Ukraine-Russia war: Pro-Ukrainian group blew up Nord Stream pipeline, new intelligence suggests

New intelligence reviewed by US officials suggests that a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines last year, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

There was no evidence that President Volodymyr Zelensky or his top lieutenants in Ukraine were involved in the operation, or that the perpetrators were acting at the direction of any Ukrainian government officials, the newspaper said, citing US officials.

The attacks on the pipelines fuelled speculation on both sides of the Atlantic over who was responsible, with Russian officials in particular accusing a host of Western powers of being behind the incident.

It came as the battle for Bakhmut continued on Tuesday, with both sides reportedly suffering heavy losses in the fight to control the eastern salt-mining town.

Read the latest updates below

05:25 PM

More than 20 held over attack on Russian plane: Belarus

Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko has said that more than 20 people had been detained in connection with an attack on a Russian military plane, claimed by regime opponents last month.

"To date, more than 20 accomplices who are in Belarus have been detained. The rest are hiding," said Lukashenko, a key Kremlin ally.

He identified the presumed main culprit as a dual Russian-Ukrainian citizen.

Members of Belarus's exiled opposition said partisans had destroyed the Russian plane at an airstrip near the capital Minsk.

The authoritarian leader confirmed today that an A-50 plane had been targeted but claimed it "did not suffer any significant damage".

05:06 PM

Hundreds mourn Ukrainian saboteurs killed in Russia

Hundreds of mourners packed a Kyiv church today for the funeral of volunteers killed on a sabotage mission in Russia, following a spate of attacks along Moscow's frontier.

Mourners, many in camouflage and covering their faces, attended a service in a central church for four men - one still a teenager - killed in December during an incursion into Russia's southern Bryansk region.

Russia's FSB security service announced it had killed the men, saying they were armed with rifles and explosives. Russian media reported their bodies were handed over this month.

The men's coffins were draped with the banner of a nationalist battalion called Bratstvo, or Brotherhood, created on the basis of a party of the same name.

04:43 PM

Ukraine denies involvement in attempted sabotage at Belarus air field

Ukraine's foreign ministry has denied that Kyiv was involved in attempted sabotage at a Belarusian air field last month.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko alleged that Ukrainian and US intelligence services were involved in the drone attack in late February which was claimed by Belarusian anti-government activists.

"It is clear that this is another attempt to create an artificial threat from Ukraine for the sake of justifying (Belarusian) support for Russia's aggression," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement.

03:57 PM

Prisoners of war exchanged

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged scores of prisoners of war, the latest swap in more than a year of fighting.

Russia's defence ministry said 90 Russian prisoners of war had returned from Ukraine in the latest exchange. Kyiv said 130 Ukrainian service personnel had been released from Russian custody.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential staff, said 87 of the Ukrainians had taken part in the defence of the southeastern city of Mariupol before its capture by Russia.

03:01 PM

Today's top stories

• Ukraine has identified the prisoner of war gunned down in a brutal execution

• Poland is sending 10 more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine this week, and will set up a repair hub for the vehicles

• Belarus's President admitted that a drone attack damaged a Russian spy plane at an airbase in his country

• A Nato official has revealed that Russia is suffering heavy losses in its assault on Bakhmut

• Ukraine wants the US to send it cluster bombs so it can take them apart and arm its drones with their bomblets.

02:55 PM

‘Dangerously low’ UK ammunition stocks put Ukraine’s resupply at risk

Britain’s ammunition stocks are at “dangerously low levels” amid support for Ukraine, the Defence Select Committee has warned.

Rebuilding the country’s dwindling stockpile of munitions in the wake of the conflict could take at least a decade, putting UK national security at risk, the MPs warned.

The Commons Defence Committee said the process for buying weapons is “not fit for purpose” and urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to cut the time needed to restore stockpiles.

Read more from Dominic Nicholls here

02:31 PM

Poland to set up tank repair hub for Ukraine's Leopard 2s

Poland will set up a service hub for the battle tanks being used in Ukraine, Mariusz Blaszczak, the Polish Defence Minister, has said.
"We are ready to launch a service hub in Poland that will repair and service the Leopard tanks delivered to Ukraine," Blaszczak said, adding that he would raise the issue in his talks with the German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

"The fundamental issue that we will discuss is the low availability of spare parts for Leopard tanks," Mr Blaszczak said.

Poland spearheaded efforts to send the modern Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, with Germany, which holds the export license for the advanced armoured vehicles, initially resisting the pressure from allies to authorise the move.

But earlier this year Berlin finally agreed to send its own Leopards and opened the door for other countries, including Poland, Sweden, Finland and Portugal, to do the same.

02:07 PM

Thousands in need of help after suffering injuries in Ukraine

Thousands of people in Ukraine have sustained complex injuries linked to the war and need rehabilitation services and equipment to help them, a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said.

Attacks on healthcare facilities, fewer healthcare workers due to displacement and power shortages were all making it difficult for people to get care, Dr Satish Mishra from the WHO's regional office for Europe, told a media briefing.

Even before the war, in 2019, about half the population in Ukraine could have benefited from rehabilitation services for non-communicable conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, Dr Cathal Morgan, another WHO official said.

Since then, the Covid pandemic and the war have significantly increased the need for rehab services, he added. "Hence the need for urgency."

01:42 PM

Ukraine identifies prisoner of war who declared ‘glory to Ukraine’ moments before execution

The Ukrainian military has identified the Ukrainian prisoner of war who was gunned down in cold blood after saying “Glory to Ukraine” in front of his Russian captors.

The Ukrainian defence ministry on Tuesday identified the man as Timofey Shadura, a 41-year-old soldier from the 30th Mechanised Brigade, who had been missing in fighting around Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine since March 3.

“The body of our soldiers is currently on the occupied territory,” the ministry said.

“Conclusive identification will be held once the body is retrieved and goes through the necessary procedures.”

Read more from Nataliya Vasilyeva here

01:08 PM

UN chief en route to Kyiv to meet Zelensky

UN chief Antonio Guterres was travelling to Ukraine on Tuesday to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his third trip since Russia's full-scale invasion, his spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General has just arrived in Poland on his way to Ukraine," Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Mr Guterres was due to arrive in Kyiv later on Tuesday before meeting the Ukrainian President on Wednesday morning "to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other pertinent issues," the spokesman said.

12:43 PM

Poland says it will send 10 more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine this week

A further 10 Leopard 2 tanks from Poland will be sent to Ukraine this week, the Polish defence minister has said.

"Four [tanks] are already in Ukraine, another 10 will go to Ukraine this week," Mariusz Blaszczak told a news conference.

Poland had promised to send Ukraine a total of 14 Leopard 2 tanks.

12:28 PM

Watch: Russian Wagner mercenaries reach eastern Bakhmut

12:01 PM

EU sanctions Russian officials for violence against women

The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions ahead of International Women's Day against officials from six countries, including Russia and Afghanistan, for violence and rights abuses against women.

According to a document seen by AFP, nine individuals and three official entities have been added to sanctions lists, subject to visa bans and the freezing of any assets held in the EU.

The sanctions target two Moscow police officers, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Fedorinov and his subordinate Ivan Ryabov, who are accused of ordering the arrest and torture of female anti-war protesters.

Also named are Russian special forces commander Major General Nikolai Kuznetsov and tank commander Colonel Ramil Ibatullin, whose units are accused of systematic acts of rape and sexual violence in Ukraine.

11:47 AM

Russian court jails activist who opposes Ukraine war for 8.5 years

A Moscow court on Tuesday sentenced the founder of an opposition social media platform to nearly nine years in jail on charges of spreading "false" information about the army, Russian news agencies reported.

Dmitry Ivanov, 23, who ran a protest channel on the Telegram social network for students of Moscow State University, denied any wrongdoing. Ivanov told the court he stood by his original statements which he said were factually accurate.

He reportedly shared posts critical of what Russian President Vladimir Putin describes as Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

The verdict is the latest in a series of rulings under legislation that critics say is designed to criminalise opposition of the Russian intervention.

11:20 AM

Kremlin says it does not recognise Western price cap on its oil

The Kremlin has said it does not recognise the price cap imposed on its oil exports by Western countries, after the United States said that the cap was "working well".

Washington was one of the key architects of the Western price cap on Russian oil, which aims to drive down Moscow's revenues used to fund its invasion of Ukraine.

"We do not and will not recognise any cap. We are working so that this system does not harm our own interests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

Russia's economy has proved remarkably resilient in the face of tough Western sanctions, but the price cap has complicated its efforts to sell oil globally.

US officials argue that the price cap is working, as Russia's Urals blend - a benchmark of Moscow's exports - sells at a steep discount to international marker Brent.

"I think the beauty of the process is that it is working and that Russian oil and Russian products are being traded below the price cap," US Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein said on Monday.

10:54 AM

Belarus detains 'terrorist' behind airbase sabotage attack

Belarus on Tuesday claimed to have detained what it said was a "terrorist" working with Ukrainian and US intelligence services over attempted sabotage at a Belarusian air field, the Belta news agency reported, citing President Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarusian anti-government activists said last month they had blown up a sophisticated Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone attack at an airfield near the Belarusian capital Minsk, a claim disputed by Moscow and Minsk.

"The Security Service of Ukraine, the leadership of the CIA, behind closed doors, are carrying out an operation against the Republic of Belarus. A terrorist was trained," Belta quoted Mr Lukashenko as saying.

The suspect detained over the attack against the Beriev A-50 surveillance plane is a dual Russian-Ukrainian national, Belta also cited the President as saying.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has allowed Moscow to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of its military campaign against Kyiv a year ago.

10:29 AM

Lukashenko admits Russian spy plane damaged in drone attack

Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian President, has admitted that an audacious drone attack damaged a Russian spy plane at an airbase in his country.

It is the first time that a senior Russian or Belarusian leader has commented on the attack, which was claimed by Belarusian partisans.

Belarus's Belta news agency on Tuesday quoted the President as saying that the aircraft had sustained light damage in the attack.

10:01 AM

Capture of Bakhmut will allow further offensives in Ukraine, says Russia's Shoigu

The seizure of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine would allow Russian forces to mount further offensive operations, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister, has said.

Gen Shoigu also said the West was increasing its arms deliveries to Ukraine, but vowed they would not change the course of events on the battlefield.

09:41 AM

Russian losses far greater than Ukraine's in Bakhmut, says Nato

Approximately five Russian soldiers have died for every Ukrainian soldier killed in the battle for Bakhmut, according to Nato.

Russia's Wagner mercenary group has led a brutal assault on the eastern town that has lasted for months, suffering heavy casualties in its effort to seize Bakhmut.

An unidentified Nato official told CNN late on Monday that the five-to-one death ratio was an estimate based on the bloc's intelligence.

The official noted however that Ukraine was also suffering heavy losses in its defence of the town.

09:10 AM

Ukraine begins talks with partners on grain deal extension

Ukraine has started online talks with partners on extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed at ensuring Kyiv can keep shipping grain to global markets, a senior Ukrainian government source has said.

The source said Ukraine had not held discussions with Russia, which blockaded Ukrainian Black Sea ports after its invasion last year, but that it was Kyiv's understanding that its partners were talking to Moscow.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July and was extended in November. It is due to expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.

08:51 AM

Ukraine accuses Louis Vuitton of endorsing Russian invasion

A top aide to Volodymyr Zelensky has accused French fashion house Louis Vuitton of being “drenched in blood” for posting an advertisement he claimed featured the colours of the Russia flag and a V symbol.

The Russian military uses "V" as a symbol meaning “strength in truth” and the letter "Z" meaning “for victory”, according to the Defence Ministry.

Launched to promote its show at Paris Fashion Week on Monday, the Louis Vuitton advertisement shows the unfurling of a large blue, red and white flag.

Read more from Henry Samuel here

08:31 AM

Prisoner of war hailed a hero for declaring ‘glory to Ukraine’ moments before execution

A Ukrainian prisoner of war gunned down in cold blood after saying “glory to Ukraine” in front of his Russian captors has been hailed as a martyr.

In footage shared on social media, the lone man smokes a cigarette in a clearing in a forest while Russian guns are pointed at him.

In his last moments, he defiantly says “slava Ukraini” - the Ukrainian war motto - before being shot to death in repeated bursts of gunfire.

Read more from Joe Barnes and Verity Bowman here

08:16 AM

Ukraine wants US to send cluster bombs so it can take them apart to drop from drones

Ukraine has broadened a request for controversial cluster bombs from the United States to include a weapon that it wants to cannibalise to drop the anti-armor bomblets it contains on Russian forces from drones, according to two US politicians.

Kyiv has urged members of Congress to press the White House to approve sending the weapons but it is by no means certain that the Biden administration will sign off on that.

Cluster munitions, banned by more than 120 countries, normally release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area, threatening civilians if they fail to detonate and remain on the ground.

Ukraine is seeking the MK-20, an air-delivered cluster bomb, to release its individual explosives from drones, said US Representatives Jason Crow and Adam Smith, who both serve on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. That is in addition to 155 mm artillery cluster shells that Ukraine already has requested, they said.

07:39 AM

Russian forces resort to makeshift ‘tankenstein’ vehicles

Russia is welding ageing naval turrets onto old armoured vehicles to make crude tanks as Vladimir Putin’s forces face worsening arms shortages.

The crudely engineered vehicles are being deployed in a likely attempt to shoot down Ukrainian drones as the armed forces grapple with crippling shortages of armoured vehicles and ammunition.

New footage from an undisclosed location appears to show a 25mm 2M-3 twin-barrelled naval anti-aircraft turret fitted to a Soviet-era MT-LB amphibious fighting vehicle to form a new hybrid weapon.

Read more from Joe Barnes here

07:33 AM

Mud hampers Ukraine's Bakhmut resupply efforts

Muddy conditions around Bakhmut are likely hampering Ukraine's efforts to resupply its troops, according to the Ministry of Defence.

In its daily intelligence briefing, the ministry said: "Muddy conditions are likely hampering Ukrainian resupply efforts as they increasingly resort to using unpaved tracks."

Numerous reports have suggested that Ukrainian troops defending the eastern town are running seriously low on ammunition as they battle to hold back Russia's advance.

"The Ukrainian defence of Bakhmut continues to degrade forces on both sides," the ministry said. "Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces likely stabilised their defensive perimeter following previous Russian advances into the north of the town."

07:25 AM

China claims Ukraine crisis driven by 'invisible hand'

The Ukraine crisis seems to be driven by an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict, China's foreign minister Qin Gang has claimed.

The "invisible hand" is "using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas", Mr Qin said on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, calling for dialogue to begin as soon as possible.