Key points
- Kremlin hints it will do something to 'gain world's attention' on 24 February
- Ukrainian defence minister predicts when Russian push could begin
- Former Wagner Group commander apologises for fighting in Ukraine - and now wants to help bring perpetrators to justice
- Crimea can't be regained, says Pentagon
- Dominic Waghorn: The race is on to arm Ukraine before a spring offensive
- Live reporting by Jess Sharp.Updates also from Deborah Haynesin Ukraine and Diana Magnay in Moscow
Long training time makes sending British jets to Ukraine impractical - Downing Street
Downing Street has rejected calls from former prime minister Boris Johnson to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.
Mr Johnson said he took the argument that the RAF's jets were too complicated to be used with a "pinch of salt".
But No 10 said it could take years to fully train a pilot, and the UK's focus was on providing help Ukraine could use in the short term.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesman said: "We will continue listening to the Ukrainians and consider what is right for the long term.
"But it's helpful to understand the situation, that the fastest training programme for a new pilot is approximately 35 months.
"The current UK fast jet training programme takes five years."
Mr Sunak's strategy was to "focus on how we can help Ukraine defend their country and push back this year", the spokesman added.
EU to train extra 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers
The European Union has pledged to train an additional 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has announced.
"Russia brought war back to Europe, but Ukraine keeps fighting back," he tweeted.
"Glad to announce to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal that EU Military Assistance Mission will train an additional 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers, taking the total number of EUMAM trained personnel to 30,000."
Troops will be given specialised training, as well as "technical instruction" for new equipment, including for Leopard 2 tanks.
The programme, which officially launched in November, aims to enhance the military capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to allow them to defend their country against Russia.
Russia claims to have gained ground in Ukraine's Donetsk region
Russia has claimed to have gained ground in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
In its daily update, Russia's defence ministry said that its forces had defeated Ukrainian troops around the settlement of Vasylivka.
The area is just north of Bakhmut, which has been the focus of intense fighting for months.
Watch: Who is winning the war in Ukraine?
The Ukraine war has been rumbling on for nearly a year - but is either side actually winning?
Defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke has been exploring the answer to that very question.
"In Russia, it's now become acknowledged that this is a tougher proposition than they imagined back in February," he explained.
"But there is no way Russia thinks it will not prevail because they are Russia, they're a big power, they've got 144 million population, a big economy... therefore, once they put their minds to it, they will prevail."
He added that for Ukraine this is a war of "national survival", and one of the most interesting points of the invasion so far has been how patriotic the vast majority of Ukrainians are.
"That has actually given Ukraine a sense of nationhood that will propel it to be a different sort of state after this war," Prof Clarke said.
You watch his explainer on this topic below...
Joint air force drills between Russia and Belarus end after two weeks
Two-weeks of joint air force drills between Belarus and Russia have now come to an end, the Belarusian defence ministry has reported.
It said a wide range of tasks had been completed during the exercises, which it described as "exclusively defensive in nature".
The flurry of joint military activity in Belarus promptedfears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow could be preparing todrag its close ally further into the conflict in Ukraine.
Belarus is a landlocked country of 9 million people that borders northern Ukraine.
It served as a staging ground for Russian troops in the months before the invasion, and it has also hosted diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine.
EU sanctions against Russia have 'slightly slowed down', says Zelenskyy as he urges for more punitive measures
The speed of the European Union's sanction campaign against Russia has "slightly slowed down", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said as he urged for tougher action to be taken.
Speaking after meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, he called for more punitive measures to be enforced againstRussia by the EU.
He added that he had discussed a new EUsanctions package with Ms vonder Leyen.
More than a dozen top EU officials are visiting Ukraine's capital today, with promises of more military, financial and political aid expected to be made.
Ukraine manages to repair several damaged power plants - here's why it's important
Ukraine has managed to repair several power units that were damaged in Russian missile attacks – helping to ease the country's electricity shortage.
Russian attacks on energy facilities have led to widespreadpower shortages and blackouts for millions of people since the war began.
Officials have said about 40% of the system has beendamaged as a result.
Why are the repairs important?
But while the power shortage has not been completely fixed, the repairs have improved the situation, meaning blackouts could become less frequent.
"The expected deficit at the evening peak will be about 19%of demand," the country's energy ministry said on Telegram.
The power shortage reached 25% at the end of January.
The ministry said warm weather could also help reduce demandon the strained power system.
It added that hostilities in the eastern regions of Donetsk,Kherson and Kharkiv were creating "the most difficult situationwith power outages".
National power grid operator Ukrenergo said in a separatestatement that power facilities had survived 13 Russian missileattacks and 15 waves of drones.
Two more missile strikes hit Kramatorsk
Two more missile strikes have hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, a local official has reported.
In a Telegram post,the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said the area "shuddered from the explosions".
It comes after three people were killed, and 20 others were injured, in a Russian missile attack that destroyed an apartment block in the city last night.
"The Russians launched two more missile strikes, again in the centre of the city, in residential buildings," Mr Kyrylenko said.
He added that some civilians had been wounded, but more details on the attack would be released later today.
Russia may stop officials taking holidays abroad - reports
Russian legislators are due to discuss a request by the founder of the Wagner Group to ban officials from taking foreign holidays during wartime, according to reports.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies, said it was unacceptable that officials and parliamentarians were going on holiday to countries that are hostile to Russia.
Local media reported that Vasily Piskaryov, head of the committee on security and anti-corruption in the State Duma or lower chamber of parliament, said legislators would take a look at whether changes should be made.
"This initiative... certainly deserves attention," Tass cited him as telling reporters.
Mr Prigozhin made the request in a letter to Mr Piskaryov that the Wagner Group made public.
The Ukrainian government, trying to clamp down on corruption, has banned officials from travelling abroad unless they had formal permission.
FAQs
What is the recent issue between Russia and Ukraine? ›
Numerous bilateral agreements have been terminated and economic ties severed. Throughout 2021 and 2022, a Russian military build-up on the border of Ukraine escalated tensions between the two countries and strained their bilateral relations, eventually leading to Russia initiating a full-scale invasion of the country.
What is the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine called? ›| Date | 20 February 2014 – present (8 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 2 days) |
|---|---|
| Territorial changes | Russian annexation of occupied Crimea, 18 March 2014 Russian occupation of about 18% of Ukrainian territory as of November 2022. Russian annexation of four partially occupied oblasts, 30 September 2022 |
Some sectors and countries are more vulnerable due to materials and labor shortages and surging prices. The Russia-Ukraine war will further exacerbate supply chain problems affecting commodity prices as well as energy-dependent and related industries.
What are the consequences of the Ukraine Crisis 2022? ›Russia's war against Ukraine is causing a humanitarian, social and economic crisis for the Ukrainian people. The consequences of this full-scale military invasion are disrupting the global supply of commodities, sharply increasing food and energy prices, and threating the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is Poland and Russia allies? ›Nevertheless, Poland and the Soviet Union nominally became allies after the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
Is Ukraine invasion complete? ›...
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
| Date | 24 February 2022 – present (11 months, 1 week and 5 days) |
|---|---|
| Status | Ongoing (list of engagements · territorial control · timeline of events) |
It was divided in the Partitions of Poland in the late 18th century. Much of its land was taken by the Russian Empire. For most of the history of the Russian Empire, eastern Poland was held by Russia and western Poland by Prussia, which went on to found the German Empire in the late 19th century.
How will Russian invasion of Ukraine affect the world? ›The tragedy unfolding in Ukraine is having an impact all over the world as Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion is intensifying a global food crisis. EU countries are acting together to help people facing soaring food prices and bring some relief to the world's poorest.
What effect will the war in Ukraine have on the world? ›The conflict is a major blow to the global economy that will hurt growth and raise prices. Beyond the suffering and humanitarian crisis from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the entire global economy will feel the effects of slower growth and faster inflation.
Why is Ukraine important to the United States? ›The United States reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. The U.S.-Ukraine relationship serves as a cornerstone for security, democracy, and human rights in Ukraine and the broader region.
Will the war in Ukraine lead to recession? ›
The world's leading economies are sliding into recession as the global energy and inflation crises sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine cut growth by more than previously forecast, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
How will the war in Ukraine affect US supply chain? ›The Ukraine conflict is likely to have a continued inflationary impact on the costs of raw materials, energy, logistics, and digital services. Oil and gas prices, in particular, have already skyrocketed across the globe due to the high dependence on imports from Russia, the supplier of 40% of Europe's gas.
Who is Poland's ally? ›Since 1989, Polish–American relations have been strong and Poland is one of the chief European allies of the United States, being part of both NATO and the European Union.
Is China friends with Poland? ›Rau expressed that Poland views China as a friendly and reliable strategic partner, and the two countries have maintained close high-level interactions and exchanges at various levels. The two sides share common views on safeguarding independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Are Japan and Poland allies? ›Japan–Poland relations refers to the bilateral foreign relations between Japan and Poland. Both nations enjoy historically friendly relations, embracing close cooperation and mutual assistance in times of need.
How many troops has Russia lost? ›U.S. officials have said that Russia has lost between 60,000 and 80,000 troops in its misguided war on Ukraine. A soldier watches Ukrainian artillerymen fire an M109 tracked self-propelled howitzer at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 12, 2022.
How strong is Ukraine troops? ›In 2021, Ukraine's Armed Forces, now numbering 246,445 (including 195,626 military personnel), was the second largest in the region after the Russian Armed Forces. Military units of other countries have participated regularly in multinational military exercises with Ukrainian forces in Ukraine.
How many tanks has Russia lost in Ukraine? ›With at least 1,600 tanks already lost in Ukraine, the Russian military is faced with a dilemma.
Is Poland a member of NATO? ›Poland is part of NATO, founded in 1949 to protect Western Europe against a Soviet attack. After the Cold War, the alliance expanded to include former Soviet allies, including Poland, which joined the alliance in 1999.
How much land did Russia take from Poland? ›Seventeen days after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, which marked the beginning of the Second World War, the Soviet Union entered the eastern regions of Poland (known as the Kresy) and annexed territories totalling 201,015 square kilometres (77,612 sq mi) with a population of 13,299,000.
What does oblast mean in Russian? ›
The term oblast can be translated into English as "province" or "region", and there are currently 46 oblasts, the most common type of the 85 federal subjects in Russia.
When did Russia invade Ukraine 20222? ›On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an undeclared war against Ukraine, a country Russia first invaded and partially occupied in 2014. The United States and many countries around the world have condemned Russia's “unprecedented military aggression” as “unprovoked and unjustified.” On March 2, 2022, the U.N.
What is the Russian name for Ukraine? ›| Ukraine Україна (Ukrainian) | |
|---|---|
| • Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | 10 March 1919 |
| • Independence declared | 24 August 1991 |
| • Current constitution | 28 June 1996 |
| Area | |
Russia responded with sanctions against several countries, including a total ban on food imports from Australia, Canada, Norway, Japan, the United States, and the EU. The sanctions contributed to the collapse of the Russian ruble and worsened the economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Is the invasion of Ukraine illegal? ›Domestic criminal codes. Some commentators noted that in addition to violating international law, the invasion of Ukraine violated some countries' domestic criminal codes, including those of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland.