February 27, 2024 - Russia-Ukraine news

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Ukraine’s National Resistance Center, an official body, said Tuesday that Ukrainian resistance forces blew up an office of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “United Russia” party in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka in Kherson region.

The National Resistance Center which is run by Ukraine’s Special Forces said the attack was carried out in order “to stop the fake election process in the captured city” as the preparations are underway for the Russian presidential elections in March.

The Center of National Resistance called on citizens of Ukraine who are currently residing on the occupied territories, not to participate in the upcoming Russian election and warned that “every collaborator who helps organize the ‘election process’ will be held accountable for their actions.” 

Marina Zakharova, the head of the Russian-appointed Electoral Commission of the Kherson region, said in a video message on Tuesday that “as a result of a terrorist attack by Ukraine” in Nova Kakhovka “the premises of precinct commissions were damaged.” 

Zakharova said that Tuesday was “the first day of early voting in the presidential elections in hard-to-reach and remote settlements, including those located along the line of military contact.”

This was not the first incident when Ukraine was trying to sabotage the election sights on Tuesday, according to Zakharova. She said “an enemy shell exploded near the territorial election commission in the Holoprystanskyi municipal district,” which is in Kherson region as well.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed acting head of the Kherson region administration, also confirmed the attacks but claimed they were carried out by drones. Saldo said there were no victims following the attacks and posted the video of the destruction on the cites to his Telegram channel.

One of Alexey Navalny’s lawyers was released after being detained in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, according to Vasily Dubkov’s comment to the Russian Independent media Verstka, following his release.

Dubkov was the lawyer who flew with Navalny’s mother to Salekhard — the Siberian town where Navalny’s body was being kept in a morgue — in order to receive official confirmation of his death, according to Verstka.

Dubkov “did not comment on the reason and circumstances of his detention, saying only that he considered it to be an obstruction of his lawyer’s activities,” Verstka said.

CNN cannot independently verify Verstka’s reporting.

Navalny’s three other lawyers — Vadim Kobzev, Alexey Liptser and Igor Sergunin — were arrested in October 2023 and accused of “being members of an extremist community,” according to Navalny’s team.

The Basmanny court in Moscow ordered the arrest in absentia of Navalny’s other lawyer Olga Mikhailova and Alexander Fedulov on the same charge on February 15, according to the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow.

Britain’s prosecution service has charged a sixth person for allegedly spying for Russia in the UK.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement Tuesday that Bulgarian national Tihomir Ivanchev, 38, was charged with conspiring to collect information “which might be or was intended to be directly or indirectly useful for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state.”

In September last year, the CPS charged five other Bulgarian nationals for alleged conspiracy to conduct espionage.

“A sixth suspect was identified and arrested as a result of enquiries made following the previous five arrests in this investigation,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

Ivanchev was arrested on February 7 as part of an ongoing investigation being led by the terrorism command, the police said in a statement.

He was subsequently bailed, and then charged on Tuesday. The Bulgarian national will appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, according to the police. The trial for the other five charged under the same alleged offense is due to start in October, according to the CPS.

Oleg Orlov attends his verdict hearing in Moscow on February 27, 2024.

Oleg Orlov, a Russian human rights activist and co-chairman of Memorial Human Rights Defense Center, was sentenced to two years and six months in a general regime correctional colony, the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Golovinsky District Court of Moscow found Orlov guilty of “discrediting the military” and Orlov was denied the right to access Internet and post on social media for the duration of his sentence, according to the statement posted on the court’s Telegram page. 

Orlov was taken into custody in the courtroom following the verdict, the statement read. In his “final word” addressed to the court on Monday, Orlov said he was “shocked” by the news about the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

Orlov also said he believes Navalny was murdered “regardless of the specific circumstances of this death.”

The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny’s death.

Orlov said he “has been on trial for an article that he had written more than a year ago,” referring to his article entitled “They wanted fascism. They got it” that he wrote in November 2022 for a French publication. He later reposted that article on his Facebook page.

In that article Orlov criticized the current political regime in Russia and called it “totalitarian and fascist.”

The Memorial Human Rights Defense Center was banned in Russia in late 2021 and the Russian Justice Ministry designated Oleg Orlov a “foreign agent” on February 2, 2024.

French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out sending Western troops to fight on the ground as Ukraine comes under more pressure from Russian advances. Macron’s comments have prompted many European nations to quickly allay any domestic fears their countries may be sending soldiers to the war-torn region on Tuesday.

The US State Department reiterated that President Joe Biden has ruled out sending US troops to fight in Ukraine, in response to Macron’s comments.

Macron’s comments also caused a clash among French oppositions leaders, despite France’s defense minister is defending Macron. “To say that we exclude nothing is neither weak nor escalatory,” French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the country’s lawmakers Tuesday.

On the ground Tuesday, Ukraine lost its third village within a week on the eastern front. A spokesperson for a grouping of Ukrainian forces said they withdrew from the villages of Sieverne and Stepove, which are both west of the town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region. On Monday, Ukrainian forces retreated from the village of Lastochkyne, both sides confirmed.

Here’s what else to know today:

French opposition lawmakers clashed with members of the government including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Tuesday over President Emmanuel Macron saying he wouldn’t rule out the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine. 

Macron’s comments raised eyebrows from several European leaders who moved quickly to stress their opposition to any deployment. On top of that, the French president has also had to contend with fierce criticism from a number of opposition lawmakers at home who said a French deployment would constitute belligerency. 

Marine Le Pen, who is a key figure within the far-right National Rally party, initially criticized Macron’s comments in a social media post on Tuesday, accusing the president of playing the “war leader.” 

She later clashed with the French prime minister during a parliamentary session where she described the president’s remarks as “extremely serious” and “another step” towards “co-belligerence.”  

Le Pen said a deployment of French troops to Ukraine would be taking place despite France’s “vital interests” not being “at stake.” 

Attal highlighted Le Pen’s prior ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, casting doubt on her credibility as someone who “simply refuses to recognize that there is a war being waged by an authoritarian country, a country where opponents are dying in jails, and that is Russia.”

The US State Department reiterated that President Joe Biden has ruled out sending US troops to fight in Ukraine, in response to French President Emmanuel Macron saying sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.”

He also called on Congress to pass additional funding for lethal aid to Ukraine. “We think that the path to victory for Ukraine right now is in the United States House of Representatives,” Miller said. 

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday in Washington, DC.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called a White House meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and fellow congressional leaders “one of the most intense” he’d ever experienced, attributing the intensity to a sense of “urgency.”

Schumer said that he — along with the president, the vice president, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell — “made it clear how vital this was to the United States.”

It comes amid pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson to commit to sending aid to Ukraine. Schumer expressed frustration that Johnson was tying the aid package to the US southern border, saying Democrats “have a tough secure border plan.” He said Johnson “tried to do (a) border (deal) for six months and couldn’t come up with a single Democratic vote.” 

What Johnson says: The House speaker told reporters at the White House Tuesday that he believes Congress “must take care of America’s needs first,” before addressing foreign aid, including specifically addressing the situation at the border. Johnson has refused to hold a vote on a bipartisan Senate bill that includes funding for the border in addition to aid for Ukraine and Gaza.

Schumer also said that the group discussed how failure to support Ukraine could leave NATO fractured and turn allies away from US leadership. “The presidents of North Korea and Iran would be emboldened in thinking that the United States was this soft, fat country that lost its way and would take advantage,” Schumer added.

Schumer led a congressional delegation to Ukraine at the end of last week, and he said the trip left him “shaken” because Ukrainians are “fighting without arms against a brutal dictator.”

The question of Kyiv’s allies sending troops to Ukraine is a “debate that we must have,” an Elysee Palace source told journalists on Tuesday.

It comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not rule out sending Western troops into Ukraine.

Macron was signaling his determination to Russian President Vladimir Putin and France’s desire to block any victory of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the source said, underlining that the French president did not say that he would send troops and that no decision has been made regarding such a deployment. 

The French government has called for a debate in the National Assembly to discuss France’s security relationship with Ukraine, and the source said that the debate will discuss how the war in Ukraine affects France.

If the situation in Ukraine deteriorates, the source said: “We must consider the effects for French security.”

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Tuesday.

France’s defense minister is defending the French president’s refusal to rule out troop deployments to Ukraine, following diplomatic outcry over the possibility of Western boots on the ground in Ukraine.

“To say that we exclude nothing is neither weak nor escalatory,” French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the country’s lawmakers Tuesday.

He added that during the conference in Paris on Monday, European leaders proposed different ideas to bolster aid to Ukraine, including broadening de-mining assistance in Ukraine and boosting the training of Ukrainian troops. However, there was no consensus for such measures, Lecornu added.

The minister underlined that such plans were distinct from getting into war with Moscow.

US President Joe Biden stressed the “urgent” need for Ukraine aid ahead of his meeting with top congressional leaders at the White House Tuesday.

Some context: On Saturday, Biden urged House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of Congress to return from a two-week break and pass much-needed aid for Ukraine.

The speaker has resisted calls to bring a Senate-passed aid package up for a quick vote — a move that would almost certainly spark a revolt from some members of his own party. While visiting Ukraine last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also called on House Republicans to pass the aid bill.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 27, 2024.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks on his country’s peace plan with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he said on social media Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president also said he would lean on Saudi Arabia to help broker the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

“The second topic is the return of POWs and deportees. The Kingdom’s leadership has already contributed to the release of our people,” he said. “I am confident that this meeting will also yield results.”

Zelensky’s “peace formula”: Back in November 2022, Zelensky presented a 10-point peace plan to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a video speech to G20 leaders in Bali. The steps include a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes and a final peace treaty with Moscow.

The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez petroleum refinery, operated by OAO Lukoil, is seen in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on December 15, 2011.

Russia is introducing a six-month ban on gasoline exports, starting on March 1, to offset increased demand as well as lower output while some refineries undergo repairs, following Ukrainian strikes on some refineries, according to Russian news agencies.

Repairs are being undertaken at a number of refineries after a series of “accidents,” namely at Nizhny Novgorod, Tuapse and Ilsky facilities, according to Russian state media RIA.

Despite Russian state news outlets reporting the repairs as caused by “a number of accidents,” Ukrainian drone strikes had been reported at the Tuapse and Ilsky facilities, located relatively close to Ukraine’s borders.

The Nizhny Novgorod refinery — Russia’s fourth largest in terms of volume — was twice damaged by fire, in the space of a month, according to RIA.

Following a meeting of European leaders in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.”

His comments have drawn a swift response from various leaders, with one clear message: that will not be happening.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that conflict with Russia would be inevitable if Western nations sent troops into Ukraine.

Here’s what other countries have to say:

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Moscow’s forces have taken control of the settlement of Sieverne, west of the town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region. 

Footage shared on social media and geolocated by CNN showed Russian forces inside the small settlement. Pro-Ukrainian military bloggers have also reported the loss of the village.

“Our units withdrew from the small villages of Sieverne and Stepove,” the spokesperson for the Tavria operational and strategic group, Dmytro Lykhovii, said during a national broadcast Tuesday.

Oleksandr Tarnavsky, who leads a group of Ukrainian troops, also said Ukraine has stabilized the front line in the area of the settlements of Tonenke, Orlivka and Berdychi.

Remember: On Monday, Ukrainian forces retreated from the village of Lastochkyne, both sides confirmed. Russian forces are intensifying attacks and continuing to push west. Lastochkyne is also located near Avdiivka, where Russia raised its flag on February 18.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivers the opening remarks during a NATO video summit on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on February 25, 2022.

NATO is not planning to deploy combat troops on the ground in Ukraine, a NATO official told CNN on Tuesday. 

“NATO and Allies are providing unprecedented military support to Ukraine. We have done that since 2014, and we stepped up after Russia’s full-scale invasion,” the official said. “But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.”

The official added that NATO would continue to support Ukraine as it has up until now. 

“We must remember what this is: a war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, blatantly violating international law,” the official said. “According to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defence, and we have the right to support them. That is what NATO Allies are doing and will continue to do.”

The response comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said he could not rule out the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a groundbreaking ceremony at the new Freiburg-Dietenbach development in Freiburg, Germany, on February 27.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made a clear statement on any potential plans to send troops to Ukraine, saying “there will be no ground troops.”

His comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron said he could not rule out the possibility of Western countries sending troops to Ukraine on Monday.

“It is important to keep reassuring ourselves of this,” he added.

Scholz also said “this good, detailed discussion” was held in Paris, and said the summit was “very unanimous on this issue.”

Alexey Navalny’s team is struggling to find a venue to hold a farewell ceremony for the Russian opposition leader, with one funeral venue saying they were prohibited from working with them, his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, revealed on Tuesday.

“Since [Monday] we have been looking for a venue where we can say goodbye to Alexey,” Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We called most private and public funeral agencies, commercial sites and funeral halls.” 

According to Yarmysh, despite efforts, most agencies and sites contacted have either claimed the space is occupied or refused them as soon as Navalny’s name is mentioned, in one instance citing a direct prohibition on working with Navalny’s team.

On Monday, Yarmysh announced plans for a public farewell ceremony for Navalny at the end of the work week, urging those with suitable premises to reach out to the team. 

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks to the media on January 24, in Berlin, Germany.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico warned Monday that proposals by Western states to send troops to Ukraine, “even if only on a bilateral level,” would lead to a “significant escalation of tensions.” 

After the meeting of European leaders in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.”

But, he said there was “no agreement this evening to officially send troops onto the ground.” 

In a post published after the meeting, Fico said he found the “purely combat atmosphere” at the meeting supporting the war “disappointing,” and that his government “will never agree to send Slovak troops to the war in Ukraine.”

CNN has reached out to Fico’s office for further comment. 

Meanwhile, the head of the German Green party which is part of the ruling coalition, Omid Nouripour, has also sought to allay fears of sending troops to Ukraine, saying “I saw a humorous Macron who simply wanted to say: I don’t want to rule out anything.”

Nouipour said the idea of sending German troops was not up for debate: “It is not an issue at all. It is not an issue in the discussion in Germany and also not in an alliance.”

That sentiment was echoed by Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who said the country was not prepared to send either weapons or soldiers to Ukraine.

“The war must be ended, not deepened and widened,” he said in a post on Facebook.

CNN’s Chris Stern in Berlin and Stephanie Halasz contributed to this report.