Ukraine war – latest: Crowd laughs at Sergei Lavrov; creator of Russia’s COVID vaccine ‘strangled to death’
The US confirms an extensive new package of military aid for Ukraine, including armoured vehicles that can launch bridges to allow troops to cross rivers. Listen to the latest episode of the Ukraine War Diaries while you scroll.
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Russian COVID vaccine scientist ‘strangled to death’ View post
Crowd laughs at Russia’s foreign minister View post
City forced to evacuate 800 children amid ‘constant’ Russian shelling View post
Mystery over reported attack on Russian territory View post
US sends Ukraine ‘offensive’ vehicle not seen on the battlefield before View post
Professor Michael Clarke: Is Bakhmut about to fall – and who was involved in the Bryansk attack? View post
Alex Rossi: Inside the battered town of Vuhledar on the frontline View post
Live reporting by Brad Young, with Alex Rossi in Ukraine and Diana Magnay in Moscow
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3h ago
17:50
Putin ally jails Nobel Peace Prize winner for 10 years after ‘sham’ trial
Russian ally Belarus has sentenced a Nobel Peace Prize winner to 10 years in prison following a trial labeled a “sham” by the US and EU.
Human rights and democracy activist Ales Bialiatski, 60, was found guilty of financing protests by a court in Minsk, following a crackdown on a series of anti-government demonstrations that started in the summer of 2020 and continued into 2021.
President Alexander Lukashenko, whose nation is party to a Union State agreement with Russia, has violently locked up his opponents or forced them to flee for three decades.
Three other activists were sentenced to a combined 24 years in jail.
“The Minsk regime is fighting civil society with violence and imprisonment,” said German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock on Twitter.
It “is as much a daily disgrace” as Lukashenko’s support for Vladimir Putin’s war, she added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the group’s immediate release on Twitter, describing the court ruling as a “sham” and “an attempt to suppress democracy and human rights in Belarus.”
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said in a statement: “Lukashenko will not succeed. Their call for freedom is loud, even behind bars.”
A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said the UN body was disturbed by the trial and “the lack of fair trial proceedings and access to an independent judiciary in Belarus”.
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4h ago
17:20
The Salisbury poisonings five years on
Tracy Daszkiewicz was Wiltshire Council’s director of public health when ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were targeted in March 2018 with the deadly nerve agent novichok.
Three months after the Salisbury poisonings, two other people fell ill at a flat several miles away in Amesbury and one of them died. Later this month, an inquiry into Dawn Sturges’ death will have another preliminary hearing.
On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Ms Daszkiewicz about the impact Ms Sturges’ death had on her and how she felt about being depicted in a TV drama about the poisonings.
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4h ago
16:50
Inside Bakhmut: The ‘surrounded’ city
In embattled Bakhmut on the eastern front, soldiers take a brief moment’s rest in a makeshift shelter, while others fly drones.
Russia rained artillery on the last access routes to the besieged city today, bringing Moscow closer to victory in an area that has been locked in a deadly war of attrition for months.
Less than 15km to the West in Chasiv Yar, families collect wood from their homes which have been destroyed by Russian shelling.
Bakhmut
Bakhmut
Ukrainian servicemen rest in a shelter
Ukrainian servicemen rest in a shelter
AP
AP
Hennadiy Mazepa and his wife Natalia Ishkova collect wood from destroyed houses in Chasiv Yar
Hennadiy Mazepa and his wife Natalia Ishkova collect wood from destroyed houses in Chasiv Yar
AP
AP
AP
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5h ago
16:21
Fresh US aid will only ‘prolong the agony’ of Ukraine – Russia
American support will only “prolong the agony of the Kyiv regime” said the Russian ambassador to the US, after Washington announced £333m in fresh military aid today.
Shells for mobile rocket launchers and howitzer artillery cannons, as well as a bridge-launching tank, were promised to Ukraine earlier this evening.
Now ambassador Anatoly Ivanovich has repeated Russian threats that “foreign weapons which fall into Ukrainian hands on the battlefield will be destroyed.”
“Washington stands behind those who shot civilians, which means it is responsible for these atrocities. The blood of the victims is already on the hands of the United States,” said the ambassador on Telegram, without providing any evidence to back up his claim.
“All the efforts of Washington aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on us are doomed to failure.
“The Russian Federation is confidently moving towards the fulfillment of its goals. Our troops protect the Fatherland from an unprecedented threat.”
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5h ago
15:59
City forced to evacuate 800 children amid ‘constant’ Russian shelling
Constant Russian shelling has forced Ukrainian officials to evacuate a city on the eastern front.
Families with children and residents with mobility issues have been told they must leave Kupiansk, according to the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
At least 812 children are among those leaving behind their homes to be provided with accommodation and other services elsewhere in the country.
“The decision on the mandatory evacuation of certain categories of the population was taken, taking into account the unstable security situation due to constant shelling of the territory of the community by Russian troops,” read a statement on the administration’s website.
Evacuation is not mandatory for other citizens, but they can choose to evacuate free of charge.
This morning, the head of the regional administration, Oleg Sinegubov, said shelling had destroyed homes, a care facility, a granary and an administrative building, killing a 73-year-old woman.
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5h ago
15:38
Russian crimes of aggression the focus of Ukraine’s talks with allies
US Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Ukraine today to reaffirm America’s intention to hold Russia accountable for its crimes of aggression.
He was invited to Lviv by the Ukrainian prosecutor general for several meetings about Russia’s “unjust unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbor”.
Meanwhile President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra and Estonian foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu in Kyiv.
He thanked the Dutch government for establishing the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine in The Hague, on Telegram.
“This is an important step towards the establishment of a special tribunal for Russian aggression,” he wrote.
He also thanked Estonia “for its leadership in providing comprehensive assistance, for effective and, most importantly, timely support of our country in the defense of its territorial integrity and independence.”
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6h ago
14:52
US sanctions six people over detention of anti-war Russian leader
Russians involved in the arrest, prosecution or abuse of a Russian opposition leader imprisoned last year for speaking out against the war have been sanctioned by the US.
Vladimir Kara-Murza was arrested by Russia in April and declared a “foreign agent”, and remains held on suspicion of spreading false information about the armed forces.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions today against the following people for the following reasons:
Andrei Andreevich Zadachin: A Russian special investigator who ordered a criminal case be filed against Kara-Murza for a speech to the Arizona House of Representatives
Elena Anatolievna Lenskaya: A Moscow judge who ordered Kara-Murza be detained
Danila Yurievich Mikheev: An expert witness for the Russian government who reviewed footage of the speech and provided a report which led to charges against Kara-Murza
Oleg Mikhailovich Sviridenko: Russia’s deputy minister of justice
Diana Igorevna Mishchenko: The judge who ruled Kara-Murza be arrested
Ilya Pavlovich Kozlov: A judge who denied Kara-Murza’s appeal of the arrest ruling
Ms Lenskaya and Mr Zadachin also face visa restrictions that deny them and their immediate families entry into the US.
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7h ago
14:34
Militia leader claims responsibility for Russia raid, implicates Ukraine
A far-right militia leader with links to neo-Nazis has claimed Ukraine tacitly supported his group’s raid in southern Russia.
Denis Nikitin told the Financial Times the Russian Volunteer Corps attacked Bryansk to remind Russians they needn’t put up with “someone else’s war carrying out someone else’s will”.
“You can and must take up arms. We will support everyone who wants to remove these Kremlin usurpers from power,” he said.
Ukraine has denied any approval of the attack, accusing Moscow of staging it, while Moscow has used the incident to try and support its own war narrative that the West is supporting “terrorists”.
The FT reported Mr Nikitin saying the raid exposed Russia’s defences as in a “very poor state” in the region.
“We were running around and working in a border zone that should be under the strictest protection,” Mr Nikitin told the newspaper.
On whether Ukrainian authorities signed off on the operation, Mr Nikitin said: “Yes, of course, this action was agreed, otherwise it couldn’t have happened.
“How do you imagine that I passed through the dark of night there? There are mined bridges, there are cameras, heat-seeking drones, there are hidden open observation points.
“If I did not co-ordinate it with anyone [in Ukraine’s military]… I think we would simply be destroyed.”
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7h ago
13:48
Russian COVID vaccine scientist ‘strangled to death’
A senior researcher who helped create the Russian COVID vaccine has been murdered, according to the country’s state media.
TASS reported Andrey Botikov, 47, was strangled to death with a belt in his apartment in northwest Moscow yesterday.
The scientist worked for the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology on the Sputnik V vaccine.
A 29-year-old man has pleaded guilty to murder, according to TASS.
The news agency said investigators believe the murder to have been carried out following a domestic dispute.
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8h ago
13:28
Almost 10,000 Russian soldiers ‘surrendered’ via ‘I Want to Live’ hotline
Almost 10,000 Russian soldiers have contacted Ukraine’s dedicated surrender helpline since September to give themselves up, according to Ukraine’s Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (CHTPW).
The 24/7 project, named “I Want to Live”, allows enemy combatants to contact an operator via phone or chatbot and be transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp.
A report published by CHTPW said more than 14 million people have visited the website, 84% of whom were based in Russia.
“In addition to the Russian military, their relatives and loved ones contact the hotline,” the agency wrote on Telegram.
“Often mobilised Russians who arrived in Ukraine as part of the occupying army do not have access to the internet.”
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8h ago
13:07
EU will sanction China if it crosses ‘red line’
The EU will place sanctions on China if it arms Russia, according to a senior European Union official.
China has denied any intention to send weapons to Russia, but concerns have been raised among Western allies of Ukraine, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Yesterday he warned Beijing against providing such aid to Moscow, stating: “Don’t deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia.”
China is Germany’s top trading partner, making a hard line with Beijing less appealing for them than the US, but attitudes appear to be shifting within the EU.
Mr Scholz and Joe Biden are expected to discuss China and the conflict when they meet at the White House today.
John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said yesterday the US has not seen any indication China has made a decision on whether to send arms to Russia.
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8h ago
12:45
US confirms £333m military aid – including vehicle not seen on Ukrainian battlefield before
The US will send £333m in military aid to Ukraine, the secretary of state has confirmed.
Antony Blinken said a package including ammunition and a type of vehicle that can lay down bridges over rivers and ravines will be shipped to the frontline.
Carrying a 60ft metal bridge, the Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge tank could help Ukraine if they launch an offensive.
It is the first time such a vehicle has been supplied to the country, which can fire a bridge forward over difficult terrain.
“This is probably 90% an offensive [weapon],” said security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke.
“Because if you’re on the defence, if you’re falling back, you blow up the bridges and get on the other side of them.
“If you’re moving forward, you need something to get over small obstacles pretty quickly, so this is what troops use,” he said, adding he expects the US to send eight of the vehicles.
He continued: “The Ukrainians will need them for the offensive that they’re planning. It hasn’t started yet but when it does start, it will be conducted with some of the best equipment in the world – including the launched bridge.”
Shells will be supplied for light multiple rocket launcher vehicles and howitzer artillery cannons.
Demolitions equipment and other maintenance and training support will be included, said Mr Blinken.
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8h ago
12:36
Crowd laughs at Russia’s foreign minister
Sergei Lavrov faced laughter and groans from the audience as he spoke in New Delhi earlier today.
The Russian foreign minister had asserted that Moscow was not the aggressor in its war in Ukraine, telling the Raisina Dialogue conference: “The war, which we are trying to stop, was launched against us using the Ukraine.”
He paused briefly as the crowd laughed at his comments, but then carried on.
The Raisina Dialogue is one of few major international conferences that is still inviting Russian officials, and had allowed an audience with a mix of views.
While Mr Lavrov faced derision at points, he was also applauded when he said there was a “double standard” in questions directed to him about the war when compared with the US’s military interventions in past decades.
Oliver Carroll, foreign correspondent for The Economist, commented on Twitter: “These days, Russian FM Lavrov doesn’t usually go anywhere near hostile crowds. He underestimated this Indian audience.”
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9h ago
12:31
Dog rescued from the rubble of missile attack
A dog has been rescued from the rubble of a Russian missile attack in southern Ukraine.
Rockets hitting Zaporizhzhia killed five people in a residential block yesterday, injuring eight and leaving 10 missing.
As rescue crews led 11 people to safety, they found Mira the dog, who had been trapped for almost two days, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
She was rescued without any major injuries and handed back to her owners, it said.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
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9h ago
12:20
Is Bakhmut about to fall – and who was involved in the Bryansk attack? Our expert gives his thoughts
Our security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke has provided us with his expertise throughout the war in Ukraine – and as fears grow that Bakhmut could be about to fall, here is what he has to say…
Will Russia capture Bakhmut?
Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s assertion that Russian forces have almost taken Bakhmut is “probably true”, Clarke says.
However, he says the capture of the town will not matter strategically.
Instead, it would be a “symbolic victory” for Russia after months of little battlefield success.
What’s happening in Vuhledar?
This eastern town, southwest of Bakhmut, is more strategically important as it sits on high ground.
Clarke says Russian forces have been attacking here for a couple of weeks – but the Ukrainians have a successful tactic.
They have been leaving the roads open and clear but mining the fields in between, so that when tanks coming up the roads are fired upon by Ukrainian troops they are forced into the fields – where they then hit the mines.
Ukrainian soldiers have been putting in more mines secretly at night as well as using artillery to drop them.
Clarke describes a “tremendous battle” between Russia’s tanks and Ukraine’s land mines.
Who was behind the attack on Russian territory?
As we’ve been reporting today, there has been an alleged attack on villages in Russia’s southern Bryansk region.
Questions have arisen over who was behind the attack and whether Kyiv was aware beforehand, but Clarke says it was “almost certainly a free enterprise”.
He explains that if it were a Russian false flag attack, it would have been “a lot more serious” – and if it were a sabotage by the Ukrainian government, it would have been done “on a much bigger scale”.
Either way, he says it is “not very helpful to Kyiv”.
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9h ago
11:44
Police and civilians injured in Kherson attack
Two police officers and three civilians have been injured after coming under fire in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, officers there have said.
In a post on Facebook, they said settlements are under “constant enemy fire”, adding that the Russian army uses “all kinds of weapons against civilians”.
In their update, they said police and a car containing volunteers came under attack in the village of Zmiivka in the Beryslav district.
They added: “Upon arrival at the scene, the police reported that they and another car came under heavy fire – a projectile hit the car directly.
“After that, contact with the investigative team disappeared.
“Then three civilians and two policemen were injured.”
The force said Ukrainian soldiers went to help the wounded, and volunteers were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“The police officers independently reached the medical facility, where they were diagnosed with contusions and bruises on the brain,” it added.
Pic: Kherson police
Pic: Kherson police
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10h ago
11:17
Russian analyst claims London was involved in Bryansk incident
The UK was somehow involved in the incident in Russia’s Bryansk Region, a Russian military analyst has claimed without evidence.
Moscow has alleged Ukrainian saboteurs crossed into western parts of Russia to carry out some attacks on villages.
What exactly happened is still unclear – and whether Kyiv was aware is also not certain.
In a video shared by Francis Scarr from BBC Monitoring, Igor Korotchenko alleges London was involved and calls for the UK’s ambassador to be “kicked out of Moscow on camera”.
He adds that while the US has superior resources, the “Anglo-Saxon brain is in London”.
Russian state TV has regularly aired anti-Western sentiment.
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10h ago
10:52
Russian oil and gas revenues down almost half year-on-year
Russian oil and gas revenues were down by 46.4% in February compared with the same month last year, finance ministry data shows.
However, they were up by 22.5% in February compared with January.
Tax and customs revenue from oil and gas sales fell in January to its lowest level since August 2020.
Income from oil and gas sales reached 521.2bn roubles last month, compared with 425.5bn in January and 971.7bn roubles in February 2022.
Moscow relies on energy revenue to fund government spending.
It has been forced to sell foreign reserves to cover the cost of the war in Ukraine.
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11h ago
10:23
Ukraine has enough power but needs to build undergound facilities – PM
Ukraine has enough power to service its needs but will need to build more secure infrastructure, its prime minister has said.
Denys Shmyhal has told reporters that between 40% and 50% of his country’s energy system has been damaged in Russian missile and drone attacks through the winter.
While millions of people have been left at times without power, the country has been able to carry out repairs, partly with equipment provided by its allies.
“Ukraine is for now provided with (power) generating and network capacities,” Mr Shmyhal said.
“The next step is to secure the network infrastructure for the next (cold) season.”
Measures will include constructing concrete and underground shelters to protect facilities from attack.
The Kharkiv TEC-5 thermal power plant was hit by a Russian missile last September
The Kharkiv TEC-5 thermal power plant was hit by a Russian missile last September
Reuters
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11h ago
09:59
EU helping Ukraine with ‘energy security’
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the bloc is supplying Ukraine with solar panels to help its “energy security”.
She tweeted: “I promised to work with Ukraine on renewable energy sources, important for its energy security.
“Now we deliver: a first batch of 5,700 solar panels will be sent to Ukraine soon.
“I am confident more donations will come.”
