The Russian invasion

The Russian invasion|The world's response
Kremlin not worried about an arrest: "Have good dialogue"

The Kremlin is not worried about Vladimir Putin being arrested in Mongolia, a country that, through its membership of the International Criminal Court ICC, is obliged to arrest the Russian president.

Putin is due to visit Mongolia next week, his first visit to a country that has signed the Rome Statute of the ICC.

- There are no worries. We have a good dialogue with our friends from Mongolia, said spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday according to AFP.

In March 2023, the ICC called on member states to arrest Putin if he sets foot there. This is due to mass transfers of Ukrainian children to Russia.

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Lukashenko: "Will not fight outside Belarus"

The Belarusian troops will not fight outside Belarus. This was announced by the country's president Aleksandr Lukashenko, reports The Daily Telegraph.

- No order to go [fight] outside Belarus has been given or will be given. We will only fight if someone comes to us with bad intentions, the president said.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Belarus is gathering soldiers and military equipment at the border with Ukraine.

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Analysis: Mongolia would rather anger The Hague than Moscow

Mongolia should, in theory, handcuff Vladimir Putin as soon as he steps off the plane on Tuesday, as the country is affiliated with the International Criminal Court (ICC). That's what Ivor Bennett writes for Sky News.

"But in reality, the country will not want to anger its powerful neighbor, on which it is hugely economically dependent."

Not arresting Putin is said to lead to condemnation, but the ICC has no coercive tools to use against Mongolia – provoking Moscow would have far worse consequences than provoking The Hague, Bennett continues.

The visit comes shortly after Mongolia gave Russia a financial nosebleed by not allocating money for the planned Russian-Chinese pipeline Power of Siberia 2 in its four-year budget, writes Daniel Markind for Forbes.

The fact that the pipeline must now be laid around Mongolia means that many economically important Chinese cities are missed, he continues.

"It's bad news for Putin, as figures from earlier this year show that sales of gas to China have not compensated for the loss of the European market."

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The Russian Invasion|The Battles
Zelensky fires the head of the air force after the crash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi fires Air Force Chief Mykola Oleshtyuk after an F-16 plane crashed on Monday, AP reports.

- We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers, says Zelensky immediately after the order was published. He promises to strengthen the army at the command level.

The pilot died in the crash, which occurred during a Russian attack. However, it is still unclear whether the crash was due to pilot error or something else, according to CNN.

It was the first reported loss of an F-16 plane since the donated fighters began being delivered from the West.