In New Delhi, Russia and China split the G20: the joint declaration of war is skipped, tensions over the wheat agreement. On the fringes of the meeting, US Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov made initial contact. Confusing reports of alleged “Ukrainian saboteurs” are coming from the Briyansk region of Russia. Putin prepares retaliation.
365 days since the outbreak of war in Ukraine
file – War tracks
Live news from the Ukraine-Russia conflict
10:02 a.m
Gas, Lavrov: “We will not allow the West to blow up other bridges”
Russia will not allow the West to “blow up gas pipelines again”. Sergei Lavrov said today at the Raisina Dialogue international conference in New Delhi. “The war that we are trying to stop and that the West started against us with the help of the Ukrainians naturally influenced Russian politics, including energy policy,” the Russian foreign minister said.
09:57
Ukraine, Danilov: “Russian forces are advancing on Bakhmut, but not at the pace they would like”
Russian forces are advancing on Bakhmut, but not at the desired pace, said Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy
Danilov, in an interview with the country’s media. “They are all there, but they can’t do anything for a long time – said the senior official, referring to the men of Prigozhin’s Wagner group, the Russian armed forces and airborne troops -. Yes, they are advancing, but not at the pace you would like”.
09:54
Cnn: “Kiev orders to hand over Bakhmut to reconnaissance units”
A Ukrainian drone reconnaissance unit based in Bakhmut has been ordered to evacuate the besieged eastern city, its commander said in a video posted to Telegram on Friday and quoted by CNN. “In the middle of the night, the Madiar Birds unit received a combat order to evacuate Bakhmut to a new location immediately,” said Commander Robert Brovdi.
09:37
Russia, Zakharova denies Blinken: ‘She didn’t talk to Lavrov about Whelan’
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken did not raise the issue of the release of US citizen Paul Whelan imprisoned in Russia during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi. This was written by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on her Telegram channel. “The US Secretary of State did not even stammer on this point. Everything the State Department said yesterday about Blinken expressing concern about the plight of the American citizen is a lie. Incredible behavior by the US government,” Zakharova is quoted by Tass as saying.
Blinken-Lavrov contact, but Moscow holds back on peace: “There are no negotiations”
by our correspondent Paolo Mastrolilli March 3, 2023
09:31
Bakhmut, Progozhin: “Zelensky evacuates old people and children”
According to the founder of the Russian mercenary group Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin Russian troops have practically surrounded the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (Artyomovsk in Russian): in a video speech he called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to evacuate old people and children. The Russian media report. According to Ria Novosti, he called on the Ukrainian authorities to allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to leave the city. A bloody fight has been raging in Bakhmut for weeks, which is being fought practically from house to house.
09:27
Zelenskyy: “Military and Legal Response After Attack on Bakhmut”
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy He promised a “military and legal response” to the Russian attack on the eastern city of Zaporizhia that killed at least four people yesterday. “Russia’s brutal missile attack on Zaporizhia will face our military and legal response. The occupiers will inevitably feel our strength,” he said, before adding that the Russian authorities “know the strength of the judiciary in every sense of the word.”
(afp) 09:23
Wagner boss: “Bachmut practically surrounded, Zelenskyy withdraws his soldiers”
The strategic Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is “virtually surrounded” by Russian forces. This was announced in a video by the head of the Wagner mercenary group near the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, adding that now the Ukrainian armed forces have only one way out. Also in the video, Prigozhin called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to withdraw his troops from the city.
(Portal)
09:16
The Russians blow up the bridge between Bakhmut and Chromove. The Wagners: “We surrounded it”
Russian troops overnight blew up a vital bridge linking the besieged town of Bakhmut with the nearby village of Khromove. This was reported by CNN, citing the police of the Donetsk region. The bridge is a vital artery for evacuating civilians and replenishing ammunition. According to the Wagner militia, the city is “encircled”.
08:43
Germany asks Switzerland to resell them some Leopard tanks to fill gaps in their arsenals
Germany has asked Switzerland to sell them some of its tanks Leopard II mothballed, reported Friday the Swiss newspaper Blick, a deal that could allow Berlin to increase its military aid to Ukraine. Germany wants Switzerland to resell part of the tanks to the factory Rheinmetall, the newspaper said, which would allow the company to fill the armaments gaps of members of the European Union and NATO. Germany, Poland, Portugal, Finland and Sweden are among the countries sending Leopard tanks to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, but this has left “holes” in alliance members’ arsenals.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Economics Minister Robert Habeck informed Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd about the project in a February 10 letter. 23, the newspaper reports. They asked their Swiss counterpart to agree to the sale, with assurances that the Swiss tanks would not be taken to Ukraine itself. Due to its neutrality laws, Switzerland is prohibited from supplying arms directly to Ukraine. The Swiss Defense Ministry said Germany’s request was being examined.
A Swiss soldier on a Leopard II during a training exercise (Portal) 08:40
Air alert throughout Ukraine
According to national media, an anti-aircraft alert has been declared across Ukraine in the last few minutes. Meanwhile, surveillance groups report the launch of a Russian Air Force MiG-31K capable of carrying the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
03:29
Kiev: more than 170 explosions in the Sumy region
More than 170 explosions were recorded in Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia to the north-east. This was reported by the Kyiv Independent, specifying that ten communities were attacked and several houses and infrastructure were damaged. No casualties are reported.
Prigozhin on Telegram: “Wagner fighters are in the center of Bakhmut”, but the media denied it
02:42
Meeting between Biden and Scholz at 8 p.m. Italian time at the White House
The White House meeting between Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled for 2 p.m. Washington time, 8 p.m. Italy. The US government announced this in a note. A joint press conference is not planned.
00:26
Upcoming new package of US arms in Kiev
The United States will soon announce a new military aid package for Ukraine, worth about $400 million and consisting mostly of ammunition. This was reported by Portal, citing informed sources who confirm what was announced by the White House in the daily briefing. The package, the sources say, will include missiles for Himar air defense systems, ammunition for Bradley combat vehicles and armored bridging vehicles.
00:06
Powerful explosion 120 km from Moscow, possibly a drone
An explosion occurred in Kolomna, 120 kilometers southeast of Moscow. “The explosion in Kolomna happened in the air. We are most likely talking about a drone. But so far it is impossible to say for sure, since no fragments have been found,” police told the Tass news agency. A spokesman for the emergency services said “a number of potential facilities were reviewed” and “no signs of an explosion were found”.
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