The Russian Invasion

The Russian InvasionThe Battles 

Conflicting reports that Ukraine fired army chief  

 

In the past 24 hours, there have been conflicting reports from Ukraine about the future of Army Chief Valery Zaluzhny. The Kyiv Independent and several other Ukrainian media have reported that Zaluzhny was fired on Monday, based on sources.  

 

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has come out with a denial, and independent Russian exile news site Meduza's sources have called the whole thing a "fake". 

 

Later, however, the Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnias received concrete information about a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Zaluzhnyi, where a dismissal of the army chief was allegedly discussed. Zaluzhnyi is said to have opposed this.  

 

The think tank ISW writes that the rumors have fallen on good ground on the Russian side.  

 

A Russian propagandist is said to have described the state of the Ukrainian army as "chaotic" and favorable to Russia.  

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The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Putin's plan: Plans to visit Erdogan in February  

 

Vladimir Putin will visit Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey in February, according to reports in state Russian media. If the meeting goes ahead, it will be the first time the Russian president has visited a NATO country since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. 

 

"A visit is being prepared," says Putin's foreign adviser Yuri Ushakov to the Russian news agency Interfax according to TT.  

 

Ushakov further says that issues related to Ukraine will probably be discussed by Putin and Erdogan.  

 

In September 2023, the Turkish president visited Sochi in Russia.