Ukraine-Russia war latest: Mercenaries from China, Pakistan and Africa fighting for Moscow, claims Zelensky

Russia accused the United States of exerting illegal trade pressure on India after Donald Trump threatened again to raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil.

“We hear many statements that are in fact threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia. We do not consider such statements to be legal,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

“We believe that sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners, partners for trade and economic cooperation, and to choose for themselves the forms of trade and economic cooperation that are in the interests of a particular country.”

Mr Trump has said that from Friday, he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its war with Ukraine.

New Delhi has called Trump’s threats “unjustified” and vowed to protect its economic interests, deepening a trade rift between the two major economies.

The Kremlin has said that Russia no longer has any restrictions on where it places its intermediate-range missiles, the day after Moscow said it would withdraw from what it called a self-imposed moratorium on their deployment.

The US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which banned the use of short-range and medium-range missiles, in 2019, citing Russian non-compliance.

Russia has since said it would not deploy such weapons provided that Washington did not do so.

Russian forces have captured the village of Sichneve in Ukraine’s east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian defence ministry said.

The Independent could not confirm the battlefield report.

Russia says its forces have seized full control of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fierce fighting, a claim Kyiv has dismissed as “propaganda.”

So why does this small town matter?

Chasiv Yar, whose name means “Quiet Ravine,” had a pre-war population of around 12,000. Perched on higher ground in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, it once served as a regrouping point and artillery base for Ukrainian forces.

Its elevated terrain, reinforced concrete factory and dense apartment blocks made it one of Ukraine’s best defended positions.

For Moscow, taking Chasiv Yar would remove an obstacle to advancing westwards towards key “fortress cities” in the Donbas, including Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Russian analysts say it could also be used to target Ukrainian forces in northern Donetsk and disrupt their supply lines.

The battle for Chasiv Yar has been among the longest and bloodiest of the war. Russia’s defence ministry claims its paratroopers cleared over 4,200 buildings under heavy Ukrainian fire, though this has not been independently verified.

Yet Ukrainian analysts have downplayed the town’s importance, arguing Russia has paid a heavy price for limited gains.

Some Russian commentators also call it a tactical rather than strategic victory, pointing to the slow pace of Moscow’s advance.

Today, Chasiv Yar lies largely in ruins after months of shelling and airstrikes. Most residents fled long ago. Only a few hundred remained last year, sheltering in basements as utilities collapsed.

Dmitry Medvedev, once seen in the West as a moderniser, has reinvented himself as one of Moscow’s most hawkish voices, and has now triggered a sharp rebuke from US President Donald Trump.

Mr Medvedev was elected president in 2008 when Vladimir Putin was barred by term limits. He led Russia for four years before steppung aside to let Mr Putin return to the Kremlin.

Educated as a lawyer and once described by colleagues as polite and intellectual, he initially raised hopes in Washington by signing the New START nuclear treaty with Barack Obama and speaking of reform.

But his presidency also saw Russia’s brief war with Georgia and failed attempts to curb corruption or strengthen civil society.

After returning to the role of prime minister, Mr Medvedev’s influence waned further, especially after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Pushed out of government in 2020, he became deputy chairman of the Security Council and emerged after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a fierce supporter of the war.

He has called Ukrainians “cockroaches” and warned of nuclear strikes, language critics call openly genocidal.

Until recently, his statements were largely dismissed as provocative noise. But last month, after Mr Medvedev criticised US airstrikes on Iran and hinted at nuclear threats, Mr Trump fired back, calling him a “failed former President” and warning him to “watch his words.”

In response, Mr Trump announced the deployment of US nuclear submarines, the first time Mr Medvedev’s rhetoric has sparked a direct reaction from Washington.

The Kremlin’s attempt to downplay former president Dmitry Medvedev’s role in foreign policy is part of a broader effort to obscure its use of nuclear threats, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed yesterday that officials like Mr Medvedev are entitled to their own “assessments” but insisted that President Vladimir Putin alone sets Russia’s foreign policy.

“The main thing is the president’s position,” he said.

But the ISW argues this distancing tactic is misleading. The think tank says that Mr Medevev’s increasingly aggressive and provocative statements, including nuclear and inflammatory language aimed at the West, are part of a top-down Kremlin information campaign.

ISW notes that Medvedev does not independently shape policy and that the Kremlin would be able to silence him if it chose, given its tight grip on state messaging and media.

Instead, ISW argues, the Kremlin appears to encourage Mr Medvedev’s rhetoric as a strategic tool. This makes Mr Putin seem more moderate by contrast, and creates room for the Russian president to escalate threats or demands while maintaining a calculated image of restraint.

The Kremlin is gradually coordinating its response to Donald Trump’s decision to reposition two American nuclear submarines closer to Russia, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

While Russian officials were initially slow to react following Mr Trump’s announcement last week, the ISW said a growing number of Kremlin officials have since dismissed the move as emotional and portrayed Russia as the more responsible actor.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that any talk of nuclear escalation was “premature” and described Mr Trump’s reaction as “very emotional”.

He insisted Russia take a “very careful” and “responsible” approach to nuclear issues.

Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council’s foreign affairs committee, similarly said foreign policy should be “less emotional and more rational”, while State Duma deputy Mikhail Matveev also characterised Mr Trump’s actions as emotional.

Deputy Viktor Volodatsky accused Mr Trump of attempting to intimidate Russia, but insisted the submarine move posed no real threat.

Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov added: “Russia is not threatening anyone,” and warned that Mr Trump was mistaken if he believed the move would instil fear.