January 30, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news - CNN

A former Wagner mercenary says the brutality helium witnessed successful Ukraine yet pushed him to defect.

Wagner fighters were often sent into conflict with small direction, and the company’s attraction of reluctant recruits was ruthless, Andrei Medvedev told CNN’s Anderson Cooper from Norway’s superior Oslo, wherever helium is seeking asylum aft crossing that country’s arctic borderline from Russia.

CNN has not been capable to independently verify his relationship and Wagner has not replied to a petition for comment.

The 26-year-old, who says helium antecedently served successful the Russian military, joined Wagner arsenic a volunteer. He crossed into Ukraine little than 10 days aft signing his declaration successful July 2021, serving adjacent Bakhmut, the frontline metropolis successful the Donetsk region. The mercenary radical has emerged arsenic a cardinal subordinate successful Russia’s penetration of Ukraine.

Medvedev said helium reported straight to the group’s founders, Dmitry Utkin and Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin.

He refered to Prigozhin arsenic “the devil.” If helium was a Russian hero, helium would person taken a weapon and tally with the soldiers,” Medvedev said.

Prigozhin has previously confirmed that Medvedev had served successful his company, and said that helium “should person been prosecuted for attempting to mistreat prisoners.”

Medvedev told CNN that helium did not privation to remark connected what he’d done himself portion warring successful Ukraine.

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There’s a increasing rift astatine the apical of the Russian authorities betwixt Vladimir Putin’s authoritative subject and the off-the-books mercenary unit that has achieved immoderate gains successful Ukraine.

The oligarch figurehead of the backstage subject institution Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been openly captious of Russia’s subject and its bureaucracy.

Recruiting for tens of thousands of fighters in Russian jails, Wagner offers state and currency aft a six-month tour.

Videos of these situation gait pitches made by Prigozhin person been shared connected societal media, and prison-rights groups successful Russia estimation 30,000 person taken up the offer, according to an fantabulous investigation of what we cognize astir Wagner and Prigozhin by CNN’s Tim Lister. Read Lister’s story.

Brutal tactics for its fighters. A Ukrainian appraisal of Wagner tactics suggests the convicts are pushed to the beforehand lines successful a quality wave. Wagner is utilizing “convicts arsenic cannon fodder to effort and tempest Ukrainian positions with astir nary occurrence support,” arsenic CNN’s Fred Pleitgen said successful a video report he filed aft talking to Ukrainian vessel operators.

Lister, Pleitgen and CNN’s Victoria Butenko wrote astir Wagner’s tactics aft seeing the Ukrainian assessment. The absorption is connected tiny groups of fighters – a twelve oregon less – guided by drones.

Deserters are said to beryllium shot. The wounded are near down connected battlefields for hours, according to the assessment. Prisoners relationship for the bulk of Wagner’s casualties arsenic they are pushed to tempest Ukrainian positions. More experienced fighters with amended instrumentality follow.

US officials person said Wagner appears to beryllium dueling with Russia’s subject for powerfulness successful the Kremlin.

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Shelling has caused superior harm to the colony of Zarichne, adjacent Kreminna. (Matthias Somm/CNN)

The conifer forests adjacent the metropolis of Kreminna person go 1 of the hottest combat zones successful the war successful eastbound Ukraine. Almost each limb seems to beryllium astatine enactment here, artillery, howitzers, tanks and mortars. But possibly the astir important is the smallest: The reconnaissance drone.

Ukrainian and Russian forces person been warring present for astir 2 months. If the Ukrainians tin interruption done Russian lines and scope Kreminna, they tin disrupt Russian proviso routes.

But it’s a overmuch tougher proposition than it was astatine the extremity of past year. Russia’s antiaircraft lines person been reinforced with dense weapons and long-range artillery.

A twelvemonth ago, 1 of the Ukrainian drone operators, who gave his sanction lone arsenic Ruslan, was a snowboard and kayak instructor. Now he’s watching the question of Russian armor on the wood tracks, expertly skimming his drone crossed the treetops.

Arriving astatine a foxhole, the drone operators’ vehicles are cautiously maneuvered nether histrion cover. The Russians person reconnaissance drones too, and Ukrainian drone operators are regarded arsenic high-value targets.

Their occupation is to supply real-time quality connected Russian positions and movements, and besides to assistance Ukrainian artillery hole targets. 

A fewer miles away, the battalion Ruslan is simply a portion of, Dnipro-1, has its ain drone workshop, wherever NATO-issue grenades are cautiously sawn successful fractional to beryllium reconstituted arsenic small, free-fall munitions. Under a array sits a slab of C-4 integrative explosive. It’s a painstaking and demanding process, churning retired 1 handmade munition each 20 minutes.

Some of the unit’s drone munitions are fundamentally fragment grenades dropped connected infantry – and particularly fighters from the Russian backstage subject contractor Wagner fighters astir Bakhmut. Heavier versions tin harm oregon disable a tank.

The commandant of Dnipro-1’s drone portion goes by the sanction of Graf. He says that drones person go “one of the astir important elements of this warfare – some for america and the enemy. Nothing tin beryllium executed without drones.”

And that makes his men targets.

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F-16 Fighting Falcon aircrafts are seen implicit the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex connected August 19, 2013. (DOD photo/Staff Sgt. Miguel Lara III/ABACA/Reuters)

White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby connected Monday defended the Biden administration’s determination not to nonstop F-16 combatant jets to Ukraine, pointing alternatively to the assistance the US is providing, including Abrams tanks.

“What I tin archer you is that there's a batch of capableness that is being sent, and volition beryllium sent successful the coming weeks and months," Kirby told CNN. “The kinds of capabilities that we cognize volition beryllium captious to helping Ukrainians again successful the warring present successful the wintertime, arsenic good arsenic the benignant of warring that we expect that they're going to beryllium doing successful the spring.”  

Kirby said helium believes the decision, announced past week, to nonstop Abrams tanks to the portion wasn’t 1 that was made excessively late, adjacent amid reports of Russia gaining territory successful eastbound Ukraine.

Some background: President Joe Biden answered, "No," erstwhile asked by a newsman whether helium would nonstop the jets to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought combatant jets to assistance prolong his warfare effort against Russia. Biden has consistently said the planes aren't connected the table, adjacent arsenic helium has fixed assistance successful different areas.

A joined mates successful the southwestern Russian metropolis of Krasnodar was arrested Sunday for professing anti-war sentiments during a backstage speech successful a restaurant, according to the independent Russian monitoring radical OVD-Info.

OVD-Info told CNN that Aleksey Ovchinnikov was sentenced to 15 days successful situation for petty hooliganism, portion his woman Olesya Ovchinnikova received a 1,000 rubles ($14) fine.

Olesya Ovchinnikova is besides facing charges for discrediting the Russian army, according to reporting from section media 93.RU, citing her lawyer.

CNN has sought remark from the couple’s lawyer. The edifice wherever the incidental is said to person taken place, “Na Drovoh,” would not remark to CNN.

Crackdown connected anti-war sentiments: OVD-Info said astatine slightest 61 cases related to expressing anti-war views were initiated successful Russia successful 2022 connected the charges of justification of coercion connected the internet, with 26 starring to sentencing truthful far.

In different notable case, 19-year-old Olesya Krivtsova was charged implicit societal media posts that authorities accidental discredit the Russian army and warrant terrorism. She posted an Instagram communicative astir the explosion connected the Crimean bridge in October that besides criticized Russia for invading Ukraine, according to Russian officials.

US President Joe Biden speaks successful Baltimore, Maryland connected Monday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden said Monday helium wouldn't nonstop American combatant jets to Ukraine, adjacent arsenic the United States ramps up subject assistance successful the signifier of artillery and tanks. 

"No," Biden said erstwhile asked by a newsman whether helium would nonstop F16 jets to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought combatant jets to assistance prolong his warfare effort against Russia. Biden has consistently said the planes aren't connected the table, adjacent arsenic helium has fixed assistance successful different areas.

Last week, for example, Biden announced helium would nonstop 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, contempt apical US officials saying antecedently the heavy-duty vehicles were a mediocre acceptable for the country's military.

Speaking connected the White House South Lawn, Biden besides said helium wasn't definite whether helium would sojourn Europe adjacent period for the one-year day of the commencement of the warfare successful Ukraine.

In effect to a abstracted question, Biden said helium was readying to sojourn Poland, but wasn't definite when.

CNN reported past week the White House was exploring the anticipation of a Biden sojourn to Europe to people 12 months since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Some background: Ukrainian leaders person renewed their appeals for Western combatant jets. “I sent a privation database paper to Santa Claus past year, and combatant jets besides [were] including successful this privation list,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told CNN past week.

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged Friday that Zelensky had asked for combatant jets. “We are perpetually talking to the Ukrainians astir their needs, and privation to marque definite that we’re doing the champion we tin to conscionable them – and if we can’t, that immoderate of our allies and partners can,” Kirby said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said connected Monday they person not received immoderate requests from Ukraine for combatant jets.

“We bash not person specified a petition formulated [from Ukraine],” Macron said astatine a associated property league astatine The Hague wherever the 2 leaders were gathering to hole the adjacent EU assembly of February.

Macron said that portion nary requests had been received by France, “nothing is off-limits successful principle.” He insisted that the usefulness of each petition indispensable beryllium considered carefully.

Macron said the weapons requested should not escalate the conflict.

The French president added that the capableness of the French service to support its ain ungraded and its nationals should not beryllium weakened by weapons transfer.

The Dutch premier curate besides said that The Netherlands had not received immoderate requests for F-16 combatant jets.

France does not run F-16s but does run the French-made Rafale combatant jet.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen get to clasp a associated property league successful Odesa connected Monday. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called connected allies for “timely” implementation of “strong decisions."

“There’s nary clip for continued reflections, we request to marque decisions,” Zelensky said. “The cardinal contented is efficiency.”

Zelensky besides said that Ukraine shared “all the quality accusation we get" with partners. “There tin beryllium nary secrets.”

He thanked Denmark for its donation of Caesar howitzers, and said that helium is assured that Russia's violative volition not person a affirmative outcome. “I americium assured successful our army. I deliberation we volition beryllium gradually stopping [Russians], warring them and volition beryllium preparing our ain large counter-offensive.”