Live blog: Russia makes advances in east Ukraine as two-year mark nears

Thursday, February 22, 2024

1511 GMT — Russia claimed its forces had advanced further in east Ukraine, piling pressure on Kiev days before the two-year anniversary of the conflict.

Ukraine has faced intense pressure on its eastern front in recent months as it grapples with ammunition shortages and hold-ups to much-needed Western military aid.

The Russian defence ministry said it captured Pobeda ('victory' in Russian), a small frontline village about five kilometres (three miles) west of Donetsk city.

"On the Donetsk front, units of the 'Southern' group of troops liberated the village of Pobeda and improved their position along the front line," it said.

The capture, if confirmed, would mark another step westwards for Moscow, which last week seized the former Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka after months of battle.

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1808 GMT — US charges Russian oligarchs to mark Ukraine offensive anniversary

The United States unsealed charges against Russian oligarchs to mark the upcoming second anniversary of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.

"The Justice Department is more committed than ever to cutting off the flow of illegal funds that are fueling (Vladimir) Putin's war and to holding accountable those who continue to enable it," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

1526 GMT — UK announces new sanctions to mark 2nd anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine

Britain's foreign secretary announced dozens of new sanctions targeting Russia as the war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year.

More than 50 new sanctions aim to target individuals and businesses sustaining Russia's war in Ukraine, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

New targets include munitions manufacturers, electronics companies, and diamond and oil traders as this Saturday marks two years since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on February.

1516 GMT — Denmark inks security agreement with Ukraine

Denmark said that it inked a security agreement with Ukraine.

"This is the most serious security policy situation since the end of the Cold War," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a news conference alongside Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen in the northern town of Marienborg, according to public broadcaster DR TV. "And we, from the Danish government's side, cannot emphasise enough how important it is that Ukraine receives the military capabilities that they need."

He said the agreement would help Ukraine's ability to defend the country against Russia and deter future Russian attacks.

1311 GMT — Ukraine claims strike on Russian army range near Dnipro river

Ukraine said that its forces had struck a Russian training ground on the Russia-occupied bank of the Dnipro river in the southern Kherson region, killing or wounding dozens of troops.

Military spokeswoman Natalia Gumeniuk said on television the attack took place Wednesday, striking a range where Russian storm troops were training.

"The work was carried out quite effectively: at least 60 invaders will definitely not return to combat positions," said Gumeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine's Operational Command South.

She later told AFP that three strikes hit a train ing ground near the village of Podo-Kalynivka, with around 60 Russian troops "killed or seriously wounded".

1100 GMT — Russia used N Korean missiles in deadly attacks on Ukraine: Kiev

The Ukrainian security service (SBU) said it had established that Russia had used North Korean missiles in several attacks that killed over 20 people.

"According to the investigation, Russian troops released more than 20 North Korean weapons over Ukraine... at least 24 civilians were killed and more than a hundred seriously injured," the SBU said.

It identified the weapons as "Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles" and posted pictures of fragments on Telegram.

0940 GMT — Russia attacked with over 8,000 missiles, 4,630 drones: Ukraine

Russia has launched more than 8,000 missiles and 4,630 drones at targets in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat has said.

Ukraine has received advanced air defence systems, including several units of the Patriot system, from Western allies throughout the war, enabling it to shoot down more missiles.

0956 GMT — Russia threatened to shoot down Black Sea patrol aircraft: France

Russian forces threatened to shoot down French flights patrolling last month in international airspace over the Black Sea, signals of increasingly aggressive behavior from Moscow as its military campaign in Ukraine struggles to make headway, France's defense minister has said.

The minister, Sebastien Lecornu, didn’t give specific details about the French flights or aircraft involved in the threatened shoot-down. But he said Russia is returning to a “particularly aggressive” posture reminiscent of the former Soviet Union's behavior during the Cold War.

“A month ago, to give you a very concrete example, a Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French aircraft in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol," he said on RTL radio.

“The behavior of Russia in 2024 bears no relation to what we saw in 2022 and, obviously, before the aggression in Ukraine,” the minister said. “It is explained by the fact that Russia is in difficulty on the battlefield in Ukraine."

0920 GMT — Italy set to sign security deal with Ukraine

Italy is set to sign a security agreement with Ukraine to help Kiev strengthen its defence industry and fight hybrid threats such as cyber warfare, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has said.

Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven major democracies (G7), will sign the bilateral deal after Germany, France and Britain announced similar pacts to help Ukraine in its war with Russia.

"Never before has it been so important to emphasise the wil l to ensure that the attacked David has the resources to defend himself against the Russian Goliath," Tajani told parliament.

He said Italy, which has approved eight military aid packages for Ukraine since the war began two years ago, expected to finalise the pact in the coming days, adding that helping Kyiv was crucial to ensure a "just and durable peace".

0724 GMT — Russia calls Biden wannabe 'Hollywood cowboy' over SOB jibe

The Kremlin has said Joe Biden's remark about President Vladimir Putin debased the United States and those who use such vocabulary — and was a poor attempt to appear like a "Hollywood cowboy."

"The use of such language against the head of another state by the president of the United States is unlikely to infringe on our president, President Putin," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"But it debases those who use such vocabulary."

President Joe Biden called Putin a "crazy SOB" during a fundraiser in San Francisco on Wednesday, warning there is always the threat of nuclear conflict but that the existential threat to humanity remains climate.

0713 GMT — Russia may need to reach Kiev, 'regime must fall': Medvedev

Russian troops may need to reach Ukraine's capital Kiev to achieve the goals of what Moscow calls a "special military operation," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, quoted by Russian state news agency TASS.

He said Russians and Ukrainians are one nation and the Ukrainian government, which Moscow calls the "Kiev regime," "must fall."

0302 GMT — Ukraine leader downplays loss of Avdiivka, seeks faster support

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy downplayed Ukraine's loss of the eastern town of Avdiivka to Russian forces and called for faster support from allies.

Russian troops took control of Avdiivka last week in Moscow's biggest battlefield gain since its forces captured Bakhmut last May.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia will press on with its drive-through eastern Ukraine.

Zelenskyy, in excerpts from an interview with Fox News to be aired on Thursday, acknowledged that last year had been "complicated" for Ukraine, particularly as 2023 came to a close.

0104 GMT — Ukraine humanitarian appeal only 10% funded for 2024: UN envoy

The UN's humanitarian appeal to meet needs in Ukraine is only 10 percent funded for 2024, the country's resident coordinator said, putting in jeopardy crucial assistance needed to reach those in need across frontline areas.

Denise Brown, the UN's top representative in Ukraine, said an estimated 8.5 million Ukrainians living in dire conditions near combat zones risk going without basic humanitarian deliveries, including food and water.

0142 GMT — Biden calls Putin a 'crazy SOB' during San Francisco fundraiser

President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "crazy SOB" during a fundraiser in San Francisco, warning there is always the threat of nuclear conflict but that the existential threat to humanity remains climate.

"This is the last existential threat. It is climate. We have a crazy SOB like that guy Putin and others, and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the existential threat to humanity is climate," Biden told a small group of donors.

Biden's verbal attacks against Putin have sharply intensified at the White House and on the campaign trail.

2316 GMT — Ukrainian soldiers expect more assaults after Russian forces capture eastern town

Ukrainian soldiers dug in around new positions outside of Avdiivka, say Russian forces who captured the eastern Ukrainian town last week are pressing on toward nearby towns and villages.

"It doesn't end with them taking Avdiivka. They continue assaulting (our positions)," said Andriy, a Ukrainian drone pilot of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, sitting quietly in a darkened area.

"After Avdiivka, the villages nearby are next. And then, Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk, the nearest larger towns."

2229 GMT — Senate panel to hold hearing on US chips use in Russian weapons

A US Senate panel will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the use of US chips in Russian weapons systems, Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a statement.

The hearing by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) will address how export controls intended to block Russia from using US technology in its conflict with Ukraine are being evaded by Russia, added the office of the Democratic lawmaker, who chairs the panel.

The panel has sought information and documents from four large US producers of semiconductors — Advanced Micro Devices, Analog Devices, Intel, and Texas Instruments, it added.

For our live updates from Wednesday, February 21, click here.