Closing summary
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
President Joe Biden has approved sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a significant escalation in the US effort to counter Russian aggression. Until now, the US has resisted providing its own M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the hi-tech vehicles. Earlier, the president had spoken by phone with president Emmanuel Macron of France, Olaf Scholz of Germany, prime minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and prime minister Rishi Sunak of Britain. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, thanked Biden for the “powerful decision” and described it as “an important step on the path to victory”.
Germany has confirmed it will make 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks available for Ukraine’s war effort. Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said his government plans to send further military support to Ukraine beyond the 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks announced earlier today. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the decision, and said he is “sincerely grateful” to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
By agreeing to send the Abrams, the US is able to meet Scholz’s demand for an American commitment but without having to send the tanks immediately. In public statements, Washington and Berlin had denied any connection between their respective decisions on tanks, although media reports said German officials had made clear in private that the Leopards were conditional on the US making a similar commitment.
Germany will also approve other European countries supplying German-made Leopard 2 tanks from their own stock. On top of the German company of Leopard 2A6 tanks, Finland, Spain and the Netherlands will also contribute vehicles of the same model, according to German media reports. A second battalion will be made up of Leopard 2A4 tanks supplied by Poland and Norway.
Germany’s offer of 14 Leopard tanks has prompted calls for more heavy armour by Ukraine’s government. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his ministers are also seeking to break a “taboo” on the provision of jets such as US-made F16s. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he had spoken to Poland’s foreign minister, Zbigniew Rau, about further military aid, including fighter jets, a request that has been repeatedly put to Nato allies without success.
The Russian embassy in Germany has accused Berlin of taking the conflict in Ukraine “to a new level of confrontation”. The decision to approve the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine means the “final refusal” of the German government “to recognise its “historical responsibility” to Moscow, Ambassador Sergei Nechayev said in a statement.
The Kremlin has downplayed the impact that western tanks will have in repelling its forces in Ukraine, saying that the military aid to Ukraine would “burn like all the rest.” In remarks to reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the expected transfer of Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian army a “failed plan.”
Ukraine’s military spokesperson, Serhiy Cherevatyi, has said Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, according to the country’s state broadcaster Suspilne. The withdrawal of forces was made “in order to preserve the lives of service personnel”, he said. His comments are the first Ukrainian confirmation of Soledar’s capture by Russian forces.
One person was killed in Kherson oblast due to Russian shelling, six others were injured, ten others were wounded in Donetsk oblast, according to Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne. It said over the past 24 hours, the Russian Federation carried out four missile and 26 airstrikes, as well as more than 100 shellings from multiple launch rocket systems in Ukraine.
In Ukraine, fifteen senior officials have left their posts since Saturday, six of whom have had corruption allegations levelled at them by journalists and Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities. On Wednesday prosecutor general Andriy Kostin signed orders on the voluntary dismissal of the heads of the Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regional prosecutor’s offices. Oleksiy Kuleba, who was removed as governor of Kyiv on Tuesday, has been appointed deputy head of the president’s office as part of the reshuffle.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set its Doomsday Clock, intended to illustrate existential risks to the world, at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight the clock has ever been since it was first introduced in 1947. It is “largely” because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted by saying “The situation as a whole is really alarming”, blaming Nato and the US.
The Russian defence ministry has said the frigate Admiral Gorshkov has tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean. In a statement, the ministry said the frigate had run a computer simulation on hypersonic Zircon missiles. Zircon missiles have a range of 900km (560 miles), and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them.
The European court of human rights has said that a case brought by the Netherlands against Russia over the downing of passenger flight MH17 in July 2014 was admissible. “Among other things, the Court found that areas in eastern Ukraine in separatist hands were, from 11 May 2014 and up to at least 26 January 2022, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation,” the court said in a ruling. The case will now move on to the merits stage, expected to take another one to two years before a final decision is issued.
Russia’s oldest human rights organisation, the Moscow Helsinki Group, has been liquidated after a Moscow court ruled it did not have the correct registration. Russia’s justice ministry filed a lawsuit against it in December, arguing that the group was only registered to defend human rights in Moscow – not other parts of the country – an argument that the group called nonsensical.
The UN’s cultural agency Unesco has said that it has designated the historic centre of Odesa, on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site. Odesa has been bombed several times by Russia since its latest invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and in July 2022 part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa’s Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.
Human rights judges have said cases against Russia for the shooting down of flight MH17 and other alleged war crimes can proceed to trial, as they ruled that separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine were under the effective control of the Russian Federation.
All 298 people onboard the Malaysian airlines flight travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed when it was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile while flying over eastern Ukraine in 2014 during the war in Donbas.
The Netherlands, whose citizens accounted for 196 of those killed, is seeking to bring a case against Russia for violations of the European convention on human rights in relation to the atrocity.
On Wednesday, the European court of human rights (ECHR) ruled that it could proceed as Russia had effective control over separatist areas in eastern Ukraine from 11 May 2014 until at least 26 January 2022 (when the admissibility hearing in the case took place). The judges cited Russia’s military presence in the region, its degree of influence over the separatists’ military strategy, the supply of weapons and military equipment to them, as well as political support.
The ECHR said the fact that Russia ceased to be a party to the European convention on human rights in September was irrelevant, as the events took place prior to that date.
The hesitation with which the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, arrived at Wednesday’s decision to send a company of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, also allowing other European states to deliver more, has frustrated partners in Europe and puzzled political allies in Berlin. But to Hilde Blücher the pace was just right.
“I thought it was likable that he was wavering”, said the 73-year-old pensioner from the Düsseldorf area, passing by the Russian embassy on Berlin’s Unter den Linden boulevard on a visit to the capital. “I think the decision is right, but it was also right to take time to think it through.”
Her friend said:
My husband always says, we need to remember that we lost the second world war to the Russians. And if Russia has decided to continue that conflict, then Germany must at least not be in charge of wading in.
Scholz’s declaration of a Zeitenwende, or “epochal turn”, in German security policy last February raised expectations that the EU’s largest economy had overcome its historical reluctance on military matters and learned to lead from the front when it came to aiding Ukraine’s effort against Russia’s war of aggression.
Since then, debates about weapons exports have followed a familiar – and to many allies frustrating – pattern, in which Berlin prevaricates over different categories of hardware while it waits for other countries, especially the US, to take the lead.
But Scholz’s restrained approach is not unreflective of attitudes among the German public, especially among the 64-year-old’s age cohort. “I think what Scholz did over the last week was politically very well thought-through”, said Karl-Ludwig, 63, who had stopped outside the Russian embassy to look at a display of candles and photographs showing ruined Ukrainian cities.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, has welcomed the US announcement that it will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, describing it as a “historic day” that will “determine our future victory”.
In a Telegram post, Yermark writes:
The main thing is that this is only the beginning. We need hundreds of tanks.
Zelenskiy thanks Biden for ‘powerful decision’ to send Abrams tanks
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has thanked his US counterpart Joe Biden for the “powerful decision” to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv.
Zelenskiy said he was grateful to the American people, describing the news as “an important step on the path to victory”.
Thank you @POTUS for another powerful decision to provide Abrams to 🇺🇦. Grateful to 🇺🇸 people for leadership support! It's an important step on the path to victory. Today the free world is united as never before for a common goal – liberation of 🇺🇦. We're moving forward
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 25, 2023
Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, spoke with the leaders of the US, Germany, France and Italy this afternoon and “welcomed the decisions by allies to announce major battle tank contributions”, Downing Street has said.
In a statement after the call, No 10 said Sunak “said it was now clear Russia was on the backfoot, and there was a window for international partners to accelerate efforts to secure lasting peace for Ukraine”.
Sunak “called on allies to intensify their support in the coming weeks and months”, the statement says.
All the leaders welcomed the strong coordination of military supplies and reflected on the collective international action across the spectrum in support of Ukraine. They also welcomed the continued humanitarian and economic support for Ukraine in the wake of ongoing indiscriminate and barbaric Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The leaders “agreed to stay in close touch”, it adds.
Norway says it will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine
Norway will send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of a group of western allies supplying the arms, according to defence minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
The Norwegian government has not yet released details on how many tanks it will send, or the timeline for getting tanks to Ukraine.
Asked by a reporter why the US had decided to announce the decision to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine just hours after Germany decided to send Leopard 2 tanks, Biden says:
Germany didn’t force me to change my mind. I wanted to make sure we’re all together … as we’re doing right now.
Biden says sending tanks is 'no offensive threat' to Russia
There is “no offensive threat” to Russia, Biden says, adding that western support for Kyiv is about “helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land”.
He says:
If Russian troops returned to Russia, this war would be over today. That’s what we all want – an end to this war.
Biden says he told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy when he visited Washington in December that “we’re with you for as long as it takes”.
Updated
Biden says he is “grateful” to Chancellor Olaf Scholz for “stepping up” to provide German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and for his “leadership and steadfast commitment” to support Ukraine.
Scholz has been “a strong voice for unity and a close friend”, Biden says.
He goes on to thank every Ukraine-supporting country that took part in last week’s meeting of defence ministers at Ramstein airbase in Germany.
Biden: Delivering Abrams tanks to Ukraine 'will take time'
Ukrainian troops need to improve their ability to manoeuvre in open terrain and to deter and defend against Russian aggression, Biden says.
That’s why the US has committed hundreds of armoured fighting vehicles to date, including more than 500 as part of the assistance package we announced last Friday. And today, I’m announcing that the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
Biden describes the Abrams tanks as “the most capable tanks in the world” and “extremely complex to operate and maintain”. The US is therefore also giving Ukraine the parts and equipment necessary to effectively sustain these tanks on the battlefield.
He continues:
Delivering these tanks to the field is going to take time – time that we’ll use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abrams tanks into their defences.
Updated
Biden confirms US will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine
President Joe Biden has confirmed that the US will supply Ukraine with 31 advanced M1 Abrams tanks.
The US and Europe are “fully united” in their support for Ukraine against the “truly brutal aggression” of Russia, Biden says.
He says he had a “long conversation” with Nato allies, including Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak and Giorgia Meloni, earlier today to continue “our close coordination”.
Russia expected that “we were going to break up”, he says. “But we are fully, thoroughly, totally united”.
Updated
Biden to deliver remarks on US support for Ukraine
President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks on continued US support to Ukraine in about 15 minutes.
The US president earlier spoke with France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and her UK counterpart, Rishi Sunak, on the countries’ close cooperation on support for Ukraine, according to the White House.
The US is poised to offer to deliver a significant number of its own Abrams tanks to Kyiv, in a reversal that could have significant implications for Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russian forces.
We’ll be covering Biden’s remarks live on the blog.
Updated
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged the public in Germany to “trust me, and trust the federal government” after the decision to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks.
Weeks of hesitation by the German government brought growing impatience among Germany’s allies. Berlin announced it would send a company of Leopard 2A6 tanks and give the required authorisation for other European countries to deliver the German-manufactured machines.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has since said he had spoken to Scholz and was ‘sincerely grateful to the chancellor and all our friends’.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said he has spoken with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, and said “more good news” would be announced “soon”.
Had a 📞 call with @SecDef Lloyd James Austin III
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) January 25, 2023
Discussed the results of #Ramstein 8, further strengthening of #UAarmy, including tanks supplies&maintenance of the new armament.
More good news to be announced soon.
We have full trust&strong support of 🇺🇸
Together until victory! pic.twitter.com/XaoRv1EGVn
Summary of the day so far
It’s just past 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Germany has confirmed it will make 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks available for Ukraine’s war effort, and give partner countries permission to re-export further battle tanks to Kyiv. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose seeming hesitancy over the question of delivering tanks had in recent days caused growing consternation among western allies, also said his government plans to send further military support to Ukraine beyond the 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks announced earlier today. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the decision, and said he is “sincerely grateful” to Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Leopard 2 tanks could be operational in Ukraine in about three months, Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius has said.
Washington’s reported promise on Tuesday to deliver a significant number of US Abrams tanks to Kyiv appeared to break the deadlock on the issue. The mooted offer to send dozens of its own M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine would be a reversal of its previous position. President Joe Biden is expected to make an announcement at 5pm GMT.
On top of the German company of Leopard 2A6 tanks, Finland, Spain and the Netherlands will also contribute vehicles of the same model, according to German media reports. A second battalion will be made up of Leopard 2A4 tanks supplied by Poland and Norway.
Germany’s offer of 14 Leopard tanks has prompted calls for more heavy armour by Ukraine’s government. Andriy Yermak, the head of President Zelenskiy’s office, said a broader coalition of tanks was needed: “We need a lot of Leopards.” Zelenskiy, who is celebrating his 45th birthday today, has previously spoken of the need for 300 tanks to provide gamechanging input to the war in Ukraine.
The Russian embassy in Germany has accused Berlin of taking the conflict in Ukraine “to a new level of confrontation”. The decision to approve the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine means the “final refusal” of the German government “to recognise its “historical responsibility” to Moscow, Ambassador Sergei Nechayev said in a statement.
The Kremlin has downplayed the impact that western tanks will have in repelling its forces in Ukraine, saying that the military aid to Ukraine would “burn like all the rest.” In remarks to reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the expected transfer of Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian army a “failed plan.”
Ukraine’s military spokesperson, Serhiy Cherevatyi, has said Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, according to the country’s state broadcaster Suspilne. The withdrawal of forces was made “in order to preserve the lives of service personnel”, he said. His comments are the first Ukrainian confirmation of Soledar’s capture by Russian forces.
One person was killed in Kherson oblast due to Russian shelling, six others were injured, ten others were wounded in Donetsk oblast, according to Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne. It said over the past 24 hours, the Russian Federation carried out four missile and 26 airstrikes, as well as more than 100 shellings from multiple launch rocket systems in Ukraine.
In Ukraine, fifteen senior officials have left their posts since Saturday, six of whom have had corruption allegations levelled at them by journalists and Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities. On Wednesday prosecutor general Andriy Kostin signed orders on the voluntary dismissal of the heads of the Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regional prosecutor’s offices. Oleksiy Kuleba, who was removed as governor of Kyiv on Tuesday, has been appointed deputy head of the president’s office as part of the reshuffle.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set its Doomsday Clock, intended to illustrate existential risks to the world, at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight the clock has ever been since it was first introduced in 1947. It is “largely” because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted by saying “The situation as a whole is really alarming”, blaming Nato and the US.
The Russian defence ministry has said the frigate Admiral Gorshkov has tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean. In a statement, the ministry said the frigate had run a computer simulation on hypersonic Zircon missiles. Zircon missiles have a range of 900km (560 miles), and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them.
The European court of human rights has said that a case brought by the Netherlands against Russia over the downing of passenger flight MH17 in July 2014 was admissible. “Among other things, the Court found that areas in eastern Ukraine in separatist hands were, from 11 May 2014 and up to at least 26 January 2022, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation,” the court said in a ruling. The case will now move on to the merits stage, expected to take another one to two years before a final decision is issued.
Russia’s oldest human rights organisation, the Moscow Helsinki Group, has been liquidated after a Moscow court ruled it did not have the correct registration. Russia’s justice ministry filed a lawsuit against it in December, arguing that the group was only registered to defend human rights in Moscow – not other parts of the country – an argument that the group called nonsensical.
The UN’s cultural agency Unesco has said that it has designated the historic centre of Odesa, on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site. Odesa has been bombed several times by Russia since its latest invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and in July 2022 part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa’s Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.
Hello everyone. I’m Léonie Chao-Fong and I’ll be bringing you the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
Germany’s offer of 14 Leopard tanks has prompted calls for more heavy armour by Ukraine’s government as it formally announced its forces’ retreat from the eastern town of Soledar after nine months of bloody battle.
While Kyiv lauded the decision from Berlin, along with reports the US was preparing to send its own Abrams tanks, aides to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, continued to push for further arms pledges from the west.
That appeal was expected to be partially satisfied as Berlin’s decision potentially unlocks offers made by Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Norway to provide Ukraine with their own German-manufactured Leopard 2A6 machines.
Germany said it was yet to receive any requests with the exception of Poland for authorisation for the re-export of Leopard 2 tanks but added that others would probably make announcements about their plans in the “coming hours and days”.
Scholz: Germany to send further military support to Ukraine beyond 14 Leopard tanks
Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has said his government plans to send further military support to Ukraine beyond the 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks announced earlier today.
Speaking at a press conference with the Icelandic prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Scholz said it was the “right path” to support Kyiv with arms deliveries, especially with tanks.
He said:
Alongside the tanks that are being discussed now, we continue to intend to expand what we have delivered.
He said further arms deliveries could include air defence systems, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers.
Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, says he is also “grateful” to Germany and western allies who are ready to hand over Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
Green light for 🐆. 🇩🇪 Chancellor @OlafScholz announced the provision of Leopard 2 tanks to #Ukraine and permission to re-export them to 🇺🇦. We expect to attract many partners to the tank coalition. Grateful to 🇩🇪 government & all countries that are ready to hand over Leopard 2.
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) January 25, 2023
The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic centre of Odesa on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site.
Reuters notes Odesa has been bombed several times by Russia since its latest invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and that in July 2022 part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa’s Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, one of the occupied regions of the Donbas which the Russian Federation claims to have annexed, has posted to Telegram to reiterate pleas for civilians to evacuate Avdiivka, saying it has again been struck by Russian fire causing damage to housing infrastructure. He writes:
Another shelling of Avdiivka – numerous high-rise buildings were damaged.
This afternoon, the Russians struck another blow at the residential quarters of Avdiivka — the city suffers from shelling every day and has already been virtually destroyed.
Avdiivka has been our outpost in the Donetsk direction for nine years, and has been under constant fire since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
This is one of the hottest spots on the front. All civilians not involved in the work of critical infrastructure must leave the city. Save your life and health — evacuate!
Reuters has a little more on that decision by the ECHR that a legal case against Russia over the downing of Flight MH17 in 2014 was admissible. It reports:
The European court of human rights said cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia over human rights violations in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in Ukraine, and the shooting down of Flight MH-17, were admissible.
“Among other things, the court found that areas in eastern Ukraine in separatist hands were, from 11 May 2014 and up to at least 26 January 2022, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation,” the court said in a ruling on Wednesday.
The cases will now move on to the merits stage, expected take another one to two years before a final decision is issued.
The ECHR ruling opens the doors to at least three other cases by the Ukrainian state against Russia, which had been put on hold pending the decision on jurisdiction.
The Netherlands filed its case with the ECHR in 2020, saying the shooting down of MH17 over territory in eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists breached the European convention on human rights.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the destruction of the aircraft, which killed 298 people.
The two Ukrainian cases, which date from 2014, pertain to what Kyiv says were administrative practices by Russia in eastern Ukraine in violation of the European convention on human rights, as well as the abduction of three groups of Ukrainian orphan children and children without parental care, and a number of adults accompanying them.
Updated
Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne is reporting that two civilians have been killed in the Kherson region. On its official Telegram channel it writes:
In the middle of the day, the Russian army attacked Beryslav. Shells hit a grocery store. Two people died, three were injured, Kherson regional authority reported.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Kherson is one of the regions of Ukraine which the Russian Federation has claimed to annex, despite not controlling all of the territory, its forces having retreated behind the south bank of the Dnieper River. Beryslav lies on the north bank of the river towards the east of the region.
European court of human rights rules Netherlands can bring case against Russia over MH17
The European court of human rights said on Wednesday that a case brought by the Netherlands against Russia over the downing of passenger flight MH17 in July 2014 was admissible.
Reuters reports that the decision is procedural and does not rule on the merits of the case, but it does show the Strasbourg-based court considers Russia can be held liable for human rights violations in the currently occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which the Russian Federation claimed to annex in September 2022.
Australia and the Netherlands have been seeking compensation and an apology from the Russian Federation for the MH17 disaster that saw 298 people, including 38 Australians, killed when it was shot down over Ukraine in 2014. Russia has denied involvement, despite the findings of an international investigation.
Australia and the Netherlands say there is the “overwhelming evidence” that the flight was shot down by a Russian Buk-Telar surface-to-air missile system, which was transported from Russia to an agricultural field in the east of Ukraine on the morning of 17 July 2014. At the time the area was under the control of Russian-backed separatists.
Updated
Russia’s oldest human rights organisation, the Moscow Helsinki Group, was liquidated on Wednesday after a court ruled it did not have the correct registration, the latest in a series of closures that critics say is reminiscent of the Soviet era.
Founded in 1976 by Soviet dissident scientists, the group produced annual reports on Russia’s human rights situation and was one of the country’s few remaining independent rights organisations after the closure of Nobel prize-winner Memorial in 2021.
Its original aim was to monitor the Soviet Union’s compliance with the Helsinki accords, an east-west agreement aimed at easing tensions at the height of the cold war, but it later expanded to advocate democracy and civil rights.
Reuters reports Russia’s justice ministry filed a lawsuit against it in December, arguing that the group was only registered to defend human rights in Moscow – not other parts of the country – an argument that the group called nonsensical.
Co-chair of the group Valery Borshov told the judge and representatives from the justice ministry that liquidating the group would put an end to decades of work.
“You are committing a great sin. You are destroying the human rights movement, you are destroying it,” he said. “The liquidation of the group is a serious blow to the human rights movement not only in Russia but also the world.”
Updated
President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks on Ukraine at 12pm ET (GMT 1700), the White House has said.
Washington is expected to announce as soon as today that it will send M1 Abrams tanks, according to sources.
Germany has not received any requests – with the exception of Poland –to re-export Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, according to a government spokesperson.
Partner states will probably make announcements about their plans in the “coming hours and days”, they added.
Here’s more on the Ukrainian military’s confirmation that its troops have withdrawn from the town of Soledar in the Donetsk region.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, Ukraine’s military spokesperson, said the withdrawal of forces was made “in order to preserve the lives of service personnel”, according to state broadcaster Suspilne.
He was quoted as saying:
[Our forces] fulfilled their main task: not allowing the enemy to systematically break through in the Donetsk direction.
Ukraine’s troops “performed a real feat” by holding their position “despite the enemy’s advantage by 3-5 times”, he said.
He added that Ukrainian forces had at no point been surrounded in Soledar during fierce fighting, and that no Ukrainian prisoners of war had been taken.
Updated
Zelenskiy says he is 'sincerely grateful' for German tank decision
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has welcomed the decision by Germany to supply his country with Leopard 2 battle tanks, and said he is “sincerely grateful” to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
German main battle tanks, further broadening of defense support & training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important & timely decisions in a call with @OlafScholz. Sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends in 🇩🇪.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 25, 2023
Zelenskiy’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has called on allies to join the “tank coalition” and send “as many of them as possible” to support Ukraine’s war effort.
So the tank coalition is formed. Everyone who doubted this could ever happen sees now: for Ukraine and partners impossible is nothing. I call on all new partners that have Leopard 2 tanks in service to join the coalition and provide as many of them as possible. They are free now.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) January 25, 2023
Updated
Russia warns Germany’s 'extremely dangerous' tank decision takes conflict ‘to a new level’
The Russian embassy in Germany has accused Berlin of abandoning its “historical responsibility” to Moscow and of taking the conflict in Ukraine “to a new level of confrontation”.
Ambassador Sergei Nechayev said in a statement:
This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation and contradicts the statements of German politicians about the unwillingness of the Federal Republic of Germany to be drawn into it.
He added:
It destroys the remnants of mutual trust, causes irreparable damage to the already deplorable state of Russian-German relations, and casts doubt on the possibility of their normalisation in the foreseeable future.
The decision to approve the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine means the “final refusal” of the German government “to recognise its historical responsibility to our people for the terrible, timeless crimes of Nazism during the Great Patriotic War, and the consigning to oblivion of the difficult path of post-war reconciliation between Russians and Germans”, he continued.
He said:
With the approval of the leadership of Germany, battle tanks with German crosses will again be sent to the ‘eastern front’, which will inevitably lead to the deaths of not only Russian soldiers, but also the civilian population.
Spain is open to sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine, says defence minister
Spain is “willing to work with allies” to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, defence minister Margarita Robles has said.
Speaking to EFE news agency, as quoted by Reuters, Robles said:
Spain is willing, within this coordination, to work with our allies to do whatever is necessary including the sending of Leopards, training in the use of these Leopards and also to help in their maintenance and upkeep.
Updated
The UK’s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, says he is “delighted” that Germany will send Leopard tanks to support Ukraine.
Wallace writes:
It is time for Russia to realise that the International community is increasingly determined to help Ukraine resist their barbaric and illegal invasion.
Delighted Germany joins the UK, France & Poland in sending tanks to Ukraine. It is time for Russia to realise that the International community is increasingly determined to help Ukraine resist their barbaric and illegal invasion. 🇬🇧 🇫🇷🇩🇪 🇺🇸🇵🇱🇺🇦
— Rt. Hon Ben Wallace MP (@BWallaceMP) January 25, 2023
Leopard 2 tanks could be operational in Ukraine in about three months, Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius has said.
Describing Berlin’s decision to send tanks to Ukraine as “historic”, he said training will be carried out first and then the tanks will be sent to Kyiv.
Scholz: Germany will always be pioneering support for Ukraine
Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says “we had to break a rule” and change what used to be a practice by supporting Ukraine with weapons deliveries, in addition to financial and humanitarian support.
He says:
In Germany, we had to break and rule and now we supply the most weapons, together with Great Britain. If we sum up what we’ve decided to deliver so far, then we can say that Germany will always be pioneering support for Ukraine.
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is addressing parliament now after the announcement that Berlin will make 14 Leopard tanks available for Ukraine’s war effort, and give partner countries permission to re-export further battle tanks to Kyiv.
Scholz begins his address by saying that he has spoken with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and he says they spoke about “what Germany is doing and what Germany will do”.
Ukraine ‘needs a lot of Leopards’, says presidential aide
President Volodymyr Zelenksiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has welcomed the news that Germany will send Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
“The first tank step has been taken,” he posted to Telegram.
Next is the ‘tank coalition’. We need a lot of Leopards.
Ukraine’s military confirms it has withdrawn from Soledar
Ukraine’s military spokesperson, Serhiy Cherevatyi, has said Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, according to the country’s state broadcaster Suspilne.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine left Soledar, Donetsk region, in order to preserve the lives of personnel. Serhii Cherevaty, the spokesman of the Eastern Group of Forces, told @suspilne_news.
— SUSPILNE NEWS 📰 (@suspilne_news) January 25, 2023
His comments are the first Ukrainian confirmation of Soledar’s capture by Russian forces.
Leopard 2 tanks: what are they and why does Ukraine want them?
What is the Leopard 2?
The Leopard 2 is a German-manufactured main battle tank with a range of about 500km (311 miles). It first came into service in 1979 and has a top speed of 68km/h (42mph). Equipped with a 120mm smooth bore gun as its main armament, it is also armed with two coaxial light machine guns.
As well as being used by the German military, Leopard 2 has been in wide service in Europe, with more than a dozen countries using the tank, as well as a number of other countries including Canada. The tanks have been deployed in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria (by Turkey) where several were lost to anti-tank missiles.
Why does Ukraine want them?
Ukraine has said it has an urgent need for heavier armour in its war against Russia’s invasion. Kyiv has limited availability of tanks, most of them from the Soviet or post-Soviet era.
As well as emphasising its belief that Moscow intends to launch a significant new offensive in the coming months, Kyiv and many of its allies believe that the war will end more quickly if Russia is defeated on the battlefield in Ukraine’s own counter-offensives to take back Russian occupied territory.
While Ukraine has won significant victories – in the battle for Kyiv at the beginning of the war as well as in Kharkiv oblast and around Kherson in the south – it is hampered by a shortage of tanks to support its operations and faced by Russian forces increasingly fielding more modern and capable T-90s.
The widespread availability of Leopards – including in neighbouring Poland, which wants to supply them to Ukraine – makes them a good fit for Kyiv.
Ukraine has suggested it needs 300 tanks, while western analysts have suggested that 100 could probably shift the balance of the war.
Updated
Lithuania’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has also welcomed Germany’s tank announcement on Twitter.
It’s official 👍 pic.twitter.com/hEfb3eHJuf
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) January 25, 2023
Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has also praised Germany’s decision to send tanks to Ukraine.
Thank you @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz. The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger.
— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) January 25, 2023
Kremlin says tanks will 'burn like all the rest'
The Kremlin has downplayed the impact that western tanks will have in repelling its forces in Ukraine, saying that the military aid to Ukraine would “burn like all the rest.”
In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the expected transfer of Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian army a “failed plan.”
“This is an overestimation of the potential that this will add to the Ukrainian army,” Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call.
“These tanks will burn like all the rest,” he continued. “They are just very expensive.”
The remarks by Peskov came just hours ahead of formal announcements in Berlin and Washington that Ukraine’s western allies would greenlight transfers of Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian military.
The announcements will end a monthslong logjam over the transfer of sophisticated weapons to the Ukrainian army.
Peskov said that the diplomatic wrangling over the deliveries of the tanks showed that Nato was divided in its support for Ukraine.
“Clearly, not everything is going smoothly: it’s not going smoothly within the alliance and with the availability of tanks,” Peskov said.
European countries could supply dozens of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in the coming months, while the United States appears ready to begin a process to send dozens of its M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, US media have reported.
Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has welcomed Germany’s decision to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which he said will “strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower” alongside the UK’s Challenger 2 tanks.
The right decision by NATO Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) January 25, 2023
Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace. https://t.co/55BKg7orfJ
Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said in a statement that the decision to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine “follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability”.
Berlin is “acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally”, the statement said.
The goal is to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, the statement said, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks.
Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said.
Germany will issue the appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their stocks to Ukraine, it said.
Summary of the day so far …
Germany will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement. The goal, he said, was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks. Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to address the German parliament on the issue at 12 GMT.
The United States also appears poised to start a process that would eventually send dozens of its M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, US media reported, in a reversal that could have significant implications for Kyiv’s efforts to repel Russian forces.
El País in Spain is reporting that the Madrid government is poised to commit to sending tanks to Ukraine. Poland, Finland and Norway are also expected to contribute from their supplies of Leopard tanks.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Tuesday that Kyiv needed allies to decide on whether they would deliver modern tanks to strengthen the country’s defence against Russia. Zelenskiy said the issue was not about five, 10 or 15 tanks, as Ukraine’s needs are greater, but about reaching final decisions on real deliveries. “When the needed weighty decisions are made, we will be happy to thank you for each weighty decision,” Zelenskiy said.
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, expects the alliance’s member states to raise their current spending target on defence of 2% of national output when they meet for a summit in Vilnius in July, he has told German newspaper Die Welt.
Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne has reported that in the last 24 hours one person was killed in Kherson oblast due to Russian shelling, six others were injured, ten others were wounded in Donetsk oblast. It said over the past 24 hours, the Russian Federation carried out four missile and 26 airstrikes, as well as more than 100 shellings from multiple launch rocket systems in Ukraine. At the same time, the aviation of the Ukrainian defence forces carried out eight strikes on areas where Russian troops were concentrated, destroyed an SU-25 and three KA-52 attack helicopters.
Upheaval in Ukraine’s authorities continued on Wednesday as the prosecutor general Andriy Kostin signed orders on the voluntary dismissal of the heads of the Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regional prosecutor’s offices. Fifteen senior officials have left their posts since Saturday, six of whom have had corruption allegations levelled at them by journalists and Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities. Oleksiy Kuleba, who was removed as governor on Kyiv on Tuesday, has been appointed deputy head of the president’s office as part of the reshuffle.
The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday the frigate Admiral Gorshkov has tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean. In a statement, the ministry said the frigate had run a computer simulation on hypersonic Zircon missiles. Zircon missiles have a range of 900km (560 miles), and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set its Doomsday Clock, intended to illustrate existential risks to the world, at 90 seconds to midnight on Tuesday, the closest to midnight the clock has ever been since it was first introduced in 1947. It is “largely” because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted Wednesday by saying “The situation as a whole is really alarming”, blaming Nato and the US.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be here with you for the next few hours, including coverage of Olaf Scholz talking about the decision to send tanks to Ukraine in the German parliament.
Updated
Germany to send 14 tanks to Ukraine, will permit exports by other countries
Germany will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement on Wednesday.
The goal was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, Reuters reports the statement said, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks. Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to address the German parliament on the issue at 12 GMT.
The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed alarm this morning that the Doomsday Clock had edged closer to midnight than ever, even though the scientists who moved the symbolic dial cited Moscow’s own “thinly veiled threats” to use nuclear weapons.
“The situation as a whole is really alarming,” Peskov told reporters, calling for a sober appraisal of the tensions between Russia and the west over the Ukraine crisis.
He said there was no prospect of any detente, based on “the line that was chosen by Nato under US leadership”.
“This imposes on us a duty to be particularly careful, to be alert and to take appropriate measures,” he added.
Peskov also called absurd the view in the west that peace and security on the continent would be obtained by arming Ukraine. Tass quotes him saying:
We see a lot of manifestations of the conviction of a number of politicians, a number of experts, the military, and so on, who believe that it is by continuing the war that the security of the continent can be ensured. This is an absurd belief, this a dead end path for the development of thought – both military and political.
We were convinced of this a year ago, and even a little more than a year ago, when President Putin called on everyone to sit down at the negotiating table and discuss our concerns, when President Putin called on everyone to remember several decades of Nato’s gradual offensive towards Russia, and when Putin warned that the continuation of this line could not remain without consequences.
Updated
In Spain, El País is reporting that the government is poised to commit to sending tanks to Ukraine. It writes:
Spain will join the delivery of Leopard tanks to Kyiv once Germany, after months of resisting delivering it, has agreed to supply the powerful German-made battle tank to the Ukrainian Army. The Spanish government had conditioned its participation in the operation to provide Ukraine with a system capable of counteracting the firepower of modern Russian tanks on the existence of an agreement at the European level.
Updated
The upheaval in Ukraine’s authorities continues today, with state broadcaster Suspilne reporting that the prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, has “signed orders on the voluntary dismissal of the heads of the Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regional prosecutor’s offices.”
Updated
Reuters has produced a quick guide to which countries are poised to send tanks to Ukraine, with an announcement from the US and Germany expected later today.
US: officials say Washington is poised to send dozens of its M1 Abrams battle tank, reversing its previous position.
Germany: sources say the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has decided to send Leopard 2 battle tanks. He will also allow other countries to send theirs, they say.
UK: the British government announced on 14 January that it would send a squadron, or 14, of its Challenger 2 battle tanks.
Poland: Warsaw has said it is ready to send up to 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks and has been pressing Berlin to approve the move.
Norway: the government is considering whether to send some of its Leopard tanks, newspapers reported.
Finland: has said it could donate a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if a wider group of European nations also decided to do so, but it would depend on Berlin’s approval.
Updated
Over the news wires we have been sent a series of pictures taken yesterday which show Ukrainian troops travelling towards the Donbas frontline in Donetsk.
Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne offers this summary of events in Ukraine in the last 24 hours. It reports on its official Telegram news channel:
In the morning, Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region came under fire from the Russian army. A private house and a shop caught fire from the shelling. There are no injured.
Over the past 24 hours, one person was killed in Kherson Oblast due to Russian shelling, six others were injured, ten others were wounded in Donetsk Oblast.
Over the past 24 hours, the Russian Federation has carried out four missile and 26 airstrikes, as well as more than 100 shellings from multiple launch rocket systems in Ukraine. At the same time, the aviation of the defence forces carried out eight strikes on areas where Russian troops were concentrated, destroyed an SU-25 and three KA-52 attack helicopters.
Oleksiy Kuleba, who yesterday was moved from being governor of Kyiv region to take up a new role in Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, has posted what he describes as a message of “gratitude” on Telegram. In it he thanks the Ukrainian president “for the trust, for the opportunity to expand my experience and work not only for the benefit of the Kyiv region, but also for the whole of Ukraine.”
He also writes:
Thanks to everyone who worked, fought, and showed results during the last year. In the conditions of a full-scale war. For the sake of Kyiv region. For Ukraine.
I thank the defence Forces, which liberated the Kyiv region from the Russian invaders and continue to defend our independence.
I am grateful to the rescuers, policemen, volunteers, educators, doctors, residents of the region who, side by side with the military, did and are doing everything to bring our victory closer.
We have done a lot. I say “we”, because I am leaving the administration, where a reliable team of specialists will work. Together we will continue to rebuild and develop.
Kuleba was in his second spell as governor of Kyiv region, serving initially for a period of about a month in February 2022, and then again from May 2022 until yesterday.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, one of the occupied regions of the Donbas that the Russian Federation claims to have annexed, has posted his situational update for the day to Telegram. He claims 10 civilians were wounded by Russian fire yesterday. He writes:
In the Volnovakha direction, 42 houses were damaged under intense fire. As a result of yesterday’s shelling of Kostyantynivka, five people were injured and ten high-rise buildings were damaged. In Bakhmut, the city council, the Palace of Culture, the Center for the provision of social services and the boiler house were damaged.
Kyrylenko continues to describe the situation in Soledar as “tense”. Pro-Russian forces claim to have captured it, but Ukraine is yet to concede that it has been lost.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Updated
Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv, has cautioned residents to stay in shelters while an air alert takes place. In his daily update on Telegram, he writes:
The day before, 24 January, there was a threat of a cruise missile attack from the territory of Belarus. The air alert lasted 40 minutes. The danger did not materialize. However, this morning the sirens sounded again for an air alert. A-50, SU-30, MIG-31 aircraft, which are the carriers of the “Daggers”, took off in Belarus. Stay in shelters until there is a signal to retreat.
Kozytskyi also states that 71 internally displaced people arrived in the region via evacuation trains yesterday.
Updated
The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday the frigate Admiral Gorshkov has tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean.
In a statement, the ministry said the frigate had run a computer simulation on hypersonic Zircon missiles, Reuters reports.
Zircon missiles have a range of 900km (560 miles), and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them. The statement did not say the frigate had launched a missile.
Updated
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has issued its daily intelligence briefing on how it sees the situation in Ukraine, and today the focus is on tanks. But not the Leopard tanks the west has been agonising over sending to Ukraine, the MoD is discussing Russian tanks. It writes:
Russia has worked to prepare a small number of T-14 Armata main battle tanks for the type’s first operational deployment in Ukraine. However, in recent months, deployed Russian forces were reluctant to accept the first tranche of T-14 allocated to them because the vehicles were in such poor condition. It is unclear exactly what aspects of the vehicles prompted this reaction, but within the last three years, Russian officials have publicly described problems with the T-14’s engine and thermal imaging systems.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 25 January 2023
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 25, 2023
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/c8as8hYBrr
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/YiIweSI6hI
Updated
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg expects the alliance’s member states to raise their current spending target on defence of 2% of national output when they meet for a summit in Vilnius in July, he has told German newspaper Die Welt.
“I assume that there will be a new target for defence spending when we meet for the Nato summit in Vilnius in July this year,” Stoltenberg told Welt, Reuters reports.
“The 2% target was initially for a decade, so until 2024, so we have to update it now.”
Stoltenberg said he could not yet say what the member states would agree on. “But I assume that it will be a more ambitious target than before, because everybody sees that we need to invest more,” he added.
Updated
It happens to be Zelenskiy’s 45th birthday today. Germany is (reportedly) going to need a lot of wrapping paper.
Zelenskyy turned 45 today.
— Nika Melkozerova (@NikaMelkozerova) January 25, 2023
With that, I’m handing over to my colleague Martin Belam in the UK.
Norway may send Leopard tanks to Ukraine – reports
The Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Oslo-based newspapers Aftenposten and Dagens Naeringsliv reported late on Tuesday.
No decision to send the heavy battle tanks has yet been made, according to each of the papers, quoting anonymous sources familiar with the deliberation.
Norway, a Nato member that borders Russia, may contribute either four or eight of the country’s 36 Leopard 2 tanks, according to Dagens Naeringsliv.
Updated
Zelenskiy warns of ‘new wave of aggression’
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Kyiv needed allies to decide on whether they would deliver modern tanks to strengthen the country’s defence against Russia and repeated Ukraine’s contention that Moscow is planning a new wave of aggression, with the first signs already visible in the broader Donbas region in Ukraine’s south-east.
He said:
Russia is preparing for a new wave of aggression with the forces it can mobilise. The occupiers are already increasing pressure in the Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other directions. And they want to increase pressure on a larger scale. In order not to recognise the mistake of aggression, the masters of Russia want to throw more of their people and equipment into the fighting.
“The occupiers are already increasing the pressure around Bakhmut and Vuhledar and elsewhere,” Zelenskiy said. “And they want to increase the pressure on a larger scale.”
Fighting around the eastern town of Bakhmut has intensified in recent weeks, with Russia claiming a number of successes in its campaign there.
Updated
Washington's possible tank deliveries a 'blatant provocation' – Russian ambassador
The possible deliveries of battle tanks by Washington to Ukraine will be a “another blatant provocation” against Russia, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the US, said on Wednesday.
“It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us,” Antonov said in remarks published on the embassy’s Telegram messaging app.
“If the United States decides to supply tanks, then justifying such a step with arguments about ‘defensive weapons’ will definitely not work. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation.”
Updated
US and Germany expected to reveal tanks deal
The US and Germany are poised to provide a significant boost to Kyiv’s war effort with the delivery of heavy battle tanks to Ukraine, sources say, a move Moscow condemned as a “blatant provocation”.
Washington was expected to announce as soon as Wednesday that it will send M1 Abrams tanks and Berlin has decided to dispatch Leopard 2 tanks, the sources said, a reversal in policy that Kyiv has said would help reshape the conflict.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy again pressed western allies to provide their most modern battle tanks, saying in his nightly video address that “discussions must be concluded with decisions”.
Germany and the US have until now held back on providing heavy armour, wary of moves that could give the Kremlin reason to widen the conflict.
Updated
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest for the next while.
Our top story this morning: The United States and Germany are reportedly poised to provide a significant boost to Ukraine’s war effort with the delivery of heavy battle tanks. There has been no official confirmation, however.
Germany’s decision is expected to be made official on Wednesday and Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is due to be questioned in the Bundestag in the morning in a debate likely to be dominated by the tank decision.
Meanwhile late on Tuesday night Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that “Russia is preparing for a new wave of aggression with the forces it can mobilise.”
We’ll have more on these stories shortly. In the meantime here are the other key recent developments:
In Ukraine, fifteen senior officials have left their posts since Saturday, six of whom have had corruption allegations levelled at them by journalists and Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities. The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Tuesday he had asked Zelenskiy on Monday to relieve him of his duties as part of the wave of government resignations and dismissals.
Deputy defence minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, responsible for supplying troops with food and equipment, also resigned, citing “media accusations” of corruption that he and the ministry say are baseless. Deputy prosecutor general Oleksiy Symonenko has been removed from his post, and two deputy ministers resigned from Ukraine’s ministry of communities and territories development.
Five regional governors are also being removed from power: Valentyn Reznichenko, of Dnipropetrovsk, Oleksandra Starukha of Zaporizhzhia, Oleksiy Kuleba of Kyiv, Dymtro Zhivytskyi, of Sumy and Yaroslav Yanushevich, of Kherson. Kherson and Zaporizhizhia are two of the regions of Ukraine which the Russian Federation has claimed to annex.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has reset its Doomsday Clock, intended to illustrate existential risks to the world, at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight the clock has ever been since it was first introduced in 1947. It is “largely” because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they said.
Ukraine has enough coal and gas reserves for the remaining months of winter despite repeated Russian attacks on its energy system, prime minister Denys Shmyhal has said.
Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto has signalled a possible pause in discussions with Turkey over Finnish ambitions to join Nato alongside Sweden, which he says is due to the pressure of Turkey’s forthcoming election.
