“,”elementId”:”ed2084a9-0b70-4c7b-8162-cf8ad4f550ba”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The initiative, brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the UN and Turkey last July, was intended to prevent a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blockaded by Russia’s invasion to be exported safely from three ports.
“,”elementId”:”a91200fb-8f45-4a1d-8ae7-35b399a46b2d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The deal was extended for 120 days in November and will renew on 18 March if no party objects. Moscow, however, has already signalled it will only agree to an extension if restrictions affecting its own exports are lifted.
“,”elementId”:”97b0b675-661d-4d4a-ae64-1046c96ac487″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Turkey has said previously that it is working hard to extend the deal. “In separate talks with the Russian and Ukrainian sides, we saw that both sides are approaching this positively. We believe it will conclude positively,” Akar said in an interview with state-owned Anadolu Agency reported by Reuters.
“,”elementId”:”e9e976ad-6afe-4fa9-ba48-ebb29556521c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“We have the opinion that the duration will be extended on 18 March,.”
“,”elementId”:”22ad4c7b-bf43-4cf6-b26b-d6c926d21aed”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The west has not explicitly targeted Russia’s agricultural exports, but Moscow says sanctions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are a barrier to it being able to export its grain and fertilisers.
“,”elementId”:”fcb1f001-123f-45d1-b18a-6cc74ba9641e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Russia has also complained that Ukrainian grain exported under the deal is going to wealthy countries.
“,”elementId”:”eacb1a81-a3d3-4b1f-bf7f-c226aad9fce6″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1678617879000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”10.44 GMT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1678620634000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.30 GMT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1678619501000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.11 GMT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.11″,”title”:”Turkish defence minister says he believes Ukrainian grain deal will be extended”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Sun 12 Mar 2023 15.08 GMT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 12 Mar 2023 07.04 GMT”},{“id”:”640d87938f088ed9e336745f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Ukraine’s military repelled more than 92 Russian assaults in five areas over the past day, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces claimed in its morning briefing on Sunday, the Kyiv Independent reports.
“,”elementId”:”592c45fd-4503-4c04-bbde-2c1959b08070″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
According to the general staff report, Russian forces are concentrating their efforts on conducting offensives toward Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka, and Shakhtarsk in Donetsk oblast.
“,”elementId”:”5be10aaa-f494-41ca-9267-bbfb7be16173″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Over the past 24 hours, Russia launched five missiles, targeting the city of Zaporizhzhia, 12 airstrikes, and 56 MLRS attacks against Ukraine, targeting the city of Kherson, which resulted in civilian casualties, it said.
“,”elementId”:”a154f009-a981-4060-bf3a-9b68dcd5e925″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Ukraine’s air force carried out six strikes on temporary Russian bases, while Ukraine’s rocket and artillery forces hit four Russian temporary bases, one ammunition depot and two electronic warfare stations, it added
“,”elementId”:”eac2fccc-9fc1-49a8-a9e3-0abea1b7f442″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The Ukrainian military warns about a continued high threat of missile attacks throughout Ukraine.
“,”elementId”:”18e20c01-7a95-45a2-987d-37bcf88e5c27″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1678608275000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.04 GMT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1678619368000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.09 GMT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1678611421000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.57 GMT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.57″,”title”:”Ukraine’s military claims to have repelled more than 92 Russian assaults over past day”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Sun 12 Mar 2023 15.08 GMT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 12 Mar 2023 07.04 GMT”},{“id”:”640d73eb8f088ed9e336740d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In an interview published on Sunday, Ukraine’s foreign minister has urged Germany to speed up supplies of ammunition and to start training Ukrainian pilots on western fighter jets.
“,”elementId”:”5d41160c-588e-48b1-89de-454df1fa5e1a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Dmytro Kuleba told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that ammunition shortages were the “number one” problem in Ukraine’s attempt to repel Russia’s invasion.
“,”elementId”:”65418b06-25e3-46c2-aba8-6dc8225c1fe6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
He said German weapons manufacturers told him at the Munich Security Conference last month that they were ready to deliver but were waiting for the government to sign contracts.
“,”elementId”:”01a411ac-78a5-44d0-8f23-4e29be7516ef”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“So the problem lies with the government,” Kuleba was quoted as saying.
“,”elementId”:”ddc49bd5-5f45-4c28-b30d-30ed660e75e4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Kuleba made clear he did not expect western allies to give Ukraine the fighter jets it has been asking for any time soon.
“,”elementId”:”8fe2404d-30da-42d2-9e6b-bd12ed4837dc”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
But he said Ukrainian pilots should be trained anyway, so they would be ready once that decision was taken, the paper wrote.
“,”elementId”:”ee17cba4-95c7-4348-a153-b67b766f34dc”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
If Germany were to train Ukrainian pilots, that would be a “clear message of its political engagement”, he said.
“,”elementId”:”2871226f-a1b7-4514-8709-9140dbb09102″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1678604688000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.04 GMT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1678612690000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”09.18 GMT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1678606260000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.31 GMT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.31″,”title”:”Ukraine’s foreign minister urges Germany to speed up supplies of ammunition”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Sun 12 Mar 2023 15.08 GMT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 12 Mar 2023 07.04 GMT”},{“id”:”640d54908f088ed9e3367384″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. This is Christine Kearney bringing you up to date.
“,”elementId”:”1046c8f8-5b9e-4a8f-af59-aaf36f357d80″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The Ukrainian military is preparing for an upcoming counteroffensive, with a top commander saying his forces’ ongoing defence of Bakhmut in the face of fierce and sustained Russian attacks is necessary to “buy time” for that push.
“,”elementId”:”86d4bd36-6443-43f4-b311-238c53a93ae3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The remarks came as British intelligence said the frontline had shifted in the fight for Bakhmut – the longest and bloodiest battle of Moscow’s year-long invasion – but that any further Russian advance in the devastated town would be “highly challenging”.
“,”elementId”:”09534f12-50d5-4cb9-af2b-3a058a69dbac”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Ukraine and Russia are both claiming that hundreds of each other’s troops were killed over the previous 24 hours in the fight for Bakhmut, with a small river that bisects the town marking the new frontline. The exact number of casualties is difficult to independently verify, Reuters reports.
“,”elementId”:”7787acf6-c1ea-46d1-9157-7e91ae292474″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Serhiy Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, said 221 pro-Moscow troops were killed and more than 300 wounded in Bakhmut. Russia’s defence ministry said up to 210 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the broader Donetsk part of the frontline.
“,”elementId”:”a5d2b1ec-ebae-479d-80bc-b7836c06b423″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”1800″,”width”:”3000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/3000.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”1800″,”width”:”3000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1200″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”600″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”300″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”84″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/140.jpg”}]},”data”:{“alt”:”Ukrainian servicemen prepare to join the front line near Bakhmut in the Donbas region.”,”caption”:”Ukrainian servicemen prepare to join the front line near Bakhmut in the Donbas region.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images”},”displayCredit”:true,”role”:”inline”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6048650c51506c5d56fced6de0a09cc2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52bc16129e15d6547f53a279b4e36b92″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=14e4c07b008f40367861cd90874f9dc4″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1c5b79afd760314fef76d7a8fe672896″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bfd65d77879ddb6f6d88bb60d15c313″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1cde88466afcb1505288a9421ce70bea”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=214696b567ce7f65c44d74aec4606ec1″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0e793098c8978c8e87735dbb0a822c4a”,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=34025c28a2ccb17354a61ed6732895c7″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5db87d49c1ba93dca428012989bbeb35″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=50489d1d77561097d64582dc9587f522″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=da1d460cabdc5296a236de3d446f5c63″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1efeceb0fa837a4f3c4df97fbae71c49″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d96653604ea1bf13db836baecbef766c”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6048650c51506c5d56fced6de0a09cc2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52bc16129e15d6547f53a279b4e36b92″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=14e4c07b008f40367861cd90874f9dc4″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1c5b79afd760314fef76d7a8fe672896″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bfd65d77879ddb6f6d88bb60d15c313″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1cde88466afcb1505288a9421ce70bea”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5d0c3603ca5c87676622874aa1bba672″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=49f4f779c420f913083c98d8d788f5da”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=807740a11c5c229c4d38cfc45798b247″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=10f6ee5c4eb5a3dd5611ade942b74ac2″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6048650c51506c5d56fced6de0a09cc2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52bc16129e15d6547f53a279b4e36b92″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=14e4c07b008f40367861cd90874f9dc4″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1c5b79afd760314fef76d7a8fe672896″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bfd65d77879ddb6f6d88bb60d15c313″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1cde88466afcb1505288a9421ce70bea”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6048650c51506c5d56fced6de0a09cc2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52bc16129e15d6547f53a279b4e36b92″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=14e4c07b008f40367861cd90874f9dc4″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1c5b79afd760314fef76d7a8fe672896″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bfd65d77879ddb6f6d88bb60d15c313″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1cde88466afcb1505288a9421ce70bea”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d1c20129197c64650b6eb246dc8115c2″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ee4ed54e45c7eb60273f8e40cdbc0054″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0371cb6716a0d321cd816762ade63bb9″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0194bec2b7a3735d974b6b8d3959c744″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=874743d7d66eb257929e6280c2cecd70″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5c32253e5273393b60f9963d33ab5046″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d07c686599fce4d78435cfcf49b5a49a”,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6edb602841eb996fa8d6a8f1ea2c1032″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9739ff1af497a2325366d5c8c1942d28″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9b0ee03a8e6d1a205757f114156b80b6″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1efe15be1e50441b46db0d3852e2b99f”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f83e2b0bee3a36b866d142b0a13afc9b”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1291e7e9d683b18a398be58197673d34″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9cdaa9cd9049c338bca3827b1b3693461e7b6a5/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6df97fe9137b34d463c44b1769108ff5″,”width”:960}]}],”elementId”:”f3b8efba-bb2d-4874-8d01-d3a0e898114e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
British military intelligence said on Saturday that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group had taken control of most of the eastern part of Bakhmut – an advance that the group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed on Wednesday.
“,”elementId”:”c009fc49-9d04-40c8-ac3b-26ac150a9ac3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“In the city centre, the Bakhmutka River now marks the frontline,” the British defence ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin.
“,”elementId”:”ebbba6ee-f9be-4e3a-9d0d-a507070d997d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Moscow says capturing Bakhmut would punch a hole in Ukrainian defences and be a step towards seizing all of the Donbas industrial region, a major target. Kyiv counters that the battle is grinding down Russia’s best units.
“,”elementId”:”3c08427b-9e9d-4fbc-ab98-66e6175ceded”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
British intelligence said that with the river running through some open ground, “this area has become a killing zone, likely making it highly challenging for Wagner forces attempting to continue their frontal assault westward”.
“,”elementId”:”c095e14d-1d28-4b1d-9bb8-69b5fb99c871″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In other developments as it turns 9am in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv:
“,”elementId”:”f087cabc-49d1-47d4-a571-046cc88dd685″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
- n
-
Three civilians were killed in Russian shelling of Kherson in southern Ukraine on Saturday, and another died in Donetsk, regional officials said. Reuters reported the governor of Kherson oblast, Oleksandr Prokudin, as saying three people, including an elderly woman, had also been wounded. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the three people killed in Kherson had gone to a store to buy groceries. “I would like to support all our cities and communities that are subjected to brutal terrorist attacks,” he said in a regular evening video address.
-
Russia has bombarded Ukraine more than 40,500 times since its invasion in February 2022, according to the Ukrainian interior minister, Ihor Klymenko. The shelling had destroyed more than 152,000 residential buildings since the war began, Euromaidan reported Klymenko as saying.
-
Russian missile strikes targeted “critical infrastructure” in Zaporizhzhia, the Kyiv Independent reported. The strikes launched on Saturday were likely to have come from S-300 air defence missiles, the outlet reported the Zaporizhzhia oblast military administration as saying.
-
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, dismissed reports that a “pro-Ukrainian group” carried out a high-profile attack on the Nord Stream pipelines late last year. Speaking to former Portuguese minister Bruno Macaes in an interview with the New Statesman, Kuleba said: “It is the first time that I’m hearing a story of a secret pro-Ukrainian or Ukrainian group that is able to conduct operations of that scale and sophistication.”
-
Canada has announced a ban on imports of Russian aluminium and steel products, with the aim of denying Moscow revenues to fund its war in Ukraine. The imports were worth almost C$250m (US$180m/£150m) in 2021, according to the latest government data.
-
Ukraine’s foreign minister urged Germany in an interview published on Sunday to speed up supplies of ammunition and to start training Ukrainian pilots on western fighter jets. Dmytro Kuleba told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that ammunition shortages were the “number one” problem in Ukraine’s attempt to repel Russia’s invasion.
-
Most of Kyiv’s power supply was restored, Ukrainian officials said, after a Russian missile and drone barrage targeting critical infrastructure on Thursday. Power supplies were fully restored in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, private provider DTEK said, while about 60% of households in Kharkiv city that were knocked off the grid were back online, Associated Press quoted authorities as saying. Significant damage remained in the Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions in Ukraine’s north-west and north-east.
-
Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia, Iranian state media said on Saturday, expanding a relationship that has seen Iranian-built drones used in Russia’s war on Ukraine. “The Sukhoi-35 fighter planes are technically acceptable to Iran and Iran has finalised a contract for their purchase,” the broadcaster IRIB quoted Iran’s mission to the United Nations as saying in New York.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
“,”elementId”:”5b7467dd-205a-45f4-b54d-e3f6b3867361″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”2662″,”width”:”4437″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f94af9317202ce02c6c68396fcf90a6