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Vladimir Putin has repeated his assertion that he should have invaded Ukraine earlier, the Institute for the Study of War reports.

In an interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin yesterday, the Russian leader said his country should have started its full-scale invasion before February 2022 but added that it was impossible to say exactly when that should have been, the American thinktank reports.

He also blamed Ukraine and the West for “misleading” Russia and not implementing the Minsk II Accords.

This, he claimed, gave the West time to prepare Ukraine for future “military actions” against Russia. 

Putin made similar remarks during a national address he gave last week.

During that address, he said the decision to invade “should have been made earlier” and stated Russia could have “prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly”.

Russian delegation arrives in Tehran

A Russian delegation has arrived in Tehran for a visit that includes a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian state news agency TASS reports.

The group is being headed by deputy prime ministers Alexei Overchuk and Vitaly Savelev.

What relationship do Russia and Iran share?

Iran has been one of Russia’s few staunch allies throughout the war against Ukraine and Western officials have also accused Iran of supplying Russia with weapons.

In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran had sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and the Kremlin “will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine”.

And British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia was “definitely a significant escalation” and said the UK was “coordinating”.

Iran and Russia denied the claims.

Russian forces ‘capture eastern Ukrainian village’ – report

Russian forces have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian village of Storozheve, the Interfax news agency reports.

The village sits in the Donetsk region where fierce fighting has ensued, with Russia intent on capturing the entire eastern region.

Last year, Ukraine claimed they had liberated the village of Storozheve, which was seized by Russia after their invasion. 

MEZIESBLOG has not been able to verify these claims.