Ukraine war – live: Russia loses elections to top UN agencies over ‘flagrant violation of charter’

Russia lost elections to top three UN bodies this week after the Kremlin said peace talks with Ukraine ought to focus on “creating a new world order”.

The votes in the 54-member UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) follow the approval of six non-binding resolutions against Russia by the 193-member UN General Assembly.

Russia lost to Estonia for a chance to become a member of Unicef’s executive board, was defeated by Romania for a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women and lost to Armenia and the Czech Republic for membership on the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the votes were “a clear signal from ECOSOC members that no country should hold positions on critical UN bodies when they are in flagrant violation of the UN Charter”.

The votes come after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said: “Any negotiation needs to be based on taking into account Russian interests, Russian concerns.”

“It should be about the principles on which the new world order will be based,” AFP quoted him as saying.

Key Points

• Russian forces ‘highly likely’ advance to centre of Bakhmut, Britain says

• Russia says peace talks must focus on ‘creating new world order’

• Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine

• Russia 'has regained momentum' in Bakhmut, says MoD

• Street battles in Bakhmut as Wagner says fighting continues in western pocket

Russia says peace talks must focus on ‘creating new world order’

Friday 7 April 2023 14:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said any peace talks with Ukraine must focus on “creating a new world order”.

Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying: “Any negotiation needs to be based on taking into account Russian interests, Russian concerns. It should be about the principles on which the new world order will be based.”

In pictures: Ukrainian servicemen with the 95th Brigade take cover from incoming artillery shells in Lyman

03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Watch: Smoke rises from fire inside Russian defence ministry in Moscow

02:00 , Emily Atkinson

Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle

01:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian forces are likely to have reached the centre of Bakhmut in their push to take over the city, according to UK intelligence.

Moscow’s troops have also seized the west bank of the river in the devastated area – endangering a key supply route to Ukraine.

Kyiv said Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city, describing the situation as “difficult”, but said Ukrainian forces were holding out despite Russia’s numerical advantage during heavy fighting.

My colleague Jane Dalton has more:

Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle

Latest images from Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Friday 7 April 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russia hits illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air

Friday 7 April 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian forces used ground- and air-fired missiles, rocket launchers and weaponized drones to bombard the provinces of Ukraine it has illegally annexed but doesn’t fully control, causing casualties, building damage and power outages Friday.

The Ukrainian military said Russian forces launched 18 airstrikes, five missile strikes and 53 attacks from multiple rocket launchers between Thursday and Friday mornings.

According to the General Staff statement, Russia was concentrating the bulk of its offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk province.

More on this story from The Associated Press here:

Russia hits illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air

Russia digging trenches in Crimea and redeploying weapons as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive

Friday 7 April 2023 21:00 , Emily Atkinson

There are signs Russia is taking key equipment from occupied Crimea and redeploying it in Ukraine’s southern sector while also fortifying the contested peninsula ahead of an expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive.

This comes as Ukraine has said talks with Russia on Crimea will take place if the planned counteroffensive succeeds.

“Russian forces may have withdrawn equipment from occupied Crimea for redeployment elsewhere in southern Ukraine out of fear of a Ukrainian counteroffensive,” the US-based Institute for the Study of War has said.

Arpan Rai has more:

Russia digging trenches in Crimea as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive

US 'weighs action against Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab’

Friday 7 April 2023 20:00 , Emily Atkinson

The US department of commerce is weighing an enforcement action against Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing people familiar with the matter.

President Joe Biden’s administration is looking at an enforcement action against the company under its online security rules, the report said.

The administration ramped up its national security probe into Kaspersky Lab’s antivirus software last year as fears grew about Russian cyberattacks after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

US regulators have already banned federal government use of Kaspersky software.

The commerce department’s bureau of industry and security, when asked for a comment on the report, said it does not comment on any potential company specific actions.

The department “is committed to fully exercising its authorities to protect Americans’ sensitive data, and to working with Congress in a bipartisan way to adapt to evolving risks”, it said.

Russia likely behind US military document leak, officials say

Friday 7 April 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified US military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, three US officials have told Reuters

The documents appear to have been altered to lower the number of casualties suffered by Russian forces, the US officials said, adding their assessments were informal and separate from an investigation into the leak itself.

The Pentagon has declined to comment on the authenticity of the documents circulating on sites including Twitter and Telegram, which are dated 1 March and bear markings showing them classified as “Secret” and “Top Secret.”

A leak of such sensitive documents is highly unusual and would automatically trigger an investigation.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department (of defence) is reviewing the matter,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.

One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The United States believes that actual figure is much higher, at around 200,000 Russians killed and wounded, officials say.

Poland to halt Ukraine grain imports temporarily

Friday 7 April 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson

Imports of Ukrainian grain to Poland will be temporarily halted to mitigate impact on prices, but transit will still be allowed, Polish agriculture minister Robert Telus has said.

Telus took office on Thursday after his predecessor resigned amid farmers’ protests over falling prices of produce.

“We agreed to limit and for now halt exports to Poland,” Telus told reporters after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart. “Transit will be allowed but will be closely monitored in both countries, so that Ukraine grain doesn’t stay in Poland.”

Large quantities of Ukrainian grains, which are cheaper than those produced in the European Union, have ended up staying in Central European states amid logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

WSJ reporter arrested in Russia formally charged with espionage

Friday 7 April 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson

An American journalist detained in Russia while working for the Wall Street Journal has formally denied espionage charges levied against him by the Russian government.

Evan Gerskovich, 31, was arrested and detained in Russia on spying charges last week, and has now been formally charged. An espionage conviction carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Russia’s Federal Security Service, the successor to the old KGB, claims it caught Gershkovich collecting intelligence on the national’s military infrastructure.

More on this story from Graig Graziosi:

WSJ reporter arrested in Russia formally charged with espionage

Xi says political settlement only ‘correct’ way out for Ukraine crisis

Friday 7 April 2023 17:30 , Emily Atkinson

China’s president Xi Jinping has declared that a political settlement is the only “correct” way out of the Ukraine crisis, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

All parties should meet each other halfway to create conditions for a political settlement, Xi told French president Emmanuel Macron during a dinner in the Chinese city of Guangzhou on Friday, the statement said.

Russia charges Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich with espionage

Friday 7 April 2023 17:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian investigators have charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an unidentified source.

Russia’s Federal Security Service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said on 30 March that it had detained Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and had opened an espionage case against the 31-year-old for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military industrial complex.

“Gershkovich has been charged,” Interfax quoted a source as saying. He was charged with espionage.

The Journal has denied that Gershkovich was spying and demanded the immediate release of its “trusted and dedicated reporter”.

Ukraine PM to visit Canada in coming weeks

Friday 7 April 2023 16:30 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal is planning to visit Canada to seek supplies of ammunition and armoured vehicles for a counteroffensive against invading Russian forces, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday.

Shmyhal said in an interview with the Canadian newspaper that he was not concerned about the lack of new military aid allocated for Ukraine in Canada’s federal budget, and hoped the country would provide more aid among other forms of assistance.

“Now, we need heavy armoured vehicles. And we need more artillery shells: ammunition for howitzers and ammunition for tanks,” Shmyhal said. “It’s crucially important for the organization of our counteroffensive.”

Shmyhal will visit Canada in coming weeks, the Globe and Mail said, adding that for security reasons the Kyiv government was not divulging the date of the trip.

The Ukrainian premier was quoted by the Globe as saying Ukraine would also like Canada to offer war risk insurance to Canadian companies investing in Ukraine to support reconstruction and foreign investment.

“So if a Canadian company will decide to invest money into Ukraine, we will ask the Canadian government to create some mechanism to support Canadian investments,” he said.

Ukraine debates ways to prevent military leaks after report of breach

Friday 7 April 2023 15:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine‘s president and top security brass discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information at a meeting on Friday, Kyiv said, after secret documents detailing Western help for Ukraine reportedly ended up online.

A statement about the meeting issued by the president’s office did not say a leak had occurred. It also did not refer to a New York Times report that said documents about U.S. and NATO plans to build up the Ukrainian military had been leaked online.

“The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine,” a presidency statement said, detailing other topics that participants also discussed.

The Times reported on Thursday that the Pentagon was investigating how documents about plans to build up Ukrainian forces before their planned counter-offensive against invading Russian forces were posted on social media channels this week.

Reuters was not immediately able to review the leaked documents.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters earlier that the document leak looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about the counter-offensive.

He said the leaked data contained a “very large amount of fictitious information” and that Russia appeared to be trying to seize back the initiative in its invasion, now in its 14th month.

“These are just standard elements of operational games by Russian intelligence. And nothing more,” Podolyak said in a written statement.

Ukrainian troops have for months faced a Russian onslaught in its east that has focused on the city of Bakhmut. Kyiv hopes its forces can launch a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to wrest back occupied territory.

“Russia is looking for any ways to seize back the initiative,” Podolyak said. “To try to influence the scenarios for Ukraine‘s counteroffensive plans. To introduce doubts, to compromise the ... ideas, and finally to intimidate (us) with how ‘informed’ they are.”

The Times report said the documents appeared to have been modified in certain parts. One part offered an estimate for Ukrainian military losses that was far higher than Western estimates made available so far.

Ukraine does not disclose the scale of its losses and is very sensitive about the subject.

Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle

Friday 7 April 2023 15:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces are likely to have reached the centre of Bakhmut in their push to take over the city, according to UK intelligence.

Moscow’s troops have also seized the west bank of the river in the devastated area – endangering a key supply route to Ukraine.

Kyiv said Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city, describing the situation as “difficult”, but said Ukrainian forces were holding out despite Russia’s numerical advantage during heavy fighting.

Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle

What is the latest from the fronline?

Friday 7 April 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Here is the latest from the battlefield:

* Asked to comment on the report, a Ukrainian military command spokesman told Reuters the situation was difficult in Bakhmut and that Russian forces were concentrating all efforts to take the city but were not having “strategic success”.

* If confirmed, the British report suggests Ukrainian forces are under severe pressure, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said they would withdraw if at risk of encirclement.

* On Monday, the head of Russia‘s private Wagner militia had said Ukrainian forces were not abandoning Bakhmut but that, even if they did, he would need more support from the regular Russian military before trying to advance further.

* Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia is seeking to fully occupy. It declared them annexed last year after failing to seize the capital Kyiv in an attempt to overrun Ukraine early in the war.

* Fighting also rages further south around Avdiivka, a town near the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk.

* Authorities in Russian-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine said a total of seven civilians were killed in two separate Ukrainian artillery strikes, Russian news agencies reported.

The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary

Friday 7 April 2023 13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It was a month into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces had withdrawn from around Kyiv and in their wake Bel Trew and her team stumbled on a body by an abandoned Russian camp.

His hands were tied. He had been burned and shot in the back. Soldiers said he was a teenager.

As Bel tried to find out who he was and what had happened, she uncovered a nightmare world: a nation struggling to find thousands of its missing and to identify its dead.

The Body in the Woods by Bel Trew is streaming now on Independent TV and on your smart TV.

The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary

Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine

Friday 7 April 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Biden administration is investigating the leak of classified war documents about secret American and Nato plans for bolstering the Ukrainian military ahead of an anticipated spring salvo against Russian forces, senior officials said.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, reported The New York Times.

The five-weeks-old documents reportedly reveal details of Ukraine’s requirements ahead of a planned counteroffensive to reclaim territory taken by Russia since the full-scale invasion last year, as well as how the US and Nato might meet them.

They appeared on both Twitter and Telegram, a messaging platform that is widely used in Ukraine and Russia.

Arpan Rai reports:

Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine

What’s the latest in politics on the Ukraine war?

Friday 7 April 2023 12:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

* Turkey is concerned about the potential intensification of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the spring, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

* China’s Xi Jinping expressed willingness on Thursday to speak to Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, the head of the European Union said, after French President Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine.

* The Kremlin said it had followed what it called “important talks” between Xi, Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, but added that China would not change its position on the Ukraine conflict under external influence.

* A top Ukrainian official ruled out talks with Moscow about territory until it withdraws all troops, pushing back on a colleague who had touted the idea of negotiations to resolve the Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula.

* Russia and Turkey agreed during talks in Ankara that obstacles must be lifted to ensure freer Russian fertiliser and grain exports, and enable a UN-brokered deal ensuring Black Sea shipments of Ukrainian grain to be extended beyond next month.

Ukraine says data leak is Russian effort to sow doubt about counter-offensive

Friday 7 April 2023 11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A leak of classified documents detailing secret U.S. and NATO plans to help Kyiv looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about Ukraine‘s planned counter-offensive, a Ukrainian presidential official said on Friday.

Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the leaked data reported by the New York Times on Thursday contained a “very large amount of fictitious information” and that Russia was trying to seize back the initiative in its invasion.

Russia's Lavrov says US blocking Middle East Quartet meetings

Friday 7 April 2023 11:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday accused the United States of blocking meetings of the Quartet on the Middle East - comprised of Russia, the United States, European Union and United Nations.

Speaking at a news conference in Turkey where he was on a visit to discuss the Black Sea grain deal, Ukraine crisis and energy cooperation with Ankara, Lavrov also said he did not rule out a possible face-to-face meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at UN headquarters if there was a “serious proposal” for dialogue.

Turkey says concerned Ukraine war will intensify in spring

Friday 7 April 2023 10:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Turkey is concerned about the potential intensification of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the spring, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

In a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Ankara, Cavusoglu said Turkey would continue with its efforts to bring an end to the war with negotiations.

Father of Russian girl who drew anti-war pictures held in Belarus

Friday 7 April 2023 09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian man who was charged with discrediting the country’s army after his daughter Masha drew an anti-war picture, is being held in Belarus, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported, citing the Russian embassy in the country.

Russian forces likely threaten Ukrainian supply line to eastern city, Britain says

Friday 7 April 2023 09:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces have very likely seized the centre of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and are threatening a key supply route for Ukrainian forces to the west, British intelligence said on Friday.

Asked to comment on the report, a Ukrainian military command spokesman told Reuters the situation was difficult in Bakhmut and that Russian forces were concentrating all efforts to take the city but were not having “strategic success”.

The months-long battle for Bakhmut, one of the last urban centres in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk province yet to fall to Russian forces, has proven one of the bloodiest of the war.

The British report, if confirmed, indicates that Ukrainian forces are under severe pressure, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said they would withdraw if at risk of encirclement.

Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia is seeking to fully occupy. It declared them annexed last year after failing to seize the capital Kyiv in an attempt to overrun Ukraine early in the war.

Ukraine holds out in Bakhmut despite 'difficult' situation -military

Friday 7 April 2023 08:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine said on Friday that Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut where it described the situation as “difficult” but said it was holding out despite Russia‘s numerical superiority.

Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters that Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and that Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it.

Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine as Xi ‘willing to call Zelensky’

Friday 7 April 2023 08:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Xi Jinping is willing to speak to Ukraine, the head of the EU said on Thursday, after Emmanuel Macron said he was “counting on China” to reason with Russia over the year-long war.

China’s president expressed willingness to speak to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen said, if the “conditions and time are right”.

The French president and Ms Von der Leyen arrived in Beijing on Wednesday and met Mr Xi on Thursday in what is seen as part of a broader effort from the European leaders to engage with China, even as Beijing continued to engage with Moscow and maintain its “neutral” stance.

Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine as Xi ‘willing to call Zelensky’

.

Russia seizes Bakhmutka River's west bank, says UK defence ministry

Friday 7 April 2023 07:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River, endangering a key Ukraine supply route, in its push to regain control of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, the British defence ministry said on Friday.

“Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town centre ... Ukraine‘s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened,” the ministry said on Twitter in a regular bulletin.

Russia 'has regained momentum' in Bakhmut, says MoD

Friday 7 April 2023 07:05 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have regained some momentum in the battle for Bakhmut in recent days after their advance was largely stalled since late last month, the British defence ministry has said today.

“Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town centre, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

“Russian regular forces, likely including airborne troops, have probably reinforced the area, and Russia is again using artillery more effectively in the sector,” the MoD said.

It added that there was a realistic possibility that Wagner and Russian military commanders had paused their ongoing feud and improved cooperation.

In pictures: Ukrainian forces fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions in Donetsk

Friday 7 April 2023 07:00 , Emily Atkinson

Street battles in Bakhmut as Wagner says fighting continues in western pocket

Friday 7 April 2023 06:54 , Arpan Rai

The months-long battle for Bakhmut has continued to flare up in the salt-mining city this week.

“(Battles) are underway in the streets, enemy attempts to encircle the city are failing. Our command fully control the situation,” said Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The leader of Russia’s private Wagner militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said fighting was continuing in the west of the city.

“It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere,” he said on his Telegram channel.

The Wagner chief has often complained of a lack of ammunition for his fighters in Bakhmut but there are signs of revival of ammunition supply to the mercenary group.

But Ukrainian border guard Levko Stek, speaking in a video clip amid explosions, said Ukrainian forces did not sense any “ammunition hunger” on the Russian side.

Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine

Friday 7 April 2023 06:20 , Arpan Rai

The Biden administration is investigating the leak of classified war documents about secret American and Nato plans for bolstering the Ukrainian military ahead of an anticipated spring salvo against Russian forces, senior officials said.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, reported The New York Times.

The five-weeks-old documents reportedly reveal details of Ukraine’s requirements ahead of a planned counteroffensive to reclaim territory taken by Russia since the full-scale invasion last year, as well as how the US and Nato might meet them.

Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine

Russian media mocks Trump over arrest days after he defended Putin: ‘We’re getting lots of popcorn!’

Friday 7 April 2023 06:00 , Emily Atkinson

Donald Trump’s indictment in New York City has been met with ridicule by state TV in Russia, where hosts have enjoyed themselves by showcasing artwork depicting the former president wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and speculating about future jail time.

Mr Trump appeared at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to plead not guilty to 34 felony charges relating to the falsification of business records to conceal a series of hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, Playboy model Karen McDougal and a former Trump Tower doorman on his behalf in exchange for their silence about his alleged extramarital affairs.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

Russian media mocks Trump over arrest: ‘We’re getting lots of popcorn!’

Watch: Defecting Russian protection officer labels Vladimir Putin 'war criminal'

Friday 7 April 2023 05:00 , Emily Atkinson

Bakhmut grinds on as Ukrainian forces wait for mud to clear

Friday 7 April 2023 04:41 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian forces are using their counteroffensive abilities in Bakhmut to bleed Russian forces and inflict maximum losses possible in a dogged defence as they wait for the sludgy terrain to clear and make way for an expected spring assault.

“Bakhmut is performing the key task of inflicting as many losses on Russia as possible and, most importantly, to prepare for a counter-attack to take place in late April-May,” Pavlo Narozhniy, a Ukrainian military analyst, told NV Radio.

Even as Western analysts play down the strategic significance of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian side has persisted with protecting the town despite its own heavy casualties.

A 21-year-old commander outside Bakhmut said: “We are ready, we have to do it, the sooner the better. The enemy must be chased away. At the moment we are waiting for the weather to change, the mud is an obstacle.”

Speaking from close to the frontline, the commander of Ukraine‘s 5th separate assault brigade, who gave his name as Ivan, said: “Those service members that are not on the frontline are training.”

Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov said Ukraine would be able to defend positions in the more heavily built-up west of Bakhmut as long as their route to the west, the “road of life” for getting supplies in and wounded out, remained open.

Russia has defended its “special military operation” in Ukraine by claiming it was necessary to protect its security against what it sees as a hostile and aggressive West.

ICYMI: Putin ‘sacks one of Russia’s most senior commanders in Ukraine’

Friday 7 April 2023 04:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Russian ministry of defence has reportedly fired Colonel-General Rustam Muradov as commander of the Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) after Moscow’s heavy losses in eastern Ukraine.

The British defence ministry had cited claims on Russian social media in its latest intelligence update on Thursday and pointed out that it is the most high-profile dismissal in the Russian military so far this year.

The ministry said more dismissals are likely to follow as Russia continues to fail to achieve its objectives in the Donbas.

My colleague Arpan Rai has the details:

Putin ‘sacks one of Russia’s most senior commanders in Ukraine’

Russia’s refusal to give consular access to WSJ reporter is ‘inexcusable’, says US

Friday 7 April 2023 03:55 , Arpan Rai

The White House has called Russia’s refusal to give consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich “inexcusable”.

“We need to get consular access to Evan,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a White House briefing last night.

On being asked why Russia is refusing the journalist consular access, Mr Kirby said: “We still haven’t been able to get consular access. And that’s a — that’s an issue that we continually bring up through our — our embassy in Moscow with the Russians”.

On being asked about a potential prisoner swap with Russia, Mr Kirby said that the situation is at a “very early stage” right now.

“I won’t get ahead of where we are. And I think you can understand why we would certainly not want to talk about potential negotiations here from the podium. We’re at a very early stage here,” he said.

He added: “Main goal is to get consular access to him so we can have that contact and that connectivity — we’re — and doing what we can to keep him his employer and the family informed. Our focus is squarely on that right now.”

Key images from Lukashenko’s trip to Moscow

Friday 7 April 2023 03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russia continues information crackdown with new Wikimedia fine

Friday 7 April 2023 02:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Wikimedia Foundation, owner of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, was fined by a Russian court on Thursday for failing to delete content considered extremist as Moscow pursues a drive to crack down on independent sources of information.

Wikipedia, which says it offers “the second draft of history”, is one of the few surviving fact-checked sources of information in Russian since the crackdown intensified after Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine in February 2022.

The Tagansky district court said it had fined Wikimedia 800,000 roubles ($9,900). Russian news agencies in the courtroom said Wikimedia had been charged with failing to remove materials related to a song by the alternative rock band Psychea, or Psyshit, which has been officially designated “extremist”.

Russia has now fined Wikimedia around 9 million roubles ($110,000) in the past year, the agencies said.

Wikimedia said the information that Russian authorities had complained about was well-sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards.

Watch: Smoke rises from fire inside Russian defence ministry in Moscow

Friday 7 April 2023 01:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian lawmakers propose tougher sentences for terrorism, agencies report

Friday 7 April 2023 20:07 , Emily Atkinson

Russian legislators have proposed tougher sentences for those convicted of terrorism and sabotage, reports say in a move officials have been cited as saying was prompted by the war in Ukraine.

The maximum sentence for carrying out “a terrorist act” – defined as a deed which endangered lives and was aimed at destabilizing Russia - would be raised to 20 years, from 15 years at present.

Those found guilty of sabotage could also go to jail for 20 years, up from 15, while people convicted of “international terrorism” could be sentenced to life, up from 12 years.

The proposed changes were outlined by Vasily Piskaryov, head of the committee on security and anti-corruption in the State Duma or lower chamber of parliament.

Earlier this week, Tass news agency cited him as saying the tougher measures were needed for protection against what he called the unprecedented threats Russia faced from Ukraine and its Western sponsors.

President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials regularly accuse Ukraine and the West of wanting to undermine and dismember Russia. Authorities have cracked down on dissent since the war started in February 2022.

Greece to send more arms to Ukraine, but sets limits

Friday 7 April 2023 00:00 , Emily Atkinson

Greece has pledged military assistance to Ukraine for “as long as it takes” but officials cautioned that the country needs to keep much of its Russian-made weaponry for its own defensive needs.

Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov visited Athens on Thursday as part of regular meetings with officials from Nato countries. He was promised more artillery and small arms ammunition shipments, access to Greek hospitals for wounded military personnel and additional Soviet-era BMP infantry fighting vehicles.

Greece “will provide every support to Ukraine at this very important, crucial stage of the war,” Greek defence minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said during a joint appearance with Reznikov. “We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes — that’s a very clear position that we have taken from the outset.”

Greece to send more arms to Ukraine, but sets limits

Latest images from Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Thursday 6 April 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson

World Bank: Improved outlooks for Russia and Ukraine despite ongoing war

Thursday 6 April 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson

The World Bank on Thursday lifted its 2023 economic growth forecast for eastern Europe and central Asia to 1.4 per cent from an earlier 0.1 per cent prediction, citing improved outlooks for both Russia and Ukraine despite their ongoing war.

The regional forecast, released just days before the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hold their annual spring meetings, has Ukraine‘s economy growing by 0.5 per cent this year following a staggering contraction of 29.2 per cent in 2022, the year Russia launched its invasion.

“While the economic toll suffered by Ukraine as a result of the invasion is enormous, the reopening of Ukraine‘s Black Sea ports and resumption of grain trade, as well as substantial donor support, are helping support economic activity this year,” the World Bank said in a statement.

Russia’s economy shrank 2.1 per cent last year, considerably less than the 3.5 per cent contraction the World Bank forecast in January.

For 2023, the World Bank forecast Russia’s economy to contract by 0.2 per cent, compared to its previous forecast of a 3.3 per cent contraction.

The World Bank’s regional grouping includes Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Russian refusal to give consular access to detained reporter is ‘inexcusable’

Thursday 6 April 2023 21:17 , Emily Atkinson

Russia’s refusal to give consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is “inexcusable,” the White House said on Thursday.

“We need to get consular access to Evan,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Watch: Putin stands 60ft away from crowd during speech

Thursday 6 April 2023 20:00 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine sends conflicting signals on Crimea talks idea

Thursday 6 April 2023 19:30 , Emily Atkinson

A top Ukrainian official has ruled out talks with Moscow about territory until it withdraws all troops, pushing back on a colleague who had touted the idea of negotiations to resolve the Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula.

Andriy Sybiha, deputy head of president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, told the Financial Times on Wednesday that Kyiv would be willing to discuss the future of Crimea with Moscow if Ukraine‘s counter-offensive reaches the peninsula.

Russia occupied Ukraine‘s Crimean peninsula in 2014, long before it launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022. It has a huge concentration of forces on the Black Sea territory.

Ukraine, which has vowed to recapture all lost land, plans to launch a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to try to wrest back territory in the east and south.

But on Thursday, Mykhailo Podolyak, a presidential adviser, appeared to directly contradict Sybiha’s remarks on Twitter.

“The basis for real negotiations with (Russia) is the complete withdrawal of Russian armed groups beyond the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine in 1991. Including #Crimea,” he said.

“There is no question of any territorial concessions or bargaining of our sovereign rights.”

Russia says seven civilians killed in Ukraine shelling attacks

Thursday 6 April 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson

Authorities in Russian-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine said a total of seven civilians were killed on Thursday in two separate Ukrainian artillery strikes, Russian news agencies said.

Four civilians died in Donetsk when shells hit a car park, and another six people were injured, Tass said. RIA later said three people died in blasts at a bus stop in Lysychansk, some 120 km (75 miles) to the northeast of Donetsk.

Donetsk, capital of the Ukrainian province of the same name, has been controlled by Russian proxy forces since 2014, but remains close to the front line of Russia’s war with Ukraine and regularly comes under fire from Ukrainian forces.

The Independent was not immediately able to verify reports.

Russia says deputy foreign minister discussed jailed WSJ reporter

Thursday 6 April 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed the case of jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with the US ambassador to Russia on Thursday, the foreign ministry said, according to the state-run news agency TASS.

Ryabkov repeated the ministry’s position that the question of US consular access to Gershkovich case would be handled according to established procedure.

Gershkovich was charged with espionage last week after being detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, and remanded in custody for two months.

The US government and the Wall Street Journal have denied that he was engaged in spying.

What we know about the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

Thursday 6 April 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson

American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a 31-year-old reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been arrested and detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The son of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union who grew up speaking Russian at home in Princeton, New Jersey, Gershkovich graduated from the prestigious Bowdoin College in Maine before embarking on a career in the media, firstly at The New York Times, then The Moscow Times and then Agence France-Presse before joining WSJ, where he began covering Russian affairs just a month before the invasion of Ukraine last year.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

What we know about arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

Xi agreed to speak to Zelensky when ‘time is right’, says von der Leyen

Thursday 6 April 2023 17:22 , Andy Gregory

China’s Xi Jinping expressed willingness to speak to Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has claimed, after their meeting in Beijing.

“It was interesting to hear that President Xi reiterated his willingness to speak” to the Ukrainian president, Ms Von der Leyen said, calling his words “positive”.

She added that Mr Xi had told her a conversation with Mr Zelensky could happen when the “conditions and time are right”.

Four civilians ‘killed in artillery strike’ on Donetsk city

Thursday 6 April 2023 16:55 , Andy Gregory

Four civilians have been killed in an artillery strike in the Russian-held city of Donetsk, Russia’s state-owned RIA news agency has said, citing a reporter on the scene.

RIA said a car park in the city’s Kalininsky district had been hit. The city has been controlled by Ukrainian separatist forces since 2014, but remains close to the front line of Russia's war with Ukraine and regularly comes under fire from Ukrainian forces.

Kremlin voices possibility of Russian security guarantees for Belarus

Thursday 6 April 2023 16:18 , Andy Gregory

Russia should consider providing security guarantees for Belarus, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said, according to the Interfax news agency.

“The Russian Federation, of course, should consider the possibility of providing security guarantees for Belarus as an ally and as a country with which we are in the most advanced form of integration,” Mr Peskov told reporters, as he answered questions on president Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Moscow.

Putin and Lukashenko ‘did not discuss' moving nuclear weapons to Belarus in today’s talks

Thursday 6 April 2023 15:59 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko did not discuss plans to place Russian strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus in their talks on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

“I can’t tell you to what extent this was discussed in yesterday’s conversation. The conversation was really very long, it went well after midnight. But today there was no talk of this,” Mr Peskov told reporters, according to the Interfax news agency.

The plans mark the first time Russia has said it would station nuclear weapons on the territory of another country since the end of the Cold War three decades ago.

Mr Peskov said the deployment of American nuclear weapons at bases in Europe is of concern to the Russian Federation, adding that Russia would respond “appropriately” to these challenges.

Macron urges Xi to ‘bring Putin to his senses’ on war and nuclear threats

Thursday 6 April 2023 15:06 , Andy Gregory

Emmanuel Macron has urged Xi Jinping to bring Russia “to its senses”, during a visit to Beijing, which is claimed to have seen the two presidents agree to ‘work hard’ to end the war in Ukraine.

Referring to the UN Charter on respecting countries’ sovereignty and an international nuclear weapons treaty, the French president said: “I know I can count on you, under the two principles I just mentioned, to bring Russia to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.”

Mr Xi responded that China was willing to “jointly appeal with France to the international community to remain rational and calm”, adding: “Peace talks should be resumed as soon as possible, taking into account the reasonable security concerns of all sides with reference to the UN Charter … seeking political resolution and constructing a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework.”

A French diplomatic source did not say whether China had indicated any change in its position during the 90-minute meeting, but told Reuters that “the President and Xi agreed to ‘work hard’ in order to accelerate the end of the war and to obtain that a negotiation opens in the full respect of international law”.

Lukashenko threatens that ‘ if necessary’ Belarus and Russia will ‘use all we have to protect our countries’

Thursday 6 April 2023 14:29 , Andy Gregory

On the second day of the Belarusian president’s visit to Moscow, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko discussed expanding their economic cooperation and boosting their defence links, which include a plan to station Russia’s nuclear weapons in Belarus.

In opening remarks at Thursday’s talks at the Kremlin, which involved senior officials, following Wednesday’s one-on-one meeting between the two presidents, Mr Lukashenko warned that “if necessary, we will use all we have to protect our countries and peoples.”

“We aren’t blackmailing anyone. It will be so,” he added.

The Belarusian leader cited the importance of close cooperation on defence and asserted that Belarusian factories have developed the expertise to replace Western companies as a source of electronic components for Russian weapons.

“We oriented ourselves toward the West in the past, but now we have come to realise that they aren’t our friends and we need to produce all that ourselves,” Mr Lukashenko said.

Von der Leyen says she encouraged Xi to contact Zelensky

Thursday 6 April 2023 14:20 , Andy Gregory

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said that she encouraged China’s Xi Jinping to reach out to Volodymyr Zelensky, during their talks as part of her visit to Beijing.

Ms Von der Leyen was responding to a question from reporters on whether it was realistic that China might pressure Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Full report: Macron tells Xi world is counting on China ‘to bring Russia to reason’

Thursday 6 April 2023 13:28 , Andy Gregory

French president Emmanuel Macron has said he can “count on China” to reason with Russia and bring everyone to the negotiating table, after a meeting between the two leaders in Beijing.

“The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to (international) stability,” Mr Macron told Chinese president Xi Jinping. “I know I can count on you to bring back Russia to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table,” he said.

The French president is currently on a three-day joint trip to Beijing, accompanied by Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission.

My colleague Stuti Mishra has the full report:

Macron tells Xi world is counting on China ‘to bring Russia to reason’

Wagner chief says no sign Ukraine leaving Bakhmut

Thursday 6 April 2023 12:59 , Andy Gregory

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s private Wagner militia, has warned that Ukrainian forces are not abandoning the city of Bakhmut and that his army needed more support from Moscow before trying to advance further.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has raised the prospect of a withdrawal from the city, saying on Wednesday that Kyiv would take the “corresponding” decisions if its forces risked being encircled by Russian troops.

Wagner forces are leading the battle for the city, which has become the bloodiest of the 13-month war, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said its capture would open up the battlefield and allow Russia to advance further into eastern Ukraine.

But Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has accused Russian military chiefs of ineffectiveness bordering on treason in recent months, said this was still some way off. “It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere,” he said on his Telegram channel.

Ukrainian troops had organised staunch defences inside the city, particularly along railway lines and in high-rise buildings in the west of the city, and if they fell back would take up new positions in the outskirts and in Chasiv Yar to the west, he said. “That’s why, in my opinion, there’s no talk for now of any offensive.”

Eyes turn to Crimea as Ukraine plans counter-offensive

Thursday 6 April 2023 12:30 , Andy Gregory

Dmitry Suslov, an adviser to Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine’s looming counter-offensive is likely to focus on the Sea of Azov and cutting off the illegally annexed peninsula of Crimea.

“If the Kiev offensive fails, the West will be short of weapons and at that point Russia will be able to mobilise 400,000 men for the final attack,” the Russian presidential aide told Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper.

In comments that seemed to confirm the importance of Crimea in any Ukrainian counter-offensive, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that Kyiv would be willing to discuss the future of the Black Sea peninsula if its forces reached the boundary of Crimea.

“If we will succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we will be on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open [a] diplomatic page to discuss this issue,” Andriy Sybiha said.

State actor involvement in Nord Stream blasts is ‘absolute main scenario’, prosecutor says

Thursday 6 April 2023 11:59 , Andy Gregory

The “absolute main scenario” in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines is that a state actor was involved, the Swedish prosecutor investigating the explosions has said.

The blast in the Swedish zone occurred at a depth of 80 meters, which the Swedish prosecutor said made it complicated to investigate.

“We believe it will be rather difficult to determine who did this,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist told Reuters, pointing to the fact that the blast in the Swedish zone of the Baltic Sea occurred 80 metres below sea level.

“The people who did this have probably been aware that they would leave clues behind and probably took care so that the evidence would not point in one direction, but in several directions,” he added. “That makes it difficult to clearly point to one actor.”

Xi Jinping says all countries should respect nuclear non-proliferation

Thursday 6 April 2023 11:27 , Andy Gregory

China’s president Xi Jinping has urged all countries to respect international agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, as he met with France’s Emmanuel Macron in Beijing.

China, France, Russia, the UK and the US have all made commitments under the United Nations treaty which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, established in 1970.

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Ryabkov was reported as saying on Tuesday that suspending participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the United States had given Moscow new opportunities to guarantee its security.

Meeting on Thursday, Mr Xi and Mr Macron both agreed that nuclear weapons should not be used in the war in Ukraine, as the French president urged his Chinese counterpart to bring Russia “back to reason”.

The UN treaty demands that all signatories should pursue negotiations in good faith on disarmament measures, and that states which do not have nuclear weapons should not acquire them.

Russia has announced plans to station nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus, a move the Kremlin claimed on Tuesday was in response to a growing Nato presence on its borders, after Finland joined the military alliance.

Watch: Smoke pours from fire at Russian defence ministry in Moscow

Thursday 6 April 2023 10:56 , Andy Gregory

Here is footage of the fire which broke out at the Moscow headquarters of Russia's defence ministry yesterday evening. The blaze was put out shortly after it started with no casualties, the TASS news agency reported.

Nuclear deployment to Belarus is response to Nato expansion, claims Kremlin

Thursday 6 April 2023 10:27 , Andy Gregory

Russia has defended its decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, rejecting criticism of the move by Nato’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Nato was the one expanding towards Russia, not the other way round, and therefore Moscow had to take steps to defend its own security.