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Ukraine war – latest updates: Russia fires supersonic missiles in Sea of Japan
The Russian navy has fired supersonic, anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, the country’s defence ministry claimed this morning. Listen to a Daily podcast special on supersonic missiles as you scroll.
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Moscow fires supersonic missiles in Sea of Japan View post
Safety at Zaporizhzhia nuclear site cannot be guaranteed – Zelenskyy View post
First British Challenger 2 tanks arrive in Ukraine View post
Explained: How significant are Russian nukes in Belarus? View post
Forthcoming ‘fighting season’ could be final chapter in conflict – here’s why and how it could play out | Sean Bell analysis View post
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17m ago
02:12
Russia likely lost ‘large number’ of tanks in fight for eastern town
Moscow is continuing to attempt to seize the eastern town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the British defence ministry said this morning.
However, it has only made “marginal progress” – and this has reportedly come at the “cost of heavy losses in armoured vehicles”.
The MoD added that the losses are likely due to “tactically flawed frontal assaults similar to those in other recent failed Russian armoured attacks, such as around the town of Vuhledar”.
In its daily update, the Ministry of Defence said: “Russia’s 10th Tank Regiment has likely lost a large proportion of its tanks while attempting to surround Avdiivka from the south.
“The regiment is part of 3rd Army Corps, the first major new formation Russia stood up to support the invasion of Ukraine since August 2022.
“Numerous open-source accounts suggested that 3rd Army Corps has been particularly dogged by problems with ill-discipline and poor morale.”
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33m ago
01:57
First British Challenger 2 tanks pictured in Ukraine
The first British Challenger 2 battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine, with pictures showing a donated vehicle next to those from the US and Germany.
Hailing the arrival yesterday, the Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said: “Today, I had the honour to try out the newest addition to our armed units, particularly Challengers from the UK.”
Other donations in the photograph included an American Stryker infantry carrier and a German Marder armoured vehicle.
Ukrainian troops have spent weeks in the UK learning how to operate the Challenger 2s, which were donated after a lengthy campaign by the Ukrainian side.
It is understood the UK will send 14 Challengers in total, but it is not yet known how many have arrived in Ukraine.
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42m ago
01:47
Russian drones shot down near Kyiv, setting a shop on fire
At least 12 Russian unmanned aircraft were shot down near to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv late on Monday, authorities in the region have reported.
No casualties have been confirmed, but it was reported that a shop in the Sviatoshyno area was set on fire when debris fell.
Serhiy Popko, head of the city military administration, said Russia had launched a dozen drones towards Kyiv, but Ukraine had identified and destroyed “all enemy targets”.
It was reported this morning that a total of 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones had been launched at Ukraine overnight.
Ukrainian forces were able to shoot down 14 of them, authorities said.
Drone wreckage fell in the western Kyiv district of Sviatoshyno, sparking a fire in a non-residential building.
“According to preliminary data there are no casualties at this time,” Mr Popko said in a Telegram post, though he added the information was being clarified.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reiterated that a shop was set ablaze in Sviatoshyno but no casualties were found. He said the fire was contained.
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1h ago
01:25
Moscow fires supersonic missiles in Sea of Japan
The Russian navy has fired supersonic, anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, the country’s defence ministry claimed this morning.
In a statement, it said the Moskit cruise missiles were fired by missile ships of the Pacific Fleet.
“The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometres (62.14 miles), was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missiles,” the defence ministry said.
The P-270 Moskit missile is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile of Soviet origin, capable of destroying a ship within a range of up to 75 miles.
It comes a week after two Russian bomber planes, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, flew over the Sea of Japan for more than seven hours in what Moscow said was a “planned flight”.
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1h ago
01:20
Zelenskyy: Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant held ‘hostage’ – and security cannot be guaranteed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday visisted Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, as he continued his tour of frontline regions.
In his late night address, he accused Russian troops of holding the region’s nuclear power plant “hostage” – and said its safety could not be guaranteed until they left.
Zaporizhzhia is Europe’s largest power plant, and it has been under Russian control since the early days of the war.
“Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year – this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or world-wide nuclear power,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
He described the Russian presence as “radiation blackmail”.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Zelenskyy had met with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.
The two held talks at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station – northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant.
Initiatives on restoring safety and security are “doomed to failure” without an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the plant, Mr Zelenskyy said in comments posted on the presidential website.
Russia and Ukraine routinely accuse each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site.
Fighting around it and concerns that cooling systems could lose power due to infrastructure strikes have raised fears of a nuclear disaster.
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1h ago
01:11
Good morning – and welcome back
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine, which is showing no sign of slowing down after entering a second year.
If you’re just joining us this morning, here’s what happened on Monday:
Moscow accused Washington of “underestimating their nuclear might”
Two people died and 29 were injured in a Russian missile strike on Sloviansk
German Leopard 2 battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine
Zelenskyy visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Russia “could have nuclear super torpedoes in the Pacific Ocean by 2024”.
As ever, we’ll have all the latest from Ukraine throughout the day.
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14h ago
12:15
That’s all for our Ukraine coverage today
We’ll be back tomorrow with more live updates on the war in Ukraine as they come in.
Here’s a recap of the main points from today:
The Kremlin has accused Washington of “underestimating their nuclear might”
Two people have died and 29 were injured in a Russian missile strike on Sloviansk
Ukrainian tank crews in Britain have completed their training
German Leopard 2 battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine
Hollywood star Orlando Bloom met President Zelenskyy in Kyiv
President Zelenskyy visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
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14h ago
11:45
German Leopard 2 tanks arrive in Ukraine
The 18 vehicles arrived in the country today, according to a security source.
Germany pledged to send the battle tanks in January after lengthy negotiations between Nato partners.
Besides the 18 main battle tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles and two armoured recovery vehicles had also reached Ukraine, the source said.
The German army trained Ukrainian tank crews as well as troops assigned to operate the Marder vehicles for several weeks on training grounds in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany.
Along with the German vehicles, three Leopard tanks donated by Portugal also reached Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers being trained on Leopard 2 tanks in Bergen this year
Ukrainian soldiers being trained on Leopard 2 tanks in Bergen this year
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15h ago
11:00
German pro-Russia activist’s home raided
German prosecutors have searched the home of two pro-Kremlin activists, looking for evidence that the couple donated cash to buy radios for Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Max Schlund and his partner Elena Kolbasnikova allegedly donated funds collected from supporters in Germany to a Russian army division and the money was used to purchase walkie-talkie radios, headphones and telephones.
European Union sanctions ban supplying or financing the purchase of certain goods for the Russian military.
The banned list includes radio equipment.
Under German law, the criminal penalty for anyone found to have violated sanctions is up to five years in prison.
Ulf Willuhn, a representative of the Cologne public prosecutors, said officers executed a search warrant on this morning at the couple’s address, and took computers and folders containing written documents.
Mr Willuhn said they would use the evidence they took to evaluate if Schlund and Kolbasnikova had violated paragraph 18 of the German foreign trade and payments act, which sets out punishments for breaches of international sanctions.
A spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, said this month that Kolbasnikova was the victim of “persecution” by the German authorities.
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16h ago
10:25
Japanese student arrives at graduation dressed as Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The student was wearing the Ukrainian president’s now iconic olive sweater and khaki trouser combo.
Most Japanese graduation ceremonies see graduates in suits or formal dress.
But Kyoto University has its own tradition of students opting for different attire on their big day.
“I am President Zelenskyy,” the student told local TV network Yomiuri.
He said it took him three months to grow out his beard and he decided to go as the Ukrainian leader after people told him they looked similar.
The student was holding a sign carrying messages expressing his support for Ukraine, along with a passage from Mr Zelenskyy’s speech in December at the US Congress.
He also held a wooden shamoji – a rice serving spoon – like the one that Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, presented to Mr Zelenskyy as a gift during his trip to Kyiv last week.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
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16h ago
10:08
UN nuclear watchdog chief meets with Zelenskyy in Zaporizhzhia
Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) tweeted he met the Ukrainian president in the town, which is the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant.
The plant has lost several of its power transmission cables during the war, and on multiple occasions has had to switch to emergency diesel generators.
The pair had a “rich exchange” on the protection of the plant and its staff, Mr Grossi wrote in a tweet, adding that he reiterated the IAEA’s full support for Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
They both also visited the Dnieper hydroelectric station, where they assessed recent damage caused to the dam.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
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16h ago
09:38
Zelenskyy meets troops in Zaporizhzhia
The president met troops in southeastern Ukraine today in the latest stage of his tour of frontline regions.
“I am honoured to be here today, next to our military,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a post on Telegram along with footage of him handing out medals to troops in the Zaporizhzhia region.
In separate trips last week, Mr Zelenskyy met soldiers near Bakhmut, where fighting has become bogged down, and spoke to officials and residents in the southern region of Kherson, where Russian troops were forced back last year after months of occupation.
Ukraine’s ground forces commander said on Monday that Kyiv was planning its next move after Moscow shifted the focus of its offensive from a flagging assault on Bakhmut to the town of Avdiivka further south.
“I am thankful to each of our warriors for defending Ukraine, our sovereignty, our cities, and our children,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
“We will definitely win.”
The map below shows the location of Avdiivka, right on the edge of Russian controlled territory.
Just last week the Ukrainian military warned that the city could become a “second Bakhmut” as Russian shelling on the town increases.
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17h ago
09:14
Germany to replace howitzers it sent to Ukraine
Berlin will buy up to 28 of the self-propelled guns to replace those it sent to Ukraine last year.
The German parliament’s budget committee is set to decide on the deal during a session on Wednesday.
The government in Berlin has supplied 14 howitzers to Kyiv, and originally intended to ask parliament for their replacement in summer only.
Boris Pistorius, the defence minister, brought the move forward after criticism that the backfilling of German military hardware was going far too slowly.
According to the budget draft, the defence ministry aims to procure at least 10 howitzers for some €180m from German arms maker Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), and acquire options for the purchase of another 18.
The document said the ministry intended to soon trigger options for the procurement of 12 additional howitzers to replace all the weapons handed over to Ukraine and to also make up for spare parts supplied to Kyiv.
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer is one of the most powerful artillery weapons in the German military’s inventory.
It can hit targets at a distance of 18.6 miles with standard ammunition and more than 60 miles with advanced types of ammunition.
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17h ago
08:46
Ukraine ‘takes down FSB cell working in east’
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claims to have neutralised an agent network of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), allegedly aiding in targeting positions in east Ukraine.
The group consisted of eight residents in the Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts, including an assistant to an acting member of Ukraine’s parliament, according to the SBU.
The agent network was reportedly formed by two FSB officers before the start of the invasion, the SBU wrote.
After Russia attacked, the agents allegedly started gathering information on the location and movement of Ukrainian troops and equipment and passing it back to Moscow.
During the Russian occupation of Kharkiv oblast’s Izium and Balakleia, the informants were said to be selecting candidates for serving in local occupying administrations.
In exchange, the agents received Russian roubles and were promised managerial positions in the Moscow-installed administrations if the regions were to be occupied completely.
The SBU charged four suspects with treason committed under martial law.
The other four are now believed to be in Russia.
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18h ago
08:10
Kremlin: ‘Washington underestimates our nuclear might’
Nikolai Patrushev has warned that Russia has the weapons to destroy any enemy, including the United States, if its own existence is threatened.
The comments from the influential secretary of Russia’s Security Council are the latest from a senior Russian official to raise the spectre of a nuclear showdown between Moscow and Washington, something the Kremlin says it wants to avoid.
“American politicians trapped by their own propaganda remain confident that, in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a preventive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond,” Patrushev told the state Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper.
“This is short-sighted stupidity, and very dangerous.
“Russia is patient and does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage.
“But it has modern unique weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence.”
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18h ago
07:46
Russian missile strike on Sloviansk kills two, injures 29, Donetsk governor claims
The Donetsk Oblast’s city was reportedly struck this morning with the hit killing at least two people and wounding 29, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Two Russian S-300 missiles hit the city centre, damaging administrative and office buildings, five high-rises, and seven houses, the governor said.
A rescue operation in Sloviansk is currently under way.
President Zelenskyy published a video purportedly showing the aftermath of the attack on Telegram.
“The enemy must know: Ukraine will not forgive the abuse of our people, will not forgive these deaths and injuries,” Zelenskyy wrote.
“All Russian terrorists will be defeated. Everyone involved in this aggression will bear responsibility.”
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19h ago
06:59
Images reveal the scale of the damage in Donbas as the war rages on
Destroyed buildings can be seen in Vuhledar in these images released over the weekend by the Donetsk Regional Military Administration.
The head of the administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, tweeted yesterday: “Russia kills civilians!
“On March 26th number of victims of Russian army in Donetsk oblast increased by 1 killed, 2 injured.
“Every Russian will pay for his crimes in Ukraine!”
Ukrainian forces are still focused on preventing a Russian advance along more than 185 miles of the Donbas front, from Kupiansk in the north to Vuhledar in the south.
“Shelling of Avdiivka does not stop – artillery, rockets, mortars,” said Oleksiy Dmytrashkyvskyi of Ukraine’s Tavria military command, responsible for southern areas.
He added he was saddened by the conditions suffered by the mostly elderly people in the town who did not want to leave.
Pic: Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko/Reuters
Pic: Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko/Reuters
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19h ago
06:40
Poland urges West to ‘stay calm over Belarus nuclear weapons’
The country’s European Union affairs minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek said that though it was an “element of escalation, the reaction should be calm but firm”.
“We cannot be intimidated by Russian propagandists,” he added.
On Saturday it was reported by a Russian news agency that Vladimir Putin had signed a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Moscow said it was making the move in response to the West’s increasing military support for Ukraine.
Putin argued that by deploying its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia was following the lead of the United States.
He noted that Washington had nuclear weapons based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
Poland earlier called for both Russian and Belarussian athletes to be banned from next year’s Olympics in Paris if Moscow refuses to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
However, the International Olympic Committee recently announced it had plans to allow athletes from the nations to compete as neutrals to avoid a return to the Cold War era style boycotts.
“We strongly believe that now is not the time to consider the opening up of a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the Olympic Games in any status,” the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement.
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20h ago
06:21
Orlando Bloom meets Zelenskyy Kyiv
The Lord of the Rings star ventured to the Ukrainian capital to meet with the president in his capacity as a UNICEF ambassador.
He praised the “stoic” nature of the Ukrainians as well as Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s messaging, calling it reflective of the “courage and determination” of the people.
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20h ago
06:06
Kremlin says it will find out who was behind Nord Stream blasts
Moscow says it will establish which state or states were behind blasts that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines and will do everything in its power to stop “Western efforts” to “cover-up” what happened.
The pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were hit by unexplained blasts last September in what Russia has branded an act of international terrorism.
Vladimir Putin says he believes the United States was behind the blasts, an idea which Washington has rejected.
Earlier we told you that Moscow may seek compensation for the pipeline damage, but did not specify from whom.
