Russia should suspend gas supplies to more “unfriendly”countries, a leading Russian politician has said, after the state-owned energy company Gazprom cut off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.
Gazprom said on Wednesday it had halted gas supplies to the countries for failing to pay for gas in roubles, the Kremlin’s toughest response yet to sanctions imposed by the West in response to Russia’s invasion.
It is the first time that Moscow has cut off gas to European customers since the start of the war.
“The same should be done with regard to other countries that are unfriendly to us,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, wrote on his Telegram channel.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, warned that Russia was “beginning the gas blackmail of Europe”.
“Russia is trying to shatter the unity of our allies,” Mr Yermak added.
Follow the latest updates below.
10:09 AM
German gas lobby group calls for stockpiling in face of Russian threat
German gas lobby group Zukunft Gas has said that Germany must immediately start stockpiling more gas now that Russia is using the energy source as a political tool.
“We need to save gas now so that we have enough in winter,” said the group’s head Timm Kehler in a statement.
09:55 AM
Hew Strachan: ‘The West has successfully called Vladimir Putin’s bluff ‘
Nato’s assertion of escalation dominance by stealth has helped the Ukrainians check the Russians and to contain the war, argues Hew Strachan.
Since the initial shock of 24 February, the war in Ukraine has acquired a deceptive stability for those lucky enough to be viewing it from a distance. The situation maps published in the papers look much the same from day to day, with the Russians occupying territory in the east and to the south. In reality, buildings and ground change hands multiple times in fierce tactical actions. Generals talk about the “big-hand, small map” problem, in which scales simplify major problems, foreshorten distances and reduce the obstacles to a two-dimensional plane.
The opportunity for strategic surprise seems to have passed. Satellite and signal intelligence, much of it in the public domain, gives ample warning of unfolding operations. Russia’s immediate intentions are clear to the world, not just to the Ukrainians. But one big strategic shift has occurred. Almost imperceptibly, the Russians have conceded escalation dominance to Nato.
09:38 AM
Greece to help Bulgaria after Russia cuts gas supply
Greece will offer help to Bulgaria after Russia cut off its gas supply, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his Bulgarian counterpart today.
The two leaders discussed the issue by phone.
“The prime minister said that Greece will help Bulgaria to deal with the new situation caused by the Russian decisions on energy,” Mitsotakis’ office said in a statement, without providing further details.
09:28 AM
Russian ammunition depot set ablaze as blasts strike near Ukrainian border
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09:15 AM
Turkey still in talks with Russia about buying missile defence system
Nato member Turkey said it was still talking to Russia about procuring a second batch of one of its most advanced missile defence systems despite the war in Ukraine.
The comments on state television by the head of Turkey’s military procurement agency underscore Ankara’s efforts to maintain good relations with Moscow during the conflict.
The agency and its chief, Ismail Demir, were sanctioned by Washington in the closing weeks of US president Donald Trump’s administration for its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system in 2017.
Turkey took delivery of the first batch of the surface-to-air missiles in 2019.
But Mr Demir told state television that the 2017 contract always envisioned Turkey receiving two batteries of the Russian weapon.
09:02 AM
Ukrainian presidential aide portrays blasts in Russia as payback
A Ukrainian presidential aide described explosions heard in three Russian provinces bordering Ukraine on Wednesday as “karma” and payback for the war in Ukraine.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, in comments on the Telegram messaging app, did not acknowledge Ukraine as being responsible for the incidents.
“The reasons for the destruction of the military infrastructure in (Russian) border areas can be quite varied,” he wrote, adding that “sooner or later the debts will have to be repaid” when one country decides to attack another country.
09:01 AM
Raab non-committal on supplying warplanes to Ukraine
Dominic Raab was non-committal when asked if Liz Truss was right to say that the West should supply warplanes to Ukraine.
The Justice Secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I certainly don’t think we should be… avoiding providing support to Ukraine at this critical moment in the war. And the Foreign Secretary is right about that.”
Pressed on whether she was right about providing the planes specifically, he said: “We need to listen very carefully to what the Ukrainians need and help with our allies to provide them with the military support, so that they win and so that Putin loses, and that’s part of it, so is the sanctions.”
08:39 AM
Truss vows to ‘double down’ on Ukraine aid
Liz Truss will call for an increase in defence spending today, saying the West has overseen a “generation of underinvestment” which led to the invasion of Ukraine.
In what is billed by aides as a major foreign policy speech, the Foreign Secretary will say that the traditional Nato target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence should be a minimum.
She will also underscore her support for Nato’s expansion by allowing Sweden and Finland to join, as well as vowing to “double down” on UK military support for Ukraine.
“I want to live in a world where free nations are assertive and in the ascendant,” Ms Truss will say as she maps out her policy vision in the wake of the Russia invasion.
08:20 AM
EU vows ‘coordinated response’ to Russia gas stoppage
The EU said it was “prepared” for Moscow to suspend gas supplies to the 27-nation bloc and is planning a “coordinated” response after state-owned energy giant Gazprom turned off the taps to Poland and Bulgaria.
“Gazprom’s announcement is another attempt by Russia to blackmail us with gas. We are prepared for this scenario. We are mapping out our coordinated EU response,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter.
“Europeans can trust that we stand united and in solidarity with the member states impacted.”
08:07 AM
Moldovan breakaway region says shots fired from Ukraine towards village
The Interior Ministry of Moldova’s pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria said that shots were fired from inside the territory of Ukraine overnight towards a village that houses a large ammunition depot.
The ministry also said that it had detected drones that it said were launched from Ukraine.
08:04 AM
Russia says it destroyed ‘large batch’ of Western-supplied arms
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had destroyed a large quantity of Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine with long-range missiles.
“On the territory of the Zaporizhzhia aluminium plant, high-precision long-range sea-based Kalibr missiles destroyed hangars with a large batch of foreign weapons and ammunition supplied by the United States and European countries for Ukrainian troops,” the ministry said in a briefing.
07:57 AM
Zelensky visits Illia Matviienko, whose parents were killed in Mariupol
07:49 AM
Bulgarian PM accuses Russia of blackmail over gas supplies
Russia’s warning it was shutting off gas supplies to Bulgaria over demands to change the payment scheme is a grave breach of a current contract and amounts to blackmail, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said today.
Mr Petkov said Bulgaria was currently reviewing all of its contracts with Gazprom, including for transit of Russian gas to Serbia and Hungary, because “one-sided blackmail was not acceptable”.
Mr Petkov has talked to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had assured him the 27-member bloc would have a common response, he said.
Russian energy giant Gazprom said it had halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for failing to pay in roubles.
07:47 AM
Russia attacking Azostval steel plant, says aide to Mariupol’s mayor
Russian forces are attacking the Azostval steel plant where Ukrainian fighters and some civilians are holed up in the southern city of Mariupol, an aide to the city’s mayor said.
Petro Andryushchenko said no agreements had been reached on trying to evacuate civilians from Mariupol today.
07:18 AM
US spies helped Ukraine know exactly when and where Russian bombs would fall
The US revealed the coordinates of Russian forces and aircraft in an unprecedented information sharing operation that helped repel Kyiv assault, reports Rozina Sabur.
The US helped foil Moscow’s efforts to take Kyiv and repelled its advances elsewhere by sharing such detailed intelligence that Ukraine knew exactly when and where Russian bombs would fall, it has emerged.
In an unprecedented information sharing operation, US spy agencies have even divulged the coordinates of Russian forces and aircraft to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to pre-empt attacks.
The intelligence led Ukraine to shoot down a Russian plane carrying hundreds of troops to Hostomel Airport in the Kyiv suburbs in the early days of the war, according to NBC News.
The shoot-down helped thwart Moscow’s hopes of flooding the area with troops and equipment, a significant setback for Russia in its attempt to take the capital.
07:10 AM
Hungary’s Russian gas supply running smoothly, says minister
Hungary is receiving Russian gas as normal via Serbia and Bulgaria despite a clash between the latter and Russian gas supplier Gazprom, Hungary’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Gazprom said on Wednesday it had halted deliveries to Bulgaria and Poland due to an absence of payments in roubles.
“I want to assure everyone that the non-delivery of gas shipments to Bulgaria does not mean a halt in transit shipments via Bulgaria,” Peter Szijjarto said on his Facebook page.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on “unfriendly” countries to pay for gas imports in roubles, a demand only a few buyers have complied with, including Hungary, which signed a long-term gas supply deal with Russia last year.
Mr Szijjarto said Hungary’s next payment was due on May 22 and the country would transfer funds in euros to Gazprombank to be converted into roubles.
06:53 AM
Swiss freeze $9 billion in sanctioned Russian wealth
The amount of Russian assets frozen under sanctions Switzerland has adopted has risen to around 9 billion Swiss francs ($9.34 billion), it has been reported by the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper.
That would be around 1.5 billion francs more than Swiss authorities had reported on April 7.
In a sharp deviation from the country’s traditional neutrality, Switzerland has adopted European Union sanctions against Russians involved in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
06:40 AM
Ukraine says several villages in east captured by Russian forces
Ukraine announced this morning that Russian forces had pushed deeper into the east of the country and captured several villages, as part of Moscow’s offensive to take control of the Donbas.
The defence ministry said that Russian forces had pushed out Kyiv’s army from Velyka Komyshuvakha and Zavody in the Kharkiv region and had gained control over Zarichne and Novotoshkivske in the Donetsk region.
06:37 AM
Raab: Russia halting gas supply to Poland will add to pariah status
Russia’s decision to cut off gas supply to Poland will add to its status as an economic and political pariah, Dominic Raab said this morning.
“It (halting gas supply) will have a … very damaging effect on Russia as well because it is becoming further and further, more and more, not just a political pariah, but an economic pariah,” the Deputy Prime Minister told Sky News.
06:28 AM
Pictured: A crater next to an apartment in Lyman, Donetsk
06:17 AM
Russian natural gas arriving unrestricted in Austria
Russian natural gas deliveries to Austria are continuing unrestricted and there is no indication that this will change, Austrian energy minister Leonore Gewessler told ORF radio on Wednesday.
Asked if there were any indications that gas from Russia could be cut off as in Poland or Bulgaria, Ms Gewessler said: “No, we have no such indications … deliveries to Austria remain unrestricted.”
Austria obtains 80 per cent of its gas from Russia.
06:04 AM
Poland ready to help Germany import non-Russian oil
Poland is ready to help Germany import non-Russian oil, its climate minister Anna Moskwa said today, as its Western neighbour aims to find alternative to Russian supplies after Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24.
“We are ready to express our solidarity with Germany…and support them in their complete departure from oil, from Russian resources,” Ms Moskwa told state owned Polskie Radio.
05:48 AM
Russian gas continues to flow to Bulgaria for time being
Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria continue to flow for the time being, Vladimir Malinov, executive director of Bulgarian gas network operator Bulgartransgaz said on Wednesday.
It comes as Bulgaria’s energy ministry said Russia’s Gazprom had informed Bulgarian state gas company Bulgargaz it would halt gas supplies as of Wednesday.
The ministry is set to give a news briefing on the situation later on Wednesday morning.
05:27 AM
Ukraine retains control over majority of its airspace
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has advised Ukraine retains control over the majority of its airspace.
“Russia has failed to effectively destroy the Ukrainian Air Force or suppress Ukrainian air defences,” the ministry posted on Twitter.
“Ukraine continues to hold Russian air assets at risk.”
The ministry said Russian air activity was primarily focused on the areas of southern and eastern Ukraine, providing support to Russian troops on the ground.
Russia has very limited air access to the north and west of Ukraine, limiting offensive actions to deep strikes with stand-off weapons, the ministry added.
03:32 AM
Russia agrees with UN on evacuating civilians from steel plant
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Tuesday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, agreeing on arranging evacuations from a besieged steel plant in the battered city of Mariupol.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Russian leader and UN chief discussed “proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, namely in relation to the situation in Mariupol.”
Mr Dujarric said they also agreed in principle that the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross should be involved in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel complex.
Discussions will be held with the UN humanitarian office and the Russian Defense Ministry on the evacuation, Mr Dujarric said.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours and Putin and Mr Guterres sat at opposite ends of a long white table in a room with gold curtains bordered in red.
02:36 AM
Blasts heard in Russian city of Belgorod
A series of blasts sounded in the Russian city of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Fire engulfed the ammunition depot in the province following the explosions.
Mr Gladkov said no civilians were injured by the fire, which broke out at a facility near Staraya Nelidovka village.
01:51 AM
In pictures: Homes, towns destroyed as Russia’s invasion continues
01:39 AM
Chinese drone giant DJI suspends business in Russia and Ukraine
Drone giant DJI Technology Co Ltd will temporarily suspend business in Russia and Ukraine, becoming the first major Chinese company to halt sales to Russia since the invasion began.
“DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions,” the company said in a statement late on Tuesday.
“Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine.”
Although Western firms have pulled out of Russia in protest, many Chinese companies have not -mirroring Beijing’s stance of refraining from being critical of Moscow.
Ukrainian officials have accused DJI, the world’s largest maker of consumer and industrial drones, of leaking data on the Ukrainian military to Russia.
But last month DJI dismissed those accusations as “utterly false”.
01:33 AM
Today’s top stories
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Boris Johnson said he does not share concerns that Vladimir Putin will use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine as he suffers more losses
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Russian gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria have been cut off in an escalation of tensions between Moscow and the West
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Liz Truss will call for an increase in defence spending on Wednesday, saying the West has overseen a “generation of underinvestment” which led to the invasion of Ukraine
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The UK has imported around £220 million worth of Russian oil since the Kremlin sent troops and tanks across the border into Ukraine in February
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Russia has hinted at an invasion of Moldova, saying it “would like to avoid” intervening in the breakaway region of Transnistria but suggesting it might have to act
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Russian soldiers are forcing civilians to dig mass graves and bury the dead in exchange for food and water, the mayor of Mariupol has claimed
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Vladimir Putin is widely expected on Wednesday to scrap key governors’ elections in Russia set for this autumn because of Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine
