The situation in the Ukraine war is getting worse.
Russia's offensive appears to be failing.
That could become a problem for the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin.
Read all developments on the Ukraine war in the live ticker here.
The processed information on the Ukraine war comes partly from the warring parties in Russia and Ukraine.
They can therefore not be independently checked in part.
Kiev/Moscow – The Ukraine war is facing a sad event: February 24 marks the first anniversary of the start of the war.
After a year, the front in the war in Ukraine is only slowly shifting.
The Russian military is being pushed further and further back by the Ukrainian forces and eastern Ukraine is becoming the scene of heavy fighting.
Nevertheless, many experts expect that Russia could launch another offensive on the occasion of the anniversary.
A few days before the deadline comes the assessment from London: The failures of the Russian army will probably cause tension in the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Russia is also using sexual violence as a weapon of war in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine News live: The situation in Moscow is said to be tense – how will the Ukraine war continue?
According to the German Press Agency, the British Ministry of Defense reports that the Russian offensive in the spring is intended to increase tensions in the Russian leadership due to failures.
That's according to the Department of Defense's daily Ukraine war intelligence update in London on Monday, February 20.
The past few weeks and days have shown that the army of Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to gain the upper hand against the Ukrainian soldiers on several fronts at the same time.
The strategy: winning the front with high losses.
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The Ukraine war will mark its first anniversary in a few days.
Russia pushes further to the offensive - with high losses.
(archive image)
© dpa/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
It is repeatedly reported that entire squads are wiped out and numerous soldiers die.
Added to this is the high loss of material associated with this strategy in the war in Ukraine.
The intelligence report goes on to say that Russia is sticking to the offensive, among other things, because the Kremlin wants to present successes on the anniversary of the war.
That is why the cities of Bachmut and Wuhledar are still the focus of the fighting.
The cities in eastern Ukraine have been considered important theaters of the Ukraine war for months, and a victory in the region would probably give the Russian leadership fresh support for the course of the war.
Russia's offensive in the Ukraine war probably fails: News on the current course of the conflict
The fact that the Russian military is probably feeling a lot of pressure from its leadership is also shown by the fact that in Wuhledar, a city in the Donbass, two elite units were so badly wiped out that they are no longer operational.
The West suspects that Russia's army wants to press ahead with the spring offensive at all costs in order to avoid further tensions in the Kremlin.
The daily British intelligence report has been a thorn in the side of the Russian President for months.
Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
Ukraine News: NATO in Ukraine war rejects demand for cluster bombs
They are considered terrible weapons in wars: so-called cluster bombs and incendiary bombs.
Last weekend, the debate about the banned weapons of war flared up again in the ranks of the security conference, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg making it clear that such weapons would not be supplied by the alliance to Kiev.
He told the broadcasting association RTL/ntv that the alliance did not recommend this type of weapon either.
"We supply artillery and other types of weapons, but no cluster bombs."
Why are cluster bombs banned?
Cluster bombs are usually containers that contain so-called submunitions.
Before the cluster bomb reaches the ground, it detonates and spreads its contents over large areas.
Another variant is that up to 40 percent of the bomb does not detonate on impact, but is distributed in a region.
The bombs lurking in the ground can then explode at the slightest touch.
As a result, they cause uncontrolled destruction in an area and cannot be used against military targets.
So far, cluster munitions have been used in 40 countries.
The international criticism: cluster bombs indiscriminately kill and wound.
So far, 123 countries have signed a convention against cluster munitions, which has been in force under international law since 2010.
Ukraine had previously advocated the use of cluster munitions.
Deputy Prime Minister Kubrakov had spoken out in favor of being able to use cluster munitions and phosphorus firearms on his own territory.
Russia would already use such weapons in the Ukraine war, it said.
Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that there are no legal obstacles preventing Ukraine from using cluster munitions.
As a reason, he said that Kiev is not a member of the Oslo Convention, which bans the use of cluster munitions.
Ukraine War News: Russia launched invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, launched an attack on Ukraine with his army on February 24, 2022.
Almost a year after the fighting broke out, news about Ukraine is dominated by harshness and destruction – for months, Russian attacks have increasingly focused on eastern Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has been campaigning for arms deliveries to Ukraine ever since.
The West is therefore trying to help the defenders with weapons, supplies and money - including from Germany.
In addition, the nations and NATO launched extensive sanctions against Russia, Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs.
While many nations quickly pledged aid supplies, German politicians hesitated for a long time.
After the news of the delivery of several thousand combat helmets initially caused outrage, the government around Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) followed suit, delivered weapons and most recently sent Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
In the meantime, thanks to Western aid, Ukraine has been able to push back the Russian advance.
Britain also planned to supply Challenger 2 tanks.
So far almost 14 million people have fled because of the war in Ukraine.
The exact number of victims is not known.
Nevertheless, new horror stories reach the media almost every day.
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February
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List of rubrics: © dpa/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP