Russia assault ‘begins’ as Putin issues chilling threat to UK
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Russia has warned the UK that supplying more military equipment to Ukraine would lead to a “another twist of escalation” as Rishi Sunak opted not to rule out the possible provision of British fighter jets to Ukraine. The Russian embassy said Vladimir Putin would “respond” with actions of significant “military-political consequences”.
Threats of retaliation were made as soldiers from at least three Russian divisions arrived on the Svatove-Kreminna frontline in the eastern region of Luhansk in Ukraine, leading analysts to conclude that Putin’s “major offensive has begun”. The Institute for the Study of War, in its latest update, wrote that Russian forces appear to “now have the initiative” along the contact line and are “making marginal advances”.
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Doctors working ‘non-stop’ in Bakhmut hospital
Ukrainian troops wounded in the intense fighting for the city of Bakhmut arrive at the local hospital “every half an hour”, a local publication has reported, posting an array of photos showing the carnage.
Doctors stationed in the nearby hospital “work non-stop” and hardly have time for sleep or food, according to Euromaidan Press.
Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, is located in eastern Ukraine and has been the centre of the frontlines most intense fighting for several months.
Russian forces, alongside Wagner Group mercenary fighters, pro-Russian separatist groups and VDV specialist outfits are attempting to encircle the city.
They were visually confirmed this week to be within 2.5 km of the E40 Bakhmut-Slovyansk highway, which is Ukraine’s last remaining major supply route into the city.
Bakhmut has become a city of huge symbolic value both to Russia and Ukraine, since the fight for its control is now the longest of this entire war.
Russia bombs nursery in eastern Ukraine
Russian strikes have damaged a nursery in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, a local official has claimed.
Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, released a series of photos detailing the devastation wrought by Russian forces in the last 24 hours. Two of those photos have been included below.
In a statement on Telegram, he said: “Novoselydove was the most affected: a kindergarten, a dispensary, a family recreation centre, a residential building and an enterprise were damaged.”
The city of Selydove is roughly 15 miles from the frontlines, in western Donetsk.
Russian gas explosion kills 2 in Siberia
A gas explosion in the Russian city of Novosibirsk has killed at least two people and wounded around 11 more, footage has shown.
The incident occurred late on Wednesday night. It caused a multi-story building to collapse, with videos posted to Telegram showing the property on fire.
Emergency services could be seen scrambling to put out the blaze and rescue anyone trapped in the rubble.
The city of Novosibirsk is in the southern Siberian region of Russia, just north of Kazakhstan and more than 2000 miles from the Ukrainian eastern border.
Ukrainian weather should force Russia to ‘avoid’ staging an offensive
Cross country mobility is “likely to be at its worst” from the start of March and Russia should “avoid scheduling major offensives at such time”, the British Ministry of Defence has said.
In their latest daily update, the MoD said the ground conditions in Ukrainian springtime would be “extremely muddy” and not suitable for major assaults from either side.
The comments could be a veiled swipe at Russia, who are widely expected to stage a major offensive from this month, while some believe it has already begun in the east.
Good morning
Good morning from London. I’m Tom Watling. I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
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Twitter: @TomAWatling
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