Russia-Ukraine latest news: Kremlin sending ‘insane’ number of fighters to take Luhansk

Russia has sent “an insane number of fighters and equipment” to take the Luhansk region of the Donbas, the governor has said.

Serhii Haidai warned on Telegram that Kremlin forces were concentrating their attacks on the area in eastern Ukraine, and that Luhansk was in danger of becoming the next Mariupol.

“The Russians are advancing in all directions at the same time. They brought over an insane number of fighters and equipment,” the governor wrote.

“The invaders are killing our cities, destroying everything around.” He said Luhansk is becoming “like Mariupol”.

Luhansk is facing its “most difficult time” in the eight years since separatist fighting erupted there during Russia’s incursion of the area in 2014, Mr Haidai added.

​​Follow the latest updates below.

08:46 AM

Russia claims it is ready to set up corridor for ships leaving Ukraine with food, Interfax reports

Russia is ready to provide a humanitarian corridor for vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine, in return for the lifting of some sanctions, the Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying on Wednesday.

“We have repeatedly stated on this point that a solution to the food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including the lifting of sanctions that have been imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” Rudenko was quoted as saying.

“And it also requires the demining by the Ukrainian side of all ports where ships are anchored. Russia is ready to provide the necessary humanitarian passage, which it does every day,” he said.

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of planting drifting mines in the Black Sea.

Story continues

08:35 AM

Russian defence ministry: Mariupol port operating normally

Russia’s defence ministry has said that the port of Mariupol, the Ukrainian city which was taken by Russia after a three-month siege, is operating normally.

The ministry said that Russia is in touch with the United Nations, and that Moscow “does not rule out the possibility of global talks to unblock Ukraine’s ports.”

08:34 AM

Russia says will monitor Moldova ex-leader’s case

Moscow has warned it will “closely” monitor the treatment of a pro-Russian ex-president in Moldova who had been detained on suspicion of treason and corruption.

On Tuesday, prosecutors in the Western-backed country announced the arrest of former president Igor Dodon, as the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine has heightened tensions between Moscow and Chisinau.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that Mr Dodon’s detention was Moldova’s “internal affair”.

“At the same time, we would not like the current authorities to start settling scores with their former political rivals in the current situation,” Mr Rudenko told reporters in comments carried by Russian news agencies.

He said Russia would “closely monitor” the case to make sure that “all of Dodon’s rights” are respected and that they comply with international standards.

Mr Dodon led Moldova between 2016 and 2020 and was openly backed by Moscow.

08:33 AM

Lithuania to transfer 20 armoured personal carriers to Ukraine

Lithuania will transfer 20 M113 armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, as well as military trucks and de-mining vehicles, Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The coordinated help from us and the allies is the deciding factor for the Ukrainian victory”, defence minister Arvydas Anusauskas said in a statement.

The vehicles are worth a total of 15.5 million euros, said the ministry. Previously, Lithuania has provided military support to Ukraine worth 100 million euros, it added.

08:25 AM

Sanctions need to be lifted to avoid food crisis: Moscow

International sanctions imposed on Moscow over its military campaign in Ukraine need to be lifted to avoid a global food crisis, a Russian deputy foreign minister has said.

“Solving the food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including the removal of sanctions that have been imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” Andrey Rudenko said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.

“It also requires Ukraine to de-mine all ports where ships are docked and Russia is ready to provide the necessary humanitarian passage,” Mr Rudenko added.

Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine and a barrage of sanctions on Moscow over the offensive have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both countries.

The West has accused the Kremlin of using hunger as a weapon during its offensive in Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine alone produce 30 percent of the global wheat supply.

08:06 AM

West lacking ‘unity’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the West remained divided over the extent of its support for Ukraine.

“Unity is about weapons. My question is, is there this unity in practice? I can’t see it. Our huge advantage over Russia would be when we are truly united,” Mr Zelensky said during a panel discussion on Ukraine at the World Economic Forum.

07:46 AM

Russia ready to set up corridor for ships carrying food

Russia is ready to provide a humanitarian corridor for vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine, the Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said.

Russia will discuss the possibility of holding a prisoner exchange with Ukraine once prisoners who surrendered have been convicted, Mr Rudenko also said. Russian and separatist officials have said some of those who surrendered should be put on trial for war crimes.

He added it was premature to establish a Russian military base in the Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Kherson region.

07:27 AM

Watch: Ukrainian wine may have a hint of missile as Russian rockets land in vineyard

07:14 AM

Volodymyr Zelensky offers condolences over Texas school shooting

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered his condolences to the relatives of the victims of the Texas school shooting, the worst school massacre in the United States for nearly a decade.

“I would like to express my condolences to all of the relatives and family members of the children who were killed in the awful shooting in a Texas elementary school,” Mr Zelensky said as he addressed an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos via video link.

“As far as I know, 21 people were killed, including 19 children. This is terrible, to have victims of shooters in peaceful time,” he added.

You can read all the latest on the horrific shooting in Texas here.

06:59 AM

Volodymyr Zelensky says will only talk directly to Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he was only willing to talk directly to Vladimir Putin and not via intermediators.

He added that if the Russian President “understands reality” there was the possibility of finding a diplomatic way out of the conflict.

Mr Zelensky, speaking to an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, also said that Ukraine would fight until it recovered all of its territory.

The Ukrainian President said that Moscow should withdraw its troops back to the lines in place before Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24.

“That might be a first step towards talks,” he said, adding that Russia has been playing for time in its talks with Ukraine.

06:38 AM

Ukraine today, in pictures

06:14 AM

Latest MoD update

05:51 AM

Germany to reopen idled coal plants

Berlin will bring back coal and oil-fired power plants it closed to hit climate change targets to prevent shortages if Russia cuts off gas supplies to Germany.

German industries, the backbone of Europe’s largest economy, would be forced to shut down within weeks if Vladimir Putin turned off the taps.

The United States and European Commission on Tuesday condemned Russia’s use of “energy blackmail” after Moscow shut off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.

More than half of Germany’s gas imports come from Russia, which helps fund Moscow’s war machine in Ukraine.

READ MORE: Germany to reopen idled coal plants if Russia cuts gas supply

05:15 AM

Russia claims its offensive is slow to allow civilians to evacuate

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said Moscow is deliberately slowing its offensive in Ukraine in order to allow civilians to evacuate, RIA news agency has reported.

The claim comes as a Kremlin spokesperson said Russia had not yet seen an Italian peace plan for Ukraine, but it hoped to receive it through diplomatic channels.

04:06 AM

Kyiv looks ahead to rebuilding Ukraine – at Russia’s expense

Ukraine is considering the possibility of issuing debt receipts backed by frozen Russian assets to raise funds for rebuilding its country, a presidential adviser has said.

03:38 AM

Hundreds of bodies found in Mariupol apartment complex

Workers digging through the rubble of an apartment building in Mariupol have found 200 bodies in the basement, Ukrainian authorities have said, as more horrors come to light in the ruined city that has seen some of the worst suffering of the three-month war.

The bodies were decomposing and the stench hung over the neighbourhood, said Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor.

He did not say when they were discovered, but the sheer number of victims makes it one of the deadliest known attacks of the war.

03:01 AM

Russians ‘brought over an insane number of fighters’

Twelve people were killed by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region of the Donbas, according to the regional governor.

And the governor of the Luhansk region of the Donbas said the area is facing its “most difficult time” in the eight years since separatist fighting erupted there.

“The Russians are advancing in all directions at the same time. They brought over an insane number of fighters and equipment,” the governor, Serhii Haidai, wrote on Telegram.

“The invaders are killing our cities, destroying everything around.” He said Luhansk is becoming “like Mariupol”.

02:30 AM

Ukraine says ‘fate of the country’ could be decided in Donbas

The Russian offensive in the Donbas has made significant gains, with Ukrainian officials saying the “fate of the country” could be decided in the ongoing battles.

Moscow’s troops were close to encircling the neighbouring cities of Severodonetsk and Lyschansk, whose capture would give them control of half of the eastern region.

The cities straddle the Siversky Donets river, and Ukrainian forces are heavily dug in after resisting Moscow-backed separatists in the war of 2014.

There were unconfirmed reports Russian forces had cut off the road through which Kyiv has been resupplying its fighters in Severodonetsk.

“Now we are observing the most active phase of the full-scale aggression which Russia unfolded against our country,” Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian ministry of defence, said.

“The situation on the [eastern] front is extremely difficult, because the fate of this country is perhaps being decided [there] right now.”

Read the full story here.

01:12 AM

‘They are erasing Severodonetsk from the face of the earth’

Sergiy Gaidai, governor of the eastern region of Lugansk, has said Russian forces were bombarding the industrial city of Severodonetsk with air strikes, rockets, artillery and mortars in an effort to solidify control over the province and move further into Ukraine.

“The situation is very difficult and unfortunately it is only getting worse. It is getting worse with every day and even with every hour,” Mr Gaidai said in a video on Telegram.

“The Russian army decided to completely destroy Severodonetsk.”

He added: “They are simply erasing Severodonetsk from the face of the earth.”

12:16 AM

Russia bedding in for a long war in Ukraine

Three months to the day since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymr Zelensky mourned the thousands of Ukrainian men and women who have perished.

Mr Zelensky renewed calls for heavy weapons from foreign partners, saying arms for Kyiv were the best investment in stability in the world.

But in Moscow, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made it clear Russia was bedding in for a long war in Ukraine.

“We will continue the special military operation until all the objectives have been achieved,” Shoigu said, using Moscow’s name for the war.

12:07 AM

Kateryna among the innocent people losing homes

Kateryna Kostiantynivna, above, walked with a neighbour to her shell-damaged home in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

She said three Russian shells hit her house during the first week of the war.

Although she has remained living in an adjacent family home, the neighbourhood remains without electricity.

12:02 AM

Today’s top stories

• The Russian offensive in the Donbas made significant gains on Tuesday, with Ukrainian officials saying the “fate of the country” could be decided in the ongoing battles

• George Soros, the billionaire investor and advocate of European integration, has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a Third World War that ends western civilisation

• Kremlin insiders are discussing a successor to Vladimir Putin amid growing discontent with the course of the war in Ukraine, according to a reputable Russian media outlet

• A retired Russian general has reportedly been killed after his plane was shot down over Ukraine, with colleagues saying the 63-year-old returned to the front lines because he “could not stand aside” from the war

• Soldier or civilian, Russian or Ukrainian, the wounds are the same: punctures from flying shrapnel that can cut any organ, at any angle; and respiratory shock from blast waves that can wreck the lungs. And medics risk becoming casualties themselves every time they respond to a call

• Dozens of masterpieces loaned between European and Russian museums are stuck in limbo amid a raft of sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine

• Russia has stepped up its efforts to plunder Ukraine’s grain reserves, new satellite images have shown, amid fears that Putin’s invasion will lead to a global famine