Ukraine news – live: Bakhmut and other frontlines a ‘grinding slog’, says US

A senior Pentagon official has called the war’s frontlines in Ukraine a “grinding slog” as he said that Russian forces are unlikely to make significant territorial gains in the next year.

“You may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months. I do not think that there’s anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so,” Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, told members of the House of Representatives yesterday.

Washington does not rule out that the war in Ukraine might last for another two to three years, the senior Pentagon official said.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said that the intensity of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut is continuing to increase.

“The most difficult situation is still Bakhmut and the battles that are important for the defence of the city,” he said in his nightly address.

Key Points

• China ‘very clearly’ have taken sides in the Ukraine-Russia war, US spokesperson says

• Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg after unidentified object spotted

• Putin’s fighters trying to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut

• Russia responds to China’s 12-point plan for peace

• Putin will eventually be killed by his inner circle, says Zelensky

Putin’s forces unlikely to make major gains in Ukraine this year, says US official

03:42 , Arpan Rai

A senior Pentagon official has said that the US does not expect Russia to make significant territorial gains in the continuing war in Ukraine in the near term.

“You may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months. I do not think that there’s anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so,” Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, told members of the House of Representatives.

The official described the war’s frontlines as a “grinding slog”.

He left Silicon Valley to fight on the frontline in Ukraine. Now he’s advising Zelensky’s government

04:00 , Emily Atkinson

Andrey Liscovich packed up his life in Silicon Valley and returned to Ukraine at the start of the war, helping source and supply items to fighters on the frontline. One year on, he tells Rachel Sharp how he is now advising the Ukrainian government – and how his life has changed:

He left Silicon Valley to fight in Ukraine. Now he’s advising Zelensky’s government

War in Ukraine may last for another two-three years, says US official

03:41 , Arpan Rai

US under secretary of defence for policy Colin Kahl has said that Washington does not rule out that the war in Ukraine might last for another two to three years in testimony at the US Congress yesterday.

“It is difficult [to predict how long we will need to support Ukraine through the war] as we do not know the exact trajectory of the conflict. The conflict may end in six months, or it may end in two or three years,” the official said.

He added that president Joe Biden will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The official also added that Ukraine is dependent on assistance from the US and its partners.

Putin signs bill to suspend last nuclear arms pact with US

03:16 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin has signed a bill formally suspending the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States, amid soaring tensions with Washington over Moscow‘s action in Ukraine.

The Russian president had declared the move a week ago in his state-of-the-nation address, saying that Moscow was suspending its participation in the 2010 New START treaty and arguing that Russia can’t accept inspections by the US of its nuclear sites under the pact at a time when Washington and its Nato allies have openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Both houses of parliament quickly ratified Mr Putin’s bill on the pact’s suspension last week.

Putin signs bill to suspend last nuclear arms pact with US

‘This film is about truth’: Ukrainian officials praise Independent’s first feature-length documentary

03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Senior figures in Ukraine have praised The Independent’s first feature-length documentary, which centres on Kyiv’s unprecedented search for its missing and dead during Russia’s war.

The 40-minute documentary from international correspondent Bel Trew, titled The Body in the Woods, premiered at Kyiv railway station on Saturday, one day after the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

In attendance at Saturday’s screening were several prominent Ukrainian officials and some of the families featured in the film, which marks the first in-depth investigation into the scale of the difficulties Ukrainians face trying to find and identify those killed.

Andy Gregory has the story:

Senior Ukrainian officials praise The Independent’s new documentary

Ukraine's northeastern front could decide new battle lines

02:00 , Emily Atkinson

A tank carrying Ukrainian infantry speeds toward a target position marked with a metal sheet. The soldiers climb down, hurl grenades and unleash a crackle of machine-gun fire. Then they repeat the moves, getting faster with every iteration.

It’s only a drill. But with the sounds of the real war rumbling just seven kilometers (four miles) away, this daily training underscores the high stakes on Ukraine’s northeastern front, where military officials say a much-anticipated Russian offensive has already started, with fighting that could determine the next phase of the conflict.

Time is of the essence here, so speed and cohesion is the goal of the exercises that combine reserve tank and the infantry assault units.

More on this story here:

Ukraine's northeastern front could decide new battle lines

Watch: Ted Cruz says Volodymyr Zelensky is ‘engaged in theatre’ after Joe Biden visits Ukraine

01:00 , Emily Atkinson

Drone attacks on Russia underline its vulnerability

00:00 , Emily Atkinson

A spate of drone strikes that Russian authorities blamed on Ukraine targeted areas in southern and western Russia, reflecting the Ukrainian military’s growing reach.

While the attacks apparently did not inflict any significant damage, their number and scope posed a new challenge to Russia as the war dragged into a second year. One assault came as close as 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow.

Some observers said the strikes could be a rehearsal for a broader Ukrainian attack on facilities deep inside Russia.

The Associated Press takes a look at drone attacks on Russia, their results and implications:

Drone attacks on Russia underline its vulnerability

No evidence of fraud in weapons to Ukraine, watchdog says

Tuesday 28 February 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Pentagon’s inspector general said Tuesday his office has found no evidence yet that any of the billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine has been lost to corruption or diverted into the wrong hands, but cautioned that those investigations are only in their early stages.

Keeping military aid to Ukraine protected from waste or fraud has become a critical part of keeping support for Ukraine intact in Congress, where some lawmakers have already begun to question why the U.S. is spending so much to help Kyiv.

Robert P. Storch was pressed by House members several times about any fraud findings. He said a number of tips and allegations have come in to a new hotline, but there have been “limited findings” to date, with many reports pending.

No evidence of fraud in weapons to Ukraine, watchdog says

Putin signs bill to suspend last nuclear arms pact with US

Tuesday 28 February 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill formally suspending the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States.

Putin had declared a week ago in his state-of-the-nation address that Moscow was suspending its participation in the 2010 New START treaty.

He had charged that Russia can’t accept U.S inspections of its nuclear sites under the pact at a time when Washington and its Nato allies have openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Both houses of parliament quickly ratified Putin’s bill on the pact’s suspension last week. On Tuesday, Putin signed it into law, effective immediately. The document says that it’s up to the president to decide whether Moscow could return to the pact.

Putin has emphasized that Moscow was not withdrawing from the pact altogether, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said the country would respect the caps on nuclear weapons set under the treaty and keep notifying the US about test launches of ballistic missiles.

Putin orders tighter security at Russia-Ukraine border after spate of drone attacks

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:00 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin has ordered that the Russian border with Ukraine be tightened after a spate of drone attacks while Moscow’s forces pushed to encircle the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Taking Bakhmut, the scene of some of the war’s fierecest, would be Russia‘s first major prize in more than six months and open the way to seizing bigger cities in the Donetsk region, one of four regions Moscow seeks to control. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has sid the situation in Bakhmut is becoming “more and more difficult”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the FSB security service on Tuesday to bolster security in the four regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – currently only partially controlled by his forces - and also to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Putin orders tighter security at Russia-Ukraine border after spate of drone attacks

Trump mocked after revealing his plan to end Ukraine war: ‘Knock heads and get it done’

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:40 , Emily Atkinson

Critics have mocked former President Donald Trump after he suggested that the solution to the war in Ukraine would be to “get people in a room” and “knock heads.”

Mr Trump made the comments on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, in a radio conversation with host Glenn Beck.

“The saddest part about the war is that this is a war that should’ve never happened, right, okay?” the 45th president said. “So now it happened. Now you have to get people in a room. You have to knock heads and you have to get it done.

Sheila Flynn reports:

Donald Trump mocked after sharing his plan to end Ukraine war: ‘Knock heads’

Russia bans government officials from using most foreign words

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:10 , Emily Atkinson

Russian government officials will be banned from using most foreign words when carrying out their duties, according to an amended law on the formal use of Russian that president Vladimir Putin signed on Tuesday.

Since launching the invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Putin has said he wants to protect Russia from what he calls a degenerate West that he alleges is trying to destroy the country.

The amendments to the 2005 law are designed to protect and support the status of Russian, according to a text posted on the government’s website.

“When using Russian as the state language of the Russian Federation, it is not allowed to use words and expressions that do not correspond to the norms of modern Russian ... with the exception of foreign words which do not have widely-used corresponding equivalents in Russian,” says the text.

A list of foreign-based words that can still be used will be published separately. The amendments do not mention any punishments for those who fail to respect the updated law.

Vladimir Putin gives Steven Seagal ‘friendship’ award

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:40 , Emily Atkinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed actor Steven Seagal the Order of Friendship award for his “humanitarian work”.

The 70-year-old actor, who also holds Russian citizenship, has reiterated his support for Putin plenty of times in the past. In fact, last year, a birthday dinner was held in his honour in Moscow.

The awarding of the Order of Friendship was announced on the Russian government’s internet portal over the weekend.

Peony Hirwani reports:

Vladimir Putin hands Steven Seagal Russia’s Order of Friendship award

ICC's top prosecutor in Ukraine to probe Russian attacks on power grid

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:10 , Emily Atkinson

The International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor was in Ukraine on Tuesday to investigate Russia’s campaign of missile and drone attacks on power and other infrastructure that killed hundreds of civilians and left millions with no electricity or water.

Russia says they are legitimate strikes aimed at weakening the enemy’s military, but Ukraine casts them as a means of intimidating ordinary people.

The Geneva conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives” and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden.

“Generally we see clearly a pattern, I think, in terms of the number, scale and breadth of attacks against the power grids of Ukraine and we need to look at why that’s taking place; are they legitimate targets or not?” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said.

From war crimes, to spies and cyberattacks: Ukraine’s domestic spy chief on fighting Russia across all fronts

Tuesday 28 February 2023 18:40 , Emily Atkinson

The head of the security service of Ukraine speaks to Bel Trew from Kyiv about how Moscow ‘will never break us down:

‘They won’t break us’ Ukraine’s domestic spy chief on fighting Russia on all fronts

Watch: Ukrainian flags fly at military cemetery in Dnipro honouring fallen soldiers

Tuesday 28 February 2023 18:05 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine frontline ‘a grinding slog’, says US under secretary for defence policy

Tuesday 28 February 2023 17:34 , Emily Atkinson

Colin Kahl, the US under-secretary of defence for policy, described the front line in Ukraine on Tuesday as a “grinding slog” and said he did not expect Russia to be able to make significant territorial gains in the near term.

“So you may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months. I do not think that there’s anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so,” Kahl told a House of Representatives hearing.

US partners 'share concern China considering lethal aid for Russia’s war’

Tuesday 28 February 2023 16:59 , Emily Atkinson

The top US diplomat for East Asia Daniel Kritenbrink says the United States has shared its concerns that China is considering providing lethal assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Kritenbrink made the remark at a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on China.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said earlier that if China provides lethal aid to Moscow for the conflict it will be a serious problem Beijing in its relationship with countries around the world.

Ukraine urges UN and Turkey to start talks to extend grain deal

Tuesday 28 February 2023 16:23 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine has sent an appeal to the UN and Turkey to start negotiations on extending a grain export deal, but there has been no response, a Ukrainian government source said on Tuesday.

Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine‘s deputy minister of restoration, told Reuters last week that Kyiv would ask all sides to start talks to roll over the deal, seeking an extension of at least one year that would include the ports of Mykolaiv.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN and Turkey last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. The agreement was extended in November and will expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.

“We have sent a letter requesting that we start dealing with this issue as March 18 is very soon, but we have not had any feedback so far,” a source said.

Belarus official says claim activists blew up Russian spy plane near Minsk is fake

Tuesday 28 February 2023 15:52 , Emily Atkinson

A senior Belarusian official on Tuesday dismissed as fake a claim by anti-government activists that they had blown up a Russian military surveillance aircraft in a weekend drone attack on an airfield outside the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Belarusian “partisans” had used drones to carry out the attack on a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane.

He did not provide immediate evidence to back his assertion.

“Given the absence of an official reaction, I am deeply convinced that this is another fake (claim) aimed at highlighting certain failures in our national security,” Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich told Reuters on the sidelines of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday.

Flurry of drone strikes hits Russia as TV, radio are hacked

Tuesday 28 February 2023 15:00 , Emily Atkinson

Regional officials in southern and western Russia reported a string of drone attacks near the border with Ukraine and deep inside the country that resulted in no casualties, as the war with Kyiv trudged on Tuesday.

At the same time, the hacking of Russian TV channels and radio stations as well as the temporary closure of St. Petersburg’s airport fed suspicion that Kyiv could be behind the disruption.

A flurry of drone attacks on Monday night and Tuesday morning targeted regions inside Russia along the border with Ukraine and deeper into the country, with one drone crashing just 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from Moscow, according to local Russian authorities.

Read our report in full here:

Flurry of drone strikes hits Russia as TV, radio are hacked

Watch: Ukrainian forces demobilise Russian tanks near Donetsk frontline

Tuesday 28 February 2023 14:30 , Emily Atkinson

In pictures: Damage by Russian military strike on Chasiv Yar, Donetsk

Tuesday 28 February 2023 14:00 , Emily Atkinson

US ‘to target Chinese companies if Beijing provides lethal aid to Russia'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 13:30 , Emily Atkinson

Washington will not hesitate to target Chinese companies and individuals with sanctions if Beijing violates US sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, secretary of state Antony Blinken has said.

If China provides lethal aid to Moscow for the conflict, it will be a serious problem for Beijing in its relationship with countries around the world, Blinken told reporters during a trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Putin tells FSB security service to up its game against Western spy agencies

Tuesday 28 February 2023 12:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the FSB security service on Tuesday to step up its activity to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

In a speech to FSB officials, Putin said the agency had to stop “sabotage groups” entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of key infrastructure, and prevent any attempts by Western security services to revive what he called terrorist or extremist cells on Russian territory.

“Western intelligence services have traditionally always been actively working in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us. We need to respond accordingly,” Putin said.

He instructed the FSB to prevent illegal weapons flows into Russia, and to strengthen security in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partially seized and claimed as part of its own territory, a move most countries do not recognise.

Belarus official says claim activists blew up Russian spy plane near Minsk is fake

Tuesday 28 February 2023 11:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A senior Belarusian official on Tuesday dismissed as fake a claim by anti-government activists that they had blown up a Russian military surveillance aircraft in a weekend drone attack on an airfield outside the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Belarusian “partisans” had used drones to carry out the attack on a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane.

He did not provide immediate evidence to back his assertion.

“Given the absence of an official reaction, I am deeply convinced that this is another fake (claim) aimed at highlighting certain failures in our national security,” Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich told Reuters on the sidelines of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday.

Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine but has refrained so far from getting directly involved in the war.

The A-50 plane has the NATO reporting name of Mainstay and is an airborne early warning aircraft with command and control capabilities and the ability to track up to 60 targets at a time.

Reached by telephone on Monday, Azarov told Reuters the operation, which purportedly caused serious damage to the Russian aircraft, had taken several months to plan and that “partisans” would try to carry out more actions in the future.

BYPOL, his organization, includes former law enforcement officers who support opposition politicians. It has been branded a terrorist organization by Minsk.

The Kremlin has declined to comment on the alleged attack.

China ‘very clearly’ have taken sides in the Ukraine-Russia war, US spokesperson says

Tuesday 28 February 2023 11:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

China has been accused of “very clearly” taking sides in the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US department of state spokesperson said.

Ned Price told a news briefing: “There are countries around the world that, if they sought to bring this war to an end, would have a significant amount of leverage with the Russian Federation, with other key countries. The People’s Republic of China [PRC] certainly falls within that category.

“But to date, at least, despite the PRC’s protests to the contrary, we have seen them very clearly take a side in this war.”

Moscow says Ukraine launched failed drone attacks on Russian territory overnight

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

Russia‘s defence ministry on Tuesday accused Ukraine of launching attempted drone strikes against civil infrastructure targets in two southern Russian regions overnight, but said the attacks had failed.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.

“Overnight, the Kyiv authorities attempted to use unmanned aerial vehicles to attack civilian infrastructure facilities in the Krasnodar and Adygea regions,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

It said its anti-drone defence systems had repelled the attacks, causing the drones to veer off course and fail to inflict any damage.

“Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight paths. One fell into a field, the other, deviating from its trajectory, did not harm the intended target,” it said.

Russian state news agencies had earlier reported a fire at an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, around 240 km (149 miles) south-east of the Crimean peninsula, after a drone was spotted flying overhead.

In pictures: Ukrainian troops on the frontline in Donetsk

Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian servicemen attend on their position on the frontline with Russian troops near Ugledar, Donetsk region

Kremlin: Russia open to Ukraine talks, but won't give up annexed regions

Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin on Tuesday repeated its position that Russia was open to negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict, but that new “territorial realities” could not be ignored.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia would never renounce its claims to four Ukrainian regions that Moscow declared it had annexed last year following referendums that Kyiv and the West slammed as bogus and illegal.

“There are certain realities that have already become an internal factor. I mean the new territories. The constitution of the Russian Federation exists, and cannot be ignored. Russia will never be able to compromise on this, these are important realities,” Peskov said on Tuesday.

Russia proclaimed it had annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions last September in a grand ceremony in Moscow.

The regions were subsequently named as constituent subjects of the Russian Federation in a constitutional decree.

Peskov said Russia was open to negotiations if Kyiv accepted Moscow’s control over the regions.

“With a favourable state of affairs and the appropriate attitude from the Ukrainians, this can be resolved at the negotiating table. But the main thing is to achieve our goals,” he said.

Russian forces do not fully control any of the four regions, and Moscow says it is fighting to “liberate” them from the control of Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Kyiv and the West say this is a baseless pretext for an illegal land-grab.

Ukraine says Russian troops must leave every inch of its territory including the four annexed regions and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow unilaterally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, before a peace plan can be discussed.

Watch: Russia temporarily closes airspace over St Petersburg after ‘unknown object spotted’

Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hacking attack prompts Russian regional broadcasters to issue air alert warnings

Tuesday 28 February 2023 09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A hacking attack caused some Russian regional broadcasters to put out a false warning on Tuesday urging people to take shelter from an incoming missile attack, the emergencies ministry said.

“As a result of the hacking of servers of radio stations and TV channels, in some regions of the country information about the announcement of an air alert was broadcast,” the ministry said in a statement.

“This information is false and does not correspond to reality.”

Among the regions where the fake messages were broadcast was Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

On regional TV an image was shown with a symbol of a man running for cover from incoming missiles and a message reading “Everybody to the shelter, now,” according to images posted on social media.

Radio stations played a loud siren sound with a message stating: “Attention, attention. An air alert is being issued. Everybody head to shelters now. Attention, attention. Missile threat.”

Russian state media cited some local officials blaming Ukraine for the messages. There was no official comment from Kyiv.

Several radio stations put out similar warnings last week, and websites run by Russia‘s state TV conglomerate went down during President Vladimir Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation address to Russian lawmakers on Feb. 21 in what state media said was a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg after unidentified object spotted

Tuesday 28 February 2023 08:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia closed its airspace over St Petersburg after an unidentified object was spotted flying over the city.

Officials closed the airspace over Pulkovo airport on Tuesday morning, with Russian military aircraft scrambled to search for the “intruder”, local media reports.

Matt Mathers has more:

Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg after unidentified object spotted

'Extremely tense' as Russians bid to encircle Ukraine's Bakhmut

Tuesday 28 February 2023 08:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was “extremely tense” on Tuesday, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said, as Russian troops besieging it stepped up their assault in a bid to encircle it.

Russia is trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders’ supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the war’s toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw.

That would give Russia its first major prize in more than half a year and open the way to the capture of the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region.

“Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city,” Ukraine‘s Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi was quoted as saying on a military messaging platform.

Ukraine‘s military said earlier Russia had strengthened its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city.

“Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks,” the military said early on Tuesday referring to Bakhmut and nearby eastern areas, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka, on the northern approaches to Bakhmut.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Russian forces had driven a wedge between those villages as they tried to cut the road west to Chasiv Yar.

“The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area which can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable,” he said in a video commentary, adding: “It is impossible to say where the front line lies.”

Russia A-50 military aircraft loss significant for Moscow – MoD

Tuesday 28 February 2023 06:55 , Arpan Rai

The loss of a Russian spy plane destroyed in Belarus on Sunday is significant for Moscow as the aircraft provided critical information for Russian air operations, the British defence ministry said today.

Belarusian partisan group BYPOL and exiled opposition leaders reported an A-50 MAINSTAY had sustained damaged from Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacks at Maschulishchy air base on Sunday.

“The A-50 MAINSTAY is a Russian airborne early warning and control platform. Its role is to build a recognised air picture and to provide coordination to adjoining fighter aircraft,” the ministry said.

It added that while attribution and damage has not been officially corroborated, this loss will likely leave six operational A-50s in service, further constraining Russian air operations.

BYPOL had reported two explosions and damage to the front and middle sections of the A-50 MAINSTAY as well as the radar antenna over the weekend.

Russia adapting to smaller military formations in war for advantage over Ukraine – report

Tuesday 28 February 2023 06:20 , Arpan Rai

A captured Russian military manual has shown new assault tactics being used by Russia’s forces “to compensate for current combat power limitations in response to continued offensive failures”, said the US-based think-tank the Institute for the Study of War.

The manual reportedly shows Russian forces being adapted into smaller and more agile military formations than were employed earlier in the war.

In the new tactical formation, Russian forces are using T-72 tanks for “direct fire support from the rear rather than as integral parts of a combined arms team”, the ISW said.

By doing this, the Russian military leadership is prioritising protecting main battle tanks over protecting infantry as there is an “increased reliance on dismounted infantry and the relegation of tanks to fire support from the rear”.

This is reflective of recent reports of massive equipment losses that Russian armour units sustained over the first year of the war, the think-tank monitoring the war said.

“The manual indicates that the Russian military is resorting to employing a form of simplified combined arms warfare that has likely been pared down to compensate for the overall degradation of Russian manpower and equipment capacity and which is easier for inexperienced and untrained mobilised personnel slotted into such detachments to employ,” it said.

Japan sanctions Russian weapons maker Concern Kalshnikov and companies

Tuesday 28 February 2023 05:51 , Arpan Rai

Japan has slapped additional sanctions against 39 Russian individuals, including the head of Russian weapons maker Concern Kalashnikov, 73 Russian companies, and Rosbank, officials in the country’s foreign ministry said today.

The sanctions have been rolled out in view of the “current international situation over Ukraine”, the ministry said.

It is also for the “purpose of contributing to the international efforts for achieving international peace aimed at a solution of the issue, in line with the measures taken by other major countries.”

Bakhmut reduced to ghost town as endless shelling ravages city

Tuesday 28 February 2023 05:38 , Arpan Rai

Russia has bolstered its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city, Ukrainian military officials said.

The city has been reduced to ashes and rubble in most parts as several locals shared the videos showing an abandoned ghost town.

“My god. I know every location in this video. It’s central Bakhmut. The mosaic building housed the Vesna market where I would pick up groceries. My apartment was 100 feet away. Bakhmut has descended into urban warfare and pure hell. Heartbreaking,” said war journalist Christopher Miller, as he shared a video of Bakhmut taken this week.

Russia won’t resume New START nuclear talks 'until US listens to Moscow'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 04:58 , Arpan Rai

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said Russia will not resume participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until Washington listens to Moscow’s position.

The “attitude of the collective West” led by the United States needs to change towards Moscow, he told daily Izvestia in an interview, adding that the security of one country cannot be ensured at the cost of the security of another.

The Kremlin spokesperson added that by arming Ukraine, Nato “acts as a single bloc no longer as our conditional opponents, but as enemies”.

Putin’s fighters trying to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut

Tuesday 28 February 2023 03:46 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are moving ahead to encircle Bakhmut, a small mining city which has been the scene of the hottest fighting since winter, and trying to destroy the fortification built up by the Ukrainian fighters.

"The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions for fortification and defence. Our soldiers defending the area around Bakhmut are true heroes," said Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian fighters are trying to cut the critical ammunition supply lines meant for replenishing Ukrainian forces in the region.

"The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area which can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said in a video commentary, adding: "It is impossible to say where the front line lies."

‘Senseless’ invasion condemned by UN rights chief

Tuesday 28 February 2023 03:00 , Katy Clifton

The UN rights chief condemned Russia’s “senseless” invasion of Ukraine yesterday at the start of a Human Rights Council session at which countries want to strengthen scrutiny of Moscow’s alleged war crimes and raise China’s treatment of Muslim Uyghurs.

Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner, in one of his first speeches to the 47-member council, warned that human rights gains were being reined back and even reversed, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an example of oppression.

UN secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a separate speech that the war had triggered “massive violations” of rights.

During the meeting, which runs until April 4, many states will seek to extend and deepen the mandate of a U.N. investigation body set up to probe possible atrocities in Ukraine.

Russia accused of ‘genocidal crime'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 02:00 , Katy Clifton

Russia’s alleged forced transfer of thousands of children from Ukraine is “probably the largest forced deportation in modern history”, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday at an event on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council.

“The most chilling crime is that Russia steals Ukrainian children,” Kuleba said in a video message to a packed room on the opening day of the council in Geneva where Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine are being addressed.

“This is a genocidal crime,” he added.

Zelensky calls for end of ‘aviation taboo'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 01:00 , Katy Clifton

Mr Zelenskiy said in his speech on Monday that his country can only defend its skies if an “aviation taboo” is ended.

“Our pilots and anti-aircraft units, and other experts of our air force are doing a great job,” he said. “But we will be able to completely protect our skies when the aviation taboo is fully lifted in relations with our partners.”

Situation becoming ‘more difficult’ in Bakhmut

Tuesday 28 February 2023 00:01 , Katy Clifton

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the military situation is becoming increasingly difficult around the town of Bakhmut, the focal point of Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine.

“In the Bakhmut sector, the situation is constantly becoming more difficult,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

“The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions for fortification and defence. Our soldiers defending the area around Bakhmut are true heroes.”

Monday 27 February 2023 23:00 , Katy Clifton

The US welcomes the announcement by Saudi Arabia that it was providing $400 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and top Ukrainian officials in a surprise visit to Kyiv over weekend.

Ukraine claims to have shot down 11 drones as air raid sounded

Monday 27 February 2023 22:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The Ukraine ministry of defence claims to have shot 11 out of 14 drones deployed down on Sunday, which includes 9 over Kyiv.

The regional military administration in Kyiv confirmed the air defences were at work last night as alerts sounded across the city.

Two emergency services workers were killed and three more people injured in a drone attack on the city of Khmelnytskyi yesterday, according to the mayor.

US Treasury secretary makes surprise visit to Ukraine

Monday 27 February 2023 21:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Janet Yellen, US Treasury secretary, made a trip to Ukraine today to meet with President Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials to firm up Washington’s support for Kyiv.

In a tweet, Ms Yellen said: “Following @POTUS’s visit to Ukraine, I’m in Kyiv to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine, discuss ways we can continue our support – including through economic assistance – and pay tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people a year after Russia’s unprovoked invasion.”

Yellen said to the Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal: “America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes.”

Documentary about Ukraine’s search for missing and dead premieres

Monday 27 February 2023 20:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The Independent’s first feature-length documentary, The Body in the Woods - about Ukraine’s unprecedented search for its missing and dead - has premiered at a Kyiv railway station.

The documentary details the discovery of a body of a young man, found bound, shot and burned beside an abandoned Russian camp in the woods outside Kyiv, and international correspondent Bel Trew’s search to find out who he was and what happened to him.

Find out more.

‘America stands with you in this fight for freedom’

Monday 27 February 2023 19:46 , Katy Clifton

Janet Yellen also visited a renovated school that had its windows blown out by the blast wave from a Russian missile that landed nearby in March.

She also announced an additional transfer of $1.2 billion, the first tranche of the $10 billion assistance package.

“Maintaining an effective government is indispensable to Ukraine’s capacity to respond to Russian attacks and other emergencies,” said Ms Yellen. “Our economic support is keeping essential public services running. These services maintain economic and social stability in Ukraine”.

Addressing the school’s students and teachers, Ms Yeller said they are helping to “write history” in a country that is “a central force in the history of the free world.”

“America stands with you in this fight for freedom, and we will be by your side and help you rebuild”.

Ms Yellen also met with Zelenskyy and other top officials, including the head of Ukraine’s National Bank.

Mr Zelensky posted on Telegram after the meeting with Ms Yellen that it is “necessary to strengthen further sanctions to deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war.”

She also laid the flowers at the Wall of Remembrance dedicated to fallen soldiers and met Ukrainian landmine removal experts whose equipment was financed with US funds.

US treasury secretary hailed a ‘friend of Ukraine'

Monday 27 February 2023 19:43 , Katy Clifton

US treasury secretary Janet Yellen has said her first visit to Ukraine underscored Washington’s commitment to continuing its economic support for the country, as the din of air raid sirens echoed across the Ukrainian capital.

Ms Yellen said following talks with Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal that the US has provided nearly $50 billion in security, economic and humanitarian assistance and announced another multibillion-dollar package to boost the country’s economy.

Mr Shmyhal offered thanks to the US for its support and hailed Ms Yellen as a “friend of Ukraine.”

He said Ukraine’s budget deficit now stands at $38 billion and that the US will provide another $10 billion in assistance by September.

The pair also discussed sanctions aimed at weakening Russia’s economy as well as the possibility of using Russian frozen assets to help in Ukraine’s economic recovery. Ms Yellen repeated US president Joe Biden’s message that Washington will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Ukraine’s foreign minister accuses Russia of ‘stealing’ children

Monday 27 February 2023 19:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Dmtryo Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, has accused Russia of “genocidal crime” and of “stealing” children as the war has now been ongoing for over a year.

He spoke today on the sidelines of the UN human rights council.

Kyiv has now collected thousands of reports of children from Ukraine being forcibly deported to Russia, and wants these deportations to be investigated as war crimes.

Refering to Ukrainian children, he said it is “probably the largest forced deportation in modern history”.

In a video address, he said: “The most chilling crime is that Russia steals Ukrainian children.”

Subversive rock band cancels Kyiv concert

Monday 27 February 2023 18:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The subversive Slovenian rock band Laibach were due to play a concert in Ukraine but it has been cancelled after remarks they made about Kyiv.

The group reportedly angered Ukrainians by comments that were taken to mean Kyiv is a client state fighting the war for its western masters.

Laibach claimed they would have been the first foreign band to perform a full show in Kyiv since the start of the war in February last year.

They were due to play at the Bel Etage Music Hall in a few weeks on 31 March.

Russia responds to China’s 12-point plan for peace

Monday 27 February 2023 17:05 , Lucy Skoulding

Russia is paying “a great deal of attention” to China’s 12-point peace plan to end the invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has responded to China’s plan, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying anything that could lead to peace is worthy of attention.

Details of the plan will have to be analysed and for now Russia’s so-called “special military operation” will continue in Ukraine, Peskov confirmed.

Peskov added that he hasn’t seen any specific signs indicating a peaceful ending at this point.

Initiative to trace abducted Ukrainian children

Monday 27 February 2023 16:30 , Lucy Skoulding

Neighbouring country Poland has launched a joint initiative with the European Commission to help find children who have been abducted from Ukraine during the continuing war.

Poland’s EU affairs minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said the aim of the scheme is to find the missing children and to “ensure those responsible are brought to justice”.

Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, gave his thanks to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki.

He tweeted: “@EU_Commission and Poland launch an initiative to find children illegally abducted from #Ukraine by russia. We are grateful to @vonderleyen and @MorawieckiM. We need to return the abducted children to Ukraine and punish russia for its crimes.

Ukraine’s domestic spy chief on fighting Russia across all fronts

Monday 27 February 2023 15:55 , Lucy Skoulding

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Major General Malyuk, Ukraine‘s domestic spy chief, makes clear that the threat from Russia comes from all sides.

From the battlefield, his Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) has launched more than 64,000 criminal proceedings across Moscow’s forces – nearly half of them war crimes cases.

He says the SBU have also uncovered or detained 360 enemy agents since the invasion erupted last February.

And the country has fended off thousands of cyberattacks.

Read the full story from Bel Trew.

Afternoon recap: Fighting

Monday 27 February 2023 15:30 , Matt Mathers

• A Russian missile strike killed one person in the western town of Khmelnitskyi, the mayor said.

• Moscow said its forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Bakhmut, also shooting down four HIMARS missiles and five drones.A Ukrainian court has jailed two captured soldiers accused of taking part on Russian shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukraine, the SBU security service.

• The commander of Ukrainian ground forces visited besieged Bakhmut to boost morale.

• Ukraine‘s armed forces said Russia is concentrating offensive actions along the Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtar parts of the frontline.

• Battlefield accounts could not be independently verified

• Belarusian anti-government activists said on Sunday they had blown up a sophisticated Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone attack at an airfield near Minsk.

Apple fined £10m in Russian antitrust case, authorities say

Monday 27 February 2023 14:22 , Andy Gregory

Apple has paid a fine of 906 million roubles (£10m) in a Russian antitrust case alleging the US firm abuses its dominance in the mobile apps market, authorities in Moscow have said.

Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) determined in August 2020 that Apple had abused its dominant position, then issued a directive requiring Apple to remove provisions giving it the right to reject third-party apps from its App Store.

Apple has previously “respectfully disagreed” with the FAS ruling that Apple’s distribution of apps through its iOS operating system gave its own products a competitive advantage.

In a separate case, the FAS said in January that it had fined Apple around £14m for allegedly forcing Russian developers to use Apple’s payment services with the iOS App Store.

Apple paused all product sales and limited its Apple Pay service in Russia a year ago, after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Ukraine jails two Russian soldiers for shelling of residential areas

Monday 27 February 2023 13:42 , Andy Gregory

A Ukrainian court has jailed two captured Russian soldiers accused of shelling residential areas in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s SBU security service has said.

One of the soldiers received a 10-year sentence and the other had been jailed for nine years, the SBU said on Monday. It did not name them, say how they had pleaded and when they were sentenced, but said both had fought in eastern Ukraine and were captured last year.

“As a result of investigative actions, indisputable evidence on the guilt of two more militants who joined the ranks of the occupation groups of the aggressor country at the beginning of the full-scale invasion was collected,” it said.

Both “took an active part in the storming of Ukrainian cities on the Eastern Front”, it said. One had started fighting for separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and fought for the Russian army in the Bakhmut area of eastern Ukraine last year.

The other was in charge of Russian troops that shelled the eastern cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine, and was captured along with a number of his subordinates, according to the SBU.

They were found guilty under laws on the encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, and on participation in paramilitary or armed formations not provided for by law, the SBU added.

Ukraine jails two Russian army soldiers for shelling of residential areas

Monday 27 February 2023 13:03 , Matt Mathers

A Ukrainian court has jailed two captured soldiers accused of taking part on Russian shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukraine, the SBU security service said on Monday.

The SBU said in a statement that one of the soldiers had received a 10-year sentence and the other had been jailed for nine years.

It did not name them, say how they had pleaded and when they were sentenced, but said both had fought in eastern Ukraine and were captured last year.

“As a result of investigative actions, indisputable evidence on the guilt of two more militants who joined the ranks of the occupation groups of the aggressor country at the beginning of the full-scale invasion was collected,” it said.

Both “took an active part in the storming of Ukrainian cities on the Eastern Front”, it said.

Vladimir Putin’s spy plane ‘destroyed by drones’

Monday 27 February 2023 12:25 , Matt Mathers

One of Vladimir Putin’s spy planes has been destroyed by two drones at a Russian airbase in Belarus, according to reports.

The aircraft, worth £274 million, was hit in an attack by Belarus partisans supporting Ukraine.

The AWACS Beriev A-50U aircraft was “significantly damaged”, according to the Belarusian Hajun project, and the front and central parts of the aircraft, its avionics and radar antennae were hit.

Martha McHardy reports:

Vladimir Putin’s spy plane ‘destroyed by drones’

Kyiv blitzes Russian ammo stock and fuel depots with series of strikes

Monday 27 February 2023 11:40 , Matt Mathers

An ammunition cache and fuel depots are among the Russian targets hit by Ukraine in a series of strikes over the past week, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

At least 14 explosions have rocked sites in and around the Russian-held city of Mariupol, the MoD said, with a steel works used as by the Kremlin as military base among them.

“Russia will likely be concerned that unexplained explosions are occurring in a zone it had probably previously assessed as beyond the range of routine Ukrainian strike capabilities,” the MoD added.

China accuses US of ‘bullying’ with new ‘illegal sanctions’

Monday 27 February 2023 10:44 , Matt Mathers

Chinese officials have accused the US of "outright bullying and double standards" in levelling what it called "illegal" sanctions on Chinese companies as part of American actions against Russia’s Wagner Group and related companies and individuals.

The entities were targeted for their role in the war in Ukraine and mercenary activities, including human rights abuses, in Africa.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a daily briefing that the sanctions "have no basis in international law or authorization from the Security Council, and are typical illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction".

The punitive measures were "seriously harming China’s interests" and China "strongly rejects and deplores that and has lodged solemn complaints with the US side," Ms Mao said.

"While the US has intensified its efforts to send weapons to one of the parties to the conflict, resulting in an endless war, it has frequently spread false information about China’s supply of weapons to Russia, taking the opportunity to sanction Chinese companies for no reason," she added.

Kremlin says China's Ukraine peace plan should be analysed in detail

Monday 27 February 2023 10:15 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin on Monday said a Chinese peace plan on Ukraine that urges both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation and warns against the use of nuclear weapons should be analysed in detail, taking into account the interests of all sides.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on a U.S. media report that China was considering transferring drones to Russia.

You can read more about China’s plan here:

What is China’s peace proposal on how to end Ukraine war?

UN human rights chief warns of backsliding on global freedoms

Monday 27 February 2023 09:32 , Matt Mathers

The United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that human rights gains made in recent decades were being reined back and even reversed, citing Russia’s "senseless" invasion of Ukraine as a current example of oppression.

"Much of the progress made over decades is being reined back and even reversed in some parts...," High Commissioner Turk said in a speech on the opening day of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva attended by more than 100 ministers and heads of state.

He called for countries to work to overcome their differences and create a "new world-wide consensus on human rights".

Turkey's NATO talks with Sweden and Finland to resume on 9 March

Monday 27 February 2023 08:37 , Matt Mathers

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that talks with Sweden and Finland regarding their NATO membership bids would resume on March 9, after being suspended in January in the wake of a Koran-burning protest in Stockholm.

Turkey had previously cancelled a trilateral mechanism with Sweden and Finland on their applications to join NATO after Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January.

"My colleagues will attend the meeting that will be held on March 9," Cavusoglu told a press conference in Ankara, adding that the meeting would be held in Brussels.

Russian military aircraft blown up near Minsk: Belarusian partisans

Monday 27 February 2023 07:47 , Matt Mathers

Belarusian anti-government activists have claimed responsibility for what they said was a drone attack on a Russian A-50 surveillance aircraft at an airfield near the Belarus capital of Minsk on Sunday.

"Those were drones. The participants of the operation are Belarusian," Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, was quoted as saying on the organisation’s Telegram messaging app and on the Poland-based Belsat news channel.

"They are now safe, outside the country."

The claims could not be immediately verified. There was no official confirmation from Russia or Belarus and there was no immediate response from their defence ministries to requests for comment.

Russia launched over a dozen Kamikaze drones on Ukraine overnight – officials

Monday 27 February 2023 07:01 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces fired at least 14 Iranian Shahed drones into Ukraine overnight, officials from Ukraine’s general armed forces said today.

Of the total fired, 11 were shot down by Ukrainian air defence systems, the officials said.

Nostalgia for USSR: Putin’s motivation

Monday 27 February 2023 07:01 , Jane Dalton

Vladimir Putin, the autocrat who gave the orders for this war is a more complicated figure than many think, writes Mary Dejevsky.

His central motivation may well be to restore Russia’s standing in the world after what he saw as the humiliation of the Soviet Union’s collapse:

What is driving Putin’s relentless war on Ukraine?