The city of Kyiv claims to have destroyed a warship, dealing a blow to Putin – updates on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during his upcoming trip to Turkey. The RIA news agency reported this on Friday.

Peskov refused to specify the exact date of Putin’s visit. A representative from Turkey informed Reuters earlier this week that the visit is scheduled for February 12.

According to RIA, Peskov stated that Turkey is facing unusual pressure from the “Anglo-Saxons” (referring to the US and UK) regarding its relationship with Russia. However, Ankara is maintaining its independence.

Russian schoolchildren will learn about drone technology for military and industrial purposes at craft lessons, the Tass news agency cited a senior official as saying on Friday.

The Deputy Education Minister, Tatyana Vasilyeva, also informed parliament that students will have increased focus on learning technical drawing, a crucial ability for working with blueprints.

Drones, which come in various sizes from small handheld devices to large aircraft, have become a crucial tool in the Ukrainian conflict.

The French government has announced the deaths of two French volunteers who were providing aid in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson. This news has been confirmed by the regional governor and other officials, who reported that the volunteers were killed in a drone attack carried out by Russia.

The ministry stated that three other citizens from France were wounded.

“Our citizens have returned – 207 of them. No matter what, we bring them home,” stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Orban, the closest ally Russian president Vladimir Putin has within the EU, has questioned the idea of committing years worth of funding to Kyiv despite unanimous support from the other 26 EU states. The Hungarian leader had previously blocked an agreement in December, but the pressure from other leaders finally broke his opposition and a deal was announced soon after the summit beginning.

“We have a deal,” Charles Michel, the European Council president wrote on Twitter/X, just five minutes after the summit officially began.

On Thursday, Ukraine stated that it utilized sea drones to sink a Russian corvette in the Black Sea. Russian investigators countered by claiming that a Russian military transport plane that crashed last month was targeted by two U.S.-made Patriot missiles fired by Ukrainian forces.

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency, also known as GUR, released a video on Wednesday night allegedly showing naval drones attacking the Russian missile-armed cutter Ivanovets.

In the contentious situation, Kyiv alleges that Russia violated the significant 1948 agreement by fabricating accusations of genocide in the eastern territories of Luhansk and Donetsk in order to justify their attack on Ukraine almost two years ago. Ukraine also asserts that Moscow is actively planning acts of genocide.

The claims made by Kyiv have been denied by Moscow, who also argued that the case should be dismissed without even examining the validity of the claims.

An article written by the top military leader of Ukraine has been released shortly after reports surfaced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attempted to dismiss him.

In his essay, General Valery Zaluzhny expressed disapproval towards the Ukrainian government’s failure to enlist more soldiers in response to the large number of Russian troops.

Gen Zaluzhny and Mr Zelensky have been at odds for months due to a disagreement over mobilization. The Ukrainian leader has resisted pressure to draft an additional 500,000 civilians, causing tension between the two.

Gen Zaluzhny wrote an essay for CNN stating that the enemy has a significant advantage in mobilizing human resources, while state institutions in Ukraine struggle to increase the manpower of their armed forces without implementing unpopular measures.

The essay was released prior to the reported encounter with Mr. Zelensky on Monday.

The Russian government strongly denounced Ecuador’s choice to transfer military equipment made in Russia to the United States for deployment in Ukraine. According to RIA news agency, this action is a “rash” violation of their agreement.

Last month, the Ecuadorian government announced that it would accept an offer from the United States to exchange “scrap metal” from Ukraine and Russia for advanced American equipment valued at $200 million.

The US has declared that the weapons received from Ecuador will be sent to Ukraine in order to strengthen its military presence in the fight against Russia.

According to RIA, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, stated that Ecuador’s choice was influenced by outside influences.

She stated that the decision made by Ecuador was reckless and influenced by external parties.

“Our partners are fully informed about the terms outlined in the contracts, which require them to use the provided equipment for its intended purposes and not to transfer it to a third party without first obtaining approval from the Russian side.”

Ecuadorian officials stated that Moscow had advised against the exchange of hardware, but they believed they had the authority to proceed with it regardless.