We are now closing this blog but you can read all our Ukraine coverage here.
Summary
It is now approaching 6pm in Kyiv. Here is a summary of the main developments from today:
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said the west are attempting to “destroy us” and to “contain our development” in his annual address to parliament. He said: “The so called West with its so colonialist tendencies is striving not only to contain our development but they are intent on destroying us and using our space for whatever their purposes are including Ukraine.
Putin also said Russia will fight back and “defeat” Nato on their own territory against the threat of expansion, which he warned could trigger a nuclear war. He said: “They are preparing to strike our territory and using the best possible forces most effective forces to do so. But we remember the fate of those who tried to invade our territory and of course their fate will be much more tragic than anything that we could face.”
European defence and foreign ministers will meet in Paris in coming days to discuss further support for Ukraine and Moldova, a French foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
Russian authorities on Thursday detained journalist Sergei Sokolov, the editor of Novaya Gazeta, on charges of discrediting the army, the newspaper and Russian state media reported. Novaya Gazeta said in an online report that Sokolov’s detention was over coverage of the Russian army in an article, but did not provide more details, according to Reuters.
The European parliament said on Thursday Russian president Vladimir Putin bore the “criminal and political responsibility” for opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death and should be held to account. AFP reports that in a resolution passed with 506 votes in the 705-seat assembly, the parliament said “The Russian government and Vladimir Putin personally bear criminal and political responsibility for the death of their most prominent opponent, Alexei Navalny.”
Ukraine has identified 511 people suspected of war crimes since Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion and has already handed down 81 convictions, its prosecutor general said in Kyiv on Thursday. Andriy Kostin was speaking at a war crimes conference alongside the chief prosecutors of Poland, Lithuania, Romania and the President of the EU justice arm, Eurojust.
Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had shot down three more Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers, the latest successes it has reported against Moscow’s air force. On Telegram, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said: “After successful combat operations against an enemy aircraft in the night on Feb. 29, two more Russian aircraft were destroyed: Su-34 fighter-bombers in the Avdiivka and Mariupol sectors.”
A Russian court on Thursday rejected an appeal by a Russian-American woman against her detention on a treason charge. The FSB Security Service said last week that Ksenia Karelina had been detained on suspicion of raising funds for Ukraine’s armed forces. The Los Angeles resident had been collecting funds for a Ukrainian organisation whose ultimate beneficiary was the Ukrainian army, the FSB said.
Sri Lanka has decided to stop issuing free long-term visas to Russian and Ukrainian nationals who have lived in the Indian Ocean island nation for the past two years, a government official said on Thursday.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said he believes it is important for Russia to strengthen ties with Arab countries and Latin American countries during his annual address to the nation.
Ukrainian forces have pushed back Russian troops from the village of Orlivka, west of Avdiivka, but the situation on the eastern front remains difficult, Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday. Orlivka is less than 2 kilometres northwest of Lastochkyne, which was recently occupied by Russian forces.
Ukraine plans to export a high volume of electricity on Thursday, taking advantage of lower domestic consumption during a spell of mild weather, the energy ministry said. The country’s electricity exports, which began shortly before it was invaded by Russian troops in 2022, were halted after numerous Russian attacks on power infrastructure and the seizure of the largest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia.
