Live blog: Russia breached Ukraine defences near Kreminna, got pushed back

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Russian troops managed to break through Ukrainian defences near the eastern town of Kreminna on Tuesday but were pushed back and lost some of their heavy equipment, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai has said.

In earlier comments, Haidai said the attack had been repulsed but made no mention of pro-Moscow forces breaching Ukrainian positions.

Russia, trying to secure full control of two eastern provinces forming Ukraine's Donbass industrial region, has launched repeated assaults.

Kreminna is about 70 km (43.5 miles) north of Bakhmut, the focus of the fiercest Russian attacks.

"Yesterday, they even broke through our defences for a certain time, but the Ukrainian military destroyed part of the occupiers' heavy equipment ... in the end, we kept our positions," he said.

Haidai said he expected Russian forces to intensify their efforts around Kreminna, citing an increase in the amount of shelling and reconnaissance missions.

Following are the latest updates:

1838 GMT - One year on, majority of Ukrainians confident of victory

Some 95 percent of Ukrainians are confident of their country's victory against Russian forces, according to a poll conducted in early February by the Ukraine-based Rating Group institute.

The study, published just days before the first anniversary of Russia's offensive, also showed a boost in confidence towards Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the survey, trust in Zelenskyy has grown to 90 percent compared to 36 percent in January 2022, a month before the attack.

1811 GMT - Ukraine first lady urges UN to create tribunal for Russian 'crimes'

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska has urged the United Nations to establish a special tribunal to try Russia for crimes of aggression, a demand Kiev has been pushing for several months, to ensure Moscow's offensive "never will be repeated" anywhere.

"I think you will agree... that regardless of our country or nationality, we have the right not to be killed in our own homes," Zelenska said in a video address to a special UN meeting on human rights violations in Ukraine.

"However, Ukrainians are being killed in front of the whole world for the whole year in their own cities, villages, apartments, hospitals and theatres. That's why we call on the United Nations to establish a special tribunal for the crimes of Russian aggression," she said.

1804 GMT - Russia: Lavrov and Wang Yi did not discuss 'Chinese peace plan'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and China's top diplomat Wang Yi did not discuss a reported Chinese plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said, as Beijing is set to publish its proposed solution to the Ukraine conflict this week.

"The Chinese partners briefed us on their views on the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, as well as approaches to its political settlement. There was no talk of any separate plan," Zakharova said.

A senior Ukrainian official speaking on the condition of anonymity also said that China "did not consult with" Ukraine when preparing its peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

1759 GMT - Hundreds of foreign soldiers to help train Ukrainian troops in Germany

German military instructors teaching some 1,000 Ukrainian troops how to use Western tanks and other arms will soon be reinforced by several hundred specialists from other countries, the head of the Special Training Command has said.

"We are talking about some 30-50 troops from Norway and several hundred from the Netherlands," Lieutenant-General Andreas Marlow told Reuters news agency in an interview, adding he was aiming for further contributions from other nations.

Marlow's Special Training Command is part of a European Union military mission set up in November to train up to 30,000 Ukrainian troops in various skills to help Kiev fight off Russia's year-old offensive. The first additional trainers are expected to arrive by the end of March.

1616 GMT - UN condemns continued detention of Putin opponent

The United Nations rights chief has denounced that Kara-Murza, a leading Russian opposition figure jailed last year for opposing Russia's war in Ukraine, remains behind bars and demanded "fair proceedings".

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk is "concerned by continued detention of opposition politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza since April 2022", his office said in a tweet.

The UN rights chief, it added, "calls for fair proceedings and his right of defence to be upheld".

1615 GMT - Eastern European countries jointly condemn Russia's war in Ukraine

All members of the Bucharest Nine, the nations on NATO's eastern flank that joined the alliance after being dominated by Moscow during the Cold War, have jointly condemned Russia's war in Ukraine.

"All allies agreed that they would support each other in the event of a threat," Marcin Przydacz, an adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters.

"The next point of the declaration was the condemnation of the brutal, bloody war against Ukraine, which is being waged by Russia. All members of the Bucharest Nine signed these words."

1447 GMT - Russian shelling kills two civilians in Kherson

Two civilians were killed in Russian shelling of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, and two were wounded in a missile strike on the northeastern city of Kharkiv, regional officials have said.

An 81-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man were killed during the shelling of the village of Novotyahinka, about 40 km (25 miles) from the city of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Two civilians were lightly wounded in missile strikes targeting industrial facilities in Kharkiv, about 30 km (19 miles) from the border with Russia, local officials said.

1445 GMT -  Austria walks fine line over granting visas to Russian MPs

In their first trip to the EU since Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, Russian MPs are due at an international meeting in Austria despite sanctions and a planned boycott by Kiev as Vienna refused to bar the Russian delegation from a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Ukraine was joined by 19 other countries to protest the Russian parliamentarians' attendance in a letter sent to the Austrian government at the beginning of February.

"They (Russians) are not interested in discussion, dialogue. They are coming only for propaganda," Ukraine delegation head Mykyta Poturaiev told reporters in Vienna. "It is unacceptable to have in common meetings people who are responsible, who voted for this war."

1333 GMT - Russia fighting for its historical lands in Ukraine: Putin

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia was fighting for its "historical" lands in Ukraine, speaking at a state-organised patriotic rally in Moscow in support of the Ukraine offensive.

"I just heard from the top military leadership of the country that a battle is ongoing right now, for our historical lands, for our people," Putin said, addressing the tens of thousands gathered.

In a short address to the tens of thousands gathered at Moscow's main Luzhniki stadium, Putin also praised Russian servicemen in Ukraine who are "fighting heroically, courageously, bravely: we are proud of them".

1144 GMT - Spain to send six Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Spain will send six of its German-made Leopard tanks to bolster Ukraine's fight against Russia, Defence Minister Margarita Robles has said, adding that Madrid could send more "if it is necessary" and if "our allies ask for it".

"We are working in full coordination with our allies," she said while speaking in parliament, without specifying when the tanks would be sent.

1100 GMT - UN convenes as Ukraine seeks votes for 'peace' resolution

The UN General Assembly are meeting on Wednesday, two days ahead of the anniversary of the Ukraine war, with Kiev and its allies hoping to garner broad support for a resolution calling for a "just and lasting peace."

The draft resolution, sponsored by some 60 countries, is to be voted on after the close of debate — not expected until at least Thursday.

The text "underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."

Like previous resolutions, it reaffirms the UN's "commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine" and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

1053 GMT — Hungarian minister urges ceasefire and peace talks over Ukraine

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has urged a ceasefire and peace talks over Ukraine to prevent further escalation of the war into a broader conflict.

Szijjarto called for an immediate end to hostilities after speeches by Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, which he said highlighted the severity of the standoff. 

1050 GMT — Russia trying to destroy Ukrainian culture: UN experts

UN experts have said that "deliberate" Russian destruction of Ukraine's culture could amount to an attempt to erase Ukrainians' right to their own identity.

The experts urged a halt to intentional damage of sites, institutions, and objects of cultural, historical, and religious significance in Ukraine.

"Numerous sites, institutions, and objects of cultural, historical, and religious significance in Ukraine have been partially or entirely destroyed by military attacks by the Russian Federation," the experts said in a statement.

"These include memorials and monuments, civilian buildings, museums, theatres, monuments, statues, places of worship, cemeteries, libraries, archives, as well as schools, universities, and hospitals."

1008 GMT — Pope renews calls for Ukraine ceasefire, one year on

Pope Francis has renewed calls for a ceasefire in the "absurd and cruel" war in Ukraine shortly before its first "sad anniversary" on Friday.

"The death toll, wounded, refugees, those isolated, destruction, economic and social damage speak for themselves," said the 86-year-old pontiff during his weekly general audience.

He urged all powers to make "concrete efforts to end the conflict, reach a ceasefire and start peace negotiations".

0948 GMT — Around 1.1M Ukrainian refugees entered Bulgaria since war broke out

Around 1.1 million Ukrainian refugees have entered Bulgaria since war broke out in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, said a senior UN official.

Speaking at the national press club in the capital city of Sofia, Seda Kuzucu, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said Bulgarian authorities registered over 151,000 of these refugees for temporary protection.

Presently, nearly 50,000 Ukrainian refugees reside in Bulgaria, she added, according to the state-run BTA news agency.

0935 GMT — Russian missiles hit Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, two hurt: officials

Two civilians have been wounded in a Russian missile strike on industrial facilities in Kharkiv, the biggest city in eastern Ukraine, local officials said.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, lies about 30 kilometres from the border with Russia and has frequently been under fire.

"According to preliminary data, four strikes hit the Kyiv district of Kharkiv. The enemy is targeting industrial facilities," Ihor Terekhov, the city mayor, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The regional governor, Oleh Synehubov, said separately that two civilians had been lightly wounded but gave no details.

0911 GMT — Czech Republic will continue to help Ukraine as long as needed

The Czech Republic will continue to aid Ukraine in its defence against Russia's offensive for as long as needed, Prime Minister Petr Fiala has said ahead of a meeting with Biden and leaders of NATO's eastern flank.

"We will continue in (our) help for as long as Ukraine needs it," Fiala said.

0750 GMT — Zelenskyy plans to attend July NATO summit in Vilnius: Ukraine ambassador

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has plans to attend in person a NATO summit taking place in Vilnius in July, Ukraine's ambassador to Lithuania told local newswire BNS.

Zelenskyy has made only two foreign trips since the war began  —  one to Washington in December and another to London, Paris and Brussels in February.

The Vilnius summit on July 11-12 will be attended by most leaders of the Atlantic alliance, Lithuania presidential office said. That includes US President Joe Biden, who unexpectedly visited Kiev this week.

"That is our plan," ambassador Petro Beshta said about the Zelenskyy visit in an interview with BNS published on Wednesday.

0728 GMT — Russia's parliament prepares to approve suspension of New START

Russian officials have blamed the US and the West for Putin's decision to suspend Moscow's participation in the New START treaty, as Russia's parliament was set to rubber-stamp the move as early as Wednesday.

Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said the move was a "long overdue" response to the US and NATO effectively declaring war on Russia.

"This decision was forced on us by the war declared by the United States and other NATO countries on our country. It will have a huge resonance in the world overall and in the US in particular," Medvedev said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

0414 GMT —  Russia's first criminal case against Ukraine's forces goes to court

Russia's first criminal case against a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, accused of forcibly seizing power and ill-treatment of civilians, has gone to court, the state TASS news agency reported.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on the Telegram messaging platform in June that it had charged Senior Sergeant Anton Cherednik of the Marine Corps of Ukraine's forces with the alleged crime of cruel treatment of civilian population.

TASS, citing unnamed sources at the Southern District Military Court in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, said that Cherednik was also charged with murder and training for the purpose of carrying out terrorism.

For our live updates from Tuesday (February 21), click here