Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Defense officials in the U.K. have disputed Russian claims to have taken control of a metals plant in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

A Russian-installed official in Donetsk, where Bakhmut is located, claimed on Wednesday that fighters from the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, had taken full control of the Azom factory complex to the north of the Bakhmut town center.

But the British Defense Ministry said Wednesday that “the area likely remains contested, as it has been for the past fortnight” and that the Wagner Group, made up of mercenary fighters and Russian prisoners recruited to fight for six months in exchange for freedom, was losing personnel.

“With Wagner having now confirmed the release of at least 5000 prisoner fighters, personnel shortages are likely hampering Russian offensive efforts in the sector,” the ministry noted in an intelligence update.

The ministry noted that fighting continues in the Donbas town of Bakhmut, though Russian assaults are still at a reduced level compared with recent weeks.

“One of the key achievements of recent Ukrainian operations has likely been to push Russian Wagner Group fighters back from the 0506 route,” referring to one of the few remaining supply routes into the city.

“This minor country road has become a critical supply line for Ukrainian defenders. Wagner had previously been within a few hundred metres of the route,” the ministry said.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv still hasn’t heard anything more about a purported call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After Xi’s high-profile visit to Russia last week, it was reported that the influential leader — who is largely aligned with Russia and President Vladimir Putin on an ideological and strategic level — would also hold a telephone call with Ukraine’s president, given that China has sought to position itself as a peace broker to end the war.

So far, however, nothing has been arranged, Zelenskyy said.

“We are ready to see him here,” he told the Associated Press news agency Tuesday while en route to Kyiv after a visit to the Sumy region.

“I want to speak with him. I had contact with him before full-scale war. But during all this year, more than one year, I didn’t have.”

When asked if there was any plan at the moment to meet with Xi, Zelenskyy replied “no.”

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia has launched military exercises involving its Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system on Wednesday, the defense ministry said.

“In total, more than 3,000 military personnel and about 300 pieces of equipment are involved in the exercise,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.

The drills involve the Strategic Missile Forces who, the ministry said, “are conducting a comprehensive control check of the Omsk missile formation, as well as “a command and staff exercise with the Novosibirsk missile formation” that’s equipped with the Yars mobile ground-based missile systems.

Russia has often proudly showcased its Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers through Moscow during the annual Victory Day military parade.

The ballistic missile can reportedly carry multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads, and is designed to evade missile defense systems up to a range of 7,500 miles, defense experts note.

During the exercises, the missile launchers will be involved in maneuvers in three regions, the ministry said, although it did not specify where.

The defense ministry added that the exercise with the Novosibirsk missile formation will determine “the overall level of combat training of the division, but also assess the capabilities of modern weapons and special equipment entering the formations.”

— Holly Ellyatt

European Union countries agreed to seek a legal option to stop Russian companies sending liquefied natural gas to EU nations, by preventing Russian firms from booking infrastructure capacity.

EU countries’ energy ministers proposed that new EU gas market rules should include the option for governments to temporarily stop Russian and Belarusian gas exporters from bidding up-front for capacity on the infrastructure needed to deliver LNG into Europe.

The proposal is part of countries’ negotiating position on new EU gas market rules. It must be negotiated with the European Parliament – a process that can take months.

The 27-country EU has pledged to ditch Russian gas in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Europe’s pipeline imports of gas from Russia have plunged since the invasion, but LNG imports have increased.

— Reuters

The United States has not seen any indications that Vladimir Putin is getting closer to using tactical nuclear weapons in his war on Ukraine, just days after the Russian leader said he was moving such weapons into Belarus.

“We’re watching this as best we can. We haven’t seen any movement by Mr. Putin to act on what he pledged he would do,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters about Putin’s statement on Belarus.

“And we haven’t seen any indications that Mr. Putin is leaning towards or getting closer to or indicating any preparations for the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.”

— Reuters

A Russian who was investigated by police after his daughter drew an anti-war picture at school was sentenced to two years in a penal colony on charges of discrediting the armed forces.

But the whereabouts of the convicted man, Alexei Moskalyov, were unclear. The court said in an official posting on VKontakte, similar to Facebook, that he had fled from house arrest.

Moskalyov has been separated from his 13-year-old daughter Masha since he was placed under house arrest at the start of this month and she was moved to a children’s home in their hometown of Yefremov, south of Moscow.

The case has provoked an outcry among Russian human rights activists and sparked an online campaign to reunite father and daughter.

— Reuters

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits positions of Ukrainian border guards near the border with Russia in the Sumy region.

— Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it had decided to host Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons reportedly because of NATO’s “coercive measures” and “the build-up of military potential” in neighboring countries.

“Unilateral coercive measures in politics and the economy are accompanied by the build-up of military potential in the territory of neighboring countries — NATO members in close proximity to our border,” Belarus’ Foreign Ministry said in a statement, reported by Russian news agency Tass.

“Considering these circumstances and the legitimate concerns and risks in the field of national security arising from them, Belarus is taking forced response actions to strengthen its own security and defense capability,” the ministry said.

Russia’s ally Belarus is seen as something of a bulwark for Moscow against NATO, given that it borders Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — all NATO members — and Ukraine to the south, and Russia to the east.

Over the weekend, Russia announced that it would locate tactical nuclear weapons (designed for use on the battlefield rather than mass wholescale destruction) within Belarus, saying President Alexander Lukashenko had made the suggestion to do so.

Minsk and Moscow both insisted the plans would not contravene international non-proliferation agreements, saying the U.S. already did the same thing with its allies and that Belarus would not have control over the weapons.

NATO criticized Russia’s nuclear rhetoric, calling it “dangerous and irresponsible.”

— Holly Ellyatt