Closing summary
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Russia launched a large-scale missile attack on Friday in Ukraine, striking several cities including the capital, Kyiv. Ukraine’s air force command said it had shot down 61 out of 70 cruise missiles and five Iranian-made drones. The attacks appeared to be an attempt to penetrate Ukraine’s air defences and to intimidate its allies.
Two Russian cruise missiles have entered the airspace of Moldova and Romania, Ukraine has said. Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said the Kalibr rockets crossed into Moldova at 10.18am local time on Friday. They then flew into Romania at 10.33am at the intersection of the state border, before recrossing into western Ukraine, he said.
Moldova confirmed at least one missile had overflown its airspace and summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident. This is not the first time Russia has sent its missiles into Moldova, with the conflict in danger of spilling out across the region. On Friday, Moldova’s pro-EU government resigned, adding to the sense of crisis.
Romania’s foreign ministry categorically denied the report. It said the Russian cruise missiles came to within 22 miles (35km) of the country’s north-eastern border but did not violate its territory. Two MiG-21 aircraft on a training flight were diverted to monitor the area, it said.
The US has “no indication” of a direct military threat by Russia to Moldova or Romania at this time, US state department spokesperson Vedant Patel has said. “We maintain close contact and communication with our Moldovan partners and Romanian allies,” Patel added.
Russia has launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine and is trying to break through defences near the town of Kreminna, the governor for the Luhansk region said on Thursday. Serhiy Haidai said Russian troops had gone on the attack and were trying to advance westwards across a winter landscape of snow and forests. There had been “maximum escalation” and a big increase in shooting and shelling, he said.
Russian forces likely lost “at least 30” armoured vehicles in a single, failed attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar earlier this week, British intelligence said on Friday, sparking renewed anger among prominent Russian pro-war telegram channels over Moscow’s military blunders. The Ukrainian ministry of defence released a video on Twitter that appeared to show several Russian armoured vehicles and tanks scattered across the battlefield near Vuhledar.
Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and other cities around breakfast time on Friday. There were five booms in the Ukrainian capital, as air defence batteries shot down enemy missiles. A trail of white vapour could be seen above tower blocks and the railway station area. It was the first attack on Kyiv for two weeks.
“Russian forces have likely made tactical gains in two key sectors” since 7 February, the UK’s ministry of defence has said in its latest intelligence update. “On the northern outskirts of the Donbas town of Bakhmut, Wagner Group forces have pushed 2-3km further west, controlling countryside near the M-03 main route into the town. Russian forces increasingly dominate the northern approaches to Bakhmut,” the report says.
Slovakia can begin the process of talks on delivering MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, prime minister Eduard Heger has said. The talks will be internal and also with the European Commission, because Slovakia could have the delivery reimbursed, he added. His defence minister, Jaroslav Naď, has said his country no longer needed the jets and it could either sell them or give them to Ukraine. No decision had yet been taken, he added.
Ukraine has officially asked the Netherlands for F-16 fighter jets, its air force has said. The Dutch defence minister, Kajsa Ollongren, confirmed the request, saying: “We need to discuss the availability of the F-16 with the Americans and other allies ... And we have to look seriously at the consequences – it can’t just happen overnight. We have to be honest about that.”
Any decision to supply fighter jets to Ukraine must come from Nato, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said. He said “some countries” at an EU summit in Brussels did not agree with his proposals about deliveries of ammunition to Kyiv. Morawiecki added that Poland was “not excluding” closing further border crossings with Belarus, citing “growing tensions with Belarus and they are being instrumentalised by the Russians and the Kremlin”.
Switzerland said on Friday it has rejected a request from Madrid to allow Spain to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. Spain made the request in January to allow it to send two 35mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. Switzerland’s War Materials Act does not allow the export of war materials if the destination country is involved in an internal or international armed conflict.
A group of 35 countries will demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Lithuania’s sports minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently moved away from having an outright ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus and is investigating ways they can qualify for the Olympics under a neutral flag.
A Russian former governor has been sentenced to 22 years in a maximum security prison for double murder. Sergei Furgal, who was governor of the far-eastern Khabarovsk region, has denied the charges of attempted murder and ordering contract killings of business rivals. His detention in 2020 sparked massive anti-Kremlin protests in the Khabarovsk region, and his supporters say the charges were politically motivated, to punish him for taking too independent a line from Moscow.
Marina Ovsyannikova, the former Russian state TV editor who interrupted a live news broadcast to protest against the start of the Ukraine war, has described her “chaotic” escape from house arrest in Moscow and how she fled across Europe to seek asylum in France.
Slovakia can begin the process of talks on delivering MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, prime minister Eduard Heger has said.
Reuters has cited Heger as saying:
The Ukrainian president asked me to deliver the MiGs. Now, because this official request has come, the process of negotiations can be started.
The talks will be internal and also with the European Commission, because Slovakia could have the delivery reimbursed, he added.
His defence minister, Jaroslav Naď, has said his country no longer needed the jets and it could either sell them or give them to Ukraine. No decision had yet been taken, he added.
Updated
'No indication’ of direct military threat to Moldova or Romania, says US
The US has “no indication” of a direct military threat by Russia to Moldova or Romania at this time, US state department spokesperson Vedant Patel has said, after Ukraine said two Russian cruise missiles entered both countries’ airspace this morning.
Patel added:
We maintain close contact and communication with our Moldovan partners and Romanian allies.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said two of these sea-launched rockets entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace soon after 10am local time, as air raid sirens rang out across the country. They then reentered Ukraine and the western Chernivtsi region, he suggested.
Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident and confirmed at least one missile had overflown its airspace. This is not the first time Russia has sent its missiles into Moldova.
Romania is a Nato country. Its foreign ministry categorically denied the report. It said the Russian cruise missiles came to within 22 miles (35km) of the country’s north-eastern border but did not violate its territory. Two MiG-21 aircraft on a training flight were diverted to monitor the area, it said.
Updated
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said western efforts to isolate his country have been a fiasco during remarks at an event after returning from a nearly week-long tour of Africa.
Moscow is building stronger relations with countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific and elsewhere, Lavrov told Russian diplomats at his ministry.
He said:
Despite the anti-Russian orgy orchestrated by Washington, London and Brussels, we are strengthening good neighbourly relations in the widest sense of this concept with the international majority.
Lavrov’s latest trip took him to Mali, Mauritania and Sudan as well as Iraq. He also recently visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola and Eritrea.
Updated
Updated
Russia launched a large-scale missile attack on Friday in Ukraine, striking several cities including the capital, Kyiv. Ukraine’s air force command said it had shot down 61 out of 70 cruise missiles and five Iranian-made drones. The attacks appeared to be an attempt to penetrate Ukraine’s air defences and to intimidate its allies.
Two Russian cruise missiles have entered the airspace of Moldova and Romania, Ukraine has said. Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said the Kalibr rockets crossed into Moldova at 10.18am local time on Friday. They then flew into Romania at 10.33am at the intersection of the state border, before recrossing into western Ukraine, he said.
Moldova confirmed at least one missile had overflown its airspace and summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident. This is not the first time Russia has sent its missiles into Moldova, with the conflict in danger of spilling out across the region. On Friday, Moldova’s pro-EU government resigned, adding to the sense of crisis.
Romania’s foreign ministry categorically denied the report. It said the Russian cruise missiles came to within 22 miles (35km) of the country’s north-eastern border but did not violate its territory. Two MiG-21 aircraft on a training flight were diverted to monitor the area, it said.
Russia has launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine and is trying to break through defences near the town of Kreminna, the governor for the Luhansk region said on Thursday. Serhiy Haidai said Russian troops had gone on the attack and were trying to advance westwards across a winter landscape of snow and forests. There had been “maximum escalation” and a big increase in shooting and shelling, he said.
Russian forces likely lost “at least 30” armoured vehicles in a single, failed attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar earlier this week, British intelligence said on Friday, sparking renewed anger among prominent Russian pro-war telegram channels over Moscow’s military blunders. The Ukrainian ministry of defence released a video on Twitter that appeared to show several Russian armoured vehicles and tanks scattered across the battlefield near Vuhledar.
Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and other cities around breakfast time on Friday. There were five booms in the Ukrainian capital, as air defence batteries shot down enemy missiles. A trail of white vapour could be seen above tower blocks and the railway station area. It was the first attack on Kyiv for two weeks.
“Russian forces have likely made tactical gains in two key sectors” since 7 February, the UK’s ministry of defence has said in its latest intelligence update. “On the northern outskirts of the Donbas town of Bakhmut, Wagner Group forces have pushed 2-3km further west, controlling countryside near the M-03 main route into the town. Russian forces increasingly dominate the northern approaches to Bakhmut,” the report says.
Ukraine has officially asked the Netherlands for F-16 fighter jets, its air force has said. The Dutch defence minister, Kajsa Ollongren, confirmed the request, saying: “We need to discuss the availability of the F-16 with the Americans and other allies ... And we have to look seriously at the consequences – it can’t just happen overnight. We have to be honest about that.”
Any decision to supply fighter jets to Ukraine must come from Nato, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said. He said “some countries” at an EU summit in Brussels did not agree with his proposals about deliveries of ammunition to Kyiv. Morawiecki added that Poland was “not excluding” closing further border crossings with Belarus, citing “growing tensions with Belarus and they are being instrumentalised by the Russians and the Kremlin”.
Switzerland said on Friday it has rejected a request from Madrid to allow Spain to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. Spain made the request in January to allow it to send two 35mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. Switzerland’s War Materials Act does not allow the export of war materials if the destination country is involved in an internal or international armed conflict.
A group of 35 countries will demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Lithuania’s sports minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently moved away from having an outright ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus and is investigating ways they can qualify for the Olympics under a neutral flag.
A Russian former governor has been sentenced to 22 years in a maximum security prison for double murder. Sergei Furgal, who was governor of the far-eastern Khabarovsk region, has denied the charges of attempted murder and ordering contract killings of business rivals. His detention in 2020 sparked massive anti-Kremlin protests in the Khabarovsk region, and his supporters say the charges were politically motivated, to punish him for taking too independent a line from Moscow.
Marina Ovsyannikova, the former Russian state TV editor who interrupted a live news broadcast to protest against the start of the Ukraine war, has described her “chaotic” escape from house arrest in Moscow and how she fled across Europe to seek asylum in France.
Updated
Marina Ovsyannikova, the former Russian state TV editor who famously interrupted a live news broadcast to protest against the start of the Ukraine war, has described her “chaotic” escape from house arrest in Moscow and how she fled across Europe to seek asylum in France.
“I didn’t want to emigrate until the very last moment,” Ovsyannikova said at a Paris press conference with the journalists’ organisation Reporters without Borders.
Russia is still my country, even if war criminals have power there. But I had no choice – it was either prison or exile. I’m very grateful to France, a free country, to have welcomed me.
Christophe Deloire, the secretary general of Reporters without Borders, which helped organise the escape under the codename “Evelyne”, likened it to “the most famous crossings of the Berlin Wall”.
The Ukrainian-born Ovsyannikova, 44, gained international attention in March after bursting into a studio of Channel One, her then-employer, during a live news bulletin to denounce the Ukraine war, holding a poster reading “no war”. At the time, she was fined 30,000 roubles (£460) for ignoring protest laws.
She continued protesting against the war after quitting her job at Channel One. Last August, she was charged with spreading false information about the Russian army for holding up a poster that read “Putin is a murderer, his soldiers are fascists” during a solo protest on the Moskva River embankment opposite the Kremlin. She was subsequently forced to wear an electronic ankle bracelet and placed under house arrest in Moscow, where she was to await trial. She faced up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Ovsyannikova said that shortly before a court hearing in Moscow last October, her lawyers told her to flee to save herself and her 11-year-old daughter. They told her she wouldn’t survive prison, and that she would be “broken”.
Updated
35 countries demand 2024 Olympics ban for Russia and Belarus
A group of 35 countries will demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Lithuania’s sports minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė.
The US, Germany and Australia are among the countries whose ministers participated in an online meeting today to discuss the call for the ban, a Lithuanian ministry spokesperson said.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was in today’s call with 35 ministers, the spokesperson said. They said Zelenskiy’s message to participants was that principles of neutrality cannot apply to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Britain’s sports minister, Lucy Frazer, described the meeting as “very productive” and reiterated the UK’s position that Russia and Belarus must not be represented at the Olympics.
A privilege to host @ZelenskyyUa today at our summit on Olympic participation.
— Lucy Frazer (@lucyfrazermp) February 10, 2023
It was a very productive meeting between 35 nations, and I made the UK's position very clear: as long as Putin continues his barbaric war, Russia and Belarus must not be represented at the Olympics. pic.twitter.com/ohN9eFriKg
Šiugždinienė said:
We are going in the direction that we would not need a boycott because all countries are unanimous.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently moved away from having an outright ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus and is investigating ways they can qualify for the Olympics under a neutral flag.
Ukraine’s athletes have accused the IOC of rewarding Vladimir Putin’s aggression and being “on the wrong side of history”, and Ukraine has threatened to boycott the games if Russian and Belarusian athletes compete.
Updated
Russia likely lost 'at least 30' armoured vehicles near Vuhledar, says UK
Russian forces likely lost “at least 30” armoured vehicles in a single, failed attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar earlier this week, British intelligence said on Friday, sparking renewed anger among prominent Russian pro-war telegram channels over Moscow’s military blunders.
“Russian troops likely fled and abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armoured vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault,” Britain’s defence ministry said in a daily briefing.
Last month, Russia launched a fresh Russian assault around the southern Donbas town of Vuhledar, as Moscow stepped up its assault on the eastern front.
The Ukrainian ministry of defence on Friday released a video on Twitter that appeared to show several Russian armoured vehicles and tanks scattered across the battlefield near Vuhledar.
“There are clearly questions to the command for this episode, a lot of equipment was lost…The tank division has lost its combat capability,” wrote Rybar, a pro-war blogger with over a million followers.
Another Russian soldier with the callsign “13th” called for the execution of commanders responsible for the failed offensive.
“I just have no words...They need to shoot a dozen generals and a couple of dozen colonels...then maybe the rest will start thinking,” the soldier wrote on Telegram.
The Russian ministry of defence has not yet commented on the incident. Earlier this week, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military operations around Vuhledar were “progressing”.
Updated
The Guardian’s Europe correspondent Jon Henley rounds up developments in Ukraine’s neighbour Moldova today:
Moldova’s pro-western government has resigned after 18 months in power after a series of economic and political crises that have engulfed the country in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita, told a news conference on Friday that the “time has come for me to announce my resignation”, adding that no one could have expected her government “to manage so many crises caused by Russian aggression”. The president, Maia Sandu, accepted Gavrilita’s resignation.
Hours earlier, the government said a Russian missile had violated Moldovan airspace and summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest.
Moldova’s intelligence service said on Thursday that Russia was acting to destabilise the country, after the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Kyiv had intercepted a “plan for the destruction of Moldova” by Russian intelligence.
EU leaders accepted Moldova as a membership candidate last year in a diplomatic triumph for Sandu. Russia, however, has troops in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria and opposes any move to join the 27-nation bloc.
Read more here: Moldovan PM resigns blaming ‘crises caused by Russian aggression’
My colleague Luke Harding is in Kyiv, and tweets to suggest that reports of planes taking off in Belarus have triggered the latest round of air alerts in Ukraine.
Here we go again: more air raid sirens in Kyiv, a little before 5pm local time. Reports of Russian MiG-31 fighter jets have taken off in Belarus
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) February 10, 2023
Ukraine’s state broadcaster is reporting on Telegram that air alarms are sounding in Ukraine again in places including Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv and Vinnytsia.
Ukraine has been lobbying hard for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Reuters reports that today, Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk has suggested that “It may be a compromise for the International Olympic Committee to create a team of refugees, which could include people of Russian and Belarusian nationality who are dissidents.”
The Refugee Olympic Team first competed at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio.
As well as a Russian missile overflying its airspace en route to Ukraine this morning, Moldova has been making headlines after its prime minister Natalia Gavrilița announced her resignation this morning.
Moldova’s pro-western president Maia Sandu has now nominated her defence adviser Dorin Recean to be prime minister, hours after the resignation of the previous government.
Reuters reports Sandu announced the nomination of Recean, who is also the secretary of Moldova’s security council and a former interior minister, at a news conference.
Recean said he planned to continue to pursue membership of the European Union for Moldova.
Moldova borders Ukraine, but the disputed territory of Transnistria is wedged between the two internationally recognised states. Transnistria has Russian troops stationed in it. There is a useful explanation of the situation in Transnistria here, and there were concerns that one of Russia’s war aims might be to seize the entire southern coast of Ukraine including Odesa, in order to secure a land bridge directly from Russia to Transnistria.
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Switzerland rejects Spanish request to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns
Switzerland said on Friday it has rejected a request from Madrid to allow Spain to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.
Spain made the request in January to allow it to send two 35mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.
Reuters reports Switzerland has previously vetoed requests from Denmark and Germany who wanted to send Swiss-made armoured vehicles and ammunition to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Switzerland’s War Materials Act does not allow the export of war materials if the destination country is involved in an internal or international armed conflict.
Updated
Ukraine makes official request for Dutch F-16 jets
Ukraine has officially asked the Netherlands for F-16 fighter jets, its air force has said.
Ukraine submitted a request to the Netherlands for the supply of F-16 fighters.
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) February 10, 2023
This was confirmed by Defense Minister Ollongren.
🇺🇦🤝🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/TlAfrcgm91
Updated
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has dismissed criticism over her decision to continue sending arms to Ukraine, saying those who supported Kyiv were working for peace.
Speaking at an end of an EU summit, Meloni said she hoped Italy would be able to announce in the coming days that it was ready to supply Ukraine with a SAMP/T missile defence system, which it will deliver jointly with France.
She added:
Those who say Ukraine should not be helped are working against the sovereignty and freedom of a nation.
Meloni, who heads a right-wing nationalist administration, reiterated that she believed French president, Emmanuel Macron, had made a mistake by inviting his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to Paris on the eve of the summit for a dinner with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
The French initiative did not take into account the importance of European unity, Meloni said. She added:
What was right and important was the picture with all the 27 EU members with Zelenskiy. That is strongest message you can give.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images we have received from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, where residents have been sheltering in subway stations as air raid alerts sound across the country.
Updated
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, has once again urged allies to send long-range missiles and fighter jets to Kyiv “or else genocide can’t be stopped”.
Podolyak’s call came as Russia unleashed strategic bombers, killer drones and rockets in a barrage of attacks across Ukraine this morning.
RF has been striking at 🇺🇦 cities all night & morning. RF’s intention is the same: mass destruction & killing. Enough talk & political hesitation. Only fast key decisions: long-range missiles, fighter jets, operational supplies logistics for 🇺🇦. Or else genocide can’t be stopped.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) February 10, 2023
Updated
Russia ‘fired over 50 missiles at Ukraine today’
Russia launched more than 50 missiles at Ukraine today, prime minister Denys Shmyhal has said, adding that most of those missiles were shot down.
Posting to Telegram, the Ukrainian PM said:
Russia cannot accept failures and therefore continues to terrorise the (Ukrainian) population. Another attempt (on Friday) to destroy the Ukrainian energy system and deprive Ukrainians of light, heat, and water.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force has said it shot down 61 of 71 Russian cruise missiles today. It said Russia had used eight Tu-95MS strategic bombers, and that they had fired X-101 and X-555 missiles from the Caspian Sea and the city of Volgodonsk in Russia.
A Telegram update from the air force said:
As of 11:30 a.m., the enemy had launched 71 X-101, X-555 and Kalibr missiles. The air defence forces, Air Force and other components of the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed 61 enemy cruise missiles.
Updated
The oil price has jumped by 2.5%, after Moscow announced it will cut oil production, in retaliation against western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia will cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day, or around 5% of output, in March, deputy prime minister Alexander Novak has announced.
The move has been hinted at by the Kremlin, since the European Union and G-7 began discussing capping the price of Russian exports. At the end of December, President Putin banned the supply of crude oil and oil products to nations that impose the cap.
Novak said:
As of today, we are fully selling the entire volume of oil produced, however, as stated earlier, we will not sell oil to those who directly or indirectly adhere to the principles of the ‘price cap’.
In this regard, Russia will voluntarily reduce production by 500,000 barrels per day in March. This will contribute to the restoration of market relations.
This has pushed Brent crude up by $2 per barrel, to $86.60. That’s the highest since the end of January. Higher energy prices could undermine hopes of bringing inflation down sharply this year.
Russia will cut about 5% of its monthly oil output in March in response to the price cap.
— Gold Telegraph ⚡ (@GoldTelegraph_) February 10, 2023
This is 0.5% of the world supply.
Brent crude up 2.5%
Things continue to move quickly...
Updated
Any decision to supply fighter jets to Ukraine must come from Nato, Poland’s prime minister has said, adding that “some countries” at an EU summit in Brussels did not agree with his proposals about deliveries of ammunition to Kyiv.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels today, Mateusz Morawiecki said any decision on sending jets to Kyiv “would have to be a decision on the part of Nato”, adding:
Poland will eventually decide what to do when there is an unequivocal decision that fighter jets can be transferred to Ukraine.
He said there had been “not a positive reaction” from some countries to Poland’s proposal that “joint procurement and production would be in the interest of all Nato and EU countries and in the interest of Ukraine”.
Morawiecki added that Poland was “not excluding” closing further border crossings with Belarus, citing “growing tensions with Belarus and they are being instrumentalised by the Russians and the Kremlin”.
His remarks came after Poland said on Thursday it would close a key border crossing into Belarus at Bobrowniki, citing security concerns.
The Belarus government has criticised the border decision, condemning the move as “catastrophic” and risking a collapse on both sides of the border.
Updated
A Russian former governor has been sentenced to 22 years in a maximum security prison for double murder.
A court outside Moscow found Sergei Furgal, who was governor of the far-eastern Khabarovsk region, guilty of attempted murder and ordering contract killings of business rivals.
Furgal, 52, has denied the charges, which relate to alleged crimes from 2004 and 2005, when he was a prominent local businessman in Russia’s far east.
Elected in a shock victory in 2018, Furgal, a member of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, beat the ruling United Russia party by a landslide margin.
His detention in 2020 sparked massive anti-Kremlin protests in the Khabarovsk region, with tens of thousands of locals coming out on to the streets for weeks. His supporters have said the charges were politically motivated, to punish him for taking too independent a line from Moscow.
Vladimir Putin fired Furgal days after his arrest in 2020, citing a “loss of trust”, and installed a more pro-Kremlin figure in his place.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Russia’s prosecutor general’s office said:
The court established that Furgal and his accomplice, guided by selfish motives and a desire to increase the income of a commercial organisation controlled by him, ... created an organised group in 2004 to commit murders of competitors.
Three other people convicted of involvement in the murders alongside Furgal were handed prison terms ranging from nine and a half to 21 years.
Speaking at the court, a lawyer on Furgal’s defence team, Boris Kozhemyakin, said the verdict was “unlawful” and that he and his colleagues would appeal and seek an acquittal.
In his closing statement to the jury last week, Furgal continued to deny all charges against him. He said:
If you condemn us, the innocent, it will be a great sin because those actually guilty will walk free, breathing the fresh air [and] smiling.
Updated
Air raid alerts have been declared across Ukraine, for the second time today, following two missile strikes earlier.
People have been urged to take shelter.
Air alert again announced in all oblasts of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/l9ntkEQUwD
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 10, 2023
Updated
Romania says Russian missile flew 35km northeast of its border
Romania’s defence ministry has said that a Russian missile launched off a ship near Crimea this morning crossed into Moldovan airspace before hitting Ukraine, about 35km northeast of Romania’s border.
In a statement, the ministry said:
The Romanian Air Force’s surveillance system detected on Friday an air target, most likely a cruise missile launched from a Russian ship in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula.
The closest the target trajectory got to Romania’s airspace was recorded by the radar at roughly 35 kms northeast of the border.
Romania is a member of the Nato military alliance.
Moldova’s defence ministry has already confirmed that a Russian missile violated its airspace earlier today, and urgently summoned the Russian ambassador.
The Moldovan ministry said it “strongly condemns the violation of the airspace” and called on Moscow to “stop military aggression against a neighbouring country”.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here again, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
Ukraine has accused Russia of firing two missiles that crossed into Moldovan and Romanian airspace before entering Ukraine. Romania is a Nato member. General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said two Kalibr rockets crossed into Moldova at 10.18am and then flew into Romania at 10.33am at the intersection of the state border. They then continued into western Ukraine, he said.
The defence ministry of Moldova has confirmed that a missile crossed its airspace. In a statement it said: “At 10.18am a missile crossed the airspace of the Republic of Moldova, over the town of Mocra in the Transnistrian region and, later, over the town of Cosauți in the Soroca district, heading towards Ukraine. The Ministry of Defence, with the responsible authorities in the country, carefully monitors the situation in the region, and strongly condemns the violation of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova”.
Romania’s defence ministry initially said it could not confirm the reports, but a further statement said surveillance systems detected what looked like a cruise missile launched from a Russian ship near Crimea, but that it did not cross into Romanian airspace.
Yuri Ignat, spokesman for Ukraine’s air force, said Kyiv had the opportunity to shoot down the Russian rockets over Romania and Moldova but did not do so. “The military understood the risks and threats to the population of a foreign state, so they did not do it right away,” Ignat said.
Ukraine said Russia launched “massive” missile and drone attacks on Friday, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited some European countries to push for long-range weapons. On Friday morning, “the enemy struck cities and critical infrastructure facilities,” the air force said, adding that seven Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones were launched from the Sea of Azov and six Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
Russia also carried out a “massive” attack with “up to 35 anti-aircraft guided missiles” targeting the Kharkiv region in the east and the southern Zaporizhzhia region, it said. In Kharkiv, “critical and infrastructure facilities were targeted” resulting in fires that were “quickly” put out, governor Oleg Sinegubov said. He said nobody was injured but some parts of the city were without power. “Energy and industrial infrastructure” suffered damaged in Zaporizhzhia, leaving sections of the city without electricity, local official Anatoly Kurtev said.
Reuters has a quick snap to report that Romania’s defence ministry says surveillance systems detected what looked like a cruise missile launched from a Russian ship near Crimea.
More details soon …
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has posted to Telegram with an update of the situation in Ukraine’s capital. He posted to say:
According to the air defence forces, ten missiles were shot down over Kyiv. There is damage to electrical networks. There are no casualties. Energy workers are working to restore networks.
Updated
Moldova summons Russian ambassador over missile incident
Reuters has a snap that Moldova has summoned the Russian ambassador over this morning’s missile incident, where Moldova says at least one missile overflew its airspace en route to Ukraine.
More details soon …
A quick snap from Reuters states that the Kremlin has announced President Vladimir Putin will address the Federal Assembly on 21 February, shortly before the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. The Federal Assembly in Russia consists of both the State Duma, which is the lower house, and the Federation Council, which is the upper house.
Moldova confirms missile crossed its airspace
The defence ministry of Moldova has confirmed that a missile crossed its airspace this morning. In a statement it said:
At 10.18am a missile crossed the airspace of the Republic of Moldova, over the town of Mocra in the Transnistrian region and, later, over the town of Cosauți in the Soroca district, heading towards Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence, with the responsible authorities in the country, carefully monitors the situation in the region, and strongly condemns the violation of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova.
The statement does not specifically mention that the missile was Russian. Romania is yet to confirm the suggestion from the Ukrainian armed forces that a missile also crossed into its territory.
Updated
Reports two Russian missiles crossed into Moldovan and Romanian airspace
Two Russian missiles crossed into Romanian and Moldovan airspace before entering Ukraine on Friday, a top Ukrainian general has claimed. The Romanian defence ministry has said it is yet to confirm the reports.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said two Kaliber missiles launched from the Black Sea had entered Moldovan airspace, then flew into Romanian airspace, before re-entering Ukraine at the point where the borders of the three countries meet.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the statement. Russia did not immediately comment on it.
The Ukrainska Pravda media outlet quoted the air force spokesperson as saying separately that Ukraine had the ability to shoot down the missiles but did not do so because it did not want to endanger civilians in foreign countries.
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Reuters has a quick snap reporting that a Ukrainian general has said that two Russian missiles had crossed into Moldovan and Romanian airspace on Friday before entering Ukraine.
Today, Feb 10, at 10:18 a.m., two russian Kalibr cruise missiles crossed the state border of🇺🇦 with 🇲🇩. At 10:33 a.m., these missiles crossed the airspace of🇷🇴. After that, the missiles again entered the airspace of🇺🇦 at the crossing point of the borders of the three states.
— Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (@CinC_AFU) February 10, 2023
Earlier, Mykolaiv’s governor Vitaly Kim had also posted to Telegram that a missile was in Moldovan airspace.
Updated
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday discussed nuclear safety issues with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi during his visit to Moscow.
The two men paid particular attention to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southern Ukraine, Reuters reports the Tass news agency claimed.
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Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports on Telegram that repeated explosions have been heard in Vinnytsia.
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Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv, has said on Telegram that seven people have been injured after Russian strikes this morning. He posted:
According to preliminary information, seven people were injured as a result of the last strike by the occupiers, which took place around 10.30am in the morning in the Kharkiv district. Two of them are in serious condition.
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Ukraine said Russia launched “massive” missile and drone attacks on Friday, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited some European countries to push for long-range weapons.
On Friday morning, “the enemy struck cities and critical infrastructure facilities,” the air force said, adding that seven Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones were launched from the Sea of Azov and six Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
The air force said it had shot down five drones and five Kalibr missiles, Agence France-Presse reports.
Russia also carried out a “massive” attack with “up to 35 anti-aircraft guided missiles” targeting the Kharkiv region in the east and the southern Zaporizhzhia region, it said.
In Kharkiv, “critical and infrastructure facilities were targeted” resulting in fires that were “quickly” put out, governor Oleg Sinegubov said. He said nobody was injured but some parts of the city were without power.
“Energy and industrial infrastructure” suffered damaged in Zaporizhzhia, leaving sections of the city without electricity, local official Anatoly Kurtev said.
Kurtev said 17 strikes were recorded over the course of an hour, “the largest number” since Russia invaded nearly one year ago.
Ukraine’s energy operator Ukrenergo, said “several high voltage facilities” were affected in the eastern, western and southern regions of Ukraine, leading to power outages in some areas.
Russia also targeted “power plants and transmission system facilities,” Ukrenergo said, adding that emergency power cuts have been put into place.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has posted to Telegram to state that “Debris from a rocket damaged a car and the roof of a private house in Holosiivskyi district” in the capital.
He added “The missile attack continues. Stay in shelters!”
In the south of Ukraine, the governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, has warned on Telegram that a third wave of attacks is incoming.
My colleague Luke Harding is in Kyiv, where he reports what he believes sounds like air defence in action.
Explosions in Kyiv now. Sounds like air defence. Black puff of smoke in the distance. No sound of impact pic.twitter.com/yT9V2THmki
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) February 10, 2023
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko has posted on Twitter to say that the sound of air defence in action can be heard in Kyiv.
Air defence working massively in #Kyiv. Apart from that the city is extra quiet, as if before a storm
— Lesia Vasylenko (@lesiavasylenko) February 10, 2023
Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne has reported on Telegram in the last few minutes that “the sounds of explosions can be heard in the Kremenchuk district of the Poltava region”.
It has subsequently added that the head of the Poltava region has said that air defence forces are activated in the area.
Poltava is in central Ukraine, and has borders with Sumy and Kharkiv regions to its east.
Reuters has a quick snap that Ukraine’s state power grid operator says several high-voltage facilities across the country have been hit by Russian missile attacks today.
More details soon …
The latest inteligence briefing on the situation in Ukraine from the UK’s Ministry of Defence suggests that “Russian forces have likely made tactical gains in two key sectors” since 7 February. It states:
On the northern outskirts of the Donbas town of Bakhmut, Wagner Group forces have pushed 2-3km further west, controlling countryside near the M-03 main route into the town. Russian forces increasingly dominate the northern approaches to Bakhmut.
To the south, Russian units have made advances around the western edge of the town of Vuhledar, where they re-launched offensive operations in late January 2023.
The report goes on to claim that “Russian units have likely suffered particularly heavy casualties around Vuhledar as inexperienced units have been committed” and suggests that “Russian troops likely fled and abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armoured vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault”.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 10 February 2023
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) February 10, 2023
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/SAUmQuQUWn
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/4AQjfbhXfr
Updated
Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv, has given an update on the situation in his region. He posted on the Telegram messaging app:
At 4am, the enemy launched rocket attacks on the city of Kharkiv and the region with S-300 missiles. Critical and infrastructure facilities were targeted. Fires broke out, which the rescuers managed to quickly put out. However, some areas of the city remain without electricity. Specialists are working to eliminate the consequences of the impact. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Air alerts declared across Ukraine
Air raid alerts have been declared in all of Ukraine this morning as officials warned of potential Russian missile strikes, urging residents to take shelter.
“There is a big threat of the missile attack. I want to stress again - do not ignore the air alert sirens,” said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv city military administration.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser Anton Gerashchenko also waned of “threats of a massive Russian rocket attack” and urged people to stay in shelters.
Air raid alert all over Ukraine.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 10, 2023
Threats of a massive Russian rocket attack.
All in Ukraine advised to stay in shelters.#RussiaIsATerroristState pic.twitter.com/OueHVEY7xu
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A quick snap here that Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with his Polish counterpart on Thursday in Rzeszow, south-east Poland.
Zelenskiy and Andrzej Duda discussed the situation in the region, the office of the Polish president said.
The President of Ukraine reported on his recent diplomatic activity in Brussels and other European capitals; the talks also focused on security in the region.”
The presidents discussed the current situation at the front and the need for further joint actions for military support, the office said.
Prezydenci @AndrzejDuda i @ZelenskyyUa omówili aktualną sytuację na froncie i syt. bezpieczeństwa w naszym regionie oraz konieczność dalszych wspólnych działań na rzecz wsparcia militarnego 🇺🇦 – @marcin_przydacz @BPM_KPRP. pic.twitter.com/Z7ntRST5g5
— Biuro Polityki Międzynarodowej (@BPM_KPRP) February 10, 2023
Is Russia planning a major new assault on Ukraine?
The Guardian’s Luke Harding writes this analysis below.
Western governments believe Russia is planning a major assault on Ukraine, possibly as early as next week before the 24 February anniversary of its full-scale invasion. Its main goal is believed to be to capture the Donbas region, including Luhansk, which Ukraine partly controls.
The timing of any attack in unknown. Ukrainian government sources say one scenario would include ballistic missile strikes on large cities including Kyiv, and an attempt to cut off the east of the country by bombing bridges and advancing in a sweeping arc from the north and south.
Military analysts are sceptical that Russia has enough infantry units to advance rapidly into Ukrainian territory. They acknowledge, however, that some sections of the Ukrainian-Russian border are lightly defended, with the bulk of Ukrainian forces located in the eastern Donetsk province where fighting rages around the city of Bakhmut.
There are growing signs that even with Russia’s wider battle strategy unknown, a substantial offensive in the east has already started.
The Institute for the Study of War confirmed a “marked increase” in operations in the area over the past week in its latest report. It said Russia had made marginal gains along the border between Kharkiv and Luhansk provinces, including in the village of Dvorichne. The offensive had probably not yet “reached its full tempo”, it said.
“The commitment of significant elements of at least three major Russian divisions to offensive operations in this sector indicates the Russian offensive has begun, even if Ukrainian forces are so far preventing Russian forces from securing significant gains,” the ISW report said.
Anton Gerashchenko, who advises the interior ministry in Kyiv and runs a popular Telegram social media channel, also suggested Russia’s offensive had started. “Russia throws colossal amounts of weapons and people to attack Ukraine and has been for some time,” he posted.
Moscow does not believe Kyiv’s pledges that it will not use long-range western arms to strike deep into Russian territory, state-owned RIA news agency cited a Russian foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.
Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said this week Kyiv would only use weapons that the US plans to provide to strike Russian forces on Ukrainian territory.
Alexei Polishyuk, a department head at the ministry, told RIA:
There can be no trust in such statements because the Ukrainian authorities have time and again demonstrated their untrustworthiness and inability to make agreements.”
Russia begins major offensive in eastern Ukraine - reports
Russia has launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine and is trying to break through defences near the town of Kreminna, the governor for the Luhansk region said on Thursday.
Serhiy Haidai told Ukrainian TV that Russian troops had gone on the attack and were trying to advance westwards across a winter landscape of snow and forests. There had been “maximum escalation” and a big increase in shooting and shelling, he said.
These attacks are practically a daily occurrence. We see small groups [of Russian soldiers] trying to advance, sometimes with the support of heavy armour – infantry fighting vehicles and tanks – and sometimes not. There is continuous firing.”
In #Kreminna direction - maximum escalation, occupiers are trying to break through our defense line #LuhanskOblast
— Serhiy Hayday (@serhey_hayday) February 8, 2023
He claimed the offensive had not worked. “So far they haven’t had any success. Our defenders have been able to hold them back completely,” he said.
Macron doesn’t rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will not rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine at some point, but that Kyiv is in need of more immediate military firepower.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has long urged his allies to send jet fighters and claimed that several European leaders were ready to supply aircraft.
Zelenskiy told a news conference on Thursday:
Europe will be with us until our victory. I’ve heard it from a number of European leaders … about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including the aircraft.”
Macron, when asked about the possibility of sending jets at the end of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels in the early hours of Friday, replied:
I exclude absolutely nothing.”
But Macron said any delivery of fighter jets – and the time to train Ukrainian pilots to fly them – would be lengthy and Ukraine primarily needs immediate help in the weeks and months ahead.
Macron said the priority should be on items such as artillery and possibly intensifying the delivery of such items.
Agence France-Presse reports the president as saying:
I’m not ruling anything out ... but that doesn’t correspond to today’s requirements.”
“It is essential the allies favour the most useful equipment” and “the fastest”, Macron argued, citing the Caesar guns and the Mamba medium-range surface-to-air defence system supplied by France.
The supply of fighter jets would be one of the biggest shifts yet in western support and Moscow has warned it would escalate and prolong the conflict.
Updated
Zaporizhzhia hit by ‘largest’ missile strike, mayor says
At least 17 Russian missiles hit the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in an hour on Friday morning, its acting mayor, Anatolii Kurtiev, said.
The attacks reportedly targeted energy infrastructure as authorities assess any damage and possible casualties.
Kurtiev provided an update on the Telegram messaging app about 6am local time, writing:
In an hour, 17 enemy landings were recorded in the city – this is the largest number since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The monsters insidiously attacked the objects of the energy infrastructure.”
Updated
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next hour.
In response to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s extended plea for fighter jets, French president Emmanuel Macron has said he will not rule out the aircraft to Ukraine at some point, but stressed Kyiv is in need of more immediate military firepower.
Though Macron told reporters early on Friday that he would “exclude absolutely nothing” he maintained that the priority should be on items such as artillery.
Meanwhile, the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia has been reportedly been hit by a string of Russian missiles in the early hour of Friday morning.
At least 17 missiles targeted energy infrastructure, the city’s acting mayor, Anatolii Kurtiev, said.
If you have just joined us, here are all the most immediate developments:
Russian forces launched a series of overnight strikes that knocked out power supplies in parts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, local officials said. There was no word on casualties.
Russia has launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine and is trying to break through defences near the town of Kreminna, the governor for the Luhansk region has said. Serhiy Haidai told Ukrainian TV on Thursday that Russian troops had gone on the attack and were trying to advance westwards across a winter landscape of snow and forests. There had been “maximum escalation” and a big increase in shooting and shelling, he said. “So far they haven’t had any success. Our defenders have been able to hold them back completely.” The Institute for the Study of War confirmed a “marked increase” in operations in the area over the past week in its latest report.
A series of Russian drone and missile attacks struck targets in the south and east of Ukraine, according to officials and local residents who reported hearing loud explosions. Air raid sirens sounded in much of the country late on Thursday night. Serhiy Lysak, the military administrator in the Dnipropetrovsk region, said Shahed drones were detected on their way to the area.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims Ukraine has intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova. Speaking to European Union leaders in Brussels, Zelenskiy warned that his services had intercepted a document which “shows who, when and how was going to break the democracy of Moldova and establish control over Moldova”, adding that he had immediately warned Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu. Zelenskiy’s claim could not be independently verified.
Zelenskiy urged European leaders to speed up weapons delivery and open EU membership talks with Ukraine this year, in a highly symbolic visit to Brussels on Thursday, in which he said Russia was trying to annihilate “the Ukrainian-European way of life”. Zelenskiy addressed the European parliament on Thursday morning, proclaiming Ukraine “will join the European Union” and thanking the bloc’s members for their support during Russia’s invasion.
Zelenskiy claimed that several European Union leaders said they were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft, but gave no further details about the pledges. There was no immediate confirmation from any European countries. “Europe will be with us until our victory. I’ve heard it from a number of European leaders … about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including the aircraft,” he told a news conference on Thursday. “I have a number of bilaterals now, we are going to raise the issue of the fighter jets and other aircraft.”
Downing Street said it was looking at a “whole suite of options” to assist Ukraine when asked again about sending warplanes. Asked about the Ukrainian president suggesting some European leaders were ready to provide fighter jets to Kyiv, a spokesperson for the prime minister said the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, was seeing “whether we can provide fighter jets in the future”.
The UK government said it would not send fighter jets to Ukraine if there was risk to British safety. When asked about some western allies’ concerns that supplying jets could risk dragging Nato into the conflict, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “Firstly, we haven’t made a decision in terms of UK provision of jets – we are training currently.”
The European Union must continue to provide maximum support to Ukraine, the European Council president, Charles Michel, said on Thursday. “We understand that the coming weeks and months will be of decisive importance,” he said. “Artillery, munitions, defence systems … you have told us exactly what you need and what you need now.”
