Ukraine war latest: Russian town hit in new wave of strikes - as Kremlin responds to NATO chief's nuclear comments (2024)

A Russian military court has sentenced a Ukrainian woman to 12 years in prison for "spreading disinformation" and "taking part in a terrorist organisation," according to independent Russian media outlet Mediazona

Krystyna Liubashenko says she was tricked and blackmailed into coming to Moscow and carrying out the protest, which included playing a recording of an anti-war speech and a Ukrainian anthem and launching balloons with a Russian opposition flag.

Facing financial difficulties after fleeing Kyiv and moving to Switzerland following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ms Liubashenko reportedly met a neighbour who lent her money to go to Moscow and hold an anti-war protest.

The neighbour, identified in the report as Vitalii Yurchenko, is later said to have insisted that Ms Liubashenko fly the white-blue-white flag associated with the Freedom of Russia Legion group that opposes the Kremlin.

The legion was declared a terrorist group by Russia last March.

Ms Liubashenko initially refused the demands but was convinced when Mr Yurchenko reportedly threatened to report her to Swiss authorities, who would take her two daughters away.

At her trial in Russia, Ms Liubashenko's defence presented this as evidence of blackmail, though she was still sentenced to 12 years.

It is believed that Russia has detained more than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians since the start of its invasion.

An overnight attack on two oil depots in Russia's Rostov region was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to reports.

Russian authorities reported fires spread across 5,000 cubic metres in the town of Azov, with dozens of firefighters trying to tackle the blaze (see 08:30 post).

As we reported here earlier, it was the second wave of attack on the Russian border region in the last two days.

According to the Kyiv Independent, the SBU's drone attack successfully targeted 22 oil storage tanks.

"The SBU will continue to implement 'drone sanctions' against the Russian oil refining complex and reduce the economic potential of the enemy, which provides the aggressor with resources for waging war against Ukraine," the source added.

Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelenskyy says the communique signed by more than 80 nations at last weekend's Swiss peace summit is still open for more to join.

The document, issued at the end of a Ukraine-led peace conference in Burgenstock, supported Ukraine's territorial integrity in the face of Russia's invasion.

About 100 countries took part in the conference, but Russia was not invited and China snubbed the event. Attenders were mostly from Europe, the US and other western allies, but included countries from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Some key regional powers were among those not to sign the communique, including Brazil, India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Addressing this at the end of the summit, Mr Zelenskyy said that "unfortunately, there are people who are still balancing."

Today he announced that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople - one of the churches that helps make up the Eastern Orthodox Church - had signed the communique.

Mr Zelenskyy added that the document would remain open for signatures and that he was "confident that more countries and international organisations will join."

The streets of Pyongyang have been lined with images and flags of Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president is due to touch down on North Korean soil for the first time in 24 years today where he will meet with the country's leader Kim Jong Un.

And the red carpet is being rolled out already for the visit of Mr Putin, with state television broadcaster KCTV showing concerts of Russian military while the streets have been lined with Russian flags and images of the president.

Anton Gerashchenko, former Ukranian advisor to the internal affairs minister, shared footage on X of Pyongyang's Russian-themed welcome.

Mr Putin and his entourage - set to include Russia's defence and security ministers - are expected to arrive in North Korea this evening local time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the remote Siberian city of Yakutsk today ahead of his visit to North Korea.

The Russian leader is heading to Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Mr Putin will meet regional governor Aisen Nikolayev in Yakutsk before travelling to North Korea later today.

The world coverage chief of the Wall Street Journal says he is hopeful that the imprisonment of American journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia will end soon.

Mr Gershkovich is due to stand trial on espionage charges in Russia where he is accused of "gathering secret information" for the CIA.

Russian prosecutors said Mr Gershkovich was caught "red-handed", with the FSB state spy service claiming that he was trying to obtain military secrets.

He denies the allegations but, if found guilty, could face up to 20 years in prison.

Since his arrest, Mr Gershkovich has been held at Moscow's Lefortovo Prison - a notorious jail used during Joseph Stalin's purges, when executions were carried out in the basem*nt.

The trial will take place 900 miles from Moscow, behind closed doorsin the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, where Mr Gershkovich was first detained.

"I think that having a journalist taken prisoner, which hasn't happened since the Cold War in Russia, sort of transcends the [Ukraine] war and is kind of fundamental attack on the freedom of the press which really underpins all of our free societies," Mr Gershkovich's colleague, Gordon Fairclough, told Sky News today.

"It's sadly not surprising, but it is incredibly disheartening to see a colleague falsely accused, and effectively being held hostage to geopolitics.

"I got a letter from him a couple of weeks ago. He's quite a resilient guy and seems to be keeping his spirits up and his sense of humour is intact."

US President Joe Biden called Russia's actions "totally illegal," while US state department spokesman Matthew Miller previouslysaid there was "absolutely zero credibility" to the charges against Mr Gershkovich.

There is now a growing expectation that the situation could be resolved through a prisoner swap between the US and Russia.

Mr Fairclough added: "We expect the way this to be resolved and the way Russian officials have signalled this would be resolved would be through some kind of prisoner swap with the US government.

"We know that talks are ongoing between the US and Russia on this subject."

Several dozen firefighters have been tackling a fire in the Russian town of Azov today following a drone strike, officials said.

Several oil storage tanks were set ablaze by the attack early this morning in Russia's southern region of Rostov, which borders Ukraine.

Russia's ministry of emergency situations said on Telegram that the fire had spread across 5,000 cubic metres.

Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, wrote on Telegram that there were no casualties according to preliminary data.

These reports are yet to be verified.

If confirmed, it would be the second consecutive day of strikes on the region, after a suspected Ukrainian attack triggered a large explosion at an electricity substation overnight into Monday.

The report of comments from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg yesterday have been the source of some discussion among nuclear and diplomatic analysts.

Mr Stoltenberg told The Telegraph that NATO members were consulting about deploying more nuclear weapons and placing them on standby in the face of a growing threat from Russia and China.

And while some figures in Moscow sought to downplay the significance of the remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov was more condemnatory in his response.

"This is nothing but another escalation of tension," he said, adding that the comments appeared to contradict the communique issued over the weekend at the peace summit in Switzerland.

The talks were held at the behest of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Russia not invited to attend.

The communique, signed by more than 80 countries, said any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine context was inadmissible.

Mr Stoltenberg later said Russia was trying to create confusion and that his comments referred to the modernisation of NATO's nuclear deterrent, including the replacement of F-16 jets with F-35s.

NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said: "We have an ongoing modernisation programme to replace legacy weapons and aircraft. Beyond that, there are no significant changes to our nuclear deterrent."

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence claims 1,230 Russian soldiers and officers were killed and wounded in action over the last 24 hours.

That brings Russia's reported total combat manpower losses since the invasion started to around 528,620.

Ukraine's military also claims to have destroyed 16 Russian tanks, 20 armoured combat vehicles, 32 artillery systems, 20 UAVs and a cruise missile during the last day of fighting.

These reports are yet to be verified.

By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent

This will only be Vladimir Putin’s second visit to North Korea. The first was soon after he assumed office in 2000, nearly a quarter of a century ago.

That's a long time to wait for a return trip. Was it the hospitality? Or did he just have better options elsewhere?

Either way, it's very much a case of beggars can’t be choosers right now, with Tuesday's visit highlighting both Russia's isolation from the West and the blossoming friendship between these two pariah states.

What does North Korea offer Russia? A lot more than camaraderie. According to the US and others, it's supplying the Kremlin with weapons and ammunition to use in Ukraine.

In an interview with Bloomberg recently, South Korea's defence minister said the North had sent nearly five million artillery shells to Russia since September, as well as dozens of ballistic missiles.

Moscow and Pyongyang both deny the accusation but UN monitors claim to have seen evidence. In January, they concluded the remnants of a missile fired from Russia on Kherson was that of a North Korea-made Kwasong-11 series. Kyiv claims there are several more examples.

For North Korea, the closer ties are a big win. As well as food and fuel, analysts say Russia has provided the poverty-stricken nation with much-needed economic aid and diplomatic support.

In March, for example, Russia vetoed the UN resolution to renew the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring sanctions enforcement.

It's also assumed Moscow is supplying some technical know-how for Pyongyang's space and satellite programmes, after President Putin hosted Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny cosmodrone in Russia's Far East last September.

The stronger ties between the two is a major concern for the West and its Asian allies.

These are two leaders who like to warn how their fingers are poised over the red button. The primary fear in Washington and Seoul is that Russia could start supplying some of its nuclear know-how and missile technology, on top of the other assistance.

The Russian leader's entourage for the visit certainly raises eyebrows. It includes his new defence minister Andrei Belousov as well as Denis Manturov, the deputy prime minister responsible for defence.

The official line from the Kremlin is that there's nothing to see here - yes, we might sign a security agreement, but it won't be directed against any other country.

Russia's "right" to develop good relationships with its neighbours "should not be of concern to anyone", Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Behind the scenes, though, they will no doubt delight in the disquiet the visit is causing.

It's very much a diplomatic two-fingers to the West, which may bring tangible geopolitical benefits too.

If South Korea is considering providing weapons to Ukraine, for example, this might make them think twice about it.