Ukraine, Russia: Chemical subtraction

Also: Syria, Turkey, Sudan, the UK, China, and Austria.

Winter in Moscow, Vasily Surikov, 1885, oil on canvas, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

The five things you need to know today:

• UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Despite battlefield losses, Kyiv shows it can still hit anyone.

• SYRIA. TURKEY. The Turkish president holds the US and EU in thrall.

• SUDAN. After Syria, more foreign interests are caught on the hop.

• BRITAIN. CHINA. A difficult prince complicates a difficult relationship.

• AUSTRIA. From Styria to Syria, the FPO rattles Vienna.

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UKRAINE. RUSSIA. Chemical subtraction

Despite battlefield losses, Kyiv shows it can still hit anyone.

Kyiv claimed responsibility for the assassination of the head of Russia's contamination defence corps, after an electric scooter exploded outside his Moscow apartment complex Tuesday morning. The Kremlin vowed "inevitable retaliation".

INTELLIGENCE. General Igor Kirillov was the seniormost Russian official killed outside of combat in the war so far. Kyiv blames him for the use of Chloropicrin in Ukraine. Moscow says his command was charged with destroying Western-funded biological weapons labs there. Kremlin-backed analysts rehashed the unproven theory Wednesday, accusing the CIA of aiding his killing. Irrespective, it sends a clear message: Ukraine can still strike anywhere, anytime.

FOR BUSINESS. Kirillov is the eighth Russian general confirmed killed. His is the most high-profile death since a bomb blew up the vehicle of TV personality Darya Dugina in August 2022 (it is believed her father, ultranationalist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, was the intended target). Last week, a Russian missile designer was shot in a park close to Kirillov's home in Moscow’s southeastern suburbs. The Kremlin has not confirmed this, or any connection.

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SYRIA. TURKEY. Erdogan direction

The Turkish president holds the US and EU in thrall.

Tayyip Erdogan met Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday for talks on Syria. Erdogan demanded an upgrade to Turkey-EU ties. A ceasefire between Ankara and US-backed Kurdish forces over the city of Manjib had been extended, Washington said.

INTELLIGENCE. The US is working with NATO ally Turkey to hand over Manjib but doesn’t want to leave its Kurdish allies, whom