January 25, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales, Mike Hayes, Maureen Chowdhury and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 1857 GMT (0257 HKT) January 26, 2023
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9:59 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Man who claims to be former Wagner commander will be released from detention with restrictions, police say

From CNN's Radina Gigova in London

An alleged former commander in Russia’s Wagner private military company, who fled to Norway to seek asylum after crossing the country’s arctic border, will be released from police detention on Wednesday and is "subject to duty to stay in a specific place," Norway's National Police said in a statement to CNN.

Andrei Medvedev told the head of human rights advocacy group Gulagu.net, Vladimir Osechkin, earlier in January that he feared for his life after refusing to renew his service with Wagner.

"The National Police Immigration Service will release Medvedev from the Police Detention Centre today, subject to duty to stay in a specific place," said the acting head of the National Police Immigration Service's legal section, Jon Andreas Johansen.
"The decision is due to the fact that the conditions for keeping him detained under the Immigration Act, section 106, are no longer in place," Johansen said.

"Anyone seeking protection in Norway are entitled to somewhere to stay. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration are responsible for ensuring that asylum seekers in Norway have somewhere to stay. The responsibility for assessing individuals' safety and the need for security measures rests with the relevant police district," he said.

Some more context: On Monday, Gulagu.net head Osechkin said in a statement posted on YouTube that Medvedev called him from the detention center after authorities arrested him on Sunday, and said he is appealing to the Prime Minister of Norway and journalists for protection and to prevent a possible deportation.

9:36 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Spanish police arrest suspect over letter bombs

From CNN’s Al Goodman in Madrid 

Police officers take security measures around Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, Spain, after blast took place when an embassy worker opened an envelope on November 30, 2022.
Police officers take security measures around Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, Spain, after blast took place when an embassy worker opened an envelope on November 30, 2022. (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Police in Spain have arrested a Spanish man on suspicion of sending six letter bombs to the Spanish prime minister, the Ukrainian ambassador in Madrid, and other high-profile targets late last year, the country’s interior ministry said in a statement Wednesday.  

The arrest of the 74-year-old suspect took place in the town of Miranda de Ebro, about a three-hour drive north of Madrid, the ministry press office said.   

Police said the suspect is retired, is “very active on social media” and has technical and computer knowledge, according to a statement. 

Police determined that the suspect participated in sending the six letters from the city of Burgos, about an hour’s drive southwest of Miranda de Ebro.

Although “it’s presumed that the suspect made and sent the explosive devices on his own, the police don’t rule out the participation or influence of other people in these events,” the ministry said. 

Police searched the home of the suspect in Miranda de Ebro, where it is thought that the bombs were assembled, according to the statement. 

The investigation spanned various provinces before the arrest of the suspect. He was not fully identified, but police provided his initials as "P.G.P.," the statement added.

The arrest of the suspect is part of an ongoing operation coordinated by an investigating magistrate at Spain’s National Court in Madrid, the interior ministry said.   

The suspect is expected to be arraigned before a National Court judge on Friday in a closed-door hearing, the court's press office told CNN. 

Some background: The only reported injury from the six letter bombs was at the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid last Nov. 30. An embassy employee was injured while handling the letter, which was addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador, Spanish officials said at the time.   

Authorities said that the other five letter bombs, all intercepted by security screening and resulting in no injuries, were sent in late November or early December.

They were sent to the Spanish prime minister, Spain’s defense minister, the US Embassy in Madrid, a Spanish air force base near Madrid and a Spanish arms maker in the northern city of Zaragoza.  

Spanish media reported that weapons from the Spanish arms maker, Instalaza, had reportedly been sent by Spain last year to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion of that country. The company has declined to comment to CNN about the reports.   

On Dec. 1, 2022, the ministry ordered increased security at embassies and consulates in Spain, and at other sites requiring special protection. Security had already been boosted after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of last year.  

After the spate of letter bombs, the Russian embassy in Madrid tweeted that it condemned the sending of such devices. 

“We condemn any threat or terrorist act,” it tweeted.

But US officials believe that Russian intelligence officers directed a Russian White supremacist group to carry out the letter-bombing campaign as a warning to European governments which have rallied around Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

9:13 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Ukraine urges allies with Leopard 2 tanks to send as many as possible

From CNN's Jo Shelley

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on allies in possession of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to send “as many of them [to Ukraine] as possible” now that Germany has said it will both approve their re-export and send tanks from Berlin’s own inventory.

“I call on all new partners that have Leopard 2 tanks in service to join the coalition and provide as many of them as possible. They are free now,” he tweeted Wednesday.

See Kuleba's tweet:

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Berlin was aiming to "quickly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine," according to a government statement.

9:09 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Biden will give remarks on Ukraine today

From CNN's Betsy Klein

US President Joe Biden will give remarks on support for Ukraine at 12 p.m. ET, according to the White House.

The US is finalizing plans to send approximately 30 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, two US officials familiar with the deliberations told CNN.

9:29 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Here's why sending Ukraine tanks represents a fierce new step by the West

Analysis from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh

A Leopard 2 A7V main battle tank from Bundeswehr training battalion 93 drives during a combat reconnaissance exercise at a training area in Lower Saxony, Munster, Germany on March 6.
A Leopard 2 A7V main battle tank from Bundeswehr training battalion 93 drives during a combat reconnaissance exercise at a training area in Lower Saxony, Munster, Germany on March 6. (Photo by Philipp Schulze/picture alliance/Getty Images)

Germany deciding to send Leopard 2 tanks and the US finalizing plans on sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine are momentous decisions, partly because these are not defensive weapons. They are intended to hit Russia’s troops hard in a ground offensive. They are unequivocally about Ukraine retaking territory. This is new, and fierce, and it portrays a NATO unafraid.

This latest burst of Western help says two things:

These nations are not concerned about breaching Russian “red lines”: The long-held belief is crumbling that some elements of NATO assistance to Ukraine could risk provoking a nuclear power too far.

These NATO members are less concerned about being attacked by Russia itself in the imminent future: They are handing over weapons they would urgently need in the event of such a conflict. The Dutch decision to send all their Cesar artillery; the Norwegian decision to send a large proportion of their Leopards; both are testament to this. These NATO members think the decisive conflict with Russia will be in Ukraine, with Ukraine. And that might suggest they believe Moscow will not win.

Western inventories can be rebuilt or replenished, but it takes time – decades maybe. And NATO members are pledging equipment at such a pace that the last announcement is not in play before the next one comes.

And this will be felt within the walls of the Kremlin. The Russian military is struggling to fashion a strategic plan around its constantly changing leadership, and to convert into substantial gains the brutal use of manpower as an endless and expendable resource. For those around Russian President Vladimir Putin, the colossus of NATO aid is inescapable and surely weighing into how enduring their support for Putin is. This is not going away.

Read the full analysis here.

8:49 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

How Germany's tanks decision could affect an anticipated renewed Russian spring offensive

From CNN's Rob Picheta

Germany has announced it will provide Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv’s troops in a major sign of support that is expected to be matched by the United States.

The decision followed weeks of Western pressure, ending a period of deliberation in Berlin that has frustrated its allies and caused exasperation in Kyiv.

Why this matters: Wednesday’s announcement means Ukraine will soon be in possession of a modern tank that would hugely boost its arsenal ahead of renewed ground fighting anticipated in the spring.

Ukraine is bracing for a Russian offensive in the coming weeks, aimed at completing the capture of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – the primary goal set by President Vladimir Putin for what he euphemistically calls his “special military operation.”

The Ukrainian military’s most senior officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhniy, said in December that Ukraine expected a Russian offensive any time between the end of January and March.

Previous military aid, like the American HIMARS rocket system, has been vital in helping Ukraine disrupt Russian advances and make a series of successful counter-offensives in recent months.

Kyiv will hope that Western tanks will have a similar impact on the slow, grinding ground war in Ukraine’s east.

Tanks represent the most powerful direct offensive weapon provided to Ukraine so far, a heavily armed and armored system designed to meet the enemy head on instead of firing from a distance. If used properly with the necessary training, they could allow Ukraine to retake territory against Russian forces that have had time to dig defensive lines.

The US has begun supplying refurbished Soviet-era T-72 tanks, but modern Western tanks are a generation ahead in terms of their ability to target enemy positions. Ukrainian officials say they need several hundred main battle tanks – not only to defend their present positions but also to take the fight to the enemy in the coming months.

“Of course, we need a large number of Western tanks. They are much better than the Soviet models and can help us advance,” Lt. Gen. Serhiy Naiev told CNN.

Read more here.

8:34 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Netherlands "prepared" to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, despite not owning any

From CNN's Mick Krever

Despite not currently owning any German-made Leopard 2 tanks, the Netherlands said Wednesday it is prepared to purchase tanks it currently leases in order to send them to Ukraine. 

“If it helps for the Netherlands to also participate, then we are prepared to do so,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told CNN affiliate RTL News.

The Netherlands does not own any battle tanks, having sold all of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Germany in 2018 and 2021, according to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.

But the Netherlands does lease 18 Leopard 2A6 battle tanks from Germany. Rutte has suggested that the Netherlands could purchase these tanks outright, and then send them to Ukraine.

“Those conversations are ongoing,” Rutte said. “It could also be that people say, well, it suits us better if you use those tanks in a different manner. So that conversation is taking place.”

He said that while a decision would still have to be taken, “we have said to the Germans that we are prepared to seriously consider it.”

8:48 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

Zelensky welcomes German decision to send battle tanks

From CNN's Jo Shelley

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is “sincerely grateful” to Germany for agreeing to supply his government with its sought-after Leopard 2 battle tanks. 

Zelensky said in a tweet that he had spoken to Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the telephone.

During their phone call, Scholz told Zelensky that Germany will “further strengthen military support for Ukraine in close coordination with European and international partners,” according to a German government press office readout.

“President Zelensky thanked the Federal Chancellor for the decision to make 'Leopard 2' battle tanks available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and to issue corresponding transfer licences to partner countries wishing to supply such tanks from their stocks to Ukraine,” it said. 

8:08 a.m. ET, January 25, 2023

UK PM welcomes tank deliveries to Ukraine as "right decision" following Germany’s Leopard 2 announcement

From CNN's Sugam Pokharel in London

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the "right decision" by NATO allies to send battle tanks to Ukraine, following Germany's announcement that it will provide Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks. 

"The right decision by NATO Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine," tweeted Sunak. "Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower. Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace."

Sunak was referring to British Challenger 2 tanks. On Jan. 14, the UK government announced that it would send 12 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of efforts to "intensify" support for the Ukrainian defense against Russia.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Wednesday that he was "delighted" by Germany joining the UK, France and Poland in sending Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, adding that it’s time for Russia to realize that Kyiv’s allies are “increasingly determined to help Ukraine resist” Moscow’s “barbaric and illegal invasion.”