Ukraine war latest: Bakhmut battle is 'stabilising' says Ukraine
Ukrainian forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, where the situation is now stabilising, according to the top commander of Ukraine’s military.
“The Bakhmut direction is the most difficult. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defense forces, the situation is being stabilised,” Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.
The seven-month battle for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest clash of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and fighters of the mercenary Wagner Group.
Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the eastern Donbas region, though Western officials say that the capture of the city would have limited impact on the course of the war.
Britain's Defence Intelligence agency said on Twitter that “Russia's assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled” as a result of “extreme attrition” of Russian forces and tensions between the Russian army and Wagner group.
The assessment follows attacks on Friday on the northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
Ukrainian military reports described heavy fighting along a line running from Lyman to Kupiansk, as well as in the south at Avdiivka on the outskirts of the Russian-held city of Donetsk.
06:12 PM
Today's top stories
That's it for today. Thanks for following our live blog. We'll be back tomorrow with another one.
Tensions between Russia and the Wagner group have been blamed for Moscow’s assault on the town of Bakhmut stalling
President Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Saturday
Poland will ramp up production of ammunition to meet supplies to Ukraine, said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki
Russia's parliament speaker has proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crimes
The United Nations said it was "deeply concerned" by what it said were summary executions of prisoners of war by both Russian and Ukrainian forces on the battlefield
Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region on Friday
05:54 PM
Russian army tensions with Wagner to blame for assault on Bakhmut stalling
Tensions between Russia and the Wagner group have been blamed for Moscow’s assault on the town of Bakhmut stalling.
In its daily update on the war, the British Ministry of Defence said the “extreme attrition” of Russian forces is likely the main reason for Russia changing tack on the Donbas town, but that worsening tensions between Wagner and the army were also to blame.
“Russia has likely shifted its operational focus towards Avdiivka, south of Bakhmut, and to the Kremina-Svatove sector in the north, areas where Russia likely only aspires to stabilise its front line,” the MoD said.
“This suggests an overall return to a more defensive operational design after inconclusive results from its attempts to conduct a general offensive since January 2023.”
05:21 PM
'Russians kill two in shelling of Chasiv Yar and Toretsk'
Two people have been killed in Russian shelling on the cities of Toretsk and Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut, according to the head of the office of the president of Ukraine.
"The Russians shelled Chasiv Yar and Toretsk with artillery," said Andrii Yermak.
"A civilian man died in Chasiv Yar, while in Toretsk a woman was killed by [Russians]."
04:57 PM
In case you missed it, here is Friday's podcast on the war in Ukraine
04:29 PM
Poland to ramp up ammunition production for Ukraine
Poland will ramp up production of ammunition to meet supplies to Ukraine, said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Mr Morawiecki made the comments on a visit to an ammunitions factory owned by Dezamet, part of the state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa.
"This manufacturing facility can count on [receiving] more orders and funds. We will launch new production lines at this and other ammunition production facilities," Morawiecki told Poland's RMF 24.
03:55 PM
'Russia fires on humanitarian aid delivery point'
Russia fired on a humanitarian aid delivery point in the city of Kherson on Saturday, injuring two civilians.
“Russian occupiers continue shelling the places where civilians are provided with aid," said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
"Last night the Russian army attacked a ‘point of invincibility’ in the Donetsk region’s Kostiantynivka. Today’s target for Russian artillery is a humanitarian aid delivery point in Kherson. Two people were injured in enemy shelling, a 41-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man,” he added
03:32 PM
Pictured: Daily life continues under difficult conditions in the village of Bohorodychne in Donetsk Oblast
03:03 PM
Watch: A drive through Bakhmut
Bakhmut. Yesterday. Not a minute not under fire.
The video is worth watching until the end. pic.twitter.com/yXMsgPrPSP— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 25, 2023
02:46 PM
Watch: Wagner's role in Bakhmut
"...Too Much..."
Joel Miller
Total combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 2022 to March 25, 2023: pic.twitter.com/S8tyi657la— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 25, 2023
02:25 PM
Total Russian combat losses so far, according to Ukraine
"...Too Much..."
Joel Miller
Total combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 2022 to March 25, 2023: pic.twitter.com/S8tyi657la— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 25, 2023
02:22 PM
Putin and Erdogan held phone call, discussed grain deal
President Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Mr Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal and expressed his "understanding of the Russian side's principled position to achieve the full implementation of the second part of the agreement, removing barriers for Russia's agricultural products," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Russia laid out conditions on Monday for agreeing to any further extension of the Black Sea grain deal, and Putin said that Moscow could send free grain to African countries if those conditions were not met.
01:36 PM
‘I was poisoned and my hair fell out’, says Russian anti-war activist
Outspoken politician says her blood tests contain high levels of potassium dichromate, an extremely harmful chemical compound, writes By Nataliya Vasilyeva
A Russian politician known for her grassroots activism and opposition to the war in Ukraine believes she was poisoned with highly toxic heavy metals that caused her hair to fall out.
Elvira Vikhareva has not been seen in public since she began feeling unwell in November, with symptoms including hair loss, muscle spasms and severe stomach pains.
Ms Vikhareva on Friday shared blood tests with Russia’s Sota news channel that showed high levels of potassium dichromate, a compound commonly used in industrial chemistry but which can be extremely harmful. It is usually fatal if ingested.
01:30 PM
Russia pardons 5,000 former criminals after fighting in Ukraine, Prigozhin says
More than 5,000 former criminals have been pardoned after finishing their contracts to fight in Russia's Wagner mercenary group against Ukraine, the founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Saturday.
Wagner Group, originally staffed by battle-hardened veterans of the Russian armed forces, took on a much more prominent role in the Ukraine war after the Russian army suffered a series of humiliating defeats last year.
Mr Prigozhin emerged from the shadows and recruited thousands of men from prisons, offering them the chance of freedom in return for serving in some of the most dangerous battles in Ukraine.
01:12 PM
Kyiv monks defy eviction order
Scores of monks in a Kyiv monastery accused of being supporters of Moscow are defying an eviction order from the Ukrainian government.
The government has said they must leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by Wednesday but the monks say the order has no basis and plan to stay "as long as physically possible".
The monks are members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was under the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the Church broke off links with Russian Patriarch Kirill - a supporter of the war. But Ukraine's government believes it is still de facto dependent on Moscow.
12:52 PM
Latest Russian attacks and troop locations, as mapped by the MoD
The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.
The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 24 March 2023.
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/bxsCRzNRtt
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/9KoMBHi9pm— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 24, 2023
12:30 PM
Polish ammunition firm to boost output severalfold as part of EU-Ukraine plan
Polish ammunition maker Dezamet, a unit of state arms producer Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), will substantially boost capacity to supply EU-funded ammunition to Ukraine, Poland's prime minister said on Saturday.
The announcement by Mateusz Morawiecki comes ahead of a planned visit by EU Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, to Dezamet on Monday.
Seventeen EU member states and Norway this week agreed to jointly procure ammunition to help Ukraine and to replenish their own stockpiles, the European Defence Agency said.
12:16 PM
Ukraine says 'managing to stabilise' battle for Bakhmut
Kyiv said its forces were "managing to stabilise" the situation around Bakhmut, a now-destroyed city in eastern Ukraine that has seen the longest battle of the Russian invasion.
The frontline situation is "the toughest in the Bakhmut direction", the head of Ukraine's armed forces Valery Zaluzhny said late on Friday after a phone call with Britain's Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
"Due to the tremendous efforts of the Defence Forces, we are managing to stabilise the situation," Mr Zaluzhny said on Facebook.
12:02 PM
Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark have reportedly teamed up to deter Russia with joint air defence
BREAKING:
Sweden, Finland, Norway & Denmark have decided to start operating a joint air defense (250 combat aircraft) to deter Russia.
The document was signed by the Air Force commanders of the respective countries, Major Generals Keränen, Wikman, Folland & Dam
(1/?)
🇸🇪🇫🇮🇳🇴🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/MWj8W0V8I1— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 25, 2023
11:45 AM
Putin ally proposing banning ICC in Russia
Russia's parliament speaker has proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crimes.
Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Putin's, said that Russian legislation should be amended to prohibit any activity of the ICC in Russia and to punish any who gave "assistance and support" to the ICC.
"It is necessary to work out amendments to legislation prohibiting any activity of the ICC on the territory of our country," Volodin said in a Telegram post.
11:27 AM
Russia presses along Ukraine front after reports of Bakhmut slowdown
Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region on Friday.
Ukrainian military reports described heavy fighting along a line running from Lyman to Kupiansk, as well as in the south at Avdiivka on the outskirts of the Russian-held city of Donetsk.
Both areas have been major Russian targets in a winter campaign to fully capture Ukraine's industrialised Donbas region. The offensive has so far yielded scant gains despite the deaths of thousands of troops on both sides in the war's bloodiest fighting.
11:08 AM
Latest on the war from the MoD: Wagner tensions blamed for Bakhmut offensive stalling
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 25 March 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/hPItxkp6cV
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/bCnS87k1lJ— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 25, 2023
10:54 AM
UN accuses Russia, Ukraine forces of 'summary executions' of prisoners
The United Nations said it was "deeply concerned" by what it said were summary executions of prisoners of war by both Russian and Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.
The allegations came shortly after Kyiv accused Russian forces of killing a captured Ukrainian serviceman who was filmed saying "Glory to Ukraine" before being shot dead.
The head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, said that her organisation had recently recorded killings by both sides.
"We are deeply concerned about (the) summary execution of up to 25 Russian prisoners of war and persons hors de combat by the Ukrainian armed forces, which we have documented," Ms Bogner said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.
