Day 643 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russian Forces Breaking Through Defenses near Avdiivka

Day 643 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Politico: Kremlin aims to divert attention from Ukraine by spewing Hamas propaganda
• The wife of the head of Ukrainian intelligence has been poisoned
• The Russian army is breaking through the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Avdiivka
• The foreign ministers of the NATO countries discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East
• The bad weather in Odesa region claimed victims
• Ukraine: 931 Russians die on average per day in the war
• Wives of mobilized Russians criticized Putin
• Kadyrov announced that 3,000 more of his fighters are ready to go fight in Ukraine
• Malta takes over OSCE after Moscow blocks Estonia

Politico: Kremlin aims to divert attention from Ukraine by spewing Hamas propaganda

The war in Israel created an excellent opportunity for Russia to sow division among its Western enemies. Vladimir Putin's disinformation machine would never miss this chance, writes Politico.

Since the start of hostilities on October 7, Kremlin-related Facebook profiles have increased by nearly 400%. In addition, the topic of the crisis in the Middle East already dominates the publications of Russian diplomats, state-backed media and supporters of the Russian president in the West.

Lies spread by Moscow's digital propagandists already include claims that Hamas terrorists are using NATO weapons to attack Israel, and that British instructors have been training Hamas attackers.

The bloody conflict in...