Live blog: Germany security meeting to discuss Ukraine war without Russia

Friday, February 10, 2023 

This year’s Munich Security Conference will dwell on the ongoing Moscow-Kiev war, however, Russian government officials will not be invited, the chairman of the event has said.

“We don't want to set the stage for (Russian Foreign Minister) Sergey Lavrov’s propaganda,” Christoph Heusgen told members of the foreign press association in Berlin.

Here are some other developments:

1230 GMT - Ukrainian air force shot down 61 out of 71 Russian missiles

The Ukrainian air force has said its defence systems shot down 61 out of 71 Russian missiles launched in a fresh wave of attacks.

"As of 11:30 am, the enemy had launched 71 X-101, X-555 and Kalibr missiles. The air defence forces, Air Force and other components of the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed 61 enemy cruise missiles," it said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia had fired more than 50 missiles at Ukraine and most of them were shot down.

1259 GMT - Russia likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles near Ukraine's Vuhledar: UK

Russian forces likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles in a single, failed attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, British intelligence have said, as one pro-Russian blogger warned of a "crisis" in troop command.

Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held bastion at the strategic intersection between the eastern and southern front lines, has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the war as Russia continues a relentless assault on the eastern front.

1256 GMT - Romania denies Russian missiles crossed country in 'massive' attack on Ukraine

NATO member Romania has denied Russian missiles crossed its airspace on their way to Ukraine after Kiev said Moscow unleashed a "massive" attack from the air.

The fresh strikes come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lobbied for long-range weapons visiting EU leaders in Brussels, in only his second trip abroad since Moscow started its attacks just under a year ago.

With the conflict approaching its first year mark, the Kremlin has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver his annual state of the nation speech on February 21.

0840 GMT – Explosions in Kiev as Ukraine's power grid hit by Russian missiles 

Several explosions could be heard in Kiev as officials reported high-voltage facilities across Ukraine being hit by Russian missile attacks on Friday morning.

Ukraine's power grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply.

Reuters journalists heard at least three explosions in Ukraine's capital city, Kiev.

The mayor of eastern Ukraine's largest city, Kharkiv, confirmed an infrastructure facility there had been hit and warned of possible power outages as a result.

Ukrenergo said Russia attacked Ukraine's grid overnight with drones and missiles, targeting power stations and transmission facilities.

0736 GMT - Russian forces strike critical infrastructure

Russian forces have struck critical infrastructure in several parts of Ukraine in overnight attacks and at least 17 missiles hit the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.

Air sirens blared across the country during the morning rush hour and local officials urged civilians to take shelter, warning of potential new strikes. "Enemy aviation is in the air and ships which can carry Kaliber missiles are in the sea. The enemy launched the missiles. The air alert will be long," said Maksym Marchenko, regional governor of the southern region of Odessa.

"Please do not ignore the air alert sirens, and go to the shelters."

0730 GMT - Belarus slams Poland decision to close border checkpoint

Poland said, citing security concerns, it would close a key border crossing into Belarus at Bobrowniki, starting at 12 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) on Friday, driving already hostile relations between the two countries to a new low.

Minsk criticised the decision on Thursday, but went further in a statement on Friday, calling the move irrational and dangerous.

"The actions of the Polish authorities could lead to a collapse on both sides of the border," Belarus' border committee said in a statement shared on social media.

After the closure comes into force, only two of six major land crossing points along the two countries' 400-km (249 mile) border will be open, Belarus' border force said in a statement.

0310 GMT - Russia fears Ukraine will strike deep into its territory

Moscow does not believe Kiev's pledges that it will not use long-range Western arms to strike deep into Russian territory, state-owned RIA news agency cited a Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said this week Kiev would only use weapons that the United States plans to provide to strike Russian forces on Ukrainian territory.

"There can be no trust in such statements because the Ukrainian authorities have time and again demonstrated their untrustworthiness and inability to make agreements," Alexei Polishyuk, a department head at the ministry, told RIA.

Russia considers several occupied Ukrainian regions its own territory after holding referendums there last year.

0300 GMT - Russian launches overnight strikes on Kharkiv 

Russian forces have launched a series of overnight strikes that have knocked out power supplies in parts of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, local officials said.

There was no word on casualties.

"The occupiers hit critical infrastructure. There were about 10 explosions," Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram. "In some regions, there are power cuts. Emergency services are on site."

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the 4 am [local time] strikes could disrupt power, heating and water supplies.

0053 GMT - Feared Russian offensive begins 

Ukrainian officials in the east, scene of the fiercest fighting in the war with Russia, have said an anticipated fresh offensive by Moscow is under way, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said several European leaders were ready to supply aircraft he has sought.

Asked on Ukrainian television if he agreed that the Russian offensive had already begun, Pavlo Krylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said on Thursday: "Yes, definitely."

Around eastern towns like Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar that have witnessed some of the bloodiest battles of the war, "the enemy's forces and means are escalating there with daily intensity. They are trying to ... seize these areas and key cities ... to score new successes," he said.

Zelenskyy, who was due to return to Kiev on Friday, said in Brussels that several European Union leaders told him at a summit they were ready to equip Ukraine with aircraft including fighter jets. If confirmed, this would be one of the biggest shifts yet in Western support.

For live updates from Thursday (February 9), click here