Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukraine presses criminal charges against Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin

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Summary of nan time truthful acold …

• Top European Union officials are owed to meet Friday successful Kyiv pinch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, arsenic good arsenic 15 European commissioners, traveled to nan Ukrainian superior for what they described arsenic a acme meeting. Von der Leyen is connected her 4th sojourn to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion.

• EU leaders will activity to cool Ukraine’s expectations of a accelerated way to membership, while avoiding antagonistic nationalist statements that could weaken morale and harm Zelenskiy’s efforts to task a European early for Ukrainians. Western EU personnel states are concerned that Kyiv’s expectations connected speedy rank talks are unrealistic.

• Zelenskiy called Thursday for much punitive measures against Russia by nan EU, but caller sanctions nan bloc is preparing for nan day will autumn short of his government’s demands. “We spot coming that nan gait of sanctions successful Europe has slowed down a little,” Zelensky told a associated news conference. “The violent authorities increases nan gait of adjustment to sanctions instead. It should beryllium resolved. We judge that we tin do it together.”

• Maria Zakharova, nan Russian overseas ministry spokesperson, responded to nan Ukrainian president’s comments Friday, saying “Western Europe, falling into recession, having agelong mislaid nan wont of survival, is sinking, pinch Ukraine tied to its feet.”

• The EU has pledged to double a subject assistance programme for Ukraine by training an other 15,000 soldiers as portion of a blizzard of announcements aimed astatine showing it will “stand by Ukraine for nan agelong haul”. Von der Leyen besides reiterated that nan EU would headdress nan value of Russian petroleum products, arsenic portion of a broader G7 scheme to restrict lipid revenues disposable to nan Kremlin’s warfare machine.

• The charismatic general’s agency of Ukraine has pressed criminal charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin, caput of nan Wagner group of mercenaries fighting connected nan Russian broadside successful Ukraine. Prigozhin has been charged pinch encroaching connected nan territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine and of waging a warfare of aggression against Ukraine.

• There are reports that 1 personification has been killed successful a car explosive detonation successful occupied Enerhodar successful Zaporizhzhia region. Dmitri Orlov, Ukraine’s politician of nan city, claimed nan unfortunate was a erstwhile Ukrainian policeman who had defected to thief nan authorities successful nan area of Ukraine which nan Russian Federation has claimed to annex

• The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has this greeting said that nan warfare will proceed successful Ukraine arsenic Donbas is not ‘fully protected yet’.

• Russian-installed authorities successful Crimea said connected Friday that they had nationalised astir 500 properties successful nan peninsula including immoderate belonging to elder Ukrainian politicians and business figures.

• Nato called connected Russia to fulfil its obligations nether nan Start atomic reductions treaty, it said successful a connection connected Friday.

• Norway will bid 54 caller German-made Leopard tanks for its service from nan KraussMaffei Group, Norwegian nationalist broadcaster NRK reported connected Friday.

That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will beryllium backmost later. Léonie Chao-Fong will beryllium pinch you for nan adjacent fewer hours.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has this greeting said nan warfare will proceed successful Ukraine arsenic Donbas is not ‘fully protected yet’.

The Russian state-owned news agency Tass quotes him arsenic saying:

Donbas is not afloat protected yet, truthful a typical subject cognition continues. Actually, we must protect nan group who unrecorded location until this extremity is afloat achieved. This remains to beryllium done.

Peskov went connected to opportunity that “the information of Crimea is ensured reliably”. Russia claimed to annex nan Ukrainian region of Crimea successful 2014 successful a move not wide recognised by nan world community.

The air alert that has been successful unit crossed Ukraine for astir nan past 2 hours has ended, nan authorities broadcaster Suspilne reports.

Nato called connected Russia to fulfil its obligations nether nan Start atomic reductions treaty, it said successful a connection connected Friday.

“We statement pinch interest that Russia has grounded to comply pinch legally binding obligations, including connected inspection, and telephone connected Russia to fulfil its obligations nether nan Treaty,” Reuters reports Nato’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said successful a tweet.

The main arena successful Kyiv coming is that apical European Union officials are owed to meet Friday successful Kyiv pinch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, arsenic good arsenic 15 European commissioners, traveled to nan Ukrainian superior for what they described arsenic a acme meeting. Von der Leyen is connected her 4th sojourn to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion.

Susie Blann astatine Associated Press writes that nan past specified acme was held successful Kyiv successful October 2021 — a fewer months earlier Russia’s latest incursion into Ukraine. Since then, assistance for Ukraine from nan EU has reached almost €50bn (£44.6bn / $55bn) since nan fighting started. The EU is providing Ukraine pinch financial and humanitarian assistance and plans to adopt a 10th package of sanctions again Russia successful nan coming weeks – nan gait of which has been criticised by Zelenskiy.

Ukraine wants to subordinate nan 27-nation bloc connected an accelarated timescale, though it could return years. In nan meantime, von der Leyen said Thursday that nan European Commission is consenting to fto Kyiv subordinate what she called immoderate “key European programs” that will bring benefits akin to membership. Those programs were owed to beryllium discussed successful Friday’s meeting, which will besides reside 1 of nan main obstacles to Ukraine’s EU membership: accusations of endemic corruption.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen successful Kyiv connected Thursday. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters

Norway will bid 54 caller German-made Leopard tanks for its service from nan KraussMaffei Group, Norwegian nationalist broadcaster NRK reported connected Friday, citing anonymous sources.

Reuters reports nan Nordic Nato member, which shares a 196 km (122 miles) Arctic separator pinch Russia, had planned to take either German-made Leopard 2 A7 tanks aliases nan rival Korean-produced K2 Black Panther.

Russian-installed authorities successful Crimea said connected Friday that they had nationalised astir 500 properties successful nan peninsula including immoderate belonging to elder Ukrainian politicians and business figures.

In a connection connected Telegram, Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of nan Crimean parliament, said that nan decree targeted “accomplices of nan Kyiv regime” and that nan nationalised properties included banks and tourer and athletics infrastructure.

Reuters reports that according to a archive published connected a Crimean authorities website, properties belonging to erstwhile Ukrainian premier curate Arseniy Yatsenyuk and businessmen Igor Kolomoisky, Rinat Akhmetov and Serhiy Taruta were among those confiscated.

Crimea, which is internationally recognised arsenic portion of Ukraine, has been controlled by Moscow since 2014, erstwhile Russia unilaterally annexed nan peninsula.

Ukraine presses criminal charges against Wagner group laminitis Yevgeny Prigozhin

The charismatic general’s agency of Ukraine has pressed criminal charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin, caput of nan Wagner group of mercenaries fighting connected nan Russian broadside successful Ukraine.

The Ukrinform website reports that nan connection was published successful nan Uriadovyi Kuryer authorities gazette.

Prigozhin has been charged pinch encroaching connected nan territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine (Article 110 portion 3 of nan criminal codification of Ukraine) and of waging a warfare of aggression against Ukraine (Article 437 [art 2).

In a grim video released complete caller year, Prigozhin – a semipermanent state of Putin – was filmed visiting a basement adjacent nan eastbound beforehand successful Ukraine filled pinch nan bodies of his fighters, galore of them convicts, who had been killed during nan bitter fighting for nan metropolis of Bakhmut, a cardinal Russian objective.

There are reports that 1 personification has been killed successful a car explosive detonation successful occupied Enerhodar successful Zaporizhzhia region. The Russian state-owned news agency Tass is quoting Vladimir Rogov, leader of nan pro-Russian We are together pinch Russia activity successful occupied Ukraine.

He reported connected Telegram: “It’s large successful Enerhodar. The origin of nan detonation that sounded this greeting successful nan metropolis was a car explosion. According to preliminary data, 1 personification died arsenic a consequence of nan violent attack. The occurrence has now been extinguished. Pyrotechnic teams are checking for nan beingness of explosives to forestall different explosion.”

Enerhodar is nan metropolis adjacent to nan Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant.

Dmitri Orlov, Ukraine’s politician of nan city, besides posted to Telegram astir nan incident. He reported that nan unfortunate was a erstwhile Ukrainian policeman who had defected to activity for nan occupying Russian authorities. Zaporizhzhia is 1 of nan regions of Ukraine which nan Russian Federation has claimed to annex.

In his message, Orlov implied that nan policemen had been targeted because of criminal and corrupt activities among nan occupiers, writing:

Since nan opening of March past twelvemonth and until now, Enerhodar has been a metropolis wherever nan occupiers person been progressive successful criminal activities: they torture and seizure people, rob nan city’s residents and full businesses. But they put successful their pockets a portion of what they person from nan Russian Federation to supply for their needs. Living Rashists do not request … witnesses. Therefore, they will proceed to transportation retired akin “cleanings”. And nan first 1 has already left.

None of nan claims by either Rogov aliases Orlov person been independently verified.

Maria Zakharova, nan Russian overseas ministry spokesperson, has posted to Telegram, responding to nan Ukrainian president’s comments astir nan slowing down of occidental sanctions connected Russia.

She quotes nan media saying “Zelenskiy complained that nan gait of sanctions successful Europe has slowed down, and Russia has go faster to accommodate to restrictions” and goes connected to write:

Western Europe, falling into recession, having agelong mislaid nan wont of survival, is sinking, pinch Ukraine tied to its feet.

Ukraine’s authorities broadcaster Suspilne offers this summary of nan past 24 hours successful its latest bulletin connected Telegram. It writes:

At night, nan Russian subject attacked nan Barvinkove organization successful nan Kharkiv region. A backstage location was destroyed and a 70-year-old man was rescued from nan rubble. Two men died.

Also astatine night, nan Russian service shelled Kherson. They deed 1 of nan shopping centres, a occurrence started there. People were not injured. Nikopol successful nan Dnipropetrovsk region besides came nether fire. There are nary dormant aliases injured.

Over nan past 24 hours, 1 personification was killed by Russian shelling successful Donetsk region, and 8 others were injured. In nan Kherson region, 2 group were killed successful a day, 9 much were injured, among them a five-year-old child.

The claims person not been independently verified.

Here are 2 images sent complete nan news wires from Kramatorsk, showing hunt and rescue operations taking spot yesterday. Three group died, 8 group were hospitalised pinch injuries, including 2 who are successful a superior condition, aft a building was struck by a Russian missile.

Ukrainian subject members and section group behaviour a hunt and rescue cognition connected 2 February successful Kramatorsk. Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty

A rescuer shines a flashlight during hunt and rescue operations successful Kramatorsk. Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty

Suspilne, Ukraine’s authorities broadcaster, reports nan latest position update from Ukraine’s location authority successful partially occupied Kherson, 1 of nan areas nan Russian Federation claims to person annexed. Suspilne posted to its charismatic Telegram channel:

During nan time of 2 February, nan Russian occupiers shelled Kherson oblast 65 times pinch artillery, anti-aircraft guns, mortars, and tanks. Kherson – 13 times. They targeted a shipbuilding plant, a schoolhouse and residential buildings. Two group died, 9 were injured. Among nan injured was a five-year-old boy.

EU leaders to dampen Ukraine’s hopes of fast-track EU membership

EU leaders will activity to cool Ukraine’s expectations of a accelerated way to rank astatine a acme pinch Volodymyr Zelenskiy connected Friday, arsenic nan bloc spars complete really overmuch encouragement to springiness its war-torn neighbour.

The president of nan European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and nan caput of nan European Council, Charles Michel, are owed to meet Zelenskiy successful Kyiv connected Friday for wide-ranging talks connected nan war, further sanctions connected Russia and integrating Ukraine into nan EU’s soul market.

It is understood that nan EU leaders will activity successful backstage to temper Ukraine’s expectations of a fast-tracked membership, while avoiding antagonistic nationalist statements that could weaken morale and harm Zelenskiy’s efforts to task a European early for Ukrainians.

Western EU personnel states are concerned that Kyiv’s expectations connected speedy rank talks are unrealistic. Earlier this week, Ukraine’s premier minister, Denys Shmyhal, told Politico his state had “a very eager scheme to subordinate nan European Union wrong nan adjacent 2 years”.

For this Friday’s must-read: Guardian correspondents person looked into really Putin’s plans to blackmail Europe complete state proviso failed:

The worst-case scenarios piled up complete nan summertime months. Germany’s economical curate warned of “catastrophic” business shutdowns, fraying proviso chains and wide unemployment. France’s president urged citizens to move down nan heating. Spain asked why countries that hadn’t sewage hooked connected Russian state should bail retired neighbours who had lectured them astir fiscal subject successful nan past.

The erstwhile Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, gleefully predicted that Europeans would beryllium “freezing successful their homes” because they hadn’t thought done nan consequences of throwing their support down Ukraine. “The acold is coming soon,” he said, menacingly, successful June past year.

But arsenic nan European Union enters nan past period of nan meteorological wintertime successful 2023, signs are becoming clearer that its members person weathered a historical situation – and not conscionable because “General Frost” has proved a milder adversary than Medvedev predicted.

Within 8 months of Russian troops mounting ft connected Ukrainian soil, nan bloc of 27 European states replaced astir 80% of nan earthy state it utilized to tie done pipelines pinch Russia, by quickly building up caller infrastructure for liquid earthy gas, uncovering imaginative ways to thief each different retired amid shortages, and successfully pursuing energy-saving policies.

Read nan afloat communicative astatine nan nexus below:

The US Central Intelligence Agency director, William Burns, said connected Thursday that nan Chinese president Xi Jinping’s ambitions toward Taiwan should not beryllium underestimated, contempt him apt being sobered by nan capacity of Russia’s subject successful Ukraine.

Burns said nan United States knew “as a matter of intelligence” that Xi had ordered his subject to beryllium fresh to behaviour an penetration of self-governed Taiwan by 2027.

“Now, that does not mean that he’s decided to behaviour an penetration successful 2027, aliases immoderate different year, but it’s a reminder of nan seriousness of his attraction and his ambition,” Burns told an arena astatine Georgetown University successful Washington.

“Our appraisal astatine CIA is that I wouldn’t underestimate President Xi’s ambitions pinch respect to Taiwan,” he said, adding that nan Chinese leader was apt “surprised and unsettled” and trying to tie lessons by nan “very mediocre performance” of nan Russian subject and its weapons systems successful Ukraine.

Ukraine’s friends are pushing nan International Monetary Fund to finalise plans for a multibillion-dollar lending programme, nan Financial Times reported connected Friday.

IMF representatives are readying to meet Ukrainian officials successful mid-February to beforehand discussions complete a indebtedness that could scope from $14bn to $16bn, nan study said, citing officials acquainted pinch nan talks.

Zelenskiy pushes for 10th sanctions package from EU leaders gathering successful Kyiv

European Union leaders will meet nan Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, successful Kyiv today, bringing nan committedness of caller sanctions against Russia but apt dashing Ukraine’s dream for swift EU membership, Reuters reports.

The caput of nan group’s executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived successful Kyiv by train connected Thursday, a symbolic travel to show support for Ukraine arsenic nan first day of Russia’s 24 February 2022 penetration approaches.

Senior members of nan EU’s executive met their counterparts successful nan Ukrainian government, and von der Leyen and nan president of nan 27 EU nationalist leaders, Charles Michel, will convene talks pinch Zelenskiy connected Friday.

Zelenskiy called for much punitive measures against Russia by nan EU, but caller sanctions nan bloc is preparing for nan day will autumn short of his government’s demands.

“We spot coming that nan gait of sanctions successful Europe has slowed down a little,” Zelensky told a associated news convention alongside European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. “The violent authorities increases nan gait of adjustment to sanctions instead. It should beryllium resolved. We judge that we tin do it together.”

“Russia is paying a dense price, arsenic our sanctions are eroding its economy, throwing it backmost by a generation,” Von der Leyen said connected Thursday. “By 24 February, precisely 1 twelvemonth since nan penetration started, we purpose to person nan 10th package of sanctions successful place.”

Welcome and summary

Hello and invited to today’s unrecorded sum of nan warfare successful Ukraine. My sanction is Helen Sullivan and I’ll beryllium bringing you nan latest for nan adjacent while.

Our apical communicative this morning: European Union leaders will meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy successful Kyiv connected Friday, bringing nan committedness of caller sanctions against Russia but apt dashing Ukraine and its president’s hopes of swift EU membership.

“Russia is paying a dense price, arsenic our sanctions are eroding its economy, throwing it backmost by a generation,” Ursula von der Leyen said connected Thursday. “By 24 February, precisely 1 twelvemonth since nan penetration started, we purpose to person nan 10th package of sanctions successful place.”

Here are nan different cardinal caller developments – including what has happened truthful acold astatine nan talks betwixt EU leaders and Zelenskiy:

• The EU has pledged to double a subject assistance programme for Ukraine by training an other 15,000 soldiers as portion of a blizzard of announcements aimed astatine showing it will “stand by Ukraine for nan agelong haul”. Speaking astatine nan commencement of a two-day travel to Kyiv, nan European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, reiterated that nan EU aimed to person a 10th package of sanctions against Russia successful spot by 24 February.

• Von der Leyen besides reiterated that nan EU would headdress nan value of Russian petroleum products, arsenic portion of a broader G7 scheme to restrict lipid revenues disposable to nan Kremlin’s warfare machine. The G7 and nan EU person already agreed connected a value headdress connected crude lipid that came into unit past December and, according to Von der Leyen, costs Russia €160m (£143m/$174m) a day. The EU’s 27 personnel states are yet to work together on nan latest lipid value cap.

• The EU besides intended to activity pinch Ukrainian prosecutors to group up an world centre for nan prosecution of nan crime of aggression successful Ukraine to beryllium located successful The Hague, Von der Leyen said. The intent of this centre was to cod and shop grounds for immoderate early trial, whether that took spot via a typical tribunal aliases immoderate different way.

• The European parliament has voted successful support of a roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to nan EU. The Ukrainian premier minister, Denys Shmyhal, has said he wanted Ukraine to subordinate nan EU successful 2 years, but successful reality it was likely to return overmuch longer.

• Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has urged nan EU to enforce much sanctions connected Russia, and said he had discussed a caller sanctions package pinch Von der Leyen. Zelenskiy said nan velocity of nan EU sanctions run against Russia had “slightly slowed down” while Russia had been “increasing its gait of adapting to sanctions”.

• The British premier minister, Rishi Sunak, said sending combatant jets to Ukraine would require “months if not years” of training and that he was looking for nan astir effective measurement of helping Kyiv unafraid victory.

• Russia is readying a awesome violative to coincide pinch nan one-year day of nan warfare successful Ukraine connected 24 February, according to Ukraine’s defence minister. Speaking to French media, Oleksii Reznikov said Russia would telephone connected a ample contingent of mobilised troops. Referring to nan wide mobilisation of 300,000 conscripted soldiers successful September, he claimed that numbers astatine nan separator propose nan existent size could beryllium person to 500,000.

• Russia has warned it has “the potential” to respond to occidental arms deliveries to Ukraine that will not conscionable beryllium astir “using armoured vehicles”. In a reside marking nan 80th day of nan Soviet triumph against Nazi Germany successful nan Battle of Stalingrad, Vladimir Putin appeared to allude to Russia’s tremendous atomic weapons arsenal, informing that “those who expect to triumph connected nan battlefield apparently do not understand that a modern warfare pinch Russia will beryllium utterly different for them”.

• Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said Russia’s arms suppliers will “significantly” summation their deliveries of subject hardware during this year. Medvedev, who is lawman president of Russia’s powerful information assembly and oversees a authorities committee connected arms production, said caller supplies would thief Russia inflict a “crushing defeat” complete Ukraine connected nan battlefield.

• Two Russian missiles struck Kramatorsk connected Thursday, aft an flat artifact successful nan eastbound Ukrainian metropolis was deed connected Wednesday night, sidesplitting astatine slightest sidesplitting 3 group and injuring 20. The latest strikes resulted successful civilian casualties, said nan caput of nan location subject administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, but it was not clear really many. In addition, 2 group were killed by Russian shelling successful nan confederate Kherson region.

• At slightest 8 group died aft a occurrence astatine a dormitory for building workers successful nan Crimean metropolis of Sevastopol, Russian officials said. The occurrence collapsed retired successful impermanent accommodation for workers building nan Tavrida highway, a roadworthy linking nan cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol, according to nan Russia-installed politician of Sevastopol.

• Russia’s overseas minister, Sergei Lavrov, said everybody wanted nan conflict successful Ukraine to end, but that nan west’s support for Kyiv was playing an important domiciled in really Moscow approached nan campaign. In an question and reply connected Russia’s authorities TV, Lavrov besides said Moscow had plans to overshadow pro-Ukrainian events arranged by occidental and allied countries astir nan world to people nan penetration of Ukraine connected 24 February.

• A elder Russian lieutenant who fled aft serving successful Ukraine has described really his country’s troops tortured prisoners of warfare and threatened immoderate pinch rape. “I person personally seen our troops torture Ukrainian soldiers,” Konstantin Yefremov, who is nan astir elder worker to speak retired against nan war, told nan Guardian successful a telephone call. “I consciousness relieved that I tin yet speak retired astir nan things I person seen.”

• A state-of-the-art rocket defence strategy provided by Italy and France should beryllium up and moving successful Ukraine wrong nan adjacent 2 months, Italy’s overseas minister, Antonio Tajani, has said. France and Italy agreed to proviso their SAMP/T aerial defence strategy to Ukraine, connected Kyiv’s request, to thief protect nan country’s captious infrastructure and cities from nan regular barrage of Russian missiles hitting Ukraine.

• Poland’s premier minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said he is unfastened to supplying Ukraine pinch F-16 combatant jets if nan determination is taken together pinch Nato allies. In an interview pinch Bild, he stressed that his appraisal was “based connected what Nato countries determine together” and that nan determination required nan “strategic information of nan whole” alliance.