Thursday’s Coverage: Baltic States to Disconnect from Russia and Synchronize with Western Europe
Map: Institute for the Study of War
Donald Trump’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has ordered a halt to enforcement of sanctions against oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin.
In a directive on her first day in office, Bondi announced the end to Task Force KleptoCapture.
“This policy requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach,” Bondi said resources devoted to enforcing sanctions will be redirected to countering cartels.
Task Force KleptoCapture was initiated by the Biden Administration as part of the response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It sought to hinder the finances of Putin’s associates and to punish those evading sanctions and export controls.
The TaskForce brought indictments against the aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska — connected to Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, Paul Manafort — and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev. It seized yachts belonging to the sanctioned oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg.
Meeting regional governors, Putin implicitly referred to reports of renewed Ukrainian assault, which one Russian military observer described as a “bolt from the blue”.
Ukraine seized around 1,300 square km (500 square miles) of Kursk after a cross-border incursion on August 6. Russia has reclaimed more than half, but is struggling to advance in the rest of the area.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Ukraine has deployed two mechanized battalions, tanks and armored vehicles southeast of Sudzha, claimed by Kyiv’s forces in the first days of the incursion.
Ukraine did not comment on the reports, but offered a humanitarian corridor for civilians to leave the region.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky praised troops in Kursk, as he issued several army units with state honours: “The occupier can and should be beaten on its territory. The Kursk operation clearly explains the meaning of the principle of ‘peace through strength’.”
Today marks six months of the Kursk operation. With our active operations on Russian territory, we have brought the war home to Russia. That is where they must feel what war truly means. And they do.
I thank every Ukrainian warrior and every unit involved in operations in the… pic.twitter.com/YGT7nt97mh
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 6, 2025
Zelensky’s office spoke of Moscow’s “indifference” to its citizens.
We are ready to open a humanitarian corridor from Kursk region to the depths of Russia in response to an official request of the Russian Federation. Apparently, the Russians do not want such a humanitarian corridor, because we have not received a corresponding request from them.
Facing criticism from Kursk residents that they have been abandoned by Russian authorities, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted the Kremlin is doing “everything” it can.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine’s General Staff said Moscow has lost almost 40,000 personnel, with more than 16,000 killed, trying to regain territory. Ukrainian forces have reportedly captured 909 Russian soldiers during the six-month operation.