Day 712 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Zelensky Hints At Replacing Zaluzhnyi

Day 712 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Zelensky spoke about the replacement of Valerii Zaluzhnyi
• The US Senate announced a compromise aid deal for Ukraine, but it is now in question
• A Russian emergency helicopter has crashed into a lake in the Republic of Karelia in Russia with three people on board
• Ukraine must mobilize more troops to repel Russian forces, German Bundeswehr general says
• Millions of barrels of Russian oil are still being imported into Britain despite sanctions

Zelensky spoke about the replacement of Valerii Zaluzhnyi

President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time publicly commented on the possibility of replacing the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

In an interview with Rai1, quoted by Ukrinform, Zelensky stated that Ukraine needs serious changes that affect the direction of the state leadership

"This is a matter for the people who should lead Ukraine. Of course, we need a restart, a new beginning... I mean something serious, not one person, but the direction of the country's leadership," the president notes.

He explains that he means the rotation of a whole range of heads of state, "not just in one sector like the military".

"I think about this substitution... If we want to win, we have to push everyone in one direction, be convinced of victory, we can't lose heart, give up, we have to have the right positive energy... That's why I talk about substitution - I mean something serious that affects not one person, but the direction of the country's leadership," Zelensky emphasized.

On the evening of January 29, a number of Telegram channels spread information that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, had been relieved of his post.

The US Senate announced a compromise aid deal for Ukraine, but it is now in question

The United States Senate announced a bipartisan deal on a $118 billion military aid package for Ukraine and Israel.

The bill, which includes funds for border security, has already faced its first test, however, after some Republicans in the US House of Representatives (the lower house of Congress) rejected it.

In the Senate, a first vote is expected on Wednesday, although the necessary majority to start a debate - 60 votes - is not certain.

President Joe Biden urged Congress to quickly pass the deal, but House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, warned it would be dead on arrival. Johnson called the text "worse than expected"; in his words, he will not limit the catastrophe along the border "which the president created".

More than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine in its war on Russia, as well as aid to Israel in its conflict with Hamas, have been blocked for months by Republican opposition. Many in the party linked the text to emergency border security measures given the increased influx of migrants.

Another $14 billion is earmarked for Israel, $10 billion will go to humanitarian aid in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Gaza and the West Bank.

If the bill is passed, it would lead to, according to Reuters, the most sweeping changes to US immigration and border security in decades. In addition to measures for 20.23 billion dollars, it is predicted that the border will be "closed" for most migrants if more than 5,000 crossing attempts are reported on average over 7 days.

With the change, CNN writes, the president will have broad powers to limit the crossing of the southern border. At the same time, the tightening of control is causing dissatisfaction among representatives of the progressive wing of the Democrats.

Senate Republicans insist the change would end the controversial practice of catching and then releasing illegal migrants arriving at the southern border and speed up the processing of asylum claims, rather than allowing migrants, after being quickly released, to remain in USA awaiting response.

According to the top Republican in the upper house, Mitch McConnell, his party would not get a better deal even if it held the White House.

Republican hardliners, however, interpret the bill as an opportunity to admit 5,000 "illegal migrants a day and automatic work permits for asylum seekers -- a magnet for more illegal migration," according to House Speaker Steve Scalise.

A Russian emergency helicopter has crashed into a lake in the Republic of Karelia in Russia with three people on board

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter with a three-man crew of the Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Liquidation of the Consequences of Natural Disasters of Russia crashed into a lake in the northern part of the Republic of Karelia, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the ministry on Telegram. . The agency adds that an underwater operation is currently underway to search for the crew.

"The aircraft was performing a training flight," adds the Russian ministry. "The helicopter was operated by an experienced crew with thousands of flight hours," the statement added.

Wreckage from the helicopter, which disappeared from radar late last night, was found at a depth of about 50 m and at a distance of 11 km from the shore of Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe, located in the Russian Republic of Karelia.

Divers and a remote-controlled underwater vehicle are involved in the search, the Russian Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Management said, but did not provide information on the condition of the crew members.

Karelia is divided into two parts - the Karelia region in Finland and the Russian Republic of Karelia in the northwestern part of Russia, between the White Sea (Northwestern Russia) and the Baltic Sea, where the helicopter crashed.

Ukraine must mobilize more troops to repel Russian forces, German Bundeswehr general says

Ukraine must mobilize more military personnel to be able to repel Russian forces, said Brigadier General Christian Freuding of the German Bundeswehr, DPA reported.

"Ukraine will certainly have to mobilize more military personnel - if only because of the number of casualties, as far as can be seen," General Freuding, who heads the Defense Ministry's situation center for Ukraine, told the German media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) today.

General Freuding also pointed to the need to renew the Ukrainian units, some of which have been at the front for 24 months. In Ukraine, the type and scope of mobilization are now being discussed, DPA notes.

The German brigadier general criticized reports of disagreements between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

"We can't look behind the scenes," Freuding said. "But, of course, we are monitoring these discussions between the military and political leadership. And we hope that Ukraine will maintain the unity that has made it strong in the defense of the country in recent months and years," he pointed out.

"Such discussion is also a hallmark of a democratic country. But in the long run it does not favor defense efforts," added General Freuding.

Millions of barrels of Russian oil are still being imported into Britain despite sanctions

Millions of barrels of fuel made from Russian oil are still being imported into the UK despite sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, according to a study cited by the BBC. The sanctions loophole means that Russian crude oil is refined in countries such as India and the products are then sold in the UK.

The UK government has denied there have been any imports of Russian oil since 2022, but a spokesman said internationally recognized "rules of origin" state that crude once refined in another country is classified for trading purposes as originating on the refining side.

The UK is among many Western countries to ban the import of all oil and petroleum products originating in Russia in a bid to prevent Moscow from generating fossil fuel funds to wage its fossil fuel war in Ukraine. But two separate reports, accessed by the BBC, show that refining rules allow products made from Russian crude oil to arrive safely in the UK.

The Center for Energy and Clean Air Research said this "refining loophole" means countries like India and China, which have not sanctioned the Kremlin, can legally import Russian crude and refine it into petroleum products such as jet fuel and diesel. They then export these products to the UK and EU.

"The problem with this loophole is that it increases the demand for Russian crude oil and enables higher sales in terms of volume and higher prices, which increases the funds sent to the Kremlin's war safe," the head of the center Isaac Levi told BBC.

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