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Ukraine war – live updates: Zelenskyy says situation in the east is ‘not good’; Russians firing three times as many shells as Ukraine | War latest
Ukraine cannot start it’s next counteroffensive due to a shortage of weapons, including heavy equipment and fighter jets, the Ukrainian President has said. Listen to a Daily podcast special on supersonic missiles while you scroll.
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Zelenskyy: ‘We are waiting for ammunition’ View post
Russia threatens use of ‘absolutely any weapon, including nuclear’ if Ukraine tries to retake Crimea View post
Moscow ‘trying to provoke’ US with flights over military bases View post
Kremlin invasion ‘severely dislocated Russian military’s training system’ View post
Bakhmut counteroffensive to start ‘very soon’ View post
Live reporting by Guy Birchall
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44m ago
11:47
‘Russia fired on humanitarian aid delivery point’
Russia fired on a humanitarian aid delivery point in the city of Kherson on Saturday, injuring two civilians, according to the Ukrainian military.
“Russian occupiers continue shelling the places where civilians are provided with aid,” said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
“Last night the Russian army attacked a ‘point of invincibility’ in the Donetsk region’s Kostiantynivka.
“Today’s target for Russian artillery is a humanitarian aid delivery point in Kherson.
“Two people were injured in enemy shelling, a 41-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man,” he added
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1h ago
11:06
Ukrainian military: ‘Kyiv’s forces are pushing back in Bakhmut’
The top commander of Ukraine’s military has said that his forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for Bakhmut.
British military intelligence also says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.
“The Bakhmut direction is the most difficult. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defence forces, the situation is being stabilised,” General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in a post on Telegram describing a telephone call with Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defence staff.
The seven-month battle for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest clash of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries.
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1h ago
10:37
Has the battle for Bakhmut stalled?
Retired Air Vice-Marshal Sean Bell explains why Russia’s assault on Bakhmut has largely stalled.
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2h ago
09:59
Russian troop movement in Kherson Oblast “massive rotation not witdrawal”
Russian troop movements from Nova Kakhovka on March 23 was a “massive rotation” and not a withdrawal, as previously reported, Ukraine’s Southern Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk has said,
Two days earlier, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces refuted its initial report that “all Russian army units” had withdrawn from the Russian-occupied city in southern Kherson Oblast.
Nova Kakhovka stands on the east bank of the Dnipro River and is home to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.
After Ukraine’s Armed Forces took Kherson and other settlements on the west bank in November, Russian troops were pushed to the river’s east bank and have continued shelling Ukrainian forces from their since.
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3h ago
09:24
Zelenskyy addresses the Ukrainian National Guard
Troops lined up in Kyiv as President Zelenskyy gave an address to new officers graduating from the National Guard academy.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
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3h ago
09:04
Zelenskyy: ‘I didn’t receive peace proposal from Xi’
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says didn’t receive a proposal to mediate peace between Ukraine and Russia from China, he told the Japan News.
Zelensky told Japan News that he gave “straight messages” through the diplomatic channels that he wanted to speak with China’s leader Xi Jinping but didn’t get a response.
“I did not get a proposal from China to mediate. I didn’t get a proposal to meet,” he said.
Zelensky also expressed scepticism about China’s 12-point proposal calling for a ceasefire and peace negotiations, saying that “respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity” must come first.
China has so far refused to condemn Russia’s aggression.
Beijing’s 12-point plan urges all parties to respect the sovereignty of all nations, safeguard nuclear facilities, facilitate grain exports, and protect civilians and prisoners of war.
However, the proposal also calls for abandoning “the Cold War mentality” and “stopping unilateral sanctions,” rhetoric frequently used by Beijing to criticise the West’s response to the war.
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4h ago
08:29
Thousands of Russian prisoners ‘pardoned after serving with Wagner group’
More than 5,000 criminals have been pardoned after finishing their contracts to fight in Russia’s Wagner mercenary group against Ukraine, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Saturday.
The Wagner Group, originally staffed by battle-hardened veterans of the Russian armed forces, took on a much more prominent role in the Ukraine war after the Russian army suffered a series of defeats last year.
Prigozhin recruited thousands of men from prisons, offering them the chance of freedom in return for serving in some of the most dangerous battles in Ukraine.
“At the present time, more than 5,000 people have been released on pardon after completing their contracts with Wagner,” the Putin ally said in an audio clip posted on Telegram.
Prigozhin said just 0.31% of those pardoned after Wagner service had gone on to commit crime, a figure he said was 10-20 times less than the standard indicators.
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4h ago
08:17
Erdogan thanks Putin for his ‘positive attitude’
Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The Turkish government said earlier on Saturday that Mr Erdogan thanked Putin for his “positive attitude” in extending the Black Sea grain deal.
Mr Erdogan reportedly stressed to the Russian leader the importance of ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.
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4h ago
07:37
Poland to boost ammunition manufacturing to aid Ukraine
Dezamet, a unit of Polish state arms producer Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), will substantially boost capacity to supply ammunition to Ukraine, the country’s prime minister said on Saturday.
The announcement by Mateusz Morawiecki comes ahead of a planned visit by EU Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, to Dezamet on Monday.
Seventeen EU member states and Norway this week agreed to jointly procure ammunition to help Ukraine and to replenish their own stockpiles, the European Defence Agency said.
Dezamet, which produces ammunition for artillery, mortars and grenade launchers, is one of PGZ group’s more than 50 armaments enterprises.
“This plant can count on new orders and funds, we will be launching new production lines at this company and the others to produce ammunition,” Morawiecki told Radio RMF when asked about Breton’s visit to the factory.
“We want to multiply the output severalfold as quickly as possible,” he said.
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5h ago
07:14
Zelenskyy: ‘We are waiting for ammunition’
Ukraine cannot start it’s next counteroffensive due to a shortage of weapons, including heavy equipment and fighter jets, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We cannot send them (our troops) under such conditions,” he told the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.
In January, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, said that Kyiv was planning a major counteroffensive in spring, with the “hottest” fighting expected this month.
Zelensky said that the situation in the east of Ukraine was “not good” due to a “lack of ammunition,” as Moscow’s forces are firing triple the number of shells Ukrainian troops are every day.
“We are waiting for ammunition from our partners,” he added.
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5h ago
06:33
Destruction in Luhansk as Ukrainian forces clash with Russia’s troops
Ukrainian servicemen stand next to a destroyed building near the frontline town of Kreminna in Luhansk.
Russian forces have been digging in where they hold territory in the four provinces that Moscow illegally annexed in September – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
Vladimir Putin has made it clear he wants to have control there.
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6h ago
06:00
More than a third of Ukrainians know someone killed or wounded in the war
According to a survey 37% of Ukrainians said they had a relative or an acquaintance (either military or civilian) injured or killed since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
The survey was carried out by the Razumkov Center, a political thinktank based in Kyiv.
Ukraine doesn’t publish its military casualties.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 8,317 civilians have died and 13,892 have been injured as of March 20.
The numbers are expected to be significantly higher since they don’t include casualties in the occupied territories or areas with heavy hostilities.
The poll also showed that 28% of respondents have close relatives or family members who fled the country after the full-scale invasion and have stayed there.
Among those whose relatives live abroad, 47% said they were in Poland, 18.5% said Germany, and 9% in the Czech Republic, according to the survey.
The poll was taken between February and March.
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7h ago
05:31
Zelenskyy thanks Ukrainian National Guard and Marines
The Ukrainian president thanked his armed forces in a message to the nation last night.
Sharing a video on Twitter, Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute to those fighting Russian forces.
He went on to say that Kyiv would not forgive Moscow for its invasion, saying: “The enemy must know: Ukraine won’t forgive offenses against our people, won’t forgive these deaths and injuries.”
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7h ago
05:00
Russia ‘fired 301 shells at Kherson Oblast yesterday’, governor claims
Russia attacked southern Kherson Oblast 67 times within a 24-hour period, firing 301 shells from heavy artillery and Grad multiple rocket launchers, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said today.
The regional capital, Kherson, was shelled seven times, while 23 shells hit residential buildings and a medical facility, he added.
The Kherson City Council earlier urged residents to evacuate due to near constant Russian attacks and shelling.
Kherson Oblast has been continuously subjected to shelling since the areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River were liberated by Ukrainian forces late last year.
Russian forces were pushed to the river’s east bank, from where they have been firing at the liberated territories.
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7h ago
04:48
Biden and Trudeau say US and Canada remain committed to defending Ukraine
The US president and Canadian PM said the two nations were “inseparable” when they met in Ottawa on Friday.
Joe Biden bristled at the notion that Russia had managed to expand a partnership with Beijing that is allowing Moscow to sustain its economy and war effort despite America lining up an international coalition to economically isolate Russia with sanctions.
China has so far has refrained from providing Russia weapons since the start of the war, according to the White House.
“We have significantly expanded our alliances,” Biden said with Trudeau by his side during a joint news conference.
“Tell me how in fact you see a circumstance where China has made a significant commitment to Russia?
“What commitment can they make?”
At an earlier appearance with Biden before the Canadian Parliament, Justin Trudeau said his country — which has provided Kyiv with artillery, ammunition, armor and tanks — remained committed to Ukraine’s cause.
“As you well know, Mr. President, Canada will continue to stand strong with Ukraine, with whatever it takes,” Mr Trudeau said.
The whirlwind visit by Mr Biden — his first visit to Canada as president — was meant to showcase U.S.-Canada ties, and both leaders offered full praise of each other.
The president, addressing Canada’s Parliament, even said the U.S. was “lucky” to have Canada as its neighbour as both countries grapple with the rapidly changing global economy, climate change, war in Europe and more.
“Today our destinies are intertwined and they are inseparable,” he said.
“Not because of inevitability of geography, but because it’s a choice, the choice we made again and again.”
“Two people, two countries, in my view sharing one heart.”
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8h ago
04:21
MoD: ‘Russia’s assault on Bakhmut has largely stalled’
Moscow’s attempts to take the Donbas town have faltered, according to the Ministry of Defence.
This is largely down to the loss of forces Russia has suffered in the assault though many Ukrainian lives have also been lost, the ministry said.
A post on Twitter also states that the situation has “likely been made worse by tensions between the Russian Ministry of Defence and the Wagner Group.
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8h ago
04:01
New Zealand ‘concerned’ over potential Chinese ‘lethal aid’ to Russia
New Zealand’s foreign minister has expressed concern to China over any provision of lethal aid to support Russia in its war against Ukraine during a meeting in Beijing with her Chinese counterpart.
Nanaia Mahuta’s press office detailed Mahuta’s cautionary remarks while she was in the Chinese capital, just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his trip to Moscow.
Mahuta’s four-day trip, which began Wednesday, is the first made by a New Zealand foreign minister to Beijing since 2018.
It came at an awkward time as Xi visited Moscow the same week to give Putin a diplomatic boost after the International Criminal Court said it wants to put him on trial for alleged war crimes.
On the Ukraine war, Mahuta reiterated her government’s condemnation of Moscow’s “illegal invasion” to her counterpart Qin Gang. She also told Qin’s predecessor Wang Yi, now the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, that peace and prosperity are the expectations of all parties, according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.
New Zealand supports political settlement of disputes through dialogue, she was quoted saying in the report.
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8h ago
03:45
Russia’s parliament speaker proposes banning the activities of the ICC
Vyacheslav Volodin suggested the legislation following the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
The Duma speaker said It is necessary to work out amendments to legislation prohibiting any activity of the ICC on the territory of our country,” in a Telegram post.
Volodin said that the United States had legislated to prevent its citizens ever being tried by the Hague court and that Russia should continue that work.
Any assistance or support for the ICC inside Russia, he said, should be punishable under law.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant earlier this month accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.
It said there are reasonable grounds to believe that Putin bears individual criminal responsibility.
Russian officials have cautioned that any attempt to arrest Putin, saying it would amount to a “declaration of war” against the world’s largest nuclear power.
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9h ago
03:15
Good morning – here’s an early rundown
Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates and analysis on the conflict throughout the day – but first, a recap of all the key events from yesterday:
A Nordic air defence alliance set to be created to counter the threat from Russia
Major countries have announced IMF assurances for borrowing to fund restoration of Ukraine economy
According to the EU, Russia’s relationship with China ‘has limits’. Josep Borell made the comments in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Xi
Russia has lost 169,170 troops during invasion, Ukraine claims
Putin’s former speechwriter has been placed on a wanted list for criminal suspects in Russia, the latest step in a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
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20h ago
15:50
Major countries announce IMF assurances for borrowing to fund restoration of Ukraine economy
The Group of Creditors of Ukraine (GCU) body said today it had provided financing assurances to support the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) approval for an upper credit tranche programme to help restore Ukraine’s economy.
The Group of Creditors of Ukraine includes Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States.
