Closing summary
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Ukraine’s military claimed on Tuesday that the last 24 hours were the deadliest of the war for Russian troops. It increased its tally of Russian military dead by 1,030 overnight to 133,190, the biggest increase in daily Russian military deaths since the war began last February. Russia has also said it killed large numbers of Ukrainian troops in recent weeks, claiming it had inflicted 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in the month of January. These figures could not be independently verified, but the assertion that the fighting was the deadliest so far fits descriptions from both sides of an escalating campaign of close-contact trench warfare.
Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have announced they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks. In a joint statement, the defence ministers of the three countries said the shipment of older Leopard 1 tanks was part of an effort “to support Ukraine in their endeavour to withstand Russian aggression”. The delivery of Leopard 1 tanks will occur “within the coming months” and include logistical support and training, it added.
Germany’s defence ministry has said Leopard 2A6 battle tanks will be available in Ukraine by the end of March. Meanwhile, Berlin has reportedly approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine. The head of the German arms maker Rheinmetall has also said it expects to send 20 to 25 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine this year. The news comes as Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s top national security official, Oleksiy Danilov, has said he is confident his country will eventually receive US-made F-16 fighter jets. It was “only a matter of time” before Kyiv gets the F-16s, Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, told CNN. He also suggested Ukraine may be capable of striking Russian on its own territory, beyond occupied Ukraine.
Ukraine has released extraordinary video footage that appears to show Russian fighters dragging their badly wounded commander away from the battlefield, then beating him violently with what appear to be shovels. A Ukrainian drone captured the incident near the eastern city of Bakhmut, where intense fighting has been raging for months.
Russia almost certainly now lacks the munitions and manoeuvre units required for successful offensives, the UK Ministry of Defence said. Its latest intelligence update stated that Moscow would continue to demand sweeping advances, but it remained unlikely that Russia could build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war in the coming weeks.
Ukraine’s parliament has approved the appointment of Ihor Klymenko as the country’s new interior affairs minister and Vasily Malyuk as the new head of the country’s security services, known as the SBU. Klymenko, formerly the national police chief, was serving as acting interior minister after the former minister, Denys Monastyrsky, was killed last month in a helicopter crash on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Recriminations have broken out among EU officials after a possible visit to Brussels by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was leaked, raising concerns over his security. Zelenskiy was reported to be planning a trip to Brussels this Thursday to meet EU leaders in person at a summit and address the European parliament in an extraordinary session.
Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has warned that western arms supplies to Ukraine are effectively “dragging” Nato into the conflict, which could lead to an “unpredictable level of escalation”. In remarks during a conference call with military officials, quoted by state-owned Tass news agency, Shoigu accused the US and its allies of “trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible” by supplying Kyiv with what he described as “heavy offensive weapons”.
Updated
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has tweeted a photo of him and his brother, Wladimir, meeting the German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, in Ukraine’s capital today.
Зустрілися в Києві з міністром оборони 🇩🇪 Борисом Пісторіусом.
— Віталій Кличко (@Vitaliy_Klychko) February 7, 2023
Німеччина продовжить підтримувати Україну - буде і озброєння, й економічна допомога, й політична підтримка. pic.twitter.com/120JnYINKA
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Germany’s defence ministry has said Leopard 2A6 battle tanks will be available in Ukraine by the end of March.
Nächste konkrete Schritte für unsere 🇺🇦 Unterstützung: Verteidigungsminister Pistorius sprach heute in der #Ukraine u.a. mit Präsident @ZelenskyyUa und seinem Amtskollegen @oleksiireznikov. Ende März stehen die #Kampfpanzer #Leopard 2 A6 aus 🇩🇪 zur Verfügung. pic.twitter.com/mAbgiza4Sp
— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) February 7, 2023
Germany, Netherlands and Denmark to supply 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine
Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have announced they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks.
In a joint statement, the defence ministers of the three countries said the shipment of older Leopard 1 tanks was part of an effort “to support Ukraine in their endeavour to withstand Russian aggression”.
The supplies will “significantly enhance Ukraine’s military potential for the restoration of their violated territorial integrity”, the statement continued.
The delivery of Leopard 1 tanks will occur “within the coming months” and include logistical support and training, it added.
Updated
The Kremlin has ordered inspections and repairs on bomb shelters across Russia in a national drive to upgrade the country’s crumbling Soviet-era infrastructure, according to a report.
The overhaul of the country’s bomb shelter network comes amid Moscow’s nuclear sabre-rattling and growing militarisation of daily life, the Moscow Times reports.
Citing Russian officials, the paper writes that local authorities appear to be spending hundreds of millions of roubles to make Russia’s thousands of bunkers, reinforced cellars and other safe hideouts fit for habitation.
One official was quoted as saying:
A decision to inspect the network of bomb shelters was made by the government in the spring. The command for a large-scale inspection and to put things right was given by the emergency situations ministry, the defence ministry and [other] civilian ministries.
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Five people killed in gas explosion in Russia
At least five people have died in a gas explosion that ripped through a five-floor building in the town of Yefremov south of Moscow, state-run Ria news agency reported, citing emergency services.
Ria quoted emergency services as saying:
So far, seven people have been rescued; unfortunately, five people died.
On the subject of German-made tanks, it is being reported that Berlin has approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine.
The delivery from industry stocks, reported by Spiegel and Reuters, is considerably more than previously announced.
A source told Reuters:
The export of 178 Leopard 1s is approved.
The news comes as Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, made a surprise visit to Kyiv after Berlin confirmed that it would deliver more modern Leopard 2 battle tanks from army stocks.
Earlier, the head of the German arms maker Rheinmetall said it expects to send 20 to 25 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine this year.
CEO Armin Papperger told a conference organised by several newspapers:
The rest of the 88 (Leopard 1 tanks) that we have will be delivered next year.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has posted to Twitter that the “first” Leopard 2 battle tank has arrived in Kyiv, alongside a photo of him and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, with a miniature model of the German-made battle tank.
BREAKING: The «first» Leopard 2 has arrived in Kyiv 🐆
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) February 7, 2023
There will be more of them.✊
Thank you to @Bundeskanzler my colleague Boris Pistorius and the German people.
The tank coalition is marching... to victory! pic.twitter.com/4VY2YaovBi
Here are some of the latest images we have received from Ukraine.
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Russia has had 'deadliest 24 hours since start of war', says Ukraine
Ukraine’s military has claimed that the last 24 hours were the deadliest of the war for Russian troops, increasing its tally of Russian military dead by 1,030 overnight to 133,190.
The figure, which could not be independently verified, marks the biggest increase in daily Russian military deaths since the war began last February.
Russia has also said it killed large numbers of Ukrainian troops in recent weeks, claiming it had inflicted 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in the month of January.
Tallies of enemy casualties from either side have typically been seen as unreliable, Reuters reports, and Ukraine offered few details of the latest battles.
But the assertion that the fighting was the deadliest so far fits descriptions from both sides of an escalating campaign of close-contact trench warfare, as Russia presses on with a winter assault in the east with tens of thousands of freshly mobilised troops.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Ukraine has released extraordinary video footage that appears to show Russian fighters dragging their badly wounded commander away from the battlefield, and then beating him violently with what appear to be shovels. A Ukrainian drone captured the incident near the eastern city of Bakhmut, where intense fighting has been raging for months.
Recriminations have broken out among EU officials after a possible visit by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to Brussels was leaked, raising concerns over his security. Zelenskiy was reported to be planning a trip to Brussels this Thursday to meet EU leaders in person at a summit and address the European parliament in an extraordinary session.
Russia almost certainly now lacks the munitions and manoeuvre units required for successful offensives, the UK Ministry of Defence said. Its latest intelligence update stated that Moscow will continue to demand sweeping advances, but it remains unlikely that Russia can build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war in the coming weeks.
Ukraine’s parliament has approved the appointment of Ihor Klymenko as the country’s new interior affairs minister and Vasily Malyuk as the new head of the country’s security services, known as the SBU. Klymenko, formerly Ukraine’s national police chief, was serving as acting interior minister after the former minister, Denis Monastyrsky, was killed last month in a helicopter crash on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said personnel changes on the border and frontline would bolster Ukraine’s military efforts amid uncertainty over the future of his defence minister. “We are bolstering our managerial positions,” Zelenskiy said in his Monday evening address. “In a number of regions, particularly those on the border or on the frontline, we will appoint leaders with military experience. Those who can show themselves to be the most effective in defending against existing threats.”
Loud explosions have been reported in the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, according to Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the exiled city’s mayor. “Five loud explosions in a row in the Prymorskyi district of Mariupol. Our people report that they rang out in the sea port area,” he posted to social media.
Ukraine’s top national security official, Oleksiy Danilov, has said he is confident his country will eventually receive American-made F-16 fighter jets. It was “only a matter of time” before Kyiv gets the F-16s, Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, told CNN. He also suggested Ukraine may be capable of striking Russian on its own territory, beyond occupied Ukraine.
Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has warned that western arms supplies to Ukraine are effectively “dragging” Nato into the conflict and that could lead to an “unpredictable level of escalation”. In remarks during a conference call with military officials, quoted by state-owned Tass news agency, Shoigu accused the US and its allies of “trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible” by supplying Kyiv with what he described as “heavy offensive weapons”.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has said Russian athletes should not be allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics as long as the war in Ukraine is ongoing. “It is not conceivable (for Russian athletes) to march as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation come to Paris while the bombs are still raining down on Ukraine,” she said. Her remarks represent a change in position after she said last month that she believed Russian athletes could take part “under a neutral flag” to avoid “depriving athletes of competition”.
A plan for Volodymyr Zelenskiy to give a speech via video link during the last night of Italy’s Sanremo song festival has been scrapped due to political controversy over his participation. Italian politicians from across the spectrum said the Ukrainian president’s appearance was inappropriate for the popular annual music competition, which is televised by the state broadcaster Rai.
Ukraine had withdrawn from its libraries 19m copies of books by last November that came either from the Soviet era or were in Russian, a senior lawmaker has said. After Russia moved to annex Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014, Kyiv has increasingly restricted the use of Russian books.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong still here with all the latest from Ukraine. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Ihor Klymenko appointed Ukraine’s internal affairs minister
Ukraine’s parliament has approved the appointment of Ihor Klymenko as the country’s new interior affairs minister.
Klymenko, formerly Ukraine’s national police chief, was serving as acting interior minister after the former minister, Denys Monastyrskiy, was killed last month in a helicopter crash on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Monastyrskiy, his deputy and five other high-ranking officials were killed when their helicopter crashed into a nursery in Brovary, north-east of the capital. Another seven people were also killed, including a child.
As we reported earlier, Ukraine’s parliament also approved Vasily Malyuk as the new head of the country’s security services, known as the SBU.
Updated
Explosions reported in Russian-occupied Mariupol, says mayor's adviser
Loud explosions have been reported in the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, according to Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the exiled city’s mayor.
In a statement on Telegram, Andriushchenko said the explosions were heard in the Prymorskyi district. He wrote:
Five loud explosions in a row in the Prymorskyi district of Mariupol. Our people report that they rang out in the sea port area. That’s exactly where the occupiers recently deployed military hardware and anti-aircraft defence systems.
⚡️Official: Loud explosions reported in Russian-occupied Mariupol.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 7, 2023
According to Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, 5 loud explosions likely occurred at the site where Russian occupiers had recently brought air defense systems and other military equipment.
Updated
Luke Harding reports that over the weekend sources inside Zelenskiy’s own Servant of the People party suggested Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, would be moved out of his job. This followed a corruption scandal which saw the ministry pay two or three times the supermarket price of food to supply frontline troops.
On Tuesday it appeared Reznikov was staying put. Ukraine’s national security and defence council, parliamentarians and some western allies argued it was the wrong time to remove him, ahead of an expected Russian counteroffensive. It is uncertain how long he might remain in post.
According to Reuters, the confusion followed a crackdown on alleged official wrongdoing as Zelenskiy seeks to show that Kyiv can be a safe steward of billions of dollars of western aid.
Reznikov had said earlier that he was “holding the line”, and showed no sign of stepping aside.
“Thank you all for your support, as well as constructive criticism. We draw conclusions. We continue the reforms. Even during the war. We are strengthening the defense and working for victory,” he wrote on Twitter.
Updated
Updated
Russia has accused the US embassy in Moscow of spreading “fake news” and threatened to expel US diplomats, state media is reporting.
State-run Tass news agency cited a senior Russian foreign ministry source as saying that an official note had been delivered to the US embassy, warning that US diplomats engaged in what it called “subversive activities” would be expelled.
Updated
Ukraine releases video appearing to show Russian troops beating own wounded officer
Ukraine has released extraordinary video footage that appears to show Russian fighters dragging their badly wounded commander away from the battlefield, and then beating him violently with what appear to be shovels.
A Ukrainian drone captured the incident near the eastern city of Bakhmut, where intense fighting has been raging for months. Four soldiers from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group carry their colleague through a landscape of ruined houses, holding his arms and legs.
They then dump him next to a barn. A second video appears to show three men then hitting him repeatedly with shovels. The fate of the injured commander is unclear. But the episode tallies with persistent reports of low morale among Russian mercenary units.
Ukrainian soldiers fighting in and around Bakhmut have described how Wagner troops attack in waves. They are reportedly threatened with execution if they fail to advance and are mown down in large numbers, their corpses littering the frontlines.
A drone unit from the Seneka special platoon shot the footage earlier this week. It was released on Ukrainian social media channels on Monday.
Here are some of the latest images we have received from the frontline in Ukraine.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has said Russian athletes should not be allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics as long as the war in Ukraine is ongoing.
Speaking to France Info radio, she said:
As long as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, I don’t want there to be a Russian delegation at the Paris 24 Games – I would find that indecent.
It is not conceivable (for Russian athletes) to march as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation come to Paris while the bombs are still raining down on Ukraine.
Her remarks represent a change in position after she said last month that she believed Russian athletes could take part “under a neutral flag” to avoid “depriving athletes of competition”.
Ukraine hopes to secure widespread international support for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris Olympics. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said their presence would normalise Russia’s invasion of his country and make “terror” acceptable.
A plan for Volodymyr Zelenskiy to give a speech via video link during the last night of Italy’s Sanremo song festival has been scrapped due to political controversy over his participation.
Italian politicians from across the spectrum said the Ukrainian president’s appearance was inappropriate for the popular annual music competition, which is televised by the state broadcaster Rai.
Zelenskiy had been due to give his speech on Saturday night but will instead provide a written message that will be read out by the festival’s host, the Italian TV presenter Amadeus.
Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, triggered the controversy, saying Zelenskiy’s participation was “out of place” and that the entertainment event should be “reserved for music”, while Giuseppe Conte, the former prime minister and leader of the Five Star Movement, said he didn’t think it was necessary for Zelenskiy to appear “in such a light-hearted context”.
The controversy and decision to scrap Zelenskiy’s video appearance was mocked by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, who said on Telegram: “He could have won the contest with a rap.”
The Sanremo film festival starts on Tuesday night. The event draws millions of TV viewers and is used to choose the Italian candidate for the Eurovision song contest.
Updated
Ukraine’s top national security official, Oleksiy Danilov, has said he is confident that his country will eventually receive American-made F-16 fighter jets.
It was “only a matter of time” before Kyiv gets the F-16s, Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, told CNN on Monday.
He said:
They will definitely come. Unfortunately, in the meantime we’re losing our people while fighting for our independence.
Joe Biden appeared to rule out supplying F-16 fighter jets last week, although he has emphasised he would remain in discussions with Ukraine about its weapons requests. The UK has also said supplying western jets was not practical.
Danilov also suggested Ukraine may be capable of striking Russian on its own territory, beyond occupied Ukraine. He said:
Regarding Russian territory, nobody prohibits us to destroy targets with weapons produced in Ukraine. Do we have such weapons? Yes, we do.
Updated
Shoigu: Nato involvement in Ukraine risks ‘unpredictable level of escalation’
Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has warned that western arms supplies to Ukraine are effectively “dragging” Nato into the conflict and that could lead to an “unpredictable level of escalation”.
In remarks during a conference call with military officials, quoted by state-owned Tass news agency, Shoigu accused the US and its allies of “trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible” by supplying Kyiv with what he described as “heavy offensive weapons”.
He said:
Such moves are actually drawing Nato countries into the conflict and can eventually lead to an unpredictable escalation.
During the same call, the Russian defence minister said Moscow’s forces had made progress in the fight for control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, saying the offensive “is advancing successfully”.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here again, taking over the live blog from Tobi Thomas to bring you the latest developments from Ukraine. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Vasily Malyuk becomes new head of Ukraine's security services
Ukraine’s parliament has approved Vasily Malyuk as the new head of the country’s security services, known as the SBU, having been the acting head of the service.
Malyuk, 39, has worked in the territorial bodies of the SBU since 2001, most recently leading the fight against corruption. Last year, he was also briefly the deputy minister of the ministry of internal affairs.
He became acting head of the service in July 2022 after the resignation of his predecessor, Ivan Bakanov.
President Zelensky, who nominated Malyuk, noted his role “in counteracting aggression, returning and liberating Ukrainian heroes.”
Updated
Recriminations have broken out among EU officials after a possible visit by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to Brussels was leaked, raising concerns over his security.
Zelenskiy was reported to be planning a trip to Brussels this Thursday to meet EU leaders in person at a summit and address the European parliament in an extraordinary session.
He is thought to have only left Ukraine once since Russia’s invasion last February: he made a surprise visit to Washington in December, where he addressed a joint session of the US Congress and urged more military support. That trip was planned in top secrecy because of concerns for his safety, although details leaked the day before.
You can read more here:
Ukraine's defence minister 'holding the line' amid uncertainty over his role
Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has issued a statement as uncertainty continues over his leadership.
Writing on Twitter, he said:
Holding the line.
Thank you all for your support, as well as constructive criticism. We draw conclusions.
We continue the reforms. Even during the war.
We are strengthening the defense and working for victory.
Glory to Ukraine!
Holding the line.
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) February 7, 2023
Thank you all for your support, as well as constructive criticism. We draw conclusions.
We continue the reforms. Even during the war.
We are strengthening the defense and working for victory.
Glory to Ukraine!
On Sunday night, David Arakhamia, chief of Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People parliamentary bloc, said Reznivok would be reshuffled into another post following the news that he had paid twice or three times the supermarket price of food to supply troops on the frontline.
The defence ministry would be led by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Arakhamia said.
Reznikov, he added, would become minister of strategic industries, tasked with strengthening military-industrial cooperation, after a day of speculation about the defence minister’s future in Kyiv.
On Monday, he appeared to row back on the announcement, saying no changes would be made this week.
Reznikov has faced a string of questions about corruption in the ministry from Ukrainian journalists, at a time when Zelenskiy has instituted a fresh anti-corruption drive to show the country can be ready for EU membership. Efforts to tackle corruption in his ministry needed to be “fully reloaded”, he admitted.
The defence minister said he believed that Ukraine would eventually obtain F-16s or other western fighter jets, but warned against slow decision-making. “Procrastination with aircraft platforms,” Reznikov said, “will cost us more lives and blood of Ukrainians” and would cost the west more in postwar reconstruction.
You can read more context surrounding Reznikov’s departure here:
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Andrei Kostin, the chief executive of VTB, Russia’s second largest bank, has blamed sanctions for its entire 2022 losses, acknowledging how western sanctions have crippled parts of Russia’s financial sector.
Reuters reports:
“Western countries blocked several major Russian banks’ access to the international Swift payments system soon after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on 24 February last year, with dominant lenders Sberbank and VTB forced to shutter operations across much of Europe.
The sanctions hammer fell for VTB sooner than most domestic rivals and, being heavily exposed to international markets and with more than 20% of its loan portfolio in foreign currency, the bank was one of more than 100 loss-making lenders as the sector’s profits slumped around 90% in 2022.
Kostin, in an interview with state television channel Rossiya 24, said the bank had managed to grow its retail and corporate loan portfolios, but that sanctions accounted for all the lender’s losses.
“The main thing on which we incurred losses is that from Feb. 24 to March 10, before decisions were made about restrictions on issuing funds in foreign currency to the population, $26 billion was withdrawn from our accounts,” Kostin said.
Capital controls introduced in February and March last year included a ban on buying cash dollars and euros as depositors hurriedly withdrew funds and Moscow sought to wrestle back some control on the FX market.”
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Margus Laidre, the Estonian ambassador to Russia, left his residence early on Tuesday morning, Russian state agencies have reported, suggesting that diplomatic relations between countries have been reduced to the level of chargé d’affaires.
On 11 January, Estonia demanded that Moscow reduce the number of employees of the Russian embassy.
The Estonian ministry of foreign affairs stated that in this way parity with the number of employees of the Estonian embassy in Moscow would be ensured.
Since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Estonia has reduced bilateral relations with Moscow to a minimum, closing Russian consulates in both Narva and Tartu and expelling three Russian diplomats.
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Ukraine had withdrawn from its libraries 19m copies of books by last November that came either from the Soviet era or were in Russian, a senior lawmaker has said.
Reuters reports:
Yevheniya Kravchuk, deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s committee on humanitarian and information policy, said that of the 19m books, 11mwere in Russian.
“Some Ukrainian-language books from the Soviet era are also written off,” Kravchuk said according to a statement published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament.
“There are also recommendations to write off and remove books whose authors supported armed aggression against Ukraine.”
It was not immediately clear what happened to the withdrawn books.
After Russia moved to annex Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014, Kyiv increasingly restricted the use of Russian books. The process of the so-called “de-russification” sped up when Russia invaded the country nearly a year ago.
In mid-2022, Ukraine restricted the distribution of Russian books, seeking to further sever cultural ties between the two neighbours and undo policies that Kyiv authorities say have suppressed Ukrainian identity for centuries.
“In general, the ratio of books in Russian and Ukrainian languages in our libraries is just very regretful,” Kravchuk said. “So now we are talking about the fact that it is necessary to renew funds and purchase books in the Ukrainian language as soon as possible.”
She added that about 44% of books in Ukraine’s libraries are in Russian, the rest in Ukrainian or languages of the European Union countries.
Updated
Russia lacks munitions and units for successful offensives, says UK
Russia almost certainly now lacks the munitions and manoeuvre units required for successful offensives, UK Ministry of Defence says.
Moscow will continue to demand sweeping advances, but it remains unlikely that Russia can build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war in the coming weeks, according to the UK Ministry of Defence’s latest intelligence update.
The update comes as Russia pours reinforcements into eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive that could begin next week.
The update said:
Russian forces have only managed to gain several hundred metres of territory per week. This is almost certainly because Russia now lacks the munitions and manoeuvre units required for successful offensives. Senior commanders likely make plans requiring undermanned, inexperienced units to achieve unrealistic objectives due to political and profession pressure.
The update said it’s highly likely Russia has been attempting to re-start offensive operations in Ukraine since early January this year, and almost certainly with the goal of capturing the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk oblast.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images from the frontline in Ukraine.
Updated
Labour to pledge rapid action on replenishing UK weapon stocks
Labour will seek to shift defence procurement to an “urgent operational footing” to help buy fresh arms for Ukraine and replenish stockpiles depleted by previous gifts of military aid if it wins the next election.
The opposition party believes it has taken too long for the Ministry of Defence to buy fresh munitions, citing a near year-long wait to agree a contract to replace the 4,000-plus Nlaw anti-tank bazookas sent to Kyiv before and in the early stages of the war.
In a speech on Tuesday, John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, will argue that Britain’s defence purchasing is wasteful and in need of an urgent overhaul to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.
More on this story here:
Updated
Russia says protection structures at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant near completion
The construction of protective structures for key facilities at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeast Ukraine is nearing completion, Reuters reports.
The report first appeared in Russia’s state TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an adviser to the head of Russia’s nuclear plants operator.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, was captured by Russian troops in March of last year, in the opening days of Moscow’s invasion in Ukraine. It remains close to the frontlines, and has repeatedly come under fire, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.
TASS cited Renat Karchaa of Russia’s nuclear plants operator Rosenergoatom as saying:
The erection of engineering and construction structures, which are designed to provide additional protection for important infrastructure facilities of the nuclear power plant, including those related to the storage of radioactive materials, is at the completion stage.
Outnumbered and Worn Out, Ukrainians in East Brace for Russian Assault: New York Times
As Russia pours reinforcements into eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive, the New York Times reports how it is being felt in the towns and villages along the hundreds of miles of undulating eastern front.
Exhausted Ukrainian troops complain they are already outnumbered and outgunned, even before Russia has committed the bulk of its roughly 200,000 newly mobilized soldiers. And doctors at hospitals speak of mounting losses as they struggle to care for fighters with gruesome injuries.
The civilians standing in the way of Russia’s planned advance once again face the agonizing decision of whether to leave or to stay and wait out the coming calamity.
When and where the new offensive will begin in earnest is still unclear, but Ukrainian officials are gravely concerned. Ukraine’s military defied dire assessments before the war, thwarting Russia’s early efforts to seize the capital, Kyiv, and eventually driving Russian forces back in the northeast and south.
But the Russian military just keeps coming. Right now, the newly mobilized troops are finishing their training and entering the field; the forces include as many soldiers as took part in the initial invasion last year.
Updated
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Jordyn Beazley and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next hour.
Russia has been pouring reinforcements into eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive that could begin next week along a front where there have been relentless battles for months, Reuters reports, citing a Ukrainian governor.
“We are seeing more and more [Russian] reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in … ,” said Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine’s governor of the mainly Russian-occupied province.
“They bring ammunition that is used differently than before – it is not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive,” Haidai told Ukrainian television.
“It will most likely take them 10 days to gather reserves. After 15 February we can expect [this offensive] at any time.”
Here are some of the other latest developments:
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said personnel changes on the border and frontline would bolster Ukraine’s military efforts amid uncertainty over the future of his defence minister. “We are bolstering our managerial positions,” Zelenskiy said in his Monday evening address. “In a number of regions, particularly those on the border or on the frontline, we will appoint leaders with military experience. Those who can show themselves to be the most effective in defending against existing threats.”
The EU is preparing for a potential visit by Zelenskiy to Brussels on Thursday to meet the bloc’s leaders and address parliament. The European Council chief, Charles Michel, invited Zelenskiy to take part in a “future summit” of the 27 EU nations, his spokesperson said Monday. Zelenskiy was invited “to participate in person”, the spokesperson said, adding that, for security reasons, “no further information will be provided”.
Russia launched five missile and 12 air attacks as well as 36 shelling attacks over a 24-hour period, hitting southern targets such as Kherson, the Ukrainian armed forces said on Monday evening.
Ukrainian aircraft also launched nine strikes on a concentration of Russian forces and two anti-aircraft positions. Battleground reports could not be immediately verified.
Weeks of intense fighting continued to rage around the city of Bakhmut and the nearby towns of Soledar and Vuhledar, Ukraine’s presidential office said. Ukraine said on Monday evening that Russian forces had used tank, mortar and artillery fire in Bakhmut in the past 24 hours. The UK’s Ministry of Defence said Russia was continuing to make small advances in its efforts to encircle Bakhmut. “While multiple alternative cross-country supply routes remain available to Ukrainian forces, Bakhmut is increasingly isolated.”
Russian forces are attempting to tie down Ukrainian forces with fighting in the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine has said. Moscow is reportedly assembling additional troops there for an expected offensive in the coming weeks, perhaps targeting the Luhansk region. “The battles for the region are heating up,” said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk. In Luhansk, fellow governor Serhiy Haidai said shelling there had subsided because “the Russians have been saving ammunition for a large-scale offensive”.
The western area of the Luhansk region is likely to be the focus of any new Russian offensive, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, who has been tipped to take over the Ministry of Defence, has said. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said that offensive would most likely be launched by “proper mechanised brigades” rather than the ill-trained reservists and Wagner mercenaries who have been suffering heavy casualties in recent battles.
Ukraine has faced temperatures as low as -20C this winter, at the same time as dealing with a humanitarian crisis as Russia hits key civilian infrastructure. Areas in Dnipro, Donetsk and Kharkiv are particularly vulnerable, according to research. Some areas are housing tens of thousands of displaced people through the winter, at the same time as crucial infrastructure – including energy and housing – is being targeted by Russian missiles and artillery.
The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, has warned the world is walking into a “wider war” over Ukraine. Addressing the UN general assembly just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine, Guterres said: “The prospects for peace keep diminishing. The chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing.”
Germany’s plan to quickly assemble two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks from European allies and send them to Ukraine is progressing more slowly than expected. Several states have yet to decide whether they can spare vehicles. In Europe, other than Berlin, only Poland and Portugal have so far made concrete promises to contribute. Ukrainian soldiers are supposed to start being trained on Leopard 2 tanks in Germany and Poland from this week. “Germany’s commitment stands,” government spokesperson Wolfgang Büchner said on Monday.
Canada’s defence minister, Anita Anand, shared an image of the first Canadian-donated Leopard tank arriving in Poland. “Alongside our allies, we’ll soon be training the armed forces of Ukraine in the use of this equipment,” she tweeted.
Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, has proposed his country should provide 75bn Norwegian kroner (£6.1 bn) in aid to Ukraine over five years. Half of the aid in 2023 would fund Kyiv’s military requirements while the rest would go to humanitarian needs, although this split could change in coming years, he said. The announcement comes after Støre’s government came under pressure to increase support for Ukraine, after earning billions in extra oil and gas revenue from Russia’s war.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, will not be meeting Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow this week, the Kremlin has said. Grossi is expected to meet officials from the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom and the foreign ministry, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Moscow expected a “substantive dialogue”.
Russia’s oil and gas revenues plunged 46% in January, compared with the same month in 2022, under the impact of the price cap on oil exports imposed by western allies over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s finance ministry said budget revenue in January was 35% lower compared with the same month in 2022, the last month before Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
