Russia ‘captures’ new town after series of battlefield victories
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Russia claims its forces have captured another town in eastern Ukraine after a series of battlefield victories.
The claim that the Kremlin’s forces had taken Petrovske was reported by Russia state media and could not be immediately verified.
It comes as Russia has seized the momentum in the war and is slowly pushing Ukraine back as Kyiv struggles with supplying arms and soldiers.
The Petrovske claims came on the same day that Russian troops captured the Ukrainian village of Stepove, which the Ukrainian military withdrew from on Tuesday. Ukraine also withdrew troops from the village of Sieverne; the two villages that had a total pre-war population of fewer than 100 people.
Ukraine’s military spokesman said on Tuesday that troops were pulling back to positions level with the rest of the eastern front line, to terrain more suitable for defence. Russia’s defence ministry meanwhile said its troops had “occupied more advantageous lines and positions”.
Russia captured the town of Avdiivka earlier this month, its first major gain since taking Bakhmut last May.
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03:03 PM GMT
That’s all for today
Thank you for following the coverage of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The key developments from the day were:
Russia claims its forces have captured another town in eastern Ukraine after a series of battlefield victories.
Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with Balkan leaders for greater backing to help fend off Russian forces, emphasising how shortages were impacting frontline troops.
Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, said on Wednesday that her late husband’s body had been abused. His funeral has been arranged for Friday.
Britain has said that how Kyiv uses donated cruise missiles is “the business of the armed forces of Ukraine,” following comments by Germany’s Olaf Scholz about possible UK and French involvement in targeting.
Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, unanimously approved a bill on Wednesday banning advertising on publications by “foreign agents”, a designation authorities have given to anti-Kremlin politicians, activists and media.
Ukraine is likely to be at a disadvantage in the war against Russia for “several months”, the head of the UK Armed Forces has said.
Ursula von der Leyen urged the European Union to significantly bolster its defence capabilities and urgently ramp up the production of ammunition.
02:53 PM GMT
Russian court sentences man to 10 years in treason case
A military court in Moscow has sentenced a 33-year-old man to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of treason and other crimes, a Russian lawyers’ association said on Wednesday.
Vyacheslav Lyutor, a resident of St Petersburg, had stood accused of attempted treason, cooperation with a foreign state and participation in a terrorist organisation, the Pervy Otdel (First Department) association said.
It did not say if Mr Lyutor admitted guilt.
Russia independent news outlet Mediazona reported the prosecution charged Mr Lyutor, a bank employee, with collaborating with the Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukraine-based paramilitary group of Russians who oppose Vladimir Putin and which Moscow says has led attacks into Russian territory, resulting in civilian deaths.
The prosecution alleged Mr Lyutor was planning to leave Russia and go to fight for the Ukrainian army, Mediazona reported, citing a correspondent in the courtroom.
02:38 PM GMT
Zelensky rallies Balkan allies for support
Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with Balkan leaders for greater backing to help fend off Russian forces, emphasising how ammo shortages were impacting front-line troops.
“We see the problems with the supply of ammunition which are affecting the situation on the battlefield,” said Mr Zelensky.
He went on to stress that efforts to supply Ukraine must be streamlined immediately, warning against further delays that provided Russia with an advantage in the war.
“Every pause in supply, every doubt that the world is ready to defend itself, all this inspires one person. All this inspires Putin,” he told reporters, referring to the Russian president.
“We don’t have time and we don’t have alternatives,” he added.
02:27 PM GMT
‘They are shelling nearly every day now’ – on the front line of Ukraine’s Battle of the Bulge
Colin Freeman reports from Kupiansk
Perched on a hilltop just 25 miles from the Russian border, Kupiansk lies at the northeast end of Ukraine’s 1,200-mile front line, which is under pressure at every point right now as Kyiv struggles with shortages of troops and munitions.
“They’re shelling nearly every day right now – a while back, they dropped 18 aircraft bombs in 10 minutes,” said Oleg, a municipal workman, as he patched up a bomb-wrecked shop off Kupiansk’s main square last week, where a missile tore a giant crater the day before. “We always knew the Russians would try to come back, we just hope they don’t succeed.”
Earlier this month, Ukrainian officials said that 40,000 Russian troops had massed outside the town – a force of similar size to that which captured Avdiivka, 150 miles south, last week. Retaking Kupiansk would give Russia a launch point to press on towards Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, 100 miles west.
While Kupiansk now echoes round-the-clock artillery duels, fighting also rages in the forests towards the Russian border, where Ukrainian troops find themselves in a modern-day Ardennes.
“It has been crazy, intense,” said Petro, 38, one of four Ukrainian infantrymen drinking at a coffee stand in Kupiansk last Saturday. “Sometimes we end up in trenches where we occupy one part, and the Russians occupy the other – maybe just 20 metres away.”
02:11 PM GMT
Russia foreign ministry to attend Turkey diplomacy forum
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, will attend a diplomacy forum in Turkey from Friday, the countries’ governments said, following criticism of Ankara over its support for Moscow during the Ukraine war.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) in southern Turkey began in 2021 as a place for policymakers, businessmen, researchers and academics to exchange ideas and views on diplomacy, policy and business.
Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said that Mr Lavrov will meet Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan at the gathering.
Turkey, which like Ukraine and Russia borders the Black Sea, has succeeded in maintaining links to both sides in the conflict.
It has played a key role in the export of Ukrainian grain by sea, via a secure corridor under the aegis of the UN, but has also been singled out for helping Russia get around some Western sanctions.
01:06 PM GMT
Moldovan breakaway region asks Russia to protect its economy from pressure
The Russian-backed breakaway region of Transdniestria asked Russia at a congress of senior officials on Tuesday to help protect it from what it described as concerted pressure on its economy by the Moldovan government.
“There is social and economic pressure on Transdniestria, which directly contradicts European principles and approaches to the protection of human rights and free trade,” read the text of a resolution from the meeting.
12:58 PM GMT
Alexei Navalny’s body was ‘abused’ says widow
Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, said on Wednesday that her late husband’s body had been abused.
It came as allies of Navalny said his funeral will be held in Moscow on Friday, in what is likely to be a challenge for Russian authorities who have been arresting public displays of mourning.
Mr Navalny died in a remote Russian penal colony 12 days ago, where he was serving 19 years on extremism charges. He was 47.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mrs Navalnaya called Vladimir Putin a “mobster” and “criminal gang leader”, and said that she fears disruption and arrests at her husband’s funeral on Friday. Hundreds of people have been arrested after laying flowers in Mr Navalny’s memory in Moscow.
Authorities kept Mr Navalny’s body for more than a week, before handing it over to his mother.
12:56 PM GMT
UK says Ukraine’s ‘business’ how donated cruise missiles used
Britain has said that how Kyiv uses donated cruise missiles is “the business of the armed forces of Ukraine,” following comments by Germany’s Olaf Scholz about possible UK and French involvement in targeting.
Britain was the first country to provide the longer-range weapons to the Ukrainian military following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, announcing last May that it would send the country air-launched Storm Shadow missiles.
France and other allies have followed suit and are now sending Kyiv cruise missiles.
“Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadows and its targeting processes are the business of the armed forces of Ukraine,” a Ministry of Defence spokesman said in a statement to AFP.
“The UK, along with other allies, is providing a range of equipment to Ukraine to help it counter Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression.”
It follows German leader Mr Scholz saying on Monday that Berlin could not emulate Britain and France in sending long-range weapons to Ukraine and supporting the weapon system’s deployment.
He has repeatedly refused to provide German Taurus missiles, fearing they could be used to hit targets deep within Russia.
“This is a very long-range weapon, and what the British and French are doing in terms of targeting and supporting targeting cannot be done in Germany,” Mr Scholz said.
11:59 AM GMT
Russia’s parliament approves bill banning advertising on websites of ‘foreign agents’
Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, unanimously approved a bill on Wednesday banning advertising on publications by “foreign agents”, a designation authorities have given to anti-Kremlin politicians, activists and media.
The new law will prohibit all Russian citizens and companies from placing advertisements on websites, blogs, social networks or any other resources published by a “foreign agent”, Reuters reported.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma speaker and close ally of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said the law would bolster Russia’s security as it heads into the third year of war in Ukraine.
“Many of the scoundrels who received this money do not hide the fact that they used it to finance the Kyiv Nazi regime, which is killing our soldiers, officers, and civilians,” Mr Volodin said. “The law’s adoption will stop this practice.”
The bill also prohibits designated foreign agents from placing their own “advertising materials”, punishable by fines and up to two years in prison for repeated offences. Advertisers can incur penalties reaching 300,000 roubles ($3,262).
Journalist Katerina Gordeeva, who runs one of Russia’s most popular YouTube shows with 1.64 million subscribers, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that she was suspending her work due to the law.
“We will no longer be able to work as before,” Ms Gordeeva said. “Of course, we will look for a way out.”
11:45 AM GMT
Zelensky meets with Balkan leaders
Volodymyr Zelensky met with Balkan leaders on Wednesday, seeking to keep support and weapons flowing to Kyiv as Russia makes gains on the battlefield.
Mr Zelensky arrived in Albania late Tuesday and on Wednesday met in Tirana with several leaders from across the region during the “Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit” – his first visit to the Balkan nation since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Following a meeting with Edi Rama, Albania’s prime minister, the Ukrainian president said the two sides were exploring further defence cooperation.
“Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, Albania has supported Ukraine in our struggle for freedom and territorial integrity,” Mr Zelensky wrote on social media.
“Today we also discussed Ukraine’s defence needs and potential joint arms production,” he added.
11:23 AM GMT
Navalny to be buried on Friday
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s funeral service and burial will take place in Moscow on Friday, his spokesman said, but his allies accused the Kremlin of thwarting their attempts to organise a bigger event a day earlier.
Kira Yarmysh, his spokesman, posted on X that a service would be held on Friday at 2pm Moscow time in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in the Moscow district of Maryino where Navalny used to live.
Navalny would then be buried at the Borisovskoye cemetery, which is located on the other side of the Moskva River to the south.
Such services, presided over by a priest and accompanied by choral singing, usually allow people to file past the open casket of the deceased to say their farewell.
It was not immediately clear how the authorities would ensure crowd control, but Reuters said a heavy police presence is likely.
11:23 AM GMT
Ukraine faces ‘several months’ of ammunition shortages
Ukraine is likely to be at a disadvantage in the war against Russia for “several months”, the head of the UK Armed Forces has said.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said that Ukraine’s troops were “struggling in terms of its ammunition and its stockpiles” while US military aid is blocked in Congress and Europe is unable to fill the gap.
The armed forces chief said Russia is “at the tactical level gaining relatively small amounts of territory” and conducting active military operations in Chasiv Yar, where the Ukrainian forces retreated to after leaving Bakhmut.
His comments come a day after Russia gained more ground near Avdiivka.
10:55 AM GMT
Orlov sentence is an attempt to ‘silence’ Putin critics, says Nobel Committee
The committee that decides the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize has said that the sentencing of human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov in Russia to a prison term was an attempt to “silence” critics.
Mr Orlov, aged 70 and a key figure of the Nobel Prize-winning Memorial group, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.
Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in a statement that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “regime has for many years tried to silence the leadership of Memorial and other important civil society organisations in Russia”.
“They are now using the war on Ukraine as a pretext to finish the job,” he added. “It is important that they won’t succeed.”
10:37 AM GMT
Russia claims to have captured Petrovske
The Russian defence ministry claims its forces have captured Petrovske in eastern Ukraine. The news was reported by Reuters, quoting the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti. More to follow.
10:34 AM GMT
Russia captures Stepove village near Avdiivka
Russian troops have captured the Ukrainian village of Stepove, about 11 km northwest of Avdiivka, the Russian defence ministry said.
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it had withdrawn troops from Stepove and Sieverne, two villages that had a total pre-war population of fewer than 100 people.
Russia captured the town of Avdiivka earlier this month, its first major gain since taking Bakhmut last May.
10:26 AM GMT
Von der Leyen urges EU to significantly bolster its defence capabilities
More details on von der Leyen’s speech.
Speaking to the European Parliament on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen urged the European Union to significantly bolster its defence capabilities and urgently ramp up the production of ammunition.
“There could be no greater symbol and no greater use for that money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live,” Ms von der Leyen said in a reference to windfall profits of frozen Russian assets. “Ultimately this is about Europe taking responsibility for its own security.”
“We need to move fast. The threat of war may not be imminent, but it is not impossible,” Ms von der Leyen said. “The risks of war should not be overblown, but they should be prepared for.”
Von der Leyen’s comments come as the commission is due to present its sweeping defence strategy as soon as next week. Bloomberg reported that the document includes proposals on how to rapidly ramp up the bloc’s defence production and designate joint military projects for EU funding, including on space and air and missile defence.
10:04 AM GMT
Listen: The Kremlin’s Cold War bid for global power
09:44 AM GMT
MoD says former Soviet Union states trying to reduce dependence on Russia
The war in Ukraine has contributed to a significant shift in Russia’s relationship with the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Ministry of Defence has said, and has called into question Russia’s traditional position as a regional security guarantor. The full statement below:
Russia almost certainly continues to see maintaining its influence in these countries as a foreign policy priority, crucial to domestic security and economic prosperity. Since February 2022, while there are variations between countries, Russia’s overall influence in its near neighbours has declined.
The resources Russia has committed in Ukraine and its failure to achieve a military breakthrough have called into question Russia’s traditional position as a regional security guarantor. Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty has raised the prospect of a security threat from Russia itself. The decline in the Russian economy and the risk of secondary sanctions has intensified concerns around economic dependence on Russia.
In response to these trends, states across the former Soviet Union have intensified efforts to diversify their economic, political and security relationships to reduce their dependence on Russia. While Russia maintains a significant presence, both overt and covert, in the region, the Kremlin’s ability to achieve its aims and objectives has almost certainly declined significantly over the past two years.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 28 February 2024.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/OJHmhrRCIs #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/0Hktrao1PC— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) February 28, 2024
09:27 AM GMT
Lithuania to screen Belarusians on view of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Lithuania plans to screen 18,000 Belarusians who arrived in the country before 2022 with a questionnaire that asks their view on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Evelina Gudzinskaite, the migration department director, told Lithuanian news agency ELTA on Feb 27.
If “negative information” is found, the State Security Department will be consulted, and if a person does not answer the questionnaire, it will be interpreted against them, Ms Gudzinskaite said.
If the State Security Department “concludes that the person is a threat to state security, the residence permit will be revoked”.
According to New Eastern Europe, the questionnaire is not publicly available, but asks respondents to indicate who they believe Crimea belongs to, among other questions.
The questionnaire has been required since November 2022 for all Russians and Belarusians moving to Lithuania, the Kyiv Independent reported. As a result of answers in the questionnaire, so far 1,644 Belarusians and 397 Russians were deemed to pose a threat to Lithuania’s national security, Baltic news site Delfi reported.
08:57 AM GMT
Pictured: Zelensky arrives at the Albanian summit
08:45 AM GMT
EU should consider using frozen Russian asset profits for Ukraine’s military, says von der Leyen
The European Union should consider using profits from frozen Russian assets to buy military supplies for Ukraine, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
“It is time to start a conversation about using the windfall profits of frozen Russian assets to jointly purchase military equipment for Ukraine,” she told the European Parliament in a speech urging the EU to do more on defence policy.
“There could be no stronger symbol and no greater use for that money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live.”
08:35 AM GMT
Russia jails Ukrainian man for 11 years for attempting to buy secret missile parts
A court in southern Russia has jailed a Ukrainian man for more than 11 years after convicting him of espionage for trying to procure secret missile components for Ukraine, Russian news agencies have reported.
The agencies cited Russia’s FSB security service as saying that the man, who it named as 57-year-old Sergei Krivitsky, was an agent for Ukrainian military intelligence. They did not say whether he pleaded guilty or not.
The FSB was cited as saying that he had tried to buy secret components for Russia’s S-300 surface to air missile system in order to smuggle them into Ukraine.
The FSB said Krivitsky was a resident of Melitopol, a Ukrainian city taken by Russian forces in early 2022 as part of what Moscow calls its special military operation. Moscow says Melitopol is now part of Russia, something Kyiv and the West reject.
In 2023, Russia opened 31 espionage cases and 98 treason cases, the highest number since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
08:24 AM GMT
Russia may seize more territory near Avdiivka, says ISW
Russian forces may make more gains near Avdiivka – but rough ground conditions will likely slow their advances in the area, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.
Ukrainian troops withdrew from two settlements, Stepove and Severne, north of occupied Avdiivka on Feb 27. The previous day, Ukraine pulled out of Lastochkyne, a village about three kilometres west of the city’s northwestern outskirts.
ISW analysts said this region was particularly vulnerable to advancing Russian troops, but that areas farther west would pose certain challenges to their offensive.
“Russian forces may be able to seize settlements immediately west and northwest of Avdiivka in the coming weeks, but terrain and water features further west of Avdiivka, particularly the body of water that runs between Berdychi-Semenivka-Orlivka, will likely slow the already relatively slow rate of Russian advances in the area,” the ISW said.
08:06 AM GMT
China’s envoy to visit Ukraine, Russia and EU this week
Li Hui, China’s Eurasia envoy, will this week visit Russia, Ukraine and the headquarters of the European Union for talks on the war between Moscow and Kyiv, Beijing announced Wednesday.
The trip will represent “the second round of shuttle diplomacy on seeking a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis”, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine war, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its invasion.
Last year, Beijing released a paper calling for a “political settlement” to the conflict, which Western countries said could enable Russia to retain much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
China said on Wednesday the “most urgent thing at the moment is to restore peace”.
07:52 AM GMT
ICYMI: Russia court jails top human rights campaigner for two and a half years
07:42 AM GMT
Zelensky arrives in Albania to co-host security summit
Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Albania to co-host a security summit involving Ukraine and six Western Balkans countries – the first such meeting as Russia’s invasion drags into its third year.
Mr Zelensky, who was in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, is scheduled to meet the leaders of Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Montenegro.
Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro are Nato members and have joined Western sanctions against Russia and sent weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
Longtime Moscow ally Serbia has not imposed sanctions, and neither Belgrade nor Kyiv recognise the independence of Kosovo, Serbia’s former predominantly Albanian southern province which supports Ukraine and is seeking European Union and Nato membership.
“A pivotal moment for fostering bilateral ties, and standing in solidarity with Ukraine in its heroic fight against Russia’s aggression,” Igli Hasani, the Albanian foreign minister, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Great honor to welcome President @ZelenskyyUa to Tirana.
A pivotal moment for fostering bilateral ties, and standing in solidarity with Ukraine in its heroic fight against Russia's aggression.
🇦🇱🤝🇺🇦#WeStandwithUkraine pic.twitter.com/ngGan0Mdev— Igli Hasani (@IgliHasani) February 27, 2024
07:37 AM GMT
Ukraine withdraws from two villages near Avdiivka
Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday it had withdrawn from two more villages near the eastern town of Avdiivka which was captured earlier this month by Russian forces.
Dmytro Lykhoviy, the Ukrainian military spokesman, said troops had pulled back from Sieverne and Stepove, a day after Kyiv announced it had abandoned the village of Lastochkyne.
“Our forces withdrew from the small villages of Sievierne and Stepove... Heavy battles for Sievierne went on yesterday in the evening and night,” Mr Lykhoviy said, adding that Russia had taken significant losses in that fight.
Ukraine was pulling back to positions level with the rest of the eastern front line, to terrain more suitable for defence, Mr Lykhoviy said.
Sieverne and Stepove had a total population of fewer than 100 people before the invasion.
Russia’s defence ministry said its troops had “occupied more advantageous lines and positions” and struck Ukrainian manpower and equipment near three other settlements.
Avdiivka had withstood unrelenting Russian barrages since mid-October. The capture of the town, where virtually no buildings remained intact, was the biggest Russian gain since it took the equally devastated town of Bakhmut further northeast last May.
07:23 AM GMT
Ukraine says it destroyed all 10 drones Russia launched
Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed all 10 attack drones Russia launched overnight, its air force said on Wednesday.
The air force said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia also launched S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles on Ukraine, but the air force did not say whether the missiles reached their targets.
