February 28, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Economic advisor Alexander Rodnyansky is seen during an appearance on CNN on Tuesday, February 28.

Ukrainian forces, engaged in a months-long brutal fight with Russian forces around the city of Bakhmut, could “strategically pull back” if needed, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenksy said Tuesday.

When questioned further about the timeline, Rodnyansky told CNN it was up to the military to decide if a withdrawal was needed.

He added that the region west of Bakhmut has been fortified. “If we were to pull back, that wouldn’t necessarily mean that the Russians would be able to advance very quickly, afterward,” Rodnyansky said, adding:

Some context: The battle around Bakhmut has been Ukraine’s biggest military challenge. Ukrainian soldiers have described a worsening situation on the ground as Russian forces apply pressure. “The most difficult situation, still, is in Bakhmut and the battles that are essential for the defense of the city,” Zelensky said in his nightly video message Tuesday.?

Ukrainian service members ride BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles near the frontline city of?Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 27.

Ukraine’s biggest challenge is defending the city of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video message Tuesday.

“The most difficult situation, still, is in Bakhmut and the battles that are essential for the defense of the city,” he said.

Zelensky added Russia was suffering heavy losses around the eastern city, based on an update from his commanders. “Russia is not counting people at all, continuously sending them to attack our positions. The intensity of the fighting is growing,” he said.

Here are the latest headlines:

Ukraine’s biggest challenge is defending the city of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video message Tuesday.

Zelensky said Russia was suffering heavy losses around the eastern city, based on an update from his commanders. “Russia is not counting people at all, continuously sending them to attack our positions. The intensity of the fighting is growing,” he said.

His account tallies with what commanders on the ground have reported about the intensity of Russian assaults and the casualties they have sustained.

There were also over 30 Russian attacks on the Kherson region in the south, the president said.

A building damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline city of?Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 27.

Russian forces are pounding the eastern city of Bakhmut, but they have not seized control, Ukrainian commanders said Tuesday.

There has been an uptick in Russia’s use of combat planes to target Ukrainian defenses around Bakhmut, according to social media videos and accounts of Ukrainian troops in the area.

Russian ground forces are trying to break through Ukrainian positions using groups of up to 20, according to Mykyta Shandyba, head of the press office of the 10th separate mountain assault brigade. “We are repelling all attacks,” he told Ukrainian television.

In its operational update, the military’s General Staff said Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had repelled attacks in a number of settlements to the north and west of Bakhmut (Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bohdanivka, Chasiv Yar).

The war in Ukraine must end with strategic failure for Russia, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.

Celeste Wallander speaks during the House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday.

The US has not found any evidence that weapons it has provided to Ukraine have been found outside of Ukraine, according to the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

“Instead, we see Ukraine’s frontline units effectively employing security assistance every day on the battlefield,” Celeste Wallander told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

The US has adapted its accountability practices for combat environments to avoid the risk of illicit diversion, she added.

Another top Pentagon official, Lt. General Douglas Sims, stated that there are no reports that weapons have gone missing from Ukraine, and it would not be in the interest of the Ukrainians to get rid of them.

Finland has begun construction of barrier fences on its eastern border with?Russia.?

The Finish Border Guard?said?in a statement that the pilot phase of the eastern border barrier fence project began on Tuesday.

The project, launched at the end of 2022, includes plans to build a 130 to 260-kilometer (80 to 161 miles) fence along the country’s 1,300-kilometer eastern border.?

Remember: The Finnish border was one of the few entry points for Russians after many Western countries shut their air space and borders to Russian planes in response to the Ukraine invasion. Helsinki closed its border?at the end?of September 2022, around the time traffic over the frontier intensified as Russians tried to flee President Vladimir Putin’s “partial mobilization” of hundreds of thousands of citizens to fight in the war. More than 8,500 Russians crossed the border in one day alone.

In an earlier?statement, the Finish Border Guard said the fence would not be built along the entire length of the border but instead would focus on border crossing points and other riskier areas.

Funding has been granted for the project’s pilot phase, as well as the implementation of the most important target areas, which are set to be constructed between 2023 and 2025.

CNN’s James Frater and Xiaofei Xu contributed reporting to this post.

Correction: A previous version of this post stated that Finland is part of NATO. It is currently seeking to join the alliance, along with Sweden.

A senior Defense Department official argued against providing F-16s and the necessary training to Ukraine at this time because of how long it would take, its cost and Ukraine’s most urgent priorities as the war passes the one-year mark.?

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said it would take 18 months to provide F-16s to Ukraine and train their pilots on flying the fourth-generation fighter. The cost of doing so would quickly drain the authorized money for providing US aid to Ukraine, Kahl said, when F-16s are not one of the top three priorities for Kyiv right now.?

“It’s just hard for me to tell any member of Congress or the American people that the best use of that dollar spent right now is on F-16s,” Kahl told Tuesday’s House Armed Services Committee hearing on the oversight of US aid to Ukraine.

Kahl said Ukraine’s top three priorities remain air defenses, artillery and armor, which he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized to President Joe Biden during their meeting in Kyiv last week.?

The cost of sending 36 older F-16s to Ukraine, which is approximately half of what the US Air Force estimates Ukraine will ultimately need to replace its Soviet-era fighters, will cost about $2-3 billion, Kahl said.

He added that providing Ukraine with new F-16s would take between three to six years.

Kahl also said Ukraine may receive different fighter jets, such as the British Tornado or Swedish Gripen, which require completely different training. He said it “doesn’t make sense” to train Ukrainians on the F-16 system if they might not receive it.

Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, testifies?during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on February 28.

Russia does not have the resources for an “unconstrained” nuclear arms race, according to US?Under Secretary of Defense for Policy?Colin H. Kahl, when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend the nuclear arms treaty,?New START.

“Frankly, Russia is in no position for an unconstrained nuclear arms race. They do not have the money, especially given the strain on their military from the war, sanctions, export controls. So, you know, I think this was a way for him to generate some rhetorical headlines. But I think as a practical matter, it has not changed the situation,” Kahl told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday.?

If Moscow uses nuclear weapons of any kind as part of their ongoing invasion of Ukraine, top US officials have made it “very clear” that the consequences would be severe, he added.

While he noted that there needs to be vigilance given Russia remains a dangerous power with a lot of nuclear weapons, he said it’s unlikely Moscow will use nuclear weapons.?

Kahl testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday.

“They were already out of compliance with the inspections regime using Covid and other things as excuses. It’s also interesting that Putin decided to suspend, as opposed to leave the treaty. I think that’s actually an indication that it’s not effective leverage over us,” Kahl told lawmakers.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant?on November 24, 2022.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, expressed concern on Tuesday about Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, citing delays in staff rotations, an increased security presence on-site, and nearby fighting.

“The sound of artillery fire near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the temporary loss of its only remaining backup power line have again underlined persistent nuclear safety and security risks during the military conflict in the country,” Grossi said in a?statement.

The IAEA said its team members stationed at the plant heard around 20 “detonations” on Monday afternoon, writing they were “apparently in the vicinity of the plant.” It also cited an increased security presence on site over recent weeks.

“This is a concerning trend that shows the urgency and importance of establishing a nuclear safety and security protection zone at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” Grossi stressed.

He also raised concerns about continued delays for the rotation of the IAEA experts on site, saying the current team should have been replaced more than three weeks ago and that he hopes the rotation can finally occur later this week.?

The UN nuclear agency also confirmed that the plant’s backup power line was restored on Sunday afternoon after losing power twice on Saturday morning. It said the disconnection occurred on the other side of the Dnipro river.

On Tuesday, a top State Department official said that “in many ways, China has been supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine from the beginning,” even if it hasn’t provided lethal aid.

Additionally, the United States has already blacklisted a bevy of Chinese companies for supporting Russia, a top Commerce Department official also said.

Thirteen Chinese entities have also been added to the Entities List by the US Commerce Department for providing support to Russia, including one “that was supplying parts to the Iranian drone program,” Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security at the Commerce Department Alan Estevez said a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink noted that the US has “made very clear that we will not hesitate to take steps to hold to account PRC entities that assist Russia.”

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink testifies during a hearing at the US Capitol in 2021.

“And we’ve made that very clear to the Chinese. The Secretary certainly did so in Munich, and of course, the President and the national security adviser have done so directly to the Chinese on previous occasions,” he said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly accused Beijing of trying to have it “both ways” on the war.

Speaking at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Kritenbrink noted that Beijing has disseminated Russian propaganda and used its own disinformation “to support Russia’s war there and to blame, inappropriately, the war on the west, the United States, and NATO.”

“We’ve seen China’s stepping up its economic engagement and purchases from Russia,” Kritenbrink said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Tuesday that formally suspends Russia’s participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).?

“The Russian Federation suspends the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on measures for the further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms, signed in Prague on April 8, 2010,” the text of the law’s explanatory note said.

Putin said last week that Russia was suspending participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, but it was not withdrawing from it.?

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also said Moscow will continue to respect the caps established in the treaty and reiterated that Putin’s suspension of the treaty is “reversible.”

The Russian president is the one who can make the decision to resume the country’s participation in the agreement.?

Some context: The treaty is the last in a long series of nuclear treaties between the US and Russia, previously the Soviet Union. It puts limits on the number of deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons that both the US and Russia can have. It was last extended in early 2021 for five years, meaning the two sides would soon need to begin negotiating on another arms control agreement.

The treaty was already essentially paused since Russia had recently refused to open up its arsenal to inspectors.

A top US State Department official said Monday that the United States “very much” hopes Russia is still interested in arms control, but Putin’s decision to suspend New START participation calls the interest into question.

“By tying it to Ukraine right now, tying it to an immovable object in the sense that our support for Ukraine will not be limited by their New?START?decision, they’re really placing in doubt their support for the?treaty?itself,” Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Mallory Stewart said.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Rob Picheta, Anna Chernova, Nathan Hodge, Lauren Kent and Radina Gigova contributed to this post.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, left, meets with Soldiers assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division and U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s 7th Army Training Command supporting combined arms training of Ukrainian Armed Forces battalions in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on February 17.

A top US defense official told the House Armed Services Committee that the US and its allies have now trained more than 4,000 members of the Ukrainian military.?

?The US military has also been training Ukrainians on the Patriot missile system at Fort Still, Oklahoma, and Sims announced that the training will be finished soon.??

“US armed forces will soon complete the training and equipping of Ukraine’s first Patriot battery,” Sims told the Committee.

This is the first time the Pentagon has specified when that training may end.

“We are confident the Ukrainians will employ Patriots with the same expertise they are demonstrating every day with their current air defense capabilities,” Sims added.

An F-16C Fighting Falcon flies at the Nevada Test and Training Range, on September 14, 2007, near Indian Springs, Nevada.

The House Armed Services Committee has determined the possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “is not a wise use of the resources that are necessary to win the fight,” according to the top-ranking Democrat on the committee.

Smith added that the F-16 would “struggle to survive” on the battlefield.

More on the divide over supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine: As some outspoken Republican lawmakers threaten to block future aid to Ukraine, a small group of House GOP members who traveled to the country recently vowed to consider a list of key weapons and other crucial necessities during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, sources familiar with the meeting told CNN.

Zelensky, who met with House Foreign Affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul and four other House GOP members, told the group he planned to send them a list of weapons, which includes F-16 fighter jets, that he believes are necessary to speed up the end of the war with Russia.

Zelenky’s specific goal of obtaining US F-16 fighter jets has become an increasingly controversial ask. Both President Joe Biden and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have previously opposed such a move due to concerns about how it could escalate the conflict.

But the argument against providing F-16s is becoming more difficult to make as senior military leaders have privately acknowledged to GOP lawmakers in recent days that those weapons would help Ukraine win the war, according to a source familiar.

Last week, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, supreme allied commander for Europe and head of US European command, told 10 GOP lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that F-16s would help Ukraine win. Asked if that was the case, Cavoli said “yes,” the source said, confirming details first reported by Politico.

While Cavoli’s comments go further than what senior US officials have said publicly, they also reflect diverging views within the Pentagon – notably splitting with the more cautious approach of Milley who has long been wary of any move that could provoke Russian escalation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Read more about this here.

With previous reporting from Alayna Treene and Zachary Cohen

A Ukrainian drone has crashed near Kolomna in Russia’s Moscow region, according to Gov. Andrey Vorobyov on his Telegram channel.

“This happened near the village of Gubastovo, the target was probably a civilian infrastructure facility, it was not damaged. There are no casualties or destruction on the ground,” the head of the region said. “The FSB and other competent authorities are dealing with the situation, nothing threatens the safety of residents.”

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti posted a photograph of the drone, which appeared to resemble a Ukrainian-made UJ-22 attack drone. The UJ-22 is capable of traveling up to 800 kilometers (or about 500 miles).

It’s unclear where or when the photograph of the crashed drone was taken.

Also Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported electronic warfare systems had suppressed Ukrainian drones that tried to attack Krasnodar and neighboring Adygea in southwestern Russia.

RIA Novosti also reported the Russian military shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Surazh region near the Belarus border.

CNN is unable to independently verify the claims. The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on any drone attacks into Russian territory.?

Russian artillery shelled civilian parts of Kherson city Tuesday, killing 4 and wounding 5, the Kherson regional military administration (RMA) said.

“A?total of 4 people have been killed and 5 wounded in Kherson region as a result of Russian army strikes.”

One of those killed was a 71-year-old Kherson resident, who suffered shrapnel wounds.

One woman was rescued from under the rubble of her home. “Doctors are now doing everything possible to save her,” the RMA said.

The village of Komyshany just west of the city was also shelled. A 45-year-old man was killed, while a 68-year-old woman died in Mykolaivka.

Russian forces shelled liberated parts of Kherson almost every day from the east bank of the Dnipro, which they still hold.

The Ukrainian military’s Operational Command South said Tuesday that Russia was occasionally moving sabotage groups on the estuary of the Dnipro. “Our units destroyed two such boats,” it said.

The Command said that in the Black Sea, “the enemy ship grouping has been significantly increased, despite the moderate sea storm. There are 17 ships there now, including 5 missile carriers and 2 submarines. The total volley of Kalibr-type missiles can reach 32 missiles.”

The Kalibr is one of the more powerful and accurate cruise missiles in the Russian arsenal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Board in Moscow, Russia, on February 28.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told members of the country’s Federal?Security Service (FSB)?on Tuesday that counterintelligence should be strengthened to counter Western intelligence services.

“In general, it is necessary to strengthen the line of counterintelligence,” Putin said, adding that he believes “they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us.”

“We need to respond accordingly,” he said in his speech to the FSB.

Putin said important information?about Russia’s control systems, military and law enforcement structures, defense industry enterprises, critical technologies and personal data “must be reliably protected,” adding that “this fully applies to information about the latest Russian weapons and equipment.”

The Russian president reiterated his claims of “terrorism” from Kyiv, as Moscow continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Putin told the FSB to work together with law enforcement agencies and “act decisively and offensively; use the entire arsenal of operational, analytical and other means.”

“At the same time, it is necessary to constantly keep in sight objects of critical infrastructure, places of mass stay of people, transport hubs, enterprises of the military-industrial complex and the fuel and energy complex,” he added.

He also said it is necessary to develop regional segments of Russia’s nationwide system of countering terrorism, including in the regions of Ukraine that he claimed to annex in defiance of international law.

A doctor who is still in the city of Bakhmut has told CNN she is very scared by the?constant shelling and the sound of the fighting.

Elena Molchanova continues to work in Bakhmut even as the fighting comes closer to the city, which is virtually cut off from humanitarian relief.

“I’m really scared. But I’m sure everything will be OK,” she said.

She said people with heart problems and those needing bandaging after an injury were those who most often came for help. She said she changes dressings for those who have been hurt.

Molchanova said that food and water were no longer being brought to the city. “Volunteers are coming very rarely.” She said she has some stock left and can survive.

Before the war, Molchanova worked as a specialist in infectious diseases, but now she treats patients as a general practitioner.?

She spoke to CNN via text message as calls from the city are difficult because of a lack of connections.

There are thought to be several thousand civilians still in Bakhmut, though the exact number is unknown. Routes into and out of the city have become much more dangerous in recent weeks, with several aid missions coming under fire.?

RUSSIA-POLITICS-SECURITYRussian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech as Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov sits at the table during a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Board in Moscow, Russia, on February 28.

Russian President Vladimir Putin?said Tuesday it is important for Russia to establish and strengthen resources of Russian security entities in the regions he proclaimed annexed from Ukraine.?

“It is worth paying increased attention to the formation of security agencies in the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Strengthen their operational staff resources,” Putin said in opening remarks at a?Federal?Security Service (FSB)?meeting.?

Key background: In late September 2022, Putin proclaimed Russia would seize of nearly a fifth of Ukraine, following so-called referendums in the regions that were universally dismissed as “shams” by Ukraine and Western nations.

Under the annexation process, which is illegal under international law, Moscow recognized four Ukrainian regions as Russian territory: Luhansk and Donetsk – home to two Russian-backed breakaway republics where fighting has been ongoing since 2014 – as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, despite Ukraine controlling parts of those regions.

CNN’s Joshua Berlinger,?Anna Chernova?and?Tim Lister contributed to this post.

A Ukrainian serviceman patrols an empty street in?Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 21.

Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut describe a worsening situation on the ground as Russian forces continue to apply pressure to capture the eastern Ukrainian city.

The soldier refuted Russian claims that Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut had been cut off and were unable to get supplies into the city.??

“The Khromove [settlement] is the key for the defense of the city. When it is captured, only one Bakhmut - Kostiantynivka road will remain to supply the city,” the soldier explained. “It is already under the enemy’s fire control, and if the enemy captures it, supplies will be impossible.”

Despite the challenges, the soldier said Ukrainian forces would defend the city as long as possible. “The city will be defended until the end, no matter what.”

“We all understand that we are holding on and dying to win time for a counteroffensive in the spring,” the soldier also said. “We cannot give up every city without a fight.”

Another soldier?referenced only by his call-sign Kyivan, described a similar situation in a video posted on social media.

“As of the morning of February 28, the situation around the defense of Bakhmut is quite difficult,”?Kyivan, who used to be based in Bakhmut said, citing information he is getting from colleagues inside the city. A third soldier speaking alongside Kyivan described the battles in Bakhmut as “hellish,” but added that Ukrainian soldiers were “holding everything.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, on February 2.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reiterated the Biden administration’s concern that China is considering providing lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine and warned that Beijing would face consequences for such a move.

“We did very clearly warn China about the implications and consequences of going through with providing such support,” Blinken said at a press conference in Kazakhstan. “We will not hesitate, for example, to target Chinese companies or individuals that violate our sanctions, or otherwise engaged in supporting the Russian war effort.”

Blinken said he raised the issue “directly” with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi when he saw him on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, and US President Joe Biden raised it with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia in November.

If China were to support Russia’s war efforts, it would create a “serious problem” for US-China relationship as well as China’s relationships with other countries around the world, Blinken said, adding that he hopes China will take US warnings seriously and refrain from helping Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the country's Federal?Security Service (FSB) on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin?admitted to “losses in our ranks” while thanking members of?the Federal?Security Service (FSB) for fighting extremism inside the country, as well as working in claimed Russian-occupied territories.

“Unfortunately, there are losses in our ranks,” he said at the start of an FSB meeting. “The leadership of the FSB must do everything to provide additional support to the families of our fallen comrades.”

Putin said that “2022 was a special year for the whole country and for your service.”

“The FSB units were directly involved in the special military operation, they were solving complex, non-standard operational tasks here, covering the state border, actively fighting terrorism, organized crime, corruption, and extremism,” he claimed.?

Putin’s “special military operation” is the euphemism the Russian president and leadership uses to describe the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“I would like to thank the management and all employees of the department, especially those who acted at the forefront, in the liberated territories, in the frontline zone and, I would add, behind enemy lines. I want to thank you for this work, dear comrades,” he said.?

In November 2022, US Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley said Russia has likely suffered more than 100,000 killed and wounded soldiers as a result of the war in Ukraine, and Ukraine is probably looking at similar numbers.

A general view shows buildings damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline city of?Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 27.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut continues to come under attack from Russian forces, and a local pro-Russian official has claimed “it is already clear that Ukraine has lost” the city.

Meanwhile, the airport serving the Russian city of St. Petersburg has reopened following an unexplained temporary closure, and hackers caused Russian radios and TVs to play air raid sirens.

Here are the latest headlines:

A Ukrainian serviceman looks through a window of a damaged residential building as the sounds of shelling continue in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 27.

Russian forces control routes into Bakhmut and it’s only a matter of time until the city falls into Russian hands, according to an adviser to the head of self-declared, pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic.

“Now the fighters are already working in the city, almost in the central district, they have approached it,” Yan Gagin told Russian state broadcaster Russia 1 on Tuesday.

“There is almost complete control of all the routes along which either new fighters for rotation, ammunition or new equipment can be brought in,” he said.

“It is already clear that Ukraine has lost Artemovsk (the Russian name for Bakhmut). The only question is when it will happen,” added Gagin.

CNN could not independently verify Gagin’s claims, but Ukrainian military commanders have in the past 24 hours described a worsening situation in Bakhmut, calling it “extremely tense” and “extremely difficult.”

Ukrainian President Zelensky said in his nightly address on Monday that the situation in the Eastern Ukrainian city was getting “more and more challenging.”

“The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, to secure and defend it,” Zelensky said, soon after military commanders spoke of hundreds of Russian strikes in the area.

Russia’s new territorial “realities” cannot be infringed upon?during possible talks with Kyiv,?Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.?

“There are certain realities, I mean the new Russian territories, there is the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which cannot be ignored, which the Russian side will never be able to infringe upon. These are very important realities,” Peskov told reporters during a regular call.

“The main thing is to achieve our goals, this is our priority for sure,” he added.?

When asked how favorable the present moment is for these negotiations, Peskov replied:

“Currently, probably no one can ascertain the signals from the Ukrainian side. At the moment, we proceed from the impossibility de jure for the Ukrainian side to negotiate on this matter. We proceed from this.”

German-made Leopard tanks have been spotted near Bakhmut, according to an advisor to the head of the self-declared pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic.

“There have been claims that Leopards have appeared near Artemovsk (the Russian name for Bakhmut),” Yan Gagin told state broadcaster Russia 1 on Tuesday.

Gagin went on to downplay the presence of the tanks near the frontline.

“There is no need to sensationalize this. Given the muddy weather now, it will make it difficult for heavy vehicles like the Leopard to move,” he said. “[It] is the same armored target as all the others.”

CNN could not independently verify Gagin’s claims, but European officials have said previously that the first donated Leopard 2 tanks have begun arriving in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has accused Ukraine of attempting a drone attack against civilian infrastructure in the Krasnodar region of Russia.

“UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were suppressed by the electronic warfare units of the RF (Russian Federation) Armed Forces,” said the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD), adding that none of the drones hit their target.

“Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight path. One UAV fell in a field, and another UAV, deviating from the trajectory, did not harm the attacked civilian infrastructure facility,” the MOD statement read.

Social media video geolocated by CNN showed a fire at a Rosfnet oil depot in Tuapse, on the Krasnodar region’s Black Sea coast. It’s unclear if the facility was the intended target, but Ukraine has previously targeted oil depots within Russian-controlled territory.

CNN could not independently confirm if Ukraine was behind the alleged attack and Ukraine did not immediately comment on the incident. Ukraine has in the past declined to comment on similar operations.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speak to the press in Helsinki, Finland, on February 28.

Finland and Sweden’s applications to join the NATO military alliance is a “top priority,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.

“The time is now to ratify and to fully welcome both Finland and Sweden as members,” he said at a joint presser with Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki.?

“It is inconceivable that there would be any threat against Finland or Sweden without NATO reacting,” he added.?

Stoltenberg went on to say that, so far, Finland and Sweden have had the “quickest accession process in NATO’s modern history.”?

Both countries applied for membership in May last year, and in June all NATO allies agreed to invite both countries to join the alliance and set out accession protocols.?

So far, 28 out of the 30 allies have ratified both Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. Only Hungary and Turkey have not yet done so.????

The Hungarian parliament have made it clear they will start discussion within a few days, according to Stoltenberg.?

Stoltenberg added that Turkey had expressed some concerns about the countries’ accession, mainly concerning Sweden.?

More on NATO bids: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that his country’s talks with Sweden and Finland on the Nordic countries’ NATO?accession?bid will resume on March 9.

Finnish PM Marin was clear on her country’s reasons for joining the alliance, saying that the “NATO line is the only line that Russia wouldn’t cross.”?

Marin said that those countries which have not yet ratified Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership are “a burden to NATO.”?

“Because we are fulfilling the criteria, there shouldn’t be any problems when it comes to our membership,” she said, adding that she hopes Hungary and Turkey will ratify soon.?

Stoltenberg also added that Ukraine “will become a member of our alliance… but that is a long-term perspective.”?

Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a “serious conversation” with the country’s Federal?Security Service (FSB) on Tuesday,?according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The role of the service “can hardly be overestimated” in the present time, Peskov added during a regular call with reporters.?

“Putin will take part in the meeting of the Board of the Federal Security Service today. The President will make a speech, part of which will be open,” Peskov said.?

“There will also be a part behind closed doors as is traditionally the case, a big voluminous speech by FSB Director Bortnikov in the presence of the president.”

“Mainly, it will be about summing up last year’s results of the [FSB] service and setting the outlooks for the upcoming year.”

On Monday, a statement from the Kremlin revealed that Putin?will take part in a meeting of the Board of the Federal Security Service, during which “the results of the operational and service activities of the FSB bodies in 2022 will be summed up and priority tasks for 2023 will be identified.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the temporary closure of the St. Petersburg airport, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov refused to provide any further details but did say that city authorities and the military would provide an update later.

Russian state news agency RIA reported that airspace restrictions around St. Petersburg had been lifted following the closure.

Flight tracking websites showed aircraft taking off from Pulkovo airport again after operations had been suspended.

Earlier Tuesday, the city government had said that the airport was not accepting any flights until noon local time. And state news agencies RIA and TASS reported that the airspace in a 200-kilometer (125-mile) radius of the city had been closed until 13:20 local time.

Flight tracking services showed flights turning around and returning to their departure airport.

The announcements came after reports of an unidentified object in the air, but authorities have not confirmed the reason for the closure.

Russian radios and TV channels sounded air raid sirens and displayed warnings after they were hacked on Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement.

“The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia informs that this information is false and does not correspond to reality.”

Social media videos showed radios playing air raid sirens after the hack, which is the second in quick succession after the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported a similar incident last week.

Air raid sirens have become a common feature of life in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion.

US Army veteran Andrew Peters died fighting for Ukraine on February 16.

The father of a US Army veteran who was killed fighting for Ukraine earlier this month said Ukrainian commanders had warned his son that Russia’s invasion resembled “World War I or II” before he enlisted in the country’s defense.

Andrew Peters, 28, died in action on Feb. 16 while serving with Ukraine’s International Legion of Defense.?

His father, John Peters, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Monday that “we did our homework” researching the unit, which was created by President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow foreign citizens to join the Ukrainian resistance against Russian occupation and fight for global security.

“There were a number of guys who left after hearing that, but Andrew was like, ‘no I’m going to stick this out. I’m going to finish this.’”

Andrew Peters, from Marshfield, Wisconsin, had served a tour with the US Army in Afghanistan prior to joining Ukraine’s war effort.

In the interview, his father said he was “like any other average 28-year-old American,” and someone with a “very strong sense of what was right and wrong.”

A view from a window of an apartment destroyed by Russian forces in Kostiantynivka, near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 27.

The situation around the embattled city of Bakhmut is “extremely tense,” partly because of the involvement of the “most trained” assault units of Russian mercenary group Wagner, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said on Tuesday.

According to a Telegram post from Ukraine’s military media center, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said that “despite significant losses,” in the fight for the eastern city, “the enemy has thrown the most trained Wagner assault units into the offensive, trying to break through the defense of our troops and surround the city.”

Ukrainian troops have been struggling to maintain access to Bakhmut as Russian forces have been gradually advancing north and west of the city in recent weeks.

Some context: Ukrainian officials have highlighted the growing intensity of the fighting around Bakhmut in recent weeks.?

On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said attempts to defend the city were “getting more and more challenging,” while Col. Yuriy Madyar, commander of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, described the situation there as “extremely difficult.”

CNN’s Maria Kostenko contributed reporting.

It gets worse every day.

An already inflamed relationship between the US and China is being exacerbated by two fresh controversies — one over the exact?origins of Covid-19?and the other stemming from?stern US warnings that China must not arm Russia in its war in Ukraine.

The new disagreements are so fraught that the recent unprecedented diplomatic showdown over a?suspected Chinese spy balloon?that floated across the continental US is not even the most recent or intense cause of strife.

This trio of confrontations — along with rising tensions between US and Chinese forces in Asia and escalating standoffs over Taiwan — are dramatizing a long-building and once theoretical superpower rivalry that is suddenly a daily reality.

Ukraine tensions: The US, citing unpublished intelligence, has spent the last week warning that China is considering sending lethal aid to bolster Russia’s forces — a situation that would effectively put China on the opposite side of a proxy war with the US and NATO powers that have sent billions of dollars in weapons to Ukraine.

Beijing has long amplified Russia’s justifications for the invasion, which took place a year ago shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the Chinese capital to agree to a friendship with “no limits” with Xi.

China would prefer Russia, which shares its autocratic form of government, not to suffer a total defeat in Ukraine — which could lead to the ousting of close ally Putin. And China increasingly tends to view its global interests through the prism of its standoff with the US, so it may perceive an advantage in Washington being locked in an arms-length conflict in Ukraine that is costing billions of dollars and to which it is sending reserve military equipment and ammunition that can therefore not be used to bolster its Pacific forces. Delays in procurement in the US arms industry caused by Ukraine could also slow the flow of weapons to Taiwan.

Yet a decision by China to throw in its lot with Russia in Ukraine would amount to a radical change in foreign policy — and another massive plunge in US-China relations. Washington and the European Union would certainly respond with sanctions on Chinese firms, a threat that will likely give leaders in Beijing pause, as the country’s economy slowly recovers from years of Covid isolation.

Read the full analysis here.

Fighting in Bakhmut is “getting more and more challenging,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian commander said the situation in the eastern city was “extremely difficult” due to non-stop Russian assaults.

Here are the latest headlines:

Ukrainian servicemen are seen near an automatic grenade launcher at their positions in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 25.

The situation in the eastern city of Bakhmut is “getting more and more challenging,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

“The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, to secure and defend it,” Zelensky said, soon after military commanders spoke of hundreds of Russian strikes in the area.

More on this:?Earlier Monday, Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the Eastern Grouping of the Armed Forces, told Ukrainian television: “Bakhmut remains the epicenter of the enemy’s attack, where they are focusing on breaking through our defense. In particular, in the area of such settlements as Dubovo-Vasylivka, Yahidne, Ivankivske, and Pivnichne.”

The named places are all west of Bakhmut.

Cherevatyi said: “There were 300 attacks from various types of artillery and multiple rocket launchers on this section of the front line. 60 combat engagements took place, where the enemy lost 63 servicemen killed and 141 wounded of varying severity.”

European low-cost carrier Wizz Air is suspending all its flights to the Moldovan capital of Chisinau starting on March 14 due to some “recent developments” in the country, the airline said.?

The company didn’t specify the recent developments it was referring to.?

Tensions have been mounting in Moldova, as the country’s President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of using “saboteurs” to stoke unrest amid a period of political instability, echoing similar warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.?

Russia?has denied?any claims it is plotting to destabilize?Moldova.

With previous reporting from Radina Gigova.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal hold a joint press conference in Kyiv on Monday.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says the country’s budget deficit this year is expected to amount to $38 billion, but the US is committing to provide more than $10 billion in budget support by September.

Shmyhal was speaking after talks in Kyiv with?US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

“In 2022, the United States was the leader among all partner countries in terms of financial assistance provided,” Shmyhal said, providing $13 billion in grant support for the budget.

“These funds were allocated for health care, education, social and humanitarian aid programs.”

Shmyhal said a new platform was being introduced to help coordinate the work of the G7 countries and international financial organizations, including the IMF and the World Bank, with regard to financial support for Ukraine.”

Shmyhal said he and Yellen had also discussed the financial and sanctions impact on the Russian budget. “We also discussed the continuation and effectiveness of sanctions on the supply of high-tech items to be used in the military sphere of Russia.”

Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi attends a ceremony dedicated to the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday.

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said he spoke to the top US general on Monday and reiterated the need to strengthen Kyiv’s air defense through the F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft.

The United States has consistently said that it?has no plans to send F-16s?to Ukraine.?

Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said he also spoke to Gen. Mark Milley about the supply of military equipment, weapons and ammunition, the situation on the front lines, and further plans of the forces regarding the defense of Ukraine.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday.

While the?Russian economy?has not?yet buckled?under the wide array of sanctions from the United States and other Western countries, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday she expects it to grow weaker over time as the country loses foreign investment and runs through its reserves and rainy-day funds.

Still,?recent US intelligence has shown?that China is considering increasing?its support of the Russian economy?and war efforts, including supplying drones and ammunition.

Such a move would bring “severe” consequences, Yellen said.

“We have been extremely clear that we will not tolerate systematic violations by any country of the sanctions that we have put in place that are intended to deprive Russia of access to military equipment to wage this war,” she said. “And we have been very clear with the Chinese government and have made clear to Chinese firms and financial institutions that the consequences of violating those sanctions would be very severe.”