President Vladimir Putin's former speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov told DW he believes the Russian leader has no backup plan, as the invasion of Ukraine nears the one-year mark.

"The main impression is … that he doesn't have a plan B," Gallyamov said, adding that "100% of Russian elites and half of the Russian general population ... understand in general that the situation is going in the wrong direction."

Gallyamov said there was a "big expectation" among Russians there would be an announcement about Putin's next steps in a state of the nation address he delivered on Tuesday.

This would either be "declaring a big war" and "total mobilization," or speaking "more about peace and negotiations," neither of which happened, Gallyamov pointed out.

On the likelihood of there being a coup in Russia, Gallyamov said that it was off the cards for now.

"The Russian military, who theoretically can arrange this through the Russian special services, they are ruined, literally — their identity is ruined, their self-esteem is ruined by the Ukrainians, by the Ukrainian army," Putin's former speechwriter explained.

Gallyamov said Putin faced a serious challenge in relation to the 2024 presidential elections, should developments in Ukraine not go his way. "Because if he doesn't win the war, if he doesn't deliver this victory, he will face serious problems. People understand that," he said.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, February 22:

UN's Guterres says Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'affront'

The Secretary General of the United Nations has condemned Russia's invasion, ahead of its first anniversary, describing it as an "affront to our collective conscience."

Antonio Guterres addressed the UN General Assembly ahead of a vote on a Kyiv-backed motion calling for a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine that would involve Russia's withdrawal of troops.

Guterres said Russia's invasion was a violation of the founding UN charter and international law.

He also addressed Russia's hints that it might use nuclear weapons.

"We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable. It is high time to step back from the brink."

The draft resolution is likely to be voted on on Thursday.

It reaffirms the UN's "commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine." It also demands Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine."

Wagner chief Prigozhin urges Russians to 'break' defense ministry over ammo dispute

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yegyeny Prigozhin, called for Russians to support him in a spat with Moscow's Defense Ministry.

"I think we will break them," he said, referring to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Prigozhin had earlier urged the Russian military to share ammunition with the mercenary group, claiming that Wagner was losing scores of men every day. He also accused the chief of general staff , Valery Gerasimov, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of attempting to "destroy" the Wagner Group, saying this could amount to "high treason."

On Wednesday, he published a picture of dozens of dead fighters lying in the snow.

He said the fighters had died on Tuesday due to a lack of ammunition. "Mothers, wives and children will receive their bodies," Prigozhin said.

Russia will not fire hypersonic missiles during navel drills

A Russian ship loaded with hypersonic missiles will take part in joint naval drills with China off South Africa's eastern coast this week but will not fire the weapons, a Russian nave officer said. 

The Admiral Gorshkov, a Russian frigate loaded with Zircon hypersonic missiles, will take part in the joint exercises with China's navy. The letters Z and V are on the side of the ship, two patriotic symbols Russia has used during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. 

"The hypersonic weapon will not be used in the context of these exercises," Russian naval officer Oleg Gladkiy told journalists during a press conference in South Africa. "There is no hidden meaning in the exercises we are performing today."

Earlier this month, Russian news agency TASS reported that the hypersonic missile firing would occur during the drills, which kicked off on Wednesday and will last until February 27.

China's top diplomat meets with Putin in Moscow

China's most senior diplomat Wang Yi has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow.

"The cooperation between China and Russia on the world stage is very important to stabilize the international situation," Putin said at the meeting with Wang, in a reference to their shared interests of countering perceived US dominance.

The Russian president said he was looking forward to a visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping and to deepening the partnership between the two countries. Ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing declared a "limitless" friendship.

In comments broadcast on Russian state TV, China's foreign policy chief said that relations between Beijing and Moscow could not be influenced by other countries.

The meeting comes a day after Putin and US President Biden delivered dueling speeches, reflecting their widely different worldviews on the Ukraine war, in Moscow and Poland, respectively.

Biden meets eastern flank NATO leaders

Biden concluded a two-day visit to Poland by holding talks with countries on NATO's eastern flank.

The Bucharest Nine (B9) is made up of the countries situated on the most eastern parts of the alliance — Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.

Ahead of his meeting with the leaders, Biden told reporters that Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the New START treaty was a "big" mistake.

Biden then reaffirmed US commitment to their countries' security at the meeting, telling the B9 that "as NATO's eastern flank, you are the frontline of our collective defense."

"You know better than anyone what is at stake in the conflict. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Eruope and around the world," the US president said.

NATO's Stoltenberg: 'We must break the cycle of Russian aggression'

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the meeting with the B9 that they would not "allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security."

"We have seen the Russian pattern of aggression over many years, Georgia in 2008, Crimea and Donbas in 2014, and then the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine last year," the NATO chief said in Warsaw. "We must break the cycle of Russian aggression." 

Number of refugees depends on 'outcome of the war', migration analyst tells DW

Gerald Knaus, migration analyst and director of the European Stability Initiative think tank told DW that the recent displacement and migration of Ukrainian refugees has been the biggest in Europe "since the late 1940s," making it a unique historical context. 

"Germany has never given protection to as many people as it did last year," he added. 

Knaus went on to highlight the support the Ukrainian refugees had received, explaining that it was awareness for the cause of their movement and visa-free travel to the EU that helped their case. 

The director of the European Stability Initiative said: "And so what has traveled with these Ukrainians have been their stories. And I think a lot of the broad support in many countries in Europe for the Ukrainian cause has been reinforced by this very large movement."

World journalism body suspends Russian union membership

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it suspended the membership of Russia's main media trade union after it established offices in Russian-annexed Ukrainian regions.

"The IFJ is an organization built on international solidarity, on principles of cooperation between member union and respect for the rights of all journalists," IFJ President Dominique Pradalie said in a statement.

"The Russian Union of Journalists' actions in esbtalishing four branches in the annexed Ukrainian territories have clearly shattered this solidarity and sown divisions among sister unions," she added. 

The IFJ, based in Brussels, represents 600,000 journalists in 146 countries.

Putin says Russia fighting for 'historical' lands in state rally

Putin said Wednesday that Russia was fighting for its "historical" lands in Ukraine at a state-organized rally.

"I just heard from the top military leadership of the country that a battle is ongoing rihgt now, for our historical lands, for our people," Putin said.

Putin praised Russian troops, saying they were "fighting heroically, courageously, bravely: we are proud of them." 

Organizers said they expected about 200,000 people to attend Putin's speech. 

EU must increase bloc's defense budget, Polish ex-minister Sikorski tells DW

Radek Sikorski, a member of the European Parliament who previously served as Polish defense minister and foreign minister, told DW that the European Union must establish a "European defense worthy of its name."

"The best thing … we could do is to increase our European defense budget so that the burdens of defending Europe against Putin are shared more fairly," he said.

Sikorski said he believed the war in Ukraine showed that the stocks of NATO countries are "depleted" and pushed for increased defense spending. He said that western Europe especially was "disarmed."

The lawmaker urged western Europeans to "show that they feel our pain," referring to countries on Europe's eastern flank that feel directly threatened by Russia.

Spain to send 6 2A4 Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Spain will send six 2A4 Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, Defense Minister Margarita Robles told lawmakers in Madrid. More could be supplied "if it becomes necessary," she added.

Spain has 347 Leopard tanks, with 108 of the older 2A4 models and 239 of the newer 2A6 models.

Germany said in January that it would supply Kyiv with 14 Leopard 2A6s from its army's stocks and was hoping to deliver them by the end of March. 

Russian forces continue targeting Bakhmut

Ukraine's military said that Russian forces have continued attacking the eastern town of Bakhmut.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that there had been 59 missile attacks over a 24-hour period. This figure could not be independently verified.

There has been fierce fighting in the region for months, with Russian forces concentrating on the strategically important town.

UN General Assembly to vote on peace resolution

The UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a draft resolution calling for a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine, one year since Moscow launched its invasion.

The text "underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."

The draft resolution, which is sponsored by some 60 countries, is to be voted on after the close of debate, which is not expected until at least Thursday.

Russia's first criminal case against Ukrainian soldier

The first criminal case involving a member of Ukraine's military has gone to court, according to Russian state media agency TASS.

The agency cited unnamed sources at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don as saying that a senior sergeant of Ukraine's marines was charged with murder and training for the purpose of terrorism.

In June, Russia's Investigative Committee said on Telegram that the soldier had been charged with cruel treatment of the civilian population.

TASS reported that the court will consider the case "in the near future."

More on the war in Ukraine

The European Union fast-tracked COVID shots when it was scrambling to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Will its experience with vaccines work for procuring much-needed missiles for Ukraine? Read more here.

Research by a German think tank reveals that US, EU and German aid to Kyiv pales in comparison to past conflicts. Just how much have they given to support the country Russia invaded almost 12 months ago? Find out here.

DW looks at the state of the Russian economy, one year into its invasion of Ukraine.

rm, kb/nm  (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)