Ukraine-Russia news – live: Moscow claims it shot down US-supplied ‘smart bomb’

Russia claims for the first time to have shot down a US-supplied GLSDB guided smart bomb, weapons capable of doubling Ukraine’s battlefield firing range.

Moscow did not say where it had intercepted the Ground-launched Small Diameter Bomb, which are fired on rockets guided by GPS satellite, with a 150 km range – roughly double that of the US-supplied HIMARS weapons that Kyiv deployed last year.

It came as Ukrainian officials claimed to have shot down 12 Russian drones near Kyiv on Monday, as falling debris set a non-residential site ablaze.

Meanwhile, British tanks have arrived in Ukraine as Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov gave the UK a thumbs up as he took a ride in what he said was the first Challenger 2 main battle tank received from the British army.

Mr Reznikov wrote on Twitter that the tanks had “recently arrived in our country” and posted a video that showed him sitting in one of a long line of tanks in an open field, all of them flying Ukraine‘s yellow and blue flag.

Key points

• Russia says it intercepted GLSDB smart bomb in Ukraine for first time

• Nuclear weapons will protect us from West, claims Belarus

• Germany delivers promised Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine

• Zelensky says Russia is holding Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘hostage’

• Russia’s nuclear rhetoric dangerous and irresponsible, says Nato

• British tanks arrive in Ukraine

Russia says it intercepted GLSDB smart bomb in Ukraine for first time

Tuesday 28 March 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia said on Tuesday it had shot down a U.S.-supplied GLSDB guided smart bomb fired by Ukrainian forces, the first time Moscow has claimed to have intercepted one of the weapons that could double Ukraine‘s battlefield firing range.

The Ground-launched Small Diameter Bomb is fired on a rocket and then glides to its target, guided by GPS satellite, at 150 km range, around double that of the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that Kyiv deployed last year.

Ukraine had long sought the weapons to hit Russian command centres, supply lines and other targets deep behind the front line. Washington is thought to have begun supplying them this year.

The Russian statement said air defence forces had shot down the GLSDB within the last 24 hours, without saying where this had taken place.

Widespread deployment of the GLSDB could put far more of Russia‘s supply lines in eastern Ukraine within striking distance, and force Moscow to move its supplies and ammunition depots further from the front lines.

Independent defence experts already credit the delivery of HIMARS to Ukraine last year as helping turn the tide of the war after Russia‘s initial attempt at a blitzkrieg invasion failed.

What are the possible consequences behind putting tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

With his latest statement, Putin again is dangling the nuclear threat to signal Moscow’s readiness to escalate the war in Ukraine.

The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which has a 1,084-kilometer (673-mile) border with Ukraine, would allow Russian aircraft and missiles to reach potential targets there more easily and quickly if Moscow decides to use them. It would also extend Russia’s capability to target several NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe.

The move comes as Kyiv is poised for a counteroffensive to reclaim territory occupied by Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, warned last week that attempts by Ukraine to reclaim control over Crimea was a threat to “the very existence of the Russian state,” something that warrants a nuclear response under the country’s security doctrine. Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

“Every day of supplying Western weapons to Ukraine makes the nuclear apocalypse closer,” Medvedev said.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Putin’s goal is to discourage Ukraine’s Western allies from providing Kyiv with more weapons ahead of any counteroffensive.

Putin is “using nuclear blackmail in a bid to influence the situation on the battlefield and force Western partners to reduce supplies of weapons and equipment under the threat of nuclear escalation,” Zhdanov said. “The Belarusian nuclear balcony will be looming over not only Ukraine, but Europe as well, creating a constant threat, raising tensions and rattling the nerves of Ukrainians and their Western partners.”

What will Russia do with tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

Putin said Russia already has helped upgrade 10 Belarusian aircraft to allow them to carry nuclear weapons and their crews will start training to use them from April 3. He noted Russia also has given Belarus the Iskander short-range missile systems that can be fitted with conventional or nuclear warheads.

He said the construction of storage facilities for nuclear weapons in Belarus will be completed by July 1. He didn’t say how many nuclear weapons will be stationed there or when they will be deployed.

Putin emphasized that Russia will retain control over any nuclear weapons deployed to Belarus, just like the U.S. controls its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its NATO allies.

If Moscow sends nuclear weapons to Belarus, it will mark their first deployment outside Russian borders since the early 1990s. Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan inherited massive nuclear arsenals after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 but agreed to ship them to Russia in the following years.

Watch: British Challenger 2 Tanks Arrive In Ukraine Ready For Deployment On Battlefield

01:30 , Martha Mchardy

Why is Putin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

Putin said President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has long urged Moscow to station its nuclear weapons in his country, which has close military ties with Russia and was a staging ground for the invasion of neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Russia already has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons — something that Belarus’ authoritarian leader has repeatedly mentioned.

In remarks broadcast Saturday, Putin said the immediate trigger for the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was Britain’s decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium. Putin toned down his language after first falsely claiming that such rounds have nuclear components, but he insisted they pose an additional danger to the civilian population and could contaminate the environment.

Putin also said that by stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia will be doing what the United States has done for decades by putting its nuclear weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. He alleged the Russian move doesn’t violate an international treaty banning the proliferation of nuclear weapons, even though Moscow has argued before that the U.S. has breached the pact by deploying them on the territory of its NATO allies.

Putin’s move contrasted with a statement he and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued after their talks in the Kremlin last week, which spoke against nuclear powers deploying atomic weapons outside their territories, in an apparent jab at the United States.

What had been the hold up in sending tanks?

Wednesday 29 March 2023 00:30 , Martha Mchardy

Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, had come under increasing pressure to allow the re-export of the Leopard tanks, dozens of which are held by armies across Europe – but could not be sent to Ukraine with the express permission of Berlin.

Germany initially resisted such a move, saying Western tanks should only be supplied to Ukraine if there is agreement among Kyiv’s main allies, particularly the United States. Berlin has been trying to strike a balance between ensuring Ukraine can defend itself and not supplying arms that could encourage Kyiv to make attacks on Russia or draw Nato into conflict with Moscow. Mr Zelensky has repeatedly said that the tanks are for defending Ukraine, and recovering Ukrainian territory lost to Moscow. Not for attacking Russia directly.

While Mr Scholz promised a “sea change” in Germany’s defence and security policy in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his neighbour, that shift has appeared slow to Kyiv and its most vocal allies in Europe including Poland and the Baltic nations – who border either Russia itself or Belarus and Ukraine and fear the threat of Russia’s war on its doorstep.

The German leader has repeatedly voiced concern over his country being perceived as escalating the war and provoking President Putin, who has hinted he could resort to nuclear weapons.

Why does Russia want tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?

Wednesday 29 March 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

The announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus appears to be another attempt to raise the stakes in the conflict in Ukraine.

It follows Putin’s warnings that Moscow is ready to use “all available means,” to fend off attacks on Russian territory, a reference to its nuclear arsenal.

Read the full story here:

Why does Russia want tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?

Which countries have pledged to send tanks to Ukraine?

Tuesday 28 March 2023 23:30 , Martha Mchardy

The US and Poland have pledged to send tanks to Ukraine.

The US has also pledged to send 31 of its M1 Abram tanks, plus recovery vehicles. However, the logistics involved in getting the tanks to the battlefield, as well as the extensive and complex maintenance and required for the high-tech vehicle, mean that it may be some time before they appear on the frontlines.

Poland will also send an additional 60 of its PT-91 tanks. The PT-91 is a Polish-made battle tank that came into service in the 1990s. It was developed from the T-72 range.

How Western tanks could give Ukraine a battlefield edge over Russia

Tuesday 28 March 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy

Further battalions of Leopard, Abrams and Challenger tanks could eventually be a game-changer, Andy Gregory reports.

How Leopard tanks could give Ukraine a battlefield edge over Russia

Who is sending tanks to Ukraine?

Tuesday 28 March 2023 22:30 , Martha Mchardy

Tanks from Germany and the UK have arrived in Ukraine.

The UK has sent a squadron, or 14, of its Challenger 2 battle tanks, which have a 120 mm rifled gun. As well as training for Ukrainian troops.

Germany has sent 14 Leopard 2 tanks to begin with, with potentially dozens more to come. It will also allow other countries that hold them to re-export them to Kyiv.

Why does Ukraine want tanks?

Volodymyr Zelensky said such heavy weaponry is crucial to replenish his nation’s military hardaware to fight off Russia’s invasion. Kyiv also wants them to try and recapture territory taken by Moscow’s forces.

Germany’s Leopard 2 tank is regarded as one of the West’s best. German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has built more than 3,500 Leopard 2 tanks since beginning production in 1978.

The tank weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120mm smoothbore gun and can hit targets at a distance of up to five km. It has a laser range finder that can measure distance to an object, meaning that aiming at moving targets while travelling over rough terrain becomes easier. Night vision capability also helps.

Some 20 nations operate the Leopard 2, which also makes it easier for Ukraine to manage maintenance and crew training.

How many Leopards are available?

The Leopard 2 is one of the most widely used Western tanks. But in general, three decades after the end of the Cold War, tanks and other heavy weapons are in scarce supply in most of the West. Many countries drastically reduced their armies after the fall of communism.

Germany has about 350 Leopard 2 tanks today, compared to some 4,000 battle main tanks at the height of the Cold War, German military expert Carl Schulze says.

Ukraine has said that it would like 300 tanks, although it is unlikely to get quite that number. More than 100 across the nations in Europe that hold Leopard 2s would be a more approachable figure, plus tanks from elsewhere.

Beyond the nations mentioned above, countries operating the Leopard include Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Turkey.

It is all but impossible to buy a large amount of Leopard 2 tanks quickly. Germany’s defence industry is banned by law from producing them for stock-keeping. Countries ordering new tanks need to be prepared to wait two to three years for delivery. Although German ministers have said they are looking to significantly speed up procurement.

World-first child research hub in London will support Ukraine war victims

Tuesday 28 March 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

The world’s first hub for child blast injury research has been opened in London – with an immediate focus on providing support to victims in Ukraine.

The Centre For Paediatric Blast Injury Studies, a partnership between Imperial College London and Save The Children, will particularly focus on reducing pain in children with limb loss and developing new prosthetics.

Almost 1,000 recorded civilian casualties among children in Ukraine have been caused by explosive weapons, with actual numbers expected to be considerably higher.

More than 250,000 explosive devices have already been removed and destroyed since the conflict began last February.

World-first child research hub in London will support Ukraine war victims

US and Russia stop sharing nuke data under faltering New START treaty

Tuesday 28 March 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy

The United States and Russia have stopped sharing biannual nuclear weapons data under the faltering New START treaty, the last arms control pact between the two countries, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Officials at the White House, Pentagon and State Department said the U.S. had offered to continue providing this information to Russia even after President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the treaty last month, but Moscow informed Washington that it would not be sharing its own data.

“Because of Russia’s noncompliance with these obligations under the treaty, the United States will not provide its biannual data exchange to Russia either, in order to encourage Russia to return to compliance with the treaty,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Read the full story:

US, Russia stop sharing nuke data under faltering New START

Situation at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied nuclear plant ‘very dangerous’ - U.N. nuclear watchdog

Tuesday 28 March 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, who met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday, described the situation at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied nuclear plant as “very dangerous” and very unstable.

It has lost its external power supply six times since Russia’s invasion, forcing emergency diesel generators to kick in to cool its reactors.

Mr Grossi said the water level in a nearby reservoir controlled by Russian forces was another potential danger. Water supplied by the reservoir is used to cool the reactors.

“If the reservoir level goes down beyond a certain level, then you don’t have water to cool down the reactors, and we have seen especially in January that the levels of the water were going down significantly. They recovered somehow in the past few weeks,” he said.

The IAEA has had its own monitors stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant since last year.

Mr Grossi blamed a recent delay in their rotation on a row between Russia and Ukraine over the route they were supposed to take.

“We had an agreed route. All of a sudden that route was not agreed anymore... It took an awful lot of time to come to an agreement,” he said.

Deal to protect Ukraine’s Russian-occupied nuclear plant still alive, says head of International Atomic Energy Agency

Tuesday 28 March 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday his attempt to broker a deal to protect Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was still alive, and that he was adjusting the proposals to seek a breakthrough.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the comments a day before he is expected to travel to Europe’s largest nuclear power station in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine.

Mr Grossi has been pushing for a safety zone to be created at the plant to prevent a possible nuclear disaster as Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the site of the power station since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

“We are making some adjustments on the proposals that we are putting on the table,” Mr Grossi said in an interview in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

“I am confident that it might be possible to establish some form of protection, perhaps not emphasising so much the idea of a zone, but on the protection itself: what people should do, or shouldn’t do to protect (the plant) instead of having a territorial concept.”

The contours of the proposed deal have not been made public.

Diplomats say Mr Grossi’s latest proposal no longer includes a defined radius around the plant to mark the zone.

Ukraine does not want a deal that will in effect recognise or allow a Russian military presence at the plant. Other elements of Grossi’s plan include no firing at or from the plant, and the removal of heavy weapons.

“I am not giving up in any way. I think on the contrary we need to multiply our efforts, we need to continue,” Mr Grossi said.

He said there had been increasing military activity in the region without giving details.

Putin using Bakhmut to destroy Wagner Group and ‘put its chief in his place’, says ISW

Tuesday 28 March 2023 19:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s months-long battle to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is being used by the Kremlin to “largely destroy” the private Wagner Group and put its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin “in his place”, according to experts monitoring the conflict.

Analysts have suggested an alterior motive to the Russian leadership’s determination to keep throwing mercenary units into the bloody siege, with disagreements over Ukraine increasingly driving a wedge between Vladimir Putin and his long-time ally.

The Wagner Group has trained and deployed thousands of convicted criminals in Ukraine – promised their freedom if they can survive six months on the frontline – ever since the Russian president launched his full-scale invasion of the former Soviet nation.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin using Bakhmut to ‘largely destroy Wagner Group and put its chief in his place’

France to double munitions supplies to Ukraine - defence minister

Tuesday 28 March 2023 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

France will double this month its supplies of 155 artillery rounds to Ukraine to about 2,000 shells a month, its defence minister said on Tuesday, adding that Paris was also planning to boost a fund that enables Kyiv to buy French weaponry.

Ukraine has identified the supply of 155 mm shells as a critical need as it engages in a fierce war of attrition with invading Russian forces. Both sides are firing thousands of artillery rounds every day.

“We are doubling the delivery of 155 mm shells to bring it to 2000 a month from the end of March,” Sebastien Lecornu said in an interview published on Tuesday with Le Figaro newspaper.

Ukrainian and Western leaders have warned in recent weeks that Kyiv is burning through the shells more quickly than its allies can provide them, leading to a renewed push to send supplies and find ways to ramp up production.

France and Australia agreed in February a deal that would see Canberra provide gunpowder, which is not produced in France, to enable arms producer Nexter to manufacture 155mm shells. The faster deliveries will come from this, a French official said.

European Union countries on March 20 agreed a 2 billion euro plan to send 1 million artillery rounds to Ukraine over the next year by digging into their own stockpiles and teaming up to buy more shells.

Lecornu also said that the government was also discussing adding more money into a fund that enables Ukraine to buy French weaponry after the existing 200 million euros had been used. The official declined to say how much could be added.

France is also looking to provide with a new package of light AMX-10 RC armoured combat vehicles after completing the delivery of a first batch this month, two French officials said.

Paris has declined to say how many it has delivered.

Arctic Council under pressure as Norway readies for Russian handoff

Tuesday 28 March 2023 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Norway said it will prioritise a smooth transition with Russia as it plans to assume the chair of the Moscow-helmed Arctic Council on May 11, but will not commit to restarting stalled cooperation given the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, ranging from pollution to local economic development to search-and-rescue missions.

Norway announced its priorities on Tuesday, noting it would focus its work as chair on climate change, the oceans, sustainable economic development and the peoples of the Arctic.

The Arctic Council comprises the eight Arctic states of Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. Other nations, including China and India, are official observers to the council’s activities.

At the time of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Russia was halfway through its two-year chairmanship of the council which rotates between members.

This led the other seven Arctic nations to soon pause cooperation with Moscow, putting about a third of the Council’s 130 projects on hold because they had direct Russian involvement. Russia called the action “regrettable”.

Russia‘s possible degree of involvement with the Council once Norway takes over is still unclear. For now, the focus is squarely on attaining a seamless shift from Russia to Norway.

“We want an orderly transition,” Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Eivind Vad Petersson told Reuters, adding, “Norway is in contact with Russia to prepare the transition.”

“At the same time, it is out of the question to have senior political officials going to a ministerial event in Russia and we have communicated that clearly to Russia.”

Asked whether the pause would continue under Norway’s chairmanship, Petersson said: “We will not be able to communicate on the future work of the council until we have taken up the chairship role.”

Montenegro president: ‘Negligent’ EU has allowed Russian influence in Balkans

Tuesday 28 March 2023 18:15 , Martha Mchardy

Montenegro’s pro-Western president has criticised the European Union for allegedly allowing Russia to spread its influence in the Balkans, saying on Tuesday that the volatile region has become a “platform” for anti-EU policies due to the bloc’s “negligence”.

President Milo Djukanovic spoke to the Associated Press as he prepares for a Sunday runoff election with a political newcomer who has the support of the Montenegrin government, which includes parties seeking closer relations with Serbia and Russia.

“Russia has simply walked into an open space left by the European Union,” Mr Djukanovic said of the EU’s position toward the Balkans.

“The European Union in the past 10 years didn’t know what to do with the western Balkans, but Russia did. It has developed its network in the Balkans.”

Mr Djukanovic, who has held Montenegro’s largely ceremonial presidency since 2018, won the most votes in the first round of the country’s presidential election, which was held on March 19.

Analysts in Montenegro think his challenger in the two-candidate runoff, former economy minister Jakov Milatovic, stands a good chance of winning because he has the backing of other candidates and political parties.

With an early parliamentary election scheduled for June 11, this weekend’s vote is considered an important indicator of the future path of Montenegro, a small Nato member nation of 620,000 people.

A political stalemate has stalled the country’s EU path and raised fears of instability as the war rages in Ukraine.

Mr Djukanovic told the AP the presidential contest presents a choice between his pro-EU policies and the “brutal populism” of the current coalition government, which is dominated by parties that favour closer ties with Serbia and Russia.

His Democratic Party of Socialists governed the country more or less unchallenged for three decades.

The president alleged that the ruling coalition that came to power after a 2020 parliamentary vote has devastated Montenegro economically and financially.

“For the past two and a half years, we have witnessed serious stumbling by Montenegro,” Mr Djukanovic said.

The coalition government has pledged that Montenegro would remain on its European Union path.

Mr Milatovic, the president’s challenger, also has expressed support for the country pursuing EU membership.

Analysts say the Western-educated Mr Milatovic, 36, is seen as the favourite on Sunday against Mr Djukanovic, 61, who as prime minister took Montenegro to independence from Serbia in 2006 and defied Russia in 2017 to secure Nato membership.

Who is sending tanks to Ukraine?

Tuesday 28 March 2023 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tanks from Germany and the UK have arrived in Ukraine – with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky having said such heavy weaponry is crucial to replenish his nation’s military hardaware to fight off Russia’s invasion.

Kyiv also wants them to try and recapture territory taken by Moscow’s forces.

Our foreign editor Chris Stevenson reports:

Countries are sending more tanks to Ukraine to fight Putin’s forces – here’s why

Russia convicts father of teen who drew antiwar pictures

Tuesday 28 March 2023 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian court on Tuesday convicted a single father over social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to two years in prison — a case brought to the attention of authorities by his daughter’s drawings against the invasion at school, according to his lawyer and activists.

The case of Alexei Moskalyov, who was indicted and tried in his hometown of Yefremov, about 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) south of Moscow, has drawn international attention and is a grim indication that the Kremlin is intensifying its crackdown on dissent, targeting more people and handing out harsher punishments for any expression of criticism of the war.

Russia convicts father of teen who drew antiwar pictures

Watch: Donald Trump says he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war ‘within 24 hours’

Tuesday 28 March 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

UN nuclear boss seeks breakthrough to protect Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant

Tuesday 28 March 2023 16:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday his attempt to broker a deal to protect Ukraine‘s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was still alive, and that he was adjusting the proposals to seek a breakthrough.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, spoke to Reuters a day before he is expected to travel to Europe’s largest nuclear power station in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine.

Grossi has been pushing for a safety zone to be created at the plant to prevent a possible nuclear disaster as Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the site of the power station since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

“We are making some adjustments on the proposals that we are putting on the table,” Grossi said in an interview in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

“I am confident that it might be possible to establish some form of protection, perhaps not emphasising so much the idea of a zone, but on the protection itself: what people should do, or shouldn’t do to protect (the plant) instead of having a territorial concept.”

The contours of the proposed deal have not been made public.

Diplomats say Grossi’s latest proposal no longer includes a defined radius around the plant to mark the zone.

Ukraine does not want a deal that will in effect recognise or allow a Russian military presence at the plant. Other elements of Grossi’s plan include no firing at or from the plant, and the removal of heavy weapons.

“I am not giving up in any way. I think on the contrary we need to multiply our efforts, we need to continue,” Grossi said.

He said there had been increasing military activity in the region without giving details.

Belarus to face more sanctions over nuclear arms plan, Poland says

Tuesday 28 March 2023 16:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Belarus will certainly face further European sanctions due to a Russian plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in the country, Poland’s prime minister said on Tuesday, as tensions between Warsaw and Minsk hit new highs.

President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday Russia would station the nuclear arms in Belarus, his latest gambit in a worsening stand-off with the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.

“This step taken by Russia... the announcement of the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, will certainly lead to the announcement of additional sanctions, the level of sanctions will be much more severe for the Lukashenko regime,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference in Bucharest, referring to the Belarusian president.

The United States, the world’s other leading nuclear superpower, has reacted cautiously to Putin’s statement, with a senior Biden administration official saying there were no signs Moscow planned to use its nuclear weapons.

However, Lithuania has said that it will call for new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk in response to Russia‘s plan.

Morawiecki said he was in daily talks with other European Union leaders about an 11th package of sanctions against Russia and that it would include more measures targeting Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.

Relations between Warsaw and Minsk were strained even before the war in Ukraine made them allies of opposing sides in the conflict.

Poland accuses Belarus of orchestrating a migrant crisis along its borders which reached a peak in 2021, though migrants continue to arrive at the frontier today. Minsk denies pushing migrants towards the border.

The two neighbours are also in dispute over the jailing of a journalist of Polish origin in Belarus and the vandalism of Polish graves in the country.

Amid the deteriorating ties, Poland closed one of its key border crossings with Belarus in February, a move Minsk has

condemned

. On Tuesday, Morawiecki said Poland was considering further limitations on cross-border traffic.

“We border Belarus and, as part of our bilateral relations, we are considering tightening the parameters of passenger and freight traffic in order to send a signal that we do not accept actions that serve Russia in its aggressive actions in Ukraine.”

Zelensky visits two Ukrainian towns recaptured from Russians

Tuesday 28 March 2023 15:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited two northern towns on Tuesday to celebrate their recapture a year ago in battles which he said showed Ukraine would defeat its Russian invaders.

Video footage posted online by Zelensky’s office showed him visiting Okhtyrka and Trostyanets in Sumy, the sixth region he has visited in the past week - some of them near the front line - as expectations of a Ukrainian counter-offensive rise.

“These days, these weeks, we are celebrating the anniversary of the liberation of our cities and communities in our northern regions,” Zelensky told a small crowd of soldiers and civilians at the railway station in Trostyanets before handing out medals.

Russian forces poured into the Sumy region, which borders Russia, at the start of the invasion in February 2022. They were driven out of the region after about a month of occupation that was met by fierce resistance.

The video footage posted online showed heavily damaged buildings in the towns Zelensky visited. Ukrainian officials say territories close to the border are still regularly bombarded by Russian artillery and air strikes.

“Our people proved that this occupier will be defeated by us, by our morale, by our Ukrainian character. Our people proved it, our warriors proved it,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram under the footage of his visit to Sumy.

The Russian invasion has been bogged down for months in fierce fighting along the eastern front, and Ukraine‘s ground forces commander said last week that a Ukrainian counterattack could come “very soon”.

Ukrainian shelling kills two civilians, say Russian-installed officials

Tuesday 28 March 2023 15:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian forces killed two civilians late on Monday when they shelled an apartment building in the Russian-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Russian-installed officials said on Tuesday.

Reuters reporters saw rescue workers combing through the rubble in the building, the lower part of which had collapsed, and one victim’s legs protruding from the debris.

“A Ukrainian shell struck an apartment building at 246 Kuybyshev Street (in Donetsk),” the Russian-installed police force in the part of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region controlled by Moscow said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, two civilians died of their wounds under the rubble of the damaged building.”

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities, who say Russian forces have killed thousands of people in similar attacks on civilian areas and that their own armed forces are trying to seize back control of Ukrainian territory.

Moscow, which says it does not deliberately target civilians, is trying to take control of all of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region, a big chunk of which it has already seized, and is facing fierce resistance from the Ukrainian army.

The facade of the building was blackened by smoke and its windows were blown out with people’s damaged furniture and belongings left lying in the yard.

“There was just this crazy bang. (My) child was so frightened,” said one local resident who only gave her name as Irina.

“It is sad. The situation is very tense. It all seems like it’ll never end. And it’s very scary to live like this.”

Natalya Kasyanenko, another resident, said her family’s apartment had got off fairly lightly but that other people faced a tragedy.

“Before this, a 16-storey building has been hit, a dental clinic and high school No. 51. But our neighbourhood had remained relatively calm. We did not expect anything like this,” she said.

Russian father whose daughter drew anti-war picture given two years' jail

Tuesday 28 March 2023 14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian man who was investigated by police after his daughter drew an anti-war picture at school was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in a penal colony after being convicted of discrediting the armed forces, the OVD-Info rights group said.

Alexei Moskalyov has been separated from his daughter Masha since he was placed under house arrest at the start of this month and she was moved to a children’s home in their hometown of Yefremov, south of Moscow.

The case has provoked an outcry among Russian human rights activists and sparked an online campaign to reunite father and daughter.

Moskalyov was convicted over comments he himself had posted online about the war in Ukraine. But the investigation started after Masha, 12, drew a picture last April showing Russian missiles raining down on a Ukrainian mother and child, prompting the head of school to call the police.

Police began examining Moskalyov’s social media activity and he was initially fined 35,000 roubles ($460) for comments critical of the Russian army. In December, investigators opened another case against him on suspicion of discrediting the armed forces, this time based on a social media post in June.

The banned Russian human rights group Memorial said it considered Moskalyov to be a political prisoner.

A lawyer for the family visited Masha on Tuesday in a children’s home and came away with drawings she had made for him. He was also allowed to photograph a letter she had written him that read “Dad, you are my hero”, according to a video posted by the independent news outlet SOTAvision.

Shortly after invading Ukraine last year, Russia passed laws against discrediting the armed forces or knowingly spreading false information about them, with a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail.

Who is sending tanks to Ukraine?

Tuesday 28 March 2023 13:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tanks from Germany and the UK have arrived in Ukraine – with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky having said such heavy weaponry is crucial to replenish his nation’s military hardaware to fight off Russia’s invasion. Kyiv also wants them to try and recapture territory taken by Moscow’s forces.

Why does Ukraine want Germany’s Leopard 2 in particular?

The tank is regarded as one of the West’s best. German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has built more than 3,500 Leopard 2 tanks since beginning production in 1978.

The tank weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120mm smoothbore gun and can hit targets at a distance of up to five km. It has a laser range finder that can measure distance to an object, meaning that aiming at moving targets while traveling over rough terrain becomes easier. Night vison capability also helps.

Countries are sending more tanks to Ukraine to fight Putin’s forces – here’s why

The ‘punching fists of democracy’: How the West’s new tanks could give Ukraine a battlefield edge over Russia

Tuesday 28 March 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It was a decision hailed by a top aide to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as “a real punching fist of democracy” against Russia’s invasion – the fact that the UK, US and Germany would provide tanks to Kyiv.

The 14 Challenger 2 tanks from Britain and 18 Leopard 2 tanks pledged by Germany have now reached Ukraine. The country’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, gave the UK the thumbs up as he took a ride in one of the tanks.

Mr Reznikov wrote on Twitter that the tanks had “recently arrived in our country” and posted a video that showed him sitting in one of a long line of tanks in an open field, all of them flying Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag.

Andy Gregory reports:

How Leopard tanks could give Ukraine a battlefield edge over Russia

Japan ‘concerned’ about Russia’s military activity around country’s coasts

Tuesday 28 March 2023 12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a news conference on Tuesday that Tokyo will continue to monitor Russia‘s military operations, as it has been stepping up activity in the region.

Tokyo does not plan to lodge a protest to Russia over the missile exercise, said Tasuku Matsuki, Japanese Foreign Ministry official in charge of Russia, noting that its location — Peter the Great Bay — is considered Russian coast, though it is facing the water between the two countries.

“On the whole, Japan is concerned about Russia‘s increasing military activities around the Japanese coasts and watching them with great interest,” Matsuki said.

He added that Russia has conducted missile drills in that area in the past and issued maritime advisories ahead of time.

Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95 bombers flew over the Sea of Japan for several hours last week.

In September, Japan protested multinational military exercises on the Russian-held Kuril Islands — some of which are claimed by Japan — and expressed concern about Russian and Chinese warships conducting shooting drills in the Sea of Japan.

Russia also tested submarine-launched missiles in the Sea of Japan last year.

Putin’s drones ‘shot down’ over Kyiv

Tuesday 28 March 2023 11:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian drones have been shot down near Kyiv on Monday as falling debris set a non-residential site ablaze, according to Ukrainian officials.

Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said Russia had launched 12 drones towards Kyiv but Ukraine’s air defence forces had identified and destroyed “all enemy targets” in the airspace around the capital.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said 14 out of 15 of Russia’s Iranian-made Shahed drones were destroyed overnight over Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that a shop was set ablaze in Sviatoshyno but no casualties were found.

Putin ally says Russia has weapons to destroy US if its existence is threatened

Tuesday 28 March 2023 11:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

An ally of President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia has the weapons to destroy any enemy, including the United States, if its own existence is threatened, accusing Washington of underestimating Moscow’s nuclear might.

The comments from Nikolai Patrushev, the influential secretary of Russia‘s Security Council, are the latest from a senior Russian official to raise the spectre of a nuclear showdown between the world’s two largest nuclear powers, something Moscow says it wants to avoid.

“American politicians trapped by their own propaganda remain confident that, in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a preventive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. This is short-sighted stupidity, and very dangerous,” Patrushev told the state Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper on Monday.

“Russia is patient and does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage. But it has modern unique weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence”, he said.

Russia has said that one of the reasons why it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year in what it calls its “special military operation” was to counter a perceived security threat stemming from Kyiv’s rapprochement with the U.S.-led NATO defence alliance.

Since then, Moscow has accused the West, without presenting public evidence, of making nuclear threats against it, and has spoken of its readiness to use nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances if the very existence of the Russian state is imperilled.

On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would station tactical nuclear missiles in its close ally Belarus, which borders both Ukraine and Russia, sending a warning to NATO over its military support for Kyiv and escalating a standoff with the West.

Russia says it test-fired anti-ship missiles in Sea of Japan

Tuesday 28 March 2023 11:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moscow test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan, Russia‘s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, with two boats launching a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away.

The ministry said the target was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles.

The Moskit, whose NATO reporting name is the SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that has conventional and nuclear warhead capacity. The Soviet-built cruise missile is capable of flying at a speed three times the speed of sound and has a range of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles).

The ministry said the exercise, which included other warships and naval aircraft, took place in the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan but did not give more precise coordinates. The gulf borders the Russian Pacific Fleet headquarters at Fokino and is about 700 kilometers (430 miles) from Japan’s northern Hokkaido island.

The Russian military has conducted regular drills across the country and Russian warships have continued maneuvers as the fighting in Ukraine has entered a second year — exercises that were intended to train the troops and showcase the country’s military capability.

The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Japan reacted calmly to the missile exercise, which was conducted near Vladivostok, rather than directly into the waters between the two countries.

Kremlin: Russia will keep calling for Nord Stream probe after UN failure

Tuesday 28 March 2023 10:39 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it would keep demanding an international investigation into explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea last year, after failing to win backing for a probe at the United Nations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said everyone should be interested in an impartial investigation in order to find the culprits.

On Monday, Russia failed to get the U.N. Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into explosions in September that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany and spewed gas into the Baltic Sea.

British tanks arrive in Ukraine

Tuesday 28 March 2023 10:04 , Liam James

British tanks have arrived in Ukraine.

Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov gave the UK a thumbs up as he took a ride in what he said was the first Challenger 2 main battle tank received from the British army.

Britain said it would send 14 of the tanks to Ukraine, which is preparing for a possible counter-offensive against Russian forces that invaded 13 months ago.

Mr Reznikov wrote on Twitter: “It was a pleasure to take the first Ukrainian Challenger 2 MBT [main battle tank] for a spin. These fantastic machines will soon begin their combat missions.”

In the video, he gave the thumbs up sign and thanked defence secretary Ben Wallace for the tanks. “Marvellous, Ben,” he said in English. “It's ... very good stuff. Thank you very much from Ukraine to the United Kingdom.”

Britain was first among several countries to pledge tanks. Germany's defence ministry earlier confirmed that 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks and 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles had arrived in Ukraine.

Russia claims Ukraine taking aim at energy infrastructure

Tuesday 28 March 2023 09:40 , Liam James

Possible Ukrainian drone attacks against Russia’s key energy infrastructure are a serious threat, Russian energy minister Nikolai Shulginov claimed this morning.

Russia says it has foiled a number of attempted drone attacks by Ukraine in recent months.

Kyiv has not publicly acknowledged launching attacks against targets inside Russia, but senior officials in Kyiv have on occasion appeared to welcome the news of successful drone attacks on Russian soil.

Moscow launched a brutal series of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last Autumn in an attempt to revive its ailing campaign and dampen Ukrainian spirits heading into a cold winter. Ukraine said around one-third of its energy infrastructure was damaged.

Nuclear weapons will protect us from West, claims Belarus

Tuesday 28 March 2023 09:18 , Liam James

Belarus claimed today it decided to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons after years of pressure from the United States and its allies to change Minsk’s political and geopolitical direction.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Moscow would in future look to deploy some of its atomic arsenal in neighbouring Belarus, escalating a standoff with the West after Kremlin officials accused Britain of nuclear escalation for pledging to send Ukraine missiles tipped with depleted uranium.

The Belarusian foreign ministry justified its decision to cooperate with Russia in a statement today, saying Minsk was acting to protect itself from the West.

“Over the last two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subjected to unprecedented political, economic and information pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and its Nato allies, as well as the member states of the European Union,” the statement said.

“In view of these circumstances, and the legitimate concerns and risks in the sphere of national security arising from them, Belarus is forced to respond by strengthening its own security and defence capabilities.”

Japan, US and Philippines to talk security – report

Tuesday 28 March 2023 08:55 , Liam James

Japan, the United States and the Philippines are preparing for high-level security talks in the coming weeks, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday.

The three countries are considering holding their first meeting as early as April, Kyodo reported. The move comes as Taiwan, which lies between Japan and the Philippines, has become a focal point of intensifying Chinese military activity that Tokyo and Washington worry could escalate into war.

Japan last week drew the ire of Russia as prime minister Fumio Kishida took a surprise trip to Kyiv at the same time as Chinese president Xi Jinping met Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The visit by the leader of China’s regional rival made clear the divisions in east Asia as Mr Xi and Mr Putin agreed to strengthen their co-operation in the face of a changing world riven by growing international disputes.

Russia flew planes over neutral territory near Japan during Mr Kishida’s visit and today fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan.

Russia’s push for Avdiivka takes ‘heavy losses’, says MoD

Tuesday 28 March 2023 08:24 , Liam James

Russia is concentrating on the Donetsk town of Avdiivka at a high cost, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Intelligence suggests Russian troops “have made only marginal progress at the cost of heavy losses in armoured vehicles,” the MoD said in a daily update.

It added: “Russia’s 10th Tank Regiment has likely lost a large proportion of its tanks while attempting to surround Avdiivka from the south.”

The regiment is part of 3rd Army Corps, the first major new group Russia has established to support the invasion of Ukraine since August 2022.

The MoD said “numerous open-source accounts” suggested the corps was suffering from ill-discipline and poor morale.

“Despite a likely period of training in Belarus, the formation still appears to display limited combat effectiveness,” the MoD said.

Avdiivka mayor Vitali Barabash yesterday said utility companies are being evacuated from the frontline city, as it “resembles more and more a landscape from post-apocalyptic movies.”

Orlando Bloom tells Zelensky stoicism of Ukraine is ‘awe-inspiring’

Tuesday 28 March 2023 07:30 , Liam James

Orlando Bloom has praised the strength of the Ukrainian people as he met the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and encouraged him to “go win” the war.

The British actor, 46, who is a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, travelled to Kyiv in his first visit back to Ukraine since 2016.

In the meeting, Mr Bloom told the president it is “remarkable to see how you are holding this country” and said it was a “real honour” to meet him.

Watch: Vladimir Putin offers soldiers cash rewards to steal land from Ukraine

Tuesday 28 March 2023 07:01 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine says defending Bakhmut a ‘military necessity’

Tuesday 28 March 2023 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukraine’s ground forces commander said Kyiv is planning its next move after Moscow shifted the focus of its offensive from a flagging assault on the eastern city of Bakhmut to another town further south, described as post-apocalyptic.

The Ukrainian military aims to wear down Russian forces as much as possible before launching a counteroffensive in the coming weeks or months – seeking to end the all-out invasion launched by Russian president Vladimir Putin 13 months ago

.Ukrainian ground forces commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who said last week that the counterattack could come “very soon”, visited frontline troops in the east on Monday and said his forces were still repelling Russian attacks on Bakhmut.

Defending the small city in the industrialised Donbas region that Russia has tried to seize for months was a “military necessity”, he said, praising Ukrainian resilience in “extremely difficult conditions”.

More here.

Ukraine says defending Bakhmut a ‘military necessity’

Slovak president warns election campaign may dent public support for Ukraine

Tuesday 28 March 2023 06:04 , Reuters

Public support in Slovakia for aiding Ukraine against Russia’s invasion could suffer as the country heads into an early election in September and disinformation harms the debate, president Zuzana Caputova warned.

Slovakia has been a staunch backer of Kyiv under a centre-right government, which fell at the end of last year and whose parties, polls show, have fallen behind former prime minister Robert Fico’s Smer-SD party that has opposed more military aid.

The country has taken in tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine, provided weapons and sent its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine’s military last week, the first country to provide such weaponry.

However, public attitudes differ, with a poll by Globsec think-tank showing in December that 39 per cent of Slovaks thought Nato and the United States were responsible for the war in Ukraine. Support for Nato is lower in Slovakia than in most other member states, the military alliance’s research shows.

Mr Fico, who has said “Ukrainian fascists” started the war in 2014 and there was no way Ukraine could take back Crimea annexed by Russia, has been a beneficiary of public scepticism.

Without mentioning Mr Fico directly, Ms Caputova said on Monday that the country’s foreign policy orientation might be at stake in the upcoming election and called on officials to work on maintaining support for its aims.

“There is a growing gap between decisions made by the state based on our values and national interests, and the stance of citizens,” she told a conference. “I am afraid that the starting election campaign will not help to improve this.”

Ukraine downs 12 kamikaze drones near Kyiv

Tuesday 28 March 2023 05:42 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukrainian forces downed Russian drones near Kyiv on Monday as falling debris set a non-residential site ablaze, the authorities said.

Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said Russia had launched 12 drones towards Kyiv but Ukraine’s air defence forces had identified and destroyed “all enemy targets”.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in its daily morning update that Russia launched a total of 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight on Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces destroying 14 of them.

Drone wreckage fell in the western Kyiv district of Sviatoshyno, sparking a fire across a 200-square-metre area in a non-residential building, he added.

Open advert for Wagner mercenary group appears in Moscow

Tuesday 28 March 2023 05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A giant recruitment advert for Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has appeared on the facade of an office building in north-east Moscow.

The advert, which covers 17 storeys, shows the group’s logo and slogans such as “Join the winning team!” and “Together we will win”, along with a picture of a masked man holding a weapon.

Wagner, which fights alongside Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, has sought to replenish troop numbers ahead of a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The group is thought to have sustained heavy losses as it battles for control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The group’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, a 61-year-old ex-convict whose company grew wealthy by catering events and fulfilling contracts for the Kremlin and government ministries, said earlier in March that he aimed to recruit 30,000 new fighters by mid-May.

Zelensky says Russia is holding Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘hostage’

Tuesday 28 March 2023 05:19 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops were holding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “hostage” and its safety could not be guaranteed until they left it.

Russian troops have occupied the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, since March last year, shortly after Vladimir Putin waged the unprovoked war in Ukraine.

“Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year - this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or world-wide nuclear power,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

He added that Russia was using it for “radiation blackmail”.

Putin ally issues another nuclear threat to US

Tuesday 28 March 2023 05:03 , Andy Gregory

An ally of Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia has the weapons to destroy any enemy, including the United States, if its own existence is threatened.

The comments from Nikolai Patrushev, the influential secretary of Russia’s Security Council, are the latest from a senior Russian official to raise the spectre of a nuclear showdown between the world’s two largest nuclear powers, something Moscow says it wants to avoid.

“American politicians trapped by their own propaganda remain confident that, in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a preventive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. This is short-sighted stupidity, and very dangerous,” Mr Patrushev told the state Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper on Monday.

“Russia is patient and does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage. But it has modern unique weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence”, he said.

Germany delivers promised tanks to Ukraine

Tuesday 28 March 2023 04:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Germany has delivered 18 Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.

The delivery of the “very modern” German-made battle tanks comes some two months after Berlin finally gave the green light for them to be sent.

Ukraine has appealed to its Western allies to send the heavy weaponry required to push back Russian forces, ahead of a possible spring counter-offensive by Kyiv.

“Yes, we delivered Leopard tanks as we announced,” Mr Scholz told a press conference with Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte in Rotterdam.

Russia fires anti-ship missile at mock target

Tuesday 28 March 2023 03:59 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Russian navy has fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, the defence ministry said today.

“In the waters of the Sea of Japan, missile ships of the Pacific Fleet fired Moskit cruise missiles at a mock enemy sea target,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometres, was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missile.”

Belarus hits out at Poland over border delays

Tuesday 28 March 2023 03:55 , Andy Gregory

Belarus has accused Poland of causing long delays at its border with the European Union by slowing the movement of trucks, alleging that Warsaw was failing to implement bilateral agreements.

Poland, a fierce critic of veteran Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in February closed one of its key border crossings with Belarus, citing security concerns – a decision Minsk called “catastrophic”.

“Since Friday, a queue in front of the only accessible border crossing point on the Belarusian-Polish border ... has doubled in size and now totals 1,000 vehicles,” the Belarusian border committee said in a statement.

“The main reason is the failure of the Polish side to implement bilateral agreements on the passage of trucks,” it said, accusing Poland of only processing 61 per cent of the typical number of trucks crossing the border over the weekend.

Putin taking Belarus as ‘nuclear hostage’, says top Ukrainian official

Tuesday 28 March 2023 02:59 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine's top security official has denounced the Kremlin's plans to station tactical atomic weapons in Belarus, saying that Russia was taking its ally as a “nuclear hostage”, reports Karl Ritter.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, warned on Sunday that Putin's announcement was “a step towards internal destabilisation” of Belarus that maximised “the level of negative perception and public rejection” of Russia and Putin in Belarusian society.

The Kremlin, Mr Danilov added, “took Belarus as a nuclear hostage.”

Ukraine official: Putin taking Belarus as 'nuclear hostage'

Analysis | No country can afford to ignore the war in Ukraine

Tuesday 28 March 2023 01:52 , Andy Gregory

In case you missed it, our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta wrote last week that the presence of China’s Xi Jinping in Moscow, and the Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida in Kyiv, had “illustrated the global impact of this conflict in the heart of Europe, with old strategic alliances being strengthened and new ones being formed”.

You can read his analysis in full here:

Analysis: It is becoming clear that no country can ignore the war in Ukraine

Watch: Ron DeSantis backtracks on claims made about Ukraine

Tuesday 28 March 2023 00:41 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian ambassador ‘expects' Switzerland to remove block on re-exporting arms to Ukraine

Monday 27 March 2023 23:32 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s ambassador to Switzerland has said she expects the nation to change its mind on blocking re-exports of arms to Ukraine – despite its longstanding foreign policy of neutrality.

An opinion poll published by the Sotomo Institute in Zurich in late January found that 55 per cent of respondents favoured re-exporting Swiss-made war materiel to Ukraine.

Speaking to Reuters, ambassador Iryna Venediktova said she expected Switzerland to change its position very soon as support for the re-export of Swiss arms to her country increases.

“We need these weapons and ammunition as fast as possible,” she said. “It is a question of survival of our people, our nation, our state.”

Swiss neutrality should not block re-export of arms to Ukraine, insists ambassador

Monday 27 March 2023 22:28 , Andy Gregory

Switzerland’s tradition of neutrality should not include blocking re-exports of Swiss weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv’s ambassador has insisted, claiming the “whole world expects a fair position” instead.

Switzerland’s government reiterated this month it would not change its long-standing policy of banning any country that buys Swiss arms from sending them to the party of a conflict.

But speaking to Reuters at the Ukrainian embassy in Bern, Iryna Venediktova said neutrality and the re-export of arms to Ukraine should be viewed as separate issues.

“I respect Swiss neutrality because it is a pillar of the Swiss state,” she said. “But every day I stress that neutrality and re-export are two absolutely different terms.”

“We don’t ask, ‘Give your weapons to us directly.’ We just ask not to block [re-exports] ... not to contribute to this crime of aggression,” Ms Venediktova said. “The whole world is watching, and the whole world expects a fair position, nothing more than a fair position.”

Switzerland has denied requests from Germany, Denmark and Spain to re-export Swiss war materiel to Ukraine. Switzerland, however, has adopted the European Union’s sanctions against Russia over the invasion, which it has repeatedly condemned.

EU Council chief vows support, ammunition for Ukraine

Monday 27 March 2023 22:18 , Andy Gregory

Here is more information on European Council president Charles Michel’s remarks on Ukraine during his visit to Bucharest today:

EU Council chief vows support, ammunition for Ukraine

Ukraine says defending Bakhmut a ‘military necessity’ as Russia turns attention to ‘post-apocalyptic’ Avdiivka

Monday 27 March 2023 21:12 , Reuters

Ukraine’s ground forces commander has said that Kyiv is planning its next move after Russia shifted the focus of its offensive from Bakhmut to Avdiivka, a town some 55 miles south now described as post-apocalyptic, reports Dan Peleschuk.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who said last week that the Ukrainian counterattack could come “very soon”, visited frontline troops in the east on Monday and said his forces were still repelling Russian attacks on Bakhmut.

Defending the small city in the industrialised Donbas region that Russia has tried to seize for months was a “military necessity”, he said, praising Ukrainian resilience in “extremely difficult conditions”.

“We are calculating all possible options for the development of events, and will react adequately to the current situation”.

Ukraine says defending Bakhmut a ‘military necessity’

Hungarian parliament approves Finland’s Nato bid after months of delay

Monday 27 March 2023 20:07 , Andy Gregory

Hungary's parliament has approved a bill to allow Finland to join Nato once its application has been ratified by all 30 members of the alliance – bringing months of delay by Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party to an end.

The bill on Sweden's Nato accession remains stranded in the Hungarian parliament. Finland and Sweden asked to join the transatlantic military alliance last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the process has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed earlier this month to start ratifying Finland’s bid, but is still refusing to allow Sweden to join the alliance.

EU will ‘massively ramp up’ ammunition production for Ukraine, vows Michel

Monday 27 March 2023 19:14 , Andy Gregory

European Council president Charles Michel has pledged that EU leaders will “massively ramp up” ammunition production to send to Ukraine, and will continue supporting Kyiv “for as long as necessary”.

“We are again stepping up our military support,” Mr Michel told a news conference in Bucharest’s Cotroceni Palace, where he discussed EU support for Ukraine, security issues in Moldova and Romania’s bid to join the Schengen area with president Klaus Iohannis.

“Last week, we agreed to urgently deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine. We will massively ramp up our production capacity,” Mr Michel said.

Last week, EU foreign and defense ministers approved a plan for a fast-track purchasing procedure for direct negotiations with industrial providers of ammunition in Europe, and plan to send one million rounds to Ukraine within the next 12 months.

Footage shows devastation in Bakhmut

Monday 27 March 2023 18:34 , Andy Gregory

Huge recruitment advert for Wagner Group appears in Moscow

Monday 27 March 2023 17:29 , Andy Gregory

A giant recruitment advert for Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has appeared on an office building next to a motorway in Moscow.

The advert, which covers 17 storeys, shows the group’s logo and slogans such as “Join the winning team!” and “Together we will win”, along with a picture of a masked man holding a weapon.

Wagner, which fights alongside Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, has sought to replenish troop numbers ahead of a potential Ukrainian counterattack, and is believed to have suffered heavy losses in the frontline city of Bakhmut.

Its boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, a 61-year-old whose company grew wealthy by catering events and fulfilling contracts for the Kremlin and government ministries, has expressed an aim to recruit 30,000 new fighters by mid-May.

Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks claimed to have reached Ukraine

Monday 27 March 2023 16:41 , Andy Gregory

The Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany have arrived in Ukraine, a security source has told Reuters, corroborating a report by Spiegel news magazine.

In addition to the 18 main battle tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and two armoured recovery vehicles had also reached Ukraine, the security source said.

The German army trained the Ukrainian tank crews as well as the troops assigned to operate the Marder vehicles for several weeks on training grounds in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany.

Beyond the German vehicles, three Leopard tanks donated by Portugal also reached Ukraine, according to the security source.

Orlando Bloom praises 'courage and determination' of Ukrainians during meeting with Zelensky

Monday 27 March 2023 15:34 , Joe Middleton

Zelensky meets UN atomic energy chief Grossi ahead of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant visit

Monday 27 March 2023 14:59 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with UN atomic energy chief Rafael Mariano Grossi in southern Ukraine on Monday.

The two discussed the precarious situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has lost several of its power transmission cables during the conflict and on multiple occasions has had to switch to emergency diesel generators.

Mr Grossi, who is director-general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, plans to visit the plant, which is held by Russian forces, this week.

Two dead and 29 injured after Russian forces shell Ukrainian city of Sloviansk

Monday 27 March 2023 14:47 , Joe Middleton

Two people have been killed and 29 others were wounded when Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region, local officials said.

Video footage of the aftermath showed damaged residential buildings, debris in the streets and vehicles on fire. Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as “terrorism”.

Russian officials have denied targeting residential areas, even though artillery and rocket strikes have hit Ukrainian apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure daily during the war.

The Sloviansk attack followed a typical pattern of long-range shelling adopted by the Kremlin’s forces, especially in recent months as the fighting became deadlocked during the bitterly cold winter months.

In the eastern Donetsk region, some 10 cities and villages were shelled by Russian forces over the previous 24 hours, Ukraine‘s presidential office reported.

On Monday morning, Russian missiles hit the city of Avdiivka, damaging residential buildings, a hotel and a courthouse, officials added.

Avdiivka mayor Vitali Barabash said utility companies are being evacuated from the frontline city, as it “resembles more and more a landscape from post-apocalyptic movies”.

Attacks also intensified in the partially occupied south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, where 14 settlements on the front line were shelled, authorities said.

Zelensky visits frontline positions in Zaporizhzhia

Monday 27 March 2023 14:12 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited frontline positions in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, according to his Telegram channel.

“I am honoured to be here today, next to our military,” he wrote in a post accompanied by a video of him handing out medals to Ukrainian troops.

A steel plant ready for war shows hit to Ukraine's economy

Monday 27 March 2023 13:15 , Joe Middleton

Flak jackets are piled up at Ukraine’s Zaporizhstal steel plant, and anti-tank traps guard the entrance. Whenever air raid sirens sound — and they go off every day — most workers head to one of the 16 bomb shelters scattered across the sprawling grounds.

But some keep working — braving not only the intense heat and sparks flying from blast furnaces forging steel used in everything from railway cars to household appliances, but the threat of shelling — to keep the molten metal moving.

A steel plant ready for war shows hit to Ukraine's economy

IOC should stick to plan to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, say Britain, Poland and Baltic states

Monday 27 March 2023 12:32 , Joe Middleton

Russian and Belarusian athletes should be banned from the 2024 Olympics in Paris unless Moscow pulls its forces out of Ukraine, according to Poland, Britain and the Baltic states, despite the IOC saying it plans to let them compete as neutrals.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sanctioned Russia and Belarus after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but is now reluctant to exclude their athletes from the Olympics entirely for fear of a return to the boycotts of the Cold War era.

It set out a pathway in January for competitors from Russia and Belarus to earn Olympic slots through Asian qualifying and to compete as neutral athletes in Paris next year.

“We strongly believe that now is not the time to consider the opening up of a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the Olympic Games in any status,” the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement issued jointly with Britain, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Neutral athletes are not considered to be representing their nations and their successes are not accompanied by the flying of flags or playing of national anthems.

The President of the IOC Thomas Bach has said that the body cannot be a referee in global political disputes. However, the plan has faced opposition, with Germany and others coming out in favour of maintaining the ban.

Kyiv calls for emergency meeting of UN Security Council

Monday 27 March 2023 11:55 , Joe Middleton

Kyiv has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to “counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail” after Russian president Vladimir Putin revealed plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said: “Ukraine expects effective action to counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail by the UK, China, the U.S. and France.

The statement added: “The world must be united against someone who endangers the future of human civilization,” the statement said.

Nato has also criticised Russian president Putin for his “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric.

Hollywood star Orlando Bloom hails strength of Ukrainian people on visit to the country

Monday 27 March 2023 10:52 , Joe Middleton

Orlando Bloom has praised the strength of the Ukrainian people as he met the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and encouraged him to “go win” the war.

The British actor, 46, who is a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, travelled to Kyiv in his first visit back to Ukraine since 2016.

In the meeting, Bloom told Mr Zelensky it is “remarkable to see how you are holding this country” and said it was a “real honour” to meet the Ukrainian president.

He said: “(It is) so encouraging in so many ways to see just the remarkably stoic nature of the people of Ukraine. And of course, your messaging that I think is reflected in their courage, and in their determination and in their perseverance and resilience.

“To see the children, to see in their eyes, it’s palpable the anxiety and yet, the strength of the Ukrainian people is something that is really awe-inspiring in truth and, of course, your messaging is the reason for that.”

Poland detains foreign citizen for spying

Monday 27 March 2023 10:21 , Joe Middleton

Poland has detained a foreign citizen on charges of spying for Russia, prosecutors said on Monday, as the largest country on NATO’s eastern flank finds itself increasingly targeted by Moscow’s intelligence services.

The war in Ukraine has plunged what were already strained relations between Poland and Russia to new lows, with Warsaw saying it is frequently the subject of Russian espionage and disinformation.

Prosecutors in the northern Polish city of Gdansk said in a statement that the suspect had been detained on March 21.

“The findings made in the case show that the suspect acted for the benefit of Russian intelligence by obtaining and collecting information... on critical infrastructure in the Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regions and on the activities of services and bodies responsible for security,” they said.

“The information obtained was passed on to the Russian intelligence service,” the statement added.

The arrest comes after Poland dismantled a Russian espionage network that had been preparing acts of sabotage and monitoring rail routes to Ukraine.

If found guilty the suspect could face up to 10 years in prison.

Ukraine’s force continuing to repel Russian troops, says general

Monday 27 March 2023 09:24 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine‘s ground forces commander said on his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a “military necessity”.

Ukraine‘s military said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi had acted during a visit to the eastern front line to solve “problematic issues that prevent effective execution of combat tasks” and taken “operational decisions aimed at strengthening our capabilities to deter and inflict damage on the enemy.”

It gave no details, and did not say when the visit took place, but Syrskyi’s comments signalled Ukraine‘s intention to keep fighting in Bakhmut despite the heavy death toll there.

Nato countries are a party to the conflict in Ukraine, says Russian official

Monday 27 March 2023 08:47 , Joe Middleton

The secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said that Nato countries are a party to the conflict in Ukraine, according to excerpts from an interview with Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Monday.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta cited Patrushev as saying: “In fact, Nato countries are a party to the conflict. They made Ukraine one big military camp. They send weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian troops, provide them with intelligence”.

Patrushev, a former chief of the FSB internal security service, is widely seen as one of the most hawkish members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

Moscow may seek compensation over Nord Stream gas pipelines explosion - reports

Monday 27 March 2023 08:00 , Joe Middleton

Moscow may seek compensation over damage from last year’s explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, news agency RIA Novosti reported on Monday, citing a Russian diplomat.

The pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were hit by unexplained blasts last September in what Moscow called an act of “international terrorism”.

“We do not rule out later the raising of the issue of compensation for damage as a result of the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines,” Dmitry Birichevsky, the head of Russia’s Foreign Ministry department for economic cooperation, said in an interview with the news agency.

He added that Western countries were opposing a Russia-prepared draft U.N. Security Council resolution urging an independent international investigation of the Nord Stream blasts.

“Despite this, we intend to continue to insist on a comprehensive and open international investigation with the mandatory participation of Russian representatives,” Birichevsky said.

ICYMI: King Charles says he is determined to visit Ukraine before he 'gets too old’

Monday 27 March 2023 07:41 , Joe Middleton

Russia’s nuclear rhetoric dangerous and irresponsible, says Nato

Monday 27 March 2023 06:16 , Arpan Rai

Nato officials have called Vladimir Putin’s nuclear rhetoric “dangerous” after the Russian president announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

“Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible,” Nato spokesperson Oana Lungescu said yesterday.

She added: “Nato is vigilant and we are closely monitoring the situation. We have not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own”.

The Russian president’s “non-proliferation pledge and his description of US weapons deployment overseas were way off the mark”, she added.

Putin taking Belarus as ‘nuclear hostage’ – Ukraine official

Monday 27 March 2023 05:34 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine’s top security official denounced the Kremlin’s plans to station tactical atomic weapons in Belarus, saying that Russia was taking its ally as a “nuclear hostage.”

Moscow said it was making the move in response to the West’s increasing military support for Ukraine.

Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the plan in a television interview that aired on Saturday, saying it was triggered by a UK decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

Read the full story here:

Ukraine official: Putin taking Belarus as 'nuclear hostage'