Ukraine - Russia war: latest news live | Ukraine announces arrival of first British Challenger tanks one day after receiving 18 German Leopards

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The Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, announced on Tuesday the arrival in the country of the first British-made Challenger 2 tanks that the London government had promised to deliver to Kiev.

The Ukrainian government also received yesterday Monday 18 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany and 40 Marder light infantry vehicles, also sent by Berlin.

Ukraine has again suffered a multiple attack with Iranian-made bomb drones this morning.

Only one of the 15 aircraft launched has failed to be destroyed, according to military sources.

Meanwhile, in the east, the Russian troops continue to focus their efforts on taking Bakhmut, but without success, according to the Ukrainian army, which points out great human and material losses of the Kremlin troops.

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Dmitro Zilko, a disabled Ukrainian soldier, does rehabilitation exercises with a prosthetic limb in a kyiv clinic.

/ REUTERS

What has happened in the last hours

On the 398th day since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, here is the top news at 12:00 this Tuesday, March 28, 2023:

kyiv announces the arrival of the first British Challenger tanks one day after taking delivery of 18 German Leopards.

The Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, announced on Tuesday the arrival in the country of the first British-made Challenger 2 tanks that the London government had promised to deliver to Kiev.

"These tanks, supplied by the United Kingdom, have recently arrived in our country," Reznikov wrote on his Twitter account, adding that "these fantastic machines will soon begin their combat missions."

The kyiv government also received on Monday 18 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany and 40 Marder light infantry vehicles, also sent by Berlin.

Ukraine destroys 14 of the 15 drones with which it has been attacked tonight.

 Ukraine has again suffered a multiple attack with Iranian-made bomb drones this morning.

Only one of the 15 aircraft launched has failed to be destroyed, according to military sources.

So far no personal casualties have been reported.

The alarms sounded in the capital kyiv, at the edge of dawn.

Later, the army has reported the destruction of all the drones launched towards the main city of the country, a dozen, of which only one caused a fire in a non-residential building in the Sviatoshynsky district, according to the head of the administration. Kiev soldier Serhii Poopko.

Ukraine needs more doctors specializing in prostheses in the face of the increase in mutilated.

 The constant trickle of wounded Ukrainian soldiers who need to go to a clinic to have their limbs reconstructed is a stark reminder of the human cost the war, which began with the invasion of Russian troops on February 24, 2022, is taking on Ukraine. artillery fire constantly into a front line that is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles).

The use by the Kremlin of missiles throughout the country is causing the injuries caused by shrapnel to be causing injuries and mutilations at a level that is still beginning to be seen and that has highlighted the need suffered by the country to have more doctors specializing in prosthetics.

Belarus says aggressive NATO actions have forced Russia to send tactical nuclear weapons to its country.

 The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was forced to harbor Russian nuclear weapons on its territory due to the aggressive actions of NATO countries, which, according to its version, threatened Belarus' own security.

Minsk has also said that plans, announced over the weekend by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to station Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would not contravene international non-proliferation agreements, as Belarus will not have control over the weapons.

kyiv says that Russian troops are continuing their unsuccessful attempts to conquer Bakhmut.

 The Russian Army continues in its effort to control the strategic city of Bakhmut, on the eastern front of Ukraine, without success and assuming great human and material losses, Ukrainian military sources said on Tuesday.

Faced with this situation, the priority task of the Ukrainian military forces "is to exhaust the Russian army and inflict heavy losses on it," Oleksandr Sirskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, explained on his Telegram account.

Zelensky accuses Russia of keeping the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant “hijacked”.

 The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has accused Russian troops of keeping the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant "kidnapped", the largest in Europe, located in an area of ​​the Ukrainian province of the same name (southeast of the country) under the control of the troops of the Kremlin.

As the Ukrainian leader has said in his usual evening speech, the safety of the plant cannot be guaranteed until the Moscow soldiers leave it.

“They keep a nuclear power plant sequestered for more than a year.

This is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of nuclear energy in the world", Zelenski said in his video message, who described the presence as

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 12:02

The authorities imposed by Moscow ensure that the Russian forces advance towards Bakhmut

Russian forces are advancing on the besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine despite fierce resistance from Kiev troops and have seized near-total control of a metallurgical plant in the city, the scene of heavy fighting for decades. weeks, according to the authorities imposed by Moscow in the region.

Ukrainian and Western military sources, however, deny these advances.    

Denis Pushilin, the puppet leader of the Donetsk Oblast Kremlin, said in an interview on state television on Tuesday that mercenaries from the Wagner group continue to lead the offensive in the area.

(Reuters)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 12:34

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Zelensky accuses Russia of having damaged half a thousand churches in Ukraine

The President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, has denounced this Tuesday on his social networks that the Russian army has destroyed, damaged or looted around 500 churches during its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, a country where the majority of the population declares itself Christian. orthodox.

"Hundreds of religious buildings have been destroyed, damaged or looted as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," the president wrote in his message, which is accompanied by a video showing images of numerous affected churches.

The video puts the number of temples destroyed at "about 500."

“All religions and denominations have been affected, including churches, mosques, synagogues, and educational and administrative buildings of Ukrainian religious communities,” Zelensky added.

The Ukrainian president also stated that "for Russia everything is an objective", and concluded his message by saying that "the missiles and artillery of the terrorist State have not broken humanity and faith".

“Ukraine will win, life will win!” He adds.

(Eph)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 12:20

The Kremlin insists on asking the UN for an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream after receiving a new rejection

The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, has said that this Tuesday that Russia will continue to request the opening of an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines that occurred in September, despite having received a refusal from the United Nations yesterday. 

Peskov has ensured that an impartial investigation to identify those responsible would be in everyone's interest.

"We will do everything in our power to continue insisting and start an international investigation," the spokesman told the press, without specifying what Moscow's next initiatives will be.

Russia failed on Monday to get the UN Security Council to call for an independent investigation into the September explosions that hit the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany, causing a greening of gas into the Baltic Sea.

Russia accuses the West, without providing evidence, of being behind what happened.

(Reuters)  

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 12:00

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The medicalized train of Doctors Without Borders that transports the wounded in Ukraine celebrates one year

The first medicalized train in the world that operates in a war zone, specifically in Ukraine, is one year old this Tuesday.

The device is managed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and was launched on March 28 of last year.

During this time, more than 3,000 patients have been transferred, some with their pets, from the areas hardest hit by the Russian invasion.

In total, there have been more than 100 trips in one year.

In this report by Luis de Vega you can see how the train works.

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 11:54

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Russian oil exports to India increased 22-fold last year

Russia has announced this Tuesday that its oil exports to India multiplied by 22 last year, a sign of the reorientation of its economy towards the Asian giants in the middle of the conflict in Ukraine.

“Most of our energy resources were redirected to other markets, the markets of friendly countries.

If we take, for example, oil deliveries to India, these were multiplied by 22 last year”, said the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Energy, Alexander Novak.

“Supplies to the PRC and other markets also increased.

It is the result of the magnificent work of the entire [oil] industry,” Novak added, quoted by Russian press agencies.

Hit by harsh Western economic sanctions and hydrocarbon embargoes for its crackdown on Ukraine, Russia is trying to redirect its oil and gas exports to other countries, especially Asia.

India and China, with their insatiable energy appetite, are in the first rank of countries with which Moscow seeks to make up for lost contracts in Europe.

At a summit last week in Moscow with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin said an agreement had been reached to build the gigantic Force 2 Siberian gas pipeline, with a capacity of 50 billion cubic meters a year. .

But while Asia has allowed Russia to partially make up for lost markets in Europe, its reliance on Asian heavyweights allows China and India to negotiate prices down.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, China, India and Turkey accounted for two-thirds of Russia's crude exports, according to the Association of Large World Banks and Financial Institutions (IIF).

Since then, Russia has sought to broaden its horizons.

Novak has highlighted the urgency of reaching "new markets in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Central Asia", even citing "the Arctic".

For this it is necessary to "strike while the iron is hot", establishing "supply chains with the uninterrupted formation of a fleet of tankers and the creation of payment instruments", added Novak.

(Eph)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 11:05

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France announces that it will double the delivery of howitzers to Ukraine with 2,000 shipments per month

France is going to double deliveries of 155mm howitzers to Ukraine from the end of March, which are considered necessary for a counter-offensive, at a rate of 2,000 a month, and also an anti-aircraft defense device.

The announcement was made by the French Defense Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, who in an interview published on Tuesday by the newspaper

explains that his government is considering adding more money to the aid fund for Ukraine.

Lecornu explained that the Ukrainian forces will also be provided "very soon" with a SAM/T air-to-air defense system that "makes it possible to guarantee both the protection of the battlefield and of the civilian population in the cities".

This system developed with Italy "represents a value of several hundred million euros", as he specified.

Asked about the cost of French military aid to Ukraine, the person in charge of Defense has acknowledged that the figures will still have to increase and that a closed calculation has not been made for the 2022 financial year. The reason is that there are items to replace the material new delivered to Kiev, such as Caesar cannons or ammunition, and others intended to replace equipment that was going to be withdrawn from the Army because it was reaching the end of its useful life, such as some armored vehicles.

Yes, he quantified the package allocated in 2022 to the French missions to reinforce the defense of the countries on the eastern flank of NATO, Romania, Poland and the Baltic republics at 530 million euros.

155mm howitzers such as those provided by France are used by French Caesar guns or German Pzh 2000s, and can range 40km.

With the war of positions that has been going on for several months in eastern Ukraine, much higher quantities are being used than what Western countries can supply, which is why NATO has asked its members to speed up production rates. in your industry.

In France, the manufacturer Nexter plans to triple the current rate to produce 150,000 units per year on the horizon of 2025. (Efe)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 10:53

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Ukraine announces arrival of first British Challenger tanks one day after receiving 18 German Leopards

The Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, announced on Tuesday the arrival in the country of the first British-made Challenger 2 tanks that the London government had promised to deliver to Kiev.

"These tanks, supplied by the United Kingdom, have recently arrived in our country," Reznikov wrote on his Twitter account, adding that "these fantastic machines will soon begin their combat missions."

The kyiv government also received on Monday 18 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany and 40 Marder light infantry vehicles, also sent by Berlin.

The news of the arrival of the tanks comes a day after the Ukrainian soldiers who were trained in the United Kingdom in the management of these armored vehicles returned to Ukraine after completing their training.

The UK plans to send 14 Challenger tanks to Ukraine.

In his Twitter message, Reznikov did not specify the number of armored vehicles that have already arrived in Ukraine.

Along with his message, Reznikov has posted a video showing at least six tanks waving Ukrainian flags.

The Ukrainian Defense Minister appears on one of them and thanks the British people and Government for this new delivery of military aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine has also received Leopard 2 tanks donated by Poland, which was the first country to effectively hand over Western-made armored vehicles.

(Agencies / EL PAÍS)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 11:00

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Ukraine needs more doctors specialized in prosthetics due to the increase in mutilated

The constant trickle of wounded Ukrainian soldiers who need to go to a clinic to have their limbs reconstructed is a stark reminder of the human cost the war, which began with the invasion of Russian troops on February 24, 2022, is taking on Ukraine. artillery fire constantly into a front line that is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles).

The Kremlin's use of missiles throughout the country is causing shrapnel injuries to be causing injuries and maiming at a level that is still beginning to be seen. 

“Unfortunately, the number of patients has grown significantly,” says Andrii Ovcharenko, who works with a team of doctors and technicians at the Without Limits prosthesis clinic, one of 80 that they are working right now in Ukraine.

This clinic, based in Kiev and owned by Nagender Parashar, manufactured some 7,000 prostheses in the second half of last year, that is, the same amount that it produced in all of 2021. “And it is not enough,” he explains.

Parashar has 25 specialists in the nine clinics it owns in Ukraine.

The busiest, those in the country's capital, Kiev, and Lviv (west), saw between 25 and 30 patients a month, but now there are times when that number triples and Parashar says they need 75 specialists to to care for all the wounded.

Russia has sent more recruits and weapons to Ukraine this year and late last year to try to stop the Ukrainian counter-offensive that began late last summer.

Some analysts, before the grueling battles in the trenches, have compared the war in Ukraine with the First World War. 

"There is a shortage of specialists in prosthetics, since there are a large number of people who need prosthetic treatment every day," Health Minister Viktor Liashko explained in an interview with Reuters.

"Now the priority is the upper extremities, so all the specialists working on this are overloaded," he adds.

(Reuters)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 11:03

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Belarus and the other five Putin allies voting with Russia at the UN

What do Mali, Nicaragua, Syria, Belarus, Eritrea and North Korea have in common?

They are six of the most corrupt and least democratic countries in the world.

They are also the only ones who have voted against the UN resolution demanding Russia's exit from Ukraine.

"What they have is a strong ally, in global terms, but also in energy terms," ​​she explains in the video that accompanies this news item Ruth Ferrero-Turrión, professor of Political Science at the Complutense University and collaborator of Agenda Pública.

But beyond those common reasons, each country has its own.

“The way in which the Kremlin has worked all the diplomatic networks in various African countries is having its effect.

The lack of interest on the part of Western powers in what was happening in that area has caused that vacuum to be filled again with Russian influence and also the presence of Russian troops”, explains the specialist on the support of Russia for the coup leader Assimi Goïta, of Mali, and of the dictator of Eritrea, Isaías Afwerki, dictator of Eritrea.

In Latin America, Nicaragua authorized the presence of Russian troops in 2022: "The drift of the Daniel Ortega regime, the confrontation it has with the US, with European countries and others, makes it automatically align with what he considers he is going to be their potential protector state,” says Ferrero, who sees a similar motivation in North Korea.

Read the full article here

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ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 09:57

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Belarus says aggressive NATO actions have forced Russia to send tactical nukes to its country

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was forced to harbor Russian nuclear weapons on its territory due to the aggressive actions of NATO countries, which, according to its version, threatened Belarus' own security, reports the Belarusian agency. TASS Russian news.

Minsk has also said that plans, announced over the weekend by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to station Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would not contravene international non-proliferation agreements, as Belarus will not have control over the weapons.

(Reuters)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 09:24

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kyiv says Russian troops continue unsuccessful attempts to conquer Bakhmut

The Russian Army continues in its effort to control the strategic city of Bakhmut, on the eastern front of Ukraine, without success and assuming great human and material losses, Ukrainian military sources said on Tuesday.

Faced with this situation, the priority task of the Ukrainian military forces "is to exhaust the Russian army and inflict heavy losses on it," Oleksandr Sirskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, explained on his Telegram account.

“Russian troops are trying to concentrate their main efforts on the Bakhmut front [in Donetsk province].

They do not give up their attempts to surround and capture the city," added Sirskyi.

"Thanks to the heroism and professionalism of our skillful and coordinated military actions, and the effective use of maneuvering and weaponry capabilities, we maintain the strength of Bakhmut against expectations and forecasts," the military official detailed.

Sirskyi has explained that, during his different visits to the troops concentrated in the place, he and the displaced commanders agreed on plans to resist on the battlefield.

As he has indicated, the Ukrainian military is carefully studying "the vulnerabilities of the occupiers in order to use force against them in the most effective way possible."

“Our main task is to exhaust the superior forces of the enemy and inflict heavy losses on them.

This will make it possible to create the necessary conditions to facilitate the liberation of the Ukrainian land and bring us closer to our victory," added Sirskyi.

The military high command recently acknowledged that the most intense phase of the battle for Bakhmut was underway and that the situation was difficult and challenging, saying that the Russian forces had suffered significant losses in military personnel, weapons and equipment, but continue to carry out actions. offensives in an area that they have been trying to control for more than six months.

(Eph)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 09:07

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Russia fires hypersonic anti-ship missiles in the Sea of ​​Japan

The Russian navy has fired anti-ship hypersonic missiles at a simulated target in the Sea of ​​Japan, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.

"In the waters of the Sea of ​​Japan, missile boats of the Pacific Fleet have fired Moskit cruise missiles at a simulated enemy at sea," the agency said in a statement posted on its Telegram account.

"The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometers (62.14 miles), was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles," the text added.

The Moskit P-27 is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile of Soviet origin, capable of destroying a ship within a range of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles).

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has said his country will remain vigilant against Moscow's military operations, adding that no damage was reported from the missile launches.

"As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Russian forces are also becoming more active in the Far East, including in the vicinity of Japan," Hayashi explained at a press conference.

The launch of the missiles comes a week after two Russian strategic bomber aircraft, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, flew over the Sea of ​​Japan for more than seven hours, in what Moscow called a "planned flight."

Asked about Russia's plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Hayashi has said Japan condemns the move and has demanded Russia and Belarus stop an "action that would further escalate tensions."

(Reuters)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 08:50

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Zelensky accuses Russia of keeping the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant “hijacked”

El presidente de Ucrania, Volodímir Zelenski, ha acusado a las tropas rusas de mantener “secuestrada” la central nuclear de Zaporiyia, la mayor de Europa, situada en una zona de la provincia homónima ucrania (sureste del país) bajo control de las tropas del Kremlin. Según ha dicho el líder ucranio en su habitual discurso nocturno, la seguridad de la planta no puede garantizarse hasta que los soldados de Moscú la abandonen. “Mantienen una central nuclear secuestrada durante más de un año. Esto es seguramente lo peor que jamás ha pasado en la historia de la energía nuclear en el mundo”, ha dicho en su videomensaje Zelenski, que ha calificado la presencia rusa en la instalación como un “chantaje de radiación”.

Las palabras de Zelenski llegaron después de que se reuniera el lunes con Rafael Grossi, el director general del Organismo Internacional de la Energía Atómica (IAEA, por sus siglas en inglés), una agencia dependiente de la ONU, en la estación hidroeléctrica de Dnipró, situada al noreste de la planta de Zaporiyia.

Rusia y Ucrania se han acusado mutuamente y de forma repetida de bombardear la planta de Zaporiyia, lo que ha disparado el miedo a que se produzca un accidente nuclear. Un equipo del IAEA lleva desde septiembre en la instalación. Grossi ha pedido de manera casi incansable la creación de una zona de seguridad en torno a la central, y se espera que la vuelva a visitar la semana que viene. Ha tratado de negociar con ambos bandos, pero en enero dijo que llegar a un acuerdo era cada vez más difícil. 

Zaporiyia, junto a Donetsk, Lugansk y Jersón, son las cuatro regiones ucranias que Rusia se anexionó de forma ilegal el pasado mes de septiembre tras la celebración de pseudorreferéndums no reconocidos por la comunidad internacional, ya que se celebraron en plena guerra, con la mayor parte de la población exiliada o desplazada para combatir en el frente y sin el aval ucranio ni de la comunidad internacional.

Zelenski justo estuvo ayer lunes en la región de Zaporiyia, donde visitó la línea del frente y estuvo con los soldados que combaten allí en un intento por levantarles la moral de cara a esta primavera, en la que se espera que Ucrania lance una contraofensiva para recuperar terreno en el frente del sur y en el frente del este. (Reuters / EL PAÍS)

ACT.28 MAR 2023 - 08:33

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