UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
The situation on the front is tense — the Russian army is trying to increase its assault activity. But this only leads to higher losses. Russia has failed to achieve its goals in the border areas of Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions and is once again postponing deadlines, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a report by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
🇧🇩🇺🇸 “The authorities are in a panic looking for oil products.” Bangladesh has asked the United States for permission to buy 600,000 tons of fuel oil from Russia due to an acute energy crisis resulting from the war with Iran.
The country imports 95% of its oil and gas, most of it from the Persian Gulf, but supplies have fallen sharply, writes The Daily Telegraph. Crude oil reserves are only 17 days away, while diesel and gasoline are also at critical levels.
Ust-Luga in the Leningrad Region, one of the largest and deepest ports in the Russian Federation, continues to burn.
Poland to hold secret war drills, Rzeczpospolita reports.
In April, the country will host the strategic exercise “Kraj,” which will test the readiness of its entire defense system for a possible military conflict.
The country’s top leadership — the president, government, military, and intelligence agencies — will take part in the exercise. Scenarios for declaring martial law, making strategic decisions, and coordination between the government and the army will be practiced.
This will be the first such large-scale exercise since 2019 and, effectively, the first test of Poland’s defense system since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
❗️One of Russia’s largest refineries, Kirishinefteorgsintez, could remain out of operation for another month after Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reports.
It may partially resume production within a month, but the pace of the restart will depend on how quickly Russian ports can resume loading.
A partial restart would allow the refinery’s secondary units to produce motor fuel.
Three of the four primary units are expected to return to operation within a month, representing about 60% of the refinery’s primary capacity.
“Kremlin hotline”: Hungary colluded with Russia to secure exemptions from sanctions for oligarchs, companies, and banks, according to a VSquare investigation.
The hotline between Péter Szijjártó and Sergey Lavrov allegedly provided Russia with strategic information on key EU issues.
The investigation claims that the Hungarian foreign minister acted in the Kremlin’s interests, including efforts to remove Russians — among them Gulbahor Ismailova, sister of oligarch Alisher Usmanov — from EU sanctions lists.
In another conversation with Russia’s deputy energy minister, Szijjártó reportedly said he was doing everything possible to block an EU sanctions package and offered to help shield Russian entities from restrictions. He also indicated that Slovakia was supporting this coordinated effort.
According to the report, shortly after returning to Budapest from St. Petersburg on August 30, 2024, Szijjártó received a call from Lavrov, who asked for assistance in removing Ismailova from EU sanctions lists — a request Szijjártó allegedly agreed to support.
Usmanov, a Russian-Uzbek businessman, built his fortune in mining, industry, telecommunications, and media, and is widely described as having close ties to Vladimir Putin.
The conversations reportedly included criticism of the European Union and its officials, including Josep Borrell, then High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Investigators say the calls, recorded between 2023 and 2025, reveal unusually close and cooperative communication between Hungarian and Russian officials, including the exchange of sensitive information about discussions in Budapest and Brussels.
They also suggest coordinated efforts by Hungary and Slovakia to obstruct EU sanctions against Russian individuals and entities.
According to the report, Ismailova was removed from the EU sanctions list on March 14, 2025, during an extension of personal sanctions, following pressure from Hungary. She was delisted alongside Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor and Mikhail Degtyarev.
Transcripts and audio recordings of the conversations were obtained and verified by a consortium of investigative outlets, including VSquare, FRONTSTORY, Delfi Estonia, The Insider, and the Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak.
🤔 Péter Szijjártó commented on the audio recording of the conversation with Sergey Lavrov, which was published by the media today.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister accused foreign intelligence services of listening to his calls.
At the same time, the diplomat did not deny lobbying for the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
Russian forces attacked Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region with an FPV drone.
Eleven people were injured, including a child. A 16-year-old girl and a 28-year-old woman are in serious condition, while a 25-year-old victim is in moderate condition.
Houses and shops were damaged, and a fire destroyed a car.
On the outskirts of Pereyaslav, soldiers discovered a 25,000-year-old mammoth bone.
The bone was found by volunteer fighters during work on the southeastern outskirts of the city.
Archaeologists note that the find may be part of a larger Paleolithic site. A flint point from the same period had previously been discovered in the area.