Closing summary
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has described the situation at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine as “very dangerous” and very unstable. He said his attempt to broker a deal to protect the plant was still alive, adding that there had been increasing military activity in the region without giving details.
Ukraine’s frontline city of Avdiivka “is being wiped off the face of the Earth” amid intensifying Russian shelling, according to its top local official. Russian forces have been making recent gradual gains on the flanks of Avdiivka, and the Ukrainian military said last week that the city could become a “second Bakhmut”. Starting on Sunday, the city’s utilities will begin to be shut off as “more and more of the town is shelled and destroyed daily,” said Vitaliy Barabash, the city’s military administration head.
Russia’s 10th tank regiment has borne the brunt of the assault of Avdiivka and has likely lost a “large portion of its tanks” while attempting to surround the town from the south, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in its latest intelligence update. It said the regiment belonged to the 3rd Army Corps, the first major new formation Russia stood up to support its invasion since August 2022 and despite a period of training in Belarus, the formation “appears to display limited combat effectiveness”.
Ukraine is aiming to exhaust and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces has said. In a video showing him addressing soldiers in what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia was continuing to focus on the Bakhmut area after months of battle.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited Ukraine’s northern Sumy region during his tour of areas of the country that have borne the brunt of Russia’s invasion. Zelenskiy met officials and local residents in the city of Okhtyrka, which had fierce battles last year but was never occupied, and Trostianets, which was occupied by Russian forces for a month and liberated in March 2022. During the past seven days, the Ukrainian leader has visited the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, parts of which were retaken last year from Russia, to the frontline area near Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, and to Zaporizhzhia in the south.
Germany’s much-awaited shipment of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks has arrived in Ukraine, the German defence ministry has confirmed. Berlin had promised 14 vehicles but increased that to 18 as part of a deal under which several EU states would contribute to a shipment of two Leopard 2 battalions and 31 American-made M1A2 Abrams tanks from the US.
The first Brotosj Challenger 2 main battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine and will soon begin combat missions, the country’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has said. The UK said in January it would send 14 of the tanks to Ukraine. Reznikov wrote on Twitter that the tanks had “recently arrived in our country” and posted a video that showed him sitting in one of a long line of tanks in an open field, all of them flying Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag.
The US supports the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of “aggression” against Ukraine, officials said. The US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, Beth Van Schaak said the court might also be located elsewhere in Europe, at least at first, “in order “to reinforce Ukraine’s desired European orientation”.
Belarus’s foreign ministry has justified its decision to allow Russia to station nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, saying Minsk was acting to protect itself after years of pressure from the US and its allies aimed at changing its political and geopolitical direction. Minsk had been forced to house Russian nuclear weapons on its territory by the aggressive actions of Nato countries that were threatening Belarus’s own security, it said, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Belarus will certainly face further EU sanctions resulting from Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said. Poland was considering further limitations on cross-border traffic, Morawiecki added.
A Russian man who was investigated by police after his 12-year-old daughter drew a picture depicting Russian bombing a family in Ukraine has been sentenced to two years in a penal colony, according to a rights group. Alexei Moskalyov, a single parent from the town of Yefremov, 150 miles south of Moscow, has been separated from his daughter, Maria, since he was placed under house arrest and she was taken into a state-run shelter last month. Court officials said on Tuesday that the 54-year-old fled house arrest overnight and that his whereabouts were unknown.
The International Olympic Committee has recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete in international sporting events under a neutral flag. A decision regarding next year’s Olympics in Paris and the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026 would be taken “at the appropriate time”, it said. Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said the committee’s decision is “a slap in the face for all Ukrainian athletes”.
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, and the Russia-Ukraine war blog today. We’ll be back tomorrow. Thank you.
The US has not seen any indications that Russia is getting closer to using tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, White House spokesperson John Kirby has said.
It comes after Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The Russian president said he was acting after negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, who he said had “long raised the question” of a nuclear deployment on his country’s territory.
Speaking to reporters today, Kirby said:
We’re watching this as best we can. We haven’t seen any movement by Mr Putin to act on what he pledged he would do.
The Belarusian foreign ministry today confirmed it will host Russian tactical nuclear weapons, saying the decision was a response to years of western pressure.
Donetsk regional police have published footage showing scenes of devastation in Ukraine’s frontline city of Avdiivka.
The video shows destroyed residential blocks with charred walls and piles of rubble on deserted streets as police continue to evacuate civilians.
Starting on Sunday, the city will begin to shut off its utilities as “more and more of the town is shelled and destroyed daily,” said Vitaliy Barabash, its military administration head.
Russian forces have been making recent gradual gains on the flanks of Avdiivka, and the Ukrainian military said last week that the city could become a “second Bakhmut”.
The US supports the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of “aggression” against Ukraine, officials said.
A US state department spokesperson said:
We believe that this Special Tribunal should be rooted in Ukraine’s domestic judicial system, as this will provide the clearest path to establishing a new Tribunal and maximize our chances of achieving meaningful accountability.
The US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, Beth Van Schaak also announced Washington’s support for such a court in a speech on Monday night. She said:
At this critical moment in history, I am pleased to announce that the United States supports the development of an internationalised tribunal dedicated to prosecuting the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
She said the court might also be located elsewhere in Europe, at least at first, "in order “to reinforce Ukraine’s desired European orientation”.
Ukraine, the EU and the Netherlands have publicly backed the idea of a special tribunal. Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation,” has denied accusations of war crimes including deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians.
Here’s some reaction to the IOC’s recommendation that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to compete under a neutral flag in international sporting events.
Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said the committee’s decision is “a slap in the face for all Ukrainian athletes”, posting to Twitter:
I would have liked the Russian and Belarusian athletes to remain excluded. There is no reason whatsoever for Russia to return to world sport.
Die Entscheidung vom #IOC ist ein Schlag ins Gesicht aller ukrainischen Sportlerinnen und Sportler. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass die russischen und belarussischen Athleten weiter ausgeschlossen bleiben. Es gibt keinerlei Grund für eine Rückkehr Russlands in den Weltsport.
— Nancy Faeser (@NancyFaeser) March 28, 2023
Wladimir Klitschko, the Ukrainian former professional boxer, accused IOC president Thomas Bach of serving “the colours and interests of Russia”.
The IOC authorizes the russian and belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympic Games under "neutral flag".
— Klitschko (@Klitschko) March 28, 2023
This decision is a false flag.
Thomas Bach serves the colors and interests of russia.
This decision contaminates the Olympic spirit and is like this war: a nonsense pic.twitter.com/KoU9JYl4wV
Poland’s deputy foreign minister, Piotr Wawrzyk, said it was “a day of shame for the IOC”, posting to Twitter:
What positive things has Russia done for their athletes to now take part in competitions!! After Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel!! After the daily bombings of civilian sites!!
Co takiego wydarzyło się pozytywnego ze strony Rosji, że ich sportowcy mieliby uczestniczyć w zawodach‼️ Po Buczy, Irpieniu, Hostomelu‼️ Po codziennych bombardowaniach obiektów cywilnych‼️ To dzień hańby MKOL‼️
— Piotr Wawrzyk (@Piotr_Wawrzyk) March 28, 2023
A 200-year-old bronze statue commemorating Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar is to be surrounded by thousands of sandbags to echo the plight of monuments in Ukraine.
The plan for Liverpool’s Nelson’s Monument is one of 24 cultural commissions announced on Tuesday as part of a festival that aims to transform the city in the run-up to its staging of the Eurovision song contest.
Running from 1-14 May, it will, say the organisers, be “the pre-party to end all pre-parties” as fans from across the world descend on the city.
Claire McColgan, the director of Culture Liverpool, said the planned EuroFestival would be a “scouse/Ukrainian mashup of brilliance”.
She added:
No other Eurovision host city has ever curated a creative programme of such scale and scope. This is the spirit of Eurovision spilling on to our streets. Free for all. Accessible to all. Uniting us all.
Russian and Belarusian athletes may compete as neutrals, says IOC
The International Olympic Committee has recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete in international sporting events under a neutral flag.
The IOC issued a set of recommendations, which stated that those “with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes”, meaning individuals can compete without national symbols, such as a flag.
A decision regarding next year’s Olympics in Paris and the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026 would be taken “at the appropriate time”, it said.
It added that “athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies” could also not be considered.
➡️ IOC issues recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in int. competitions
— Christian Klaue (@ChKlaue) March 28, 2023
➡️ No decision on Paris 2024 or Milano Cortina 2026https://t.co/Qj2TkHs4yc
IOC president Thomas Bach, speaking at a news conference today, said:
What is maybe most important, what has changed, is that participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in competitions and in international competitions, works.
The US will not provide Russia with data on its nuclear forces, the White House has said, following Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend Moscow’s participation in the New Start nuclear arms treaty.
The 2010 agreement, which limited the number of strategic nuclear warheads each side can deploy, was the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia. Putin announced its suspension in February, accusing Washington of trying to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow in Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the US national security council said today:
Under international law, the United States has the right to respond to Russia’s breaches of the New Start Treaty by taking proportionate and reversable countermeasures in order to induce Russia to return to compliance with its obligations.
They added:
That means that because Russia’s claimed suspension of the New Start Treaty is legally invalid, the US is legally permitted to withhold our biannual data update in response to Russia’s breaches.
The US has previously said Moscow’s decision to suspend its participation in the treaty showed it was not a responsible nuclear partner. Russia and the US together hold 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads.
‘Very dangerous’ situation at Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says IAEA chief
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has described the situation at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine as “very dangerous” and very unstable.
The nuclear facility has lost its external power supply six times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, forcing emergency diesel generators to kick in to cool its reactors.
Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the water level in a nearby reservoir controlled by Russian forces was another potential danger. Water supplied by the reservoir is used to cool the reactors.
He told Reuters:
If the reservoir level goes down beyond a certain level, then you don’t have water to cool down the reactors, and we have seen especially in January that the levels of the water were going down significantly. They recovered somehow in the past few weeks.
He added that there had been increasing military activity in the region without giving details.
Grossi, who yesterday met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station, northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant, said his attempt to broker a deal to protect the plant was still alive, and that he was adjusting the proposals to seek a breakthrough.
He was speaking a day before he is expected to travel to the nuclear plant, the largest in Europe.
Grossi has been pushing for a safety zone to be created at the plant to prevent a possible nuclear disaster as Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the site of the power station. Kyiv does not want a deal that will in effect recognise or allow a Russian military presence at the plant.
Grossi added:
I am confident that it might be possible to establish some form of protection, perhaps not emphasising so much the idea of a zone, but on the protection itself: what people should do, or shouldn’t do to protect (the plant) instead of having a territorial concept.
Summary of the day so far
It’s 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Ukraine’s frontline city of Avdiivka “is being wiped off the face of the Earth” amid intensifying Russian shelling, according to its top local official. Russian forces have been making recent gradual gains on the flanks of Avdiivka, and the Ukrainian military said last week that the city could become a “second Bakhmut”. Starting on Sunday, the city’s utilities will begin to be shut off as “more and more of the town is shelled and destroyed daily,” said Vitaliy Barabash, the city’s military administration head.
Ukraine is aiming to exhaust and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces has said. In a video showing him addressing soldiers in what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia was continuing to focus on the Bakhmut area after months of battle.
Russia’s 10th tank regiment has borne the brunt of the assault of Avdiivka and has likely lost a “large portion of its tanks” while attempting to surround the town from the south, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in its latest intelligence update. It said the regiment belonged to the 3rd Army Corps, the first major new formation Russia stood up to support its invasion since August 2022 and despite a period of training in Belarus, the formation “appears to display limited combat effectiveness”.
Higher quality Wagner units have likely been committed to fighting around Avdiivka “potentially to reinforce recent limited tactical successes in the area”, according to the Institute for Study of War (ISW). The ISW said the deployments appear intended to help support weaker units from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and that if confirmed, their involvement may help “explain the limited tactical gains made in the area over the past week”.
Russian forces launched 24 airstrikes, 12 missile strikes and carried out 55 attacks from rocket salvo systems in the last 24 hours, according the latest update from the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine. A missile strike in the city of Sloviansk damaged high-rise buildings and private houses, causing deaths and injuries among civilians. A separate airstrike in the city of Bersyslav also caused damaged to civilian infrastructure.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited Ukraine’s northern Sumy region during his tour of areas of the country that have borne the brunt of Russia’s invasion. Zelenskiy met officials and local residents in the city of Okhtyrka, which had fierce battles last year but was never occupied, and Trostianets, which was occupied by Russian forces for a month and liberated in March 2022. During the past seven days, the Ukrainian leader has visited the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, parts of which were retaken last year from Russia, to the frontline area near Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, and to Zaporizhzhia in the south.
Germany’s much-awaited shipment of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks has arrived in Ukraine, the German defence ministry has confirmed. Berlin had promised 14 vehicles but increased that to 18 as part of a deal under which several EU states would contribute to a shipment of two Leopard 2 battalions and 31 American-made M1A2 Abrams tanks from the US.
The first Brotosj Challenger 2 main battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine and will soon begin combat missions, the country’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has said. The UK said in January it would send 14 of the tanks to Ukraine. Reznikov wrote on Twitter that the tanks had “recently arrived in our country” and posted a video that showed him sitting in one of a long line of tanks in an open field, all of them flying Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag.
Belarus’s foreign ministry has justified its decision to allow Russia to station nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, saying Minsk was acting to protect itself after years of pressure from the US and its allies aimed at changing its political and geopolitical direction. Minsk had been forced to house Russian nuclear weapons on its territory by the aggressive actions of Nato countries that were threatening Belarus’s own security, it said, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Belarus will certainly face further EU sanctions resulting from Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said. Poland was considering further limitations on cross-border traffic, Morawiecki added.
A Russian man who was investigated by police after his 12-year-old daughter drew a picture depicting Russian bombing a family in Ukraine has been sentenced to two years in a penal colony, according to a rights group. Alexei Moskalyov, a single parent from the town of Yefremov, 150 miles south of Moscow, has been separated from his daughter, Maria, since he was placed under house arrest and she was taken into a state-run shelter last month. Court officials said on Tuesday that the 54-year-old fled house arrest overnight and that his whereabouts were unknown.
Good afternoon from London. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here with all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
Earlier we reported that a Russian man who was investigated by police after his 12-year-old daughter drew a picture depicting Russian bombing a family in Ukraine had reportedly been sentenced to two years in prison.
It appears that the whereabouts of the convicted man, Alexei Moskalyov, is unclear. Court officials have said the 54-year-old fled house arrest overnight, and was not present for the outcome of his trial. He had been wearing a bracelet that tracked his movements but apparently had taken it off.
Moskalyov’s lawyer, Vladimir Biliyenko, told reporters after the hearing today that he learned of his client’s disappearance at the court hearing. He said he had not seen his client since Monday and did not know whether Moskalyov had fled.
He told Reuters:
At the moment, to be honest, I’m in a state of shock.
He said the defence would appeal against the court’s verdict and that Moskalyov’s daughter, Maria, would remain in a state-run shelter for the time being.
Updated
Updated
While the panel discussion continues in Washington DC, where France’s foreign minister, Catherine Colonna , and the Czech Republic’s foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, have also spoken, Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was due to appear, has posted to Telegram. He has said he has visited Sumy, posting:
Sumy region. Our border. [I] observed the service of the border guards holding the frontiers of the state. Ukrainian border guards work in close cooperation with other components of the defence forces of Ukraine to protect the state border from the enemy.
Updated
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, has been addressing a summit on democracy in Washington DC, and has been outlining again Ukraine’s peace plan. The key points he has made so far include saying:
Although Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine, its aggression is not only about Ukraine. Russia also aims to destroy the world order based on international law and the UN Charter. Our sons and daughters have not only been fighting for the future, but also defending our common democratic values at the cost of their lives. In this fight, we are defending the entire democratic world.
No other nation wants peace more than Ukraine. But peace at any cost is an illusion. I would like to emphasise that the Ukrainian people will accept peace only if it guarantees the cessation of Russian aggression in full the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and the restoration of our state’s territorial integrity within internationally recognised borders.
He went on to say later: “I want to be clear, Russia has to withdraw from every square metre of Ukrainian territory. There should be no misinterpretation of what the word withdrawal implies.”
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, responded by saying that calls for a ceasefire were appealing – “who wouldn’t want the guns to be silent” – but risked freezing the conflict and allowing Russia to consolidate its territorial gains at Ukraine’s expense.
Updated
In his opening address in Washington DC, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken has restated the US position on potential future peace in Ukraine. He said:
The US is committed to supporting meaningful diplomatic efforts that can achieve this. We all know that for peace to be just, it must uphold the principles at the heart of the UN charter: sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and for peace to be durable. It must ensure that Russia can’t simply rest and refit its troops, and then relaunch the war at a time more advantageous to it.
Ukraine under president Zelenskiy has put forward a proposal that would force such a peace. It would end the war and save countless lives. It would restore Ukraine’s territory, and respect its democracy, would reconstruct the country and the economy. It would ensure that radiation and nuclear safety. It would uphold the UN Charter and the will of the international community. And it would come to the aid of billions around the world that have been affected by Russia’s aggression.
Updated
There’s been a change of plan at the summit, and Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has appeared, carrying Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s apologies, saying that you will have seen in the news that Ukraine’s president is visiting frontline regions in Ukraine.
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken is chairing an event entitled “A Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine”, and the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to join the event virtually. It is part of a summit for democracy event being held in Washington DC.
You will be able to watch a live stream on this blog. You may need to refresh the page for the play button to appear. The session is just starting.
Updated
Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said Belarus will certainly face further EU sanctions resulting from Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.
The Russian president said on Saturday that he was acting after negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, who he said had “long raised the question” of a nuclear deployment on his country’s territory.
The Belarusian foreign ministry justified its decision to cooperate with Russia in a statement today, saying Minsk was acting to protect itself after years of pressure from the US and its allies aimed at changing its political and geopolitical direction.
Morawiecki, at a news conference in Bucharest, said:
This step taken by Russia... the announcement of the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, will certainly lead to the announcement of additional sanctions, the level of sanctions will be much more severe for the Lukashenko regime.
The US has accused Russia of destabilising Belarus and making its smaller neighbour into “a nuclear hostage”. Aa senior Biden administration official has said there were no signs Moscow planned to use its nuclear weapons.
Morawiecki said he was in daily talks with other EU leaders about an 11th package of sanctions against Russia and that it would include more measures targeting Belarus.
In February, Poland announced it would close a key border crossing with Belarus amid rising tensions after a journalist of Polish origin was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Belarusian court in a trial Warsaw says was politically motivated.
Poland was considering further limitations on cross-border traffic, Morawiecki said today. He added:
We border Belarus and, as part of our bilateral relations, we are considering tightening the parameters of passenger and freight traffic in order to send a signal that we do not accept actions that serve Russia in its aggressive actions in Ukraine.
Russian man whose daughter drew pro-Ukraine picture sentenced to two years in jail
A Russian man who was investigated by police after his 12-year-old daughter drew a picture depicting Russian bombing a family in Ukraine has been sentenced to two years in a penal colony, according to a rights group.
Alexei Moskalyov, a single parent from the town of Yefremov, 150 miles south of Moscow, was convicted on Tuesday of discrediting the armed forces, the OVD-Info rights group said.
He has been separated from his daughter, Maria, since he was placed under house arrest and she was taken into a state-run shelter last month.
Moskalyov was convicted over comments he had posted online about the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports. But the investigation last April when Maria, a sixth-grader, refused to participate in a patriotic class at her school and made several drawings showing rockets being fired at a family standing under a Ukrainian flag and another that said: “Glory to Ukraine!”
School officials summoned the police, who questioned the girl and threatened her father. Moskalyov was subsequently fined about £350 for a post online in which he characterised the Russian army as “rapists”. The remarks came since revelations of alleged war crimes committed against civilians at Bucha in Ukraine.
The case has provoked an outcry among Russian human rights activists and sparked an online campaign to reunite the father and daughter. The banned rights group Memorial said it considered Moskalyov to be a political prisoner.
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited Ukraine’s northern Sumy region during his tour of areas of the country that have borne the brunt of Russia’s invasion.
Zelenskiy met officials and local residents in the city of Okhtyrka, which had fierce battles last year but was never occupied, and Trostianets, which was occupied by Russian forces for a month and liberated in March 2022, Associated Press reports.
During the past seven days, the Ukrainian leader has visited the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, parts of which were retaken last year from Russia, to the frontline area near Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, and to Zaporizhzhia in the south.
Addressing a crowd of people on a square in Okhtyrka, he promised that the city would be rebuilt. Zelenskiy said:
We won’t let any wound remain on the body of our state.
In Trostianets, Zelensky honoured soldiers at the local railway station, where Ukrainian authorities say the Russians tortured prisoners. One resident told the AP that the president’s visit to the city meant a lot to him, adding:
It’s a symbol of unity and the iron will that brought the country together.
Updated
Ukraine’s Avdiivka being ‘wiped off the face of the Earth’, says official
Ukraine’s frontline city of Avdiivka “is being wiped off the face of the Earth” amid intensifying Russian shelling, according to its top local official.
Russian forces have been making recent gradual gains on the flanks of Avdiivka, and the Ukrainian military said last week that the city could become a “second Bakhmut”.
About 2,000 civilians remain in Avdiivka, a Donetsk region city about 90km (56 miles) south-west of the besieged Bakhmut, according to officials. The city had a prewar population of more than 30,000.
Starting on Sunday, the city’s utilities will begin to be shut off as “more and more of the town is shelled and destroyed daily,” said Vitaliy Barabash, the city’s military administration head. He added:
The town is being wiped off the face of the Earth.
Barabash, in a Telegram post yesterday, said Russian forces were turning Avdiivka into “a place from post-apocalyptic movies”.
Updated
Germany’s much-awaited shipment of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks has arrived in Ukraine, the German defence ministry has confirmed.
After months of prevaricating, the German government announced in late January it would provide Kyiv with the state-of-the-art fighting vehicles as part of a deal under which several EU states would contribute to a shipment of two Leopard 2 battalions and 31 American-made M1A2 Abrams tanks from the US.
Berlin had promised 14 vehicles but increased that to 18 in order to make up the numbers of a Ukrainian battalion, with Portugal contributing three tanks and Sweden 10. Poland has supplied Ukraine with a battalion of the older Leopard 2 A4 model.
“As promised, our tanks have arrived on time in the hands of our Ukrainian friends”, Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, said on Monday night. “I am sure that they can make the difference on the front.”
The vehicles were handed over at the Ukrainian border at the end of last week, the news magazine Der Spiegel reported, adding that 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and two tank recovery vehicles promised by Berlin have also arrived in Ukraine. For security reasons, the German government would not comment on the route by which the tanks were delivered.
Kyiv, which had a limited numbers of tanks from the Soviet or post-Soviet era, has said it urgently needs heavier armour for its defence against Russia’s invasion, with the German-made Kampfpanzer Leopard 2 at the top of its list.
Updated
One evening in late December, as Muscovites strolled along their city’s brightly lit streets in anticipation of the end-of-year celebrations, a group of old friends gathered for dinner at the flat of a senior state official.
Some of the guests present, which included members of Russia’s cultural and political elite, toasted a new year in which they expressed hope for peace and a return to normality.
As the night went on, a man who needed little introduction stood up for a toast, holding his glass.
“I am guessing you are expecting me to say something,” said Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s longtime spokesperson, according to one of the two people who separately recounted the evening to the Guardian under conditions of anonymity.
“Things will get much harder. This will take a very, very long time,” Peskov continued.
His toast darkened the mood of the evening among the guests, many of whom have said in private that they oppose the war in Ukraine. One guest said:
It was uncomfortable to hear his speech. It was clear that he was warning that the war will stay with us and we should prepare for the long haul.
Read the full story by my colleagues Pjotr Sauer and Andrew Roth:
Nearly 4,400 Ukrainian orphans and children are held “deprived of parental care” in Russia and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk.
Vereshchuk accused Russia of concealing information about the children, and said Kyiv had deployed a wide range of government agencies to supply evidence to the international criminal court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
She added:
There’s already enough evidence. We hope our efforts and pressure from the international community will speed up the process of returning our children.
Updated
The UK and Poland will build two temporary villages in western and central Ukraine to provide housing for people who have been forced from their homes by Russia’s invasion, the UK government has said.
The villages in Lviv and Poltava will offer accommodation for more than 700 Ukrainians, a fraction of the millions either displaced in Ukraine or who have fled the country since the war began more than a year ago.
The UK has announced up to £10m in funding to support the partnership, which will deliver temporary shelters, energy supplies and assistance to those who have fled heavy fighting on the frontlines or lost their homes because of Russian shelling.
In a statement, the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said:
For the past year, Putin has continued to target civilian homes and infrastructure, with the Ukrainian people paying a heavy price. This new UK-Poland partnership will help bring light, heat and homes to those most in need.
The international community is resolute in our shared determination to support the Ukrainian people and see them prevail with a just peace on Ukrainian terms.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images we have received from the news wires of the aftermath of recent shelling in the Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region.
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
Ukraine is aiming to exhaust and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said in a video posted on Tuesday. In a video showing him addressing soldiers in what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia was continuing to focus on the Bakhmut area after months of battle. “As of today, our main task is to wear down the overwhelming forces of the enemy and inflict heavy losses on them. It will create the necessary conditions to help liberate Ukrainian land and speed up our victory.”
Russian forces launched 24 airstrikes, 12 missile strikes and carried out 55 attacks from rocket salvo systems in the last 24 hours, according the latest update from the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine.
Several explosions were reported in Kyiv on Monday night, according to the mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko. Klitschko said a shop caught fire in the west but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Kyiv air defence said it shot down all drones involved.
A cultural centre and a children’s playground, as well as five private houses, were hit in the border village of Chernatske in Sumy, while a hospital was struck in the Dnipro district of Kherson.
Possible drone attacks against vital energy infrastructure are a serious threat to Russia’s energy security, energy minister Nikolai Shulginov said on Tuesday. Shulginov did not mention Ukraine by name, but Russia says it has foiled a number of attempted Ukrainian drone attacks in recent months.
Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukrainian defence minister, posted a video thanking the UK for the first British Challenger 2 main battle tanks to arrive in Ukraine. “These fantastic machines will soon begin their combat missions,” he wrote on Twitter. The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, confirmed the arrival of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks in Ukraine on Monday.
Belarus’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it had been forced to house Russian nuclear weapons on its territory by the aggressive actions of Nato countries that were threatening Belarus’s own security.
Romania and Poland are in talks with the European Commission over export tracing mechanisms for Ukrainian grain to ensure local farmers are not hurt by a flood of cheap Ukrainian imports, the Polish and Romanian prime ministers said on Tuesday.
Alexander Novak, the Russian deputy prime minister, said on Tuesday that Russia needed to focus on boosting energy exports to so-called “friendly” countries, as he said Russian oil supplies to India jumped 22-fold last year.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be here shortly to take you through the next few hours of our live coverage.
Updated
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it would keep demanding an international investigation into explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea last year, after failing to win United Nations backing for an investigation.
Reuters reports that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in his regular daily media briefing that everyone should be interested in an impartial investigation in order to find the culprits.
On Monday, Russia failed to get the UN security council to ask for an independent inquiry into explosions in September that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany and spewed gas into the Baltic Sea.
Updated
Romania and Poland are in talks with the European Commission over export tracing mechanisms for Ukrainian grain to ensure local farmers are not hurt by a flood of cheap imports, the Polish and Romanian prime ministers said on Tuesday.
Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, has had its Black Sea ports blocked since Russia invaded more than a year ago and has been forced to find alternative shipping routes through EU states Poland and Romania.
But Reuters reports that logistical bottlenecks mean that large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, has ended up in central European states, hurting prices and sales of local farmers.
Romanian and Polish prime ministers Nicolae Ciucă and Mateusz Morawiecki told a business conference in Bucharest their governments were working on solutions with the EU.
Updated
Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukrainian defence minister, gave the UK the thumbs up as he took a ride in what he said was the first British Challenger 2 main battle tank to arrive in Ukraine.
The UK said in January it would send 14 of the tanks to Ukraine, which is preparing for a possible counteroffensive against Russian forces that invaded 13 months ago.
Reuters reports Reznikov wrote on Twitter that the tanks had “recently arrived in our country” and posted a video that showed him sitting in one of a long line of tanks in an open field, all of them flying Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag.
“It was a pleasure to take the first Ukrainian Challenger 2 MBT [main battle tank] for a spin,” Reznikov wrote. “These fantastic machines will soon begin their combat missions.”
It was a pleasure to take the first Ukrainian Challenger 2 MBT for a spin.
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) March 28, 2023
Such tanks, supplied by the United Kingdom, have recently arrived in our country.
These fantastic machines will soon begin their combat missions.
Thank you, @RishiSunak, @BWallaceMP, and the 🇬🇧 people. pic.twitter.com/zoCRmKdBnN
In the video, he gave the thumbs up sign and thanked British defence secretary Ben Wallace for the tanks.
“Marvellous, Ben,” he said in English. “It’s … very good stuff. Thank you very much from Ukraine to the United Kingdom.”
Updated
Russian energy minister: drone attacks on energy facilities within Russia a 'key threat'
Possible drone attacks against vital energy infrastructure are a serious threat to Russia’s energy security, energy minister Nikolai Shulginov said on Tuesday.
Reuters reports Shulginov did not mention Ukraine by name, but Russia says it has foiled a number of attempted Ukrainian drone attacks in recent months.
Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged launching attacks against targets inside Russia, but senior officials in Kyiv have on occasion appeared to welcome the news of successful drone attacks on Russian soil.
“The key threat now is acts of illegal interference through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles,” Shulginov said during a roundtable discussion where he addressed the security of Russia’s energy facilities.
He said he was cooperating with Russia’s defence ministry and FSB security service on the issue.
Updated
Commander: main Ukrainian task in Bakhmut is 'wear down overwhelming forces of enemy'
Ukraine is aiming to exhaust and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said in a video posted on Tuesday.
In a video showing him addressing soldiers in what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia was continuing to focus on the Bakhmut area after months of battle.
Moscow sees capturing Bakhmut as vital in its efforts to establish complete control over the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine.
“They do not stop trying to surround and capture the city,” Reuters report Syrskyi said in the video posted on the Telegram messaging app.
“As of today, our main task is to wear down the overwhelming forces of the enemy and inflict heavy losses on them. It will create the necessary conditions to help liberate Ukrainian land and speed up our victory.”
Bakhmut had a prewar population of about 70,000 people but the city has been virtually destroyed in about eight months of intense fighting, often at close quarters.
Syrskyi has been meeting troops near the frontline as Ukraine prepares for a possible counteroffensive after 13 months of war. He said on Monday the defence of Bakhmut was a military necessity.
Syrskyi said his visits to meet troops near the frontline were needed for him and his commanders to agree on plans that would have “real results on the battlefield but not on the maps”.
Updated
Alexander Novak, the Russian deputy prime minister, said on Tuesday that Russia needed to focus on boosting energy exports to so-called “friendly” countries, as he said Russian oil supplies to India jumped 22-fold last year.
Reuters reports Novak said energy revenues accounted for 42% of Russia’s federal budget in 2022 and said the country’s energy industry was sustainable, despite the challenges faced by western sanctions.
Updated
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports on its official Telegram channel that a hospital in Kherson has been struck overnight. Citing officials from the local administration, it writes:
Around 4 o’clock in the morning, Russian troops shelled a hospital in the Dnipro district of Kherson. There were at least five explosions. One of the shells hit the fifth floor of the building. The blast wave knocked out almost all the windows in the main building on one side.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Updated
Belarus foreign ministry: country forced to host nuclear missiles due to Nato actions
Belarus’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it had been forced to house Russian nuclear weapons on its territory by the aggressive actions of Nato countries that were threatening Belarus’s own security, Reuters reports, citing Russian news agency Tass.
Minsk also said the plans – announced over the weekend by Vladimir Putin – to station Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, would not contravene international non-proliferation agreements as Belarus would not have control over the weapons.
Tass quotes the ministry saying:
Military cooperation between Belarus and Russia is carried out in strict accordance with international law. The training of Belarusian pilots capable of flying aircraft with specific ammunition, the modernisation of such aircraft, as well as the deployment of nuclear warheads on the territory of Belarus without transferring control over them to Minsk, as well as access to appropriate technology, do not in any way contradict the provisions of articles I and II of the non-proliferation treaty.
The ministry said it was forced to respond because “unilateral coercive measures in politics and the economy are accompanied by the buildup of military potential in the territory of neighboring countries – Nato members in close proximity to our borders. Considering these circumstances and the legitimate concerns and risks in the field of national security arising from them, Belarus is taking forced response actions to strengthen its own security and defence capability.”
It also noted that Belarus regards the actions of the west as “direct and gross interference in the internal affairs of an independent state, aimed at changing the geopolitical course and changing the internal political system of Belarus”.
Updated
State-owned Russian news agency Tass is reporting this morning some words from Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, about the situation in Bakhmut. Tass quotes Pushilin on the Soloviev Live TV channel on Tuesday saying:
Now [Wagner mercenary group troops] have created unbearable conditions for the enemy to even carefully try to bring up combat kits, bring up reserves, take out even the wounded – all this is extremely difficult for the enemy, because all the roads are already being shot through by [Wagner mercenary troops].
As for the city itself, here it was important to clean up the industrial zone at the Azom plant itself. Pretty much we can already talk about this, the guys there are finishing off the militants, but those are single groups.
The claims have not been independently verified. Russian state media has previously reported that Wagner forces were in full control of the Azom metallurgical plant in the north of the city.
Updated
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports on its official Telegram channel that this morning the border village of Chernatske in Sumy oblast has been struck. It writes: “Twenty hits were recorded, probably from barrel artillery. The infrastructure of the village was damaged – a cultural centre and a children’s playground, as well as five private houses.”
Updated
The UK Ministry of Defence says Russia’s 10th tank regiment has borne the brunt of the assault of Avdiivka and has likely lost a “large portion of its tanks” while attempting to surround the town from the south.
It said the regiment belonged to the 3rd Army Corps, the first major new formation Russia stood up to support its invasion since August 2022 and despite a period of training in Belarus, the formation “appears to display limited combat effectiveness”.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 28 March 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 28, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/A5EZZKsQjz
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/52cYmDBnvX
The claims have not been independently verified.
Updated
Russian forces launched 24 airstrikes, 12 missile strikes and carried out 55 attacks from rocket salvo systems in the last 24 hours, according the latest update from the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine.
A missile strike in the city of Slovyansk damaged high-rise buildings and private houses, causing deaths and injuries among civilians – although numbers were not immediately available. A separate airstrike in the city of Bersyslav also caused damaged to civilian infrastructure.
According to the update, Russian forces also carried out attacks with 15 Shahed-136 type strike UAVs. 14 of them were destroyed by our defenders.
In the same period, the Ukrainian air force carried out nine strikes against Russian forces and one attack on an anti-aircraft missile complex. Ukrainian solders also shot down five reconnaissance drones of various types.
Rocket forces and artillery also struck three control points and areas of concentration, an artillery unit in firing position, an ammunition warehouse, a fuel warehouse and “two more important targets”.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Updated
The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, confirmed the arrival of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks in Ukraine on Monday.
In a post to Twitter, Pistorius said he believed the tanks would make a “crucial difference at the front”.
The arrival of the tanks follow the delivery of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks provided by Germany on Monday along with 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
Defence Min. Pistorius: "I am sure that the #Leopard2 A6 battle tanks will make a crucial difference at the front. Along with 🇸🇪&🇵🇹, we promised to supply enough tanks for a battlegroup. To keep this promise, 🇩🇪supplied 4 more tanks than originally promised. You can count on us!"
— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) March 27, 2023
Updated
Britain’s Challenger tanks have arrived in Ukraine, a spokesperson for the defence ministry in Kyiv said on Monday.
Spokesperson for the Ukrainian ministry of defence, Iryna Zolotar, told the AFP that the tanks had been received.
They are in Ukraine already.
No further details were provided.
The tanks are expected to be involved in any spring counter-offensive launched by Ukraine.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, said earlier on Monday he inspected a “new addition” to the country’s forces – Challenger tanks as well as Germany’s Marder infantry fighting vehicles, plus Cougar armoured trucks and Stryker armoured personnel carriers from the US.
A year ago, no one would have thought that our partners’ support would be so strong.
Updated
The ISW also said higher quality Wagner units have likely been committed to fighting around Avdiivka “potentially to reinforce recent limited tactical successes in the area”.
#Donetsk Oblast:#Russian military leadership likely committed limited higher quality #Wagner Group elements to the offensive on #Avdiivka, potentially to reinforce recent limited tactical successes in the area. https://t.co/9DJdv49GOk pic.twitter.com/hg5wzYesEn
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) March 28, 2023
The ISW said the deployments appear intended to help support weaker units from the Donetsk People’s Republic and that if confirmed, their involvement may help “explain the limited tactical gains made in the area over the past week”.
Updated
The Institute for Study of War (ISW) says it has been monitoring chattering among Russian military bloggers about the dismissal of Russian military commanders overseeing troops in combat zones.
Rumours have been circulating that Rusam Muradov has been dismissed as Eastern Military District Commander, and Yevgeny Nikiforov has been replaced as Western Military District Commander.
The ISW could not confirm either change in leadership but said it was, “noteworthy that Russian millbloggers are discussing potential dismissals of commanders associated with areas of operation in which Russian forces have been largelyunable to secure substantial gains or have suffered major losses”.
Here are today's control-of-terrain maps of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine from @TheStudyofWar
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) March 27, 2023
and @criticalthreats
Interactive map, updated daily: https://t.co/hwgxTnU2Tr
Archive of time-lapse maps, updated monthly: https://t.co/ZabfJTfRkX pic.twitter.com/KSmh87IU6i
Updated
The UN security council on Monday declined a Russian request to investigate the blasts on the pipelines that move natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea.
Russia, China and Brazil voted in favour of the Russian request, but other security council members abstained or said another investigation was unnecessary.
For a resolution to be adopted by the security council, it needs a minimum of nine “yes” votes in the 15-member council, and no veto by one of the permanent members – the US, Russia, China, Britain and France.
The US deputy ambassador, Robert Wood, said there was no need for a UN investigation when inquiries by Sweden, Denmark and Germany “are proceeding in a comprehensive, transparent and impartial manner”.
It was an attempt to discredit the work of ongoing national investigations and prejudice any conclusions they reached that do not comport to Russia’s predetermined and political narrative. It was not an attempt to seek the truth.
The pipelines, known as Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, are majority-owned by Russia’s state-run energy giant Gazprom.
Nord Stream 1 carried Russian gas to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies at the end of August 2022. Nord Stream 2 never entered service as Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The explosions on both occurred on 26 September.
The investigations by European nations have yet to yield conclusive results, at least none made public.
AP
Updated
Opening summary
Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine – this is Royce Kurmelovs bringing you the latest developments.
Multiple explosions were reported in Kyiv on Monday night following a drone attack, according to the mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko. Klitschko said a shop caught fire in the west but there were no immediate reports of casualties with Kyiv air defence reporting it had shot down all 13 Russian drones involved in the attack.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president has told IAEA head, Rafael Grossi, that safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility could not be guaranteed until Russian troops left. Zelenskiy also “visited advanced positions” in the Zaporizhzhia region on Monday. The pair met to discuss the management of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant where Zelenskiy told him he could not guarantee the security of the facility so long as the area remained occupied by Russian troops.
British challenger tanks are “in Ukraine already” according to Ukrainian defence minister Iryna Zolotar, no further details provided AFP reports. The arrival of the tanks follow the delivery of 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks provided by Germany on Monday along with 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
In other developments:
Zelenskiy also spoke with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda to discuss the ongoing war and “current defense needs of Ukraine and joint diplomatic efforts for the near future”.
Russian navy vessels have fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan. The Russian defence ministry reported the exercises on Tuesday, saying “the target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometres, was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missiles.”
Ukraine’s ground forces commander said his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a “military necessity”. Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi’s comments signalled again Ukraine’s intention to keep fighting in Bakhmut despite the heavy death toll.
At least two people were killed in a Russian missile strike in the eastern city of Sloviansk on Monday, according to the regional governor. The attack left 29 others wounded, Pavlo Kyrylenko said, adding that a number of high-rise buildings and offices were damaged or destroyed. Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a video clip that showed vehicles on fire and debris strewn across the road.
Western companies selling their Russian businesses and leaving face a compulsory 10% direct donation to the government, the Financial Times has reported, after a ruling by Russia’s foreign investments commission.
The chair of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, has told British lawmakers that Kyiv is ready to send its pilots to be trained in the use of western fighter jets. Stefanchuk, speaking during a visit to the UK, said Kyiv could bring “joint victory for Ukraine and the world” once it “gets the wings”, in language echoing that of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s speech to the British parliament in February.
A leaked phone conversation allegedly between prominent Russian music producer Iosif Prigozhin and billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, in which the two men give a far-ranging criticism of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s leadership, has been published by Ukrainian media. If genuine, the audio would provide a rare insight into the mood within the Russian elites.
Russian and Belarusian athletes should be banned from the 2024 Olympics in Paris unless Moscow pulls its forces out of Ukraine, Poland has said, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it planned to let them compete as neutrals.
Poland has detained a foreign citizen on charges of spying for Russia, prosecutors have said. The arrest comes after Poland dismantled a Russian espionage network that had been preparing acts of sabotage and monitoring rail routes to Ukraine. If found guilty, the suspect could face up to 10 years in prison.
Hungary’s parliament has approved a bill to allow Finland to join Nato, bringing it one step closer to becoming a full member of the alliance. Hungarian lawmakers voted 182 for and six against with no abstentions. Turkey is the only one of Nato’s 30 members not to have ratified Finland’s accession.
