Ukraine-Russia news – live: Putin’s new offensive has already begun, warns Nato chief

Vladimir Putin‘s fresh and long-anticipated offensive in Ukraine has already begun, Nato cheif Jens Stoltenberg has declared.

“We see no sign whatsoever that (Russian) president (Vladimir) Putin is preparing for peace (...) What we see is president Putin and Russia still wanting to control Ukraine”, Nato’s secretary-general told reporters on Monday.

“We see how they are sending more troops, more weapons, more capabilities,” he added, almost one year after Moscow launched the war.

It comes after Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, said in an interview that Moscow would win the war by the end of this year.

He also told interviewer Olga Skabeyeva, who hosts a stridently pro-war chat show: “If we sit down at the negotiating table with Zelensky, yes, I think that’s wrong.”

It comes after Mr Putin’s forces unleashed fatal missile attacks on five areas across Kherson, causing damage to the railway and preventing trains from Kyiv and Lviv reaching the city, reports say.

Key Points

• Moscow can take Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, Russian official claims

• Putin’s forces unleash missiles on Kherson

• Russia suffering 824 casualties per day - MoD

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

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

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

Russia’s major new spring offensive in Ukraine has already begun, Nato warns

14:42 , Emily Atkinson

Russia has launched a long-expected major offensive in Ukraine, Nato said today.

In Brussels, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow had already begun its latest push for territory as the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion approached.

“We see no sign whatsoever that President Putin is preparing for peace,” he said ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s defence minister’s meeting on Tuesday.

Liam James reports:

Russia’s major new spring offensive in Ukraine has already begun, Nato warns

Moldova’s president accuses Russia of planning to bring down her leadership

22:01 , Sam Rkaina

Moldova’s president accused Russia on Monday of planning to use foreign saboteurs to bring down her tiny country’s leadership, stop it joining the European Union and use it in the war against Ukraine.

President Maia Sandu made her comments after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week his country had uncovered a Russian intelligence plan “for the destruction of Moldova”, and days later the country’s government resigned.

Ms Sandu, whose country borders Ukraine, has repeatedly expressed concern about Moscow’s intentions towards the former Soviet republic and about the presence of Russian troops in the breakaway Transdniestria region.

She said the plan involved citizens of Russia, Montenegro, Belarus and Serbia entering Moldova to try to spark protests in an attempt to “change the legitimate government to an illegal government controlled by the Russian Federation.”

“The Kremlin’s attempts to bring violence to Moldova will not work. Our main goal is the security of citizens and the state. Our goal is peace and public order in the country,” she told a news briefing.

Russia denied last year wanting to intervene in Moldova after authorities in Transdniestria said they had been targeted by a series of attacks.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on Monday said reports of the plot had not been independently confirmed but were “deeply concerning” and “certainly not outside the bounds of Russian behaviour.”

Ukraine braced for new ground attacks

21:01 , Sam Rkaina

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has endured heavy artillery fire today in what the NATO chief said appeared to be the start of a major new Russian offensive days before the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.

Ukrainian defenders, who have already held out for months, were braced for new ground attacks, Ukrainian military officials said.

Positions in Bakhmut have been fortified and only people with a military role were being allowed in, a deputy battalion commander said. Any civilians who still wanted to leave the city would have to brave the incoming fire, he said.

Bakhmut is a prime objective for Russian President Vladimir Putin and its capture would give Russia a new foothold in the Donetsk region and a rare victory after several months of setbacks.

Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, now partially occupied by Russia which wants full control.

“.The reality is we have seen the start (of a Russian offensive) already because we see now what Russia does now - President Putin does now - is to send thousands and thousands more troops, accepting a very high rate of casualty,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.

The Russian assault on Bakhmut has been spearheaded by mercenaries of the Wagner group, who have made small but steady gains. The renewed Russian bombardments made the situation there even more acute.

Ukraine and US generals discuss support for Kyiv

20:15 , Sam Rkaina

Ukraine’s top general and the top US Army commander in Europe discussed military aid and training for Kyiv’s forces on Monday.

The conversation comes on the eve of a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Brussels, the Ukrainian defence ministry said.

The ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel that Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, had shared his vision for victory with the commander in chief of Europe’s combined NATO forces, U.S. General Christopher Cavoli.

“We discussed the issue of supplying international military aid to Ukraine and training our units on the territory of partner countries,” the ministry quoted Zaluzhnyi as saying.

They were speaking ahead of a U.S.-hosted meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters, following a 20 January conference at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany that was key to decisions to send Kyiv scores of modern battle tanks.

Mr Zaluzhnyi expressed his gratitude for General Cavoli’s “deep understanding of the situation and significant efforts to bring our victory closer,” the ministry added.

Duda thanks Germany for tanks approval

19:30 , Sam Rkaina

Stationed in Swietoszow are Poland’s 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and a U.S. armored cavalry combat group.

Warsaw is among the most active supporters of neighboring Ukraine, and has pushed European nations to provide the Leopard 1 and 2 tanks.

Germany has pledged at least 178 Leopard 1 tanks and 14 Leopard 2s. Poland has pledged 14 Leopard 2s. Other contributing countries include Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, while Britain has pledged Challenger tanks and the U.S. its M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

President Andrzej Duda especially thanked Germany for allowing the German-made tanks to be made available to Kyiv and for its own contribution.

Poland has also provided or pledged more than 300 of its Soviet-era T-72 tanks and modernized PT-91 tanks.

Ukrainian officials say they expect Russian forces to make a new drive in eastern and southern Ukraine, as the Kremlin strives to secure territory it illegally annexed in late September and where it claims its rule is welcomed.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said last week that the first battalion of 31 Leopard 1 tanks in Ukraine should be ready in April. The first Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on the tanks departed for Germany last week.

Tanks ‘will have great effect’ in the war

18:45 , Sam Rkaina

A Polish instructor, Senior Staff Warrant Officer Krzysztof Sieradzki, said the Ukrainians are so motivated to learn everything fast that the instructors “have to hold them back and transfer knowledge to them in small batches.”

The trainees’ commander, Major Vadym Khodak, said they all have combat experience.

“They didn’t come from the street, they’ve been fighting on our tanks for a long time, so I think learning how to operate these tanks will be a lot easier,” said Khodak, who’s from Dnipro in eastern Ukraine.

Khodak said the modern tanks would be a great help.

“If we learn how to use them, we will put them to test in combat conditions and it will give a great effect,” he said.

Poland’s president meets with tank instructors helping Ukraine troops

18:01 , Sam Rkaina

Poland’s president and defense minister met Monday with Polish and foreign instructors intensively training Ukrainian troops to operate the German-made Leopard 2 tanks that some European countries and Canada have offered Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.

President Andrzej Duda and minister Mariusz Blaszczak also watched Leopard 2 training at a military base and test range in Swietoszow, in southwestern Poland.

The training is part of the European Union’s military assistance to Ukraine, but Canadian instructors also have a role, as do Norwegians.

Taking part are Ukrainian tank crews from units fighting in the east of the country. The intensive training lasts up to 10 hours a day, including weekends, the Polish military said. Instruction is also being held in Germany.

Duda voiced hope the tanks would help Ukrainian forces “in a much more efficient way to defeat the enemy.”

He said the Ukrainian trainees have come straight from the front line. “You can see in their faces that these people have gone through terrible things, but they are determined to defend their homeland.”

Russian hackers ‘disrupt Turkey-Syria earthquake aid’ in cyber attack on Nato

17:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian hackers launched a cyber attack on Nato which disrupted communication with an aircraft providing earthquake aid to Turkey and Syria, according to reports.

The Killnet group - a Russian-aligned hacker group - claimed responsibility on Telegram for distributed denial of service (DDos) attacks impacting the Nato website, according to The Telegraph.

The Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC), a multi-national organisation which relies on Nato support to provide military and humanitarian airlifts, was also affected. The SAC is helping transport search and rescue equipment to areas affected by the devastating earthquake.

Kate Plummer has more:

Russian hackers ‘disrupt Turkey-Syria earthquake aid’ in cyber attack on Nato

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

16:30 , Emily Atkinson

Fighter jets and ‘wings of freedom’: Will supplying aircraft bring the UK closer to war with Russia?

16:00 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky recent mini European tour – including a visit to the UK – was taken up by an appeal for fighter jets to bolster his Ukraine’s fightback against Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.

“I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom,” he told a rapt audience in parliament.

“Two years ago, I left parliament thanking you for the delicious English tea. Today I will leave Parliament thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.”

Joe Sommerlad has the details:

Will supplying fighter jets bring the UK closer to war with Russia?

Moldova’s president outlines Russian ‘plan’ to topple government

15:40 , Emily Atkinson

Moldova’s President has outlined what she described as a plot by Moscow to use external saboteurs to overthrow her country’s government, put the nation “at the disposal of Russia“ and derail its aspirations to one day join the EU.

President Maia Sandu’s briefing comes a week after president Volodymyr Zelensky said his country had intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova, claims that were later confirmed by Moldovan intelligence officials.

“The plan for the next period involves actions with the involvement of diversionists with military training, camouflaged in civilian clothes, who will undertake violent actions, attack some state buildings, and even take hostages,” Sandu told reporters at a briefing.

“The purpose of these actions is to overthrow the constitutional order, to change the legitimate power from Chisinau to an illegitimate one,” Sandu said, “which would put our country at the disposal of Russia, in order to stop the European integration process.”

She defiantly vowed: “The Kremlin’s attempts to bring violence to our country will not succeed.”

Luhansk town attacked ‘from all sides’

15:20 , Emily Atkinson

Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces had attacked the town of Bilogorivka from all sides before dawn on Monday.

“But our forces fought back there,” he told Ukrainian television.

“It was the same situation in the direction of Kreminna - a lot of them (Russians) appeared there. But they pulled back after the fight with our forces.”

Regarding the Russian offensive, he said: “Preparations for this offensive are already under way, the amount of shelling, air strikes and attacks by small groups has already increased. We are waiting for them to start massive round-the-clock attacks.”

Russia says sanctions are a barrier to Black Sea grain deal renewal

14:55 , Emily Atkinson

It would be “inappropriate” to extend the Black Sea grain deal unless sanctions affecting Russia’s agricultural exports are lifted and other issues are resolved, Moscow has said.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine last July, created a safe corridor to allow grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports blockaded by the war.

The agreement, brokered by the UN and Turkey, was extended by a further 120 days in November and is up for renewal again next month, but Russia has signalled that it is unhappy with some aspects of the deal and asked for sanctions affecting its agricultural exports to be lifted.

“Our position on the issue of a further continuation of the Black Sea Initiative remains the same,” Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin said in an interview with RTVI .

“Without tangible results on the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum, above all on the real removal of sanctions restrictions on Russian agricultural exports... the extension of the Ukrainian document is inappropriate,” he said.

France ‘strongly' advises its citizens against going to Belarus

14:28 , Emily Atkinson

France’s foreign affairs ministry has said it “strongly” advised its citizens against going to Belarus giving the “new offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine”.

Earlier in the day, the United States told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies.

Possible aircrafts supply to Ukraine to be discussed on Tuesday - Stoltenberg

14:14 , Emily Atkinson

Nato’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg says he expects issue of aircrafts to be discussed at the upcoming two-day meeting of Nato defence ministers from Tuesday.

“There is now a discussion going on also on the question of aircrafts and I expect that also to be addressed tomorrow at the meeting in Brussels”, he said, adding that supplying aircrafts to Ukraine whereas the country under attack by Russia needs urgent support on the ground.

Stoltenberg also stressed that Nato countries supplying fighter jets to Ukraine would not make the military alliance part of the conflict.

Russian launches system to scan internet for undesired content and dissent

13:58 , Emily Atkinson

Russia has launched a system that will scan the internet for illegal content.

Moscow created the system to make it easier for authorities to detect unsanctioned protests, anti-war dissent and “LGBT propaganda”, officials said on Monday.

Reuters adds:

The “Oculus” system will be able to read text and recognise illegal scenes in photos and videos, analysing more than 200,000 images per day at a rate of about three seconds per image, the Interfax news agency reported.

Since sending its armed forces into Ukraine in February, Moscow has suppressed political opposition and independent media inside Russia that had survived previous clampdowns, and amplified a conservative, nationalist narrative that frowns on “non-traditional” lifestyles and orientations.

Oculus “automatically detects offences such as extremist content, calls for illegal mass gatherings or suicide, pro-drug content, LGBT propaganda and so on,” Interfax quoted the Main Radio Frequency Centre (MRFC), part of the communications supervisor Roskomnadzor, as saying.

“Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, ‘fakes’ have proliferated and spread at an unprecedented rate, aiming to replace real facts with a specially constructed reality,” it said.

“The creation of this system is our response to provocations and anti-Russian actions on the part of foreign resources.”

New Russian offensive has already started, says Stoltenberg

13:45 , Emily Atkinson

Nato’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday that the feared new major Russian offensive in Ukraine, almost one year after Moscow launched the war, has already started

“We see no sign whatsoever that (Russian) president (Vladimir) Putin is preparing for peace (...) What we see is president Putin and Russia still wanting to control Ukraine”, he said. “We see how they are sending more troops, more weapons, more capabilities.”

Russia is widely thought to be planning a major new offensive and Ukraine says it needs fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter this and to recapture lost territory.

Russia ‘likely to spy more on Norway’s energy industry'

13:30 , Emily Atkinson

Russia will seek to gather more intelligence about Norway’s oil and gas infrastructure as part of an effort to put pressure on European energy supplies, the Nordic country’s police security agency (PST) said in its annual threat assessment on Monday.

While Russia is “unlikely” to carry out acts of sabotage on Norwegian territory in 2023, this could change if Moscow’s willingness to escalate the conflict with Nato and the West were to increase, PST said.

The assessment of threats against Norway is the first since the start of the war in Ukraine in February last year. Since then the Nato member has become Europe’s largest gas supplier, following a drop in Russian gas flows.

“Norway’s role as an energy supplier to Europe has assumed even greater security policy importance as a result of the war in Ukraine,” PST said in its report.

Oslo has reinforced security at its oil and gas installations following the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines on 26 September, and is receiving help from Nato allies to protect them.

“We have seen the emergence of Russian ambitions to exert pressure on European energy security. PST therefore expects that in 2023, Russia will try to gather intelligence about most aspects of Norway’s oil, gas and power sector,” it said.

In pictures: Ukrainian soldiers fire anti-tank missile system on frontline in Donetsk

13:00 , Emily Atkinson

Hungary’s foreign minister visits Minsk

12:30 , Emily Atkinson

Hungary’s foreign minister has announced that he was paying a visit to Minsk on Monday with the aim of keeping “channels of communication open”.

Peter Szijjarto said in a post on his Facebook page that during his talks in Belarus he would represent the Hungarian stance of trying to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Ukraine accuses Berlusconi of showing loyalty to ‘Russian dictator’ Putin

12:00 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine has accused former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi of spreading Russian propaganda after he said he would not seek a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky if he were still head of government.

Berlusconi, 86, often boasted of his friendship with Vladimir Putin before Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

In comments on Sunday, Berlusconi said all Zelensky had to do to prevent the war in Ukraine was to “stop attacking” territory held by Russia-backed separatists in the east and that he judged the president’s behaviour “very, very negatively”.

“Berlusconi’s ridiculous accusations against the Ukrainian president are an attempt to kiss Putin’s hands, which are covered in blood up to the elbows,” Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for Ukraine‘s foreign ministry, wrote on Facebook.

“At the same time, the Italian politician should understand that by spreading Russian propaganda he encourages Russia to continue its crimes against Ukraine, and therefore bears political and moral responsibility,” he said.

He accused Berlusconi of trying to show loyalty to “the Russian dictator”, and drew parallels with the former Italian prime minister’s relationship with late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. In his Facebook post, Nikolenko published a photograph of Berlusconi kissing Gaddafi’s hand in 2010.

Satellite imagery shows intense fighting on Ukraine frontline amid new Russian offensive

11:40 , Emily Atkinson

As the war in Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, new satellite images show intense fighting along the country’s frontline.

Satellite images released by private space technology company Maxar show the Vuhledar area in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The area is the site of concentrated fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Images from 8 to 10 February reveal areas of intense artillery shelling in the farms and fields south of Vuhledar as Ukrainian forces reportedly pushed back Russian troops that have been attempting to capture territory in the area.

Sravasti Dasgupta reports:

New satellite imagery shows intense fighting on Ukraine frontline

11:20 , Emily Atkinson

The Ministry of Defence has shared an updated map showing where it believes the current frontline and contested areas are in Ukraine.

Moscow can take Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, Russian official claims

10:58 , Emily Atkinson

An ally of Vladimir Putin has insisted Russia would achieve its military goals in Ukraine by the end of the year.

Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, said in an interview that Moscow had the forces to take the capital Kyiv, and that it needed to capture Ukraine‘s second city Kharkiv and its main port, Odesa.

Kadyrov, whose forces have played a prominent role in the war in Ukraine, told Rossiya-1: “I believe that, by the end of the year, we will 100 per cent complete the task set for us today.”

He also told interviewer Olga Skabeyeva, who hosts a stridently pro-war chat show: “If we sit down at the negotiating table with Zelensky, yes, I think that’s wrong.”

‘I realised this was not my war’: Russian mercenary who fled Wagner group ‘executed with sledgehammer’

10:40 , Emily Atkinson

A Russian convict who fought for the Wagner group has been beaten to death with a sledgehammer after being accused of fleeing the war, according to reports.

The man, who identified himself as Dmitry Yakushchenko, 44, was accused of fleeing the mercenary group and defecting to Ukraine.

The Wagner group is a private military company led by a rogue millionaire with longtime links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain has this story:

Russian mercenary who fled Wagner group 'executed with sledgehammer'

Ukraine says energy needs being met after Russian air strikes

10:20 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine was meeting consumers’ energy needs on Monday after carrying out repairs to the national power network following the latest wave of Russian air strikes, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.

Galushchenko said emergency repairs had been completed rapidly after Russian attacks on Friday that struck energy facilities across the country.

“And today, on the first business day of the week, despite a significant increase in consumption, Ukraine‘s power system continues to meet the electricity needs of consumers,” Galushchenko said in a statement.

The national power grid operator, Ukrenergo, said additional power units had been put into operation at several thermal power plants following the repair work.

It also said on the Telegram messaging app that hydroelectric power plants were operating intensively and added: “Increased daylight hours and clear weather favour generation from renewable energy sources.”

Russian hackers disrupt earthquake relief for Tukrey and Syria

09:50 , Emily Atkinson

Moscow hackers have disrupted contact between Nato and aircraft supplying critical aid to those impacted by the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

The Telegraph reports that a Nato official confirmed that the alliance had been subject to a cyber attack, allegedly carried out by the Killnet group of hackers.

The group claimed responsibility for the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks without giving any more detail.

“We are carrying out strikes on Nato. Details in a closed channel,” it said on one of its associate Telegram channels.

Putin’s forces unleash missiles on Kherson

09:30 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin’s forces have unleashed fatal missile attacks on Kherson, causing damage to the railway and preventing trains from Kyiv and Lviv reaching the city, reports say.

Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports that one person was killed in the overnight bombardment targeting five areas across Kherson, while trains travelling from the north and west of Ukraine are reportedly being forced to terminate at Mykolaiv.

Regional governor Volodymyr Litvinov also said that residential buildings and farm buildings were damaged by shelling in Beryslav, Kherson and that two people were killed when a mine exploded near to Novoraisk village.

Latest images from battle-scarred Bakhmut

09:05 , Emily Atkinson

China’s top diplomat to visit Russia

08:40 , Emily Atkinson

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will attend the Munich Security Conference this month and plans to visit several countries including Russia, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday.

Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will also visit France, Italy and Hungary this month, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing.

Russian arms supplies to India 'worth $13bn in past 5 years’

08:09 , Emily Atkinson

Russia supplied India with around $13 billion of arms in the past five years, and New Delhi has placed orders with Moscow for weapons and military equipment exceeding $10 billion, Russian state news agencies reported late on Sunday.

India is the world’s biggest buyer of Russian arms, accounting for around 20 per cent of Moscow’s current order book, and New Delhi has not explicitly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian spy service says US grooming militants to attack Russia

07:35 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s foreign spy service claims it has received intelligence that the US military was grooming Islamist militants to attack targets in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

The Foreign Intelligence Service, headed by an ally of president Vladimir Putin, said it had intelligence that 60 militants from groups affiliated with Islamic State and al Qaeda had been recruited and were undergoing training at an American base in Syria.

“They will be tasked with preparing and carrying out terrorist attacks against diplomats, civil servants, law enforcement officers and personnel of the armed forces,” said the SVR.

“Special attention is paid to attracting immigrants from the Russian North Caucasus and Central Asia,” the SVR said in a statement.

The SVR, once part of the mighty Soviet-era KGB, is headed by Sergei Naryshkin.

US asks citizens to ‘depart Russia immediately'

06:54 , Arpan Rai

The US has asked its citizens to exit Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies.

“US citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately,” the US embassy in Moscow said.

“Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions,” it added.

“Do not travel to Russia,” the embassy said.

The United States has repeatedly warned its citizens to leave Russia. The last such public warning was in September after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation.

“Russian security services have arrested US citizens on spurious charges, singled out US citizens in Russia for detention and harassment, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting credible evidence,” the embassy said.

“Russian authorities arbitrarily enforce local laws against US citizen religious workers and have opened questionable criminal investigations against US citizens engaged in religious activity.”

Russia concerned about guarding extremities of captured frontline, says MoD

06:32 , Arpan Rai

Russia is concerned about guarding the extremities of its extended frontline despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, the British defence ministry said.

The ministry pointed to open source imagery indicating Russia had likely further bolstered defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhzhia oblast, southern Ukraine, particularly near the town of Tarasivka.

Russia established defensive fortifications between the towns of Vasilyvka and Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia oblast last week.

“This is demonstrated by continued construction of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts and deployments of personnel.

“Russia’s front line in Ukraine amounts to approximately 1,288 km with the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast frontline at 192 km,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

It added that a major Ukrainian breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia would seriously challenge the viability of Russia’s “land bridge” linking Russia’s Rostov region and Crimea, and that Ukrainian success in Luhansk would further undermine Russia’s professed war aim of “liberating” the Donbas.

Deciding which of these threats to prioritise countering is likely one of the central dilemmas for Russian operational planners, the ministry said.

Russia patching 200-km water pipeline from its border to Donbas – report

06:17 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s defence ministry has deployed specialists to build a water pipeline system connecting its Rostov region bordering Ukraine with the Donbas region in the eastern sector of the war-hit nation.

"More than 2,600 specialists... from the Russian ministry of defence and over 1,000 units of equipment are involved around the clock in the construction," an unnamed Russian defence official said, reported Russian news agency TASS.

The pipeline structure will pass through the territory of the Rostov region in Russia and into the Donetsk region to the Severskiy Donets-Donbas Canal, which extends from the Donets River near the village of Raihorodok to the city of Donetsk.

Russia pushed war frontlines 2km inside Ukraine’s west – report

05:32 , Arpan Rai

Russian soldiers have managed to advance 2km (1.24 miles) west into Ukraine in the last four days, according to a statement by Russia’s defence ministry issued today.

In a statement, the ministry said: “The Russian servicemen broke the enemy’s resistance and advanced several kilometres deeper into its echeloned defence.

“In four days the front moved 2 kilometres to the west,” the ministry said, reported Interfax news agency.

The ministry has not shared any details on which part of the large frontline, encompassing several Ukrainian regions in the country’s south and east, has shifted.

Zelensky warns of Russian ‘radiation blackmail’

05:07 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has said his administration is doing everything to impose punitive sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry as part of global sanctions against Russia.

“All elements of the Russian system that are involved in the war, in providing terror and financing aggression must be isolated from the global system. This will be done!” he said in his nightly address.

Mr Zelensky added: “This is all the more true for those who participated in the seizure and illegal actions at our Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Russia’s radiation blackmail of the world must be punished.”

Warning that Russian nuclear sanctions would not be easy, Mr Zelensky noted that his efforts were facing some resistance.

“But there was a time when other restrictions against Russia seemed difficult to implement as well. They did. Now they are already in place. For example, on oil and oil products from Russia,” he said.

Russia strikes key Ukraine bridge with naval drone

05:05 , Jane Dalton

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

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

Kyiv memorial to war dead

04:05 , Jane Dalton

British weapons ‘could be manufactured in Ukraine’

03:32 , Arpan Rai

UK officials are likely discussing the manufacture of British weapons and other military equipment in Ukraine.

This comes after Rishi Sunak opened up to 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.

There is a race to put Britain “at the front of the queue”, a defence executive told the newspaper, with European defence companies also thought to be in discussions.

Adam Forrest reports here:

British weapons ‘could be manufactured in Ukraine’

Macron may strip Putin of French legion of honor award

03:05 , Jane Dalton

French legislators and activists have called on French president Emmanuel Macron to withdraw Vladimir Putin’s Legion d’Honneur award because of his war.

Macron weighs kicking Putin out of French Legion of Honor

Stark images from Bakhmut

02:05 , Jane Dalton

Snow is covering the streets of Bakhmut, at the centre of months of fighting, where much infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Battle for key city of Bakhmut rages

01:05 , Jane Dalton

Russian forces have intensified their onslaught on Bakhmut, to try to destroy it before the anniversary of the invasion on 24 February, Ukrainian officials believe.

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.

Journalists with the popular German publication Bild came under Russian fire in the city, which has been at the epicentre of the fighting in recent months.

Kyiv’s top military commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Saturday that Ukraine continued to hold Bakhmut, trying to “stabilise” the front line around it.

Hundreds of Russians fighting in special legion for Ukraine

00:15 , Jane Dalton

Hundreds of Russians are fighting on the side of Ukraine in the battle for Bakhmut, The New York Times reports.

The Free Russia Legion is led by a Ukrainian officer but comprises Russian citizens, some of whom were living in Ukraine before Russia’s invasion, while others went to Ukraine out of moral conviction or disgust with Russia’s regime.

Russians seeking to join the legion have to undergo an extensive background check, the paper says.

The unit has received little attention, in part to protect the soldiers from reprisals by Russia, but also because of reluctance in the Ukrainian military to highlight the efforts of soldiers whose home country has done so much harm to Ukraine.

Last week, the Russian prosecutor general’s office filed a suit with the country’s supreme court to have the Legion declared a terrorist organisation, the paper reports.

Sunak: Pilot training is ‘first step’ towards potential jets supply

Sunday 12 February 2023 23:18 , Jane Dalton

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak promised Volodymyr Zelensky “we will continue to stand by Ukraine”, saying an offer of pilot training was the “first step” that could lead to the eventual supply of fighter planes. In case you missed it:

Sunak: Ukraine pilot training is ‘first step’ towards potential supply of jets

Zelensky praises power repair workers but warns of more cuts

Sunday 12 February 2023 20:00 , Jane Dalton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed efforts to restore power generation systems damaged by Russian attacks but warned the population it was too early to declare victory on the energy front.

Zelensky said power workers had done such a good job repairing the damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes on Friday that most people had not had to face too many outages on Saturday and Sunday.

“The very fact that ... after a massive missile strike this week, we can have such peaceful energy days proves the professionalism of our energy workers,” he said in an evening video address.

“We have to realise: this is not yet a decisive victory on the energy front. Unfortunately, there may be new terrorist attacks from Russia. There may be new restrictions if there is further destruction or growth in consumption.”

Mr Zelensky said scheduled energy outages would once again be in place when the working week started on Monday.

Russia has carried out repeated waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months, at times leaving millions of people without light, heating or water supplies during the cold winter.

Anger as Austria grants visas to sanctioned Russian politicians

Sunday 12 February 2023 18:52 , Jane Dalton

Austria has come under heavy criticism for granting visas allowing 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.

Austria hosts several UN agencies and international organisations such as the OSCE, which was established during the Cold War as a forum for dialogue between East and West.

Moscow plans to send delegates to the meeting of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly on 23 and 24 February – the anniversary of the invasion – including 15 Russian politicians who are under European Union sanctions.

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

Round up - diplomacy

Sunday 12 February 2023 16:40 , Matt Mathers

DIPLOMACY

• U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin 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 on Saturday.

• Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said calls from more than 30 countries to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics were unacceptable, TASS news agency reported.

• Russian athletics stars are no strangers to being barred from international competitions, and the prospect of missing next year’s Olympics over the invasion of Ukraine has piled onto years of frustration felt towards global sports bodies.

• NATO should hold an emergency meeting to discuss recent findings about September explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said late on Saturday.

• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will end his term as planned in October, a spokesperson for the alliance said, after a newspaper reported a further extension was in the works.

Round up - power supplies/weapons

Sunday 12 February 2023 16:20 , Matt Mathers

POWER SUPPLIES/WEAPONS

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

• 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.

Round up - fighting

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 15:22 , Matt Mathers

Russia suffering 824 casualties per day - MoD

Sunday 12 February 2023 14:52 , Jane Dalton

Russia has in all likelihood 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.

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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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’

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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

Sunday 12 February 2023 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.

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