Russia practiced a “massive nuclear strike” –

A scientist who allegedly worked on the Russian bill has been arrested in Ukraine

Ukraine has arrested a scientist in the Kharkiv region who allegedly worked on the Russian bill, reports AFP.

The 72-year-old allegedly supported Russia in the further development of attack drones, Ukraine’s security service SBU said on Wednesday. The man allegedly worked to improve the engine and launch system of the Shahed drone designed in Iran.

Shahed drones have been widely used by the Russians during the war in Ukraine.

The arrested man is suspected of disguising his design work as “scientific research” to avoid being caught. The man is accused of “helping a hostile state” and if he is found guilty, he faces a 12-year prison sentence.

The man’s former student, who fled to Russia, is also accused of helping the man, SBU says in the release.

The foreign minister of North Korea is visiting Moscow

Foreign Minister of North Korea Choe Son Hui has arrived on a state visit to Moscow.

Choe is scheduled to hold “strategic” talks with the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrovin with, reported the Moscow Times.

According to the Reuters news agency, Choe is visiting Russia for the second time in the past six weeks. According to Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, more information about the schedule of the foreign ministers’ meeting and other details will be announced later.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. AOP

According to the United States and NATO, North Korean soldiers are currently in the Kursk region, and in addition, several thousand more soldiers are on their way to the region. Outgoing President of the United States Joe Biden has described North Korea’s entry into the conflict as “very dangerous”.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has not denied the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia. According to the Kremlin, Russia has the right to develop its relations with North Korea as it sees fit.

Russia practiced a “massive nuclear strike”

Russia’s armed forces on Tuesday conducted test launches of ballistic missiles to simulate a “massive” nuclear strike in response to a hypothetical situation in which an enemy attacks Russia. The Moscow Times reports on this.

A month earlier, Putin announced plans to expand Russia’s rules on the use of nuclear weapons. According to the Kremlin, the purpose of the decision is to warn Western countries of the consequences that would follow if Ukraine is given permission to strike Russian soil with Western weapons.

According to Putin, the use of nuclear weapons is the “last resort” to ensure one’s own security.

A very similar nuclear strike exercise was organized in Russia in October of last year. According to the Kremlin, the exercise was pre-planned at the time.

FT: Ukraine and Russia are tentatively negotiating to end attacks on energy facilities

Ukraine and Russia have started preliminary negotiations, the purpose of which is to stop attacks on the energy infrastructure by both. Sources tell the Financial Times about it.

According to the sources, Ukraine has sought to restart Qatar-mediated negotiations, which broke down after Ukraine launched an offensive in the Kursk region belonging to Russia.

According to the source, it is about “very preliminary negotiations”, where it is about whether the matter could be discussed again.

If the agreement is reached, it would mean the most significant de-escalation of the war since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

During the last few weeks, Russia and Ukraine have already carried out attacks on energy facilities less frequently than before. According to a high-ranking Ukrainian official, this is the result of an informal agreement between the countries’ intelligence services.