Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine braced for ‘brutal strikes’ as it marks independence day – live | Ukraine

It is just after 1pm in Ukraine. Here is what you might have missed:

• Russian opposition politician Yevgeny Roizman was shown being detained at his home in a video published on social media on Wednesday, reports Reuters. Video of the arrest showed Roizman, former mayor of the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, being taken away by law enforcement officials. Roizman was seen in the video telling reporters that he was being investigated under a law against discrediting the armed forces. He said he was being arrested “basically for one phrase, ‘the invasion of Ukraine’”.

• Pope Francis has called for “concrete steps” to end the war in Ukraine and avert the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, reports Reuters. IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, said on Tuesday it would visit the Russian-occupied plant in Ukraine within days if talks to gain access succeed. Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of firing at the facility, the largest of its kind in Europe and which pro-Moscow forces took over soon after the 24 February invasion. The United Nations has called for the area to be demilitarised.

• A Russian-installed head of the town of Mykhailivka in the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia region in south-eastern Ukraine was killed in a car bomb on Tuesday, an official said. Ivan Sushko was critically injured when a bomb placed under his car exploded, Zaporizhzhia region administration member Vladimir Rogov said on Telegram.

• Norway and Britain will jointly supply micro drones to Ukraine to aid in its war with Russia, reports Reuters. The cost of the Teledyne Flir Black Hornet drones, used for reconnaissance and target identification, will be up to 90m Norwegian crowns (£7.4m), the Norwegian defence ministry said in a statement.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainians on Wednesday in an emotional speech to mark 31 years of independence that Ukraine was reborn when Russia invaded and would recapture annexed Crimea and occupied areas in the east. In the recorded speech aired on the six-month anniversary of Russia’s 24 February invasion, Zelenskiy said Ukraine no longer saw the war ending when there was peace, but when Kyiv was actually victorious.

• Former Conservative leadership contender Tom Tugendhat has disclosed he is in Kyiv as Ukraine marks 31 years since it declared independence from the Soviet Union. “Here in Kyiv we’re in shelters after being woken by the air raid siren,” the Commons foreign affairs committee chairman tweeted in response to a post by British journalist John Sweeney. He later posted a video of himself next to destroyed tanks in the centre of Kyiv and praised the commitment of Britain in helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

• Ukraine is bracing for possible brutal strikes as it marks its independence day and 31 years since the end of Soviet rule. Authorities have cancelled celebrations in Kyiv as officials warn that Russia is preparing to attack the capital. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he had information from Ukraine’s intelligence services and international partners that there was an increased threat as the US said it believed Russia would target civilian and government infrastructure in the next few days. Ukraine’s defence ministry advised Ukrainians to be especially careful, citing the threat of missile attacks and “provocations” from Russia.

• Many civilians are attempting to leave Kyiv amid fears of a Russian attack, according to an adviser to Ukraine’s president. Alex Rodnyansky said people were worried and that there was “certainly some concern” that an attack may strike the centres of decision-making in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday. Russia and the Putin regime “are really obsessed with dates and symbols, so it would be logical to be on the lookout and be prepared for independence day to be attacked”, Andriy Yusov, the head of the ministry’s intelligence directorate, said.

• Zelenskiy has warned Russia of a strong response to any possible independence day attacks. Ukrainian intelligence is working with foreign intelligence, he said in a news conference on Tuesday, warning that Russia “will receive a response, a powerful response”. Zelenskiy also said Ukraine will not agree to any proposal to freeze the current frontlines in its conflict with Russia in order to “calm” Moscow, which now controls about 22% of Ukraine including Crimea.

• Zelenskiy also vowed to return Crimea to Ukraine, saying that it would become part of the EU, along with the rest of the country. “We will return Crimea, because it is our territory. In any way we decide. We will decide it on our own, without consulting any other state,” he said. “It all began with Crimea, and it will end with Crimea.”

• Ukraine is not ready for negotiations with Russia regarding a ceasefire, Zelenskiy said. “At the point where we are, we are not ready for a ceasefire. We explained that there will be no Minsk-3, Minsk-5, or Minsk-7. We will not play these games, we have lost part of our territories this way … it is a trap,” he said during a press conference following a summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv.

• Russia’s Donbas offensive is making minimal progress and its forces are suffering from shortages of munitions, vehicles and personnel, according to British intelligence.

• Ukraine’s intelligence directorate has claimed Russia is attempting to shell the “ash pits” of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to “raise clouds of radioactive dust”. In an update posted to the agency’s official Telegram channel late last night, officials said that mortar attacks on the surrounding suburbs of Energodar aimed to target the ash pits of the plant.

• The US is set to announce a fresh security assistance package for Ukraine of about $3bn (£2.5bn), officials have said, to equip the country for a war of attrition and secure its medium- to long-term defence posture. The money will fund contracts for as many as three types of drones, and other weapons, ammunition and equipment that may not see the battlefront for a year or two, US officials told the Associated Press.

• Germany will also supply Ukraine with a further €500m in military aid, most of it earmarked for delivery next year, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday. The equipment will include three IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems, “around a dozen armed recovery vehicles, 20 rocket-launchers mounted on pick-ups … precision munition and anti-drone equipment,” a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.

Russia detains opposition leader over criticism of Ukraine war

Andrew Roth

Andrew Roth reports for us from Moscow:

Russian police have detained Yevgeny Roizman, a prominent opposition politician and former mayor of Ekaterinburg, for his public criticism of the Russian war in Ukraine.

Roizman, a popular political activist in Ekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia, said he was being charged for his use of the word “invasion” under strict new laws that ban criticism of the Russian armed forces.

He could face five years in prison if convicted, Russian state news media reported.

Video released by a pro-Kremlin news outlet showed masked police in bulletproof vests storming into the apartment building where Roizman lives. After a search, Roizman was led from the flat past journalists waiting in the stairwell. When asked where he had used the word “invasion”, he replied: “I say it everywhere.”

Read more: Russia detains opposition leader over criticism of Ukraine war

Pope Francis has called for “concrete steps” to end the war in Ukraine and avert the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, reports Reuters.

IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, said on Tuesday it would visit the Russian-occupied plant in Ukraine within days if talks to gain access succeed.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of firing at the facility, the largest of its kind in Europe and which pro-Moscow forces took over soon after the 24 February invasion.

The United Nations has called for the area to be demilitarised.

Francis said at his weekly audience:

I hope that concrete steps will be taken to bring an end to the war and to avert the risk of a nuclear disaster at Zaporizhzhia.

Francis also called arms merchants who profit from war “delinquents who kill humanity”.

Nataliya Gumenyuk

Journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk argues Ukraine is facing a watershed in the course of the war:

A year ago on 24 August – the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence – a new generation of pilots were leading the Ukrainian air forces flying over Independence Square in Kyiv. The fighter jet column was headed by Anton Lystopad, who was recognised as one of the country’s best pilots. He was 30 years old, born in the year of independence. Almost a year later, earlier this month, Lystopad received the order for courage from the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. A few days after the ceremony, he was killed in combat.

Lystopad’s story may sound almost too symbolic, but Ukrainians have become used to such tragic symbolism. Six months on from the start of the Russian invasion, with its indiscriminate bombardment of peaceful towns, the atrocities and horrors of Bucha and Mariupol, but also the solidarity, resilience and sacrifices we have experienced, everything feels sharper and deeper. The bitterness of losses and the joy of survival.

Even before the full-scale war, for Ukrainians, Independence Day was the most important holiday of the year, the brightest day, when we thought not about the death of tyranny and the Soviet empire, but the rebirth of the state and of freedom.

Read more: Ukraine’s independence day was always important. Now it is a matter of life and death

Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for us from Wellington:

New Zealand’s defence minister Peeni Henare has given a statement following reports that a New Zealand soldier, who was not on active duty, has been killed in Ukraine.

“I express my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the New Zealand soldier who is reported to have died in Ukraine while on leave from the army,” Henare said.

“I have been advised the New Zealand army are supporting the soldier’s family through this difficult time.”

The soldier was on leave without pay at the time, the defence force said in a statement on Wednesday.

New Zealand has sent defence personnel to train Ukraine soldiers in the UK but does not have a military presence on Ukrainian soil.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainians on Wednesday in an emotional speech to mark 31 years of independence that Ukraine was reborn when Russia invaded and would recapture annexed Crimea and occupied areas in the east.

In the recorded speech aired on the six-month anniversary of Russia’s 24 February invasion, Zelenskiy said Ukraine no longer saw the war ending when there was peace, but when Kyiv was actually victorious, reports Reuters.

He said:

A new nation appeared in the world on February 24 at 4 in the morning. It was not born, but reborn. A nation that did not cry, scream or take fright. One that did not flee. Did not give up. And did not forget.

The 44-year-old leader delivered the speech in his trademark combat fatigues in front of Kyiv’s central monument to independence from the Russia-controlled Soviet Union.

What for us is the end of the war? We used to say: peace. Now we say: victory.

Damian Carrington

Damian Carrington reports:

US and UK financial institutions have been among the leading investors in Russian “carbon bomb” fossil fuel projects, according to a new database of holdings from recent years.

Campaigners in Ukraine said these institutions must immediately end such investments, to limit the funding of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to avoid climate breakdown.

Carbon bombs are fossil-fuel extraction projects identified by researchers to contain at least 1bn tonnes of climate-heating CO₂, triple the UK’s annual emissions. Russia is a hotspot, with 40 carbon bombs, 19 of them operated or developed by Russian companies backed by foreign finance. The companies are Gazprom, Novatek, Lukoil, Rosneft oil company and Tatneft.

Read more: UK and US banks among biggest backers of Russian ‘carbon bombs’, data shows

Before I hand you over to my colleague, here is a rundown of where things stand as of 9am in Kyiv.

Ukraine is bracing for possible brutal strikes as it marks 31 years since the country broke free from the Soviet Union. Western and Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is preparing to escalate its attacks.

• Ukraine is bracing for possible brutal strikes as it marks its independence day and 31 years since the end of Soviet rule. Authorities have cancelled celebrations in Kyiv as officials warn that Russia is preparing to attack the capital. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he had information from Ukraine’s intelligence services and international partners that there was an increased threat as the US said it believed Russia would target civilian and government infrastructure in the next few days. Ukraine’s defence ministry advised Ukrainians to be especially careful, citing the threat of missile attacks and “provocations” from Russia.

• Many civilians are attempting to leave Kyiv amid fears of a Russian attack, according to an adviser to Ukraine’s president. Alex Rodnyansky said people were worried and that there was “certainly some concern” that an attack may strike the centres of decision-making in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday. Russia and the Putin regime “are really obsessed with dates and symbols, so it would be logical to be on the lookout and be prepared for independence day to be attacked”, Andriy Yusov, the head of the ministry’s intelligence directorate, said.

• Zelenskiy has warned Russia of a strong response to any possible independence day attacks. Ukrainian intelligence is working with foreign intelligence, he said in a news conference on Tuesday, warning that Russia “will receive a response, a powerful response”. Zelenskiy also said Ukraine will not agree to any proposal to freeze the current frontlines in its conflict with Russia in order to “calm” Moscow, which now controls about 22% of Ukraine including Crimea.

• Zelenskiy also vowed to return Crimea to Ukraine, saying that it would become part of the EU, along with the rest of the country. “We will return Crimea, because it is our territory. In any way we decide. We will decide it on our own, without consulting any other state,” he said. “It all began with Crimea, and it will end with Crimea.”

• Ukraine is not ready for negotiations with Russia regarding a ceasefire, Zelenskiy said. “At the point where we are, we are not ready for a ceasefire. We explained that there will be no Minsk-3, Minsk-5, or Minsk-7. We will not play these games, we have lost part of our territories this way … it is a trap,” he said during a press conference following a summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv.

• Russia’s Donbas offensive is making minimal progress and its forces are suffering from shortages of munitions, vehicles and personnel, according to British intelligence.

• Ukraine’s intelligence directorate has claimed Russia is attempting to shell the “ash pits” of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to “raise clouds of radioactive dust”. In an update posted to the agency’s official Telegram channel late last night, officials said that mortar attacks on the surrounding suburbs of Energodar aimed to target the ash pits of the plant.

• The US is set to announce a fresh security assistance package for Ukraine of about $3bn (£2.5bn), officials have said, to equip the country for a war of attrition and secure its medium- to long-term defence posture. The money will fund contracts for as many as three types of drones, and other weapons, ammunition and equipment that may not see the battlefront for a year or two, US officials told the Associated Press.

• Germany will also supply Ukraine with a further €500m in military aid, most of it earmarked for delivery next year, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday. The equipment will include three IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems, “around a dozen armed recovery vehicles, 20 rocket-launchers mounted on pick-ups … precision munition and anti-drone equipment,” a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.

• Norway and Britain are joining forces to acquire the Norwegian micro-drone Black Hornet to send to Ukraine. The package -at a cost of up to NOK 90m (about £8m) – includes Black Hornet units, spare parts, transportation and training and will be financed by the British-led fund to which Norway has contributed NOK 400m, according to a statement issued by the Norwegian ministry of defence on Wednesday.

• Russian authorities have reportedly detained Anti-Kremlin politician Yevgeny Roizman for speaking out against Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine, according to Russian media reports. Roizman, a former mayor of the city of Yekaterinburg, is being investigated for “discrediting the Russian army”, Russia state media agency Tass reported, citing Yekaterinburg security services.