Ukraine news – live: Kyiv fighting ‘for every metre’ as France says it’s open to sending fighter jets

Russia is making gains in Ukraine’s Donetsk but facing fierce resistance for “literally every metre”, according to a Moscow-backed local official.

Administrator Denis Pushilin said that the Russian forces were making advances in Bakhmut, Maryinka and Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine, running north to south to the west of Donetsk city.

Moscow’s gains were “not clear-cut, that is, here there is a battle for literally every metre”, he said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.

Military analysts have said that Ukraine still controls Maryinka and Vuhledar – which are now on Russia’s radar after capturing the small mining town of Soledar – and that these areas were witnessing less intense Russian attacks on Monday.

This comes as French president Emmanuel Macron said he has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, in a positive sign for Kyiv which has been seeking top notch military aid from allies.

Mr Macron said certain conditions would have to be met by Ukraine before France sent jets.

Key points

• France sets conditions on sending jets to Ukraine

• Russian business offers cash bounties to destroy Western tanks in Ukraine

• Germany warns against arms race

France open to sending fighter jets to Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 20:59 , Liam James

President Emmanuel Macron said France was open to sending fighter jets to Ukraine, but laid out multiple conditions before such a significant step might be taken.

France has sent Ukraine air defence systems, rocket launcher units, cannons and other military equipment and has pledged to send armoured surveillance and combat vehicles, but has stopped short of sending battle tanks or heavier weaponry.

Asked at a news conference in The Hague on Monday if France is considering sending warplanes, Mr Macron said “nothing is excluded” as long as certain conditions are met.

Among those conditions: that providing such equipment would not lead to an escalation of tensions or be used “to touch Russian soil”, and that it would not “weaken the capacities of the French army”, Mr Macron said.

He also said Ukraine would have to formally request the planes.

Allies have held back from pledging war planes over fears of a Russian response but after several states took the previously unthinkable step of sending tanks, the terms of support for Ukraine have changed.

Russia is having its ‘big revenge’, warns Zelensky

04:00 , Liam James

Russia has begun its “big revenge” for Ukraine’s resistance to its invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, as Russian forces claimed a series of incremental gains in his country’s east.

Mr Zelensky has been warning for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault on Ukraine after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.

He said Russian attacks in the east were relentless despite heavy casualties on the Russian side, casting them as payback for Ukraine‘s success in pushing Russian forces back from the capital, northeast and south earlier in the conflict.

“I think that Russia really wants its big revenge. I think they have [already] started it,” Zelenskiy said.

“Every day they either bring in more of their regular troops, or we see an increase in the number of Wagnerites,” he told reporters in the southern port city of Odesa.

Biden says US won’t provide F-16 jets to Ukraine

03:22 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden has said the US would not be providing Ukraine’s armed forces with the American-made F-16 fighter jets that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and members of his government have asked for.

Mr Biden was addressing reporters upon his return to the White House when he was asked if the US would offer the single-engine multirole fighters to Kyiv.

He replied: “No”.

The president’s statement comes amid a renewed push by Pentagon officials to provide the jets, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin and used by a variety of US allies, in the wake of his decision to allow Kyiv to acquire American-made M1 Abrams tanks.

Read the full story here:

Biden says US won’t provide F-16 jets to Ukraine

Slovenian authorities ‘hold 2 alleged Russian spies'

03:00 , AP

Slovenian authorities have apprehended two alleged Russian spies suspected of using an agency dealing in real estate and antiques as a front for their activities in the Nato member, media reported Monday.

Slovenia’s respected Delo newspaper and the Siol news portal cited the public prosecutor’s office as confirming the arrests.

Slovenian police confirmed that two individuals had been arrested in December for suspected espionage but did not disclose which country they were accused of working for.

“They are suspected of being members of a foreign intelligence service,” police spokesman Drago Menegalija said.

Report: Slovenian authorities hold 2 alleged Russian spies

Boris Johnson told ‘a lie’ over Putin missile attack claims, says Kremlin

02:00 , PA

The Kremlin has suggested Boris Johnson told “a lie” when the former prime minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to threaten him with a missile strike.

The former Downing Street incumbent made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the years leading up to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Johnson, talking about a phone call between the two leaders ahead of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, said: “He sort of threatened me at one point and said: ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute,’ or something like that.”

But the Kremlin disputed the claim, saying there were “no threats with missiles” during the bilateral conversation held in February 2022.

Boris Johnson told ‘a lie’ over Putin missile attack claims, says Kremlin

Five civilians killed as fighting remains deadlocked, say Ukrainian officials

01:00 , Liam James

Fighting has remained largely deadlocked in eastern Ukraine, where Russian shelling killed five civilians over the past day, according to Ukrainian officials.

The casualties included a woman who was killed and three others who were wounded by the Russian shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the country’s north-east, regional governor Oleh Syniyehubov said.

Ukraine war a ‘massive wakeup call’ for British Army, say veterans and experts

00:00 , Liam James

The Ukraine war should provide a “massive wakeup call” for how the government looks to fund the British Army, former soldiers and military historians have warned amid criticism over its ability to defend the UK and its allies (William Mata writes).

Rishi Sunak has come under fire from veterans and members of his own party after a US general said the army could no longer defend the UK. The army is currently 76,000 strong but would shrink to 73,000 if downsizing plans go ahead. It is already half the size it was in 1990 and the smallest it has been since Napoleonic times.

Former soldier Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a British Army officer from 1988 to 2012, told The Independent: “We thought the artillery was in good shape but that was before the Ukraine conflict, a lot of money was spent. But having been playing Star Wars [with focus on cyber and space security] the Ukraine war has shown that to be successful on the battlefield you need to focus on that.”

Ukraine war a ‘massive wakeup call’ for British Army, say veterans and experts

UK still a top-tier military power, says No 10

Monday 30 January 2023 23:00 , Liam James

London has insisted the UK remains a top-tier military power following claims a senior US general told defence secretary Ben Wallace the British Army is no longer regarded as a “top-level” fighting force.

Asked if Rishi Sunak still believes the UK is a top-level fighting force, his spokesman said: “Yes”, adding that the PM believes the British military personnel have “the equipment and capability to meet the threats they face”.

Defence sources told Sky News that cost-cutting measures have seen the status of the British Armed Forces decline in the eyes of world leaders. “You haven’t got a tier one, it’s barely tier two,” the US general reportedly told Mr Wallace.

France and Australia in joint arms pledge, moving on from Aukus snub

Monday 30 January 2023 22:00 , Liam James

France and Australia have unveiled plans to jointly manufacture ammunition for Ukraine as the two countries seek to shore up defence cooperation and move past a row over Canberra’s decision to ditch plans to buy French submarines.

The relationship hit historic lows in the autumn of 2021 with Paris accusing its allies of stabbing it in the back when Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines built with US and British technology instead in what became known as the Aukus pact.

French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said France and Australia had agreed to cooperate to make “several thousands” of 155-mm shells to help Ukraine, which he hoped could start being delivered in the first quarter of this year.

Mr Lecornu was speaking after meeting his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, the first joint high-level talks since the submarine row erupted.

Croatia’s president criticises tank deliveries to Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nato-member Croatia’s president has criticised Western nations for supplying Ukraine with heavy tanks and other weapons in its campaign against invading Russian forces, saying those arms deliveries will only prolong the war.

Zoran Milanovic told reporters in the Croatian capital that it’s “mad” to believe that Russia can be defeated in a conventional war.

“I am against sending any lethal arms there,” Mr Milanovic said. “It prolongs the war.”“What is the goal? Disintegration of Russia, change of the government? There is also talk of tearing Russia apart. This is mad,” he added.

Mr Milanovic won the presidential election in Croatia in 2019 as a left-leaning liberal candidate, a counterpoint to the conservative government currently in power in the European Union and Nato-member state.

Boris Johnson told ‘a lie’ over Putin missile attack claims, says Kremlin

Monday 30 January 2023 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin has suggested Boris Johnson told “a lie” when the former prime minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to threaten him with a missile strike.

The former Downing Street incumbent made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the years leading up to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Johnson, talking about a phone call between the two leaders ahead of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, said: “He sort of threatened me at one point and said: ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute’, or something like that.”

But the Kremlin disputed the claim, saying there were “no threats with missiles” during the bilateral conversation held in February 2022.

Boris Johnson told ‘a lie’ over Putin missile attack claims, says Kremlin

Joe Biden’s decision to send tanks to Ukraine is about more than just politics

Monday 30 January 2023 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The decision by the Biden administration to reverse its previous stance and send tanks to Ukraine is a significant political and military move, Kim Sengupta writes.

The supply of the M1A1 Abrams has met the German stipulation on Leopard 2 tanks, for Berlin’s own forces – and those of other Nato states using them – to transfer them to Kyiv, with new offensives by both Russia and Ukraine due to begin in the spring.

The Abrams, the Leopards and the British-supplied Challengers will not, by themselves, win the war for Ukraine; but they will have a major impact on the battlefield and raise the scale and lethality of combat.

The number of tanks for a decisive tilt against the Russians are not adding up at the moment: although that may change.

Biden’s decision to send tanks to Ukraine is about more than politics | Kim Sengupta

Russian official says ‘small steps’ needed to reconcile with US

Monday 30 January 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s deputy foreign minister said that “small steps” would be needed for Moscow and the United States to come closer to agreement on bilateral issues, the RIA news agency reported on Monday.

“We hope that the tactics of small steps will allow us to come to mutually acceptable solutions on the most important issues of the bilateral agenda,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA news agency in an interview.

Slovenia arrests two men suspected on spying for Russia

Monday 30 January 2023 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Slovenia’s state security service has arrested two men suspected of spying for Russian military intelligence, the Ljubljana-based Delo newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources.

The suspects, one of whom has citizenship of a South American country, operated under assumed identities from a rented office in the Bezigrad neighbourhood of the capital Ljubljana, the report said.

It said the two suspects have been charged with espionage for Russia‘s GRU military intelligence service and using false documents. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to eight years.

The Slovenian Intelligence Agency said the information gathered was “classified and therefore the agency does not make it public nor does it publicly comment on it.

“The Agency regularly informs the main bodies of the national security system on intelligence activities carried out by foreign entities and cooperates ... closely with Slovenian security authorities as well as with the EU and NATO authorities and services,” it said in an emailed response to Reuters.

NATO chief urges Seoul to send military support to Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 15:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called for South Korea to provide direct military support to Ukraine, saying Kyiv is in urgent need of weapons to fight off the prolonged Russian invasion.

South Korea, a growing arms exporter with the large US-backed military, has provided humanitarian aid and other support to Ukraine while joining US-led economic sanctions against Moscow.

But the country has not directly provided arms to Ukraine, citing a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict.

Speaking at a forum in Seoul, Stoltenberg urged South Korea to “step up on the specific issue of military support.”

He noted that several NATO members and allies, including Germany, Norway and Sweden, have changed their policies of not exporting weapons to countries in conflict to support Ukraine.

“If we believe in freedom, if we believe in democracy, if we don’t want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they need weapons. That’s the reality,” said Stoltenberg, who arrived in South Korea on Sunday on a trip that also includes Japan.

Stoltenberg also met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday. They discussed South Korea’s commitment to support Ukraine and NATO’s possible role in dissuading North Korea from its growing nuclear ambitions following an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests in 2022, Yoon’s office said.

South Korean officials didn’t confirm any specific discussions about sending arms to Ukraine.

Following his meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Sunday, Stoltenberg mentioned U.S. intelligence reports accusing North Korea of providing weapons to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, which he said highlights how security between the regions “is more and more interconnected.”

Russian business offers cash bounties to destroy Western tanks in Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 15:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian company said it will offer five million roubles - approximately £58,000 - in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture western-made tanks in Ukraine, after the Kremlin vowed Russian forces would wipe out any Western tanks shipped to Ukraine.

The United States, Germany and several other European countries are lining up to send Kyiv dozens of advanced combat tanks over the next few months to help boost Ukraine‘s military capacity as the war approaches the 12-month mark.

The decision has been criticised by the Kremlin as a dangerous escalation, and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the tanks would “burn” on the frontlines.

Now a Russian company - Fores, a Urals-based firm which makes proppants for the energy industry - is offering cash payments to Russian servicemen who “capture or destroy” German-made Leopard 2 or U.S.-made Abrams tanks.

The company said it will pay five million roubles to the first Russian soldier to destroy one of the tanks, and 500,000 roubles- approximately £5,700- for all subsequent attacks.

Echoing language used by Russian officials and pro-war state TV hosts, Fores said NATO was pumping Ukraine with an “unlimited” amount of arms and escalating the conflict. It also said it would pay a 15-million rouble ($215,000) bounty on Western-made fighter jets, should they ever be delivered to Ukraine.

The tanks have not yet been dispatched to Kyiv, and it could take several months before the bulk of the promised deliveries are sent.

Finland to stick with Sweden in NATO bid, hopes for green light by July

Monday 30 January 2023 14:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Finland is sticking to its plan to join NATO at the same time as Nordic neighbour Sweden, and hopes to do so no later than July, Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said on Monday.

Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO following Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey raised objections.

The three countries signed an agreement in Madrid over a way forward, but last week, Turkey suspended talks after protests in Stockholm that included the burning of a Koran.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan signalled on Sunday that Ankara could agree to Finland joining NATO ahead of Sweden and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday made similar statements.

However, Haavisto said Finland will stick with Sweden, its closest military partner, during the application process.

“Our strong wish is still to join NATO together with Sweden,” Haavisto told a news conference in Helsinki.

“We have underlined to all our future NATO partners, including Hungary and Turkey, that Finnish and Swedish security go together,” he said.

A spokesperson for Sweden’s foreign ministry declined to comment.

Zelensky visits southern Ukraine, meets Danish prime minister

Monday 30 January 2023 14:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Monday during a rare visit by a foreign leader to a region close to the war front.

Zelensky greeted Frederiksen with a handshake on a snowy street before entering a hospital where they met soldiers wounded in Russia‘s invasion.

“It is important for our warriors to be able to undergo not only physical, but also psychological rehabilitation,” Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “I am grateful to all the medical workers who care about the health of our defenders. I wish them a speedy recovery!”

The two leaders also visited the Mykolaiv Commercial Sea Port, where they saw oil storage tanks hit by Russian enemy missiles and drones, and a heating point equipped with a water purification and distribution unit under a project implemented with Danish assistance.

Zelensky thanked Frederiksen for the assistance provided by Denmark, whose defence ministry said earlier this month that the country would donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzer artillery systems to Ukraine.

The president said he had also met local officials while in Mykolaiv region, which has frequently been under attack by Russian forces since the invasion 11 months ago.

“The region is heroically withstanding all the attacks of the terrorists (Russian forces). During the visit, I held a meeting on the current situation in the region,” he wrote.

“We discussed the operational situation in the south of Ukraine, the consequences of Russia‘s missile and drone attacks.”

Talks also covered the state of the region’s energy infrastructure and the region’s long-term recovery, Zelensky said.

Russia claims gains in relentless battles in east Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 13:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces claimed incremental gains in eastern Ukraine on Monday adding up to their biggest advances in months, after relentless battles that Kyiv described as human wave attacks which showed Moscow had no regard for the lives of its own men.

The administrator of Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk province, Denis Pushilin, claimed troops had secured a foothold in Vuhledar, a coal mining town whose ruins have been a Ukrainian bastion since the outset of the war.

A day earlier, the head of Russia‘s Wagner mercenary force said his fighters had secured Blahodatne, a village just north of Bakhmut, a city that has been the focus of sustained Russian attacks for months.

Kyiv said it had repelled assaults on Blahodatne and Vuhledar, and Reuters could not independently verify the situations there. But the locations of the reported fighting indicated clear, though gradual, Russian gains after around two months in which front lines had largely been frozen in place.

“The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region - there are constant Russian attacks,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address late on Sunday.

“The enemy does not count its people and, despite numerous casualties, maintains a high intensity of attacks.”

Vuhledar sits south of Bakhmut, near where the eastern frontline protects Russian-controlled rail lines supplying Moscow’s forces in southern Ukraine. Mykola Salamakha, a Ukrainian colonel and military analyst, told Ukrainian Radio NV that Moscow’s assault there was coming at huge cost.

“The town is on an upland and an extremely strong defensive hub has been created there,” he said. “This is a repetition of the situation in Bakhmut - one wave of Russian troops after another crushed by the Ukrainian armed forces.”

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Monday 30 January 2023 13:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has now been raging for more than 11 months, the conflict continuing to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s western neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, an entirely baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president.

Ukraine has fought back courageously ever since and continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Read more from Thomas Kingsley and Joe Sommerlad:

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

China's top diplomat to visit Moscow in February

Monday 30 January 2023 13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi is set to visit Moscow in February, Russia‘s Vedomosti newspaper said on Monday, citing two sources.

According to the newspaper, Wang may visit Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of the sources said.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the report.

Slovenia arrests two men suspected on spying for Russia

Monday 30 January 2023 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Slovenia’s state security agencies have arrested two men suspected of spying for the Russian military intelligence service, the Ljubljana-based Delo newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources.

The suspects, one of whom has citizenship of a South American country, operated under assumed identities from a rented office in the Ljubljana neighbourhood of Bezigrad, the report said.

The two suspects have been charged with espionage and using false documents. If convicted, they may face jail terms of up to eight years, the report said.

Slovenia’s intelligence agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report when contacted by Reuters.

More Russian forces moved to Kursk region on Ukrainian border -governor

Monday 30 January 2023 12:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has moved additional forces and equipment to the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine to protect the frontier and ensure security, regional governor Roman Starovoit said on Monday, according to Interfax news agency.

Local authorities say that the region has repeatedly been subjected to Ukrainian shelling since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago.

Some of Russia‘s troops entered from the Kursk region, although the areas of northeastern Ukraine that they seized have since been retaken by Kyiv’s forces.

Starovoit told a meeting of the regional government that a solid contingent of personnel from the armed forces, border guards and law enforcement agencies had already been formed in Kursk, but that “it is necessary to provide comprehensive support for the reception, deployment and arrangement of additional forces”.

Kyiv has repeatedly warned that Russia could make a new attempt to seize parts of northeastern Ukraine, pointing to increased joint military activity in Russia‘s close ally Belarus, another of the staging points for February’s invasion, around 200 km (120 miles) west of Kursk province.

In pictures: Kherson strikes damage residential homes

Monday 30 January 2023 12:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian firefighters douse flames in a burning house following Russian shelling in the city of Kherson.

Ryanair hiring Ukraine staff in anticipation of return after war

Monday 30 January 2023 11:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ryanair is hiring significant numbers of Ukrainian pilots and cabin crew so that it will be ready to return to the country when the war with Russia ends, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on Monday.

“We are very committed to returning to Ukraine as soon as it is safe to do so,” said O’Leary, who had said on the eve of the conflict that he was considering basing up to 20 aircraft in the country.

“We are hiring quite a number of Ukraine pilots and cabin crew specifically so that we can ... restore bases in Ukraine if and when it is safe to do so,” O’Leary told analysts after the release of third-quarter financial results.

Russian shelling kills 5 in tough eastern Ukraine combat

Monday 30 January 2023 11:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian shelling killed at least five people and wounded 13 others during the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian authorities said Monday as the Kremlin’s and Kyiv’s forces remained locked in combat in eastern Ukraine.

The casualties included a woman who was killed and three others who were wounded by the Russian shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second-largest city in the country’s northeast, according to regional Gov. Oleh Syniyehubov.

Russian army shells Kherson ‘atrociously all day'

Monday 30 January 2023 10:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes on Kherson which damaged a hospital and residential buildings.

“Today, the Russian army has been shelling Kherson atrociously all day. Residential buildings, various social and transport facilities, including a hospital, post office, and bus station, have been damaged,” he said in his nightly address.

“Two women, nurses, were wounded in the hospital. As of now, there are reports of six wounded and three dead.”

Boris Johnson lied about Putin missile threat, Kremlin says

Monday 30 January 2023 10:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Monday that former British prime minister Boris Johnson was lying when he said Vladimir Putin had threatened him with a missile strike during a phone call in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that what Johnson said was not true, or “more precisely, a lie”.

Johnson, speaking to the BBC for a documentary, said the Russian leader had threatened him with a missile strike that would “only take a minute”.

“He threatened me at one point, and he said, ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute’ or something like that,” Johnson said.

Russia seeks 'new level' of China ties

Monday 30 January 2023 09:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia said on Monday that it wanted to take ties with China to a “new level” and was looking forward to face-to-face talks with Beijing’s leadership as a Russian newspaper reported that China’s top diplomat would visit Moscow in February.

“We are convinced that the potential for Russian-Chinese bilateral cooperation is still far from exhausted,” Russia‘s foreign ministry said.

Russia aims to reach its target of $200 billion worth of trade between the two countries ahead of schedule and to “significantly deepen” its ties with Beijing, it said.

The deepening “no limits” partnership between the rising superpower of China and the natural resources titan of Russia is being watched by the West with some anxiety, though it is unclear just how deep the partnership is.

China has refrained from condemning Russia‘s operation against Ukraine or calling it an “invasion” in line with the Kremlin which casts the war as “a special military operation”.

After the West imposed the most severe sanctions in modern history on Moscow due to the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin says Russia is turning towards Asia - and China in particular - after centuries of looking to the West as the crucible of economic growth, technology and war.

The Russian foreign ministry’s comments came shortly after Russia‘s Vedomosti newspaper reported that China’s chief diplomat Wang Yi was set to visit Moscow in February.

According to the newspaper, Wang may visit Putin during his stay. The purpose of Wang’s visit is unclear but may be related to preparations for an upcoming visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, it added.

When asked about the potential visit by Wang Yi, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular briefing that she was not yet aware of such a meeting.

Iran summons senior Ukraine diplomat over comments on drone strike

Monday 30 January 2023 09:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Iran summoned Ukraine‘s charge d’affaires in Tehran on Monday over his country’s comments on a drone strike on a military factory in the central Iranian province of Isfahan, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

In Ukraine, which accuses Iran of supplying hundreds of drones to Russia to attack civilian targets in Ukrainian cities far from the front, a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky linked the incident directly to the war there.

“Explosive night in Iran,” Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted on Sunday. “Did warn you.”

A US official told Reuters that Israel appears to have been behind the attack.

Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but says they were sent before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Moscow denies its forces use Iranian drones in Ukraine, although many have been shot down and recovered there.

Watch: Three killed in Russian strike on Kherson

Monday 30 January 2023 09:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian missile strikes killed three people in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson while fighting raged in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia again shelled the key town of Vuhledar, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian business offers cash bounties to destroy Western tanks in Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 08:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian company said it will offer five million roubles - approximately £58,000 - in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture western-made tanks in Ukraine, after the Kremlin vowed Russian forces would wipe out any Western tanks shipped to Ukraine.

The United States, Germany and several other European countries are lining up to send Kyiv dozens of advanced combat tanks over the next few months to help boost Ukraine‘s military capacity as the war approaches the 12-month mark.

The decision has been criticised by the Kremlin as a dangerous escalation, and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the tanks would “burn” on the frontlines.

Now a Russian company - Fores, a Urals-based firm which makes proppants for the energy industry - is offering cash payments to Russian servicemen who “capture or destroy” German-made Leopard 2 or U.S.-made Abrams tanks.

The company said it will pay five million roubles to the first Russian soldier to destroy one of the tanks, and 500,000 roubles ($7,200) for all subsequent attacks.

Echoing language used by Russian officials and pro-war state TV hosts, Fores said NATO was pumping Ukraine with an “unlimited” amount of arms and escalating the conflict. It also said it would pay a 15-million rouble ($215,000) bounty on Western-made fighter jets, should they ever be delivered to Ukraine.

The tanks have not yet been dispatched to Kyiv, and it could take several months before the bulk of the promised deliveries are sent.

Putin threatened to kill me with missile attack, says Boris Johnson

Monday 30 January 2023 08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson has claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him in a missile attack, saying “it would only take a minute” in a call ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.

The former prime minister said the “extraordinary” conversation took place in February after he had visited Kyiv in a last-ditch attempt to show Western support for Ukraine amid growing fears of an assault.

Mr Johnson, who would emerge as a staunch backer of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the years leading up to the invasion.

The former PM, who left No 10 in September after being forced from office, made the visit to Kyiv in early February to warn Russia that an invasion would prove disastrous and lead to tough Western sanctions.

Adam Forrest reports:

Putin threatened to kill me with missile attack, says Boris Johnson

In video: Russia makes basic military training mandatory in schools from September

Monday 30 January 2023 07:30 , Namita Singh

Secondary school students in Russia will learn basic military skills as part of a “life safety” course from 1 September, according to UK officials.

The last time it was a compulsory part of the school curriculum was in the 1993 Soviet Union.

“The initiatives highlight the increasingly militarised atmosphere in wartime Russia, as well as being a (likely deliberate) evocation of Soviet Union,” posted the UK’s Ministry of Defence on Twitter.

Russia makes basic military training mandatory in schools from September

Ukrainian refugees need more support for mental health, charity says

Monday 30 January 2023 07:15 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian refugees require more psychological support to cope with the impact of the Russian invasion of their country, a charity has said.

In a report published today, Ukrainian psychologists Marina Kedrova and Sergii Ugrium said refugees and internally-placed people had suffered from a “profound range of problems” since the invasion in February 2022.

These included anxiety, emotional instability, feelings of “survivor’s guilt” and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a series of interviews with refugees, Ms Kedrova and Mr Ugrium also found some Ukrainians feared human trafficking and physical abuse, as well as aggression from those who had remained in Ukraine once they returned home.

Children have been particularly affected by psychological symptoms, in some cases regressing and struggling with school in their host countries, in turn adding to the burdens faced by their parents.

Further problems have been caused by difficulties integrating in refugee host countries, due to language and cultural barriers making it hard to access services.

The researchers have called for more to be done to support the mental health of Ukrainians, both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, saying the whole population of Ukraine were “psychological victims of Putin’s aggression”.

They added: “It is already clear there is a need to provide increased psychological and psychiatric support for the innocent victims of war.

“This will be particularly challenging as refugees return to a war-torn Ukraine with a vast array of reconstruction needs.”

Sweden ‘will be shocked’ if Turkey approves Finland NATO membership first, says Erdogan

Monday 30 January 2023 07:00 , Daniel Reast

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that Turkey might sign off on Finland’s membership to NATO before its decision on Sweden.

Both countries applied to join the NATO community following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

In a prerecorded video, president Erdogan said: “If needed, we could give a different message about Finland.

“Sweden will be shocked when we give the different message about Finland.”

Relations between Turkey and Sweden have been strained with president Erdogan urging his Swedish counterpart, prime minister Ulf Kristersson, to deport alleged terrorists residing in Sweden.

The burning of a Koran by far-right activist Rasmus Paludan outisde the Turkish embassy in the Swedish capital Stockholm has also raised tensions.

Turkey responded to the incident by indefinitely postponed key meetings in Brussels to discuss Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership.

Read more here:

Protests across the Middle East against far-right Quran burning

China’s top diplomat 'to visit Moscow in February

Monday 30 January 2023 06:48 , Namita Singh

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi is set to visit Moscow in February, Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper reported today citing two sources.

Mr Wang is the director of the Communist Party’s foreign affairs commission, making him China’s most senior diplomat.

The visit to Moscow could include a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to the newspaper.

Erdogan might approve Finland’s Nato bid, ‘shock’ Sweden

Monday 30 January 2023 06:45 , Namita Singh

Turkey‘s president has suggested his country might approve Finland‘s application for Nato membership before taking any action on Sweden‘s, while the Turkish government issued a travel warning for European countries due to anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it described as Islamophobia.

The travel warning published late Saturday followed demonstrations last weekend outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden, where an anti-Islam activist burned the Quran and pro-Kurdish groups protested against Turkey. The events stiffened Turkey’s refusal so far to ratify Sweden’s Nato bid.

Sweden and Finland applied jointly to become members of the military alliance, dropping their longstanding military nonalignment following Russia’s war on Ukraine. In a prerecorded video of an event released Sunday, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that Turkey might sign off on only Finland.

Report:

Erdogan might approve Finland's NATO bid, 'shock' Sweden

Russia says nuclear arms treaty with US may end after 2026

Monday 30 January 2023 06:32 , Namita Singh

Russia’s deputy foreign minister said in an interview published today that it was “quite possible” the New Start nuclear arms control treaty with the United States would end after 2026.

“This is quite a possible scenario,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA news agency in an interview.

US–Russia talks on resuming inspections under the New Start treaty, which expires in February 2026, were called off at the last minute in November 2022. Neither side has agreed on a time frame for new talks.

Missile hits Kharkiv apartment building, killing one says regional governor

Monday 30 January 2023 06:30 , Namita Singh

An apartment building was hit by a missile on Sunday in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. One person is reported to have died, with others injured.

The report came from regional governor Oleh Synehubov, issuing a statement on Telegram, who said the missile landed in the city’s central Kyiv district.

A picture from the news agency Reuters shows the fire engulfing part of a residential building.

There was no verified reports of how many people were injured. Synehubov earlier suggested the number of injured was three people and said casualties were receiving medical treatment.

Russian official says ‘small steps’ needed to reconcile with US

Monday 30 January 2023 06:26 , Namita Singh

Russia’s deputy foreign minister said that “small steps” would be needed for Moscow and the United States to come closer to agreement on bilateral issues, reported the RIA news agency.

“We hope that the tactics of small steps will allow us to come to mutually acceptable solutions on the most important issues of the bilateral agenda,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA news agency in an interview.

US-Russia talks unlikely to end with all-for-all prisoner swap – RIA

Monday 30 January 2023 06:20 , Namita Singh

Russia and United States will continue talks on prisoner exchanges but it is unlikely they will end with an all-for-all swap, RIA Novosti news agency cited Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Monday.

‘Negotiations on creating safety zone around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are tough'

Monday 30 January 2023 06:05 , Namita Singh

Negotiations on creating a safety zone around Ukraine’s Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are tough, and Kyiv appears to be just stalling for time, RIA Novosti cited Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.

“While consultations with the IAEA are ongoing, it would not be right to make public information about the possible parameters of the ZNPP protection zone. The negotiation process is not progressing easily,” Mr Ryabkov said in an interview with the agency.

“We handed over our proposals to Rafael Grossi, the agency’s director general. As far as we know, Kyiv has not yet given a clear answer to the initiative of the IAEA head. Apparently, it’s just stalling.”

Russian offensive ongoing in Donetsk region, says Russian military

Monday 30 January 2023 06:00 , Daniel Reast

Russian forces are conducting an offensive in multiple parts of the Donetsk region, according to official reports from the Russian military.

The Russian General Staff said that its troops were attacking towards the settlements of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka.

Ukrainian troops have been locked in battle in the eastern Ukraine region, as Putin’s forces look to strike further following the announcement of new military equipment, including main battle tanks, last week.

The report added that Russian troops are attempting to hold positions and maintain its defence of occupied regions.

‘Prelude to confrontation’: North Korea expresses displeasure over Nato chief’s visit to South Korea

Monday 30 January 2023 05:45 , Namita Singh

A disgruntled North Korea called Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to South Korea a “prelude to confrontation and war”.

In a statement carried by state media, officials described the trip as bringing the “dark clouds of a ‘new Cold War’ to the Asia-Pacific region”.

Earlier today, Mr Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict after Russia’s invasion.

Last year South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to Nato, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas.

Germany warns against arms race as Zelensky demands faster weapon supplies

Monday 30 January 2023 05:30 , Namita Singh

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned against a race to supply advanced arms systems to Ukraine, after Volodymyr Zelensky’s demand for faster deliveries of supplies from the West.

Mr Zelensky urged Western allies to supply Ukraine with new types of weaponry, saying that the country is facing a “very tough” situation in Donetsk region and is under “constant Russian attacks”. He also requested the supply of long-range missiles and fighter jets to strengthen the country’s air defence.

But the German chancellor advised “against entering into a constant competition to outbid each other when it comes to weapons systems”.

“The question of combat aircraft does not arise at all,” Mr Scholz said, as he declined Kyiv’s request of supplying them with warplanes.

No sense talking to Kyiv, says top Russian minister

Monday 30 January 2023 05:15 , Namita Singh

With the United States supplying tanks to Ukraine, there is no sense in talking to Kyiv or its Western “puppet masters”, RIA news agency quoted Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.

Mr Ryabkov said no one in the West has come up with any serious initiatives on resolving the Ukrainian crisis.

Scholz downplays differences on Ukraine on South America tour

Monday 30 January 2023 05:00 , Namita Singh

German chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to drum up support for Ukraine during his first South American tour although differences with his hosts emerged, with Argentine president Alberto Fernandez declaring the region was not planning on sending weapons.

On his three-day trip, Mr Scholz has sought to stress unity, noting all three countries he is visiting - Argentina, Chile and Brazil - condemned Russia’s invasion at the United Nations General Assembly last year.

The fallout of the war and Western sanctions on Russia such as soaring food and energy prices, however, have hit the region particularly hard, raising questions over the West’s approach.

Mr Fernandez said in a joint news conference with Mr Scholz in Buenos Aires on Saturday that Argentina, like Germany, wanted to help restore peace as soon as possible.

But asked if Argentina would send weapons to Ukraine to fend off Russian troops like Germany and its western allies had, he gave an emphatic no.

“Argentina and Latin America are not planning to send weapons to Ukraine or any other conflict zone,” he said.

Chilean president Gabriel Boric did not refer to the war in his opening statements at a news conference with Mr Scholz in Santiago de Chile yesterday, focusing instead on economic cooperation, particularly in the commodities sector.

Nato’s chief urges South Korea to step up military support for Ukraine

Monday 30 January 2023 04:45 , Namita Singh

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea today to increase military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict after Russia’s invasion.

Mr Stoltenberg is in Seoul, the first stop on a trip that will include Japan and is aimed at strengthening ties with US allies in the face of the war in Ukraine and rising competition with China.

In meetings with senior South Korean officials, the Nato chief argued that events in Europe and North America are interconnected with other regions, and that the alliance wants to help manage global threats by increasing partnerships in Asia.

Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine, but urged it to do more, adding there is an “urgent need” for ammunition.

South Korea has signed major deals providing hundreds of tanks, aircraft and other weapons to Nato member Poland since the war began, but South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol has said that his country’s law against providing arms to countries in conflicts makes providing weapons to Ukraine difficult.

Mr Stoltenberg noted that countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Norway had similar policies but have changed them.

Jens Stoltenberg

What did Russia's defence minister tell Ben Wallace on his trip to Moscow?

Monday 30 January 2023 04:15 , Namita Singh

Defence secretary Ben Wallace spoke to the Putin vs The West programme, set to air this evening, about his journey to Moscow in February as he sought to reach a breakthrough and prevent a war.

He recalls speaking to Russia’s minister of defence Sergei Shoigu, as well as chief of general staff Valery Gerasimov.

“And I remember saying to minister Shoigu ‘they will fight’ and he said, ‘My mother is Ukrainian, they won’t!’ He also said he had no intention of invading,” Mr Wallace said.

Mr Wallace said it was a Russian “demonstration of bullying or strength: ‘I’m going to lie to you. You know I’m lying. I know you know I’m lying and I’m still going to lie to you.’ He knew I knew and I knew he knew. But I think it was about saying: ‘I’m powerful.’”

Ben Wallace

Author of Ukrainian declaration of sovereignty, and famous poet Pavlychko dies at 93

Monday 30 January 2023 04:00 , Daniel Reast

Ukrainian poet, literary critic and politician Dmytro Pavlychko has died aged 93.

Active in Soviet Ukraine, Pavlychko was one of the founders of the Soviet-controlled nation’s first major independent political party, Rukh (People’s Movement of Ukraine).

In 1990, he co-authored the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine, a law which overruled the authority from the Soviet parliament.

He later served as ambassador in post-Soviet Ukraine to neighbouring countries Slovakia, and later to Poland, before being awarded the nation’s highest honour, Hero of Ukraine, in 2004.

In a post on Telegram, president Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute to Pavlychko in his political and literary achievements, calling him “an outstanding poet.”

Putin threatened to kill me with missile attack, says Boris Johnson

Monday 30 January 2023 03:30 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson has claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him in a missile attack, saying “it would only take a minute” in a call ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.

The former prime minister said the “extraordinary” conversation took place in February after he had visited Kyiv in a last-ditch attempt to show Western support for Ukraine amid growing fears of an assault.

Mr Johnson, who would emerge as a staunch backer of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the years leading up to the invasion.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has more:

Putin threatened to kill me with missile attack, says Boris Johnson

US officials meet with Ukrainian deputy PM to ‘ensure transparency’ of aid

Monday 30 January 2023 03:00 , Daniel Reast

Inspectors from the US government have met with Ukraine’s deputy PM to discuss proposals for a new audit mechanism to “ensure transparency in the use of partners’ aid.”

Oleksandr Kubrakov, who is also head of Ukraine’s infrastructure projects, added that any funds utilised for infrastructure repairs and reconstruction should be monitored with US assistance.

Scrutiny of how aid is being used in Ukraine has increased since a recent scandal involving the sale of food packages at inflated prices, which prompted the deputy defence minister, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, to resign.

Deputy prime minister Kubrakov said in a post on Facebook: “I am grateful to my American colleagues for their leadership role in supporting our country in the fight against the Russian aggressor.

“Today, Ukraine shows the whole world that it is a reliable and predictable partner with working anti-corruption institutions, and we continue to move in this direction.”

Zelensky pushes for Russian ban from Paris 2024 Olympics in latest address

Monday 30 January 2023 02:00 , Daniel Reast

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his stance on Russian athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Games, suggesting it showed that “terror is somehow acceptable”.

He added that he had sent a letter to French president Emmanuel Macron as part of his assertive campaign.

In his latest address, Zelensky said: “Attempts by the International Olympic Committee to bring Russian athletes back into the Olympic Games are attempts to tell the whole world that terror is somehow acceptable.

“As if you could shut your eyes to what Russia is doing in Kherson, Kharkiv, Bakhmut and Avdiivka,” all of which have been the focus of intense attacks in recent days.

His latest comments were accompanied by references to the “tragedies” of the 20th century, including the hosting of the 1936 Olympic Games in Hitler’s Berlin.

Zelensky added “The Olympic movement and terrorist states definitely should not cross paths.”

Read more here:

IOC will be on wrong ‘side of history’ if Russian athletes compete at Paris 2024

US military officials ‘urging’ supply of F-16 fighter jets, says defence department sources

Monday 30 January 2023 01:00 , Daniel Reast

Efforts within the US military high command to supply Ukrainian forces with modern F-16 fighter jets are quietly gaining pace, a defence department official has said.

Speaking with Politico, a senior official from the US department of defence said: “I don’t think we are opposed,” when asked if jets were being considered for supply.

A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment for this story, though referred reporters to previous statements made by deputy national security adviser Jon Finer.

Finer said that US officials would be discussing the prospect of fighter jets “very carefully” with Ukraine and its other western allies.

He continued: “We have not ruled in or out any specific systems.”

President Zelensky reiterated his plea for arms and military equipment in his latest daily address, where he said: “We must speed up the events, speed up the supply and opening of new necessary weaponry options for Ukraine.”

Putin threatened to kill me with missile strike, says Boris Johnson

Monday 30 January 2023 00:15 , Daniel Reast

Boris Johnson has claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him in a missile attack, saying “it would only take a minute” in a call ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.

The former prime minister said the “extraordinary” conversation occurred in February following his visit to Kyiv in a last-ditch attempt to show Western support for Ukraine, amid growing fears of invasion.

The former prime minister, who would later emerge as a key supporter among western allies of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, made the claim in a new series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with the Russian president in the years leading to the invasion.

Read more here:

Putin threatened to kill me with missile attack, says Boris Johnson

Four killed in Ukrainian attack on bridge in Melitopol, Russian authorities say

Monday 30 January 2023 00:01 , Daniel Reast

Four people were killed and five injured in an attack by Ukrainian forces on a bridge in Melitopol, a city in southeastern Ukraine.

Reported by Russian-installed head of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, wrote on Telegram that a rocket was launched at the railway bridge from across the Molochna river.

The Zaporizhzhia region has been partially occupied by Russia since it first invaded in February last year, and contains Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

Balitsky added that the rocket was launched from a Himars missile system, which are in production in the United States.

He added: “At this time, renovation work was under way at the facility. According to preliminary data, as a result of the shelling, four people from the railway brigade were killed, five were injured, they are receiving the necessary medical care.”

Reporters from news agency Reuters were unable to verify the accuracy of Balitsky’s statement.

Situation on frontline ‘very tough’, says Zelensky

Sunday 29 January 2023 23:00 , Daniel Reast

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of “constant Russian attacks” across frontline regions in his daily address.

In a markedly sombre tone, Zelensky said: “The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas in the Donetsk region are under constant Russian attacks.

“There are constant attempts to break through our defense.”

Zelensky repeated reports from his previous address on Saturday of fierce fighting in the Donetsk region, amid reports of Ukrainian forces struggling to hold Bakhmut, at the epicentre of fighting in the region.

President Zelensky continued: “We are doing everything to ensure that our pressure outweighs the occupiers’ assault capabilities.

“Russia hopes to drag out the war, to exhaust our forces. So we have to make time our weapon.

“We must speed up the events, speed up the supply and opening of new necessary weaponry options for Ukraine.”

President Zelensky also paid tribute to those killed in shelling in Kherson, where three people died on Sunday.

Russia-Japan disputed islands fishing talks ‘ruled out’, says Russian foreign ministry

Sunday 29 January 2023 22:00 , Daniel Reast

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Sunday it will not hold annual talks with Japan on renewing a pact allowing Japanese fishermen to operate near disputed islands.

The islands, off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories.

As reported on Russian state media, the defence ministry said: “In the context of the anti-Russian measures taken by the Japanese government ... the Russian side informed Tokyo that it could not agree on the holding of intergovernmental consultations on the implementation of this agreement.”

Japan tightened its sanctions regime on Russian trade, institutions and individuals on Friday in response to the increase in shelling attacks.

Russia had suspended the diplomatic agreement in June which allowed Japanese boats to fish near the islands, though the Japanese chief cabinet secretary has demanded the talks to go ahead.

Ukrainian defence ministry calls for F-16 fighter jets in Twitter post

Sunday 29 January 2023 21:15 , Daniel Reast

Heavy shelling in Kherson hits hospital, kills three civilians says Ukraine officials

Sunday 29 January 2023 20:30 , Daniel Reast

Three people were killed by Russian shelling on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Sunday, damaging a hospital and a school, regional officials said.

The administration wrote on Telegram: “Today’s Russian shelling injured nine people: three people died (two men and one woman), six were injured.”

In an earlier post, before casualties could be identified, it was reported: “As a result of enemy shelling, a number of civil infrastructure objects were damaged: the Kherson Regional Clinical Hospital, a school, a bus station, a post office, a bank, and residential buildings.”

Ukraine’s ministry of health posted on Facebook that a nurse was wounded in the attacks.

Ukraine recaptured Kherson in November after Russian forces occupied the city in the early days of the conflict.

The city has since seen regular shelling and attacks from Russian positions across the Dnipro river.

Ukraine’s western allies concerned ‘time might be on Russia’s side’, say officials

Sunday 29 January 2023 20:15 , Daniel Reast

Officials from Ukraine’s western allies have reported concern that the “window for Ukraine isn’t indefinite”, requiring more munitions and supply to break through.

Cited in a report from the Wall Street Journal, the unnamed officials from western nations suggest Russian forces will control any ‘war of attrition’, with Ukraine needing an expansion of supply of powerful military equipment to counter this.

Recent expansion of conscription, military training in Russian schools and continued ability to finance spending in the conflict have suggested Moscow has a greater ability to stay in the war.

According to the Ukrainian armed forces’ General Staff, Russia has lost 126,000 troops and thousands of pieces of military hardware since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

The report also suggests that officials have less confidence in the ability of Ukraine’s armed forces to carry out offensives seen last year.

Ukrainian president Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News that Ukraine needs “500 tanks” to liberate its provinces.

Alleged Ukrainian shelling into Russia left villages without electricity, says Russian governor

Sunday 29 January 2023 19:30 , Daniel Reast

The Russian regional governor for Kursk, situated on the northeastern border of Ukraine, has reported shelling of the bordering region and strikes on Russian villages.

Alleged mortar strikes cut off two villages from electricity, however there were no reported casualties.

Governor Roman Starovoyt said on Telegram messaging app: “The village of Chervonozhovtneve of the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region came under mortar fire from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“12 hits were recorded. There are no casualties. Power supply lines were damaged, which left the village of Chervonozhovtneve and the neighboring village of Volfino without electricity.”

Ukraine’s military has not commented on the alleged attack.

Possibility of military aircraft a ‘game changer’, says Ukraine defence minister

Sunday 29 January 2023 18:45 , Daniel Reast

Early talks on the supply of military aircraft and long-range missiles for Ukrainian forces could be a “game changer”, Ukraine’s defence minister has said.

Speaking with Canada’s CBC, defence minister Olek Reznikov said he had written a “wish list to Santa” for military supplies.

Reznikov said the list contained: “fighter jets, aircraft, and probably rockets… long-hand options to hit the Russians’ fuel depots, ammunition depots, and their commanders.”

Presidential adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Ukraine was in “fast track talks” to secure a supply of new missiles and military equipment.

Ukraine’s western allies have so far declined to supply military aircraft such as fighter jets. But Reznikov said that military equipment and weapons previously refused by allies, were now arriving in Ukraine.

The minister added: “For me, everything that’s impossible today [will be] possible tomorrow.”

Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, was quoted in the Spanish newspaper El Pais saying that their forces aim to receive 24 fighter jets, though Germany has previously said jets were ‘off the table’.

Read more here:

Ukraine in ‘fast-track’ talks with allies for fighter jets and missiles