Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said his country would "respond to every blow" after Russian strikes killed at least seven people in the Kyiv region, and claimed another victim in southern Zaporizhzhia. Follow our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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03:55am: UN nuclear chief says Ukraine plant situation 'remains perilous'
The UN nuclear agency's chief said Wednesday that the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant "remains perilous" following a Russian missile strike this month that disconnected the plant from the grid.
Europe's largest nuclear power plant needs a reliable electricity supply to operate pumps that circulate water to cool reactors and pools holding nuclear fuel.
Since a Russian strike on March 9, the plant has relied on a single backup power line that remains "disconnected and under repair", according to Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"Nuclear safety at the ZNPP remains in a precarious state," Grossi said in a statement on Wednesday.
7:20pm: Zelensky says Ukraine will 'respond to every blow' after Russian attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said his country would "respond to every blow" after Russian strikes killed at least seven people in the Kyiv region, and claimed another victim in southern Zaporizhzhia.
"We will certainly respond to every blow of the occupier on our cities," Zelensky said, adding that "today's Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia, the night attack on the Kyiv region ... all Russian strikes will receive a military, political and legal response."
5:05pm: ICC rejects 'threats' after Putin arrest warrant
The legislative body of the International Criminal Court said Wednesday it regretted "threats" against the tribunal over its war crimes arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The presidency of the Assembly of States Parties, which groups ICC member countries, said in a statement there had been "threats against the International Criminal Court as well as measures announced against its Prosecutor and Judges".
4:22pm: Nobel Peace committee 'deplores' actions against Russia's Memorial
The Nobel Committee in charge of the Peace Prize on Wednesday condemned the legal actions and what it called "unfounded" charges against members of the prize-winning Russian human rights organisation Memorial.
"The Norwegian Nobel Committee deplores the arrest of and legal actions taken against Jan Rachinsky and other leading members of Memorial," Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the committee, said in a statement.
"The charges made against them are unfounded and must be dropped," she said.
The rights group said Tuesday that Russian authorities had opened a criminal case against Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of Memorial, for "discrediting" the army after security officials raided the homes of several Memorial employees earlier in the day.
Memorial established itself as a pillar of civil society by preserving the memory of victims of communist repression and campaigning against rights violations in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.
3:40pm: Blinken says China has not 'crossed line' on lethal aid to Russia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that China has not provided substantial military aid to Russia despite Beijing's ramping up of diplomatic support.
"As we speak today, we have not seen them cross that line," Blinken said in response to a question as he testified before a US Senate committee.
3:29pm: Ukraine needs $411 bn for reconstruction, recovery says World Bank
Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery needs have grown to $411 billion, just over a year since Russia's invasion, the World Bank said Wednesday.
The assessment, made jointly by Ukraine's government, the World Bank, the European Commission and the United Nations, is an increase from the $349 billion estimated in a report released in September.
The latest evaluation expects Kyiv to require $14 billion for critical and priority reconstruction and recovery investments in 2023.
Meeting these needs will call for $11 billion in financing beyond what Ukraine's government has already addressed in its 2023 budget, according to the assessment.
3:00pm: Russia says risk of nuclear conflict at highest level in decades
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that the probability of a nuclear conflict was at its highest level in decades, Russian news agencies reported.
He also said there could be no talk of secret or open negotiations with Washington on restoring the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, which Russia pulled out of in February.
2:58pm: Ukrainian counter offensive in Bakhmut ‘expected to start in the next few weeks’
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday visited military positions near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The front line town has been scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia's invasion, but a Ukrainian counter offensive is expected to start "in the next few weeks", says FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg, reporting from Kyiv.
1:51pm: Slovakia offered $1 billion in US arms in trade-off for Ukraine aid
Slovakia on Wednesday said it had received a US offer of $1 billion in helicopters (Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters), missiles and other arms at a discounted rate in compensation for promising to send MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine.
"The value of this material is slightly over $1 billion ... Slovakia would pay around $340 million," Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Facebook, adding that the US offer was in exchange "for 13 old MiGs and a part of the KUB air defence system" promised to Ukraine.
1:19pm: Russian military court orders arrest of National Guard general for bribery
A Russian military court on Wednesday detained the deputy commander of the central military district of Russia's National Guard, Major General Vadim Dragomiretsky, on charges of bribe-taking, state-owned news agency TASS reported.
Senior lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said on Monday that military investigators had opened a criminal case against Dragomiretsky after he was accused of receiving large sums in bribes.
Khinshtein did not share details of the evidence for the case against Dragomiretsky, or his role in the case if any, but said the move was the result of efforts by the Federal Security Service and the National Guard. The National Guard could not immediately be reached for comment.
Khinshtein said Dragomiretsky was suspected of receiving kickbacks from a contractor who reconstructed a military unit in the Moscow region, with preliminary data showing a transfer of 19 million rubles ($250,000).
1:08pm: Russian strike on flats in southern Ukraine kills 1 at least and wounds dozens
A Russian strike on a residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed one and wounded at least 25 people including children, city officials said.
"Twenty five people are currently in hospitals," mayor Anatoliy Kurtiev said on social media, adding that one person died of his wounds.
1:01pm: Russia's Lavrov says UK sending depleted uranium shells to Ukraine makes situation more dangerous
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Britain's decision to supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine (to be used by the tanks already supplied) took the situation to new and dangerous levels.
1:00pm: China supports a UN-led investigation into the Nord Stream blast, government spokesperson says
China supports a United Nations-led investigation into the Nord Stream blast, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a tweet on Wednesday.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea were hit by a series of unexplained explosions last September.
12:28pm: Zelensky visits Bakhmut front line in show of solidarity to troops
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday visited military positions near the front line town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia's invasion, he said.
"Donetsk region. The front line positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area. I am honoured to be here today to award our heroes. To shake hands and thank them for protecting the sovereignty of our country," Zelensky said on social media.
11:49am: Russian defence minister says Moscow air defence modernisation will be finished by end of year
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that the modernisation of Moscow's air defence system would be completed this year, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported. He also added that Bastion coastal defence missile systems had been deployed to Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands, some of which Japan claims as its territory.
>> One year on, Russian military tech has proved weaker than expected in Ukraine
Russian officials have blamed Kyiv for a string of drone attacks deep inside Russian territory since the beginning of the military campaign in Ukraine.
10:54am: Kremlin dismisses 'hostile' reaction to Putin-Xi talks
The Kremlin on Wednesday shrugged off the West's "hostile" reaction to the summit between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
"As for the reaction of the collective West, the fact that on all issues this reaction took on an unfriendly and hostile nature is not news to anyone," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
10:27am: UK says supply of depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine is not nuclear escalation
Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday there was no nuclear escalation in the Ukraine war, speaking after Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned London's plan to supply Ukraine with ammunition containing depleted uranium.
Britain had on Monday confirmed it was supplying Ukraine with that type of ammunition, which is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties.
"There is no nuclear escalation. The only country in the world that is talking about nuclear issues is Russia. There is no threat to Russia, this is purely about helping Ukraine defend itself," Cleverly said.
9:07am: China 'stands on the right side of history', says Xi Jinping during Moscow visit
"The presidents had a long talk and in it, they expressed that the US and NATO's inflammatory remarks and actions add fuel to the fire and they need to be counterbalanced by peace forces, aka China", FRANCE 24's Yena Lee reports from Beijing on the state visit held in Moscow between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin which ended early this morning.
7:55am: At least four killed and several wounded in Russian drone strikes on Kyiv region
Four people were killed and another seven wounded in overnight Russian drone strikes on the Kyiv region, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday morning. Reports indicate that the target attacked by the Russian drones was a vocational high school.
The Kyiv Regional Military administration reported on its Telegram channel that a "civilian object" had been damaged and that rescuers were still working at the scene. The Ukrainian military said it had shot down 16 out of 21 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched at Ukraine overnight by Russia.
7:47am: Russian official says Moscow urges US to avoid Ukraine escalation
Russia is urging the United States not to continue down the path of escalation in Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday, the Interfax news agency reported.
7:41am: UK says Russia may be losing momentum in Bakhmut
British military intelligence said on Wednesday there is a possibility that the Russian assault on the town of Bakhmut is losing the limited momentum it had obtained.
This could be happening because "some Russian MoD units have been reallocated to other sectors", the Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin. Ukrainian forces on Tuesday had repelled Russian attempts to advance into the centre of the small eastern city of Bakhmut.
7:18am: Sevastopol suspends ferries after drone attack, governor says
The Russian-backed administration in Sevastopol said on Wednesday that it had suspended ferry routes around the port city, shortly after the city's governor said a Ukrainian drone attack had been repelled by air defences.
Writing on Telegram, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said that three "objects" had been destroyed, and that there had been no casualties or damage to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol. FRANCE 24 could not independently verify Razvozhaev's claims immediately.
On Tuesday, an explosion in Dzhankoi, in the north of Crimea, was blamed on a Ukrainian drone strike by local officials. Sevastopol, along with the rest of the Crimean peninsula, was annexed by Russia in 2014, but is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine. There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine.
7:09am: China's Xi departs from Russia
China President Xi Jinping departed from Russia on Wednesday after finishing his state visit, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Xi's plane left Moscow's Vnukovo airport after being seen off by a guard of honour who played the Russian and Chinese national anthems, the RIA Novosti news agency said.
6:52am: Russian navy 'repelled' drone attack on Crimea's Sevastopol port, governor says
The Russian navy "repelled" a drone attack on the port of Sevastopol in Moscow-annexed Crimea early on Wednesday, the Kremlin-backed governor of the city said.
"The Black Sea Fleet repelled a surface drone attack on Sevastopol," Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-backed head of Sevastopol, wrote on Telegram. "They tried to penetrate our bay, our sailors fired at them from small arms. Air defence was also working".
12:30am: IMF announces $16 billion for Ukraine's shattered economy
The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday it has reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine for a four-year financing package worth about $15.6 billion, offering the country needed funds as it continues its battle against Russia's invasion.
The agreement, which must still be ratified by the IMF's board, follows months of negotiations between IMF staff and Ukrainian authorities. The IMF said its executive board is expected to discuss approval in the coming weeks.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
