Ukraine war – latest news: China’s Xi to meet Putin in Russia next week, Kremlin confirms

China’s president Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation by Vladimir Putin to conduct a state visit to Russia on Monday, the Kremlin has announced.

China and Russia struck a “no limits” partnership in February 2022, just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, and Beijing has recently offered to broker peace in the war.

China said the visit aimed to deepen bilateral trust with Russia and that the two leaders would discuss major international and regional issues.

Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a rare phone conversation that Beijing is concerned about the war spinning out of control.

He was quoted as urging that all parties remain “calm, rational and restrained” and saying: “China will continue to play a constructive role toward reaching a cease-fire, ending warfare, mitigating the crisis and restoring peace.”

Meanwhile, Russia was likely trying to recover debris from the US surveillance drone it allegedly intercepted over the Black Sea, according to the Pentagon, which claimed it was “very unlikely that they would be able to recover anything useful”.

Key points

• China’s Xi to meet Putin in Russia next week, Kremlin confirms

• Weaponised drone made in China shot down in Ukraine

• UN finds no evidence of genocide in Ukraine

• Poland detains ‘Russian spies preparing to sabotage weapons to Ukraine'

• RAF and German air force intercept Russian aircraft in ‘routine’ Nato mission

• Drone crash incident a provocation, says Russia’s ambassador to US

China’s Xi Jinping to meet Vladimir Putin in state visit to Russia next week, Kremlin says

07:39 , Andy Gregory

Chinese president Xi Jinping will accept an invite by Vladimir Putin to conduct a state visit to Russia next week, the Kremlin has announced.

China and Russia struck a “no limits” partnership in February 2022, just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, and last month Beijing offered to broker peace in the war.

“During the talks, they will discuss topical issues of further development of comprehensive partnership relations and strategic cooperation between Russia and China,” the Kremlin said, adding: “A number of important bilateral documents will be signed.”

Meanwhile, in a rare phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba this week that Beijing is concerned about the war spinning out of control.

“We hope that all parties will remain calm, rational and restrained, resume peace talks as soon as possible, and push for a return to the track of political settlement,” Mr Qin was quoted by Beijing as saying.

“China will continue to play a constructive role toward reaching a cease-fire, ending warfare, mitigating the crisis and restoring peace,” he said.

Slovakia to give Ukraine fleet of fighter jets

09:50 , Andy Gregory

Slovakia has become the second Nato member to approve plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Prime minister Eduard Heger announced his government’s unanimous decision to give Ukraine its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets – which Slovakia no longer uses.

On Thursday, Poland’s president said his country will give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets.

President Andrzej Duda said Poland will hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes in the coming days and others that need servicing later.

Russia decorates pilots for intercepting US drone

09:19 , Andy Gregory

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu presented pilots with awards for preventing a US drone from entering the area of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russian state media has reported, citing Moscow’s defence ministry.

The drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian fighter jets, according to Washington.

Russia denies that its jets came into contact with the drone, but said it would seek to recover the debris from the Black Sea – an attempt the US insisted was highly unlikely to be successful.

Russian losses mean commanders face choice between offensives and ‘conducting credible defence’, says UK

08:55 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s combat power is so depleted that Vladimir Putin’s commanders “will likely be forced to choose between carrying out offensive operations and conducting a credible defence of the full line”, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has claimed.

Russian and Wagner Group forces have obtained footholds west of the Bakhmutka River in the centre of Bakhmut in recent days, with Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to defend the west of the town, according to UK intelligence,

“However, more broadly across the front line, Russia is conducting some of the lowest rates of local offensive action that has been seen since at least January 2023,” the ministry said.

“This is most likely because Russian forces have temporarily depleted the deployed formations’ combat power to such an extent that even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable.

“Russian leaders will likely seek to regenerate the offensive potential of the force once personnel and munition stocks are replenished. In the meantime, commanders will likely be forced to choose between carrying out offensive operations and conducting a credible defence of the full line.”

Russia likely trying to recover US drone debris in Black Sea, Pentagon says

08:27 , Andy Gregory

The Pentagon has said it has “indications that Russia is likely making an effort to try to recover” the US drone it alleges was intercepted by Moscow’s fighter jets over the Black Sea.

Russia had previously stated its intention to look for debris in deep waters near Crimea, and a US official told Reuters that Russian ships had been seen near the area where the drone had crashed, though they did not appear to have recovered any parts of the drone yet.

The Pentagon said it believed it was “very unlikely that they would be able to recover anything useful”.

Xi’s state visit aims to deepen bilateral trust with Russia, says China

07:59 , Andy Gregory

China’s president Xi Jinping will exchange opinions on major international and regional issues with Vladimir Putin during his state visit to Russia, China's foreign ministry has said.

The objective of the visit is to further deepen bilateral trust, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news briefing.

Russia has committed ‘widespread’ war crimes in Ukraine, UN-backed inquiry says

07:00 , Sam Rkaina

Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a UN-backed inquiry.

The sweeping human rights report, released a year to the day after a Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol killed hundreds sheltering inside, marked a highly unusual condemnation of a member of the UN Security Council.

Among potential crimes against humanity, the report cited repeated attacks targeting Ukrainian infrastructure since the fall that left hundreds of thousands without heat and electricity during the coldest months, as well as the “systematic and widespread” use of torture across multiple regions under Russian occupation.

Click here for the full story.

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls claims that Putin plans to invade more of Europe 'lies'

06:30 , Sam Rkaina

Why China is trying to mediate in the Ukraine invasion

06:00 , Sam Rkaina

Mary Dejevsky writes: “So taken up was the Western world with reiterating its support for Ukraine a year after the Russian invasion, that it barely registered how a very large power on the other side of the world had marked the anniversary in a rather different way.

“Even as the United States, the UK and the Europeans were girding themselves for another year of conflict and competing for laurels in the supply of arms, China came out with... a peace plan.

“To the extent that the plan received any Western attention at all, it was dismissive. The general message was that now was no time for talking, and anyway that China had no business – and no credibility – in setting itself up as a potential go-between.”

Click here for Mary’s full piece.

ICYMI: Video captures moment Russian fighter jet crashes into US drone

05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The US Air Force has released video said to show a Russian jet intercepting a US drone and dumping fuel in its path over the Black Sea.

The American military said two Russian Su-27 jets intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace before one of them struck the aircraft’s propeller, causing US forces to have to bring it down.

Russia denied involvement, with a senior figure describing the episode as a “provocation.”

Thomas Kingsley has more on this story:

Video captures moment Russian fighter jet crashes into US drone

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China calls for grain deal to be dealt with in ‘balanced manner'

05:00 , Sam Rkaina

While Russia has not specifically said why it only wants a 60-day renewal, it has complained that its own food and fertilizer exports are being hindered by Western sanctions.

To help persuade Russia to allow Ukraine to resume its Black Sea grain exports last year, a three-year deal was also struck in July in which the United Nations agreed to help facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports.

Western powers have hit Russia with tough sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. While its food and fertilizer exports are not under sanctions, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance industries are a barrier to such shipments.

“Meaningful progress has been made but it is true that some obstacles remain, notably with regard to payment systems. Our efforts to overcome those obstacles will continue unabated,” Dujarric said on Tuesday.

Ukraine has so far exported nearly 25 million tonnes of mainly corn and wheat under the deal, according to the United Nations. The top primary destinations for shipments have been China, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.

When asked on Thursday about Russia’s proposal for a 60-day extension, China - a strategic partner of Moscow - called for the deal to be implemented in a balanced and comprehensive manner.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also said China would like to strengthen communication with all parties and enhance global food security.

Putin mocks Britons being offered turnips to eat as Western sanctions on Russia ‘fail’

04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Vladimir Putin has scoffed at the British public being offered turnips to eat during food shortages while claiming Russia’s economy is holding firm despite Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

In a speech to business leaders, Mr Putin said Western analysts had prophesied that Russia’s store shelves would empty and services collapse as a result of the sanctions.

“Life had other ideas,” he said. “The Western countries themselves ran into all the same problems. It’s got to the point where their leaders suggest that citizens switch to turnips instead of lettuce or tomatoes.”

Putin mocks Britons being offered turnips to eat as sanctions on Russia ‘fail’

UN backs call for 120 day extension of grain deal

04:00 , Sam Rkaina

The United Nations backed Turkey and Ukraine on Thursday by calling for a 120-day rollover of an agreement allowing the safe export of grain from several Ukrainian Black Sea ports after Russia said it would only extend the pact for 60 days.

The pact is due to expire on Saturday. It was brokered with Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey in July - and renewed in November - to combat a global food crisis that was fueled in part by Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of neighboring Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea grain exports.

“For us, the text in the agreement is clear and it calls for a 120-day rollover,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told Reuters when asked about remarks by Turkey.

Turkey said on Wednesday that it would continue talks to extend the deal for 120 days rather than 60 days. Ukraine has also said the agreement should be renewed for 120 days.

“The deal is being extended for 60 days,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday, when asked to comment on Dujarric’s remarks.

The difference in the Russian and U.N. interpretation of the duration of the deal “may simply be a display of (the U.N.’s) incompetence,” she added.

Dujarric said later that “discussions are ongoing.” Senior U.N. and Russian officials met in Geneva on Monday.

One person killed in fire at Russian spy agency building 40 miles from Ukraine

03:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

One person has been killed after a building used by Russia’s Federal Security Service caught fire on Thursday in a city just 43 miles from the Ukraine border.

Citing local emergency services, Russian state media reported that two people were also injured in the fire in Rostov.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show fire engulfing parts of the building, which belonged to the regional border patrol section of the FSB, with plumes of thick smoke rising over the city.

One person killed in fire at Russian spy agency building 40 miles from Ukraine

Russian court upholds conscripted soldier’s right to perform alternate duties

03:00 , Sam Rkaina

A court in Russia’s second-biggest city St Petersburg upheld for the first time the right of a soldier conscripted during the military campaign in Ukraine to perform alternative civil service, a rights group said.

The group Voenniy Ombudsmen (Military Ombudsman) said the Leningrad Region Court ruled on Thursday that Pavel Mushumansky was entitled to perform alternative service on the grounds of his religious beliefs.

Media reports from St. Petersburg said Mushumansky was an evangelical Christian and had already done alternative service in 2019 in place of his military service.

He was called up under President Vladimir Putin’s “partial mobilisation” order in September, but his request for a similar arrangement was rejected by military authorities. He was sent to a military unit.

A court outside St. Petersburg subsequently upheld his right to alternative service and Thursday’s ruling threw out an appeal launched by military officials on grounds that his right was not applicable to the special call-up.

“The ruling of the (lower court) was left in place with no changes and the appeal was rejected,” local news site fontanka.ru quoted his lawyer, Alexander Peredruk, as saying.

“There are formalities to complete linked to his discharge, but there are no grounds to keep him at the military base.”

“A precedent has been set,” Voenniy Ombudsman, which defends the rights of servicemen, said in its account of the ruling.

Officials said Putin’s mobilisation order, issued as Moscow’s military campaign ran into difficulty in Ukraine, resulted in 300,000 men being drafted.

But it also generated resistance, with protests in some areas and thousands of men leaving Russia. There have been widespread suggestions a new mobilisation order may be issued, but no plans have been announced.

Main economic and diplomatic developments from Thursday

02:00 , Sam Rkaina

• President Vladimir Putin, meeting members of Russia’s business elite for the first time since the invasion, urged them to invest in their country to help it weather what he called the West’s “sanctions war”.

• Poland will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, making it the first of Kyiv’s allies to provide such aircraft.

• The United Nations backed Turkey and Ukraine by calling for a 120-day rollover of an agreement allowing the safe export of grain from several Ukrainian Black Sea ports after Russia said it would only extend the pact for 60 days.

• China said it was concerned about an escalation of the war, and hoped Moscow and Kyiv would hold peace talks.

• Beijing, which has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion, has urged both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a comprehensive ceasefire in its 12-point paper on the “political resolution of the Ukraine crisis”.

Last developments from Ukraine frontline on Thursday

01:00 , Sam Rkaina

• In eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces continued to withstand Russian assaults on the now-ruined city of Bakhmut. Reuters reporters roughly 1 mile from the front lines could hear the constant boom of artillery and the crackle of small arms fire.

• The situation for Russian forces trying to capture the Bakhmut is “difficult” because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine’s Donetsk region said.

• A U.N.-mandated investigative body said Russian forces had committed wide-ranging war crimes in Ukraine such as wilful killings and torture. Russia dismissed the report.

• Convicts who fought for private militia Wagner described the horrors of the Ukraine war and their loyalty to their leader.

Latest on US drone incident

00:05 , Sam Rkaina

• In a 40-second video, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet comes very close to the drone and dumps what U.S. officials say was jet fuel near it in an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew over the Black Sea.

• It also shows the loss of the video feed after a second pass by a Russian jet.

• Russia has denied any collision took place and said the drone crashed after making “sharp manoeuvres”, having “provocatively” flown close to Russian air space near Crimea.

• The White House said the footage showed Russia was lying about what happened. “It’s pretty darn obvious when you look at that video that fighter jet hit our drone,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said.

US ‘confident nothing of value is in the wreckage'

Thursday 16 March 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina

Vladimir Putin argues that by providing weapons to Ukraine and sharing intelligence information with Kyiv, the U.S. and its allies have effectively become engaged in the war, now in its 13th month.

Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said Wednesday that an attempt would be made to recover the drone debris.

U.S. officials have expressed confidence that nothing of military value would remain from the drone even if Russia retrieved the wreckage.

They left open the possibility of trying to recover portions of the downed $32 million aircraft, which they said crashed into waters that were 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 meters) deep, although the U.S. does not have any ships in the area.

Russia and NATO member countries routinely intercept each other’s warplanes, but Tuesday’s incident marked the first time since the Cold War that a U.S. aircraft went down during such a confrontation, raising concerns it could bring the United States and Russia closer to a direct conflict.

Moscow has repeatedly voiced concern about U.S. intelligence flights near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014 and illegally annexed.

The top U.S. and Russian defense and military leaders spoke Wednesday about the destruction of the drone, underscoring the event’s seriousness.

The calls between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as well as between Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russian General Staff, were the first since October.

US strike more diplomatic tone over drone incident

Thursday 16 March 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina

The Biden administration released video Thursday of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone as the U.S. sought to hold Russia responsible for the collision that led to the drone’s crash into the Black Sea without escalating already fraught tensions with the Kremlin.

Poland, meanwhile, said it’s giving Ukraine a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the first NATO member to fulfill Kyiv’s increasingly urgent requests for warplanes.

The U.S. military’s declassified 42-second color footage shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 Reaper drone and releasing fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding the drone’s optical instruments to drive it from the area.

On a second approach, either the same jet or another Russian Su-27 that had been shadowing the MQ-9 struck the drone’s propeller, damaging a blade, according to the U.S. military, which said it then ditched the aircraft in the sea.

The video excerpt does not show the collision, although it does show the damage to the propeller.

Russia said its fighters didn’t strike the drone and claimed the unmanned aerial vehicle went down after making a sharp maneuver.

While calling out Russia for “reckless” action, the White House tried to strike a balance to avoid exacerbating tensions. U.S. officials said they have not been able to determine whether the Russian pilot intentionally struck the American drone and stressed that lines of communication with Moscow remain open.

“I can’t point to that video and say this is a deliberate attempt to escalate or ... tangibly bring about Putin’s false claim that this is about the West versus Russia.,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We have made clear on many occasions, we do not seek a conflict with Russia.”

Putin mocks Britons being offered turnips to eat as Western sanctions on Russia ‘fail’

Thursday 16 March 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina

Vladimir Putin has scoffed at the British public being offered turnips to eat during food shortages, while claiming Russia’s economy is holding firm despite Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

In a speech to business leaders, Mr Putin said Western analysts had prophesised that Russia’s store shelves would empty and services collapse as a result of the sanctions.

“Life had other ideas,” he said. “The Western countries themselves ran into all the same problems. It’s got to the point where their leaders suggest that citizens switch to turnips instead of lettuce or tomatoes.”

Click here for the full story.

Zelensky speaks to Sunak

Thursday 16 March 2023 20:15 , Sam Rkaina

A Downing Street spokeswoman said:“The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenksy this afternoon.

“The President updated on the latest situation in Bakhmut, and the leaders discussed the impressive defence of the city by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Both leaders paid tribute to the bravery of all those defending the region.

“The Prime Minister reflected on his discussions with his French, US and Australian counterparts in recent days, and said the UK continued to work closely with allies to ensure Ukraine received the defensive equipment it needed.

“He added that it was vital Ukraine had the capabilities to change the battlefield equation as soon as possible, and updated on the delivery of further UK military aid.

“Discussing the ongoing training of Ukrainian forces in the UK, the Prime Minister said marines were today out on exercise in the UK, and both leaders agreed the addition of French forces to that training programme would help give Ukraine an additional advantage on the battlefield.

“The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.”

One person killed in fire at Russian spy agency building 40 miles from Ukraine

Thursday 16 March 2023 19:35 , Sam Rkaina

One person has been killed after a building used by Russia’s Federal Security Service caught fire on Thursday in a city just 43 miles from the Ukraine border.

Citing local emergency services, Russian state media reported that two people were also injured in the fire in Rostov.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show fire engulfing parts of the building, which belonged to the regional border patrol section of the FSB, with plumes of thick smoke rising over the city.

Click here for the full story.

Watch: One killed after explosion in Russian spy agency building 75 miles from Ukraine

Thursday 16 March 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson

ICYMI | UK’s Cleverly tells struggling Moldova: ‘You are not alone’

Thursday 16 March 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson

UK's Cleverly tells struggling Moldova: 'You are not alone'

Russian security service building catches fire in Rostov

Thursday 16 March 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson

A building used by Russia’s Federal Security Service caught fire today in the southern Russian city of Rostov, which is located about 70 kilometres (43 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

Russian state media, citing local emergency services, reported that one person died and two people were injured.

The building belonged to the regional border patrol section of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the media reports said.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show fire engulfing parts of the building, with plumes of thick smoke rising over the city.

Watch: Fire engulfs hotel 'housing hundreds of Ukrainian refugees'

Thursday 16 March 2023 17:30 , Emily Atkinson

Poland to be first Nato member to give Ukraine fighter jets

Thursday 16 March 2023 17:00 , Emily Atkinson

Poland plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first Nato member to fulfill the Ukrainian government’s increasingly urgent requests for warplanes.President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes “within the next few days” and that the rest needed servicing and would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe their number can mean between 11 and 19.“They are in the last years of their functioning but they are in good working condition,” Duda said of the aircraft.Duda did not say whether other countries would be making the same move, although Slovakia has said it would send its disused MiGs to Ukraine.

Zelensky thanks British journalists for ‘vital support’ in war against Russia

Thursday 16 March 2023 16:30 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the country “needs the world’s attention even more than before” as he thanked British journalists for their “vital support” in the war against Russia.

In a keynote address to a conference in London on Wednesday (15 March), Mr Zelensky urged more reporters to travel to Ukraine to “spread the truth about the Russian aggression, support our defence, and give Ukrainian life worth.”

He told representatives of the British media the country had issued over 15,000 accreditations to foreign journalists since the beginning of the conflict.

More here:

Zelensky thanks British journalists for ‘vital support’ in war against Russia

US sees spike in unprofessional Russian Air Force behavior over Syria

Thursday 16 March 2023 16:00 , Emily Atkinson

The US military has seen a significant spike in unprofessional behavior by Russia’s air force in Syria since 1 March, the top U.S commander for the region said on Thursday, citing flights by armed Russian warplanes over US bases there as an example.

“We have seen a significant spike since about 1 March in Syria,” General Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The comments by Kurilla follow US assertions that Russia’s intercept of a drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday was part of a pattern of more aggressive behavior by Russia’s military.

Ukraine and China 'discuss significance of territorial integrity’

Thursday 16 March 2023 15:30 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he and senior Chinese diplomat Qin Gang had discussed the “significance of the principle of territorial integrity” during a phone call on Thursday.

“I underscored the importance of (Volodymyr Zelensky’s) Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

A Chinese foreign ministry statement quoted Qin as saying Beijing was concerned about an escalation of the war in Ukraine and that it wants Moscow and Kyiv to engage in peace talks.

Weaponised drone made in China shot down in Ukraine

Thursday 16 March 2023 15:05 , Emily Atkinson

A Chinese-made commercial drone that was retrofitted and weaponised has been shot down in Ukraine.

The Mugin-5, available for sale on Alibaba - China’s equivalent of Amazon - was taken out of the sky by AK-47s in the wartorn country over the weekend.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was made by a Chinese manufacturer based in the port city of Xiamen, on China’s eastern coast.

Matt Mathers reports:

Weaponised drone made in China shot down in Ukraine

China ‘hopes Ukraine and Russia will not close door to political solution'

Thursday 16 March 2023 14:45 , Emily Atkinson

China is concerned about an escalation of the war in Ukraine and wants Moscow and Kyiv to engage in peace talks, senior Chinese diplomat Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart on Thursday.

“China hopes that all parties will remain calm, rational and restrained, and resume peace talks as soon as possible,” Qin told Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Qin added that China hopes Ukraine, Russia will not close door to political solution, the ministry said.

Western allies debating whether to send jets to Ukraine, Denmark PM says

Thursday 16 March 2023 14:25 , Emily Atkinson

Western nations are debating whether to send fighter jets to Ukraine, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV2 on Thursday.

“This is something we’re discussing in the group of allied countries. It’s a big wish from Ukraine,” she said.

Poland will send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in coming days, the Polish president said earlier on Thursday, making it the first of Kyiv’s allies to provide such aircraft.

UN finds no evidence of genocide in Ukraine

Thursday 16 March 2023 14:05 , Emily Atkinson

A special UN commission for Ukraine has not found evidence of genocide as it investigates violations of human rights in the conflict with Russia, its head said on Thursday.

“We have not found that there has been a genocide within Ukraine,” Erik¸se, head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, told journalists.

He said the team was following the evidence and that there were “some aspects which may raise questions” about possible genocide.

Putin indicates Russia could loosen restrictions on dividend payments to foreigners

Thursday 16 March 2023 13:50 , Emily Atkinson

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he would consider a “more flexible” approach to a ban on Russian organisations paying dividends to shareholders and parent companies in “unfriendly” countries.

Putin said Russia could consider allowing some payments if the companies reinvested the proceeds back into Russia.

The restrictions were part of sweeping capital controls Russia introduced last year in response to Western sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine.

Russia has committed ‘wide range’ of war crimes in Ukraine, UN inquiry finds

Thursday 16 March 2023 13:32 , Emily Atkinson

Russia has committed wide-ranging war crimes in Ukraine such as wilful killings, torture and the deportation of children, according to a UN-mandated report.

The report, based on more than 500 interviews as well as satellite images and visits to detention sites and graves, comes as the International Criminal Court in The Hague is expected to seek the arrest of Russian officials for forcibly deporting children from Ukraine and targeting civilian infrastructure.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said that Russian forces have carried out “indiscriminate and disproportionate” attacks on Ukraine, resorted to torture, killed civilians outside of combat and failed to take measures to safeguard the Ukrainian population.

“Russian authorities have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law and violations of international human rights law, in addition to a wide range of war crimes...,” the report said.

The document gave details of torture methods used in Russian detention facilities where victims were subjected to electric shocks with a military phone - a treatment known as a “call to Putin” - or hung from the ceiling in a “parrot position”.

Russia denies committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine.

Watch: Ukrainian troops launch attack on Russian forces in Maryinka

Thursday 16 March 2023 13:20 , Emily Atkinson

Immersive website lets people walk Ukraine’s war-torn streets

Thursday 16 March 2023 12:55 , Emily Atkinson

A Ukrainian photographer has contributed to a website which allows people to immersively walk the war-torn streets of his country and compare them before and after the Russian invasion, in the hope it will highlight the “terrible” reality of the destruction caused.

The Undeniable Street View was launched on the one-year anniversary of Russia launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine – February 24 – and is the first war zone presented in Street View and made from more than 100km of raw Street View footage.

It has been shot by Ukrainian photography experts on the ground, including Mykola Omelchenko, whose project called War Up Close played a pivotal role in The Undeniable Street View’s existence.

More here:

Immersive website lets people walk Ukraine’s war-torn streets

Latest images from the frontline city of Bakhmut

Thursday 16 March 2023 12:30 , Emily Atkinson

Putin: Russia is facing 'sanctions war'

Thursday 16 March 2023 12:05 , Emily Atkinson

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Russia was facing a “sanctions war” in his first major address to the country’s business elite since the day he ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine last year.

Putin said Russia was swiftly reorienting its economy towards countries that had not hit Russia with sanctions, and thanked business leaders for working to help the Russian state.

Steven Seagal declares himself ‘one million per cent’ Russian and lashes out at US ‘disinformation’

Thursday 16 March 2023 11:40 , Emily Atkinson

Steven Seagal has declared himself “one million per cent” Russian after receiving an award from president Vladimir Putin.

The former Hollywood star was given an Order of Friendship medal after supporting the country following its invasion of Ukraine.

Seagal pledged his allegiance to Russia during an event held by International Movement of Russians in Moscow on Monday (13 March).

Jacob Stolworthy reports:

Steven Seagal declares himself ‘one million per cent’ Russian

Poland detains ‘Russian spies preparing to sabotage weapons to Ukraine'

Thursday 16 March 2023 11:12 , Emily Atkinson

Polish security services have detained members of a Russian espionage ring, authorities said, alleging they were preparing acts of sabotage in Poland and had been monitoring railway lines used to transport weapons into Ukraine.

Interior minister Mariusz Kaminski said the Internal Security Agency had arrested nine people suspected of spying for Russia in the case.

He said at a news conference in Warsaw that the suspects were preparing “sabotage actions aimed at paralysing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine“.

He said the security agents also seized cameras, electronic equipment and GPS transmitters, which the suspects planned to place on shipments of aid to Ukraine.

Defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak suggested the group had entered from neighbouring Belarus, a Russian ally that borders Nato member Poland.

“The threat was real,” Mr Blaszczak said on state radio.

Video captures moment Russian fighter jet crashes into US drone

Thursday 16 March 2023 10:38 , Emily Atkinson

The US Air Force has released video said to show a Russian jet intercepting a US drone and dumping fuel in its path over the Black Sea.

The American military said two Russian Su-27 jets intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace before one of them struck the aircraft’s propeller, causing US forces to have to bring it down.

Russia denied involvement, with a senior figure describing the episode as a “provocation.”

My colleague Thomas Kinsgley has this breaking story:

Video captures moment Russian fighter jet crashes into US drone

Fire engulfs 400-year-old hotel ‘housing Ukrainian refugees’

Thursday 16 March 2023 10:23 , Emily Atkinson

A 400-year-old hotel that was said to be housing Ukrainian refugees was among buildings engulfed by a fire in Midhurst, West Sussex.

The fire was thought to have broken out shortly after 1am on Thursday at a property on North Street before spreading to the roof of the Angel Inn next door.

Local resident Hilton Holloway, who witnessed the fire, told the PA news agency around 30 people, including some children, were evacuated from the hotel.

More on this story here:

Fire engulfs 400-year-old hotel ‘housing Ukrainian refugees’

Best way to protect Moldova from attack is to protect Ukraine, says Cleverly

Thursday 16 March 2023 09:57 , Emily Atkinson

British foreign minister James Cleverly said on Thursday that the best way to protect Moldova from attack by Russia was to protect Ukraine.

Asked by reporters whether Britain planned on sending military support to Moldova, Cleverly said: “We strongly believe that one of the best ways of protecting Moldova from physical attack is helping the Ukrainians defend themselves against Russia.”

Moscow regrets Moldova's 'unjustified prejudice' against Russia

Thursday 16 March 2023 09:30 , Emily Atkinson

The Kremlin said on Thursday it regretted Moldova’s “unjustified prejudice” against Moscow, and that Russia remained open to good relations.

Moldova has been in focus since the start of the Ukraine conflict, with fears that the small country, which borders Ukraine and has Russian peacekeepers stationed in the pro-Moscow breakaway Transdniestria region, could be dragged into the conflict.

More now from Denis Pushilin on the situation in Bakhmut...

Thursday 16 March 2023 09:04 , Emily Atkinson

The situation for Russian forces trying to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is “difficult”, because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region said on Thursday.

Russian forces – led by the private Wagner militia – have been trying to encircle and capture the eastern Ukrainian city for months in what has turned into one of the bloodiest battles of the year-long war.

Russia, which refers to the city by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk, says capturing the city will allow it to launch more offensives deeper into Ukrainian territory which it says it is fighting to “liberate”.

“The situation in Artyomovsk remains complex and difficult,” Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region, said in an interview on state TV on Thursday.

“That is, we do not see that there is any premise that the enemy is going to simply withdraw units,” he added.

Poland breaks up spy network, says defence minister

Thursday 16 March 2023 08:35 , Emily Atkinson

Poland has broken up a espionage network operating in the country, the defence minister said on Thursday, after private broadcaster RMF FM reported that a group of spies working for Russia had been detained.

RMF reported on Wednesday that Polish security services had detained six people suspected of spying for Russia. According to the broadcaster the group had been planning sabotage activities.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report.

“I would like to emphasize the great success achieved by the officers of the Internal Security Agency, because the whole spy network has been unravelled,” Mariusz Blaszczak told state broadcaster Polskie Radio 1.

“This is undoubtedly proof that the Polish services work for the security of our country in a very efficient manner.”

No signs Ukraine is withdrawing troops from Bakhmut, says Russian-installed official

Thursday 16 March 2023 08:17 , Emily Atkinson

There are no signs that Ukraine is withdrawing troops from Bakhmut, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region as saying on Thursday.

Zelensky marks first anniversary of Mariupol theatre bombing

Thursday 16 March 2023 07:52 , Emily Atkinson

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to social media to mark the first anniversary of the Mariupol theatre bombing.

The Russian bombing of the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol on occurred on 16 March 2022.

In May last year, an Associated Press investigation shared evidence that the attack was in fact far deadlier than estimated, killing 600 people.

Mr Zelensky tweeted: “A year ago, Russia deliberately dropped a bomb on the Drama Theater in Mariupol. Next to it was the inscription “Children”, which was impossible to overlook. Hundreds of people were hiding there. We are working to hold the terrorist state to account for what it has done.”

Thursday 16 March 2023 07:27 , Emily Atkinson

A nationwide air raid alert has been declared across Ukraine.

Live updates on alerts can be seen here:

Ukraine can try to avoid repaying $3bn loan to Russia

Thursday 16 March 2023 07:00 , Namita Singh

The UK Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Ukraine can go to trial to try to avoid repaying $3bn in loans it said it took under pressure from Russia in 2013 to prevent it from trying to join the European Union.

The court rejected an attempt to avoid a trial by a British company acting on Russia’s behalf to collect the loans.

Ukraine said it borrowed the money while facing the threat of military force and massive illegal economic and political pressure nearly a decade before Russia invaded its neighbor.

Read this report to find what Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said after the ruling:

Zelensky thanks British journalists for ‘vital support’ in war against Russia

US, Russian military chiefs resume contact to discuss drone

Thursday 16 March 2023 06:30 , Namita Singh

Defense secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke to his Russian counterpart yesterday about the destruction of a US drone over the Black Sea, which had brought the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

It was the first call between Austin and Defense Secretary Sergei Shoigu since October.

“I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu,” Mr Austin said at a Pentagon press briefing. “As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s important that great powers be models of transparency and communication, and the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows.”

Report:

US, Russian military chiefs resume contact to discuss drone

Russia says US relations are ‘lamentable’ after downing of American drone

Thursday 16 March 2023 06:00 , Namita Singh

Russia’s relationship with the United States is in a “lamentable state”, the Kremlin has said, following the downing of a US drone harassed by Russian jets over the Black Sea.

The US military said that a Russian fighter plane had clipped the propeller of one of its drones as it flew over international waters. Russia denied that the downing was intentional, saying the crash happened because of “sharp manoeuvring”.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, said that bilateral relations were “at their lowest point, in a very lamentable state”. However, he added “at the same time, Russia has never refused constructive dialogue, and is not refusing now”.

Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the country’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and his US counterpart, the secretary of defence Lloyd Austin had spoken over the phone.

Eric Garcia reports:

Russia says US relations are ‘lamentable’ after downing of American drone

Russian forces reach US drone crash site in Black Sea, say reports

Thursday 16 March 2023 05:30 , Namita Singh

Russian forces have reached the site of the US MQ-9 surveillance drone that was downed in the Black Sea in an attempt to recover it, officials told CNN.

The Kremlin vowed on Wednesday to try and recover the large drone which crashed in international waters after its encounter with Russian fighter jets a day earlier.

It is not clear if Russia has been able to recover any remains of the drone when they arrived at the crash site, which is around 70 miles southwest of Crimea, the US officials told the news network.

My colleague Graeme Massie has more:

Russian forces reach US drone crash site in Black Sea according to reports

Russia making small advances near Bakhmut, but at cost, says top US general

Thursday 16 March 2023 05:00 , Namita Singh

Russia is making small advances near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut but this was coming at a great cost, the top US general said on Wednesday.

“The Russians are making small, tactical advances [but] at great cost,” Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told reporters.

Ukrainian troops have also told of being “sent to death” in the fight for the small eastern city that has spent months under siege.

Zelensky thanks British journalists for ‘vital support’ in Ukraine’s war against Russia

Thursday 16 March 2023 04:30 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the country “needs the world’s attention even more than before” as he thanked British journalists for their “vital support” in the war against Russia.

In a keynote address to the Society of Editors Media Freedom Conference in London on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky urged more reporters to travel to the country to “spread the truth about the Russian aggression, support our defence, and give Ukrainian life worth”.

He told representatives of the British media that the country had issued over 15,000 accreditations to foreign journalists since the beginning of the conflict.

Speaking in a pre-recorded address, Mr Zelensky said: “Now that Russia’s full-scale war has been going on more than a year, Ukraine needs the world’s attention even more than before.”

Russia's Oscar-winning opposition mired in conflict

Thursday 16 March 2023 04:00 , Namita Singh

Kremlin critics were cheered this week when a Western documentary about jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny won an Oscar, but his political movement is in turmoil and some Ukrainian politicians say the award is undeserved.

Mr Navalny, president Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile domestic critic, is serving 11-1/2 years in jail in Russia after being convicted of fraud in two cases he and the West say were trumped up to silence him, and his anti-corruption organisation has been banned as extremist.

His supporters cast him as a Russian version of Nelson Mandela who survived an assassination attempt and will one day be freed from unjust imprisonment to lead Russia. The lawyer-turned-activist remains a fierce Kremlin critic, releasing regular statements via his lawyers from behind bars.

But his Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), which now operates outside Russia, is reeling after his Chief of Staff Leonid Volkov admitted he had - without his colleagues’ knowledge - lobbied the European Union to lift sanctions on Mikhail Fridman, one of Russia’s richest men.

Volkov apologised for what he said was “a big political mistake” and said he was taking a break from his role as chairman of the ACF.

Yet some fellow opposition members were furious, saying the ACF should be trying to hasten Putin’s political demise rather than helping wealthy businessmen.

Ukraine wants to bring home tycoon to face corruption charges

Thursday 16 March 2023 03:30 , Namita Singh

Ukrainian tycoon Kostyantyn Zhevago said his record of investing in his homeland was proof of innocence ahead of today’s extradition hearing in a French Alpine town over accusations of embezzling tens of millions of dollars.

Mr Zhevago’s case comes as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky seeks to clip the wings of oligarchs dominating the economy since the fall of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

The 49-year-old billionaire, who controls London-listed iron pellet producer Ferrexpo, was arrested at a ski resort in December at the request of Ukraine which wants him over the disappearance of $113m from the now bankrupt lender Finance & Credit Bank.

Mr Zhevago, a former lawmaker and former beneficiary owner of Finance & Credit Bank, was released on bail for €1mn and due to appear at an appeals court in the nearby town of Chambery.

“If I had actually embezzled $100mn as I am falsely accused of doing in Ukraine, I would have parked the money abroad,” he told Reuters.

“Instead, I have systematically invested in my public companies in recent years,” he added, saying he had ploughed $500mn into Ukraine over the past five years.

Mr Zhevago added Finance & Credit was one of dozens of banks to lose vast sums of money after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Canada announces new military aid

Thursday 16 March 2023 03:00 , Liam James

Canada will send about 8,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and a dozen air defense missiles as part of Ottawa’s latest military aide to Kyiv, the Canadian defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ottawa will also provide Ukraine with more than 1,800 rounds of training ammunition for Leopard 1 battle tanks donated by Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, one of Ukraine’s most vocal international supporters, has committed over C$1bn (£600m) in military aid to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion last year.

Canada has already announced it is donating eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks, which are expected to be in Ukraine in the coming weeks, the ministry said.