March 6, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

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

Qin Gang speaks during a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday March 7.

China’s foreign minister on Tuesday equated any possible future military support from Beijing for Russia’s war in Ukraine with US weapons sales to the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Qin said it was “absurd” for “senior US officials” to be interjecting in the issue of Taiwan, which he said is a “matter for the Chinese people.”

“No other country has the right to interfere in it,” he said.

China’s ruling Communist Party sees democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force in “reunifying” it with the Chinese mainland.

Qin reiterated Beijing’s long held stance on Tuesday, refusing to rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

“We will continue to work with the greatest sincerity and utmost efforts to pursue peaceful reunification,” he said. “Meanwhile, we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures.”

In terms of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Qin said Tuesday that “China did not create the crisis, it is not a party to the crisis and has not provided weapons to either side.”

Some context: Beijing’s efforts to present itself as peacemaker in the Ukraine war have been severely undermined by its refusal to acknowledge the nature of the conflict — it has so far avoided calling it an “invasion” — and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.

Good relations between Beijing and Moscow are essential in this unstable world, China’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

The minister was speaking during a news conference outlining China’s foreign policy on the sidelines of the country’s 14th National People’s Congress. 

“China and Russia is based on no alliance and no confrontation and is not targeted at any third party. It is not a threat to any country,” he added.

Later in the news conference, Qin said “the process of peace talks should begin as soon as possible” to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, and that “sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem.”

Some context: US officials have warned in recent weeks that intelligence suggests China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia, which Beijing has denied.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week cautioned that arming Moscow’s forces would cause China serious problems around the world.

“China can’t have it both ways when it comes to … the Russian aggression in Ukraine. It can’t be putting forward peace proposals on the one hand, while actually feeding the flames of the fire that Russia has started with the other hand,” Blinken said.

This post has been updated with additional comments from Qin on the Ukraine war.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, talks to his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov during a preliminary court hearing in Moscow, Russia on Monday.

A Moscow court on Monday prolonged the pre-trial detention of jailed Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza who stands accused of spreading “fake” information about the Russian military.

Kara-Murza was charged with high treason, the court’s press service told the Russian state news agency TASS. The hearing was conducted behind closed doors as it contained confidential materials, the news agency said.   

In a short video released by the court, a judge can be heard off-camera informing the defendant, “The court decided to reserve the measure of preventative detention for the accused Kara-Murza, which has been extended until August 27, 2023.”

The next hearing has been scheduled for March 15, TASS reported. Kara-Murza faces up to 20 years in prison. 

His, wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, said his attorney believes a trial will likely take place within 2 weeks.

“I do not believe that the court will somehow decide that my husband is innocent — although he of course is — because there is no justice system left in Russia, no independent justice system left in Russia. And courts in Russia are a sham,” she told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday.

In addition, some of the symptoms suffered by the activist after he was twice poisoned are coming back due to conditions in prison, particularly after he was placed in solitary confinement, she said.

Some background: Kara-Murza has been incredibly critical of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine, and he continues to speak out even as he is detained.

In March 2022, Kara-Murza addressed the Arizona House of Representatives and spoke out against the war. In an April 2022 interview with CNN, he called Putin’s government “a regime of murderers.” He was arrested shortly thereafter for “failing to obey the orders of law enforcement,” according to his wife.

On Friday, the US imposed sanctions on a number of Russian individuals connected to Kara-Murza’s detention.

Ukrainian leaders doubled down Monday on the defense of Bakhmut, saying they won’t concede the eastern city to Russia, despite the grinding and brutal warfare that has raged for months.

Russian forces have made gradual gains — but at a huge cost in terms of casualties, according to a NATO estimate – but President Volodymyr Zelensky said that on the advice of his commanders, he was sending reinforcements to support the city’s defense.

He also pledged to find those responsible for the killing of an unarmed soldier that was caught in a widely circulated video. CNN has not been able to independently verify the identity of the executed prisoner, where he was shot, and who shot him.

Here are the top headlines to know:

The United States and Lithuania on Monday committed their continued support to Kyiv “until Ukraine prevails” and called on other allies to do the same — a seemingly tacit message to leaders that may seek to look for off-ramps as the war continues with no signs of abating.

In a joint statement following their meeting in Washington, DC, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said their countries will keep helping Ukraine “to alleviate the suffering of its people and to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.”

The leaders also reiterated calls for Russia to end the war and withdraw all of its troops and equipment, the statement said.

They also “committed to continue imposing strong economic costs on Russia through sanctions and pursuing accountability for those responsible for Russia’s attacks.” 

Officials from Lithuania, a Baltic state that will host this year’s NATO heads of state summit in its capital city of Vilnius, have been some of the most hawkish about the war and the need for Ukraine’s victory. 

An F-16 assigned to the 162nd Fighter Wing flies over Tucson, Arizona, during a training mission in 2022.

A group of Ukrainian pilots are in the United States for evaluations being conducted by the Arizona Air National Guard, according to two United States officials.

The 162nd Fighter Wing, which flies F-16 fighter jets, is based at Tucson International Airport and trains international aircrews on the fourth-generation aircraft, according to the officials. The Wing’s website said it has trained pilots from 25 countries that currently operate the F-16.

One of the officials said 10 more Ukrainian pilots may come to the US for the same evaluation and assessment. 

Some background: The pilots are in the US for a “familiarization event” and “a routine activity” between the US Air Force and the Ukrainian pilots, a US military official said over the weekend. However, the official said “there are no updates to provide regarding F-16’s to Ukraine” and there are no immediate plans to increase the number of Ukrainian pilots in the US. 

Top Ukrainian officials have been asking for fighter jets from the US, arguing they need them urgently to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks. But that push is being met with skepticism by US and allied officials who say the jets would be impractical, both because they require considerable training and because Russia has extensive anti-aircraft systems that could easily shoot them down.

CNN’s Aaron Pellish and Chloe Liu contributed to this report.

Ukrainian servicemen drive a tank in the village of Chasiv Yar, near the city of Bakhmut, on Sunday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he ordered the reinforcement of positions inside the city of Bakhmut, explaining that there was no part of Ukraine that could be abandoned.

The president said he took the decision after consulting with the military leadership.

Zelensky also seemed to address rumors of a Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern city, referring to those as “disinformation messages,” coming from those who didn’t have access to the confidential decision-making briefings where such a decision would have to be taken.

Zelensky said that Ukraine would defend every inch of its country.

“We are defending and will continue to defend every part of Ukraine,” he said. “When the time comes, we will liberate every city and village in our country. And we will make the occupier answer for every shot against Ukraine, for every vile act against Ukrainians.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers his nightly address on Monday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky promised Ukraine would find those responsible for killing an unarmed Ukrainian soldier.

His comments Monday were in response to a video showing an unarmed soldier in Ukrainian combat fatigues smoking a cigarette near what appears to be a fighting position. The man is then shown pulling the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out the smoke and can be heard saying “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine), before fighters off camera fire several shots at him. 

Zelensky added Ukraine would never forget those who had died for their country and thanked those currently on the battlefield.

Some background: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba blamed Russia and said it was additional proof that Moscow’s invasion was “genocidal.” The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, among several others, said he has shared the video with international partners as “evidence of yet another Russian war crime.”

CNN has not been able to independently verify the identity of the executed POW, where he was shot, and who shot him. CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to get further details. 

CNN has also reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense but has yet to hear back. Russia has consistently denied accusations that it or its soldiers have committed war crimes during what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

A Ukrainian serviceman carries a shell for a self-propelled howitzer before firing it toward Russian troops outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Sunday.

The Ukrainian defense of the city of Bakhmut has “achieved its goals” and has been “a great strategic success” for the Ukrainian army, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said.

Ukraine had two main goals in defending Bakmut: buying time to replenish its forces and inflicting heavy losses on Russian armies, Polodyak said. The decision to make the defense of the key area a priority was a joint strategy devised by the country’s military branches with the approval of the Ukrainian president, he said.

“As for the defense of Bakhmut, it achieved its goals by 1000%. The military implemented the plan to destroy the enemy’s main combat-ready grouping on the one hand and enabled the training and training of tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops to prepare for a counterattack on the other,” Podolyak said.

Podolyak cautioned that a decision to withdraw has not been made yet, rather that there has been a consensus among military leaders to continue defending the city.

“This is an advantage of the democratic model, which allows us to choose and make the best decisions. A lot of critical questions are asked by the president himself. Since the final decision, as commander-in-chief, is made by the head of state, the president feels very personally responsible,” he added.

Ukrainian officials have lashed out against Moscow after a video showed one of the country’s soldiers, allegedly in Russian captivity, being executed seemingly by Russian soldiers. 

The video shows an unarmed soldier in Ukrainian combat fatigues smoking a cigarette near what appears to be a fighting position. The man is then shown pulling the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out the smoke and can be heard saying “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine), before fighters off camera fire several shots at him. 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba blamed Russia and said it was additional “proof” that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine was “genocidal.”

“It is imperative that [Prosecutor] Karim Khan QC launches and immediate [International Criminal Court] investigation into this heinous war crime,” he tweeted on Monday. “Perpetrators must face justice.”

The Ukrainian President’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak also said the incident was a “war crime.”

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said he has shared the video with international partners as “evidence of yet another Russian war crime.”

“The execution of a captured Ukrainian soldier is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. It is a manifestation of rascality and ignobility,” Lubinets wrote on Telegram.

CNN has not been able to independently verify who the executed POW is, where he was shot and who shot him.

A 14-year-old Ukrainian refugee girl has died after being found unconscious on a beach in South Devon, England, the Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement Monday. 

The girl’s death is being treated as “unexplained” and police are asking anyone who may have CCTV or doorbell footage to share it with police to assist in the investigation. 

“We were called on the evening of Saturday 4 March with reports of a 14-year-old girl missing from the Dawlish area,” said detective inspector Becky Davies of Devon and Cornwall Police. 

Davies said the deceased girl was a Ukrainian national who was living in the Dawlish area. “Contact has been made with the Ukrainian Embassy and The Home Office are also aware of this incident,” he said. 

Police confirmed to CNN that the girl and her mother are Ukrainian refugees. Police had not released the name of the girl at the time of this writing. 

“This death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries continue as to the circumstances surrounding this death. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenage girl at this tragic time,” Davies added. 

Officers remain in the Dawlish area and are undertaking house-to-house enquiries and attempting to secure any CCTV or doorbell footage that could be available, police said. 

Police said no additional information about the case is being released at the moment.

There are more than 160,000 Ukrainian refugees in the UK, according to the latest UN data.

Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of paratrooper Vladyslav Bondarenko during his funeral in Kozyntsi, Ukraine, on Monday. Bondarenko, 26, died near Bakhmut on February 26.

NATO intelligence estimates that for every Ukrainian soldier killed defending Bakhmut, Russian forces have lost at least five, a military official with the North Atlantic alliance told CNN on Monday.

The official cautioned the five to one ratio was an informed estimate based on intelligence.

The official spoke to CNN on the condition they remain anonymous because they are not allowed to discuss this intelligence. Despite the favorable ratio, they also said Ukraine was suffering significant losses defending the city. 

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly claimed they were inflicting heavy losses on Russia as Moscow tried to take Bakhmut.

The Institute for the Study of War also said Russia’s efforts to capture Bakhmut had significantly deteriorated its capacity for additional offensives.

“The Russian military will likely struggle to maintain any subsequent offensive operations for some months, giving Ukraine a chance to seize the initiative;” it said on Monday.

The Ukrainian military said they had destroyed a surveillance tower in the Russian border region of Bryansk, using a drone. 

The rare acknowledgment by Ukrainian forces comes after an incursion by Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine into the same Russian region last week.

Russian security officials claimed that a small Ukrainian armed group had crossed the Russian border into the southern Bryansk region, allegations dismissed by Kyiv as a “classic deliberate provocation” by the Kremlin.

The Security Service of Russia (FSB) said in a statement via state media agency RIA Novosti on Thursday that the agency was carrying out operations following an “armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border” in the district. President Vladimir Putin later described the incident as a terrorist attack, and a local official said two civilians were killed.

At the time, CNN could not independently verify the Russian claims, and local media had not carried any images of the supposed incidents, any type of confrontation or an alleged raid reported by Russian authorities.

CNN’s Anna Chernova, Olga Voitovych, Nathan Hodge and Rob Picheta contributed to this post.

Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's land forces, is interviewed in June.

One of Ukraine’s top military chiefs, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the country’s land forces, visited troops in Bakhmut on Sunday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said on Monday.

“March 5, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, Commander of the Land Forces, once again visited the units defending Bakhmut and the outskirts of the city,” the briefing read. “According to him, the fighting for Bakhmut has reached the highest level of intensity.”

Syrskyi wouldn’t elaborate on a potential withdrawal but said Ukrainian forces had inflicted serious losses on Russia over the past several months.

“All this time, the enemy’s attempts to capture the city have been defeated by the resilience of our soldiers,” he said. “Our defenders inflicted significant losses on the enemy, destroyed a large number of vehicles, forced Wagner’s best assault units to fight and reduced the enemy’s offensive potential.”

Syrskyi organized and lead the defense of Kyiv, successfully driving back Russian forces that had nearly encircled the Ukrainian capital at the beginning of Russia’s invasion.

He has paid regular visits to frontline units in the Donbas and elsewhere, including Bakhmut. His previous visit to the city was at the end of last week.

A Wagner flag is seen on a tank monument in Bakhmut, Ukraine, in this video grab from social media dated March 3.

Wagner fighters were seen planting the Russian mercenary group’s flag on a T-34 tank monument in the eastern part of the city of Bakhmut.

The footage, geolocated by CNN, shows four fighters running toward the monument. They took down a Ukrainian flag that was mounted on the tank’s barrel and planted the Wagner group’s flag on top of the tank.

The fighters are then seen holding their guns up into the air and setting the Ukrainian flag on fire.

Some more context: The T-34 was a tank used by Soviet forces during the Second World War and the monument is dedicated to the forces that liberated the city from Nazi Germany.

It is located 500 meters (more than 546 yards) away from the Bakhmutova river, suggesting Ukrainian forces may have withdrawn from the eastern part of Bakhmut, consolidating their positions west of the river.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, speaks during the company's annual results conference in Duesseldorf, Germany, on March 17.

The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, who produces the Leopard battle tank among other heavy arms, is hoping to open a tank factory in Ukraine, CEO Armin Papperger has told a German newspaper.

Papperger, as quoted by the “Rheinische Post” daily over the weekend, said negotiations to build such a plant are ongoing and a decision could come within two months. 

A possible plant would cost about 200 million euros, or about $214 million, and about 400 tanks could be built annually, Papperger told “Rheinische Post.” 

Air defense systems could be in place to protect such a facility, he said.

Papperger added that a new version of the fully digitized battle tank “Panther” could be built in Ukraine.

Some background: Rheinmetall is the biggest arms manufacturer in Germany with about 25,000 employees. 

In January, the arms manufacturer said it had 139 Leopards in stock, but of those, only 29 Leopard 2s would be combat-ready for delivery in the spring of this year. Those 29 have already been theoretically pledged to other countries as part of a tank swap.

The rest of the stock needed to be prepared over a longer period of time, according to the company.

A Rheinmetall spokesperson told CNN that of the rest of the stock — 88 Leopard 1 tanks — a few could be deliverable in about nine months, and the rest in a year.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 5.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has said that the country’s forces will continue to defend Bakhmut amid continued Russian efforts to take the eastern city.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has played down the strategic significance of Bakhmut, saying that the city has “more of a symbolic value.”

Here are the latest headlines:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior military commanders have vowed to continue to defend the eastern city of Bakhmut, according to a statement from the president’s office.

“They spoke in favor of continuing the defense operation and further strengthening our positions in Bakhmut,” reads the statement.

The meeting “considered the situation in Bakhmut in detail,” it adds.

The meeting was also attended by other senior figures in the government, including the Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Chief of Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov.

Some context: Russia is reportedly making progress in its attempts to take Bakhmut, with intense fighting reported on Monday morning.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has played down the significance of the city, saying that it wouldn’t constitute “an operational or strategic setback” for the Ukrainian military should Bakhmut fall to Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed bilateral cooperation, including “joint infrastructure projects,” with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, according to a readout from the Kremlin published Monday.

Putin and Raisi held telephone talks and both the Iranian and Russian sides “gave a positive assessment of the level and dynamics of development of Russian-Iranian relations,” it said.

“Issues of bilateral cooperation in various fields, including the implementation of joint infrastructure projects, were discussed,” added the Kremlin.

Some context: Russia and Iran have deepened their relationship since the war in Ukraine began last year.

Tehran has provided hundreds of attack drones that Russia has used to strike Ukrainian cities, targeting energy infrastructure in particular.

On February 26, William Burns, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, said that the alliance between Russia and Iran is “moving at a pretty fast clip,” with evidence that Moscow has offered to help Iran’s missile program in exchange for military aid.