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The latest developments in Russia's war on Ukraine. All times EST.
9:27 p.m.: Billionaire financier George Soros said on Thursday that if Russia is defeated in its war on Ukraine, it would result in the dissolution of what he called the "Russian empire," something he said would be greeted by former Soviet republics, Reuters reported.
Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered one of the deadliest European conflicts since World War II and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The hedge fund manager turned philanthropist said that the Russian army was badly led, ill equipped and demoralized, but that President Vladimir Putin had turned to the Wagner mercenary group to thwart the Ukrainian military.
"The countries of the former Soviet Union can hardly wait to see the Russians defeated in Ukraine because they want to assert their independence," Soros told the Munich Security Conference, according to a text of his speech released by his office.
"This means that a Ukrainian victory would result in the dissolution of the Russian empire. Russia would no longer pose a threat to Europe and the world," he said. "That would be a big change for the better."
8:33 p.m.: When migration officials detained six pregnant Russian women at a Buenos Aires airport last week, they exposed a phenomenon that has been growing in the country for a year: Russian birthing tourism, Agence France-Presse reported.
As Russia's President Vladimir Putin wages war in Ukraine, Argentina has gradually become the destination of choice for Russian expectant parents fleeing the threat of conscription and seeking new passports in the South American country.
Pregnant Russian women and couples with a newborn baby have become increasingly visible in Buenos Aires over the last year, whether in cafes, parks, or buses, but especially in private clinics.
Argentina's quality medical facilities and the ease with which nationality is obtained are part of the draw.
7:57 p.m.: Estonia, which has contributed the most military aid to Ukraine by share of its economic size, on Thursday called on allies to do more to help the war-torn country, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Baltic state's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur made the appeal following talks in Tallinn with visiting U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin.
"Whilst the United States is the biggest contributor in absolute terms, Estonia is in relative terms," Pevkur told reporters.
"Estonia's military assistance to Ukraine recently exceeded 1 percent of our GDP. Still we can and must do more."
He went on to list three ways in which the global community could further help Kyiv fight back against Russia's invasion, which began nearly a year ago.
7:08 p.m.: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States was ready to defend the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania if required, and will keep its military presence in the region, Reuters reported.
"We are committed to Article 5, you can bet on that," said Austin, referring to the requirement in the NATO Charter that each member of the alliance defend each other if they come under attack.
Speaking in Tallinn after talks with Estonian leaders, he said the U.S. will continue to keep a "persistent, rotational" military presence in the region.
6:18 p.m.: The head of Russia's mercenary outfit Wagner said on Thursday it could take months to capture the embattled Ukraine city of Bakhmut and slammed Moscow's "monstrous bureaucracy" for slowing military gains, Agence France-Presse reported.
Russia has been trying to encircle and capture the battered industrial city and ahead of February 24, the first anniversary of what it terms its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
"I think it's (going to be in) March or in April," Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said in one of several messages posted online.
"To take Bakhmut you have to cut all supply routes. It's a significant task," he said, adding: "Progress is not going as fast as we would like".
"Bakhmut would have been taken before the New Year, if not for our monstrous military bureaucracy," he added.
Prigozhin has previously accused the Russian military of attempting to "steal" victories from Wagner, a sign of his rising clout and the potential for dangerous rifts in Moscow.
Wagner's claims to have captured ground without help from the regular army -- which Prigozhin regularly criticizes -- has spurred friction with senior military leadership.
5:33 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged filmmakers to take sides in what he termed a battle between freedom and tyranny, drawing a parallel in his speech opening the Berlin Film Festival between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Berlin Wall, Reuters reported.
Zelenskyy recalled his own experience as an actor, urging colleagues to "break the fourth wall" by directly addressing their audiences.
"For many years Potsdam Square was divided by the Berlin Wall," he said via video link. "Today Russia wants to build the same wall in Ukraine: a wall between us and Europe, to separate Ukraine from its own choice for its future."
Zelenskyy's experiences on the first days of the invasion a year ago are the subject of a Sean Penn documentary, "Superpower," that will premiere at the festival on Friday.
4:55 p.m.: Russia and Ukraine exchanged 101 prisoners of war in their latest prisoner swap on Thursday, their authorities said, according to Reuters.
"Aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces will deliver the released servicemen to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Defense Ministry," the Russian ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff posted images of scores of Ukrainian servicemen posing for a photograph after being released.
He said 100 troops and one civilian had been returned.
Nearly all had been defending the besieged southern city of Mariupol before it fell to Russian forces, Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
Earlier this month, Zelenskyy said that since the start of the conflict last February, Ukraine had secured the release of 1,762 men and women from Russian captivity.
4:08 p.m.:
3:20 p.m.: A government commission has approved the sale of Swedish furniture maker IKEA’s three plants in Russia to two Russian buyers, Reuters reported Thursday, quoting a government official.
Deputy Trade and Commerce Minister Viktor Yevtukhov told the daily Izvestia that kitchen worktop manufacturer Slotex and lumber producer Luzales would purchase the plants.
The factories would continue to operate and its production would be sold by Russian retail outlets. The Russian and Swedish companies, Izvestia said, would work out the terms of the sale, being negotiated nearly a year after Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
No details were announced.
IKEA decided to close its shops in Russia after Moscow launched what it describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Many other Western companies - from energy producers to food and clothing chains - have left Russia.
IKEA, the world’s biggest furniture brand, shut down its Russian stores last March and said it would sell factories, close offices and reduce its 15,000-strong workforce in Russia. It reopened for a brief online fire sale last summer.
2:40 p.m.:
2:25 p.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin's future in power has become less certain in the aftermath of the country's invasion of Ukraine, a Western official said on Thursday, but it isn't possible to predict when any changes in the Kremlin may occur, Reuters reported.
As the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches, some in Russia's elite fear the war will drag on, draining lives and resources, and Putin's hopes of burnishing his reputation in Russia have been dashed.
But he remains secure in power, according to five senior Russian sources.
The official said Putin had been in a much more settled political landscape a year ago, before he launched what Moscow calls a special operation in Ukraine, but that was now more uncertain.
"People are talking about succession in a way that they weren't a year ago. But what there isn't, in a place like Russia, is a clear pathway to change," the Western official told reporters, on condition of anonymity.
2:10 p.m.: Moldova’s new government led by pro-Western economist Dorin Recean was sworn in Thursday after winning Parliament’s approval, as the small former Soviet republic signaled a shift to security concerns amid Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.
Recean, a 48-year-old economist who served for a year as President Maia Sandu’s defense and security adviser, was tapped by her last week as prime minister-designate after Natalia Gavrilita suddenly quit the position.
All lawmakers present from Moldova’s ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, which holds 63 seats in the country’s 101-seat legislature, voted in favor of Recean’s government. One was absent. The Moscow-friendly parties, the Communists and Socialists, which hold 31 seats, abstained from voting, and the 6 Shor Party lawmakers boycotted the vote.
Sandu told the new government as she swore it in later Thursday that it has to lead Moldova through “a very difficult period, marked by multiple crises,” and highlighted European Union membership as the only way the country can “preserve and strengthen” its democracy.
2:00 p.m.: Ukrainians in Chasiv Yar — a town near Bakhmut in the east of the country — are enduring near-constant shelling as battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces rage close by. VOA’s Yaroslava Movchan has the story.
1:45 p.m.: European Union countries were "on good track" to adopt new sanctions against Moscow in time for the February 24 one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing diplomats in Brussels.
They spoke under the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of talks among the representatives of 27 EU member countries about the proposed new sanctions estimated to be worth some 11 billion euros ($11.8 bln) in trade flows.
"The package should be concluded well in time for February 24th, it's on good track, there are no major sticking points," said one EU diplomat familiar with the discussions.
1:30 p.m.: The United States launched an initiative Thursday promoting international cooperation on the responsible use of artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons by militaries, seeking to impose order on an emerging technology that has the potential to change the way war is waged, The Associated Press reported.
“As a rapidly changing technology, we have an obligation to create strong norms of responsible behavior concerning military uses of AI and in a way that keeps in mind that applications of AI by militaries will undoubtedly change in the coming years,” Bonnie Jenkins, the State Department’s under secretary for arms control and international security, said.
She said the U.S. political declaration, which contains non-legally binding guidelines outlining best practices for responsible military use of AI, “can be a focal point for international cooperation.”
Jenkins launched the declaration at the end of a two-day conference in The Hague that took on additional urgency as advances in drone technology amid the Russia’s war in Ukraine have accelerated a trend that could soon bring the world’s first fully autonomous fighting robots to the battlefield.
The U.S. declaration has 12 points, including that military uses of AI are consistent with international law, and that states “maintain human control and involvement for all actions critical to informing and executing sovereign decisions concerning nuclear weapons employment.”
1:15 p.m.:
1:00 p.m.: A group of U.S. Senators introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday that would require the U.S. Secretary of State to designate the Russian paramilitary organization the Wagner Group a terrorist organization, VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reported.
"There is no question that the Wagner group has murdered journalists, kidnapped children, raped women, engaged in savage, barbarous conduct that gives new meaning to the word terrorists," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters. Even though the group has already been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department, Blumenthal said that if passed, this measure would provide tools for further sanctions.
Blumenthal said he expects the legislation will receive significant support in the U.S. Senate, which passed a resolution with bipartisan support last year calling on the Secretary of State to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
12:55 p.m.: U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, ahead of his trip to the Munich Security Conference this week, his office said in a statement. The gathering takes place in the southern German city from February 17-19, days before the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine has forced both us Americans and our friends in Europe to take long, hard looks at our countries’ commitments to military spending and self-defense,” McConnell said.
“Our security and Europe’s security are interlinked. Our economies are intertwined. But the rest of NATO must do more to follow our lead, increase defense spending, upgrade their capabilities, and put skin in the game,” he stated.
“I’ll come as a staunch supporter of NATO, but I’ll come with homework assignments for our European friends. I will speak as a friend, but I will speak frankly,” he added. “Hard power is what kept the peace during the Cold War. Our allies have got to reinvest in it.”
“These challenges are multifaceted, they are global, and they are only growing,” McConnell said. “So I look forward to talking to our allies in Munich — both about America’s resolve to lead… and Europe’s responsibility to shoulder more of the load.”
12:40 p.m.:
12:25 p.m.: In a tit-for-tat move, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Austrian Ambassador Werner Almhofer on February 16 and informed him that four diplomats at the Austrian Embassy in Moscow were declared as persona non grata and must leave the country before February 23, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
The move comes two weeks after Austria ordered four Russian diplomats to leave the country until February 8.
European Union member states have cracked down on suspected Russian spies since Moscow launched its ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
12:05 p.m.: Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday he would only order his troops to fight alongside ally Russia if another country launches an attack against Belarus, the state-run Belta news agency reported, according to Reuters.
Lukashenko, who has repeatedly denied claims from Kyiv and the West that his country could be dragged further into the war in Ukraine on the side of Moscow, also said he planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
"I am ready to fight with the Russians from the territory of Belarus in only one case: If even one soldier comes onto the territory of Belarus to kill my people," Belta quoted Lukashenko as telling a news conference on Thursday. "If they commit aggression against Belarus, the response will be the most severe, and the war will take on a completely different nature."
Russia used Belarus as a staging post for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, launching its failed offensive on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv from the country.
11:50 a.m.: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur addressed the media after their meeting Thursday in Tallinn, Estonia. VOA’s national security correspondent Jeff Seldin shared the details on Twitter.
11:35 a.m.: From tents to tanks, this has been a big year in Ukraine for NATO allies, The Associated Press reported in this news analysis, nearly one year after the war began.
The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, the leaders of NATO’s 30 member countries held an emergency summit to address what they described as the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades — the launch of what would become the biggest land war in Europe since 1945.
“In this very evolving and difficult situation, it’s hard to predict what will (happen) in the future, but allies are providing support and are very committed to continue,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. What that support might look like was an open question.
In the months that followed, Ukraine’s supporters at NATO and elsewhere sent fuel, helmets, medical supplies and other non-lethal support. Then, after much hand-wringing, came artillery and air defense systems in the hope that these would not provoke Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
NATO, as an organization, was wary of being dragged into all-out war with nuclear-armed Russia. Technically it still is, but a year on the Ukraine Contact Defense Group this week held talks at NATO’s Brussels headquarters, where the alliance’s leaders, ministers and envoys usually sit.
Perhaps one of the most important changes sparked by the war has been the realization that NATO’s collective defense guarantee — the pledge that an attack on any ally will be met with a response from them all — is no longer an abstract promise.
11:20 a.m.: More than 100 members of the Ukrainian military are in Poland for intense training on the German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks. Ukrainian leaders say the tanks, promised by Western allies three weeks ago, will help save lives and play a key role in the fight against Russian forces. Myroslava Gongadze has more from an Army base in Swietoszow, Poland.
11:05 a.m.: Many Ukrainians have built new lives in Georgia, a year after the start of the war in their home country, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Thursday.
In February 2022, 40-year-old Dmytro Korin and his family were on holiday with a group of friends in Gudauri, a popular ski resort in Georgia's mountains, when the war broke out. Though with only one suitcase shared between them, and a few items for their skiing holiday, Korin and his family did not return to their home in Zaporizhzhia, in eastern Ukraine.
Together with other Ukrainian refugee families, they have been living in a hotel in Tbilisi, with Korin running Unite Together, which he co-founded in the wake of the war. The charity raises funds to support Ukrainians in Georgia, helps them to navigate the rental market and schools, as well as providing other community support. The funds raised in Georgia are also partly used for buying and sending essential medicine to towns and cities across Ukraine.
"We thought maybe we'd just be here for one week, but with the network that developed, and the work with Unite Together, we ended up staying."
Korin is one of an estimated 120,000 Ukrainians who have come to Georgia since Russia's invasion of their country. While many have used Georgia as a transit route to other destinations, many have stayed.
10:55 a.m.:
10:30 a.m.: War has split families in a Ukrainian town near Russia, VOA’s Yan Boechat reported.
This border region between the two countries is interconnected by culture and history. The war has brought deep separation for those who permanently lived as if borders were just imaginary lines drawn on a map.
Nova Kozacha is the last destination open to civilians on the road that borders the rail line linking northeastern Ukraine to Russia. The small village is so close to the border that it suffered virtually no damage from invading Russian troops a year ago or the autumn Ukrainian counter-offensive.
The sunflower fields around the village are abandoned. The never-picked flowers are now dry, lifeless, and colorless, showing that life abruptly stopped here.
The sound of Russian artillery or Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire occasionally breaks the silence.
From more than 1,000 residents before the war started, less than 200 people now live here. Some of those who left are in Russia and don't want to or can't go back to meet those who stayed behind.
10:10 a.m.: Some 1.1 million people arrived in Germany from Ukraine in 2022, exceeding the influx of migrants from the Middle East around 2015, Germany's federal statistical office said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Two thirds of the immigrants from Ukraine arrived in the first three months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, between March and May of last year, it said.
The data comes days before the one-year anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24, which led to millions of Ukrainians being displaced.
Excluding those who returned to Ukraine, immigration from Ukraine to Germany was 962,000 in 2022, more than the total of 834,000 that came from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq together between 2014 and 2016, it said.
That made Ukrainian citizens the second largest foreign population in Germany after Turkish nationals by October 2022, it said.
9:55 a.m.:
9:40 a.m.: A top Russian Defense Ministry official has been found dead after apparently falling from a high-rise apartment building in St. Petersburg, the latest death of a senior official, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
Marina Yankina, 58, was the head of finance and procurement of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Western Military District.
The report of her death on February 16 comes just days after Major General Vladimir Makarov — who was recently fired by Russian President Vladimir Putin — was found dead in a suspected suicide outside of Moscow.
9:25 a.m.: Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday in the first such visit since Russia's invasion last year, offered support for a Ukrainian peace initiative at the United Nations next week, Reuters reported.
Israel has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it has limited its assistance to Kyiv to humanitarian aid and protective gear.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to power in December, has spoken about reviewing policy on the conflict but has stopped short of pledging any direct supply of arms to Kyiv.
The Israelis want to maintain a coordination hotline with Russia, set up in 2015 over their military strikes on suspected Iranian targets in Syria, where Moscow has a garrison. They are also mindful of the welfare of Russia's big Jewish community.
During a joint briefing with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Cohen said Israel would support a Ukrainian peace initiative at the United Nations next week and help secure up to $200 million for healthcare and infrastructure projects.
He added that Israel would also help develop a smart air raid early warning system.
Without mentioning Russia, Cohen said Israel remains "firmly in solidarity with the people of Ukraine" and supports Kyiv's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"I am proud to stand with Ukraine in the face of these challenging times," Cohen said.
9:05 a.m.: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on a visit to the capital Kyiv Thursday. Cohen’s visit comes just before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion and as Western nations seek to increase aid to the country.
8:50 a.m.: A new U.N. draft resolution calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine and for peace, The Associated Press reported Thursday. To mark next week’s first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union on Wednesday circulated the resolution to be voted on by the U.N. General Assembly.
While the assembly’s five previous resolutions on Ukraine are not legally binding — as council resolutions are — they are important as a reflection of world opinion. There are no vetoes in the 193-member world body, so the resolution is certain to be adopted at the end of a high-level emergency special session of the assembly February 23. But the big question is how many “yes” votes it will get.
The resolution to be voted on emphasizes the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes committed in Ukraine through “fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level.”
It adds a call “for a cessation of hostilities” and refers directly to “the full scale invasion of Ukraine” a year ago, reiterating the need to reach “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine “as soon as possible” in line with the U.N. Charter.
The draft calls on U.N. member states and international organizations “to redouble support for diplomatic efforts” to achieve peace on those terms, and supports efforts by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and unnamed countries.
The proposed resolution reiterates the General Assembly’s previous demand that Russia “immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces” from Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.
It also deplores “the dire human rights and humanitarian consequences” of Russia’s aggression, including its repeated attacks on critical infrastructure with devastating consequences for civilians” and expresses “grave concern at the high number of civilian casualties.” It calls for an immediate halt to attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, residences, schools and hospitals.
The General Assembly has become the most important U.N. body dealing with Ukraine because the Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed as a result of Russia’s veto power.
8:40 a.m.:
8:25 a.m.: As the war rages on in Ukraine, the United States is doing more than supporting an ally. It’s learning lessons — with an eye toward a possible clash with China, The Associated Press reported.
No one knows what the next U.S. major military conflict will be or whether the U.S. will send troops — as it did in Afghanistan and Iraq — or provide vast amounts of aid and expertise, as it has done with Ukraine.
But China remains America’s biggest concern. U.S. military officials say Beijing wants to be ready to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan by 2027, and the U.S. remains the island democracy’s chief ally and supplier of defense weapons.
While there are key differences in geography and in U.S. commitment to come to Taiwan’s defense, “there are clear parallels between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan,” a Center for Strategic and International Studies report found last month.
The AP took a look at some of the lessons from the Ukraine war and how they could apply to a Taiwan conflict in this news analysis.
8:10 a.m.: Russian lawmakers on Thursday supported the country's withdrawal from 21 conventions of the Council of Europe, in accordance with Moscow's decision last March to leave the Strasbourg-based human rights watchdog, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said at the session of the State Duma that Russia will remain party to the Council of Europe conventions on combating terrorism unless attempts are made to discriminate against it.
Russia's departure from the body preempted the country's expulsion following its invasion of Ukraine.
7:45 a.m.:
7:20 a.m.: Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan will invite his Ukrainian counterpart to the Group of Seven (G-7) foreign ministers' meeting to be held in Germany on Feb. 18, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday.
As the organizer of the meeting and the chair of G-7 summit this year, Japan is also preparing to host a G-7 summit meeting online on Feb. 24, timed with the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kyodo reported earlier this month.
7:05 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Norwegian lawmakers on Thursday for approving a bilateral aid package of some $7 billion over five years, saying Russia would never overcome the unity of Ukraine and its allies, Reuters reported.
Norway, a major petroleum exporter, has seen its government income swell to record levels following Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the price of gas sold to Europe soared last year.
The package, announced on February 6, is the largest aid program Norway has ever supplied to a single nation, and is part of an unprecedented flow of Western military aid to Ukraine meant to help it fight off Russia's invasion.
Speaking via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Norway's decision set a precedent for "sustainable support", calling it a "historic contribution."
6:45 a.m.: The United States will provide $200 million to the Czech Republic for military upgrades and replacement of equipment the Czechs are sending to Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy said on Thursday. The donation is on top of $106 million pledged last year, news agency CTK reported.
6:30 a.m.:
6:15 a.m.: Russian troops launched a massive missile attack on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine overnight, killing one person and injuring at least seven others, VOA's Anna Chernikova reported from Kyiv. The missiles struck various regions including the northern and western parts of Ukraine, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine said that air defense forces were able to shoot down 14 out of the 32 cruise missiles and 2 out of the 2 X-59 guided air missiles. However, the X-22 missiles were able to reach their targets, hitting critical infrastructure facilities. Ukraine does not currently possess air defense capabilities to destroy this type of missile.
Six missiles were shot down over the Dnipropetrovsk region and one missile was shot down over the Zaporizhzhia region during the attack, the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed. Russian missiles hit the private sector and an industrial facility in the Dnipropetrovsk region, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to seven others. Seven private houses were destroyed and about fifty were damaged.
Additionally, eight Kalibr missiles were shot down over the Mykolaiv region and two over the Kherson region. Two missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility in the city of Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, which was also attacked by drones. Three missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility in the Lviv region.
Ukraine's major electricity transmission system operator, Ukrenergo, reported that the recent night attack by Russian missiles and drones would not result in large-scale power outages in the country.
5:22 a.m.: A White House official said U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Munich to consult with allies on the continuing response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She'll meet with leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Finland and Sweden.
5:15 a.m.: The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said in its latest Ukraine assessment that Russian's ongoing invasion of Ukraine is taking a toll on Russian equipment and manpower.
Russian forces continued offensive operations northwest of Svatove and along the Svatove-Kreminna line, around Bakhmut, along the western outskirts of Donetsk City, and in western Donetsk Oblast.
Additionally, Russian sources implied that Ukrainian forces may hold positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast.
4:12 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry said Russia has stepped up its air attacks against Ukraine. But even so, the update said, its air forces have had limited success, largely stymied by Ukraine's air defenses. "Russian combat jets operate almost exclusively over Russian-held territory, preventing them from carrying out their key strike role effectively," the update said.
3:07 a.m.: The U.N. warned Wednesday that agreements to enable grain shipments from war-torn Ukraine, desperately needed to ward off hunger in poor countries, were in "difficult territory," Agence France-Presse reported.
The hard-won Black Sea Grain Initiative was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey last July. It was renewed in November and is up for renewal again on March 18.
"I think we're in slightly more difficult territory at the moment," U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told reporters.
He insisted though that the arguments for continuing were "conclusive and persuasive," stressing that "the Global South ... needs that operation to continue."
One complication is that the initiative was agreed in parallel with a deal aimed at smoothing the way for exports of Russian fertilizer.
Griffiths acknowledged that it was "much more complicated in many ways to make (the fertilizer deal) work."
"But it is important that it does work," he said, insisting that freeing up fertilizer exports is "of the highest priority."
2:10 a.m.: The conflict in Ukraine "has given NATO renewed purpose" and spurred Eastern Europe to ditch Soviet-era equipment, but China's military modernization remains the United States' chief concern, a British think tank said Wednesday, according to Agence France-Presse.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its annual Military Balance report that "the invasion ... impelled Finland and Sweden to apply to join the Alliance; and has led states in Eastern Europe to sharpen their focus on defense."
However, thanks to inflation the European defense outlay has increased only 0.8% in real terms last year.
Russia's invasion has also led to Eastern European states updating their inventories with "more modern Western military systems," with South Korea also emerging as a major defense supplier in Europe.
Despite the general focus on Russia, it is China that has the attention of the U.S. in the long-term, added the IISS.
"China's defense spending increase of 7.0% in the 2022 budget, over 2021 figures, is its largest in absolute terms," it added.
1:09 a.m.: European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed Wednesday what she said was Ukraine's "tangible progress" toward securing membership talks with the bloc, despite Russia's brutal invasion, Agence France-Presse reported.
Kyiv wants to join the 27-nation union as soon as possible and has called for formal accession talks to begin as early as this year, much faster than any recent candidate has managed.
There is skepticism in several EU capitals that this will be possible, amid demands that Ukraine first pass anti-corruption reforms and clean up its political and economic life.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said she had heard heartening news from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels last week and earlier on a visit with her commission to Kyiv.
"Ukrainians are making tangible progress despite the war, despite fighting the aggressor," she said to applause.
"They know that the accession to our union is a merit-based process. They have passed legislative reforms that others thought would take years," she said.
12:02 a.m.: A group of Democratic and Republican senators said Wednesday they would try again to pass legislation that would require the State Department to designate Russian mercenary company Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization, Reuters reported.
Led by Democrat Ben Cardin and Republican Roger Wicker, the senators said they had reintroduced the Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries (HARM) act, which was introduced but not passed before the end of the previous.
The Treasury Department last month designated Wagner, which is fighting on the Russian side in some of the most intense battles of the Ukraine war, as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses.
Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
