TOP HEADLINES

· Russian forces are encircling Bakhmut, the center of fierce fighting in the Donetsk region, and battling to take control of the highway that connects the city to the nearby town of Chasiv Yar, according to local Moscow-backed officials. The operation echoes similar successful drives by Russian forces to capture the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in 2022.

· Kyiv's military general staff said Moscow had made no headway in Avdiivka, the second focal point of Russian attacks in Donetsk, but were trying to advance near the recaptured town of Lyman.

· The British defense ministry said Russian forces had advanced hundreds of meters across a river toward the town of Vuhledar, about 148 kilometer from the frontline in Bakhmut, and could make more localized gains there. It added that while the town would likely hold, the renewed fighting could draw Ukrainian troops away from the main fighting. 

· Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government is pushing its allies to supply fighter jets. In Paris after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said "there was no taboo" about supplying Kyiv with fighter planes. 

· The U.S., which has already given Ukraine about $27.2 billion in military aid, is preparing a fresh $2.2 billion weapons package for Kyiv. It will likely include longer-range rockets for the first time and other weapons.

· Spain is reportedly planning to send several German-built Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine.

· Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said more Western armory supplies to Ukraine would mean a further escalation of the conflict and draw NATO members more deeply into the war.

· Ukrainian security forces searched the home of former interior minister Arsen Avakov as part of an investigation into a purchase of Airbus helicopters. An Airbus helicopter crashed on January 18, killing 14 people including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi. 

· The home of billionaire businessman and former Zelenskyy ally Ihor Kolomoiskyy was also searched in relation to an investigation into possible financial crimes. The president said he was not finished shuffling the ranks of senior officials after responding to reports of official corruption by firing more than a dozen members of staff.

· Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is in Kyiv for talks with President Zelenskyy. On arrival, he wrote on Twitter: "After almost one year of war, Ukraine is not forgotten."

IN DETAIL

Russia is making gains in Ukraine's eastern province of Donetsk, claiming to have encircled the town of Bakhmut where the heaviest fighting has been taking place. Bakhmut has been hit by a relentless bombardment for months, as Russian forces attempted to use similar tacts that led to their capture of two cities further north - Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk - in June and July.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on YouTube that Russian forces in the country's east were regrouping and bringing in fresh conscripts.

"We inflict as much damage as possible and they are forced to bring in new forces in order to keep up the constant attacks on our troops," he said. "Conscripts cannot keep up the pace of previous assaults ... Their physical abilities are not up to the task and their motivation is a lot weaker."

Having pushed NATO allies to supply Kyiv with modern battle tanks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government is now lobbying hard for some of Ukraine's neighbors and Western allies to supply fighter jets.

In Paris after meeting Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said "there was no taboo" about sending fighter planes to Kyiv. The U.S. and the UK have thus far rejected the idea.

Western countries have so far failed to send weapons that could be used to attack deep inside Russia for fear of starting a wider conflict, but Moscow continues to denounce recent Western pledges of weapons as a major escalation.