Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov denies his country's involvement in the explosions that damaged the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year.

Russia has detained eight suspects over a huge blast that recently targeted a bridge connecting the Russian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia has dismissed the "utterly unfounded" speculations that it may use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying it would only use its nuclear arsenal in response to "direct aggression" by NATO countries over the ongoing conflict in the former Soviet state.

Here are Press TV's latest top stories at 1600 GMT, February 2, 2022.