Ukraine-Russia war latest: Norway fears Putin could invade it next as Moscow claims gains in Zaporizhzhia

Russia's crucial oil and gas revenues, which have sustained its war against Ukraine, have suddenly dwindled to multi-year lows as the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches.

This sharp decline is the result of new punitive measures from the US and the European Union, tariff pressure from US President Donald Trump against India, and a tightening crackdown on the fleet of sanctions-dodging tankers carrying Russian oil.

The resulting revenue drop is forcing President Vladimir Putin to borrow from Russian banks and raise taxes.

While these measures are currently keeping state finances "on an even keel", they only increase strains in a war economy now plagued by slowing growth and stubborn inflation.

Britain is set to double the number of its troops in Norway to bolster defences in the High North against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The commitment will see the number of UK forces in the country rise from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next three years.

Defence Secretary John Healey, speaking during a visit to Royal Marines at Camp Viking in the Norwegian Arctic, also pledged UK participation in Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission.

This alliance initiative seeks to improve regional security and address concerns raised by Donald Trump regarding Greenland.

The announcement comes as General Sir Nick Carter, a former head of the armed forces, urged greater European co-operation to deter Russia and support Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary also confirmed that UK Armed Forces will play their part in Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission.

An overnight drone attack sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Russia's southern region of Volgograd, the regional governor said this morning.

"Air defence units of the Russian ministry of defence are repelling a massive terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles on energy and civilian infrastructure facilities in the Volgograd region," said governor Andrei Bocharov.

The attack caused damage to an apartment in a residential building, drone debris also fell on the grounds of a kindergarten, he said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly intends to make an announcement regarding presidential elections on 24 February, the anniversary of the start of the war.

The report comes from the Financial Times, citing Ukrainian and European officials involved in the planning.

Reuters reported last week that under a framework being discussed by US and Ukrainian negotiators, any peace deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would simultaneously vote in national elections, adding that officials had discussed the possibility that the national election and referendum could occur in May.

Ukraine has now begun planning presidential elections alongside a referendum on a prospective peace deal with Russia, the report added, citing Ukrainian and Western officials aware of the matter.

Telegram, one of Russia’s most popular platforms for public and private communications, is set to face further restrictions from the authorities after alleged failures to correct previous violations, the state communications watchdog said.

In a statement yesterday, Roskomnadzor said a number of messaging apps, including Telegram, had not taken action over the past few months to address its complaints.

“As before, Russian law is not being observed, personal data is not protected, and there are no effective measures to counter fraud and the use of the messaging app for criminal and terrorist purposes," it said.

“Therefore, by decision of the authorized bodies, Roskomnadzor will continue to impose successive restrictions in order to ensure compliance with Russian legislation and ensure the protection of citizens.

"The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, limited voice and video calls via Telegram last August, when it took similar steps against Meta's WhatsApp.

In the next stage of clampdown on foreign-based tech providers, Russian agency blocked Apple’s video-calling app FaceTime in December.

Russia's defence ministry claims its forces have captured the rural settlement of Zaliznychne in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, according to the Russian state news agency RIA.

The defence ministry did not provide any evidence to support its claim.

The Zaporizhzhia region has been facing heavy attack from Russia, with a one-year-old boy, two women and a man injured after a drone strike overnight yesterday.

Later in the day, Russia-backed officials said one of two external power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine had been cut as a result of a Ukrainian attack.

They claimed that heat supply to residential buildings and social facilities in Enerhodar has been temporarily suspended.

The European Union says it is working on its own “sustainable peace plan” that could help force Russia’s hand and bring the war in Ukraine to an end.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was "very grateful" for US diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine but that Ukraine's European allies would have to agree to any future peace agreement.

“Everybody around the table, including the Russians and the Americans, needs to understand that you need Europeans to agree (to have a peace deal)," Kallas said, speaking to reporters in Brussels.

“And for that, we also have conditions. And we should put the conditions, not on Ukrainians, who have been already pressured a lot, but on the Russians," she said.

Europe, Kallas said, needs to push for concessions from Moscow, such as limiting its armed forces.

"If they put out the maximalist demands, we should also put out the maximalist demands."

This comes amid reports that the bloc is discussing a plan that could give Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as next year and that Kyiv has been pushing for accession to the EU as part of a future deal with the Kremlin.