Russia-Ukraine war latest: Wagner boss Prigozhin visits Bakhmut to praise troops

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s private military contractor Wagner, has made a surprise appearance in Ukraine’s frontline town of Bakhmut to record a video message and congratulate the Russian military on the Army Day.

Mr Prigozhin was seen standing in a deserted town in full military gear and a machine gun in his hands, with at least three bodyguards standing behind his back.

“I’d like to congratulate all the guys who are now on the front line and in hospital, all the military men who are fighting for our country,” he said on Thursday which is celebrated in Russia as the Defender of the Motherland Day.

The video ends with Wagner’s owner running for cover as loud thuds of artillery are heard in the background.

Almost exactly one year since he sent Russian troops into Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has yet to visit Ukraine or even Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014.

The Russian president on Thursday recorded a message of congratulations at the Kremlin, thanking Russian troops for “defending the Motherland.”

Follow the latest updates

05:04 PM

What we learnt today

• European Union countries have failed to agree on a new set of sanctions against Russia. They will try again tomorrow.

• Spain may increase the number of Leopard 2A4 tanks to be sent to Ukraine from six to ten.

• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance had seen signs China is considering supplying arms to Russia and warned Beijing against taking any such step.

• A group of activists poured hundreds of litres of yellow and blue paint onto the road outside the Russian Embassy in London

Tomorrow marks a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. We should expect a number of speeches from world leaders and further pledges to help Ukraine.

04:48 PM

Yevgeny Prigozhin in Bakhmut

The head of mercenary outfit Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, visiting Bakhmut earlier, praising troops.

04:33 PM

EU fails again to agree new Russia sanctions, talks to resume Friday

European Union countries have failed to agree on a new set of sanctions against Russia that they had planned to have in place for the one-year anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Friday, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

The 27 EU countries need to agree unanimously to introduce sanctions. The sources said Poland was blocking the package over proposed exemptions to a ban on EU imports of Russian synthetic rubber.

Polish diplomats said the exemptions were so big they would render the sanctions ineffective. Other sources said the exemptions were proposed to accommodate Italy, backed by Germany.

Representatives of the member states were due to meet again at 9am Uk time on Friday - the day Russia invaded Ukraine last year - to try seal a deal, according to the sources.

04:11 PM

Spain may send more tanks to Ukraine

Spain may increase the number of Leopard 2A4 tanks to be sent to Ukraine to 10 from six promised earlier and will discuss potential aircraft deliveries with NATO and EU partners, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said during a visit to Kyiv.

The German-made fighting vehicles are part of over 50 2A4s Spain had mothballed in reserve, and they require repairs and refitting.

"As the defence minister told parliament yesterday, we will send six Leopard 2A4s. We intend to see in the coming weeks and months whether we can increase the total to 10," Mr Sanchez told reporters after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the eve of the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Other NATO countries, including Germany, Poland and Portugal, have promised to send a total of 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Sanchez added that Zelensky had also asked for warplanes to help Ukraine's war effort, but that was "something that we need to discuss with our partners both at the NATO and European level".

03:47 PM

Moldovan president in Romania to boost ties

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis discussed energy, economic and security issues in Bucharest Thursday with his visiting Moldovan counterpart, as the two neighbours seek to boost ties amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mr Iohannis' office said the talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu would aim to bring her country closer to the 27-nation European Union, to which Romania belongs.

Afterwards, Ms Sandu said Moldova’s strategic partnership with NATO-member Romania is yielding “concrete benefits.”

“Moldova is going through unprecedented challenges,” Ms Sandu said, adding that over the past year, her country has faced “security challenges aimed at creating chaos and destabilising our region.” Both countries have a border with Ukraine.

Ms Sandu’s visit came a week after she claimed Moscow was allegedly plotting to overthrow Moldova’s government, put the nation “at the disposal of Russia,” and derail its aspirations to join the EU. Russia denied her claims.

03:31 PM

NATO has seen signs China is considering sending arms to Russia - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance had seen signs China is considering supplying arms to Russia and warned Beijing against taking any such step.

The announcement came days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China of consequences if it provided material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We haven't seen any supplies of lethal aid from China to Russia, but we have seen signs that they are considering and may be planning for that," Mr Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview.

"That's the reason why the United States and other allies have been very clear, warning against that. And China should of course not support Russia's illegal war," he added.

There was no immediate comment from China, but its Foreign Ministry said earlier today any potential intelligence on arms transfer by China to Russia that the United States plans to release was just speculation.

Russia and China signed a "no limits" partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Moscow's connections with the West have shrivelled.

The West has been wary of China's response to the Ukraine war, with some officials warning that a Russian victory would colour China's actions toward Taiwan. China has not condemned the conflict in Ukraine or called it an "invasion".

03:12 PM

Ukraine-China meeting 'would be desirable' says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has not seen any Chinese plan for ending Russia's war on Ukraine, but that "it would be desirable" for Chinese and Ukrainian representatives to meet.

On the eve of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine Mr Zelensky said that Kyiv had already communicated the desire for such a meeting.

"We would like to meet with China," he said during a news briefing in Kyiv with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "This is in the interests of Ukraine today."

China's top diplomat has said Beijing will set out its position on settling the Ukraine conflict through political means in a document that will reference principles from the United Nations' founding charter and take into account territorial integrity, sovereignty and security concerns.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to deliver a "peace speech" on the Feb. 24 anniversary of Moscow's invasion.

Zelenskiy said he had heard only "general things" about China's proposals through Ukrainian diplomats, but that it was encouraging that China was considering brokering peace

02:55 PM

West is using Ukraine to try to break up Russia, says Russian defence minister

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has accused the West of using Ukraine to try to break up Russia, but said he thought the purported attempt to do so would fail.

"Using Ukraine, the collective West is seeking to dismember Russia, to deprive it of its independence. These attempts are doomed to fail," Shoigu said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.

02:37 PM

Italy calls for G7 sanctions against Russia to be extended to G20 countries

The sanctions introduced by G7 nations against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine should be applied by all G20 countries, Italy's Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti has said.

The sanctions "must be applied not only by the G7 countries but also by the G20 countries," Giorgetti said in a statement issued on the sidelines of a summit among G20 finance leaders in Bengaluru.

"Otherwise Russia circumvents the sanctions system and the effects risk falling short of our expectations," the minister added.

02:10 PM

Western Europe should supply weapons to Ukraine faster, Poland and Denmark say

Western European countries should be faster and more generous in supplying Ukraine with weapons, the prime ministers of Poland and Denmark said after meeting in Copenhagen.

"I would like them to be exactly like Denmark and Poland. A longer version is to be more generous in terms of weapon delivery and more quick," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters.

Poland, a key ally of Ukraine, has been instrumental in convincing European allies to donate heavy gear to Ukraine, including tanks, a move opposed by several countries until recently.

"Let's be frank. If not for the United States, Poland and the United Kingdom, probably Ukraine would not have survived the first couple of weeks or the first couple of months," Morawiecki said.

"It's just strengthening the NATO alliance, some sceptical countries should no longer be sceptical."

01:50 PM

Ukraine has convicted 26 war crimes suspects since invasion

Ukrainian courts have tried and convicted 26 low-ranking suspects since the Russian invasion a year ago and have brought charges against nearly 300 individuals, an official has said.

Ukraine's prosecutor coordinating war crimes cases in The Hague, Myroslava Krasnoborova, said the convictions were for crimes including rape and murder, the shelling of residential buildings, cruel treatment of civilians and pillaging.

So far, Ukraine has registered more than 71,000 alleged war crimes since February 24, 2022, she said.

"Atrocities and destruction caused by Russia are colossal and endless. Millions of people have been forced to leave everything behind. Massive missile attacks are destroying the civilian infrastructure and many tragically lost their lives," she said."

"This damage cannot be undone, but what we can do is to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice," Krasnoborova said during a briefing about efforts to create accountability for the widespread atrocities.

Russia has denied committing atrocities or targeting civilians.

01:31 PM

Ukraine 'will prevail' Zelensky says ahead of invasion anniversary

Ukraine "will prevail" over invading Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, a day before the first anniversary of Moscow's assault on his country.

"We have not broken down, we have overcome many ordeals and we will prevail. We will hold to account all those who brought this evil, this war to our land," Mr Zelensky said on social media.

01:11 PM

Ukraine imposes 50-year sanctions on Russian financial sector

Ukraine's parliament has imposed sweeping 50-year sanctions on Russian financial institutions including the central bank, all commercial banks, investment funds, insurers and other enterprises.

"It is a complete block on financial institutions of the Russian Federation accessing markets and assets in Ukraine. A complete block," Andriy Pyshniy, governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, said on Facebook.

"We should weaken it with all available means. It is the financial sector which is a strategic 'donor' of this war."

An overwhelming majority of 325 deputies voted to support the measures, intended to be in place for half a century.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the sectoral sanctions would affect hundreds of banks and tens of thousands of financial institutions registered in Russia.

The measures include a ban on transactions with assets owned by the Russian Federation's financial institutions, a ban on establishing business relations and a ban on transactions and investments in Russian financial institutions, Ms Svyrydenko said.

12:52 PM

Huge Ukrainian flag painted on road outside Russian Embassy in London

A group of activists poured hundreds of litres of yellow and blue paint onto the road outside the Russian Embassy in London on Thursday to create an enormous Ukrainian flag ahead of the one year anniversary of Moscow's invasion.

The campaign group "Led By Donkeys" halted traffic before spreading more than 300 litres of paint across the road using wheelbarrows and brushes to make the 500 square metre (5382 square feet) flag.

"Ukraine is an independent state and a people with every right to self-determination," the group said in a statement.

"The existence of a massive Ukrainian flag outside Putin's embassy in London will serve to remind him of that."

London's Metropolitan Police said three men and one woman had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and obstructing the highway.

The tyres of several vehicles were covered in the paint as they drove over it, leaving colourful markings along the road which borders Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

12:36 PM

Russia reopens bombed bridge to Crimea

Moscow has announced the full reopening to car traffic of a key Crimea bridge damaged by a blast in October.

Moscow blamed Kyiv for the attack on the bridge linking the Moscow-annexed Crimea peninsula to mainland Russia, but Kyiv has denied the charges.

"All lanes of the Crimean bridge are fully open to car traffic 39 days ahead of schedule," Russian deputy prime minister Marat Khusnullin said, quoted by his press service.

On Telegram, Mr Khusnullin said the reopening was a "big gift for the Defender of the Fatherland Day" annual public holiday celebrated in Russia on Thursday.

Repairs on the railway part of the bridge - also called the Kerch bridge - are still ongoing, Khusnullin said.

The Kerch bridge also serves as a vital transport link for carrying military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

In October, the bridge - which was personally inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 - was partially destroyed in a blast that killed three people.

11:45 AM

Putin says Satan 2 to be deployed this year

Vladimir Putin said he will deploy the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile this year following US reports that the weapon failed a recent test.

The Sarmat - dubbed Satan 2 by Western analysts - is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and is among Russia's next-generation missiles that Putin has described as "invincible".

"We pay special attention, as before, to strengthening the nuclear triad. This year, the first launchers of the Sarmat missile system will be put on combat duty," he said in a video released by the Kremlin to mark the "Defender of the Fatherland Day" in Russia.

CNN cited two anonymous US officials as saying the Sarmat appears to have failed a test this week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday declined to comment on the report, saying it was "the prerogative of the defence ministry".

Putin has said the heavy Sarmat missile can hit any target on Earth and will make the Kremlin's enemies "think twice".

11:41 AM

Finland to send three Leopards

Finland announced Thursday it will send three Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the latest Western country to pledge heavier weapons on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the war.

"We will send more defence materiel and participate in the Leopard cooperation together with our partners," Minister of Defence Mikko Savola said in a statement.

The aid package would also include "training related to their use and maintenance."

Speaking at a press conference following the announcement, Mr Savola specified that the vehicles being sent were a modified version of the Leopard 2 platform, designed for clearing mines and other explosives.

"These don't have a cannon, these have a machine gun. These are specifically for mine clearance," Savola told reporters.

Out of Finland's some 200 Leopard 2 tanks, only six are modified in this way.

11:29 AM

Russia upping the ante ahead of anniversary

Russia is intensifying hostilities in Ukraine a year after its invasion in a deliberate attempt to deplete Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov said Russia had set the goal of capturing all the territory it does not control in the two regions that make up the industrial Donbas area of eastern Ukraine by summer.

The fiercest fighting remained around the eastern city of Bakhmut, he told a military briefing on the eve of Friday's anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

"The enemy, having an advantage in the resource of human mobilisation, is deliberately intensifying hostilities in an effort to deplete the units of the armed forces of Ukraine," General Gromov said.

10:08 AM

Putin vows arms boost

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called Russia's army a guarantor of national stability, promising to boost arms production nearly a year after the start of the Ukraine offensive.

"A modern, efficient army and navy are a guarantee of the country's security and sovereignty, a guarantee of its stable development and its future," Mr Putin said in a video address on the occasion of the annual "Defender of the Fatherland Day" holiday in Russia.

"That's why, as before, we will pay priority attention to strengthening our defence capabilities," he added on the eve of the first anniversary of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Putin said Russia will "conduct the balanced and high-quality development of all components of the armed forces" in particular by equipping troops with "new strike systems, reconnaissance and communication equipment, drones and artillery systems".

08:58 AM

Latest images from Ukraine

08:46 AM

Fears of Russian false flag attack on Moldova

The Russian defence ministry has issued a highly dubious statement in which it accuses Ukraine of planning to invade neighbouring Transnistria, the unrecognised breakaway state in Moldova.

The claim is very similar to Russian government statements and propaganda during the build-up to its invasion of Ukraine, a period when it also repeatedly accused Ukraine of plotting "provocations."

It is also stokes concerns that Russia is planning some kind of operation against Moldova.

Volodymr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, says his government recently intercepted intelligence which suggested that Moscow is trying to seize control of the Moldova capital, Chisinau.

08:37 AM

Putin's war to last at least another year, says Wallace

Ben Wallace, in a radio interview this morning, was asked whether he suspects we will see the war go on for another year. He responded:

08:16 AM

Poland charges "Russian spy"

Poland has charged a Russian man who has lived as a businessman in the country for a number of years with being a spy for Moscow.

The Russian, who was arrested in April, allegedly passed information about the readiness of the Polish army and Nato forces to Moscow.

"The suspect's espionage activity was focused on military units located in the north-eastern part of Poland, as part of which he carried out tasks of reconnaissance of important elements of the Polish Armed Forces," a spokeswoman for prosecutors in Gdansk said.

08:12 AM

Pedro Sanchez arrives in Kyiv

07:58 AM

US considers releasing intelligence on China's plans for Russia

The United States is said to be weighing up whether it should release classified intelligence that suggests China is considering giving military support to Russia.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the move is on the table following a series of private appeals to China not to support the invasion of Ukraine which appear to have gone unheeded.

The report said it was unclear what kind of weapons China may provide. One scenario is Beijing simply replacing the huge amount of weapons, such as tanks, Russia has lost so far.

07:39 AM

Pedro Sanchez in Kyiv

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has arrived in Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion, Sanchez's office said on Thursday.

On his arrival in Kyiv, Sanchez was received by Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, the Ukrainian ambassador in Madrid and the Spanish ambassador to Ukraine, his office added in a statement.

Sanchez's visit comes after U.S. President Joe Biden had promised new military aid for Ukraine worth $500 million during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.

07:33 AM

China: 'normal' trade continues with Putin

Amid US concerns that China is poised to begin providing Russia with military support in Ukraine, Beijing's foreign minister has issued a statement which says the two countries "maintain normal exchanges in trade and cooperation."

It adds that China-Russia trade is nearly at around $200bn per year.

07:30 AM

Russia may be 'preparing eastern offensive' says UK intelligence

Russian forces are possibly preparing for another offensive around the town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donbas region, with the town experiencing heavy shelling, the UK said in an intelligence bulletin on Thursday.

Britain added that fighting has also continued in the eastern city of Bakhmut over the last two days