Ukraine-Russia news – latest: Putin’s forces pound last routes out of Bakhmut

Russian artillery is pounding the last routes out of Bakhmut, aiming to completely encircle the besieged Ukrainian city.

The head of Russia’s Wagner group said the city was almost completely surrounded with only one road still open for Ukraine’s troops.

Intense Russian shelling has been seen on routes leading west out of Bakhmut, in an apparent attempt to block Ukrainian forces’ access in and out of the city. A bridge in the adjacent town of Khromove was damaged by Russian tank shelling.

In a video published on Friday, the Wagner group called on president Volodymyr Zelensky to withdraw his forces from the city - which the mercenary fighters have been trying to capture for months.

In its intelligence update on Saturday, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said Bakhmut was under “increasingly severe pressure, with intense fighting taking place in and around the city”.

It said: “Regular Russian Army and Wagner Group forces have made further advances into the northern suburbs of the city, which is now a Ukrainian-held salient, vulnerable to Russian attacks on three sides.”

Key Points

• Putin urges Security Council to discuss further ‘anti-terrorism’ measures

• Bakhmut practically surrounded, announces Wagner chief

• Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine ‘inadmissible’, says Quad group

• Kyiv rejects Vladimir Putin’s claim of ‘terrorist act’ in Bryansk

• Kherson torture chambers ‘planned and funded by Russia’, investigators say

Putin’s artillery pounds last routes out of Bakhmut

07:47 , Katy Clifton

Russian artillery is pounding the last routes out of Bakhmut in a bid to completely surround the Ukrainian city.

Russian shelling of routes leading west out of Bakhmut has been witnessed by the Reuters news agency. A bridge in the adjacent town of Khromove was damaged by Russian tank shelling.

Ukrainian soldiers were working to repair damaged roads and more troops were heading toward the frontline in a sign that Ukraine was not yet ready to give up the city. To the west, Ukrainians were digging new trenches for defensive positions.

Biden, Scholz vow to punish Russia for war in Ukraine

07:40 , Namita Singh

US president Joe Biden and German chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed on Friday to keep imposing costs on Russia for its war in Ukraine, now in its second year, as an EU official said any arms provided by China to Russia would trigger sanctions.

Mr Biden and Mr Scholz met in private in the Oval Office for over an hour, a senior administration official said. Their discussion focused on the importance of continued “global solidarity” with the people of Ukraine, and ongoing efforts to provide security, humanitarian, economic, and political assistance to Ukraine.

Sitting next to Mr Scholz in the Oval Office, Mr Biden thanked the German leader for his “strong and steady leadership” and support for Ukraine. Scholz said it was important to demonstrate that the allies would back Kyiv “as long as it takes and as long as is necessary.”

Speaking before the meeting, US officials said discussion points included the state of the war and how to respond if China provided military aid to Russia.

Mr Scholz’s brief one-day trip - there were no other meetings on his agenda - was his second to the White House since taking office in December 2021. Biden’s national security adviser also met one-on-one with his German counterpart.

Washington has begun consulting with allies about imposing possible sanctions on China should Beijing provide military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine, Reuters reported this week, citing US officials and other sources.

US to supply Ukraine with armoured vehicles that can launch bridges

07:20 , Namita Singh

The US has announced a new $400m military aid package for Ukraine that for the first time includes armoured vehicles that can launch bridges.

The equipment will allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps as Russian and Ukrainian forces remain entrenched on opposite sides of the Dnieper River.

The war has largely slowed to a grinding stalemate during the winter months, with Russia and Ukraine firing at each other across the river. Both sides are expected to launch offensives as temperatures warm.

This round of aid will be drawn from existing US weapons stockpiles so it can arrive in Ukraine faster. The US and allies are trying to rush additional support to Kyiv to best position it for intensified spring fighting.

The Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge is a portable, 60ft folding metal bridge that is carried on top of a tank body. Providing that system now could make it easier for Ukrainian troops to cross rivers to get to Russian forces.

His brother was murdered by the Russians, his mother left to die. Now he wants answers

07:00 , Namita Singh

“My brother Andryi was kidnapped, tortured and murdered here, did you play a part in this? Do you know what they did with the body, where they buried him?” Major Aleksandr Osadchy is questioning two neighbours in the shattered community of Kamianka, eastern Ukraine.

Quietly, trying hard to stay calm, he tells of how his 85-year-old mother, Maria, died of starvation: ill, frightened and alone after his brother – who had been looking after her – was taken away by Russian troops. Her emaciated body, curled up in an effort to stay warm, was found six months later.

The neighbours, Natalya and Yuri Zdozovets, deny that they sold out Andryi, who was a former Ukrainian soldier and thus a target for the Russians. They admit being accused of collaboration by other residents, and have been questioned several times by SBU – the Ukrainian intelligence service – and the police. But they were not, they repeat, involved in the killing.

Our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta witnesses a Ukrainian commander confront the neighbours he suspects betrayed his family in their village:

His brother was kidnapped and murdered by the Russians. Now he wants answers

US attorney general makes unannounced trip to Ukraine, US official says

06:20 , Namita Singh

US attorney general Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Lviv, Ukraine, on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general, a Justice Department official said.

“The attorney general held several meetings and reaffirmed our determination to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in its unjust and unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbor,” the official said.

Russia and Belarus boxers should compete, IBA president says

06:00 , Namita Singh

Russia and Belarus athletes should be able to compete under their flag, said International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev on Friday.

The IBA lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers last October, against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) guidance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February last year.

“They should participate. It should not be some kind of privilege that is given depending on the circumstances. Each international association should have these standards,” Mr Kremlev told Reuters.

“We, as an international association, must protect each athlete. And we must understand that for athletes the most important thing is when the anthem plays and when their country’s flag is raised”.

“The IOC can give recommendations. Their charter clearly says that it is impossible to punish the athlete, or to infringe on his rights.”

The IBA has opened disciplinary proceedings against a total of 11 countries over their planned boycott of the world championships due to the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian boxers.

Biden, Scholz vow to punish Russia for war in Ukraine

05:40 , Namita Singh

US president Joe Biden and German chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed yesterday to keep imposing costs on Russia for its war in Ukraine, now in its second year, as an EU official said any arms provided by China to Russia would trigger sanctions.

Mr Biden and Mr Scholz met in private in the Oval Office for over an hour, a senior administration official said. Their discussion focused on the importance of continued “global solidarity” with the people of Ukraine, and ongoing efforts to provide security, humanitarian, economic, and political assistance to Ukraine.

Sitting next to Mr Scholz in the Oval Office, Mr Biden thanked the German leader for his “strong and steady leadership” and support for Ukraine. Mr Scholz said it was important to demonstrate that the allies would back Kyiv “as long as it takes and as long as is necessary.”

Speaking before the meeting, US officials said discussion points included the state of the war and how to respond if China provided military aid to Russia.

Mr Scholz’s brief one-day trip - there were no other meetings on his agenda - was his second to the White House since taking office in December 2021. Mr Biden’s national security adviser also met one-on-one with his German counterpart.

Russia close to encircling Ukraine's Bakhmut after months of fighting

05:20 , Namita Singh

Russian troops and mercenaries rained artillery on the last access routes to the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Friday, bringing Moscow closer to its first major victory in half a year after the bloodiest fighting of the war.

The head of Russia’s Wagner private army said the city, which has been blasted to ruins in Russia’s more than seven month onslaught, was almost completely surrounded with only one road still open for Ukraine’s troops.

Reuters observed intense Russian shelling of routes leading west out of Bakhmut, an apparent attempt to block Ukrainian forces’ access in and out of the city. A bridge in the adjacent town of Khromove was damaged by Russian tank shelling.

Ukrainian soldiers were working to repair damaged roads and more troops were heading toward the frontline in a sign that Ukraine was not yet ready to give up the city. To the west, Ukrainians were digging new trenches for defensive positions.

Russia’s RIA state news agency released a video showing what it said were Wagner fighters walking by a damaged industrial facility.

One fighter is heard saying Ukraine’s army is destroying infrastructure in settlements near Bakhmut to prevent the Russian encirclement.

The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited Bakhmut on Friday for briefings with local commanders on how to boost the defence capacity of frontline forces.

A Russian victory in Bakhmcvut, with a pre-war population of about 70,000, would give it the first major prize of a costly winter offensive, after it called up hundreds of thousands of reservists last year.

Russia says it would be a stepping stone to capturing the surrounding Donbas industrial region, an important war aim.

Before the war Bakhmut was known for salt and gypsum mines. Ukraine says the city has little strategic value but that huge losses of troops there could shape the course of the conflict.

Biden, Germany's Scholz agreed to impose costs on Russia - White House

05:00 , Namita Singh

US president Joe Biden “reaffirmed the strong bilateral relationship” with Germany during a meeting with chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday and the pair reiterated their commitment to impose costs on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the White House said.

Scholz says ‘want to talk directly’ with Biden, amid backlash for secrecy over visit

04:40 , Namita Singh

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he and president Joe Biden “want to talk directly with each other,” as he faces backlash over the secrecy of his trip to the US.

“It is important that such close friends can talk about all of these questions together, continually,” Mr Scholz said.

Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden’s national security adviser, hinted at some tension between the two countries on Sunday when appearing on ABC’s “This Week.”

He said Mr Biden originally decided against sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, believing they wouldn’t be immediately useful for Ukrainian forces. However, Mr Sullivan said, Germany would not send its Leopard tanks “until the president also agreed to send Abrams.”

“So, in the interest of alliance unity and to ensure that Ukraine got what it wanted, despite the fact that the Abrams aren’t the tool they need, the president said, ‘OK, I’m going to be the leader of the free world,”’ Mr Sullivan said.

“‘I will send Abrams down the road if you send Leopards now.’ Those Leopards are getting sent now.”

Mr Scholz’s government has denied there was any such demand made of the US.Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the US has often wanted Germany, the world’s fifth-largest economy, to be more forceful on the global stage.

“There’s a hope that, instead of us having to push all the time, that Germany would take a leadership role,” he said.

Mr Bergmann said Germany has gone a long way toward strengthening its defence, but added that there’s more work to do.“The German way of seeing the world doesn’t always align with the US way of seeing the world,” he said.

While House announce $400m assistance to Ukraine

04:20 , Namita Singh

The White House announced $400 million more in US assistance to Ukraine as the meeting between US president Joe Biden and German chancellor Olaf Scholz began.

The US and Germany have worked closely together to supply Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance. But there has also been friction over issues such as providing tanks, and Washington has occasionally grown frustrated with Berlin’s hesitance.

Mr Scholz last visited the White House a little more than a year ago, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Unlike formal state visits, such as when French president Emmanuel Macron came to Washington last year, there was no pomp and ceremony.

Mr Scholz’s trip lacked the customary press conference where the two leaders take questions from reporters representing both countries.John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, described it as a “true working visit between these two leaders.”

In an interview with German broadcaster Welt, opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused Mr Scholz of being secretive about his trip to Washington, which was taking place without the customary press pack in tow.

Mr Merz suggested that Mr Scholz had to smooth ruffled feathers over the deal to provide tanks to Ukraine.Mr Scholz dismissed any notion of discord between allies before he left on his trip.

Lavrov says Russia will 'no longer rely' on West for energy trade

04:00 , Joe Middleton

China may provide ammunition to Russia, warns US

03:40 , Namita Singh

US officials have warned that China could step off the sidelines and begin providing ammunition to Moscow, a decision that would change the trajectory of the war by allowing Moscow to replenish its depleted stockpiles.

China is Germany’s top trading partner, and European nations have generally been more cautious than the United States in taking a hard line with Beijing. However, there are signs that may be shifting as global rivalries grow more tense.

In a speech to the German parliament on Thursday, Olaf Scholz called on China to “use your influence in Moscow to press for the withdrawal of Russian troops, and do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia.”

During brief public remarks on Friday, Mr Scholz said Western allies would support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

“This is a very, very important year because of the dangerous threat to peace that comes from Russia invading Ukraine,” he said.

President Joe Biden thanked Germany for providing “critical military support.”

“And I would argue, beyond the military support, the moral support you’ve given Ukrainians has been profound,” he said.

Mr Biden said, “Together, we worked lockstep to supply critical security assistance to Ukraine,” and MrScholz also described the US-German effort as “lockstep.”

US, Germany in 'lockstep' on Ukraine war

03:23 , Namita Singh

US president Joe Biden and German chancellor Olaf Scholz met privately in the Oval Office for more than an hour yesterday after declaring themselves in “lockstep” on maintaining pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Even their top advisers were left out of the conversation. When the meeting ended, Mr Biden and Mr Scholz walked across the hall to the Roosevelt Room, where the American and German officials had been mingling.

The US president joked that the two leaders had solved all the world’s problems by themselves, according to a senior administration official, who requested anonymity to describe the closed-door discussions.

If any agreements were reached or plans made, the White House wasn’t saying.

The official readout of the meeting provided little additional detail, except to say the two leaders discussed the war and “exchanged perspectives on other global issues”.

The conversation came at a delicate moment in the conflict. Ukraine and Russia are preparing for spring offensives, meaning a steady flow of Western weapons will be important for Kyiv’s success on the battlefield.

Inside the Ukrainian makeshift hospitals near the front line

03:00 , Joe Middleton

In a dingy medical outpost near eastern Ukraine’s front lines, army medic Viktor battles to save lives on a daily basis.

Nearly a year into Russia’s invasion, fighting now amounts to attritional duels of artillery and infantry assaults, with neither side making significant gains.

The costs of that deadly grind are clear to Viktor’s team of seven medics and six nurses as it toils away, hemmed in by racks of medical supplies and portable heaters, at this “stabilisation point” in the Donetsk region, where battles are fierce.

Inside the Ukrainian makeshift hospitals near the front line

Why purported cross-border attack ups ante in Ukraine war

02:00 , Joe Middleton

Russia has declared that saboteurs from Ukraine crossed into its territory and attacked border villages, a raid that fueled fears of an escalation in the war as it has dragged into a second year.

A day after Thursday’s purported attack, details of what happened remain scarce and conflicting theories about possible perpetrators and their goals are still swirling.

Ukrainian officials have denied involvement and a presidential aide described it as a false-flag attack used by the Kremlin to justify the war in Ukraine.

Why purported cross-border attack ups ante in Ukraine war

Bridge in central Bakhmut destroyed as Russians say Ukrainian city is surrounded

01:00 , Joe Middleton

We’ve passed the first anniversary of the Ukraine war – there won’t be a second

Friday 3 March 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton

As of now any end to the war is unlikely to be on better terms for Ukraine than were on offer before Russia invaded, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Will there be a second anniversary for the war in Ukraine? | Mary Dejevsky

Use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine ‘inadmissible’, says Quad group after Putin exits from New START treaty

Friday 3 March 2023 22:00 , Joe Middleton

The Kremlin’s threats of using nuclear weapons in the continuing war in Ukraine are “inadmissible”, foreign ministers of the Quad group said on Friday in New Delhi, in the first such condemnation of Moscow’s repeated indications of deploying its nuclear arsenal in Europe.

“We continued to discuss our responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the immense human suffering it is causing, and concurred that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” the Quad – comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan – said in its latest statement as the ministers met along the sidelines of the G20 meeting.

The joint statement from the Quad leaders comes just a day after the foreign ministers at the G20 meeting were unable to reach consensus over the war in Ukraine and ended the meeting without any common agreement on the conflict.

Use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine ‘inadmissible’, says Quad group

Germany seeks to buy mothballed Swiss Leopard 2 tanks

Friday 3 March 2023 21:00 , Joe Middleton

Germany wants to buy mothballed Leopard 2 battle tanks from Switzerland to replace tanks that Berlin and its Western allies are sending to Ukraine, the Swiss government said Friday.

The Swiss Defense Ministry said that Germany’s defense and economy ministers wrote on Feb. 23 to Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd, setting out German manufacturer Rheinmetall’s interest in buying Leopard 2 tanks that the Swiss army doesn’t plan to put back into service.

They assured Amherd that the tanks, if bought, wouldn’t be sent to Ukraine and would be used by Germany or its NATO and European partners to fill the gaps in their own stocks created by their donations of tanks to Kyiv and to improve the availability of replacement parts.

Germany seeks to buy mothballed Swiss Leopard 2 tanks

US Attorney General makes unannounced visit to Ukraine

Friday 3 March 2023 19:22 , Joe Middleton

US Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Lviv, Ukraine, on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general, a Justice Department official said.

“The attorney general held several meetings and reaffirmed our determination to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in its unjust and unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbor,” the official said.

US announces new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine

Friday 3 March 2023 18:17 , Joe Middleton

The United States announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday worth $400 million on Friday.

It will primarily be comprised of ammunition, but for the first time will include tactical bridges to move tanks and armored vehicles.

The bridges could be used by Ukrainian troops who have been training in “combined arms maneuver” warfare, which is the coordinated use of artillery shelling, alongside tank and armored vehicle attack movements.

“Assault bridging is essential for combined arms operations. It allows armored vehicles to cross narrow rivers and ditches that would otherwise cause a whole force to slow down,” said Jack Watling, a Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the London-based Royal United Services Institute.

“Importantly, assault bridges are only critical for offensive operations showing that the US is preparing Ukraine to continue retaking its territory,” Watling added.

In January, Berlin agreed to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine and said it would work with allies to send more.

German aid for Ukraine was expected to be a major topic when U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met at the White House on Friday. Several NATO allies have pledged a range of armored fighting vehicles.

Bridge in central Bakhmut destroyed as Russians say Ukrainian city is surrounded

Friday 3 March 2023 17:30 , Joe Middleton

His brother was kidnapped and murdered by the Russians, his mother left to die. Now he wants answers

Friday 3 March 2023 16:34 , Joe Middleton

In the village of Kamianka, Kim Sengupta sees a Ukrainian commander confront the neighbours he suspects betrayed his family.

His brother was kidnapped and murdered by the Russians. Now he wants answers

Putin urges Security Council to discuss further ‘anti-terrorism’ measures

Friday 3 March 2023 14:45 , Joe Middleton

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Security Council that they needed to discuss additional “anti-terrorism measures” to safeguard facilities controlled by law enforcement bodies.

Putin said on Thursday Russia had been hit by a “terrorist attack” in the southern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, and vowed to crush a sabotage group that had fired at civilians.

Ukraine accused Russia of staging a false “provocation”.

Putin signs decree to ensure defence contracts are met

Friday 3 March 2023 13:55 , Joe Middleton

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree today enabling the state to suspend the directors and shareholders of any companies that fail to meet state defence contracts under conditions of martial law.

The decree would allow the industry ministry to name a new external administrator to take over the running of such companies.

Putin said in October he was introducing martial law in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partly seized control of and claimed as its own territory, a move condemned as illegal by most countries.

Martial law has not been extended across Russia but he has effectively placed the economy on a war footing, with defence factories working around the clock in three shifts to meet the needs of the army.

The new decree would apply to companies that “violate their obligations under a state contract, including failing to take measures to guarantee production deliveries”.

Asked earlier at his daily news briefing if martial law could be introduced in certain regions of Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that was the president’s prerogative, but did not say whether Putin planned such a move.

Russia launches Kalibr missile in Sea of Japan, hits dummy target almost 650 miles away

Friday 3 March 2023 13:13 , Joe Middleton

A year into Ukraine war, bodies dug up in once occupied town

Friday 3 March 2023 12:41 , Joe Middleton

The freshly exhumed remains of three men lie in black body bags on the edge of the small cemetery in a town not far from Ukraine’s capital, waiting to be taken to a morgue. None has yet been identified.

Ukrainian authorities are still unearthing people who were hastily buried in makeshift graves during Russia‘s brief but brutal occupation of villages and towns near Kyiv. Almost 200 bodies remain unidentified, while 280 people are listed as missing.

Oleksander Pinchuk’s mother, Halyna, is among them. They never found her body in the wreckage of her apartment building, which took a direct hit from an airstrike a year ago. Pinchuk had walked out of the building just eight hours earlier, and has not seen his mother since, he said.

Germany will not send tanks to Ukraine if Switzerland agrees to send them

Friday 3 March 2023 11:44 , Joe Middleton

Germany would not send Leopard 2 tanks onwards to Ukraine if Switzerland agreed to send them as requested by Berlin, a German defence ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

“There are existing and assessed contractual regulations,” the spokesperson said when asked at a regular news conference how Berlin could guarantee this.

Germany wants Switzerland to sell some of the tanks back to arms maker Rheinmetall, which would allow the company to backfill gaps in the armaments of European Union and NATO members.

Lavrov says Russia will ‘no longer rely’ on West for energy trade as Moscow pivots to India and China

Friday 3 March 2023 10:33 , Thomas Kingsley

Russia will no longer rely on partners in the West for its energy trade and its new energy policy will be oriented towards more reliable partners such as India and China, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister who was in Delhi for the foreign ministers’ G20 meeting was speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, a multilateral conference, in capital New Delhi on Friday.

Mr Lavrov was asked how the war affected Russia’s strategy on energy and whether it will pivot to Asia for its energy trade.

Read the full story below:

Russia says it will move to stop further incursions after incident near Ukraine border

Friday 3 March 2023 10:11 , Thomas Kingsley

Russia said on Friday it would take measures to prevent new border incursions, a day after accusing Ukraine-backed nationalists of killing two people in a cross-border raid in southern Russia.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia had been hit by a “terrorist attack” in the southern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, and vowed to crush what he said was a Ukrainian sabotage group that had fired at civilians.

A Ukrainian presidential adviser accused Russia of staging the incident as a false “provocation” to justify aggression against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that additional measures were being taken to protect the border.

“Of course, yesterday's terrorist attack will be investigated and measures will be taken to prevent similar events in the future,” he said.

The FSB security service released video and photos of Thursday's incident showing two shot-up cars with their drivers slumped dead inside.

Putin was due to hold a regular meeting of his Security Council later on Friday.

Bakhmut practically surrounded, announces Wagner chief

Friday 3 March 2023 08:26 , Arpan Rai

The contested Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been “practically surrounded” by Russian forces, claimed Russian mercenaru force Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Ukrainian forces had access to only one road out, indicating that the soldiers will need to exit the war-marred mining city.

The Wagner chief also called on Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky in the video to withdraw his forces from the city which Wagner has been trying to capture for months at the cost of high attrition rate.

Moscow won’t let West blow up gas pipelines again, claims Lavrov

Friday 3 March 2023 08:08 , Arpan Rai

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has remarked that Russia “will not let the West blow up gas pipelines again” in an unbacked claim of attack on Nord Stream pipelines and said that Moscow would no longer rely on the West as an energy partner.

Moscow has suggested that Western countries were responsible for the blasts that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September, an assertion they have dismissed, and has called for an international investigation.

Lavrov was speaking at an event in New Delhi, a day after attending a meeting of G20 foreign ministers.

Air raid sirens blare across Ukraine

Friday 3 March 2023 07:35 , Arpan Rai

Officials have sounded air raid alert sirens in all Ukrainian regions, reported The Kyiv Independent.

The country-wide sirens were sounded around 9am.

Kremlin ‘weaponising fears of nuclear escalation'

Friday 3 March 2023 07:32 , Arpan Rai

The Kremlin is “very probably weaponising fears of nuclear escalation” in order to stop the West from aiding Ukraine in the continuing war, according to a US-based think tank.

Moscow announced the suspension of New START nuclear treat “in hopes of deterring Western support for Ukraine and slowing down pledged Western military aid transfers”, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest intelligence assessment.

“The Kremlin remains extremely unlikely to use nuclear weapons but routinely makes low-credibility threats of nuclear escalation in an effort to intimidate the West and appeal to its ultranationalist base,” it added.

Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine ‘inadmissible’, says Quad group

Friday 3 March 2023 07:04 , Arpan Rai

Foreign ministers of the Quad group from the US, India, Japan and Australia gathered in New Delhi denounced Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war, deeming such constant warnings from Moscow as “inadmissible”.

“We continued to discuss our responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the immense human suffering it is causing, and concurred that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” the foreign ministers said in a joint statement today.

They pushed the need for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter”.

We emphasised that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency and peaceful resolution of disputes, the ministers said.

Russia displays high-level battle arms but not using them in Ukraine – MoD

Friday 3 March 2023 06:45 , Arpan Rai

Russian defence firms are continuing to display their products at major international arms fairs despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the British defence ministry said today.

But these arms are not being used in the conflict, the ministry pointed out, saying this shows Moscow’s production deficiencies.

“The Arena-E active protection system (APS), designed to improve the survivability of armoured vehicles, was displayed at a recent event,” the ministry said.

The Arena-E promises 360-degree circular protection of armoured vehicle from anti-tank weapons, such as grenades, artillery cumulative projectiles and anti-tank guided missiles, including those activated the moment they fly over the tank, making it a revered military artillery in wars.

The protection system can be placed on almost any vehicle, including T-72, T-72B, T-90 tanks and others, reported TASS agency.

This high-grade weapon protection system was displayed at the international weapons show IDEX-2023 last month in Abu Dhabi.

“Its promotional literature states that it ‘defeats the threats that are most dangerous for armoured vehicles…if you value your armour and crews you need Arena-E’,” the ministry said.

But there has been no evidence of Arena-E systems being installed on Russia’s own vehicles in Ukraine, where it has lost over 5,000 armoured vehicles, the MoD pointed out.

“This is likely due to the Russian industry’s inability to manufacture high-tech systems at scale; a problem which is exacerbated by the effect of international sanctions,” it added.

Biden, Scholz to discuss Ukraine war at White House today

Friday 3 March 2023 06:12 , Arpan Rai

German chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting the White House today for a private meeting with president Joe Biden as the two leaders are set to discuss their countries’ assistance to war-hit Ukraine.

The high-level meeting will be intimate, according to a senior German official and a US official.

Rather than being constantly flanked by advisers, the officials said, Mr Biden and Mr Scholz are likely to be the only people in the room for much of the time.

Both allies have become increasingly vocal about their concerns that China may step off the sidelines and supply weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Such a step could dramatically alter the war’s trajectory by allowing Moscow to replenish its depleted stockpiles.

Biden, Scholz to huddle on Ukraine war at White House

Blinken warns against Russia’s impunity

Friday 3 March 2023 04:18 , Arpan Rai

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has warned against Russia’s display of impunity in Ukraine and said that nations beyond the European bloc are united to end it.

“If we allow Russia to do what it is doing with impunity in Ukraine, that’s a message to everyone that they will be able to get away too,” he said in New Delhi today.

He added that the countries way beyond Europe are also focussed on the Ukraine war as they know it could have effect here, without naming any nations on the Asian continent facing territorial threats from their former administrators.

Ukraine successfully repelling attacks on Bakhmut, digging trenches

Friday 3 March 2023 04:07 , Arpan Rai

The fierce fighting “is going on in Bakhmut round the clock” and the situation is “critical,” said Volodymyr Nazarenko, a deputy commander in the National Guard of Ukraine, told Ukrainian NV Radio.

The general staff of Ukrainian armed forces said that the country’s troops are successfully repelling attacks on Bakhmut and two settlements to the critical salt mining city – Khromove and Ivanivske.

Russia has relentlessly shelled Bakhmut and several nearby towns like Chasiv Yar and two towns south of Bakhmut.

New trenches have been dug on the roadside 20-40 metres (65-130 feet) apart in nearby towns and villages confirming that Ukrainian forces are strengthening their defensive positions.

Several areas in central Zaporizhzhia and Kherson region also came under shelling as more than 40 towns and villages were targeted, the Ukrainian military said in a statement.

Russia, which lost territory in the second half of 2022, says taking Bakhmut would be a step towards seizing the rest of the surrounding industrial region known as the Donbas. Ukraine says the city has limited strategic value but wants to exhaust Russian forces.

Anna Netrebko concert canceled by Taiwan national orchestra

Friday 3 March 2023 03:58 , Joe Middleton

Taiwan‘s National Symphony Orchestra canceled a March 5 concert scheduled to feature soprano Anna Netrebko in a decision the orchestra said it made “due to public concerns.”

Netrebko had been scheduled to perform with her husband, tenor Yusif Eyvazov, and mezzo-soprano I-Chiao Shih.

Netrebko, a 51-year-old who was born in Russia and lives in Vienna, was among classical music’s top draws until last year, when New York’s Metropolitan Opera dropped her after she refused to distance herself from Russian President Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Anna Netrebko concert canceled by Taiwan national orchestra

More than 170 attacks repelled on Ukraine’s front lines

Friday 3 March 2023 03:34 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov has said that the war-hit country repelled more than 170 attacks on its front lines yesterday.

“In the past 24 hours, our forces have repelled more than 170 attacks, an unprecedented number over a 24-hour period for the five principal sectors of the front line,” he said last night.

The prominent military analyst described Russians trying to encircle Bakhmut from the north, east and south and he said that on western approaches to the city “this is probably the only part of the Bakhmut sector where our forces, rather than the Russian occupiers, have the initiative.”

War, anger cloud Ukrainian athletes' path to Paris Olympics

Friday 3 March 2023 03:20 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian diver Stanislav Oliferchyk proudly bears the name of his late grandfather, who died in brutalized Mariupol. Russia‘s troops turned the Ukrainian port city into a killing zone in the process of capturing it. The elder Stanislav could no longer get the cancer treatment he needed in the ruins, his grandson says. He was 74 when he died last October.

Another victim of the months-long Russian siege of Mariupol was its gleaming aquatic center. Oliferchyk had planned to use the refurbished sports complex as his training base for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But it was bombed the same day last March as the city’s drama theater. The theater airstrike was the single deadliest known attack against civilians to date in the year-old Russian invasion. An Associated Press investigation determined that close to 600 people died.

War, anger cloud Ukrainian athletes' path to Paris Olympics

ICYMI: Multiple armoured Russian vehicles destroyed in battle near Maryinka

Friday 3 March 2023 02:20 , Joe Middleton

Hungary further delays vote on Sweden, Finland joining NATO

Friday 3 March 2023 01:20 , Joe Middleton

Hungary has further delayed a vote on ratifying Sweden and Finland‘s NATO accession bids, according to an updated schedule published Thursday on the National Assembly’s website, the latest in a series of postponements that have frustrated Western allies.

The delay, which pushes the vote back by two weeks to the parliamentary session beginning March 20, comes as Hungary remains the only NATO member country besides Turkey that hasn’t yet approved the two Nordic countries’ bids to join the Western military alliance.

Hungary’s populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has said that he is personally in favor of the two countries joining NATO, but alleged that the governments in Stockholm and Helsinki have “spread blatant lies” about Hungary which have raised questions among lawmakers in his party on whether to approve the bids.

Hungary further delays vote on Sweden, Finland joining NATO

EU to speed up deliveries of howitzer shells for Ukraine

Friday 3 March 2023 00:20 , Joe Middleton

European Union officials and countries from the 27-nation bloc are discussing plans to dedicate an extra billion euros as well as setting up a joint procurement scheme to speed up the delivery of howitzer artillery rounds that Ukraine says are crucial to countering Russian forces.

With Ukraine facing shortages of ammunition to fight Russia, the idea of setting up a plan of action similar to the one devised during the coronavirus pandemic to buy vaccines was first brought to the table last month by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

According to an EU official with direct knowledge of the project who briefed reporters Thursday, the priority now is to guarantee the swift delivery to Ukrainian armed forces of 155mm artillery rounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly because the plan is still being finalized.

EU to speed up deliveries of howitzer shells for Ukraine

Putin accuses Ukrainians of attack inside Russia – but Kyiv calls it ‘provocation’

Thursday 2 March 2023 23:20 , Joe Middleton

Vladimir Putin claimed Russia had been hit by a “terrorist attack” on civilians inside its territory near Ukraine and vowed to crush what he said was a Ukrainian sabotage group.

In a televised address, Putin accused the group of opening fire on occupants of a car, including children. “They won’t achieve anything. We will crush them,” the Russian president said.

Ukraine accused Russia of staging a false “provocation” – but also appeared to acknowledge an operation had been carried out.

Putin accuses Ukraine of attack inside Russia but Kyiv calls it ‘provocation’

Indian prime minister urges G20 gathering to look beyond Ukraine war in talks

Thursday 2 March 2023 22:20 , Joe Middleton

We’ve passed the first anniversary of the Ukraine war – there won’t be a second

Thursday 2 March 2023 21:20 , Joe Middleton

As of now any end to the war is unlikely to be on better terms for Ukraine than were on offer before Russia invaded, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Will there be a second anniversary for the war in Ukraine? | Mary Dejevsky

Scholz asks China to refrain from sending weapons to Russia

Thursday 2 March 2023 20:20 , Joe Middleton

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called on China to refrain from sending weapons to Russia and instead use its influence to press Moscow for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

“My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to press for the withdrawal of Russian troops, and do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia,” Scholz said in a speech to German parliament.

The chancellor also vowed that Germany would continue to support Ukraine with humanitarian and military aid to help the country defend itself against Russia’s invasion.

Scholz asks China to refrain from sending weapons to Russia

Italy PM urges India to play key role in ending Ukraine war

Thursday 2 March 2023 19:59 , Joe Middleton

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday urged India to play a central role in facilitating a negotiating process to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

India, with the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 industrialized and developing countries, could represent the vulnerabilities and needs of less-developed nations in such a process, Meloni said in a statement following talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and underscored its adverse impact on developing countries in terms of food and energy security.

Italy PM urges India to play key role in ending Ukraine war

Russian strike on Ukraine apartment block kills 3, injures 6

Thursday 2 March 2023 19:20 , Joe Middleton

Three people were killed and six others were injured when a Russian missile hit a five-story apartment building in a city in southeastern Ukraine on Thursday, police said, as the war extended into its second year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said several floors of the building were destroyed in the strike, which occurred while it was still dark.

The State Emergency Service said in an online statement that it had rescued 11 people so far.

Russian strike on Ukraine apartment block kills 3, injures 6

New IAEA monitors reach Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:20 , Joe Middleton

A new team of monitors from the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has taken up its post at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station after a delay of almost a month, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi announced today.

Russia has accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of disrupting the latest monthly staff rotation, which had been put back three times.

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, with six reactors, was occupied by Russian troops early in their invasion of Ukraine and remains near the front line.

With each side accusing the other of shelling it and risking a nuclear accident, IAEA monitors have been posted at the station since September.

In a statement, Grossi said their presence was “indispensable to help reduce the risk of a nuclear accident”.

Renat Karchaa, adviser to the general director of the Russian nuclear agency Rosenergoatom, told the state-run TASS news agency that three IAEA monitors had arrived along with four UN security personnel.

Reuters

Blinken meets Lavrov but G20 ends without agreed joint statement

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:19 , Joe Middleton

A meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Delhi ended without agreement over the conflict in Ukraine on Thursday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefly met Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in their first encounter since the war.

Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said there would be no communique agreed by all nations “because there were differences on the Ukraine issue which we could not reconcile”.

Blinken blamed Russia for derailing the meeting and urged the G20 to call on Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

Shweta Sharma reports.

Blinken meets Lavrov but G20 nations fails to agree joint statement

EU to speed up deliveries of howitzer shells for Ukraine

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:25 , Joe Middleton

European Union officials and countries from the 27-nation bloc are discussing plans to dedicate an extra billion euros as well as setting up a joint procurement scheme to speed up the delivery of howitzer artillery rounds that Ukraine says are crucial to countering Russian forces.

With Ukraine facing shortages of ammunition to fight Russia, the idea of setting up a plan of action similar to the one devised during the coronavirus pandemic to buy vaccines was first brought to the table last month by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

According to an EU official with direct knowledge of the project who briefed reporters Thursday, the priority now is to guarantee the swift delivery to Ukrainian armed forces of 155mm artillery rounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly because the plan is still being finalized.

EU to speed up deliveries of howitzer shells for Ukraine

Indian prime minister urges G20 gathering to look beyond Ukraine war in talks

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:13 , Joe Middleton

Moldova parliament condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:21 , Joe Middleton

Moldova’s parliament adopted a declaration today condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has contributed to a rise in tensions between Moscow and Chisinau.

A narrow majority of 55 lawmakers in the 101-seat assembly voted for the declaration, which stated that Moscow’s invasion began with the seizure of the Crimea peninsula in February 2014 and demanded the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.

The declaration said Russia was waging an illegal, unprovoked and unfounded war of aggression in Ukraine that violated the principles of international law, and echoed calls by Kyiv for an international tribunal to prosecute war crimes.

Tensions between Russia and Moldova, which borders Ukraine and Moldova, have grown sharply since the war began.

The tiny former Soviet republic has protested to Moscow that Russian missiles aimed at Ukraine have entered Moldovan airspace, and that missile debris has landed inside Moldova, and has accused Moscow of plotting to topple the pro-European government in Chisinau.

Russia has denied the allegation and accused Ukraine and other countries of stoking instability in Moldova’s breakaway Transdniestria region, where around 1,500 Russian troops are based. Chisinau and Kyiv have dismissed the accusation.

Russia did not immediately comment on the Moldovan parliament’s declaration.

Reuters

Blinken meets Lavrov for first time since Russian invasion of Ukraine

Thursday 2 March 2023 13:24 , Joe Middleton

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked briefly today at a meeting of top diplomats from the G20.

The last time Blinken and Lavrov met in person was in Geneva, Switzerland, in January 2022 on the eve of Russia’s invasion.

US officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference in New Delhi.

A senior US official said Blinken used the discussion to make three points to Lavrov: that the US would support Ukraine in the conflict for as long as it takes to bring the war to an end, that Russia should reverse its decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear treaty and that Moscow should release detained American Paul Whelan.

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation, said Blinken had “disabused” Lavrov of any idea they might have that US support for Ukraine is wavering.

Russia had no immediate comment on the substance of the conversation, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Blinken had asked to speak to Lavrov.

Hungarian delegation to visit Sweden to discuss Nato bid

Thursday 2 March 2023 13:06 , Andy Gregory

A delegation of Hungarian politicians plans to visit Sweden next week to discuss the Nordic country's bid to join Nato.

The delegation, led by Deputy Speaker Csaba Hende, will meet with among others Swedish Speaker Andreas Norlen, the spokesperson said.

Finland said earlier this week that it also expects a Hungarian delegation to visit.

On Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party said it would back the ratification, as politicians in the Central European country began the process after a months-long delay.

Kyiv rejects Russia’s claims of ‘sabotage group’ in Bryansk

Thursday 2 March 2023 12:42 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has rejected Moscow’s claims of “sabotage” in the Russian region of Bryansk.

Vladimir Putin claimed on Thursday that a Ukrainian sabotage group had knowingly fired at civilians on Thursday, in what he called a “terrorist act”, following claims by Kremlin officials that hostages had been taken in the region.

But Ukrainian officials denied any responsibility and rejected the validity of Russia’s claims, with presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak describing the allegations as a “classic deliberate provocation” by Moscow.

My colleague William Mata has more in this report:

Ukraine calls out ‘provocation’ as Moscow says forces are battling ‘saboteurs’

Russia will not be first to test nuclear device, says deputy foreign minister

Thursday 2 March 2023 12:24 , Andy Gregory

Russia will not move first to test a nuclear device, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said, following the Kremlin’s suspension of the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the United States.

Addressing reporters at the Russian mission in Geneva after a disarmament conference, Mr Ryabkov said Moscow would not carry out tests if Washington also refrained, but that Russia still had to prepare for the worst.

Mr Ryabkov also accused the United States of providing intelligence on the location of strategic sites inside Russia to Ukraine, for it to attack them with drones.

In December, Russia’s Engels air base near the city of Saratov, home to part of its nuclear-capable strategic bomber fleet and at least 600 km from Ukrainian territory, was hit by drone attacks. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the attacks, but celebrated them.

G20 meeting fails to agree joint statement due to Ukraine differences

Thursday 2 March 2023 11:56 , Andy Gregory

A meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Delhi has ended without a joint statement because of “divergences” of opinion on the conflict in Ukraine, host nation India has said.

Addressing a media briefing at the end of the two-day gathering, Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a “chair’s summary” would be issued rather than a communique agreed by all nations gathered “because there were differences on the Ukraine issue which we could not reconcile”.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken blamed Russia for derailing the meeting and urged the G20 to call on Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

My colleague Shweta Sharma reports from New Delhi:

India says G20 meeting ends with no joint statement due Ukraine differences

Russian central bank to extend capital controls on foreign currency withdrawals

Thursday 2 March 2023 11:24 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s central bank will extend capital controls on cash withdrawals of foreign currency and transfers abroad, its governor Elvira Nabiullina has announced.

Ms Nabiullina told a press conference outside Moscow that the economy needs significant additional resources at the moment.

Kremlin claims Russian troops battling Ukrainian ‘sabotage group’ in Bryansk

Thursday 2 March 2023 10:58 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has claimed that measures are being taken to destroy “Ukrainian terrorists” who had mounted a cross-border attack and were reported by Russian officials to have taken hostages.

State news cited Russian officials as claiming that Russian forces were battling a Ukrainian sabotage group which had infiltrated the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said president Vladimir Putin was receiving regular updates from security agencies and defence minister Sergei Shoigu about the situation.

Mr Peskov denied reports that Mr Putin planned to hold an emergency Security Council meeting on Thursday, but said he would hold a meeting of the council on Friday when it convenes regularly.

Claims of Ukrainian sabotage attack in Russia are ‘deliberate provocation’, says Zelensky aide

Thursday 2 March 2023 10:56 , Andy Gregory

Reports of a sabotage attack by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Bryansk region are a “deliberate provocation”, a senior adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

“The story about [a] Ukrainian sabotage group in RF [Russian Federation] is a classic deliberate provocation,” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

“RF wants to scare its people to justify the attack on another country & the growing poverty after the year of war.”

Germany’s Scholz urges China not to arm Russia

Thursday 2 March 2023 10:54 , Andy Gregory

Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged China not to send weapons to help Russia fight its war in Ukraine and has pleaded with Beijing to exert pressure on Moscow to pull back its troops.

In a speech to the German parliament, Mr Scholz said it was disappointing that Beijing had refrained from condemning the Russian invasion – though he welcomed its efforts towards nuclear de-escalation.

China has denied any intention to arm Russia and one of its senior diplomats told the United Nations on 23 February that “sending weapons will not bring peace” but add “fuel to the fire”.

Global divisions have reared their head at a series of G20 meetings in India which descended into wrangling over the war. Germany has said it planned to counter Russian “propaganda” at this week’s talks, while Russia has accused Western countries of turning the event into a “farce”.

“My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops,” Mr Scholz said, to resounding applause from fellow politicians. “And don’t deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia.”

Kherson torture chambers were planned and financed by Russia, war crimes investigators allege

Thursday 2 March 2023 10:14 , Andy Gregory

A network of at least 20 torture chambers uncovered in recently liberated Kherson was “planned and directly financed by the Russian State,” war crimes investigators have alleged.

The Mobile Justice Team, funded by Britain, the EU and the US, has been working with Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors across Ukraine and in Kherson since the city was reclaimed from Russian forces in November after more than eight months of occupation.

“New evidence collected from recently liberated Kherson reveals torture chambers were planned and directly financed by the Russian State,” the team established by British lawyer Wayne Jordash said in a statement.

Witnesses described the use of electric shock torture and waterboarding by Russian forces. At least 1,000 torture chamber survivors have submitted evidence to investigators and more than 400 people had been reported as missing from Kherson, it said.

Funding a network of torture facilities was part of a Russian state plan to “subjugate, re-educate or kill Ukrainian civic leaders and ordinary dissenters,” the team said.

Torture centres were operated by different Russian security agencies, including the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB), local Kherson FSB and the Russian Prison Service, it said.

Moscow ‘not contemplating’ use of nuclear weapon, says top Russian diplomat

Thursday 2 March 2023 09:56 , Andy Gregory

Moscow is “not contemplating” using a nuclear weapon and doing so would make no sense militarily, a top Russian diplomat has said.

Russia does not intend to use nuclear weapons over the situation in Ukraine, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said in an interview with the Maverick News portal aired on Wednesday.

"First and foremost, we have a nuclear doctrine,” Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, told the Maverick News channel. “And it is said that we will not use this nuclear weapon first, it can be used only if there is an existential threat to Russia.”

He added: “This is something that we are not contemplating in terms of the situation in Ukraine.”