Ukraine updates: NATO urges allies to boost defence spending
All the updates from February 15, as they happened.
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday, February 15:
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday, February 15:
- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg calls on the alliance’s members to increase their military spending.
- Ukraine says it has repelled Russian attacks in Luhansk after Moscow claimed its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences in the eastern region.
- The United Nations says $5.6bn is needed to provide humanitarian aid to millions of people in Ukraine and other countries who have taken in those fleeing the war.
- Russian journalist Maria Ponоmarenko is sentenced to six years in prison for accusing the country’s air force of bombing a theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine last year.
Germany slams Swiss ban on munitions for Ukraine
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has criticised Switzerland for refusing to supply munitions for German-made Gepard anti-aircraft guns being used by Ukraine to repel Russia’s invasion.
“Some countries still have munitions but are reluctant to supply them to Ukraine for historical reasons,” Habeck said in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper.
“We are in talks with Switzerland, and I have to be clear: I cannot understand why Switzerland does not provide Gepard munitions,” he said.
Berlin has sent German-made Gepard systems and munitions to Ukraine as part of a package of weapons to help the country repel Russia’s invasion.
Germany’s own production of munitions, however, is limited and it has asked Switzerland for authorisation to send Ukraine Swiss-made ammunition.
Switzerland has declined, reasoning that authorising the deal would compromise its neutrality.
Ukrainian troops ‘firmly holding’ Bakhmut: Zelenskyy
President Zelenskyy has said that the situation near the east town of Bakhmut was the “most difficult” on the front line, but Ukrainian troops have so far been successfully holding back Russia’s advances.
“The situation in Bakhmut is the most difficult on the territory of our country,” Zelenskyy told a news conference.
“It’s not easy for our soldiers in the east but they don’t call it ‘fortress Bakhmut’ for nothing,” he said, adding that Ukrainian forces were “firmly holding” their positions.
Gepard ammunition ‘sufficient’ until summer: German defence minister
Germany’s defence minister has said that ammunition stocks for German-made Gepard battle systems, which are used in Ukraine in the country’s fight against Russia, are “highly sufficient”.
Stocks should “suffice until the summer” (around midyear in Europe), Boris Pistorius told reporters in Brussels, where NATO defence ministers were gathered for talks.
Germany has signed contracts with Rheinmetall to restart the production of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft guns it has delivered to Kyiv. Germany’s own military decommissioned the weapons in 2010.
Russia struggling to replace tanks lost in battle: Report
Russia has lost about half its best tanks in the year since it invaded Ukraine and is struggling to replace them, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has said.
In its annual Military Balance report, a key reference tool for defence experts, the IISS said loss rates for some of Russia’s most modern classes of tank were as high as 50 percent, forcing it to rely on older Soviet-era models.
“They’re producing and reactivating nowhere near enough to compensate for those loss rates. Their current armoured fleet at the front is about half the size it was at the start of the war,” Henry Boyd, a research fellow at the IISS, told the Reuters news agency.
He estimated Russia’s tank losses at between 2,000 and 2,300.
Ukraine confronts two enemies: Russia and corruption
Almost one year into the Russia-Ukraine war, thousands of people have died and nearly 17.6 million have been left in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
While the Ukrainian government remains steadfast in its fight against Russia’s invasion forces, Kyiv has also increasingly been confronting another enemy that has been gnawing within the country for years: corruption.
Read more here.
Russian bombers intercepted by NORAD forces near Alaska
Several Russian strategic bombers and fighter jets were intercepted by North American air defence forces earlier this week as they flew over international airspace near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) has said.
The aircraft, which were identified on Monday, did not enter US or Canadian airspace and did not pose a threat, the joint US-Canadian centre said in a statement.
It added that the Russian flights were in no way related to the mysterious spate of airborne objects shot down by the US military over North America in the past few weeks, the details of which remain unknown.
“NORAD had anticipated this Russian activity … Two NORAD F-16 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft,” it said.
Russia said on Wednesday that it had carried out several flights over international waters in recent days, including in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia.
Six Russian balloons spotted over Kyiv: Military administration
Six Russian balloons were spotted over Kyiv and most were shot down after being engaged by air defences, the Ukrainian capital’s military administration has said.
It said the balloons may have been carrying corner reflectors and reconnaissance equipment but did not specify when they flew over the capital, although air alerts were issued in Kyiv on Wednesday.
“According to information that is now being clarified, these were balloons that move in the air under the propulsion of wind,” the military administration said in a Telegram post.
“The purpose of launching the balloons was possibly to detect and exhaust our air defences,” it added.
There was no immediate response to the military administration’s report from Russia.
EU’s top diplomat says Ukraine ‘must win the war’
The European Union’s top diplomat says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a “wake-up call” for the bloc and that Kyiv must triumph in the conflict.
Josep Borrell said in a post on Twitter that Moscow’s offensive had “highlighted the importance of our common security and defence policy”.
“The EU has reacted strongly and we will continue to support Ukraine. Ukraine must win the war so it can win the peace,” he added.
Russia's invasion has been a wake-up call and highlighted the importance of our common security and defence policy.
The EU has reacted strongly and we will continue to support Ukraine. Ukraine must win the war so it can win the peace.@Europarl_ENhttps://t.co/8AeXwCOwrN pic.twitter.com/UiXWBgzl5q
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 15, 2023
Who controls what?
Here are three maps that we update daily to chart the latest war developments:
US defence secretary talks up Ukraine’s prospects of taking the initiative
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin says Ukraine has a “good chance” of taking the initiative on the battlefield as its war with Russia nears the one-year mark.
Austin also told reporters after a meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels that for every system the alliance’s member states provide to Kyiv, it will provide associated training to Ukrainian troops too.
“We’re laser-focused on making sure that we provide a capability and not just the platform,” he said.
Amnesty denounces jailing of Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko
Global rights group Amnesty International has slammed Russia’s jailing of journalist Maria Ponomarenko over her reporting of the Mariupol theatre bombing in Ukraine last year.
Ponomarenko was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for accusing the Russian air force of attacking the venue, where women and children were sheltering, last April.
“Maria Ponomarenko’s sentence shows that in Russia telling the truth, denouncing a war crime and demanding justice for the killing of civilians, has itself become a grave offence punishable by many years in prison,” Amnesty said in a statement.
“Her sentence is yet another example of injustice and the cynicism of the authorities in Russia, which are disturbingly routine. The authorities are trying to lock up all those who disagree with them and intimidate others to stay silent and look the other way rather than risk years behind bars.”
Infographic: How much have NATO members spent on Ukraine?
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the 30 members of the NATO military alliance have committed at least $80bn worth of military, humanitarian and financial aid to Kyiv.
Read more here.
Ukrainian defence minister says Zelenskyy asked him to stay in post
Ukraine’s defence minister says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked him to remain in his current post amid intense speculation over the former’s political future.
Asked in an interview with the Reuters news agency whether he expected to continue as defence minister in the months to come, Oleksii Reznikov replied, “Yes, it was the decision of my president.”
Reznikov’s future was thrown into doubt in recent weeks after a senior parliamentarian from Zelenskyy’s party said he would be replaced amid a corruption scandal linked to his ministry.
NATO’s chief urges member states to boost defence spending
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called on the alliance’s member states to invest more in defence spending as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
“It is obvious that we need to spend more,” Stoltenberg said after a meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
He added that member states should commit to spending a minimum of two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. NATO leaders agreed in 2014 to move towards meeting that spending target within a decade.
From the front line of war in Ukraine, Poland sees a changing EU
In this episode, Al Jazeera’s The Take podcast focuses on how the war in Ukraine has changed Poland, a European Union member state.
Russian journalist jailed for six years over Mariupol theatre bombing reporting
Russian journalist Maria Ponоmarenko has been sentenced to six years in a penal colony for accusing the country’s air force of bombing a theatre in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol last April where women and children were sheltering.
In its ruling, the Lenin district court in the Siberian city of Barnaul found Ponоmarenko guilty of spreading “fake news” and also banned her from working as a reporter for five years, according to a court service statement. State prosecutors had asked for a nine-year sentence.
“Patriotism is love for the motherland, and love for one’s motherland should not be expressed by encouraging crime,” Ponоmarenko told the court before her sentencing, according to the RusNews outlet where she worked. “Attacking your neighbour is a crime.”
“If it is a war – then call it a war,” she said from a cage in the courtroom. “This is a state crime against the army – it is like spitting on the graves of veterans.”
The Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theatre in Mariupol was destroyed by bombardment on the morning of March 16, 2022. It had been used as a haven for civilians during the Russian siege of the city.
Kyiv accused Russia of bombing the theatre, while Russia said it had been blown up by Ukrainian nationalists.
Sweden’s government to bring forward NATO accession bill next month
Sweden’s government will present a NATO accession bill to parliament in March, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Tobias Billstrom set out the plan in a speech outlining the Swedish government’s foreign policy priorities for the year.
Sweden and Finland both applied to join the transatlantic military alliance last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but their ascension has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.
Ankara has accused the government in Stockholm of being too lenient towards groups it deems to be “terrorist” organisations or existential threats, including Kurdish groups.
Russia’s new foreign policy approach to focus on ending Western ‘monopoly’: Lavrov
Russia’s foreign minister has said Moscow will focus on ending what he called a Western “monopoly” over global affairs as part of a new foreign policy approach.
“The Anglo-Saxons – and the rest of the collective West, unquestioningly submitting to them – seek to impose their dictates on world affairs at any cost,” Sergey Lavrov told legislators in Russia’s State Duma.
“Our renewed foreign policy concept will focus on the need to end the West’s monopoly on shaping the framework of international life, which in the future must be determined not in its egoistic interests but on a fair, universal balance of interests,” he added.
The Kremlin has often accused Western countries, led by the “Anglo-Saxon” United States and Britain, of trying to dominate global politics and meddle in others’ affairs, while seeking to suppress rising powers in Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Luhansk governor says Ukrainian defences holding against Russian attacks
Russia is pouring troops and military equipment into Luhansk but Ukrainian forces are maintaining their defensive lines in the eastern region, its governor has said.
“The Russians are attacking in waves with the support of aviation,” Serhiy Haidai said in a Telegram post. “[But] Our defenders hold the defence.”
Russia’s defence ministry said earlier in the day that its forces had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences on the eastern front. The ministry claimed Ukrainian troops had retreated in the face of Russian attacks in Luhansk.
Elderly couples eke out life among ruins of Ukraine war
In the isolated farming village of Posad-Pokrovske in southern Ukraine, two brothers and their wives have decided to stay put despite Russia’s deadly offensive.
“We are 80, we’ve worked all our lives, in the same garden and now we’re waiting for death,” Stepan Kovalyov, one of the brothers, said. “What else can we be waiting for?”
Read more here.
Tank delivery for Ukraine came ‘a bit too late’: German vice chancellor
The delivery of German-made Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine came “a bit too late”, the country’s vice chancellor has said.
“With the decision to send the tanks we are doing what we can,” Robert Habeck told the newspaper Die Zeit in comments published on Wednesday.
“A bit too late, but it’s done … Everyone is expecting a terrible Russian offensive … Time is pressing,” he added.
Habeck also said that Germany was not up for a debate on sending warplanes, which Ukraine says it needs to repel Russia’s offensive.
What’s behind the recent flare-up between Moldova and Russia?
Russia-Moldova ties appear increasingly strained after President Maia Sandu accused Moscow of plotting to overthrow her country’s government by force.
Russia has angrily denied the allegations as “absolutely unfounded and unsubstantiated”.
Read more here.
Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks in Luhansk: Zelenskyy’s office
Ukrainian forces have repelled some Russian attacks in Luhansk, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office has said after Moscow claimed its own troops had made advances in the eastern region.
“Over the past day, units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine repelled attacks by the (Russian) occupiers in the Nevskyi, Kreminna and Bilohorivka districts,” Zelenskyy’s office said in a statement.
“The situation in the region remains difficult,” it added, noting Russian forces had shelled a number of other communities in the region.
The statement made no mention of any retreats by Ukrainian soldiers in its report on the fighting.
Russia says its forces have advanced in Luhansk
Russia says its troops have broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences in the partly occupied eastern Luhansk region, pushing Kyiv’s forces back several kilometres in places.
The Russian defence ministry said the Ukrainians had retreated in the face of Russian attacks.
“During the offensive … the Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to three kilometres (1.9 miles) from the previously occupied lines,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military,” it added, without providing further details. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the battlefield report.
German defence minister supports raising NATO spending goal
Germany’s defence minister says he is in favour of raising NATO’s military spending target as the war in Ukraine rumbles on.
“I think moving towards the two percent target alone will not be enough, it can only be the basis for further steps,” Boris Pistorius said as he arrived for talks with other NATO defence ministers at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
“We are in the process of coordinating our position on this within the government,” he added.
NATO leaders agreed in 2014 to move towards spending at least two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence within a decade.
Several allies are now pushing for higher military spending, given there is a war raging in Europe. But others, including Germany itself, are currently far away from meeting even the two percent goal.