Russia threatens Poland

Washington: The US on Wednesday rejected an offer by Poland to send all of its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine through an American airbase in Germany.

Russia has threatened Polland if they support Ukraine

Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby has said, "The prospect of fighter jets at the disposal of the US government departing from a US or NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance."

The US was caught off guard by Poland's offer, which came in response to Ukraine's growing calls for Western allies to supply it with military jets to help fight Russia's invasion, the BBC reported.

Military analyst Col Brendan Kearney told the BBC that he was "perplexed with the approach the Polish are taking".

He said "the Ukrainian pilots could literally walk across the border into Poland and fly them back into Ukraine", which "seems like a much easier, much smarter move."

"The long-term ultimate goal of getting additional MiG-29s into Ukrainian hands is a noble one, it's a good one, but we've got to have people sitting down who know what they're talking about and coming up with a plan that is executable," Col Kearney added.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces on Wednesday said its Kiev troop grouping was "repulsing the enemy's offensive", inflicting damage and firmly holding their positions.

The information was released in the forces' latest "operative information" on key battlefield developments effective at 6 a.m. local time (4:00 GMT) on Wednesday, the BBC reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a law that exempts individuals from value added tax (VAT) on the purchase of gold.

The measure is meant to provide support to Russian citizens, looking to invest their rubles, which have been depreciating in value amid Western sanctions, RT reported.

Moscow has imposed restrictions on the purchase of some foreign currencies, including the US dollar and the euro, the common way for Russians to protect their savings in the past.

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) announced that it is imposing a temporary restriction on the withdrawal of cash in foreign currencies, local media reported.

The presence of biological laboratories in Ukraine under the leadership of the US completely changes the role of Washington, it is an instrument of a direct threat to Russia, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

She added that such laboratories were the points of American military experiments in the biological field.

"This completely changes the picture of US involvement in the fate of Ukraine: it is not just an instrument of influence, it is not just an instrument of containment, it is an instrument of a direct threat to our country," Zakharova summed up.

Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska has released her first public statement in a letter addressed to the global community. In the statement, she relays the horrors of war, particularly for women and children. She also named some child casualties of the war so far:

"Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her." "Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents."

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged Germany to "open their eyes", give Ukraine weapons, help protect its sky, get fighter jets and impose tougher sanctions on Russia. "You have done too little."