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end of 2023. “There are no observed indicators that Russian forces in Belarus have the command and control structures necessary for the winter or spring 2023 attack against Ukraine about which Ukrainian issued warnings in late 2022,” the ISW writes.
EU preparing 10th round of Russia sanctions. The European Union is working on its 10th round of sanctions for next month against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, diplomatic sources told Reuters.
US to designate Wagner Group international ‘criminal organisation.’ The U.S. is due to impose sanctions next week against the infamous Kremlin-backed Wagner Group mercenaries and its support network across the world, the White House said on Jan. 20.
In September 2022, on the day before Vladimir Putin announced mobilisation in Russia, the Russian State Duma passed multiple amendments to the country’s Criminal Code at an emergency session. Among other changes, lawmakers introduced harsher penalties for “crimes against military service,” including insubordination, resistance to superiors, unauthorised absence from one’s unit, and desertion. BBC News Russia examined which charges are being applied most often to soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine.
Russia, Estonia expel each other’s ambassadors due to ‘destroyed relations.’ Russia has summoned Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre, ordering him to leave the country by Feb. 7, followed by Estonia making the same move under "the principle of parity," the AP reported, citing the countries' foreign ministries.
NGO: Most convicts recruited by Wagner killed, wounded or deserted. Of the 50,000 convicts recruited by mercenary company Wagner Group from the Russian prison system, only 10,000 remain in the ranks of the military, according to Olga Romanova, head of Russia Behind Bars, an NGO that protects the rights of convicts.
The Russian government has stepped up its repressions against journalists by declaring Meduza, the country's largest independent media outlet, an "undesirable organization" on January 26. This status carries a potential criminal sentence of up to five years for anyone who cooperates with Meduza or publishes links to its articles. Meduza is the fourth Russian media outlet to be given the status of an "undesirable organization." The first three were investigative publications Proekt, Important Stories, and The Insider, which published articles on sensitive material. w
34 RUSSIA Country Report February 2023 www.intellinews.com