Live blog: Ukraine seeks delivery of F-16s, Patriots after Kharkiv strike

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

1629 GMT — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine's allies to speed up deliveries of warplanes and air defence systems following a deadly Russian strike on the city of Kharkiv.

"Bolstering Ukraine's air defence and expediting the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine are vital tasks. There are no rational explanations for why Patriots, which are plentiful around the world, are still not covering the skies of Kharkiv and other cities," Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.

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1707 GMT — EU envoys agree deal on Ukraine agricultural imports: Belgium

Ambassadors from European Union countries reached a deal to extend tariff-free food imports from Ukraine, with a "balanced approach between support for Ukraine and protection of EU agricultural markets", the Belgian EU presidency has said.

The agreement will now go to the European Parliament for its approval, with the aim of a "swift agreement", the Belgian presidency said in a post on social media platform X.

The EU had reached a provisional agreement on the matter last week but France and Poland said planned restrictions did not go far enough and pushed for further curbs to prevent what they called the destabilisation of EU agricultural markets.

1507 GMT — One dead, 16 wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Kharkiv: governor

A Russian strike on the eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv has killed one person and wounded 16 more, the regional governor announced on social media.

Governor Oleg Sinegubov gave the toll in a series of posts on Telegram and said Russia had launched a guided missile at the city that has suffered routine bombardments since Moscow launched a military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.

1424 GMT — UK firm supports Ukrainian armed forces in drone tech race

In an anonymous warehouse in southern England, engineers at Evolve Dynamics are working on technology that could help keep Ukraine's reconnaissance drones in the sky even after Russia tries to jam them electronically.

It is a small but important part of an international effort by Ukraine's allies to support its drone programme, which Kiev hopes will give it the edge over a much larger enemy with many more resources at its disposal.

Companies in dozens of countries have supplied drones and drone parts to Ukraine. Some, like Evolve Dynamics, are also focusing on technological advances designed to counter Russia's powerful electronic warfare (EW) capabilities.

By developing alternative radio link algorithms, it aims to make it harder for Russia to jam the signal from its surveillance drones, rendering them useless.

1208 GMT — Ukraine, India foreign ministers to meet in New Delhi

Ukraine's foreign minister will begin a two-day visit to India on Thursday to discuss "global issues", Russia's traditional ally New Delhi has said in a statement.

Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba will meet his counterpart S. Jaishankar in New Delhi and also hold talks with India's deputy national security advisor, India's foreign ministry said.

India has shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia for its attack on Ukraine, even as it has pursued greater security ties with the United States.

Kuleba will discuss "cooperation on regional and global issues of mutual interest", New Delhi said.

1149 GMT — Poland and Ukraine close to agreement on grain, says Polish lawmaker

Poland and Ukraine are close to an agreement on agricultural imports, a Polish lawmaker told state news agency PAP, ahead of talks between the countries' governments as Warsaw seeks to defuse protests by farmers.

Farmers in Poland and elsewhere in the European Union have been protesting to demand the re-imposition of customs duties on agricultural imports from Ukraine that were waived after Russia's attack in 2022.

They say Ukraine's farmers are flooding Europe with cheap imports that leave them unable to compete.

Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Solsky on Wednesday in Warsaw, with the governments of the countries due to meet on Thursday.

1103 GMT — Ukraine says detained two Russian agents

Ukraine's SBU security service said it had detained two agents of Russia's intelligence agency accused of passing the location of sensitive military targets to enemy forces.

Kiev has waged an intense crackdown on those suspected of having collaborated with Moscow since its military offensive in February 2022, opening thousands of criminal cases.

"As a result of a special operation, two FSB agents were detained in Kiev and Odessa," the SBU said in a statement, referring to the Kremlin's FSB security service.

"The criminals tried to identify the locations of Ukrainian troops, and then send the occupiers the relevant coordinates to adjust air attacks," it said.

0743 GMT — Four wounded by Russian fire in Ukraine's Kharkiv region

Four people were wounded by Russian strikes on the east Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, officials said, as Moscow said it had downed a barrage of Ukrainian rockets.

The Kharkiv region borders Russia and has been under persistent shelling, with recent bombardments there leaving thousands without power.

Its governor Oleg Sinegubov said on social media that three men and one woman all over the age of 50 were injured in separate strikes on towns and villages in the region with artillery and rockets.

0255 GMT — Western military support for Ukraine 'insufficient': UK defence chief

Britain's defence secretary said military support for Ukraine from Western countries is insufficient.

Speaking at a defence committee hearing, Grant Shapps said he thinks Western allies need to do more in support of Ukraine against Russia. "I do think that we need to do more. I think it's unthinkable that we would lose this war to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," he added.

His remarks came as he was questioned on a number of issues, including the future of military aid to Ukraine. Shapps said "yes" in response to a question on whether he agreed that Ukraine cannot fall.

Saying they have the capability "not to lose this war," he noted that this requires everyone to play an active role.

2347 GMT — Russia claims downing 18 airborne targets in Belgorod

Russia has claimed that its air defence units downed 18 airborne targets over the southern region of Belgorod bordering Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Gladkov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said one person was injured and there was damage to private homes and cars.

Ukraine has been staging air attacks for months on Belgorod and two nearby regions, Kursk and Voronezh.

There have also been a number of incursions into the Belgorod region.

2333 GMT — Ukraine boosts spending on homemade weapons to help repel Russia

Ukraine is flooding its small but fast-growing defence industry with money in hopes that a surge of homemade weapons and ammunition can help turn the tide in its war against Russia.

The effort ramped up sharply over the past year as the US and Europe strained to deliver weapons and other aid to Ukraine, which is up against a much bigger Russian military backed by a thriving domestic defence industry.

The Ukrainian government budgeted nearly $1.4 billion in 2024 to develop weapons at home — 20 times more than before Russia's full-scale military offensive.

And in another major shift, a huge portion of weapons are now being bought from privately owned factories. They are sprouting up across the country and rapidly taking over an industry that had been dominated by state-owned companies.

2250 GMT — Moldovan court strikes down law barring pro-Russian party from polls

Moldova's Constitutional Court has struck down legislation aimed at barring from elections a banned party linked to a fugitive business magnate who supports opponents of the pro-European government.

The court ruled unconstitutional an amendment to the former Soviet state's electoral law barring individuals linked to parties deemed illegal or unconstitutional from running for office for three years.

The measure, passed last year, was part of a concerted drive by authorities against pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor.

For our live updates from Tuesday, March 26, click here.