Live blog: Ukraine building defences '24/7' against Russian advances — PM

Monday, March 4, 2024

1816 GMT — Ukrainian forces are constantly working on fortifications, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said, at a time when Russian troops are pushing in the east.

The statement comes amid some criticism of Ukrainian defence lines after the rapid advances of Russian forces following their capture of the eastern stronghold of Avdiivka.

"I am confident and know that the Ministry of Defence has an exhaustive plan to create comprehensive lines of fortification," Shmyhal said at a press conference.

"Work is carried out on a daily basis, 24/7," he added. The Ukrainian government has allocated UAH $500M for fortifications this year, he added.

"This year, the government is even ready to proactively continue to allocate funds... for the construction of powerful fortifications, not only on the first and second lines, but also on the third and, if necessary, the fourth," Shmyhal said.

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1816 GMT — EU aims to shift European arms industry to ‘war economy mode’

The European Commission will propose on Tuesday ways for the European Union to boost its arms industry so it can shift to "war economy mode" in response to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.

Thierry Breton, the European industry commissioner, will lay out proposals to encourage EU countries to buy more weapons together from European companies and to help such firms increase production capacity, according to EU officials.

"We need to change the paradigm and move into war economy mode. This also means that the European defence industry must take more risks, with our support," said Breton, previewing the package.

1512 GMT — Ukraine says not received over $17B from fundraisers

Ukraine has said that it had not seen the $17.4B in proceeds from two donor conferences held in Poland in 2022, early in Russia's offensive.

The announcement comes amid worries in Kiev surrounding military and financial support, with the war entering its third year.

The two events in 2022 had raised $10B and six billion dollars, respectively, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a press conference.

"Ukraine received nothing from them. The funds were raised by Poland together with the European Commission to support Ukraine," he said. "Where did they go, what did they support... Ukraine has received nothing," he added.

1351 GMT — Polish premier calls for new EU sanctions on agri-products from Russia, Belarus

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for EU sanctions on agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, local media has reported.

"This is both about making the sanctions related to Russia's attack on Ukraine more realistic and Belarus's cooperation in this attack, but also about more effective protection of the European, Polish and Lithuanian agricultural markets,” Tusk said in remarks after returning from Vilnius, where he met his Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Szymonite.


He also spoke of "tensions resulting from the inflow of food and agricultural products both from Russia and Belarus and, thanks to the EC's (European Commission) decision, duty-free, from Ukraine." 


Latvia recently imposed an embargo on products from Russia and Belarus, the first EU country to do so.


1233 GMT — Situation on Taurus deliveries to Ukraine is clear: German minister

Germany should evaluate every possibility when it comes to supporting Ukraine, but the situation on missile deliveries is clear, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said when asked about giving long-range Taurus weapons to Kiev.

"In my view, the factual situation is very clear," she said during a visit to Montenegro. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had earlier ruled out arming Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles if German soldiers needed to be involved to help operate them.

1113 GMT — Russia summons Germany’s ambassador over leaked military talks between officers

Russia has summoned Germany’s Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Lambsdorff over leaked military discussions between German officers last week.

Russian media outlets reported Lambsdorff entering the country’s Foreign Ministry building and later leaving the building without giving comments to journalists.

Lambsdorff was summoned as Russian media outlets on Friday shared a 38-minute recording of a conversation between German officers in which they discussed the theoretical possibility of Ukraine using German Taurus cruise missiles.

The recording also includes discussions about Ukraine's potential strike on the Kerch Bridge that connects mainland Russia to Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Lambsdorff was summoned, telling reporters in a press briefing that the leak suggested that plans by Berlin to attack Russia are being “substantively and specifically” discussed.

0848 GMT — Ukraine says behind railway blast in southwest Russia

Ukraine has said it blew up a railway bridge in Russia's southwestern Samara region because it was being used to transport "military cargo".

The incident is the latest in a string of explosions targeting Russia's rail network, which Kiev says Moscow uses to move troops and equipment for its attacks in Ukraine.

"A railway bridge over the Chapaevka River in Russia's Samara region was blown up. On 4 March 2024, at around 0200 GMT, the bridge was damaged by blowing up its support structures," Ukraine's military intelligence said.

Russia was using the railway line to transport ammunition from a plant in the town of Chapayevsk, it said.

0737 GMT — German leak shows 'involvement' of West in Ukraine: Kremlin

The Kremlin has said the content of a leaked conversation between German officials, where they discussed potential strikes on Crimea, proved Western countries were participating in the conflict in Ukraine.

The conversations "once again highlight the direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin also questioned whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in control of the situation.

0722 GMT — Blast targets railway bridge in Russia's southwest

A railway bridge near the Russian city of Samara has been rocked by a blast, the RIA news agency has reported, citing emergency services.

The incident was caused by an explosive device, according to TASS.

No casualties have been reported, but traffic over the bridge has been suspended, the Russian Railways said, describing the incident as "illegal interference".

Located on the Volga River in Russia's southwest, the Samara region is one of the country's heavy industry hubs.

Russia has in recent months reported a series of attacks on its industrial and logistics infrastructure which it blamed on Ukraine.

0701 GMT — Zelenskyy claims Ukraine downed 15 Russian military aircraft since February

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that his country downed a total of 15 Russian military aircraft since the beginning of last month.

“This week alone, we managed to shoot down seven Russian military aircraft. … Since the beginning of February, Russia has lost 15 military aircraft. This is the proper dynamics of their losses,” Zelenskyy said in a video address late Sunday.

The more capabilities Kiev possesses to shoot down Russian military aircraft, the more Ukrainian lives they will save by destroying Moscow’s logistics in the regions it controls, he added.

0645 GMT — Russia's foreign ministry summons German ambassador

Russia's foreign ministry has summoned the German ambassador, the TASS news agency reported, citing an unidentified source, after Russian media published an audio recording of a meeting of senior German military officials.

In the purported call, German officers were heard discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kiev on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation.

For our live updates from Friday, March 3, click here.