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Ukraine-Russia news – latest: US drone crash incident a ‘provocation’, says Russian envoy to Washington

Russia views the incident involving one of its Su-27 fighter jets and a US military drone over the Black Sea as provocation, its ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has said, remarks published today show.

“The American UAV deliberately and provocatively was moving towards Russian territory with transponders turned off,” Mr Antonov said in remarks posted on his embassy’s website, referring to the drone as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

This comes as a US surveillance drone crashed into the Black Sea after it was intercepted by Russian fighter jets, Washington has said.

While there have been other such intercepts, the “reckless” incident was noteworthy because it was “unsafe and unprofessional” and caused the downing of a US aircraft, the White House said.

But Russia’s defence ministry claimed the drone went into the water as a result of its own “sharp manoeuvring”, adding: “The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV, and returned safely to their home airfield.”

Key points

  • US surveillance drone crashes into Black Sea after ‘Russian intercept’

  • Putin ‘recruiting soldiers from women’s prison’ to make up for heavy losses

  • Wagner group ‘recruiting in schools’

  • Russia moves to push conscription age back

  • IAEA chief makes plea for Zaporizhzhia safe zone after outage

Breaking: ‘Reckless’ Russian fighter jet forces down US Air Force drone flying over Black Sea

Tuesday 14 March 2023 17:33 , Andy Gregory

A Russian fighter jet has forced a US drone flying over international waters in the Black Sea out of the sky, according to US officials, my colleague Josh Marcus reports.

US Air Force General James B Hecker of the branch’s Europe command told CNN in a statement that a Russian Su-27 aircraft performed a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional” set of maneuvers, dumping fuel and damaging the propeller of a US Air Force MQ-9 “Reaper” drone, forcing US officials to bring the craft down.

Aircraft from both countries have operated over the Black Sea, which borders Russian and Ukraine, since the former fully invaded the latter in February 2022.

You can refresh our breaking story below for updates:

‘Reckless’ Russian fighter jet forces down US Air Force drone flying over Black Sea

US summons Russian ambassador over drone incident

04:42 , Andy Gregory

The United States has summoned Russia’s ambassador to Washington after a US surveillance drone fell into the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian fighter jets.

While Moscow denied that its jets had come into contact with the drone, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that diplomat Anatoly Antonov had been summoned for a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

The US ambassador to Moscow has conveyed a strong message to Russia's foreign affairs ministry, while and U. officials have briefed allies and partners about the incident, Mr Price told reporters.

“We are engaging directly with the Russians, again at senior levels, to convey our strong objections to this unsafe, unprofessional intercept, which caused the downing of the unmanned US aircraft,” Mr Price said.

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

04:37 , Arpan Rai

Russia views the incident involving one of its Su-27 fighter jet and a US military drone over the Black Sea as provocation, its ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said today.

“The American UAV deliberately and provocatively was moving towards Russian territory with transponders turned off,” Mr Antonov said in remarks posted on his embassy’s website, referring to the drone as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

“We view this incident as a provocation,” he told Russian agencies yesterday after being summoned by the US State Department.

Moscow has also denied any contact with the drone and says that the aerial vehicle crashed after “sharp maneuvering”.

“The unacceptable activity of the US military in the close proximity to our borders is a cause for concern,” Mr Antonov said.

He added: “They are collecting intelligence, which is subsequently used by the Kyiv regime to strike at our armed forces and territory.”

Russia says US drone crash due to ‘sharp maneuver'

04:16 , Arpan Rai

The Russian defence ministry said the US drone was flying near the Russian border and intruded in an area that was declared off limits by Russian authorities.

It claimed that “as a result of sharp maneuver, the US drone went into uncontrollable flight with a loss of altitude and collided with water surface” amid reports that Russian military scrambled fighters to intercept the American drone.

Russia has declared broad areas near Crimea off limits to flights.

The ministry said the Russian aircraft were scrambled to intercept the drone but did not use weapons on it or impact it.

Nations routinely operate in international airspace and waters, and no country can claim limits on territory outside of its own border.

What’s known – and not – about US-Russia military air crash

03:40 , Arpan Rai

When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large US surveillance drone over the Black Sea yesterday, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a US diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology.

The US and Russian officials had conflicting accounts of the collision between the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Russian Su-27 fighter jet — each blaming the other. But a Pentagon spokesperson raised the possibility that the defence department could eventually declassify and release video it has of the collision.

Read the full story here:

What's known — and not — about US-Russia military air crash

Kyiv ambassador Dame Melinda Simmons pays tribute to Ukraine during investiture

03:31 , PA

The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine said she was “channelling” the beleaguered nation by wearing blue and yellow at Buckingham Palace where she was made a dame, reports Ted Hennessey.

Melinda Simmons, the ambassador in Kyiv, said it was “extraordinary” to receive her honour from the King and an opportunity to highlight the ongoing Russian invasion.

Dame Melinda spoke to King Charles on Tuesday about the bravery of the Ukrainian people as she received her damehood for services to British foreign policy.

Kyiv ambassador Dame Melinda Simmons pays tribute to Ukraine during investiture

Russia should respect international airspace after US drone crash, says Wallace

03:17 , Arpan Rai

British defence secretary Ben Wallace has urged Moscow to respect international airspace, after the United States said that Russia had caused one of its drones to crash into the Black Sea yesterday.

“The key here is that all parties respect international air space and we urge the Russians to do so,” Mr Wallace said.

He added: “The Americans have said they think it is unprofessional.”

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet fighter plane and a US military MQ-9 drone collided over Black Sea, making this the first such direct encounter between the two powers since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago and risks deepening tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Russia has dubbed the incident as provocation.

Russia denies its fighter jets came into contact with US drone

02:22 , Andy Gregory

Russia has denied that its aircraft came into contact with a US drone which fell into the Black Sea.

According to US Air Force General James Hecker, the surveillance drone “was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft”.

But Russia's defence ministry said the drone went into the water as a result of its own “sharp maneuvering”, adding: “The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV, and returned safely to their home airfield.”

01:14 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine could cause higher deaths in East Africa than in the conflict zone, MPs have heard.

Concerns over disruption on grain supplies and price increases caused by the war were raised in the House of Commons by Tory former minister Sir James Duddridge, as aid organisations warn that parts of East Africa are on the brink of famine – with millions facing food shortages after several failed rainy seasons.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell acknowledged the Horn of Africa is facing an “immense crisis of extraordinary proportions” and insisted the UK is offering help, pointing to £156m allocated for humanitarian support during crises in East Africa.

But Labour MP Mike Kane warned the aid support is “five times less” than what the UK government provided six years ago for a “milder crisis”.

MPs hear fears Ukraine war disruption could cause higher deaths in East Africa

‘Disgraceful’ to compare Gary Lineker row to Putin’s Russia, says minister

00:04 , Ben Hatton

Labour has been criticised after claiming Gary Lineker being taken off air at the BBC for tweeting something “the government doesn’t like” sounds like “Putin’s Russia”.

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell’s remarks were branded “distasteful” by culture minister Julia Lopez, who also labelled it a “disgraceful comparison” given Russian president Vladimir Putin’s actions.

‘Disgraceful’ to compare Gary Lineker row to Putin’s Russia, says minister

Hungary to delay vote on NATO membership for Sweden and Finland

Tuesday 14 March 2023 23:30 , Liam James

A long-delayed vote in Hungary's parliament on ratifying the Nato accession bids of Sweden and Finland will likely be postponed again following a proposal from a senior government official.

In a letter published Tuesday by Hungarian news website hvg.hu, deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjen requested that a parliamentary session scheduled to begin on 20 March – during which politicians were expected to vote on the two Nordic countries joining Nato – be postponed to a week later.

Mr Semjen cited Hungary's ongoing negotiations with the European Union’s executive branch over Budapest’s alleged breaches of the bloc’s rule-of-law requirements as the reason for the delay. The speaker of Hungary's parliament, himself a member of Mr Semjen’s ruling coalition, must approve the request for a postponement.

Hungary remains the only Nato member country – besides Turkey – which is yet to approve Sweden and Finland’s bids to join the alliance. The delay is the second in two weeks and only the latest of many that have come in succession since July 2022.

Hungary to delay vote on NATO membership for Sweden, Finland

Brazil’s Lula says he will not visit Russia or Ukraine due to war

Tuesday 14 March 2023 23:04 , Andy Gregory

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced that he will not visit Russia or Ukraine due to the ongoing hostilities.

The newly reinstated leftist leader said he will nonetheless work for peace and an end to the war.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with US president Joe Biden at the White House in February (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with US president Joe Biden at the White House in February (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

US drone incident a ‘provocation’, says Russia

Tuesday 14 March 2023 22:35 , Liam James

Moscow views the incident involving a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and a US military drone over the Black Sea as provocation, Russia‘s RIA state news agency cited Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, as saying on Tuesday.

“We view this incident as a provocation,” Mr Antonov said after Washington said that the fighter jet downed the US drone. Russia has denied doing so.

Mr Antonov has been summoned to Washington.

US summons Russian ambassador over drone hit

Tuesday 14 March 2023 22:15 , Liam James

The United States has summoned Russia’s ambassador to Washington after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet downed a US military drone over the Black Sea, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

The US ambassador to Moscow has conveyed a strong message to Russia’s foreign affairs ministry and US officials had briefed allies and partners about the incident, Mr Price told reporters on a phone briefing.

“We are engaging directly with the Russians, again at senior levels, to convey our strong objections to this unsafe, unprofessional intercept, which caused the downing of the unmanned US aircraft,” Mr Price said.

“We are summoning the Russian ambassador to the department where we will convey this message.”

The meeting of Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov with senior US officials at the State Department will take place this afternoon, Mr Price said, without saying who from the US side he would be meeting.

File photo shows MQ-9 Reaper drone in 2013 (EPA)
File photo shows MQ-9 Reaper drone in 2013 (EPA)

Pentagon says Russia to blame for downing US drone

Tuesday 14 March 2023 21:44 , Liam James

The Pentagon blamed a Russian fighter jet for the crash of a US spy drone into the Black Sea on Tuesday while Moscow denied any collision.

The encounter reflected a risk of direct confrontation between Russia and the United States due to the Ukraine war.

Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the U.S. military described as a reckless intercept of the MQ-9 “Reaper” drone in international airspace before one of them collided with it at 7.03am, causing the drone to crash into the sea.

Several times before the collision, the Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the MQ-9, possibly trying to blind or damage it, and flew in front of the unmanned drone in unsafe manoeuvres, the US military said.

Russia has not recovered the drone and the jet was likely damaged, the Pentagon said.

Syrian president Assad arrives in Moscow to meet Putin

Tuesday 14 March 2023 20:57 , Andy Gregory

Syrian president Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow, where he is scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin.

Moscow is a main backer of Mr Assad and has a broad presence in Syria, playing a pivotal role in fighting back armed opposition groups trying to topple the regime through military support – and has also aggressively backed Damascus against opponents at the United Nations.

The Kremlin said in a statement that “further development of Russian-Syrian cooperation in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, as well as the prospects for a comprehensive settlement of the situation in and around Syria” will be on the agenda at the meeting.

Syrian president Assad arrives in Moscow, set to meet Putin

Refugees returning to Ukraine due to unaffordable UK homes, MPs told

Tuesday 14 March 2023 19:52 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian refugees have been forced to return to the war-torn country as homes in the UK are unaffordable, MPs have been told.

Concerns were also raised that hundreds more Ukrainian households in England are at risk of needing support for being homeless.

The House of Commons has approved a non-binding motion which called on the government to work with partner organisations and local authorities to ensure refugees facing and experiencing homelessness are supported during their time living in the UK.

Conservative MP Bob Blackman shared testimonies from Ukrainian refugees in Britain, alongside figures showing that 4,630 Ukrainian households received “urgent homelessness assistance” from their local authority in England between February 2022 and February 2023.

He added 1,216 refugees have presented themselves as homeless in London, but noted these figures raised were only a “partial picture of the true scale of homelessness faced by this refugee community”.

Watch: Ukrainian 'kamikaze drone' targets Russian tank in Kharkiv Oblast

Tuesday 14 March 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson

Kyiv ambassador Dame Melinda Simmons pays tribute to Ukraine during investiture

Tuesday 14 March 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson

The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine said she was “channelling” the beleaguered nation by wearing blue and yellow at Buckingham Palace where she was made a dame.

Melinda Simmons, the ambassador in Kyiv, said it was “extraordinary” to receive her honour from the King and an opportunity to highlight the ongoing Russian invasion.

Dame Melinda spoke to Charles on Tuesday about the bravery of the Ukrainian people as she received her damehood for services to British foreign policy.

Kyiv ambassador Dame Melinda Simmons pays tribute to Ukraine during investiture

Netherlands to give Ukraine minesweepers and drone radars

Tuesday 14 March 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Netherlands will give Ukraine minesweepers, drone radars and an M3 system to quickly build bridges, the defence ministry said.

Ron DeSantis dismisses Ukraine war as ‘territorial dispute’ as he downplays need for US aid

Tuesday 14 March 2023 17:30 , Emily Atkinson

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that supporting Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s assault on its sovereignty was not in the United States’ national interest.

The Fox News host, who has frequently criticised US support for Ukraine, sent a questionnaire to multiple Republican candidates for president and potential candidates for president.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests – securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party – becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” Mr DeSantis said in response to Mr Carlson’s question.

Eric Garcia reports:

Ron DeSantis dismisses Ukraine war as ‘territorial dispute’

Labour comparison to government handling of the BBC to the Putin regime ‘disgraceful,’ says minister

Tuesday 14 March 2023 17:00 , Emily Atkinson

Labour’s comparison of the government’s handling of the BBC to the Putin regime is “disgraceful”, culture minister Julia Lopez said.

Conservative former minister Andrew Percy told the Commons: “I hope that the shadow secretary of state will reflect on her comparison of this Government to the Putin regime which, of course, is engaged in war crimes and the murder of men, women, and children in Ukraine. That was beneath her.”

Mr Percy, a vice chair of the antisemitism all-party parliamentary group, also called on Gary Lineker to apologise for comparing the Government’s immigration policy to the language of 1930s Germany, describing it as “disgusting”.

He added: “As somebody who grew up surrounded by people who had their lives turned on their head by the Nazi regime in Germany, I hope that the minister will comment on his references to 1930s Germany.”

Culture minister Ms Lopez replied: “I also think it was distasteful to compare the Government’s actions or otherwise to the Putin regime, I think it is a disgraceful comparison to make, and I think it is way off the mark.”

Two more countries join Core Group on Special Tribunal, says Kyiv

Tuesday 14 March 2023 16:30 , Emily Atkinson

Two more countries have joined the Core Group on the Special Tribunal for the Russian crime of aggression against Ukraine, according to foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.

“Thirty-two states are now working together to hold Russia’s top political and military leadership accountable. Putin and his associates will stand trial,” Kuleba said on Twitter.

He did not specify which two states had joined the group.

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Tuesday 14 March 2023 16:00 , Emily Atkinson

Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a top military honour to the Ukrainian sniper and prisoner of war Oleksandr Matsiyevsky who was shot down by Russian-speaking forces as captured in a widely circulated video.

My colleague Arpan Rai reports:

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Kyiv urges world leaders to ‘follow’ Lithuania in labelling Wagner group a 'terrorist organisation’

Tuesday 14 March 2023 15:40 , Emily Atkinson

The head of the office of the Ukrainian presidency has thanked Lithuania’s parliament for labelling a Russian mercenary group a “terrorist organisation”.

Tweeting this afternoon, Andriy Yermak said: “Thanks to the Lithuanian Seimas for passing a resolution designating the Russian “Wagner” PMC as a terrorist organisation. Others should follow suit. Should call culprits culprits.”

MPs hear fears Ukraine war disruption could cause higher deaths in East Africa

Tuesday 14 March 2023 15:20 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine could cause higher deaths in East Africa than in the conflict zone, MPs have heard.

Concerns over disruption on grain supplies and price increases caused by the war were raised in the House of Commons by Conservative former minister Sir James Duddridge.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell acknowledged the Horn of Africa is facing an “immense crisis of extraordinary proportions” and insisted the UK is offering help.

Richard Wheeler reports:

MPs hear fears Ukraine war disruption could cause higher deaths in East Africa

Nato member Slovakia getting SAMP/T air defence system from Italy

Tuesday 14 March 2023 14:59 , Emily Atkinson

Italy is deploying the SAMP/T-MAMBA air defence system in Slovakia, replacing a US Patriot system in one of Nato’s eastern flank members, Slovakia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The system, with more than 100 pieces of equipment, will be operated by up 150 Italian armed forces members, and the battery rotation will ensure “continuity of the strengthening Slovakia’s air defences”, the ministry said.

“I see this deployment as strong and unequivocal proof of the readiness and willingness of Nato member states to ensure our common defence and security,” Slovak defence minister Jaroslav Nad said in a statement.

The ministry said last month that Germany would donate two close-range MANTIS air defence systems.

Slovakia boosted its air defences with the help of several Patriot systems operated by Nato allies after donating its ageing S-300 system to Ukraine last year.

Zelensky and military command agree to continue Bakhmut defence

Tuesday 14 March 2023 14:40 , Emily Atkinson

President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military command have agreed to continue to defend Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the president’s office said.

Following a meeting involving the president, top government officials and military commanders, Zelensky’s office said in a statement: “After considering the defensive operation in the Bakhmut direction, all members ... expressed a common position to continue holding and defending the city of Bakhmut.”

Here are some of the latest images from the embattled city:

 (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
 (REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
 (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Putin says Russia is fighting for its very existence

Tuesday 14 March 2023 14:21 , Emily Atkinson

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that what was at stake in Ukraine was Russia’s very existence as a state.

Speaking at length to workers at an aviation factory in Buryatia, some 4,400 km (2,750 miles) east of Moscow, Putin expanded on his familiar argument that the West was bent on pulling Russia apart.

“So for us this is not a geopolitical task, but a task of the survival of Russian statehood, creating conditions for the future development of the country and our children,” he said.

Putin has accused the West of using Ukraine as an tool to wage war against Russia and inflict on it a “strategic defeat”. The United States and its allies say they are helping Ukraine to defend itself from an imperial-style invasion that has destroyed Ukrainian cities, killed thousands of civilians and forced millions to flee their homes.

 (EPA)
(EPA)

Putin said in a response to a question that he had been worried about the economy when the West imposed unprecedented waves of sanctions last year but it had proved stronger than expected.

“We have increased our economic sovereignty many times over. After all, what did our enemy count on? That we would collapse in 2-3 weeks or in a month,” he said.

He said the enemy had been expecting that factories would grind to a halt, the financial system would collapse, unemployment would rise, protesters would take to the streets, and Russia would “sway from within and collapse”.

“This did not happen,” Putin said. “It turned out, for many of us, and even more so for Western countries, that the fundamental foundations of Russia’s stability are much stronger than anyone thought.”

Casualties mount in battle for Bakhmut – as ICC ‘prepares first arrest warrants’ over Russia’s invasion

Tuesday 14 March 2023 14:05 , Emily Atkinson

Both Ukraine and Russia have reported inflicting heavy losses during fierce fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut – while the International Criminal Court (ICC) is said to be planning to issue arrest warrants against a number of Russians.

Commanders on both sides have reported relentless fighting around Bakhmut, which has become the focus of a months-long campaign to take the city in the region of Donetsk which has led to some of the bloodiest fighting since Moscow’s invasion began.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor at the ICC is expected to ask pre-trial judges to approve arrest warrants against Russian individuals relating to the abduction of children from Ukraine to Russia and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, according to reports from Reuters and The New York Times. If successful, it will be the first time ICC warrants are issued in relation to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chris Stevenson reports:

ICC ‘preparing first arrest warrants’ related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia says it shows 'goodwill’ in extending grain deal

Tuesday 14 March 2023 13:40 , Emily Atkinson

Russia said on Tuesday it had agreed out of “goodwill” to extend the Black Sea deal that facilitates Ukraine‘s grain exports, but a key part of the agreement was still not being implemented to Moscow’s satisfaction.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticised the West for not doing enough to remove obstacles to Russia’s own agricultural and fertiliser exports and said contacts over the deal would continue.

Asked why Russia had extended the deal for 60 days - as opposed to the 120-day extension period set out in the agreement - Peskov said Moscow’s decision was “a gesture of goodwill ... in the hope that after such a long time, the obligations that have been assumed will be fulfilled.”

He added: “It is obvious that the second part of the deal, which concerns us, has not yet been fulfilled ... The deal cannot stand on (only) one leg.”

Russia says Western countries committed to lifting restrictions which hamper Russia’s own agricultural and fertiliser exports, but have not met those commitments.

“We appreciate the efforts that have been made by the United Nations, including personally by the Secretary-General,” Peskov said on Tuesday.

“But, despite this, unfortunately, Mr. (Antonio) Guterres has failed to break through the collective West’s wall. The conditions that were agreed upon as an integral part of the deal have not been fulfilled.”

Sunak rejects calls for defence spending to increase to 3% of GDP

Tuesday 14 March 2023 12:55 , Emily Atkinson

Rishi Sunak has rejected pleas to increase defence spending to 3% of the size of the economy despite acknowledging the growing challenges posed by China and Russia.

David Hughes reports:

Sunak rejects calls for defence spending to increase to 3% of GDP

German military in worse shape than before Russia’s invasion - official

Tuesday 14 March 2023 12:33 , Emily Atkinson

The German military is suffering from a greater shortage of weapons and equipment than before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces said in her annual report on Tuesday.

“The Bundeswehr has too little of everything, and it has even less since (Russia’s invasion on) Feb. 24, 2022,” Eva Hoegl, who acts as an advocate defending the rights of the troops, told reporters in Berlin.

She denounced the government for being slow not only in spending the 100 billion euro special fund set up last year to bring the forces back up to scratch, but also in replenishing the military’s stocks after rushing arms to Kyiv.

“Our troops welcome the support for Ukraine although it tears big holes (into their stocks) when howitzers, multiple rocket launchers or Leopard tanks are handed over to Kyiv,” Hoegl said, demanding orders to be placed more swiftly.

“It must be clear that the moment (a howitzer) is handed over to Ukraine, the process of ordering a replacement must be launched,” she said.

Poland could give Ukraine MIG fighter jets in coming 4-6 weeks, says PM

Tuesday 14 March 2023 12:07 , Emily Atkinson

Poland could give Ukraine MIG fighter jets in coming 4-6 weeks, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday.

Putin ‘to recruit soldiers from women’s prison’ to make up for heavy losses

Tuesday 14 March 2023 11:52 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin has resorted to seeking new recruits for his beleaguered army in women’s prisons to make up for heavy losses in Ukraine, reports say.

According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow has likely been using female inmates to support its advance in Kyiv since at least the end of last year.

“Last week, a train with sleeping cars for the transfer of prisoners was spotted moving towards the Donetsk region. One of the cars [had] female convicts [in it],” Ukraine’s defence ministry said in an update published on Monday.

Olga Romanova, co-founder of prisoners’ rights organisation Russia Behind Bars, corroborated the ministry’s claims, telling iStories: “They were taken from penal colonies in southern Russia. I don’t know the exact ones, but they worked in Kushchevka [in the southern Krasnodar region].”

Ms Romanova believes at least 100 female prisoners have been sent to the frontline in Ukraine so far, though it is unclear whether the inmates signed up to the Russian military voluntarily or as a result of external pressures.

Russian missile strikes Kramatorsk flat building

Tuesday 14 March 2023 11:23 , Emily Atkinson

A Russian missile has struck a flat building in the centre of Kramatorsk, killing at least one person and wounding three others in one of Ukraine‘s major city strongholds in its eastern Donetsk region.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that six apartment buildings were damaged in the blast and rescue efforts were continuing.

 (EPA)
(EPA)

He posted a video showing gaping holes in the facade of the low-rise building that bore the brunt of the strike.

The Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office and regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko also reported on the attack, posting photos of the building with mounds of rubble in front of it.

 (EPA)
(EPA)

Russian parliament votes to censor criticism of mercenary groups

Tuesday 14 March 2023 11:11 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, voted on Tuesday to approve an amendment that would punish those found guilty of discrediting “volunteer” groups fighting in Ukraine, extending a law that censors criticism of Russia’s armed forces.

The amendment is seen as a move to “protect” fighters working for the private Wagner Group, a mercenary force, which is leading Russia’s campaign for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has welcomed the proposals - an expansion of Russia’s wartime censorship measures introduced after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

 (EPA)
(EPA)

Kremlin: Grain deal can't stand on one leg

Tuesday 14 March 2023 11:01 , Emily Atkinson

The Kremlin has said the Black Sea grain deal could not “stand on one leg” as Moscow criticised the West for not doing enough to remove obstacles to Russia’s own agricultural and fertiliser exports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said contacts continued over the deal, and that “everybody agrees” an agreement to ease restrictions on Russia should be fulfilled.

Lithuania’s parliament designates Russia’s Wagner ‘a terrorist organisation’

Tuesday 14 March 2023 10:49 , Emily Atkinson

Lithuania’s parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to designate Russia’s Wagner mercenary force “a terrorist organisation”, accusing it of “systematic, serious crimes of aggression” in Ukraine.

Wagner group ‘recruiting in schools’

Tuesday 14 March 2023 10:23 , Emily Atkinson

The Wagner mercenary group is giving “career talks” to Russian schoolchildren as part of a recruitment drive for more young soldiers to join the fight in Ukraine, UK intelligence suggests.

In its latest update, the Ministry of Defence said that questionnaires had been circulated in Russian schools by disguised members of the group, often referred to as Vladimir Putin’s private army.

“Since the start of March 2023, Wagner has set up outreach teams based in sports centres in at least 40 locations across Russia,” the MoD said.

“In recent days, masked Wagner recruiters also gave career talks in Moscow high schools, distributing questionnaires entitled ‘application of a young warrior’ to collect the contact details of interested pupils.

“About half of the prisoners Wagner has already deployed in Ukraine have likely become casualties and the new initiatives are unlikely to make up for the loss of the convict recruit pipeline.”

Bakhmut has been at the centre of Russia’s ever-intensifying winter campaign. The Wagner group has made slow gains in the small eastern city, but at an immense cost.

Moscow first attempted to win the brutal conflict with a “human wave” of assaults using battalions of convicts, followed by elite mercenary troops.

Consultations ongoing with all parties to Black Sea grain deal, says UN

Tuesday 14 March 2023 10:10 , Emily Atkinson

Informal dialogue between the United Nations and parties to the Black Sea grains deal continue over an extension, a UN spokesperson has said, adding that the in-person talks with Russia have already ended.

“The talks completed yesterday as agreed, but consultations continue with all parties,” a spokesperson for the humanitarian office of the United Nations led by Martin Griffiths said in an emailed response to Reuters questions.

Griffiths and top UN trade official Rebeca Grynspan met with Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin in Geneva on Monday where the latter suggested renewing the deal for 60 days, or half the term of the last extension.

Latest images from Kharkiv

Tuesday 14 March 2023 09:50 , Emily Atkinson

 (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
 (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
 (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
 (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkey says talks continue on extension of Black Sea grain deal

Tuesday 14 March 2023 09:30 , Emily Atkinson

Turkey’s defence ministry has said that talks over the extension of a deal that allows the export of Ukrainian grain on the Black Sea is still continuing.

In a statement, the ministry cited Russia as agreeing to back a 60-day extension to the deal, brokered between Moscow and Kyiv in July by Turkey and the United Nations.

Russia said the deal had been extended for 60 days, but Ukraine said the agreement allows only a 120-day extension.

Kremlin says its goals in Ukraine can only be achieved by military force

Tuesday 14 March 2023 09:10 , Emily Atkinson

Kyiv’s position means Russia’s goals in Ukraine can only be achieved by military force, Russian state news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

“We have to achieve our goals. Right now this is only possible by military means due to the current position of the Kyiv regime,” Peskov said.

Moscow has blamed Kyiv for a breakdown in talks about a ceasefire, while Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will only consider peace settlements after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory.

 (AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)

Kremlin says Russia does not recognise ICC jurisdiction

Tuesday 14 March 2023 08:50 , Emily Atkinson

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the TASS news agency reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov was asked about reports the International Criminal Court (ICC) was expected to seek its first arrest warrants against Russian individuals in relation to the conflict in Ukraine shortly.

 (Reuters)
(Reuters)

Ukraine 'will stick to terms of previously signed 120-day grain export deal’

Tuesday 14 March 2023 08:35 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine will stick to the terms of the previously signed agreement on a 120-day extension of the Black Sea grain export initiative, a senior Ukrainian government official said on Tuesday.

“We will follow the agreement strictly,” the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

Russia’s TASS news agency cited Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Tuesday that the deal that facilitates Ukrainian agricultural exports had been extended on the previous conditions.

Wagner responsible for rise in migrants from Africa, says Italian government

Tuesday 14 March 2023 08:15 , Emily Atkinson

The Italian government has accused the Wagner mercenary group of aggravating a sudden rise in migrant boats trying to cross the central Mediterranean.

In a statement, defence minister Guido Crosetto said: “I think it is safe to say that the exponential increase in the migratory phenomenon departing from African shores is also part of a clear strategy of hybrid warfare that the Wagner division is implementing, using its considerable weight in some African countries.”

Interior ministry data shows that some 20,000 people have reached Italy so far this year, compared with 6,100 in the same period of 2022.

Calling on Nato allies to support Italy in tackling this increase, Crosetto went on: “The Atlantic alliance becomes stronger if the problems arising from collective choices are also shared, but it runs the risk of cracking if the countries most exposed to retaliation of various kinds are left alone.”

Ukraine: Objects of war become new normal in Kyiv scenery

Tuesday 14 March 2023 07:39 , Emily Atkinson

There are sandbags around the statues and anti-tank obstacles by the side of the streets, trenches in the nearby forests and land mine warnings in the woods. Signs painted on walls point to the nearest shelter, while air raid sirens occasionally wail across the city, which still sometimes comes under missile attack.

But against this backdrop of war, residents of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, are living their lives as normally as they can while Russia’s invasion of their country continues into its second year.

Although many fled in the opening stages of the war, residents have gradually returned to their homes as Russian forces were pushed back from north of the city last year, and the conflict became centered mainly in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.

Read more here:

Ukraine: Objects of war become new normal in Kyiv scenery

Russia’s ammunition shortage worsened, punitive shell-rationing in force — MoD

Tuesday 14 March 2023 07:08 , Arpan Rai

The British defence ministry has said that the Russian artillery ammunition shortages have likely worsened in the recent weeks to the extent that extremely punitive shell-rationing is in force on many parts of the front.

“This has almost certainly been a key reason why no Russian formation has recently been able to generate operationally significant offensive action,” the ministry said.

Russia has almost certainly already resorted to issuing old munitions stock which were previously categorised as unfit for use, it added.

“A presidential decree of 3 March laid down measures for the ministry of trade and industry to bypass the authority of managers of defence industries who fail to meet their production goals,” the MoD said.

It added: “Russia is increasingly applying the principles of a command economy to its military industrial complex because it recognises that its defence manufacturing capacity is a key vulnerability in the increasingly attritional 'special military operation'.”

Casualties mount in battle for Bakhmut – as ICC ‘prepares first arrest warrants’ over Russia’s invasion

Tuesday 14 March 2023 07:00 , Liam James

Both Ukraine and Russia have reported inflicting heavy losses during fierce fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut – while the International Criminal Court (ICC) is said to be planning to issue arrest warrants against a number of Russians (Chris Stevenson writes).

Commanders on both sides have reported relentless fighting around Bakhmut, which has become the focus of a months-long campaign to take the city in the region of Donetsk which has led to some of the bloodiest fighting since Moscow’s invasion began.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor at the ICC is expected to ask pre-trial judges to approve arrest warrants against Russian individuals relating to the abduction of children from Ukraine to Russia and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, according to reports from Reuters and the New York Times. If successful, it will be the first time ICC warrants are issued in relation to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

ICC ‘preparing first arrest warrants’ related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Putin and Wagner group reach ‘boiling point’ in Bakhmut rivalry

Tuesday 14 March 2023 06:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tensions between the Russian ministry of defence and the rebel Wagner group has likely reached a “boiling point” in their rivalry over Bakhmut, the Institute of War has said.

The city in Donetsk Oblast, which has been the site of bloody contention for several weeks, serves as a symbolic stepping stone for Moscow to push forward in its invasion.

According to IoW analysis, the Russian MoD is trying to “deliberately expend both elite and convict Wagner forces in Bakhmut in an effort to weaken Prigozhin and derail his ambitions for greater influence in the Kremlin”.

The analysis continued: “The Russian MoD is currently prioritizing eliminating Wagner on the battlefields in Bakhmut, which is likely slowing down the rate of advance in the area.

“Prigozhin saw Bakhmut as an opportunity to gain leverage on the Russian MoD and likely in the Kremlin in pursuit of his own commercial and political aspirations.

“Putin used Wagner to protect his regime from detrimental societal ramifications of mobilization, which also continues to inhibit his war efforts in Ukraine.”

Ukraine counters more than 100 Russian attacks – officials

Tuesday 14 March 2023 05:58 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian forces have repelled more than 100 Russian attacks over past 24 hours, the country’s general staff of armed forces said today.

It added that Russian forces are concentrating efforts on conducting offensives toward Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka, and Shakhtarsk in Donetsk oblast, indicating that the battered mining city is still being fought for.

“Over the past 24 hours, Russia launched five missiles, targeting civilian infrastructure in Sumy and Donetsk regions, as well as 35 airstrikes and 76 MLRS attacks against Ukraine,” the official army front said.

Black Sea grain deal will be extended automatically if no objections, says Russia

Tuesday 14 March 2023 05:40 , Arpan Rai

The deal enabling safe export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports will be extended automatically after it expires on 18 March if no objections are raised from the involved parties, reported Russia’s TASS state news agency.

“If the parties have no objections, the deal will continue after March 18,” TASS reported citing a source.

The time length of the extension did not matter, the person said.

“If the deal is extended for 60 days, it will continue to operate after March 18, and after 60 days one of the parties may raise the issue of its termination,” they added.

The prices of corn and wheat have been under pressure on hopes of a deal renewal.

Man to walk London Marathon backwards in support of Ukrainians

Tuesday 14 March 2023 04:14 , Arpan Rai

A father who previously crawled the London Marathon dressed as a gorilla is to walk the famous event backwards this year as a means of “looking over my shoulder for Ukraine”.

Tom Harrison, who lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, and works in project management, told the PA news agency that there are several reasons behind his idea to walk the London Marathon – which takes place on April 23 – backwards.

“At school we had a motto which was in Latin and it translated to: Look forward and look back,” he said.

Read the full story here:

Man to walk London Marathon backwards in support of Ukrainians

Rishi Sunak is not America’s No 1 ally like I was, says Tony Blair

Tuesday 14 March 2023 04:00 , Liam James

Tony Blair has criticised Rishi Sunak’s lack of influence with Joe Biden - and said he backed the Iraq War to make sure he was the first person the White House phoned in a crisis.

In an interview to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the conflict, the former Prime Minister admitted he turned down a last minute offer from President George Bush for British troops not to take part in the war.

He said he was ‘uncomfortable’ about British troops joining the US invasion but went ahead because our special relationship with America would have been wrecked if we had let them fight alone.

Mr Blair defended his conduct, saying that when he was in Downing St he was always the first world leader called on the White House “hot line”.

Rishi Sunak is not America’s No 1 ally like I was, says Tony Blair

Russia suffering ‘extremely heavy casualties’, though country’s elite ‘left relatively unscathed’, says MoD

Tuesday 14 March 2023 02:00 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin continues to suffer “extremely heavy casualties” in Ukraine, though the impact of those losses varies “dramatically” across Russia’s regions, according to UK intelligence.

“In proportion to the size of their population, the richest cities of Moscow and St Petersburg have been left relatively unscathed,” the Ministry of Defence said in its daily update on Sunday.

“This is especially true for the families of the country’s elite,” it adds.

China’s Xi to speak with Ukraine’s Zelensky

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:00 , Liam James

Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, said the call was likely to take place after Xi’s visit to Moscow next week to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Monday 13 March 2023 22:00 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a top military honour to the Ukrainian sniper and prisoner of war Oleksandr Matsiyevsky who was shot down by Russian-speaking forces as captured in a widely circulated video.

The man was heard chanting “Slava Ukraini” or “glory to Ukraine” as his last words before multiple shots from an unseen shooter or shooters behind the video camera claimed his life, leading to widespread condemnation of the alleged war crime.

“I conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine upon Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. A Ukrainian warrior. A man who will be known and remembered forever. For his bravery, for his confidence in Ukraine and for his “Glory to Ukraine!” Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!” Mr Zelensky said late on Sunday in his nightly address.

Russia ready to accept new deal for shipping food from Ukraine

Monday 13 March 2023 21:10 , Liam James

A Russian delegation at talks with senior UN officials has said Moscow is ready to accept an extension to a grain export deal that has helped bring down global food prices amid the war with Ukraine – but only for 60 days as the Kremlin holds out for changes to how the arrangement is working.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal between the two warring countries in July that allows Ukraine, one of the world’s key breadbaskets, to ship food and fertiliser from three of its Black Sea ports.

The 120-day agreement, which helped take some of the sting out of rising global food prices, was renewed last November. That extension expires on Saturday, and another 120-day extension was on the table.

Moscow has been frustrated that a parallel deal to allow exports of Russian food and fertiliser, which is used across the globe, has only resulted in a trickle of Russian fertiliser getting out and no Russian grain at all.

Putin ally claims US and UK spreading lies about gas pipeline attacks

Monday 13 March 2023 20:30 , Liam James

One of Russian president Vladimir Putin‘s top allies claimed the United States and Britain were secretly sowing a lie that a pro-Ukrainian group blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines on the bed of the Baltic Sea last year.

Last week The New York Times reported that intelligence reviewed by US officials suggested that a pro-Ukraine group – likely comprised of Ukrainians or Russians – attacked the pipelines in September.

Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev cast doubt on that report, questioning if such a group would have the capability to carry out such a daring act of sabotage on Russia’s most important energy corridors to Europe.

“In an attempt to cover up the true people behind the crime, pro-government Anglo-Saxon media, on orders from above, have named a culprit – a group of Ukrainian terrorists,” Mr Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper.

Russia, Patrushev said, still did not know for certain who was behind the attack because it had not been included in an investigation of the blasts.

“If newspapers claim with zeal that the sabotage was committed by a group of Ukrainian terrorists, then it is necessary to ask whether or not there is indeed such a group at all, and if it is capable of carrying this out,” he said.

Leak in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline seen from above ground (AFP/Getty)
Leak in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline seen from above ground (AFP/Getty)

Casualties mount in battle for Bakhmut – as ICC ‘prepares first arrest warrants’ over Russia’s invasion

Monday 13 March 2023 19:40 , Liam James

Both Ukraine and Russia have reported inflicting heavy losses during fierce fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut – while the International Criminal Court (ICC) is said to be planning to issue arrest warrants against a number of Russians (Chris Stevenson writes).

Commanders on both sides have reported relentless fighting around Bakhmut, which has become the focus of a months-long campaign to take the city in the region of Donetsk which has led to some of the bloodiest fighting since Moscow’s invasion began.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor at the ICC is expected to ask pre-trial judges to approve arrest warrants against Russian individuals relating to the abduction of children from Ukraine to Russia and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, according to reports from Reuters and the New York Times. If successful, it will be the first time ICC warrants are issued in relation to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

ICC ‘preparing first arrest warrants’ related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russian-Chinese relations crucial to global stability, says Kremlin

Monday 13 March 2023 19:00 , Liam James

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said relations between Russia and China were crucial to global stability, the Tass news agency reported.

“Bilateral relations between our countries have reached a new, unprecedented level and have become a major factor supporting global stability in the face of increasing geopolitical tensions in the world,” Tass reported Mr Shoigu as saying in a Telegram message to Zhang Youxia, vice chair of China’s Central Military Commission and a close ally of Chinese president Xi Jinping.

Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi met Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, and Mr Xi could travel to Russia as soon as next week for a summit with the Russian president, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

China has not denounced Russia’s invasion like some of its neighbours but has repeatedly called for caution and warned Moscow against using nuclear weapons. Beijing’s calls for peace talks align more closely with Russia’s desire to hold on to territory in Ukraine than Kyiv’s desire for Russian forces to leave its land entirely, given a negotiated settlement would likely require concessions from the invaded party.

UK has a ‘peactime budget’ that can’t handle Russia

Monday 13 March 2023 17:52 , Liam James

Conservative former minister Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Committee, warned the UK is operating on a “peacetime budget” as a new Cold War approaches.

Mr Ellwood said Brtiain’s UK’s land, sea and air military assets are headed for cuts which “many in the House were hoping would be reversed today”.

Signs have emerged that Britain’s military standing has dropped after years of cuts. In January defence sources revealed that an American general told Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, that the British Army is no longer regarded as a “tier-one” fighting force.

Despite concerns, Britain remains the second biggest donor country to Ukraine after the US, and one of few Nato members to meet the target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on military spending.

But Mr Ellwood, a former army captain, said the threat level was rising beyond the means of Britain’s current forces. He pointed to a review which noted the “risk of escalation is greater than at any time in decades”, adding in the Commons: “We are sliding towards a new Cold War. Threats are increasing but here we are staying on a peacetime budget.

“[Foreign Secretary James Cleverly] has two days before the Budget is announced. Please can we move to 2.5 per cent GDP now.”

Mr Cleverly replied: “We have committed to 2.5 per cent of GDP as a sustainable baseline. We have announced that additional £5bn to address the immediate impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – that is on top of the £20bn uplift that was announced in 2020 and over half-a-billion of new investment that was announced last year.”

Russia moves to push conscription age back

Monday 13 March 2023 16:43 , Liam James

A bill that would push back the age of conscription to compulsory service in the Russian military has been put forward in Moscow’s parliament.

The bill, backed by Russian president Vladimir Putin would raise the age boundaries from to 21-30 years from the current 18-27 years.

It would for a time increase the number of men subject to a year’s compulsory service as it sets out a transition period over 2024-2025 when the conscription age will span 10 or 11 years instead of the usual nine.

Mr Putin gave his backing in December to defence ministry proposals to push back the age range.

Defence minister Sergei Shoigu plans to increase the total number of serving combat personnel – professional contract soldiers and conscripts – to 1.5 million from 1.15 million.

Conscripts cannot legally be deployed outside Russia. However, in September Moscow unilaterally annexed four Ukrainian regions where fighting is continuing, and now considers them Russian territory.

Britain's Sunak boosts defence spending to try to silence critics

Monday 13 March 2023 16:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Britain cast China as representing an “epoch-defining challenge” to the world order, in an update to its foreign policy framework published on Monday which declared that the UK’s security hinged on the outcome of the Ukraine war.

In the refresh of Britain’s blueprint for security and international policy, the government warned of China’s deepening partnership with Russia, and Moscow’s growing cooperation with Iran following the invasion of Ukraine.

Only first released two years ago, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain’s Integrated Review (IR) had been updated to take account of events, with the hardening of language and positioning towards Beijing and Moscow.

But the decision to still not describe China as a threat was likely to disappoint many in Sunak’s governing Conservative Party, who also believe his vow to spend an extra 5 billion pounds ($6 billion) on defence is insufficient to support Ukraine without leaving Britain vulnerable.

“What could not be fully foreseen in 2021 was the pace of the geopolitical change and the extent of its impact on the UK and our people,” Sunak wrote in a foreword to the IR.

“Since then, Russia‘s illegal invasion of Ukraine, weaponisation of energy and food supplies and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, combined with China’s more aggressive stance in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, are threatening to create a world defined by danger, disorder and division.”

The unveiling of the update has been choreographed to coincide with Sunak’s visit to San Diego to agree the next steps in a landmark defence agreement, AUKUS, with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Of Britain’s extra defence spending, 3 billion pounds will go towards nuclear projects, including help for Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, part of efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.

When it was first published in 2021, the Integrated Review described China as a “systemic competitor” - a term some in Sunak’s party said was mealy-mouthed.

“China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses an epoch-defining and systemic challenge with implications for almost every area of government policy and the everyday lives of British people,” the updated document said.

“It has pursued rapid and opaque military modernisation with huge new investments, militarised disputed islands in the South China Sea, and refused to renounce the use of force to achieve its objectives with regard to Taiwan.”

While it outlined that Britain would step up its national security protections and boost work with partners in the region, the government said its preference remained for better cooperation and understanding with Beijing.

“But we believe that this will depend on the choices China makes, and will be made harder if trends towards greater authoritarianism and assertiveness overseas continue,” it said.

Rishi Sunak is not America’s No 1 ally like I was, says Tony Blair

Monday 13 March 2023 15:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tony Blair has criticised Rishi Sunak’s lack of influence with Joe Biden - and said he backed the Iraq War to make sure he was the first person the White House phoned in a crisis.

In an interview to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the conflict, the former Prime Minister admitted he turned down a last minute offer from President George Bush for British troops not to take part in the war.

He said he was ‘uncomfortable’ about British troops joining the US invasion but went ahead because our special relationship with America would have been wrecked if we had let them fight alone.

Mr Blair defended his conduct, saying that when he was in Downing St he was always the first world leader called on the White House ‘hot line.’

Rishi Sunak is not America’s No 1 ally like I was, says Tony Blair

Slovenia's PM urges Bosnia to embrace 'historic' moment for EU integration

Monday 13 March 2023 15:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob on Monday urged Bosnia’s leaders to embrace a “historic moment” created by the war in Ukraine and kick off reforms required by the European Union to speed up the Balkan country’s membership process.

Slovenia was the strongest supporter of Bosnia’s bid to become a candidate to join the wealthy 27-member bloc, which was approved in December despite a poor reform record by the ethnically-divided country.

Golob, who chose Sarajevo for his first visit to the Western Balkans region since he assumed the job last year, said Russian aggression towards Ukraine had turned Brussels sceptics into supporters of the EU enlargement process, and that was “historic”.

 (AP)
(AP)

“For 20 years administrative issues have in reality stopped the enlargement process while today the EU enlargement process has become a political process that we want to take further on,” Golob told a news conference held jointly with Bosnia’s Prime Minister Borjana Kristo.

“Slovenia wants to be not only a friend on that path but the biggest ally, and that is why we shall offer you all possible help, from technical to administrative and financial support,” he said.

Slovenia is among the three top investors in Bosnia, and Golob said its private investors saw great potential in renewable energy sources in the country.

Following its devastating war in the 1990s in which about 100,000 people were killed, Bosnia remains divided ethically and politically among its Serb, Bosniak and Croat groups.

ICC to seek warrants against Russians over alleged Ukraine war crimes

Monday 13 March 2023 15:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to seek arrest warrants against Russian individuals in relation to the conflict in Ukraine “in the short term”, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.

The prosecutor of the ICC is expected to ask a pre-trial judge to approve issuing warrants against several Russians for the abduction of children from Ukraine to Russia and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, said the source, who commented on condition of anonymity.

It was unclear which Russian individuals the ICC would seek warrants for or exactly when.

The office of the prosecutor at the ICC declined to comment.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan opened an investigation into possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine a year ago. He highlighted during three trips to Ukraine that he was looking at alleged crimes against children and the targeting of civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine‘s former prosecutor general in June told Reuters she hoped the ICC would prosecute the child abductions as genocide.

Russia has strongly denied that its forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. It says it does not deliberately target civilians and has said that it is offering humanitarian aid to those wishing to flee Ukraine voluntarily.

ICC to open war crimes cases on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Monday 13 March 2023 14:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The International Criminal Court (ICC) intends to open two war crimes cases tied to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.

The ICC will also seek arrest warrants for several people, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing current and former officials with knowledge of the decision.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Monday 13 March 2023 14:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Monday 13 March 2023 13:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a top military honour to the Ukrainian sniper and prisoner of war Oleksandr Matsiyevsky who was shot down by Russian-speaking forces as captured in a widely circulated video.

The man was heard chanting “Slava Ukraini” or “glory to Ukraine” as his last words before multiple shots from an unseen shooter or shooters behind the video camera claimed his life, leading to widespread condemnation of the alleged war crime.

“I conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine upon Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. A Ukrainian warrior. A man who will be known and remembered forever. For his bravery, for his confidence in Ukraine and for his “Glory to Ukraine!” Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!” Mr Zelensky said late on Sunday in his nightly address.

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Ukraine senior commander: situation around Bakhmut difficult, all Russian attacks repelled

Monday 13 March 2023 13:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The situation around Bakhmut remains difficult, but Ukrainian forces are repelling all Russian attempts to capture the town, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday.

“The situation around Bakhmut remains difficult,” Syrskyi was quoted as saying on the Ukraine‘s Media Military Centre Telegram messaging platform.

“All enemy attempts to capture the town are repelled by artillery, tanks, and other firepower.”

Syrskyi added that the Russian Wagner Group of mercenaries “are attacking from several directions trying to break through the defences of our troops and advance to the central districts of the town”.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

A roadway destroyed in southern Bakhmut (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies)
A roadway destroyed in southern Bakhmut (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies)

China’s Xi to speak with Ukraine’s Zelensky

Monday 13 March 2023 13:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, said the call was likely to take place after Xi’s visit to Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 (AP)
(AP)

Talks underway on Black Sea grain deal extension in Geneva

Monday 13 March 2023 12:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Negotiations began on Monday between U.N. officials and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin aimed at discussing an extension to a deal allowing the export of grains from Ukraine since Russia‘s invasion, Russia‘s diplomatic mission in Geneva said.

The initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July, is up for renewal on March 18.

United Nations trade official Rebeca Grynspan and aid chief Martin Griffiths arrived at the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva on Monday morning, without making a comment.

Russian lawmaker introduces bill pushing back conscription age

Monday 13 March 2023 12:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A senior Russian lawmaker on Monday introduced a bill to push back the age of conscription to compulsory military service to 21-30 years from the current 18-27 years.

The bill was introduced by Andrei Kartapolov, a former general who chairs the State Duma’s defence committee and represents the ruling United Russia bloc, just over a year into Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Because there are two transition years - 2024 and 2025 - when the conscription age will span 10 or 11 years instead of the usual nine, the bill would for a time increase the number of men subject to a year’s compulsory service.

President Vladimir Putin gave his backing in December to Defence Ministry proposals to push back the age range.

The minister, Sergei Shoigu, plans to increase the total number of serving combat personnel - professional contract soldiers and conscripts - to 1.5 million from 1.15 million.

Conscripts cannot legally be deployed outside Russia. However, in September Moscow unilaterally annexed four Ukrainian regions where fighting is continuing, and now considers them Russian territory.

Georgian PM tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy not to meddle in his country

Monday 13 March 2023 12:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili accused Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of meddling in his country’s political situation by commenting on protests there last week, prompting an angry response from Kyiv.

During the protests against a “foreign agents” law that critics said signalled an authoritarian shift in Georgia, Zelenskiy thanked protesters for waving Ukrainian flags, saying it showed respect, and he wished Georgians “democratic success”.

Last Friday, Georgia’s parliament dropped the bill, which had threatened to harm Tbilisi’s bid for closer ties with Europe. Critics had said it was inspired by a 2012 Russian law that has been used widely to crack down on dissent in Russia.

“When a person who is at war... responds to the destructive action of several thousand people here in Georgia, this is direct evidence that this person is involved, motivated to make something happen here too, to change,” Garibashvili said in an interview with the Georgian IMEDI television broadcast on Sunday, referring to Zelenskiy.

“I want to wish everyone a timely end to this war, and peace,” Garibashvili added.

However, Ukraine‘s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko accused Garibashvili of repeating “Russian propaganda” by suggesting that Kyiv sought to draw Georgia into its conflict with Moscow.

“We categorically reject such claims, which have nothing to do with reality. The Georgian authorities are looking for an enemy in the wrong place,” Nikolenko said on Facebook on Monday.

“Ukraine has been and will remain a friend of the Georgian people, whom we do not wish to stop (in their task of) building a European future.”

Despite Garibashvili’s comments, Georgian public opinion is strongly pro-Ukrainian and anti-Russian. Georgia fought its own brief war with Russia in 2008 over the status of two Moscow-backed breakaway regions, Azkhazia and South Ossetia.

Georgia and Ukraine both aspire to join the European Union one day.

Putin and Wagner group reach ‘boiling point’ in Bakhmut rivalry

Monday 13 March 2023 11:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tensions between the Russian ministry of defence and the rebel Wagner group has likely reached a “boiling point” in their rivalry over Bakhmut, the Institute of War has said.

The city in Donetsk Oblast, which has been the site of bloody contention for several weeks, serves as a symbolic stepping stone for Moscow to push forward in its invasion.

According to IoW analysis, the Russian MoD is trying to “deliberately expend both elite and convict Wagner forces in Bakhmut in an effort to weaken Prigozhin and derail his ambitions for greater influence in the Kremlin”.

The analysis continued: “The Russian MoD is currently prioritizing eliminating Wagner on the battlefields in Bakhmut, which is likely slowing down the rate of advance in the area.

“Prigozhin saw Bakhmut as an opportunity to gain leverage on the Russian MoD and likely in the Kremlin in pursuit of his own commercial and political aspirations.

“Putin used Wagner to protect his regime from detrimental societal ramifications of mobilization, which also continues to inhibit his war efforts in Ukraine.”

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Monday 13 March 2023 10:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a top military honour to the Ukrainian sniper and prisoner of war Oleksandr Matsiyevsky who was shot down by Russian-speaking forces as captured in a widely circulated video.

The man was heard chanting “Slava Ukraini” or “glory to Ukraine” as his last words before multiple shots from an unseen shooter or shooters behind the video camera claimed his life, leading to widespread condemnation of the alleged war crime.

“I conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine upon Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. A Ukrainian warrior. A man who will be known and remembered forever. For his bravery, for his confidence in Ukraine and for his “Glory to Ukraine!” Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!” Mr Zelensky said late on Sunday in his nightly address.

Volodymyr Zelensky awards highest military honour to soldier executed on video

Kremlin doesn't rule out Putin attending G20 summit in India

Monday 13 March 2023 10:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Monday it was not ruling out Russian President Vladimir Putin attending a summit of leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) developed and emerging economies on Sept. 9-10 in New Delhi.

Putin has yet to travel beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union since sending his armed forces into Ukraine in February last year, and missed November’s G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Asked whether Putin might attend the Delhi summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:

“It can’t be ruled out. Russia continues to participate fully in the G20 framework. It intends to continue to do that. But no decision has been made yet.”

 (Sputnik)
(Sputnik)

Patchwork fixes to Ukraine grain shortfall leave world vulnerable a year into war

Monday 13 March 2023 10:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A patchwork of fixes and increased crop plantings around the world to counter the impact of war in Ukraine on global grain supplies are not enough to ward off further risks of disruption.

Extensive damage to Ukraine‘s farm sector and uncertainty that the UN’s grain export corridor deal will be renewed this month suggest food prices may remain elevated, increasing the potential of hunger if other problems arise, agriculture experts warn.

Meanwhile, adverse weather, including a historic drought in No. 3 corn exporter Argentina, highlights the risks of increasingly severe weather around the world for food supplies.

A year after Russia‘s war on major grains producer Ukraine sent global crop values to decade highs on fears of shortages, prices of key crops have reverted back to pre-war levels, with benchmark corn futures down 10% and wheat futures more than 20% lower than the days before the invasion.

“The world has had some time to patch some holes,” said Dan Basse, president of AgResource Co in Chicago, citing larger-than-anticipated Russian wheat exports and the grain export corridor deal that allowed some 3 million tonnes of grain per month to be exported from Ukraine‘s Black Sea ports.

“If we don’t have another supply shock somewhere, the world can get by on the diminishment of Ukrainian grain. But it’s tenuous. Things have to go right,” he said.

 (AP)
(AP)

UK boosts defense spending in response to Russia and China

Monday 13 March 2023 10:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Monday to increase UK military funding by £5 billion ($6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine and the “epoch-defining challenge” posed by China.

The increase, part of a major update to UK foreign and defense policy, is less than military officials wanted.

Sunak said the UK would increase military spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product “in the longer term,” but did not set a date. Britain currently spends just over two per cent of GDP on defense, and military chiefs want it to rise to three per cent.

The extra money will be used, in part, to replenish Britain’s ammunition stocks, depleted from supplying Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

Some will also go towards a UK-US-Australia deal to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Sunak will meet US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego on Monday to confirm next steps for the military pact, known as AUKUS, struck by the three countries in 2021 amid mounting concern about China’s actions in the Pacific.

Russia suffering ‘extremely heavy casualties’, though country’s elite ‘left relatively unscathed’, says MoD

Monday 13 March 2023 09:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin continues to suffer “extremely heavy casualties” in Ukraine, though the impact of those losses varies “dramatically” across Russia’s regions, according to UK intelligence.

“In proportion to the size of their population, the richest cities of Moscow and St Petersburg have been left relatively unscathed,” the Ministry of Defence said in its daily update on Sunday.

“This is especially true for the families of the country’s elite,” it adds.

“In many of the Eastern regions, deaths are likely running, as a percentage of population, at a rate 30+ times higher than in Moscow. In places, ethnic minorities take the biggest hit; in Astrakhan some 75 per cent of casualties come from the minority Kazakh and Tartar populations.

“As the Russian MoD seeks to address its continued deficit of combat personnel, insulating the better-off and more influential elements of Russian society will highly likely remain a major consideration.”

Russian advance stalls in Ukraine's Bakhmut, think tank says

Monday 13 March 2023 09:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s advance seems to have stalled in Moscow‘s campaign to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a leading think tank said in an assessment of the longest ground battle of the war.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said there were no confirmed advances by Russian forces in Bakhmut. Russian forces and units from the Kremlin-controlled paramilitary Wagner Group continued to launch ground attacks in the city, but there was no evidence that they were able to make any progress, ISW said late Saturday.

The report cited the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Eastern Group, Serhii Cherevaty, who said that fighting in the Bakhmut area had been more intense this week than the previous one. According to Cherevaty, there were 23 clashes in the city over the previous 24 hours.

Russian advance stalls in Ukraine's Bakhmut, think tank says

Indonesia's Bali wants to tighten visa requirements for Russian tourists

Monday 13 March 2023 09:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Authorities in Indonesia’s popular holiday island of Bali have asked the central immigration agency to cancel a visa-on-arrival policy for Russian and Ukrainian nationals after tourists were found working illegally.

Russian nationals are among the biggest groups of foreign arrivals in Indonesia, according to official tourism data. At least four Russian citizens were deported this month for visa violations and immigration authorities have repeatedly warned foreigners in Bali against working on tourist visas.

Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said on Sunday he has asked the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to tighten visa requirements by cancelling the visa-on-arrival facility specifically for Russian and Ukrainian citizens due to a series of violations.

“Because they are at war, so they flocked to Bali, including those who sought comfort or came to work here,” he said, according to a post on the immigration agency’s Instagram account. He added these two countries were singled out because their citizens’ infractions were more “significant” than those of others.

He did not provide details on the violations.

The move comes as Indonesians take to social media to complain about some Russian tourists’ actions in Bali, including a model who posed nude at a sacred tree and a man who allegedly hit a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol.

A spokesperson for Indonesia’s immigration agency, which is under the law ministry, declined to comment.

The embassies of Russia and Ukraine in Jakarta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Indonesia allows nationals of certain countries to apply for a visa upon landing in the country, while others have to apply before departure.

More than 77,500 Russians arrived in the Southeast Asian country between September 2022 and January 2023 as COVID-19 restrictions were eased, compared with about 88,000 in the same period just before the pandemic.

About 8,800 Ukrainian visitors arrived between September 2022 and January 2023.

Russia adding IKEA, Lancome and other luxury goods to parallel import list

Monday 13 March 2023 08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s industry ministry said on Monday it was expanding its list of brands that can be imported without the trademark owner’s permission to include goods from companies such as IKEA and American toy manufacturers Hasbro and Mattel.

Moscow has been pushing a so-called “parallel imports” scheme to help Russian consumers maintain access to a host of foreign products in the face of tough punitive sanctions imposed by the West over the conflict in Ukraine.

The mechanism allows Russian companies to buy goods from any company outside Russia, including from the country of the goods’ origin, provided they were purchased legally.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s expanded list includes luxury brands, such as Lancome, Giorgio Armani and Yves Saint Laurent, domestic goods brands Wahl and Zanussi, and Japan’s Nintendo. Brands of motor oils and agricultural equipment makers were also added.

 (PA)
(PA)

The updated list was first reported by the Izvestia daily, which said that IKEA would be added towards the summer.

“Izvestia has the correct list and it is now being registered with the Ministry of Justice,” the ministry said in a statement.

Many goods of top brands that pulled out of Russia remain available, with parallel importing mechanisms having been consolidated and expanded in the past year, demonstrating the difficulty companies have in controlling supply chains when exiting a market.

The ministry said it was working on fine-tuning the mechanism, transitioning from including brand names to rights holders, a move it said would simplify the administrative procedure. (

China’s Xi plans Russia visit as soon as next week

Monday 13 March 2023 08:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to travel to Russia to meet his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as soon as next week, people familiar with the matter said, which would be sooner than previously expected.

Plans for a visit come as China has been offering to broker peace in Ukraine, an effort that has been met with scepticism in the West given China’s diplomatic support for Russia.

Russia‘s Tass news agency reported on Jan. 30 that Putin had invited Xi to visit in the spring. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that a visit to Moscow could take place in April or early May.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of Xi going to Moscow and the Kremlin declined to comment.

No other details were immediately available.

The sources briefed on the matter declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the issue.

China and Russia struck a “no limits” partnership in February of 2022, weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, and the two sides have continued to reaffirm the strength of their ties.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping (AP)

Russia's Patrushev doubts pro-Ukrainian group blew up Nord Stream

Monday 13 March 2023 07:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

One of President Vladimir Putin’s top allies said on Monday that he doubts that the Nord Stream pipelines were blown up by a pro-Ukrainian group, and said that Moscow still does not know who exactly was behind it, Interfax reported.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Ukraine had gained nothing from the destruction of the pipelines.

German and United States media have reported that the U.S. intelligence community believes that a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the September explosions that badly the pipelines. Russia has called the incident a terrorist attack, and suggested that Western countries were behind it.

Russia's security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev (AP)
Russia's security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev (AP)

What is the latest from Bakhmut?

Monday 13 March 2023 07:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Here is the latest update from the battle in Bakhmut:

* The situation in Bakhmut was difficult, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said, though adding that his troops were repelling all Russian attempts to capture it.

* The head of Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group, which has led the assault on Bakhmut, said the situation in the mining town was “tough, very tough ... But we are advancing and we will be advancing”.

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had suffered more than 1,100 dead in the past few days fighting along the Bakhmut section of the frontline. Russian forces also sustained 1,500 “sanitary losses” - soldiers wounded badly enough to keep them out of further action, he added.

* Russia‘s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had killed more than 220 Ukrainian service members over the past 24 hours in the Donetsk direction.

* The Wagner chief said his army would begin to reboot once Bakhmut was captured. “In particular, we will start recruiting new people from the regions,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a clip posted on Telegram channels associated with Wagner.

Wagner chief likely lost access to Russian prisons for recruiting men – MoD

Monday 13 March 2023 06:58 , Arpan Rai

The British defence ministry has claimed that Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin has likely lost access to recruiting in Russian prisons due to his ongoing disputes with the Russian defence ministry leadership.

“Prigozhin is highly likely pivoting recruitment efforts towards free Russian citizens,” the ministry said today in its latest intelligence update.

The defence ministry said that since the start of March 2023, Wagner has set up outreach teams based in sports centres in at least 40 locations across Russia.

“In recent days, masked Wagner recruiters also gave career talks in Moscow high schools, distributing questionnaires entitled ‘application of a young warrior’ to collect the contact details of interested pupils,” the MoD said.

tating that the new initiatives are unlikely to make up for the loss of the convict recruit pipelines, the ministry said that about half of the prisoners Wagner has already deployed in Ukraine have likely become casualties.

“If the ban endures, Prigozhin will likely be forced to reduce the scale or intensity of Wagner operations in Ukraine,” the ministry said.

Zelensky awards highest honour to Ukrainian man shot by Russia

Monday 13 March 2023 05:49 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded the highest military honour posthumously to the Ukrainian soldier gunned down by Russian forces for chanting “Glory to Ukraine”.

“Today I conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine upon Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, a soldier. A man whom all Ukrainians will know. A man who will be remembered forever. For his bravery, for his confidence in Ukraine and for his ‘Glory to Ukraine!’,” he said in his nightly address.

Ukrainian journalists lauded the deceased soldier and the award by the Zelenksy administration, confirming that the man was killed in December last year.

“We now know the name of this man. Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, a sniper of Chernihiv territorial defence brigade. He went MIA in late December 2022, and according to Ukrainian officials, was killed by Russians just before New Year. He has been posthumously awarded Hero of Ukraine. RIP,” said journalist Olga Tokariak.

Wagner chief says Bakhmut situation ‘very tough'

Monday 13 March 2023 04:59 , Arpan Rai

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has described the situation in Bakhmut as “tough, very tough”.

The mercenary gorup’s chief said: “The closer we are to the centre of the city, the harder the fighting ... The Ukrainians throw in endless reserves. But we are advancing and we will be advancing.”

Last week, the Wagner chief had complained of “ammunition hunger” among his soldiers but confirmed yesterday that the Russian army members helped his troops with ammunition.

“Yesterday, we got 15 truckloads, today we got 12. And I think we will continue to receive them,” he said, and added that there was no conflict between his fighters and Russian troops.

In a previous allegation, the private military organisation’s chief had accused Russia’s top brass was deliberately starving his men of ammunition, an allegation the defence ministry rejected.

He added that Wagner “will begin to reboot” and start hiring once Bakhmut is captured, adding he wanted to turn his private military company into an “army with an ideology” that would fight for justice in Russia.

Russia downs four missiles in Belgorod region – official

Monday 13 March 2023 04:23 , Arpan Rai

At least one person has been injuried in Russia after the country’s air defence forces shot down four missiles over the region and administrative centre Belgorod, regional governor said.

“At this time one person is known to have been injured. There is also damage from rocket debris in two residential buildings,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on the Telegram messaging app.

It is not immediately clear if the missiles were fired from Ukraine but officials in the past have accsued Ukrainian forces on the other side of the border of carrying out similar attacks.

Belgorod borders Ukraine‘s Kharkiv region and has repeatedly come under fire since the war began last year.

Russian and Ukrainian losses mount in Bakhmut

Monday 13 March 2023 04:12 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces had killed more than 1,100 Russian soldiers in the past few days as they battled for control of Bakhmut.

“In less than a week, starting from the 6th March, we managed to kill more than 1,100 enemy soldiers in the Bakhmut sector alone, Russia’s irreversible loss, right there, near Bakhmut,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Russian forces also sustained 1,500 “sanitary losses”, soldiers wounded badly enough to keep them out of action, he added.

Similar claims have been made by Russia’s defence ministry and said that more than 220 Ukrainian service members have been killed in the Donetsk direction in the past 24 hours.

Rishi Sunak pledges £5bn for defence as UK faces a ‘volatile’ world

Monday 13 March 2023 03:51 , Arpan Rai

Rishi Sunak insisted the UK’s armed forces had the funding they needed for a “more volatile world” in the face of the growing challenges posed by China and Russia.

The prime minister promised an extra £5bn for the military over two years, but failed to meet Tory demands to commit to a goal of spending 3 per cent of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

Significant sums of the promised new money will be swallowed up by replenishing ammunition stockpiles handed to Ukraine and work on the Aukus project to develop nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.

Read the full story here:

Rishi Sunak pledges £5 billion for defence as UK faces a ‘volatile’ world

Wagner chief admits Ukrainian forces are fiercely fighting in Bakhmut

Monday 13 March 2023 02:25 , Martha Mchardy

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian private military company Wagner, has admitted that Ukrainian forces are fighting fiercely in Bakhmut.

In a new audio message posted on his Telegram page on Sunday, Mr Prigozhin said Ukrainian forces are “fighting for every meter.”

He continued: “the situation in Bakhmut is very difficult, the enemy is fighting for every meter. The closer we are to the city center, the harder the battles, the more artillery works against us, and the more tanks.”

“The Ukrainians are throwing up endless reserves,” Prigozhin added.

Support will put Ukraine in ‘strongest position’ to negotiate ceasefire – Sunak

Monday 13 March 2023 01:25 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak said new support measures for Ukraine agreed between the UK and France are designed to put Kyiv in the “strongest possible position” to negotiate a ceasefire.

The Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron used the UK-France summit to sign off on jointly training Ukrainian marines and supplying weapons to the country in its fight against Russia’s invading forces.

Patrick Daly reports:

Support will put Ukraine in ‘strongest position’ to negotiate ceasefire – Sunak

Ukraine identifies PoW killed by Russians as Oleksandr Igorevich Matsievskyi

Monday 13 March 2023 00:25 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine has identified the Prisoner of War (PoW) killed by Russia as Oleksandr Igorevich Matsievskyi.

Ukraine’s security services identified the prisoner killed Russian soldiers in a clip that spread quickly across the world, bringing an end to the dispute over his identity.

Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “find the murderers” of the unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war. While Ukraine’s chief prosecutor announced a criminal investigation into the killing, and human rights chief Dmytro Lubinets said it was a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “find the murderers” of the unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war. (Ukrainian Presidential Office)
Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “find the murderers” of the unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war. (Ukrainian Presidential Office)

The 12-second video, orginally posted on Telegram before being shared on Twitter, shows the man in uniform with a Ukrainian insignia on his arm, standing and smoking a cigarette in a wooded area. The man says “Slava Ukraini!” – Glory to Ukraine – before multiple shots are fired. The man then slumps to the ground.

Ukraine’s military originally named the man as Tymofiy Shadura, a member of the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade, who has been missing since 3 February near Bakhmut, but cautioned a final confirmation could not be made until the body had been recovered from currently Russian-controlled territory.

Oleksandr Igorevich Matsievskyi, 42, was deployed to Bakhmut in November.

Russia claims it is continuing military operations in Donetsk region

Sunday 12 March 2023 23:25 , Martha Mchardy

The Russian Defence ministry says it is conducting military operations in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region.

Moscow claims its troops have taken out 220 Ukrainian soldiers in the last 24 hours. Ukraine also claiks it has killed 200 Russian soldiers.

Russia‘s defence ministry said: “In the Donetsk direction... more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, 3 armoured fighting vehicles, 7 vehicles, as well as a D-30 howitzer were destroyed during the day.”

Saudi state-owned oil giant sees record profit after Russia invasion of Ukraine

Sunday 12 March 2023 23:10 , Martha Mchardy

Saudi oil giant Aramco has announced record profits of $161billion (£133 billion) for 2022, equivalent to £134billion, after soaring energy prices and bigger volumes.

The increase represents a 46.5 per cent rise on last year for energy firm Aramco.

Aramco also declared a dividend of $19.5bn (£16 billion) for the October to December quarter of 2022, most of which will go to the Saudi government in the first quarter of this year, which owns nearly 95 per cent of the shares in the company.

It comes as energy prices spiked following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Martha McHardy reports:

Saudi state-owned oil giant sees record profit of $161bn

Ethnic minorities bear the brunt of the Kremlin’s war, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence

Sunday 12 March 2023 22:25 , Martha Mchardy

Ethnic minorities bear the brunt of the Kremlin’s war, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

Deaths are more than 30 times higher in many eastern regions in Ukraine than in Moscow, with the capital and St Petersburg “relatively unscathed”, said the Ministry of Defence.

“Insulating the better-off and more influential elements of Russian society” is likely a “major consideration”, the ministry said, adding that none of the officials in the two front rows of the audience at Mr Putin’s state of the union speech on 21 February are known to have children in the military.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website