Ukraine news - live - Russian mercenary group Wagner ‘takes village’ near key city of Bakhmut

Russian mercenary group Wagner has taken control of a village near the key city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast region, its founder has claimed.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his troops had taken the village of Krasna Hora on the northern edge of embattled Bakhmut, which has seen intense fighting in recent months.

The claims could not immediately be independently verified.

In an audio message published by his press service on the messaging app Telegram, Prigozhin said: "Today the settlement of Krasna Hora was taken by the assault troops of the Wagner private military company".

Kyiv’s top military commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Saturday that Ukraine continues to hold Bakhmut, trying to "stabilise" the frontline around it.

Prigozhin said in an interview published on Friday that his forces must capture Bakhmut to proceed with their campaign but faced fierce resistance from Ukrainian defenders.

He also said that it could take two years for Moscow to control the whole of two eastern Ukrainian regions whose capture it has stated as a key goal of the war.

Key Points

• Russia has captured a village near key city of Bakhmut - Wagner group

• Putin ‘massing 1,800 tanks and 700 aircraft’ for new Ukraine assault

• Putin missiles hit cities across Ukraine as ground offensive begins

• Air raid alert declared across Ukraine

• Russian forces launch major offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk

• Zelensky says some European leaders ready to give aircraft

Russia suffering 824 casualties per day - MoD

14:52 , Matt Mathers

Russia has likely suffered an average of 824 casualties a day over the past two weeks, Britain’s Ministry of defence has said.

It is the highest rate of casualties since Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine on 24 February and four times the rate reported over the June-July period.

Ukraine was also continuing to suffer from a “high attritional rate,” the MoD added in a statement on Sunday.

Round up - fighting

15:58 , Matt Mathers

FIGHTING

• Ukraine’s forces are holding their defences along the front line in the eastern region of Donetsk, including the besieged town of Bakhmut, with the fiercest battles for the cities of Vuhledar and Maryinka, Kyiv’s top military commander said on Saturday.

• Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russia’s Wagner Group, said on Sunday that the mercenary force had taken the village of Krasna Hora, on the northern edge of Bakhmut.

• Prigozhin said on Saturday it could take two years for Moscow to control all of the two eastern Ukrainian regions whose capture it has stated as a key goal of the war.

• A 53-year-old woman was killed on Sunday morning after Russian forces shelled an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Nikopol, the regional governor said.

• Galina Danilchenko, the Russia-installed mayor of the Ukrainian city Melitopol in south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, said on Saturday one civilian died and two people were injured in overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces.

• Battlefield accounts count not be independently verified

15:22 , Matt Mathers

Watch: Sending aircraft to Ukraine not an easy decision, Polish president says

14:50 , Matt Mathers

Sending aircraft to Ukraine would not be an easy decision to make, Poland’s president has said.

Speaking to the BBC in an interview broadcast on Sunday, 12 February, Andrzej Duda told Laura Kuenssberg that sending F-16 jets to Ukraine would be a “serious problem” as the country has fewer than 50 in its air force.

It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to provide aircraft for his country to fight Russia more effectively.

“To donate [jets] outside Poland is a very serious decision,” Mr Duda said.

Sending aircraft to Ukraine not an easy decision, Polish president says

‘Peacetime’ defence budget not fit for new era of insecurity, warns Ellwood

14:15 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt have been urged to boost defence spending to cope with a new Cold War involving both China and Russia.

The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood, said the UK was still operating on a peacetime budget during a “new era of insecurity”.

His comments followed reports some Nato allies had concerns about the UK’s military readiness and that defence secretary Ben Wallace is lobbying for extra cash.

David Hughes reports:

‘Peacetime’ defence budget not fit for new era of insecurity, warns Ellwood

One killed in Russian shelling of southeastern Ukrainian city

13:50 , Matt Mathers

A 53-year-old woman was killed on Sunday morning after Russian forces shelled an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Nikopol, the regional governor said.

Serhill Lysak added that an 87-year-old woman was also wounded in the attack, which he described as an artillery strike.

Nikopol sits across the Dnipro River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after they invaded Ukraine on 24 February.

ICYMI: Russia strikes key Ukraine bridge with naval drone in attack feared to spell trouble for Kyiv’s navy

13:20 , Matt Mathers

Russia attacked a key bridge in Ukraine’s Odesa region, in what is understood to be Moscow’s first use of a naval drone.

Grainy surveillance footage from Friday night showed a fast-moving object slamming into the Zatoka bridge near the strategic port city before exploding.

Ukraine’s armed forces commander, Gen Valeri Zaluzhnyi, said he feared Russia’s turn to using water-based uncrewed devices posed a threat to civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

Liam James reports:

Russia strikes key Ukraine bridge with naval drone, spelling trouble at sea for Kyiv

ICYMI: British weapons ‘could be manufactured in Ukraine’

12:50 , Matt Mathers

UK officials are said to be in talks about the manufacture of British weapons and other military equipment in Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak has opened up the possibility of sending fighter jets to Kyiv after president Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to commit to “wings for freedom”.

British defence industry executives are now discussing a deal that would see arms and vehicles built in Ukraine under licence, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

Adam Forrest reports:

British weapons ‘could be manufactured in Ukraine’

ICYMI: Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

12:30 , Matt Mathers

Some of Nato’s European members may feel safer letting America take the lead when it comes to sending military jets to Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta.

Read Kim’s full analysis here:

Analysis: Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

Russian shelling continues

11:35 , Matt Mathers

Russian forces have continued to shell Ukrainian cities over the weekend amid a grinding push to seize more land in the east of the country, with Ukrainian officials saying Moscow is having trouble launching its much-anticipated large-scale offensive there.

One person was killed and another wounded on Sunday morning by the shelling of Nikopol, a city in the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, governor Serhii Lysak reported.

The shelling damaged four residential buildings, a vocational school and a water treatment facility.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, one person was injured when three Russian S-300 missiles hit infrastructure facilities overnight, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Ukrainian forces also downed five drones - four Shahed killer drones and one Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone - over the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions on Saturday evening, Kyiv’s military reported.

UK arms could be made in Ukraine under licence - report

11:09 , Matt Mathers

British arms and military vehicles could be manufactured in Ukraine under licence, easing the country’s dependence on supplies of arms from Western allies, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Sunday Telegraph said British defence industry executives had travelled to Kyiv to discuss plans to set up joint ventures to manufacture weapons and vehicles locally.

Manufacturers from other European countries were also in discussions with Ukraine, it said, citing one executive saying there was a race to put Britain "at the front of the queue".

Zelensky: We’ll continue stamping out corruption

10:29 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine will continue reforming its public institutions to stamp out corruption, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Mr Zelenky, in his latest overnight address, said the security services and prosecutor’s office had already “achieved significant results in protecting our country from those who worked for the aggressor state.”

“There will be corresponding steps by the National Security and Defense Council, continuing our line of defense of the state,” he added.

Neutral Austria under pressure to be tougher with Russia

09:35 , Matt Mathers

Austria has come under heavy criticism for granting visas that will allow sanctioned Russian politicians to attend a meeting in Vienna of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe.

The issue highlights the delicate balancing act the European country has engaged in while trying to maintain its longstanding position of military neutrality during the war in Ukraine.

The Austrian government has condemned Russia’s invasion but also stressed the need to maintain diplomatic relations with Moscow.

In a letter to Austria’s chancellor, foreign minister and other officials, 81 OSCE delegates from 20 countries, including France, Canada, Britain, Poland and Ukraine, called on the Austrian government to prohibit the participation of the sanctioned Russians.

"It is important to remember that Russian parliamentarians are an integral part of the power system and complicit in the crimes Russia commits every day in Ukraine," read the letter, which was seen by The Associated Press.

"They have no place in an institution tasked with promoting sincere dialogue and opposition to the war."

Russian forces take Krasna Hora village, says Wagner founder amid fighting in Bakhmut

09:00 , Stuti Mishra

Russia’s Wagner Group chief has said that the mercenary force has taken the village of Krasna Hora, on the northern edge of the embattled city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region where an intense fighting is going on.

There is yet to be any confirmation from the Ukrainian authorities.

On Saturday, Kyiv’s top military commander said their forces were holding the defences along the front line in the eastern region of Donetsk, including the besieged town of Bakhmut, with the fiercest battles for the cities of Vuhledar and Maryinka.

Russia carries out 'some 50 attacks daily in Donetsk', says Ukrainian commander as fierce fighting continues

08:08 , Stuti Mishra

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, said Russia carries out some 50 attacks daily in Donetsk, a region in Ukraine's southeast that Moscow has been trying to occupy fully.

"Fierce fighting continues in the area of Vuhledar and Maryinka," Mr Zaluzhnyi said in a Telegram message after a call with US general Mark Milley.

"We reliably hold the defence. In some areas of the front we have managed to regain previously lost positions and gained a foothold."

3 major areas can avoid power cuts, Ukraine says

07:00 , Stuti Mishra

Ukraine's capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as the Odesa and Dnipro regions, can avoid power cuts today, leading producer DTEK said, as authorities worked to repair power grids damaged by a major Russian strike.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's forces are holding their defences along the front line in the eastern region of Donetsk, including the besieged town of Bakhmut, with the fiercest battles for the cities of Vuhledar and Maryinka, Kyiv's top military commander said.

Ukraine, US defence heads talk 'priorities' for allies' meeting

05:45 , Stuti Mishra

UK defence secretary Ben Wallace and Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov discussed "priorities", including air defence and artillery, for upcoming meetings of Kyiv's allies in Brussels, both sides said late yesterday night.

After securing a promise of scores of modern battle tanks, including the US M1 Abrams, German Leopard 2 and British Challenger 2, president Volodymyr Zelensky and other Kyiv officials have been urging allies to send fighter aircraft.

The Ukraine Defence Contact Group will meet this Tuesday at the Nato headquarters, following upon a 20 January conference at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany that was key for the decisions to send tanks.

Mr Wallace and Mr Reznikov discussed the importance of delivering promised capabilities as quickly as possible, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, said in a statement.

After the call, Mr Reznikov tweeted that "the United States is unwavering in its support of Ukraine," adding that the two also discussed the situation on the front line.

Kharkiv hit by Russian missiles, says governor

04:45 , Stuti Mishra

First reports indicate that three Russian S-300 missiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv over night, regional governor Oleh Sinehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

"One infrastructure facility was damaged. Information about the victims and the scale of the destruction is being clarified," he said.

Russian missiles hit power generating facilities in Kharkiv on Friday in an attack that injured eight people. Kharkiv is eastern Ukraine's largest city.

Stoltenberg's term to extend to April 2024, report says

03:45 , Stuti Mishra

NATO will extend again the term of secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, Welt am Sonntag reported today, citing unidentified diplomatic sources, as the alliance seeks to maintain stability during the war in Ukraine.

Members will extend Mr Stoltenberg’s term until April 2024 due to his “outstanding achievements” and to guarantee the military alliance’s stability during the ongoing war in Ukraine, the newspaper said.

There is an informal agreement among the 30 member states that Mr Stoltenberg should remain in the position beyond the end of his term on 30 September, the newspaper said, adding that a formal decision would be made in the coming weeks.

Mr Stoltenberg, an economist by training and a former leader of Norway’s Labour Party, had his original NATO term extended last year.

UN draft resolution: Any peace must keep Ukraine intact

02:45 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine’s supporters have circulated a proposed resolution for adoption by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its smaller neighbor that would underscore the need for peace ensuring Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.”

The draft, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, is entitled “Principles underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

The proposed resolution is broader and less detailed than the 10-point peace plan that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at the November summit of the Group of 20 major economies. This was a deliberate decision by Ukraine and its backers to try to gain maximum support when it is put to a vote, U.N. diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private.

UN draft resolution: Any peace must keep Ukraine intact

Wagner owner says war in Ukraine will drag on for years

01:45 , Joe Middleton

The owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military contractor actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine has predicted that the war could drag on for years.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video interview released late Friday that it could take 18 months to two years for Russia to fully secure control of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of Donbas. He added that the war could go on for three years if Moscow decides to capture broader territories east of the Dnieper River.

The statement from Prigozhin, a millionaire who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts, marked a recognition of the difficulties that the Kremlin has faced in the campaign, which it initially expected to wrap up within weeks when Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Wagner owner says war in Ukraine will drag on for years

Number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England rises by 44% over winter

00:45 , Joe Middleton

Around 700 Homes for Ukraine sponsorships have broken down in the past two months, writes Holly Bancroft.

Number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England rises by 44% over winter

Russia strikes key Ukraine bridge with naval drone in attack feared to spell trouble for Kyiv’s navy

Saturday 11 February 2023 23:45 , Joe Middleton

Russia attacked a key bridge in Ukraine’s Odesa region, in what is understood to be Moscow’s first use of a naval drone.

Grainy surveillance footage from Friday night showed a fast-moving object slamming into the Zatoka bridge near the strategic port city before exploding in a powerful blast.

Ukraine’s armed forces commander, General Valeri Zaluzhnyi, said he feared Russia’s turn to using water-based uncrewed devices posed a threat to civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

Russia strikes key Ukraine bridge with naval drone, spelling trouble at sea for Kyiv

Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

Saturday 11 February 2023 22:22 , Joe Middleton

Some of Nato’s European members may feel safer letting America take the lead when it comes to sending military jets to Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta.

Analysis: Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

ICYMI: Biden will travel to Poland to mark one-year anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine: ‘Sending a message’

Saturday 11 February 2023 21:50 , Joe Middleton

President Joe Biden will travel to Poland to mark the one-year anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a sign of solidarity, the White House said.

The US president will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss cooperation on support for Ukraine and NATO. The president will also deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“He wants to talk about the importance of the international community’s resolve and unity in supporting Ukraine for now going on a year,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Biden to travel to Poland to mark one-year anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine

Number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England rises by 44% over winter

Saturday 11 February 2023 20:25 , Joe Middleton

Around 700 Homes for Ukraine sponsorships have broken down in the past two months, writes Holly Bancroft.

Number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England rises by 44% over winter

Halo Trust to double staff in Ukraine as it faces ‘epochal’ mine clearance

Saturday 11 February 2023 19:15 , Joe Middleton

The world’s largest demining charity, the Halo Trust, is doubling its staff in Ukraine this year as it faces an “epochal” challenge to clear liberated areas of explosives.

As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, the charity is undertaking a “huge” training programme to expand its staff in the country to around 1,200 this summer.

It is impossible to know exactly how many mines, shells and rockets require to be disposed of, but the process is likely to take decades.

Halo Trust to double staff in Ukraine as it faces ‘epochal’ mine clearance

Hilltop coal-mining town a tactical prize in Ukraine war

Saturday 11 February 2023 18:12 , Joe Middleton

In a small coal-mining town on Ukraine’s eastern front line, a fight for strategic superiority is being waged in a battlefield steeped with symbolism as the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion nears.

The town of Vuhledar — meaning “gift of coal” — has emerged as a critical hot spot in the fight for Donetsk province that would give both sides, the Ukrainian forces who hold the urban center, and the Russians positioned in the suburbs, a tactical upper hand in the greater battle for the Donbas region.

Located on an elevated plane that is one of the few high-terrain spots in the area, its capture would be an important step for Russia to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines. Securing Vuhledar would give Ukraine a potential launching pad for future counter-offensives south.

Hilltop coal-mining town a tactical prize in Ukraine war

UN draft peace resolution underlines need for Ukraine’s ‘sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity'

Saturday 11 February 2023 17:36 , Joe Middleton

A proposed resolution for adoption by the UN General Assembly ahead of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has underlined the need for peace ensuring Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity”.

The draft resolution from supporters of Ukraine, obtained by The Associated Press, is entitled: “Principles underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.

The proposal is broader and less detailed than the 10-point peace plan that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the November summit of the G20.

This is a deliberate decision by Ukraine and its backers to try to gain maximum support when it is put to a vote, UN diplomats said.

General Assembly spokesperson Paulina Kubiak said a reactivated emergency session of the General Assembly on Ukraine will start on the afternoon of February 22.

Dozens of speeches are expected to continue through until February 23, with the vote expected later that day.

Wagner owner says war in Ukraine will drag on for years

Saturday 11 February 2023 16:58 , Joe Middleton

The owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military contractor actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine has predicted that the war could drag on for years.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video interview released late Friday that it could take 18 months to two years for Russia to fully secure control of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of Donbas. He added that the war could go on for three years if Moscow decides to capture broader territories east of the Dnieper River.

The statement from Prigozhin, a millionaire who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts, marked a recognition of the difficulties that the Kremlin has faced in the campaign, which it initially expected to wrap up within weeks when Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

Wagner owner says war in Ukraine will drag on for years

Russian defence ministry claims “massive strike” launched against Ukrainian energy infrastructure

Saturday 11 February 2023 16:10 , Joseph Rachman

Russia carried out a “massive strike” on critical Ukranian energy facilities on Friday, Russia’s minister of defence claimed.

The ministry’s daily update did not identify the energy facilities it claimed to have hit.

According to the Ukranian government Russian missiles and drones hit power facilities in six regions, causing widespread blackouts.

Earlier today Ukraine’s state energy operator, Ukrenergo, said the situation was “challenging but under control”.

Zelensky says Ukraine should join EU in two years and NATO after victory

Saturday 11 February 2023 16:02 , Joseph Rachman

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine wants to be a member of the European Union in two years, in comments made 11 February. He further added that Ukraine should join the NATO alliance after the country’s victory over Russia.

Mr Zelensky reportedly made these comments during a meeting with top managers of the investment funds company J.P. Morgan.

Three persons allegedly wounded in shelling of Belogrod Oblast, Russia

Saturday 11 February 2023 15:19 , Joseph Rachman

Three persons have allegedly been wounded in an attack on Belogrod Oblast, Russia.

Belogrod’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, claimed that claimed that Shebekino, a town bordering Ukraine, was shelled 11 February. Mr Gladkov blamed the attack on Ukraine.

Russia will negotiate but only if there are “no preconditions” says deputy foreign minister

Saturday 11 February 2023 15:10 , Joseph Rachman

Russia is willing to negotiate with Ukraine, but only if no preconditions are put on the negotiations, said the Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergey Vershinin, in an interview.

Speaking to Zvezda, a Russian state-run television station, Mr Vershinin said: “Yes, according to the classics, any hostilities end up in talks, and, naturally, as we have said before, we will be ready for such talks, but only if those are talks with no preconditions, talks that would be based on the existing reality.”

He added: “Decisions are being made not in Kyiv, decisions are being made in other capitals, primarily in Washington and Brussels. So, inquiries should be sent there.”

Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky has previously stated the conditions required for talks included returning Ukrainian control over its territories, compensation being paid to Kyiv for Moscow’s invasion, and the prosecution of war criminals. Ukraine’s supporters in the West have repeatedly stressed that the decision of whether or not to negotiate lies in Mr Zelensky’s hands.

Ukraine’s energy system situation ‘challenging but under control'

Saturday 11 February 2023 14:58 , Joseph Rachman

The situation for Ukraine’s energy system is challenging but under control, said Ukraine’s state-run energy operator Ukrenergo.

A statement posted on Telegram by the company said:

“For over a day, the enemy has been continuously attacking our country’s energy facilities. Last night, the 17th drone attack took place in southern and southeastern regions. Unfortunately, thermal power plants and main network objects again were hit.”

Emergency power cuts were prevented thanks to repair crews, it said.

On Friday Russia launched its latest massive barrage of missiles aimed at destroying Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, particularly its energy system.

Russia drone boat strikes vital bridge in Odessa

Saturday 11 February 2023 14:40 , Joseph Rachman

A Russian drone boat packed with explosives rammed a bridge near Odesa, Ukraine in the evening 10 Friday.

Grainy footage of the event circulated on several pro-Russian Telegram channels. Since then Russian opposition media have confirmed the geolocation of the alleged attack on the Zatoka Bridge that links Odesa to Moldova and Romania.

So far there have been no reports on the extent of the damage done.

The Zatoka Bridge has been used to deliver supplies to Ukraine's forces in the south of country through Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. Russia has made previous unsuccessful attempts to destroy the bridge.

Analysts say that this seems to be the first time that Russia has launched an attack of this sort.

Boat drones have been previously used by the Ukranian military to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, but less by the Russian military.

Russian journalist who fled Russia after protesting the war recounts her dramatic escape

Saturday 11 February 2023 13:35 , Joseph Rachman

Marina Ovsyannikova, a Russian journalist, has recounted her dramatic escape from Russia a week before she was due to go on trial for criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ms Ovsyannikova made headlines in March 2022 when she interrupted a live news broadcast at at the state-run Channel One TV station where she worked at the time to express an anti-war message. She ran onto the set carrying a sign reading "no war, stop the war; don't believe the propaganda; they're lying to you here".

Immediately afterwards she says she was isolated by Russia's security services.

Speaking at a press conference in Paris Ms Ovsyannikova recounted how she fled across the border with her young daughter, helped by Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders).

"My lawyer said 'flee, flee - they're going to put you in prison'," she said speaking to reporters.

She left Moscow on the weekend, hoping the police would be less active, and changed vehicle seven times. She finally crossing the border on foot after her last car got stuck in the mud.

“We had to run out of the car and find our way on foot through fields in the dark night. It was difficult, we didn’t have any phone network, we had to work out where we were by the stars. It felt like an eternity, it was a real ordeal. We wandered for several hours before finding the road, hiding from passing vehicles and tractors … I was losing hope. I was thinking ‘Why did I do this? Maybe it would have been better to go to prison.’ But thankfully, we reached the border where people were waiting for us.

Germany aims to hand over 80 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine by the end of March

Saturday 11 February 2023 12:39 , Joseph Rachman

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany was aiming to hand over eighty Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine by the end of March, answering journalists questions following a European Union summit in Brussels.

He added: “It won’t be easy, but I hope we can do it.”

Attempts to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from 2024 Olympics are “unacceptable”, says Russian sports minister

Saturday 11 February 2023 12:05 , Joseph Rachman

Attempts to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris are “unacceptable”, said Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin on Saturday.

So far thirty-five countries - including Great Britain, the United States, and Germany - are lobbying for Russia and Belarus to be excluded.

“This is a direct interference of ministers in the activities of independent international sports organizations, an attempt to dictate the conditions for the participation of athletes in international competitions, which is absolutely unacceptable,” said Mr Matytsin according to the Russian news agency TASS.

He added: “Now we see an undisguised desire to destroy the unity of international sports and the international Olympic movement, to make sport a means of pressure to resolve political issues.”

The International Olympic Comittee has suggested that Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as neutrals. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be able to compete under a “pretend neutrality”.

Russia loses 1,140 soldiers and nine tanks in one day

Saturday 11 February 2023 11:17 , Joseph Rachman

Russia has lost 1,140 soldiers and nine tanks in the past day, Ukraine’s general staff claimed, in their latest update to Russian casualty figures.

These figures cannot be indpendently verified.

Peace talks with Russia are “out of the question” , says Ukranian presidential adviser

Saturday 11 February 2023 11:13 , Joseph Rachman

Peace talks with Russia are “out of the question” said, Mykhailo Podolyak a Ukranian presidential adviser who headed the country’s negotiating team in the early phases of the war.

In a statement on Twitter Mr Podolyak said that even when Russia called for peace and talks it refused to withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territories or admit responsibility for “crimes”.

Twelve injured but no civilians dead in Russia’s Friday missile barrage

Saturday 11 February 2023 11:05 , Joseph Rachman

Twelve people were injured due to Russia’s mass missile attack 10 February, said Serhii Kruk, the head of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

In a public statement Mr Kruk said that no civilian deaths were recorded as a direct result of the missile strikes.

Russian airstrikes hit Snake Island

Saturday 11 February 2023 11:01 , Joseph Rachman

Russia conducted four airstrikes on Snake Island overnight on 11 February, according to Ukraine’s military. The attack was carried out by two Russian Su-24 aircraft.

Snake Island is a small but strategically important outpost in the Black Sea, made famous by the Ukrainian garrison’s response to a Russian warship that called on them to surrender.

War in Ukraine will drag on for years, predicts owner of Russian Wagner Group

Saturday 11 February 2023 10:53 , Joseph Rachman

The war in Ukraine will drag on for years, predicted the owner of the Russian Wagner Group, a private military contractor fighting in the war.

Speaking in a video interview released Friday Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed Putin’s Chef, predicted that it could take a year and a half to to two years for Russia to fully control the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. He added that it could take up to three years if Russia tries to capture other territories east of the Dnieper River.

Proposed UN resolution calls for a peace at ensures Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity”

Saturday 11 February 2023 09:48 , Joseph Rachman

A United Nations resolution calling for a peace that ensures Ukraine maintains “sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity”, has been drafted according to reporting by the Associated Press. The text has reportedly been circulated among all member nations, except Russia and Belarus.

According to the Associated Press the draft is “broader and less detailed” than the ten-point peace plan that President Volodomyr Zelensky presented at the G20 in November 2022. Ukraine and its backers have made this decision to try and maximise the support the resolution will garner when put to a vote, said UN diplomats with knowledge of the private discussions.

An emergency session of of the General Assembly on Ukraine will start on the afternoon of 22 February with a vote expected 23 February.

President Joe Biden to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with trip to Poland

Saturday 11 February 2023 09:41 , Joseph Rachman

President Joe Biden will mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by travelling to Poland as a sign of solidarity, the White House said.

While there Mr Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss cooperation on support for Ukraine and NATO, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

President Biden will also deliver remarks ahead of the anniversary of the war. “He wants to talk about the importance of the international community’s resolve and unity in supporting Ukraine for now going on a year,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Mr Biden will also meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Mr Silva has previously suggested he wants to create a group of countries including Egypt and China to help work on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. However, when questioned about this Mr Kirby said that while America would like to see peace the decision on negotiations would be up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

World’s largest demining charity to double staff in Ukraine

Saturday 11 February 2023 09:31 , Joseph Rachman

The Halo Trust, the world’s largest demining charity, is doubling its staff in Ukraine to prepare for the challenge of clearing explosives in liberated areas.

James Cowan, the charity’s chief executive, said that for every day of war a month-long clear-up is usually needed.

“The area the Russians have occupied is about the size of the whole of the United Kingdom. It’s absolutely vast,” he told the PA news agency, speaking at the trust’s headquarters in Dumfriesshire.

“They’re firing about 40,000 artillery rounds a day, of which about 10% are not going off. So there are still live rounds buried in the ground.”

“They are laying landmines on an extraordinary scale. They’re using cluster munitions, using rockets, they’re using missiles.”

According to Halo Trust’s head of European operations, Mike Newton, until recently, the most dangerous types of explosives were anti-vehicle mines often found in northern Ukraine. Now anti-personnel mines and booby traps are emerging as a threat in areas which have been recaptured by Ukrainian forces.

Small coal-mining town of Vuhledar emerges as key battleground

Saturday 11 February 2023 09:22 , Joseph Rachman

Vuhledar, a small coal-mining town, has emerged as a key spot in the fight for control of the province of Donetsk and the wider Donbas region. Currently Russian troops control the suburbs while Ukrainian forces hold the urban centre.

Vuhledar is one of the few high-spots in the area and capturing it would help Russia disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines. Meanwhile, if Ukraine can secure the town it could act as a base for future counter-offensives into southern Ukraine.

“It’s one of the main logistics points of the Donbas region, and also one of the main points of elevation,” said Maksym, the deputy commander of a Ukrainian marine infantry battalion. “By capturing Vuhledar, Russians can easily occupy the entire Donetsk region.”

Wagner Group stops recruiting prisoners to fill its ranks amidst falling volunteer numbers and conflict with defence ministry

Saturday 11 February 2023 08:50 , Joseph Rachman

Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit involved in the war in Ukraine, has stopped recruiting prisoners to fill its ranks.

On 9 February Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch who owns Wagner and who has close ties to President Vladimir Putin, stated that Wagner Group had stopped its prisoner recruitment scheme.

According to the Ministry of Defence’s latest intelligence update data from the Russian Federal Penal Service shows that the number of prisoners willing to sign up had already been dropping off since December 2022.

Prisoners increasing awareness of the harsh reality of the war was a key factor in this. However, the rivalry between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner also likely played a key role in the scheme being finally shut down.

Russia might have lost half of its tanks in Ukraine, says US defence official

Saturday 11 February 2023 08:38 , Joseph Rachman

Russia has likely lost half of its main battle tanks in Ukraine and suffered tens of thousands of casualties, said a senior US defence official.

Celeste Wallander, the assistant defence secretary for international security affairs, spoke on Friday at an event organised at the Centre for a New American Security, a Washington D.C. based thinktank.

As a result of these losses Ms Wallander said “Russia’s conventional, especially ground capabilities have been significantly degraded.”

However, she warned that Russia was learning to cope with the losses and to avoid them going forward.

“Russia retains a defense industrial base ... Russia has also drawn upon partnerships that it has to fill in some of the gaps, most notably Iran.”

She added: “I think that we need to be mindful of the fact that as Russia continues to suffer losses in Ukraine, it is also learning how to adapt. It is learning both technically and operationally and somewhat strategically.”

Slovakia discussing sending jets to Ukraine

Saturday 11 February 2023 07:47 , Joseph Rachman

Slovakia is considering sending MiG-29 jets to Ukraine.

Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger revealed that President Volodomyr Zelensky had asked Slovakia for these fighter jets, Slovak newspaper SME reported. Negotiations will begin now, Heger added.

According to Heger, these jets have been decommissioned, and Slovakia doesn’t plan to use them in the future.

Earlier, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said that the transfer of jets to Ukraine could not be decided only by Slovakia but required agreement with NATO partners.

Countries can make their own decision on giving Ukraine jets, says White House

Saturday 11 February 2023 07:36 , Joseph Rachman

The White House has said that countries can make their own decision on giving Ukraine jets.

“If a NATO nation or even a non-NATO nation wants to provide capabilities like fighter aircraft to Ukraine, that’s certainly their decision to make,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaking to the press.

Ukraine has been pressing for donations of aircraft in recent days, something NATO countries have been reluctant to give for fear of further provoking Russia. However, there are signs this may be changing with President Volodomyr Zelensky suggesting yesterday that several EU leader were now prepared to send aircraft.

Eloquent Zelensky wows Europe’s leaders

Saturday 11 February 2023 07:01 , Jane Dalton

The Ukrainian president proved to be an overpowering presence who knows how to set the agenda in Western minds, write Raf Casert and Samuel Petrequin:

Prepped and eloquent, Zelenskyy wows Europe's leaders

Terrorism has no place in Olympics, says Zelensky

Saturday 11 February 2023 06:01 , Jane Dalton

President Zelensky is stepping up pressure on the Olympics organisers to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Games.

A group of 35 countries, including the United States, Germany and Australia, are backing a ban.

Terror and the Olympics were opposites and could not be combined, Mr Zelensky said.

He condemned “the presence of a terrorist state on the world’s sports field”, saying terrorism had no place in sport.

Russia facing resistance in taking Bakhmut, says mercenary leader

Saturday 11 February 2023 05:30 , Stuti Mishra

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said in a rare interview made public on Friday that Russian forces must capture the strategic city of Bakhmut to proceed with their campaign but faced fierce resistance from Ukrainian defenders.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, interviewed by a Russian military correspondent, said Russia had to establish clear goals in its nearly year-old campaign: firmly establish its presence in eastern Ukraine or push forward to capture more of the country.

Prigozhin, an entrepreneur and restaurateur, has attracted attention as fighting raged in this campaign. He has criticised Russia's military leadership and certain officials.

"Bakhmut is needed so our troops can operate comfortably," Mr Prigozhin said. "Why is it called the meat grinder? Because the Ukrainian army is sending more and more and more units."

"It is probably too early to say that we are close. There are many roads out and fewer roads in. Ukrainian troops are well trained ... and like any large city it is impossible to capture it from head-on. We are managing very well.

"First we have to quietly take Artyomovsk and then we can say loud and clear that we have taken it," he added, referring to Bakhmut by the Soviet-era name used by Moscow.

He said the fighting to capture Soledar - undertaken after failures in taking Bakhmut - was comparable to the six months of battles needed for the Soviet army to secure Stalingrad.

Ukraine ‘shoots down 61 Russian missiles'

Saturday 11 February 2023 05:01 , Jane Dalton

Ukraine’s air force says 61 of 71 Russian missiles were shot down as Moscow launched a renewed large-scale missile assault on the country on Friday. Chris Stevenson has this round-up:

Russia launches rocket assault on Ukraine as it steps up eastern offensive

Russians abandon armoured vehicles in failed attack

Saturday 11 February 2023 04:01 , Jane Dalton

Russian forces are struggling in their efforts to attack Vuhledar in Donetsk, where they abandoned more than 30 armoured vehicles in a failed assault, Britain says.

Pro-war Russian bloggers have also reported the failed assault on the city, branding it a disaster.

One military blogger said that 31 armoured vehicles had been destroyed by Ukrainian drones after being sent in without artillery cover.

Key issues behind the war and what might be next

Saturday 11 February 2023 03:01 , Jane Dalton

With just two weeks to go before the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his neighbour, here’s a look at what led to the war, what it has cost the countries involved and what might happen next. ICYMI:

When did Russia invade Ukraine?

Russian protest journalist pledges to help end war

Saturday 11 February 2023 02:01 , Jane Dalton

A former Russian state television journalist who burst into a live news broadcast to hold up slogans condemning Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has pledged she will not stay silent on the war and will continue to “do everything I can for this war to end”.

Marina Ovsyannikova, who has published a book in German about her arrest and escape to France, said: “The problem is that all of Russia is in an information bubble of orchestrated propaganda.

“There are no independent media. To have accurate information, you need a VPN on your mobile phone, and that’s the only way to access real information.”

She said she still feared for her life.

Describing her escape from house arrest in Moscow and how she fled across Europe to France, she said: “Russia is still my country, even if war criminals have power there. But I had no choice – it was either prison or exile. I’m very grateful to France, a free country, to have welcomed me.”

Before a court hearing in Moscow last October, her lawyers told her to flee to save herself and her 11-year-old daughter. They told her she would not survive prison, and that she would be “broken”.

They escaped on a Friday night “when all the security forces had finished their working week and were in rest mode”.

Of the journey through Russia, she said: “We went in so many different directions I don’t even know what direction we took. We changed to seven different vehicles.”

Misery in Bakhmut

Saturday 11 February 2023 01:01 , Jane Dalton

More images from Bakhmut, which has been a focus of Russian attacks, illustrate the misery caused.

Russian missiles fly over Romania and Moldova

Saturday 11 February 2023 00:01 , Jane Dalton

Several Russian missiles flew over Moldova and Romania on Friday, Ukrainian officials said.

US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Washington had “no indication” of a direct military threat by Russia to the two countries at the moment.

But he added: “We maintain close contact and communication with our Moldovan partners and Romanian allies.”

The Moldovan government summoned Moscow’s ambassador to complain.

Biden to visit Poland to strengthen allies’ coalition

Friday 10 February 2023 23:01 , Jane Dalton

US president Joe Biden will travel to Poland this month to rally allies one year after Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the White House announced, as he aims to sustain a coalition supporting Kyiv’s defence.

The visit, scheduled for 20-22 February, comes as signs point to waning US public support for maintaining tens of billions of dollars’ worth of military and economic assistance for Ukraine.

It is unclear whether Mr Biden might attempt a visit to Ukraine. The anniversary of the invasion will be on 24 February.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration would “continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes”.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that Mr Biden will make clear that additional security assistance and additional aid would be coming from the United States.

“The President will make it very clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Kirby said.

Russian Wagner forces advance in Bakhmut

Friday 10 February 2023 22:01 , Jane Dalton

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said Russian Wagner forces - mercenary soldiers - appear to have advanced around two miles around the north of the city of Bakhmut since Tuesday – a remarkably rapid push in a battle where front lines have barely moved for months.

It said they were now threatening the main western access road to Bakhmut, although a Ukrainian military analyst said supplies were still getting through.

The city has been Moscow’s main recent focus in the swath of Donetsk outside Russia’s grasp.

West has failed to isolate us, claims Russian minister

Friday 10 February 2023 21:01 , Jane Dalton

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the West’s efforts to “isolate” his country had completely failed and Moscow was building stronger relations with countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific and elsewhere.

“Today we can affirm that the West’s plans to isolate Russia by surrounding us with a sanitary cordon have been a fiasco,” Mr Lavrov told Russian diplomats at an event at his ministry after returning from a nearly week-long tour of Africa.

“Despite the anti-Russian orgy orchestrated by Washington, London and Brussels, we are strengthening good neighbourly relations in the widest sense of this concept with the international majority,” he said.

Slovakia to open talks on sending fighter jets to Kyiv

Friday 10 February 2023 20:01 , Jane Dalton

Slovakia can start talks on delivering MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine now that Kyiv has officially asked for the planes, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said.

“The Ukrainian president asked me to deliver the MiGs. Now, because this official request has come, the process of negotiations can be started,” he said.

The negotiations will be both internal and also with the European Commission, because Slovakia could have the delivery reimbursed, Mr Heger said.

“Our MiGs can save innocent lives in Ukraine,” he said.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said the country no longer needed the jets and it could either sell them somewhere else, or give them to Ukraine where the planes could help. He said no decision had been taken yet.

The 12 Russian-made jets have been grounded since last summer, and they are in varying conditions.

The Slovak government ordered F-16 fighter jets from the United States in 2018 to replace the ageing MiG-29 planes.

The first U.S.-made planes were expected to arrive last year and shipment was meant to be completed this year, but delivery is now expected to take place next year.

Slovakia borders Ukraine in the east and has been an entry point for refugees fleeing the fighting during the near year-long war.

Number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England rises by 44% over winter

Friday 10 February 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson

The number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England has increased by 44 per cent over the winter months as sponsorship arrangements continue to break down.

Some 4,295 Ukrainian households have turned to local authorities for help since the 24 February last year, with 1,310 doing so in the period from November 2022 to January 2023.

This has been fuelled by 705 Ukrainian families leaving their Homes for Ukraine sponsorships over the winter months, either because the relationship has broken down or because their agreement has come to an end.

Our social affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft reports:

Number of Ukrainian families facing homelessness in England rises by 44% over winter

Watch: Lindsay Hoyle reveals when he plans to wear helmet Zelensky gave him

Friday 10 February 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson

Indian pharmacist honoured by Kyiv for supporting war effort: ‘Ukraine is my nation too’

Friday 10 February 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson

When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago this month, India was one of many countries that raced to evacuate thousands of its citizens out of harm’s way. A huge operation followed, with planes, trains and buses pressed into service to rescue some 18,000 Indian nationals in the space of around three weeks.

Arpan Rai reports:

Why an Indian pharmacist has been honoured by Ukraine for supporting its war effort

Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

Friday 10 February 2023 17:30 , Emily Atkinson

Volodymyr Zelensky’s European tour has been about requests for attack jets as the war nears its first year anniversary. But it is likely to be a while before Ukraine gets the air power it wants.

Kim Sengupta writes:

Analysis: Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

Meloni says France risks undermining EU unity on Ukraine

Friday 10 February 2023 17:00 , Emily Atkinson

Giorgia Meloni has accused France of jeopardising EU unity on Ukraine by organising a Franco-German dinner in Paris with the Ukrainian president that excluded other European allies.

Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz met Volodymyr Zelensky on the eve of Thursday’s EU summit, where the Ukrainian leader called for more weapons in the fight against the Russian invasion.

“What was right was the photo of Zelensky with the 27 (EU leaders). Anticipating that unity with a meeting in Paris was politically wrong,” she said at the end of the summit, suggesting Mr Macron’s initiative might undermine support for Kyiv.

“It is not easy for any of us to handle the Ukraine issue with public opinion. What we do, we do because it is right but perhaps not the easiest thing in terms of consensus,” she added.

Russia ‘likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles near Ukraine’s Vuhledar'

Friday 10 February 2023 16:30 , Emily Atkinson

Russian forces likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles in a single, failed attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, according to British intelligence.

Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held bastion at the strategic intersection between the eastern and southern front lines, has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the war as Russia continues a relentless assault on the eastern front.

“Russian troops likely fled and abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armoured vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault,” the MoD said in a daily briefing.

Photos shared by military bloggers appeared to show several armoured vehicles and tanks strewn across the battlefield.

Group of 35 countries 'wants Russia and Belarus banned from Olympics’

Friday 10 February 2023 16:00 , Emily Atkinson

A group of 35 countries including the US, Germany, France, Britain and Japan have unanimously agreed to demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Olympics, the Lithuanian sports minister said on Friday

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics.

Ukraine has threatened to boycott the games if Russian and Belarusian athletes compete and Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk has said Russians will win “medals of blood, deaths anxd tears” if allowed to compete.

“We are going in the direction that we would not need a boycott because all countries are unanimous,” Jurgita Siugzdiniene said.

Switzerland rejects Spain's request to send Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine

Friday 10 February 2023 15:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Switzerland said on Friday it has rejected a request from Madrid to allow Spain to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.

Spain made the request in January to allow it to send two 35mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.

Switzerland has previously vetoed requests from Denmark and Germany who wanted to send Swiss-made armoured vehicles and ammunition to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Switzerland’s War Materials Act does not allow the export of war materials if the destination country is involved in an internal or international armed conflict.

However, the issue of weapons deployment is becoming a sensitive topic in neutral Switzerland, with the population increasingly in favour of the current restrictions being lifted.

Politicians have also launched a campaign for the law to be altered, with the issue being discussed by parliament.

“Spain’s request for a waiver of the non-re-export obligation was examined in the light of the same criteria as an export of war material from Switzerland,” the government said on Friday.

“The requests were therefore answered in the negative.”

Moldovan government quits amid economic turmoil

Friday 10 February 2023 15:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moldova’s pro-Western government resigned on Friday after a turbulent 18 months in power marked by economic turmoil and the spillover effects of Russia‘s war in neighbouring Ukraine.

President Maia Sandu accepted Prime Minister’s Natalia Gavrilita’s resignation and nominated 48-year-old presidential aide and former interior minister Dorin Recean to replace her.

Recean, who is expected to quickly win parliamentary approval, said he would press on with Moldova’s bid to join the European Union and revive the economy

“The new government will have three priorities: Order and discipline, a new life and economy, and peace and stability,” Recean, a defence adviser to Sandu and secretary of Moldova’s security council, told a news briefing.

His challenges include dealing with what Moldova portrays as attempts by Russia to destabilise the tiny former Soviet republic of 2.5 million people which borders Ukraine and NATO and EU member Romania.

Russia, which has troops in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria, has bristled at the possibility of former Soviet republics joining the EU.

Tensions rose further on Friday when Chisinau said a Russian missile had violated Moldovan airspace before hitting Ukraine, and summoned Russia‘s ambassador to protest.

The foreign ministry condemned “the latest unfriendly actions and statements against Moldova” and said they were “absolutely unacceptable.”

Zelensky tells countries to ban Russian athletes from Olympics

Friday 10 February 2023 14:35 , Jane Dalton

President Zelensky took part in an online meeting with 35 international ministers to discuss demands that Russian and Belarusian athletes be banned from the 2024 Olympics, a Lithuanian government spokesman has said.

He said that Mr Zelensky’s message to participants was that principles of neutrality cannot apply to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moldovan prime minister resigns, government collapses

Friday 10 February 2023 14:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moldova’s government collapsed Friday as pro-Western Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned, adding to a series of crises that have gripped the small nation since Russia invaded its neighbor, Ukraine.

Gavrilita told a news conference that the “time has come for me to announce my resignation” and said no one expected her government, elected in the summer of 2021, “would have to manage so many crises caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine.”

Gavrilita’s premiership was marked by a long string of problems. These include an acute energy crisis; skyrocketing inflation; and several troublesome incidents such as missiles from the war in neighboring Ukraine traversing its skies.

A new government will be nominated by President Maia Sandu and then needs to be approved by Moldova’s 101-seat parliament.

When Vladimir Putin is expected to launch ‘unstoppable’ nuclear Satan-2 missile

Friday 10 February 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The dates that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to launch an ‘unstoppable’ nuclear Satan-2 missile have been revealed.

The tyrant is tipped to be readying the missile to shock the West, as he plans to test launch his 208-tonne hypersonic Satan-2 apocalypse missile within days.

The firing of the explosive, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, may coincide with the anniversary of the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

When Vladimir Putin is expected to launch ‘unstoppable’ nuclear Satan-2 missile

Ukraine says Russian missiles over Moldova

Friday 10 February 2023 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said several Russian missiles had flown over Moldova and NATO member Romania on Friday, and that they were a challenge to the military alliance and collective security.

“The enemy launched at least 70 rockets in another massive attack (on Ukraine) this morning,” Zelensky said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped.”

Putin ‘massing 1,800 tanks and 700 aircraft’ for new Ukraine assault

Friday 10 February 2023 13:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia is massing around 1,800 tanks, 700 aircraft and 500,000 men for a new assault on Ukraine, ‘which will start in just 10 days’, it has been warned.

Ukraine has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is stocking up on weapons and ammunition in preparation for a massive new offensive in the coming weeks.

There are now fresh fears that the despot will launch an attack that will coincide with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

Read more here:

Russia ‘massing 1,800 tanks and 700 aircraft’ for new Ukraine assault

Ukraine says it shot down 61 of 71 missiles Russia fired in latest attacks

Friday 10 February 2023 12:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia launched 71 cruise missiles at Ukraine on Friday and 61 of them were shot down, Ukraine‘s air force said.

“As of 11:30 a.m., the enemy had launched 71 X-101, X-555 and Kalibr missiles. The air defence forces, Air Force and other components of the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed 61 enemy cruise missiles,” it said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said earlier on Friday that Russia had fired more than 50 missiles at Ukraine and most of them were shot down.

“Russia cannot accept failures and therefore continues to terrorise the (Ukrainian) population. Another attempt (on Friday) to destroy the Ukrainian energy system and deprive Ukrainians of light, heat, and water,” Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

The Air Force said Russia had used eight Tu-95MS strategic bombers, and that they had fired X-101 and X-555 missiles from the Caspian Sea and the city of Volgodonsk in Russia.

Russian forces also launched Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, it said.

Germany: delivering fighter jets to Ukraine not an issue for us right now

Friday 10 February 2023 11:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sending fighter jets to Ukraine is not an issue for Germany right now, spokespersons for the defence and foreign ministries said on Friday.

“That is not an issue for us,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson told a regular government news conference in Berlin. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson added: “This is not a debate at the moment.”

Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week asked Western allies to provide Kyiv with advanced aircraft to defeat Russia‘s invasion, though it is not yet clear how many countries are willing to do so or when they could deliver the fighters.

Romania's defence ministry says Russian missile flew 35 kms northeast of its border

Friday 10 February 2023 11:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian missile launched off a ship near Crimea on Friday crossed into Moldovan airspace before hitting Ukraine, some 35 kms northeast of NATO state Romania’s border, the Romanian defence ministry said.

“The Romanian Air Force’s surveillance system detected on Friday an air target, most likely a cruise missile launched from a Russian ship in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The closest the target trajectory got to Romania’s airspace was recorded by the radar at roughly 35 kms northeast of the border.”

Ukraine‘s top general said two Kaliber missiles launched from the Black Sea had entered Moldovan airspace, then flew into Romanian airspace, before entering Ukraine.

Ten Russian missiles shot down over Ukrainian capital Kyiv - mayor

Friday 10 February 2023 10:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine shot down 10 Russian missiles over the capital Kyiv on Friday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

“There is damage to power grids. There are no casualties. Energy workers are working to restore the network,” Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app, quoting the Ukrainian military.

When Vladimir Putin is expected to launch ‘unstoppable’ nuclear Satan-2 missile

Friday 10 February 2023 10:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The dates that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to launch an ‘unstoppable’ nuclear Satan-2 missile have been revealed.

In a shocking new revelation, the tyrant is tipped to be readying the missile to shock the West, as he plans to test launch his 208-tonne hypersonic Satan-2 apocalypse missile within days.

The firing of the explosive, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, may coincide with the anniversary of the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

When Vladimir Putin is expected to launch ‘unstoppable’ nuclear Satan-2 missile

Watch live: Russian anti-war journalist Marina Ovsyannikova holds press conference

Friday 10 February 2023 10:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian anti-war journalist Marina Ovsyannikova is holding press conference which you can watch live here:

Live: Russian anti-war journalist Marina Ovsyannikova holds press conference

Putin missiles hit cities across Ukraine as ground offensive begins

Friday 10 February 2023 10:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia unleashed a new wave of missile strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine on Friday, causing explosions in the capital Kyiv and hitting cities across the country.

At least 17 missiles hit the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in an hour in the heaviest attack since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, local officials said.

Several energy facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine were hit, disrupting the power supply, national grid operator Ukrenergo said after overnight drone and missile strikes on power stations and transmission facilities.

“The air alert will be long,” said Maksym Marchenko, regional governor of the southern region of Odesa. “Please do not ignore the air alert sirens, and go to the shelters.”

The new Russian attacks followed a rare trip abroad this week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that included talks with European Union leaders in Brussels aimed at securing more weapons for Ukraine including fighter jets.

At least three explosions shook Kyiv and the surrounding region, with officials saying air defence systems were in operation in the capital and in other parts of the country.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, IAEA head discuss Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station

Friday 10 February 2023 09:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday discussed nuclear safety issues with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi during his visit to Moscow.

The two men paid particular attention to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southern Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

Explosions in Kyiv as Ukraine's power grid hit by Russian missiles

Friday 10 February 2023 08:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Several explosions could be heard in Kyiv as officials reported high-voltage facilities across Ukraine being hit by Russian missile attacks on Friday morning.

Ukraine‘s power grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply.

Reuters journalists heard at least three explosions in Ukraine‘s capital city, Kyiv.

The mayor of eastern Ukraine‘s largest city, Kharkiv, confirmed an infrastructure facility there had been hit and warned of possible power outages as a result.

Ukrenergo said Russia attacked Ukraine‘s grid overnight with drones and missiles, targeting power stations and transmission facilities.

Moscow, which launched an invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, has waged a campaign of massed missile strikes targeting Ukraine‘s critical infrastructure since last October.

Ukrainian power grid hit by Russian missiles -Ukrenergo

Friday 10 February 2023 08:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Several high-voltage facilities across Ukraine were hit by Russian missile attacks on Friday morning, Ukraine‘s state grid operator said.

Grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply.

Belarus says Poland closing border crossing point is 'catastrophic' decision

Friday 10 February 2023 08:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Belarus on Friday slammed a decision by Poland to close a border checkpoint between the two countries as “catastrophic”, saying it could lead to a “collapse” on both sides of the border.

Poland said on Thursday, citing security concerns, it would close a key border crossing into Belarus at Bobrowniki, starting at 12 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) on Friday, driving already hostile relations between the two countries to a new low.

Minsk criticised the decision on Thursday, but went further in a statement on Friday, calling the move irrational and dangerous.

“The actions of the Polish authorities could lead to a collapse on both sides of the border,” Belarus’ border committee said in a statement shared on social media.

Poland has become a key refuge for opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko and Warsaw has become one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Belarus’ main ally Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

After the closure comes into force, only two of six major land crossing points along the two countries’ 400-km (249 mile) border will be open, Belarus’ border force said in a statement.

“With the closure of another Polish checkpoint, the situation will become catastrophic,” Belarus’ border force added, pointing to already existing long lines at border crossings. “The load on the remaining two checkpoints will critically increase”.

Minsk also said it believed the decision was purposefully designed to “further aggravate the situation at the border and limit citizens’ travel.”

Relations were further strained on Wednesday when a journalist of Polish origin was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Belarusian court in a trial Warsaw says was politically motivated.

Air raid alert declared across Ukraine

Friday 10 February 2023 07:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

An air raid alert was declared in all of Ukraine on Friday as officials warned of potential Russian missile strikes, urging residents to take shelter.

“There is a big threat of the missile attack. I want to stress again - do not ignore the air alert sirens,” said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv city military administration.

Nearly 20 rockets expected to strike Ukraine - report

Friday 10 February 2023 07:07 , Arpan Rai

An air alert has been activated throughout Ukraine as about 20 rockets are expected, governor of Mykolaiv region Vitalii Kim said.

Russia attacks Zaporizhzhia 17 times in an hour - official

Friday 10 February 2023 06:56 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have targeted energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia early today, striking the city 17 times in an hour, Zaporizhzhia city council secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said.

The major city, which houses Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was included in an air raid alert across the country this morning.

“General air raid alert over Ukraine. This follows another night with attacks by drones and missiles in several regions, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro,” said reporter Emmanuelle Chaze said.

How fighter jets could tilt the balance of the war

Friday 10 February 2023 06:46 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky embarked on a trip around Europe this week to urge his partners into encouraging steps towards the supply of fighter jets.

Britain, which less than a fortnight ago appeared to rule out sending either of its active models of warplane, was the first stop and prime minister Rishi Sunak welcomed his counterpart from Kyiv with a pledge to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Nato-compatible aircraft.

Then came Paris where Mr Zelensky met French president Emmanuel Macron and German president Olaf Scholz. France had earlier signalled a willingness to supply jets, while Germany had rejected Kyiv’s pleas and criticised what he called a “constant competition to outbid each other when it comes to weapons systems”.

Here we take a look at what planes are available and how they could help Ukraine’s defence.

The fighter jets that could help win the battle for Ukraine’s skies

Macron weighs kicking Putin out of French Legion of Honor

Friday 10 February 2023 06:28 , Arpan Rai

French president Emmanuel Macron pinned the Grand Cross of the Légion d’Honneur medal on Volodymyr Zelensky’s chest after the two met in the French presidential palace yesterday amid calls from some French legislators and activists to rescind Putin’s award because of the war.

Mr Macron said that the move to bestow Mr Zelensky with the medal was meant to show France’s “immense” recognition for Ukraine‘s valour since Russia invaded it a year ago.

Mr Macron didn’t rule out stripping Mr Putin of the Légion d’Honneur bestowed by then-president Jacques Chirac in 2006.He said that such a decision “has serious meaning, and it should be taken at the right moment.’’ He noted that he has rescinded the Légion d’Honneur in the past.

Read the full story here:

Macron weighs kicking Putin out of French Legion of Honor

Long-awaited new Russian offensive has ‘definitely’ begun – official

Friday 10 February 2023 05:53 , Arpan Rai

The governor of the Donetsk region says he believes new fighting in eastern areas that broke out yesterday represents the start of a much-anticipated new Russian offensive.

On being asked if he agreed that Russian forces had launched their full-scale onslaught, governor Pavlo Krylenko said: “Yes, definitely.”

Officials in Kyiv have for some time predicted a fresh military offensive from Russia to try and make new territorial gains around the one year anniversary of the initial invasion, in mid-to-late February.

Krylenko said “the enemy’s forces and means” were escalating in intensity daily around eastern towns like Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar.

Russian forces launch major offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk

Friday 10 February 2023 05:03 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin’s soldiers are advancing in eastern Ukraine using relentless shelling and shooting in its pursuit of the first major territorial advantage in six months, officials have said.

Russian forces launched a series of overnight strikes and knocked out power supplies in parts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, local officials said today.

“The occupiers hit critical infrastructure. There were about 10 explosions,” Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram. “In some regions, there are power cuts. Emergency services are on site.”

It is not immediately clear if the attacks have led to casualties.

Additionally, Moscow’s troops are trying to advance west with “maximum escalation” in the region’s snowy terrain with a spike recorded in shooting and shelling, Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said last night, adding that this has been without any success for Russia so far.

France not ruling out fighter jets for Ukraine

Friday 10 February 2023 04:14 , Arpan Rai

French president Emmanuel Macron has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine at some point, but added that the embattled nation needed more immediate military firepower.

“I exclude absolutely nothing,” Mr Macron said on being asked about the possibility of sending jets at the end of a summit of EU leaders, attended by Volodymyr Zelensky.

But he added that the top priority for Ukraine’s allies at the moment is to help Ukraine in the weeks and months ahead, and fighter jets could not be delivered in that timeframe and it would take time to train Ukrainian pilots to fly them.

The priority should be placed on giving Kyiv items such as artillery, which had proven to be effective and on which Ukrainian forces were already trained.

Mr Macron added that it might be necessary to intensify delivery of such items and Ukraine’s allies would examine this possibility in the coming days.

The ever-moving goalposts around sending military jets to Ukraine

Friday 10 February 2023 03:46 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine says it needs fighter jets from the West to help it win the war – in Zelensky’s words, as inscribed on the fighter ace helmet presented to the speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle: “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.”

In recent weeks, Western governments – after some delays and with caution – have committed vast amounts of munitions, missiles, air defence systems, artillery, armoured vehicles, drones and battle tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces. These are much better deployed, and safer from attack, if they can be deployed with the additional advantage of air superiority.

The Ukrainian air force is relatively small compared with Russia, and equipped with Soviet-era MiG jets. Hence the clamour for better equipment. Put crudely there isn’t much point in sending the most advanced and expensive tanks in the world, such as American Abrams and German Leopards, if the Russians can destroy them at will.

Sean O’Grady explains here:

Analysis: The ever-moving goalposts around sending military jets to Ukraine

Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

Friday 10 February 2023 03:30 , Joe Middleton

Some of Nato’s European members may feel safer letting America take the lead when it comes to sending military jets to Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta.

Analysis: Ukraine may be waiting for some time for the jet firepower it wants

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website