Putin takes personal flight on new nuclear bomber

Vladimir Putin flew on a nuclear-capable jet this morning in a move likely to be viewed as a pointed reminder of Moscow’s nuclear capabilities.

Putin described the plane as “excellent”, adding that it could now be accepted into the Russian armed forces.

The modernised Tu-160M strategic bomber, code-named “Blackjacks” by Nato, is a modernised version of a Cold War-era bomber. In the event of nuclear war, the plane would have deployed by the Soviet Union to deliver weapons at long distances.

State TV showed the giant swing-wing plane taking off from a runway belonging to the factory in Kazan which makes the modernised supersonic aircraft, with Pavel Zarubin, a Russian journalist, excitedly calling it “a unique event”.

The plane’s flight path was a military secret, but Putin was in the air for around 30 minutes after 45 minutes of pre-flight preparations, the news agency Interfax reported.

“The equipment is excellent. It is, indeed, of a new generation,” Putin told reporters afterwards. “As I told the commander of the ship, now I will tell the leadership of the Ministry of Defense again: of course, it can be accepted into the armed forces.”

04:50 PM GMT

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04:50 PM GMT

Pictures: Putin takes a trip on nuclear-capable bomber

04:47 PM GMT

Ukraine has right to strike inside Russia, Nato chief says

Ukraine has the right to strike Russian military targets “outside Ukraine” under international law, Nato’s chief has said for the first time.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-general, told Radio Free Europe in an interview published on Tuesday: “According to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defence... and that includes also striking legitimate military targets, Russian military targets, outside Ukraine.”

The comments represent a significant shift in rhetoric from Mr Stoltenberg, who has previously avoided explicitly referring to attacks on Russian territory.

The use of western-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia has long been a point of contention among Ukraine’s allies due to concerns over escalating the conflict.

Mr Stoltenberg acknowledged this dilemma, adding: “It’s for each and every ally to decide whether there are some caveats on what they deliver, and different allies have had a bit different policies on that.”

04:10 PM GMT

Pictured: Russia on the front foot

03:41 PM GMT

Death squad hunting Putin’s political opponents, says ‘poisoned’ activist

A British-Russian national and opposition activist has alleged there is a state-backed hit squad killing Vladimir Putin’s opponents.

Speaking in a video link to court from behind bars, Vladimir Kara-Murza urged Russians not to give up after Alexei Navalny’s death.

The prominent campaigner, who was imprisoned for criticising the war in Ukraine, has filed a lawsuit against Russian investigators for failing to look into two poisoning attempts against him.

He alleged there was a “death squad within the Federal Security Service [FSB], a group of professional killers in the service of the state, whose task is to physically eliminate political opponents of the Putin regime”.

FSB officers participated in Mr Kara-Murza’s poisoning, Mr Navalny’s poisoning in 2020, and the surveillance of Boris Nemtsov, the Russian opposition politician, before he was killed in 2015, Mr Kara-Murza claimed.

He says he was poisoned in 2015 and 2017, the first almost killing him and the second resulting in a coma.

The Kremlin has previously denied any involvement in the illnesses and deaths of the opposition figures, including Mr Navalny.

03:29 PM GMT

Belarus vows to shoot down Nato aircraft ‘without warning’

Belarus has vowed to shoot down any Nato aircraft “without warning” should they violate Belarusian airspace.

Viktor Khrenin, the Belarusian defence minister, accused the West of “constantly” conducting aerial and satellite reconnaissance missions into the Kremlin-allied state in order to anaylse its military bases, Ukrainska Pravda reported.

In an interview with Rossiya 24, a Kremlin- aligned news channel, Mr Khrenin said: “If they have lost their marbles and [impinged upon our airspace], of course we’ll shoot them down without warning.”

The defence minister’s sabre-rattling comments come after Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Belarusian president, warned earlier this world was on the brink of World War Three.

The world “has again come to the edge of the abyss”, Mr Lukashenko said. “I would like to characterise the current phase of the civilisational confrontation between East and West as follows: the masks have been completely dropped.”

03:00 PM GMT

Berlin denies Ukraine long-range Taurus missiles as part of new support package

German lawmakers opposed delivering long-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv as part of further military support to Ukraine.

A motion explicitly mentioning the missiles was rejected earlier today. There will now be a motion on supplying “additional long-range” weapons, without specifically identifying Taurus, which could include more GMLRS guided-missiles or MARS II projectiles.

The debate over delivering Taurus, a bunker-busting missile with a range of 500km, has rumbled on for months in Berlin, with Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly calling on German to provide the weapons system.

Germany is the second biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, but Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, has resisted domestic and foreign pressure to supply the Taurus missiles, fearing an international escalation of the conflict.

02:37 PM GMT

UK to send more anti-tank missiles to Ukraine

The UK will send 200 more anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, has announced.

Mr Shapps described this year as “make or break” for Ukraine and called on fellow western nations to “step up” their support.

“Today I can announce a new package of 200 brimstone anti-tank missiles in a further boost to defend Ukraine,” he told the Commons.

“These missiles have previously had significant impact on the battlefield, in one instance forcing Russian forces to abandon and retreat an attempted crossing of a river.”

He added the UK would train further Ukrainian troops alongside other allies, stating: “Together we will train a further 10,000 in the first half of 2024.”

In a warning to faltering allies of Ukraine, Mr Shapps said: “The UK will continue to double down on that support. All freedom-loving countries must be compelled to do the same.”

02:18 PM GMT

Russia ‘takes another village’ as Kremlin says troops will march on Kyiv

Russian troops have taken the village of Pobieda in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russia has claimed, adding to a series of recent gains.

The capture of the small village three miles west of Donetsk, would mark another advance for Moscow, which last week seized Avdiivka after months of fighting.

The Russian defence ministry said: “On the Donetsk front, units of the ‘Southern’ group of troops liberated the village of Pobeda and improved their position along the front line.”

Ukraine said in a briefing minutes later that it was “holding back enemy forces” in Pobeda.

Oleksandr Tarnavsky, Ukraine’s senior commander in the area, said: “Russians are concentrating their main activity on the Donetsk region.”

The reported Russian offensive comes as Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president, said Russian troops may need to reach Ukraine’s capital Kyiv to achieve the goals of what Moscow calls a “special military operation”.

01:24 PM GMT

Putin takes ride in nuclear bomber

Vladimir Putin flew on a nuclear-capable jet this morning in a move likely to be viewed as a pointed reminder of Moscow’s nuclear capabilities.

The modernised Tu-160M strategic bomber, code-named “Blackjacks” by Nato, is a modernised version of a Cold War-era bomber.

In the event of nuclear war, the giant swing-wing plane would have deployed by the Soviet Union to deliver weapons at long distances.

State TV showed the giant plane taking off from a runway belonging to the factory in Kazan which makes the modernised supersonic aircraft, with Pavel Zarubin, a Russian journalist, excitedly calling it “a unique event.”

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said the plane’s flight path was a military secret, but that the flight with Putin aboard would last up to 40 minutes, TASS state news agency reported.

12:57 PM GMT

UK targets diamond in 50 new sanctions

Britain will crack down on Russian diamond traders amid 50 new sanctions designed to diminish Vladimir Putin’s military might, the foreign office announced.

The new wave of sanctions, which mark two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, target key sources of Russian revenue, including metals, diamonds, and energy.

They are also designed to crackdown on people and businesses supplying Russia with munitions such as missiles, explosives and rocket launch systems.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said: “Our international economic pressure means Russia cannot afford this illegal invasion. Our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war,”

“Together, we will not let up in the face of tyranny. We will continue to support Ukraine as it fights for democracy – for as long as it takes.”

12:52 PM GMT

Denmark pledges £195m in Ukraine aid

Denmark has announced a 1.7 billion crown (£195.2 million) aid package for Ukraine and made an urgent appeal to allies to step up donations.

Denmark, which together with the Netherlands and the United States is spearheading a coalition to help Ukraine establish a future air force, expects to make its first delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this summer, Mette Frederiksen, the country’s prime minister, said.

The country also joined fellow European nations including the UK in signing a 10-year security pact with Ukraine.

“It is necessary to emphasise that if they (Ukraine) are to succeed on the battlefield, more donations must come now,” Ms Frederiksen told reporters.

“It’s in this light that we continue to make further Danish donations in the hope that more countries will do the same, not in six or 12 months, but now when the need is very, very big.”

The announcement comes as US lawmakers continues to drag their feet over providing further aid to Ukraine amid opposition from the Republican-led House of Representatives.

12:28 PM GMT

Spain in ‘no doubt’ Kremlin is behind murder of deserter, say intelligence services

Spain’s intelligence service is in “no doubt” that the Kremlin is behind the killing of a Russian deserter who was killed on Spanish soil, El Pais reported.

Maxim Kuzminov flew his Mil Mi-8 helicopter into Ukraine in August before saying he opposed Russia’s military offensive and defecting.

He was given a Ukrainian passport under a new name and was believed to be living in Spain when he was found shot dead in Alicante earlier this week.

“The Spanish intelligence services have no doubt that the long hand of the Kremlin is behind an unprecedented crime in Spain: the murder in Alicante of Maxim Kuzminov,” El Pais reported.

Diplomatic sources told the paper that if the involvement of Russian authorities is confirmed, Spain will give a “strong response”.

12:23 PM GMT

Pictured: Ukrainian soldier and civilians on its eastern front

12:02 PM GMT

Russian troops ‘must reach Kyiv’ Moscow says

Russian forces must “reach Kyiv” in order to end the war with a Russian victory, the Kremlin has said.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and now a top Putin advisor, said that capturing the capital in a “special military operation” was the only way for the country to achieve its goals.

He said Russians and Ukrainians are one nation and the “Kyiv regime must fall”.

The comments come after Russia seized the initiative on the battlefield and captured the city of Avdiivka, marking its first major gain since May last year.

Russia claimed to have recaptured a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro, too, just days ahead of the second anniversary of the invasion.

11:50 AM GMT

Poland pledges to safeguard passage of aid to Ukraine amid farmers protests

Poland has pledged to safeguard the passage of aid to Ukraine as farmers protests continue to block the border between the two countries.

Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said that border crossings with neighbouring Ukraine would be considered “critical infrastructure” to safeguard the passage of aid to the war-torn country.

Polish farmers have used their tractors to blockade the border in recent weeks in protest against EU agricultural policy permitting cheap grain imports from Ukraine, which they say is undercutting their livelihoods.

“To ensure a 100 percent guarantee that military aid, equipment, ammunition, humanitarian and medical aid will reach the Ukrainian side without any delays, we will include border crossings with Ukraine... on the list of critical infrastructure,” Tusk said.

He also announced that Poland will hold talks with Ukraine on March 28 to find “joint solutions” to the farmers’ protests.

The announcement comes a day after President Zelensky offered to meet him at the countries’ shared border.

11:09 AM GMT

UK ‘backing Dutch head of Nato’

Britain is backing Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch prime minister, to be the next head of Nato, a UK government official said.

“The UK strongly backs Dutch PM Mark Rutte to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General. Rutte is well-respected across the Alliance, has serious defence and security credentials and will ensure that the Alliance remains strong and ready to defend and deter,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A successor for Stoltenberg - who has had his decade-long tenure extended twice in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine - is expected to be announced before a July summit in Washington.

The process of approving a successor, which must be agreed on by all allies, is usually held behind closed doors. The UK’s decision to endorse a potential candidate is therefore a significant departure from the norm.

Having ruled himself out for the NATO post in previous years, Mr Rutte told Dutch media in October that running the alliance was a “very interesting” job and he would be open to the prospect if it came his way.

10:52 AM GMT

Italy to become latest EU nation to sign security deal with Ukraine

Italy is set to sign a security agreement with Ukraine after Germany, France and Britain all announced similar pacts.

The deal, designed to strengthen Kyiv’s defence industry and fight cyber threats is a sign of growing European empahsis on long-term support for Ukraine amidst concerns over US aid.

“Never before has it been so important to emphasise the will to ensure that the attacked David has the resources to defend himself against the Russian Goliath,” Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister, told Italy’s parliament.

He said Italy, which has approved eight military aid packages for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion two years ago, expected to finalise the pact in the coming days, adding that helping Kyiv was crucial to ensure a “just and durable peace”.

10:32 AM GMT

Moscow threatened to shoot down French planes

Russian forces threatened to shoot down French flights over the Black Sea last month, the country’s armed forces minister said.

The minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said that the planes were patrolling in international airspace when the threat was issued, which he labelled a “particularly aggressive” move by Moscow.

“A month ago, to give you a very concrete example, a Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French aircraft in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol,” he said on RTL radio.

“The behavior of Russia in 2024 bears no relation to what we saw in 2022 and, obviously, before the aggression in Ukraine,” the minister said. “It is explained by the fact that Russia is in difficulty on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

French air force pilots regularly patrol on the eastern frontier of Nato, part of efforts by the 31-nation military alliance to boost its defenses since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

French flights include long-range patrols by its AWACS surveillance aircraft. Flying high above the Black Sea coast, they use their powerful radar and other surveillance gear to peer across to the Crimean Peninsula that was seized from Ukraine by Russia and annexed in 2014.

The surveillance flights can spot missile launches, airborne bombing runs and other military activity in the Ukraine conflict.

10:13 AM GMT

Russia launches 8,000-plus missiles in war

Russia has launched more than 8,000 missiles and 4,630 drones at targets in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022, said Yuriy Ihnat, a Ukrainian air force spokesman.

Ukraine has received advanced air defence systems, including several units of the Patriot system, from Western allies throughout the invasion, enabling it to shoot down more missiles.

09:31 AM GMT

Zelensky thanks New Zealand for support

Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the prime minister of New Zealand for a military assistance package and their ongoing support for Ukraine amid the war.

In a post on X, he said:

09:24 AM GMT

Russian forces ‘threatened to shoot down’ aircraft patrolling the Black Sea

Russian forces threatened to shoot down French flights patrolling last month in international airspace over the Black Sea, signals of a “particularly aggressive” posture from Moscow, France’s defence minister said Thursday.

Sébastien Lecornu did not give specific details about the French flights or aircraft involved in the threatened shootdown. But he said Russia was returning to a “particularly aggressive” posture reminiscent of the former Soviet Union’s behaviour during the Cold War.

“A month ago, to give you a very concrete example, a Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French aircraft in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol,” he said on RTL radio.

“The behaviour of Russia in 2024 bears no relation to what we saw in 2022 and, obviously, before the aggression in Ukraine,” Mr Lecornu said. “It is explained by the fact that Russia is in difficulty on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

08:50 AM GMT

Kremlin says Biden remarks about Putin debase the United States

The Kremlin on Thursday said Joe Biden’s remark about Vladimir Putin debased the United States and those who use such vocabulary – and was a poor attempt to appear like a “Hollywood cowboy”.

The US president called Putin a “crazy SOB” during a fundraiser in San Francisco on Wednesday, warning there is always the threat of nuclear conflict but that the existential threat to humanity remains climate.

“The use of such language against the head of another state by the president of the United States is unlikely to infringe on our president, President Putin,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said.

“But it debases those who use such vocabulary.”

Mr Peskov said the remark was “probably some kind of attempt to look like a Hollywood cowboy. But honestly I don’t think it’s possible”.

“Has Mr. Putin ever used one crude word to address you? This has never happened. Therefore, I think that such vocabulary debases America itself.”

08:28 AM GMT

‘Discontent’ against Putin growing in Russia

A top Russian commentator has said that discontent towards President Vladimir Putin is on the rise in the country.

Abbas Gallyamov, Putin’s former speechwriter, said that a victory in Avdiivka is key to Putin “solidifying his control” over Russia.

He told CNN that Russia’s capture of the city in eastern Ukraine would “suppress this discontent” and “strengthen Putin’s domestic standing” ahead of Russian elections.

The gain has supplied him with “an additional injection of legitimacy” to back his campaign.

Putin is working hard to rid Moscow of opposition leaders and make any form of discontent in Russia “unstructured”, “disorganised” and “leaderless” ahead of future elections.

08:09 AM GMT

Russian blogger ‘kills himself’ after revealing death toll

A Russian blogger who revealed the scale of the country’s losses on the front line in eastern Ukraine has reportedly “killed himself”.

Andrey Morozov, a prominent pro-war Russian blogger, faced outrage when he wrote that Russia lost 16,000 personnel and 300 pieces of armour during its months-long capture of the city of Avdiivka.

Usually, Russia rarely discloses casualties on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Morozov was accused of “slandering the Russian defence ministry” as the post reached his 120,000 followers.

The blogger claimed that he had been shut down by state TV following the incident, but that they were too cowardly to come and kill him.

The Telegraph has not verified reports of his death or how he may have died.

07:51 AM GMT

US senate panel to hold hearing on use of US chips in Russian weapons

A US Senate panel will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the use of US chips in Russian weapons systems, Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a statement on Wednesday.

The hearing by the Senate’s permanent subcommittee on investigations will address how Russia is evading export controls intended to block it from using US technology in the war in Ukraine, added the office of the Democratic lawmaker, who chairs the panel.

The panel has sought information and documents from four large US semiconductor makers – Advanced Micro Devices , Analog Devices, Intel, and Texas Instruments, it added.

Preliminary information obtained by the panel showed that since Russia invaded Ukraine almost two years ago, these four companies had “significantly increased” exports to countries identified as potentially being used by Russia to evade US export controls, it said.

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