Ukraine-Russia war – latest: Putin says he will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus

Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said.

Mr Putin said that such a move would not violate any nuclear nonproliferation agreements. He added that the US has stationed nuclear weapons on the territory of European allies.

The Russian president said he had agreed with president Lukashenko of Belarus, a supporter of the invasion, that Russia would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus “without violating our international obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

Russia has moved ten aircraft to Belarus that would be capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, president Putin claimed.

It comes after Russia‘s parliament speaker proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin, accusing him of the war crimes.

Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Mr Putin, said that Russian legislation should be amended to prohibit any activity of the ICC in Russia and to punish any who gave “assistance and support” to the body.

Key points

• Putin ally threatens to ban ICC in Russia

• Battle of Bakhmut ‘stabilising', says commander

• Thousands of civilians ‘at the limit of existence’ in Bakhmut, says Red Cross

• Ukraine plans counteroffensive in east and south

• We don’t want conflict with Nato – Medvedev

11:05 , Martha Mchardy

Russia has launched at least 71 Iranian-made kamikaze drones this month, after a two-week pause, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

The ministry said that the drones are likely being launched from two axes - Russia’s Krasnodar Krai in the east and Bryansk Oblast in the north-east - with the goal of decreasing flying time to targets in the north of Ukraine and further stretching Ukrainian air defences.

The development suggests that “Russia has likely started receiving regular resupplies of small numbers” of the Shahed drones, the ministry said.

Ukrainian ballerina uprooted by war flies high again in Swan Lake

11:00 , Martha Mchardy

After the lights dim in Budapest’s magnificent opera house, Ukrainian ballerina Ganna Muromtseva flutters high with undulating arms as she performs the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. At the end, the audience bursts into applause.

One year ago, the 29-year-old dancer fled Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on a packed train with thousands of other refugees after the Russian invasion, wondering if she would ever be on stage again.

Muromtseva was at the peak of her career at the National Opera of Ukraine when the war rewrote all her plans.

Marton Monus and Krisztina Than report:

Ukrainian ballerina uprooted by war flies high again in Swan Lake

Watch: Mural of Ukrainian soldier killed by Russian troops painted on police station

10:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia launches new campaign to entice men to fight in Ukraine

09:00 , Martha Mchardy

Russia has launched a new campaign, seeking volunteers to replenish the country’s troops for the war in Ukraine.

Advertisements promise cash bonuses and other benefits, recruiters make cold calls to eligible men, and enlistment offices are working with universities and social service agencies to lure students and the unemployed.

As fighting grinds on in Ukrainian battlegrounds like Bakhmut and both sides prepare for counter-offensives that could cost even more lives, the Kremlin’s war machine badly needs new recruits.

A mobilisation in September of 300,000 reservists - billed as a “partial” call-up - sent panic throughout the country, since most men under 65 are formally part of the reserve. Tens of thousands fled Russia rather than report to recruiting stations.

The Kremlin denies that another call-up is planned for what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, now more than a year old.

But amid widespread uncertainty of whether such a move will eventually happen, the government is enticing men to volunteer, either at makeshift recruiting centres popping up in various regions, or with phone calls from enlistment officials.

That way, it can “avoid declaring a formal second mobilisation wave” after the first one proved so unpopular, according to a recent report by the US-based think tank Institute of the Study of War.

Ukraine security chief: Basing Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will destabilise Belarus

07:50 , Martha Mchardy

A top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday that Russian plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would destabilise that country.

“The kremlin took Belarus as a nuclear hostage,” Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, wrote on Twitter.

Putin says he will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus

07:49 , Martha Mchardy

Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said.

Mr Putin said that such a move would not violate any nuclear nonproliferation agreements. He added that the US has stationed nuclear weapons on the territory of European allies.

“There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades.

“They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” he said.

The Russian president said he had agreed with president Lukashenko of Belarus, a supporter of the invasion, that Russia would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus “without violating our international obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

Russia has moved ten aircraft to Belarus that would be capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, president Putin claimed.

Mr Putin did not specify when the weapons would be transferred to Belarus, but claimed he construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July 1.

Wagner mercenaries ‘running out of steam’ as Ukraine plans counteroffensive

07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Russia’s Wagner mercenaries are “running out of steam” and Ukraine will soon launch a counteroffensive, a military official has said.

Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed that the group, who have been at the front of Moscow’s assault on eastern and southern Ukraine, are losing “considerable strength” amid the fight for Bakhmut.

The Ukrainian military also claimed 1,020 Russian troops had been killed in the past 24 hours after unsuccessful attacks on Lyman, Avdiivka, Marinka and Shakhtarsk.

Eleanor Noyce has more.

Wagner mercenaries ‘running out of steam’ as Ukraine plans counteroffensive

More Britons urged to host refugees on Homes for Ukraine scheme anniversary

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Kyiv’s ambassador has urged more people in the UK to host refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion, on the one-year anniversary of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Thanking Britons for standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine, ambassador Vadym Prystaiko said in a video message that 160,000 Ukrainian women and children had now arrived under the scheme since Vladimir Putin’s invasion last February – but warned that “some still need your help”.

Refugee charities told The Independent that Homes for Ukraine had been “riddled with flaws” in its first year, while councils cautioned that “significant challenges remain” to ensure Ukrainian refugees “can be supported in the long-term”.

Andy Gregory reports.

More Britons urged to host refugees on Homes for Ukraine anniversary

Russia pardons over 5,000 prisoners after fighting in Ukraine

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More than 5,000 Russian prisoners who fought in Ukraine were pardoned after finishing their contracts to fight in the war, the founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the Wagner Group, reportedly recruited thousands of men from prisons, offering them the chance of freedom in return for serving in some of the most dangerous battles in Ukraine.

"At the present time, more than 5,000 people have been released on pardon after completing their contracts with Wagner," Prigozhin said.

Spain's PM to push for 'territorial integrity' for Ukraine in China visit

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he would push for fair peace in the war in Ukraine that included "territorial integrity" during a state visit to China next week.

Mr Sanchez, speaking to journalists at the Ibero-American Summit meeting in the Dominican Republic, said he would discuss peace prospects with Chinese president Xi Jinping, who is trying to position himself as a mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"The most important thing ... is that when this peace is reached in Ukraine, it will be fair and lasting ... and when we talk about fair, I mean that the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has been violated by Putin, is respected," Mr Sanchez said in a news conference.

Ukraine says battle for Bakhmut is ‘stabilising’

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The top commander of Ukraine’s military said his forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut.

“The Bakhmut direction is the most difficult. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defense forces, the situation is being stabilised,” Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in a post on Telegram giving a synopsis of a telephone call with Adm Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defence staff.

The seven-month battle for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest clash of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and fighters of the mercenary Wagner Group.

Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the eastern Donbas region, though Western officials say that the capture of the city would have limited impact on the course of the war.

More here.

Ukraine says battle for Bakhmut is 'stabilizing'

India says Russia is reneging on major arms delivery commitments due to war

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Russia is reneging on its weapon delivery commitments to India as arms supplies have hit a roadblock due to the war in Ukraine, according to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The comments seem to be the first sign that India could recalibrate its dependency on Russia amid continuing border challenges it faces from its nuclear neighbours Pakistan and China.

The IAF told a committee of India’s lower house in parliament in a statement published that Russia had scheduled a “major delivery” this year, without specifying what this delivery was.

Shweta Sharma reports.

Russia reneging on major arms delivery commitments due to Ukraine war, says India

04:24 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

New Zealand foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta has expressed concern to China over any provision of lethal aid to support Russia in its war against Ukraine during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart.

Her press office yesterday detailed Mahuta’s cautionary remarks in Beijing, days after Chinese president Xi Jinping concluded his trip to Moscow, a warm affair in which Xi and Russian president Vladimir Putin praised each other and spoke of a profound friendship.

Mahuta’s four-day trip, which began Wednesday, was the first made by a New Zealand foreign minister to Beijing since 2018 but it came at an awkward time as Xi visited Moscow the same week to give Putin a diplomatic boost after the International Criminal Court said it wants to put him on trial for alleged war crimes.

More here.

New Zealand tells China its concern on lethal aid to Russia

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons statement

02:00 , William Mata

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has spoken out against Vladimir Putin’s decision to store nuclear weapons in Belarus.

“As long as President Putin has nuclear weapons, Europe cannot be safe,” ICAN’s interim executive director Daniel Hoegsta said in a statement on Saturday.

“He justfies this dangerous escalation by citing decades of NATO nuclear sharing. As long as countries continue their complicity in considering nuclear weapons as anything other than a global problem, this helps give Putin cover to get away with this kind of behaviour.”

Gazprom reduces gas export to EU via Ukraine by 15 per cent - reports

Saturday 25 March 2023 23:00 , William Mata

Russian state gas provider Gazprom is set to reduce its export to the EU by 15 per cent.

The Kyiv Independent news site reported on Saturday that Gazprom recorded a gas transit flow of 42.5 million cubic meters from Russia to the EU through Ukraine's Sumy Oblast on March 24.

“On March 25, the volume fell to 36.2 million cubic meters, according to RBC,” a tweet added.

Ukraine war: A week in pictures

Saturday 25 March 2023 22:00 , William Mata

‘Russia’s assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled ‘ UK government

Saturday 25 March 2023 21:00 , William Mata

Russia’s assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled, the UK government has said in a tweet.

The Ministry of Defence wrote on Saturday that both sides have suffered huge casualties but that Russia’s own expenditure has led to things stalling.

The statement added: “The Russian situation has also likely been made worse by tensions between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner Group, both of whom contribute troops in the sector.”

“Russia has likely shifted its operational focus towards Avdiivka, south of Bakhmut, and to the Kremina-Svatove sector in the north, areas where Russia likely only aspires to stabilise its front line..

“This suggests an overall return to a more defensive operational design after inconclusive results from its attempts to conduct a general offensive since January 2023.”

Zelensky: We cannot launch offensive without more weapons

Saturday 25 March 2023 20:11 , Holly Bancroft

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his forces cannot launch a counter-offensive for Bahkmut without more weapons.

Speaking to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Mr Zelensky said: “We can’t launch it yet. Without tanks, artillery and Himars, we cannot send our brave soldiers to the frontlines.”

Himars, or high-mobility artillery rocket systems, can fire shells up to 50 miles. Western allies have expressed concerns that Ukrainian forces have been firing ammunition at a faster rate than they can be resupplied.

Mr Zelensky also told the Japanese newspaper that China’s peace plan, presented by President Xi to President Putin, was meaningless without respect for Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Hungary: Criticism makes it hard to cooperate with West

Saturday 25 March 2023 19:00 , William Mata

The West's steady criticism of Hungary on democratic and cultural issues makes the small European country's right-wing government reluctant to offer support on practical matters, specifically NATO's buildup against Russia, Hungary's foreign minister said.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also said Friday that his country has not voted on whether to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO because Hungarian lawmakers are sick of those countries' critiques of Hungarian domestic affairs.

Lawmakers from the governing party plan to vote Monday in favor of the Finnish request but "serious concerns were raised" about Finland and Sweden in recent months "mostly because of the very disrespectful behavior of the political elites of both countries towards Hungary," Szijjártó said.

"You know, when Finnish and Swedish politicians question the democratic nature of our political system, that's really unacceptable," he said.

New Zealand tells China its concern on lethal aid to Russia

Saturday 25 March 2023 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has expressed concern to China over any provision of lethal aid to support Russia in its war against Ukraine during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart.

Her press office on Saturday detailed Mahuta’s cautionary remarks in Beijing, days after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his trip to Moscow, a warm affair in which Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised each other and spoke of a profound friendship.

Mahuta’s four-day trip, which began Wednesday, was the first made by a New Zealand foreign minister to Beijing since 2018 but it came at an awkward time as Xi visited Moscow the same week to give Putin a diplomatic boost after the International Criminal Court said it wants to put him on trial for alleged war crimes.

New Zealand tells China its concern on lethal aid to Russia

More funding announced as Kyiv asks for more Britons to take in Ukrainians

Saturday 25 March 2023 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British households taking in Ukrainian refugees who have been in the country for more than a year are to receive an increased “thank you” payment as Kyiv’s ambassador implored more sponsors to offer accommodation.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK thanked the British people for their generosity in coming to the aid of those fleeing the conflict caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But Vadym Prystaiko added that “some still need your help” as he called for “those who can” to open their doors to families displaced from their homeland.

As part of the UK’s response to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s attack on Kyiv in February 2022, ministers established the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with thousands of volunteers coming forward to offer shelter to refugees.

More funding announced as Kyiv asks for more Britons to take in Ukrainians

Medvedev says Russia will nuke any country that tries to arrest Putin

Saturday 25 March 2023 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Dmitry Medvedev has said that any attempt to arrest Vladimir Putin would amount to a declaration of war against Moscow.

The former Russian president and prime minister also warned that the threat of a “nuclear apocalypse” has not passed.

He has, in the past, often talked about the use of nuclear weapons in the context of last year’s Ukraine invasion, and has emerged as one of Mr Putin’s most hawkish and outspoken deputies.

His new comments come just days after he speculated that a hypersonic missile could be fired at the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquarters at The Hague after the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin.

Arpan Rai reports:

Medvedev says Russia will nuke any country that tries to arrest Putin

Russia strikes deal with Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons

Saturday 25 March 2023 17:29 , Holly Bancroft

Russia has struck a deal with neighbouring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, Tass news agency quoted President Vladimir Putin as saying on Saturday.

Such a move would not violate nuclear nonproliferation agreements, Mr Putin said, adding that the United States had stationed nuclear weapons on the territory of European allies.

Russia reneging on major arms delivery commitments due to Ukraine war, says India

Saturday 25 March 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

n case you missed it...

Russia is reneging on its weapon delivery commitments to India as arms supplies have hit a roadblock due to the war in Ukraine, according to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The comments seem to be the first sign that India could recalibrate its dependency on Russia amid continuing border challenges it faces from its nuclear neighbours Pakistan and China.

The IAF told a committee of India’s lower house in parliament in a statement published on Tuesday that Russia had scheduled a “major delivery” this year, without specifying what this delivery was.

Shweta Sharma reports:

Russia reneging on major arms delivery commitments due to Ukraine war, says India

Rescued Ukrainian children recount horrors of Russia deportation and ‘torture’

Saturday 25 March 2023 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian children who returned from Russia after months of being deported have recounted the political indoctrination and mental trauma they endured during their detention.

At least 17 children, residents of besieged Kharkiv and Kherson, came back to Ukraine this week, non-profit Save Ukraine said in a release on Thursday.

An emotional video of their return to Ukraine from Crimea showed at least eight children, including teenagers, being reunited with their families after stepping out of a minivan.

Another social media post by Save Ukraine shows the children with their belongings at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

Rescued Ukrainian children recount horrors of Russia deportation and ‘torture’

What is the latest in diplomacy from the war?

Saturday 25 March 2023 15:46 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Here is the latest on the diplomatic scene:

* Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Erdogan thanked Putin for his “positive attitude” in extending the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said in a statement.

* Russia‘s parliament speaker on Saturday proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant earlier this month for Putin, accusing him of the war crimes.

* Democratic and Republican U.S. senators urged the Biden administration on Friday to share information with the ICC as it pursues war crimes charges against Putin.

* Air force commanders from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said on Friday they have signed a letter of intent to create a unified Nordic air defence aimed at countering the rising threat from Russia.

Ukraine says battle for Bakhmut is ‘stabilising’

Saturday 25 March 2023 15:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The top commander of Ukraine‘s military said Saturday that his forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.

“The Bakhmut direction is the most difficult. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defense forces, the situation is being stabilised,” Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in a post on Telegram giving a synopsis of a telephone call with Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defense staff.

The seven-month battle for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest clash of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and fighters of the mercenary Wagner Group.

Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the eastern Donbas region, though Western officials say that the capture of the city would have limited impact on the course of the war.

Britain’s Defence Intelligence agency said on Twitter that “Russia‘s assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled. This is likely primarily a result of extreme attrition of the Russian force.”

Russia is likely shifting its focus toward two other sectors, which “suggests an overall return to a more defensive operational design after inconclusive results from its attempts to conduct a general offensive since January.”

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk province, where Bakhmut is located, said one civilian was killed in the Bakhmut fighting on Friday and another civilian was killed elsewhere.

Russian rockets hit the town of Kramatorsk during the night, but caused no injuries, Kyrylenko said.

Two people were killed and six injured in Russian firing on the southern Kherson region, the local administration said.

Kyiv ambassador urges more Britons to host refugees on Homes for Ukraine scheme anniversary

Saturday 25 March 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Kyiv’s ambassador has urged more people in the UK to host refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion, on the one-year anniversary of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Thanking Britons for standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine, ambassador Vadym Prystaiko said in a video message that 160,000 Ukrainian women and children had now arrived under the scheme since Vladimir Putin’s invasion last February – but warned that “some still need your help”.

Refugee charities told The Independent that Homes for Ukraine had been “riddled with flaws” in its first year, while councils cautioned that “significant challenges remain” to ensure Ukrainian refugees “can be supported in the long-term”.

More Britons urged to host refugees on Homes for Ukraine anniversary

Russia pardons 5,000 former criminals after fighting in Ukraine, Prigozhin says

Saturday 25 March 2023 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

More than 5,000 former criminals have been pardoned after finishing their contracts to fight in Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group against Ukraine, the founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Saturday.

Wagner Group, originally staffed by battle-hardened veterans of the Russian armed forces, took on a much more prominent role in the Ukraine war after the Russian army suffered a series of humiliating defeats last year.

Prigozhin emerged from the shadows and recruited thousands of men from prisons, offering them the chance of freedom in return for serving in some of the most dangerous battles in Ukraine.

“At the present time, more than 5,000 people have been released on pardon after completing their contracts with Wagner,” Prigozhin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said in an audio clip posted on Telegram.

Prigozhin said just 0.31% of those pardoned after Wagner service had gone on to commit crime, a figure he said was 10-20 times less than the standard indicators.

Prigozhin, sometimes dubbed “Putin’s Chef” for his sprawling catering businesses, is the most powerful of a group of Putin allies who now control what are essentially private armies that recruit top military officers, former spies and convicts.

The United States casts Prigozhin as an oligarch and has sanctioned him for attempts to interfere in U.S. elections and for spreading Russian disinformation across the globe.

Prigozhin, who served nine years in prison in Soviet times for robbery and other crimes before going into business during the 1990s, has admitted interfering in U.S. elections and acknowledged for the first time his role in founding Wagner.

Wagner, which has fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali, casts itself as the most battle-hardened mercenary group in the world.

It dismisses Western criticism of what it says are sometimes harsh methods and strict discipline by pointing to the use of private military contractors by the United States and its allies around the world.

Putin ally threatens to ban ICC in Russia

Saturday 25 March 2023 12:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s parliament speaker on Saturday proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crimes.

Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Putin’s, said that Russian legislation should be amended to prohibit any activity of the ICC in Russia and to punish any who gave “assistance and support” to the ICC.

“It is necessary to work out amendments to legislation prohibiting any activity of the ICC on the territory of our country,” Volodin said in a Telegram post

Putin and Erdogan hold phone call

Saturday 25 March 2023 12:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian resident Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Turkish presidency said earlier on Saturday that Erdogan thanked Putin for his “positive attitude” in extending the Black Sea grain deal.

What is happening with Putin and ICC?

Saturday 25 March 2023 11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Here is the latest update in Ukraine-Russia diplomacy:

* Russia‘s parliament speaker on Saturday proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant earlier this month for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crimes.

* Democratic and Republican U.S. senators urged the Biden administration on Friday to share information with the ICC as it pursues war crimes charges against Putin.

* Air force commanders from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said on Friday they have signed a letter of intent to create a unified Nordic air defence aimed at countering the rising threat from Russia.

Ukrainian ballerina uprooted by war flies high again in Swan Lake

Saturday 25 March 2023 11:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

After the lights dim in Budapest’s magnificent opera house, Ukrainian ballerina Ganna Muromtseva flutters high with undulating arms as she performs the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. At the end, the audience bursts into applause.

One year ago, the 29-year-old dancer fled Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on a packed train with thousands of other refugees after the Russian invasion, wondering if she would ever be on stage again.

Muromtseva was at the peak of her career at the National Opera of Ukraine when the war rewrote all her plans.

She last performed in Kyiv on 22 February 2022.

Ukrainian ballerina uprooted by war flies high again in Swan Lake

New Zealand soldier who founded veterans’ charity killed fighting in Ukraine

Saturday 25 March 2023 10:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

A New Zealand soldier who co-founded a veteran’s charity has been killed in Ukraine, authorities said.

Kane Te Tai, 38, helped register the No Duff Charitable Trust to support veterans in crisis.

“It’s with immense sadness that we share the news that No Duff co-founder Kane Te Tai has been reportedly Killed In Action in the Ukraine,” the trust said on Wednesday in a statement on Facebook.

His death was also confirmed by Ukrainian authorities and the New Zealand embassy in Poland was trying to find out more details, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

Te Tai had served as an army soldier from 2002 until 2009, according to New Zealand’s defense ministry.

New Zealand soldier who founded veterans’ charity killed fighting in Ukraine