia and the US will proceed negotiations connected the speech of prisoners, but specified an ultra-sensitive contented "loves silence," helium said, adding determination are fewer realistic options for an "all for all" captive exchange, RIA reported. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg connected Monday asked South Korea to reconsider its regularisation connected not exporting weapons to countries successful struggle truthful it could assistance limb Ukraine successful repelling Russia’s invasion.

“I impulse the Republic of Korea to proceed and to measurement up the circumstantial contented of subject support,” helium said successful a question and reply league aft a code to the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies successful Seoul.

Some context: A South Korean statesmanlike decree that enforces the country’s Foreign Trade Act says its exports tin lone beryllium utilized for “peaceful purposes” and “shall not impact planetary peace, information maintenance, and nationalist security.”

South Korea is besides a signatory to the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty, ratified successful 2014 with the volition of keeping adjacent power connected who gets weapons and nether what conditions they tin beryllium used.

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Former British premier curate Boris Johnson said Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a rocket onslaught successful a telephone telephone past twelvemonth anterior to Moscow's penetration of Ukraine.

Johnson told the BBC helium warned Putin during the telephone telephone successful February 2022 that invading Ukraine would pb to Western sanctions and much NATO troops connected Russia's borders.

"[Putin] said, 'Boris, you accidental that Ukraine is not going to articulation NATO immoderate clip soon.' He said it successful English: 'Any clip soon. What is immoderate clip soon?' And I said, 'Well, it's not going to articulation NATO for the foreseeable future. You cognize that perfectly well," Johnson said of the call. 

The speech was released arsenic a preview to a BBC documentary "Putin vs the West," scheduled for merchandise Monday, which examines the Russian president's interactions with satellite leaders.

Neither Putin nor the Kremlin person publically commented connected the alleged threat. 

Dug successful amid the rolling hills westbound of Bakhmut, the tanks of the Ukrainian army's 28th Mechanized Brigade are helping to clasp the enactment against a growing Russian offensive.

They are battered and bruised by astir a twelvemonth of combat, but contempt their property they are cherished by their crews.

The young vessel commander, who goes by the telephone motion David, sees his unit's relation arsenic important successful holding the line, and preventing a Russian beforehand towards the straggling concern municipality of Konstantinyvka.

The 28th has had a agelong warfare already. It was successful the southbound helping to liberate Kherson before being sent half-way crossed the country. But it prides itself connected 1 of the lowest casualty rates among Ukrainian brigades.

As David talks, the aerial is divided by the dependable of outgoing occurrence from tanks and artillery. A howitzer is successful enactment connected the different broadside of the hill. Their targets are positions held by the Russian mercenary radical Wagner southbound of Bakhmut, respective miles away.

But the 28th uses its 125-millimeter shells sparingly. "We person problems with ammunition, we are moving debased connected it," David says. "But that's the lone occupation we have. We get capable spare parts, our commanders enactment each the clip to prolong and repair the tanks."

Sometimes, each it needs is the quality of a vessel successful guardant positions to scatter Wagner fighters, who are mostly lightly-armed infantry.

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