Russia-Ukraine war: Border shelling intensifies after Putin re-elected
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- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will not be intimidated as he cements his grip on power in a landslide election victory.
- Allies such as China were quick to congratulate Putin, but Western countries denounced what they called an illegal election.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will not be intimidated as he cements his grip on power in a landslide election victory.
- Allies such as China were quick to congratulate Putin, but Western countries denounced what they called an illegal election.
- Ukraine says residents are being evacuated from border settlements in the northeastern region of Sumy due to increased Russian shelling.
- Russia claims downing eight Vampire, two Alder and one Grad multiple-launch rocket system shells over its Belgorod region.
Here is what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a recap of some of today’s key events:
- Russia’s air force has shot down one Grad, two Alder and eight Vampire multiple-launch rocket system shells over its Belgorod region, according to a Russian defence ministry statement.
- Ukraine’s National Police say residents are being evacuated from border settlements in the northeastern region of Sumy due to increased Russian shelling.
- Russia marks the 10th anniversary since it annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine with public events, including a procession in Crimea’s Black Sea port city of Yevpatoriya and a rally in Moscow’s Red Square.
- US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has arrived in Kyiv to pledge the US’s support despite a deadlock in the US Congress over the passage of a new military aid bill to Ukraine.
‘Critically important’ for US Congress to approve Ukraine aid: Zelenskyy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with US Senator Lindsey Graham that a swift decision by the US Congress on releasing a $1bn Ukrainian aid package was “critically important”, according to a Ukrainian presidential office statement.
He also briefed Graham about the situation on the front line and the essential needs of the army, the statement said.
UN relief chief says world should ‘hang its head in shame’ amid Gaza hunger crisis
Martin Griffiths has slammed the international community for failing to prevent what he called is “imminent” famine in Gaza.
“More than 1 million people are at risk because they have been cut off from life-saving aid, markets have collapsed, and fields have been destroyed,” he posted on X.
“The international community should hang its head in shame for failing to stop this.”
Griffiths said the world must “flood” Gaza with food and aid. “There is no time to lose.”
Earlier, UN chief Antonio Guterres said a new report warning that famine is now imminent in northern Gaza is an “appalling indictment” of the situation on the ground.
Famine is imminent in Gaza.
The international community should hang its head in shame for failing to stop it. pic.twitter.com/UjjaS094B3
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) March 18, 2024
Four people killed in Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Belgorod: Governor
Four people have been killed in Russia’s Belgorod region when a shell directly hit a residential building, according to its governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.
“Rescuers recovered the bodies of two more women from the rubble. A terrorist act by the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed the lives of almost an entire family: a grandmother, a mother, her common-law husband and a son, a young 17-year-old boy, were killed,” he wrote on Telegram.
“This is an irreparable loss for the entire Belgorod region! I express my sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of this family although I understand that no words can calm this grief. … They managed to save the little granddaughter. … The child’s condition has been stabilised,” Gladkov said, adding two photos of the attack aftermath to his post.
‘Help Ukraine win’: Lithuania’s president urges West not to follow Putin’s rules
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda describes Putin’s re-election as “so predictable”, calling the vote “Putin’s spectacle”.
“Russia will not change anyway. It will stay on the path of war and violent imperialism,” he said on X.
“We must help Ukraine win. We must be the ones who set the rules for the future. Not Putin,” Nauseda added.
Putin's spectacle of the absurd was so predictable.#Russia will not change anyway. It will stay on the path of war& violent imperialism.
We must help #Ukraine win. We must be the ones who set the rules for the future. Not Putin.
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) March 18, 2024
Italy’s Salvini says Russian voters’ decision must be accepted
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini says the Russian voters’ decision must be accepted, in a marked difference from the critical responses from other Western leaders on Putin’s victory.
Salvini, the leader of Italy’s far-right League party and a staunch ally of Putin before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, said the outcome must be accepted because “when people vote, they are always right.”
“They [Russians] voted, and we acknowledge that, hoping that 2024 will be the year of peace,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Milan.
Salvini’s remarks signal growing tensions within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government, which has yet to comment on Putin’s win.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, leader of the centrist Forza Italia party and a deputy prime minister alongside Salvini, said Russia’s presidential election was “neither free nor fair”.
European Council agrees $5.4bn fund for Ukraine’s military
The European Council has agreed to increase its support to Ukraine’s military forces by 5 billion euros ($5.44bn) through a dedicated assistance fund, according to a council statement.
“With the fund, we will continue to support Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s war of aggression with whatever it takes and for as long as we need to,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
The statement added that the EU will use the money to acquire lethal and non-lethal military gear and conduct training.
The European Council also approved rules for joint procurements from EU and Norwegian defence contractors.
Last week, the ambassadors of the EU’s 27 member countries agreed to overhaul the fund and add 5 billion euros to support the Ukrainian army.
Ukraine sees Russia’s buffer zone talk as sign of ‘escalation’
A senior Ukrainian official says Putin’s idea of creating a buffer zone at the border is a clear indication that Moscow plans to escalate its war in Ukraine.
“This is … a direct manifest statement that the war will only escalate,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aide Mykhailo Podolyak told the Reuters news agency in a written statement.
“All this is direct evidence that the Russian Federation is not ready to live in modern social and political relations, taking into account the absolute sovereign rights of other countries,” he said.
Putin brought up the idea of a buffer zone when asked whether he thought it necessary for Russia to take Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which borders Belgorod, a Russian province that has come under regular attack from Kyiv’s forces.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier that a buffer zone was the only way to protect Russia’s territory.
Photos: Moscow holds rally to mark 10th anniversary of Crimea’s annexation
Russia claims thwarting Ukrainian advance to Russian border with drone strike
“A Russian drone struck a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group that was planning to advance to the Russian border,” according to the Russian defence ministry.
At least eight Ukrainians were killed and wounded in the confrontation that took place in the Ukrainian village of Lukashivka, it said, without elaborating on whether the injured were included in that figure.
The group was “about to board an infantry fighting vehicle for further advancement to the Russian state border for the purpose of another provocation” when it was struck, the ministry claimed.
Ukraine’s cabinet approves reform plan required for $54bn EU assistance
Photos: Ukrainian defence line in Kharkiv region
Two people injured in Russia’s Belgorod region in Ukrainian air attack: Governor
Gladkov also listed material damage from a Ukrainian air attack in the city of Belgorod as well as the villages of Oktyabrsky, Dubovoe and Razumnoye.
WATCH: Putin wins again, but what happens in Russia’s election protests?
Putin has claimed a record landslide victory in an election without serious opposition as many voters got around a crackdown on dissent to take part in a protest on the final day of voting in the three-day presidential election.
Below is what happened:
Photos: Crimea marks 10th anniversary of Russia’s annexation
Russia calls on OSCE to condemn ‘indiscriminate shelling of Russian cities by Ukraine’
Alexander Lukashevich, Russia’s ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has claimed the organisation’s leadership “de facto ignored the lives of Donbas residents” for eight years.
He was referring to the Russian-backed separatist breakaway region of Ukraine.
Lukashevich said the OSCE “must immediately condemn the indiscriminate shelling of Russian cities by Ukraine”, according to Russia’s TASS state news agency.
Ukraine evacuates border settlements in Sumy region
Ukraine’s National Police say residents are being evacuated from border settlements in the northeastern region of Sumy due to increased Russian shelling.
“For the sixth day in a row, evacuation measures from border settlements in the Okhtyr district continue due to the aggravation of the situation,” the police force wrote on Telegram.
“Locals say that it is no longer possible to stay here. The enemy is prowling everywhere – it is difficult to find the buildings that survived the raids of the occupiers.”
Zelenskyy invites Indonesia’s Prabowo to peace conference in Switzerland
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto to a peace conference in Switzerland to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
“I spoke with the President-elect of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto to congratulate him on his election victory and express hope for continued mutually beneficial bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“It was in Indonesia in 2022 that I presented the Peace Formula – a true path to just peace. Now we are preparing for the inaugural Peace Summit, and Indonesia’s participation is of fundamental importance.
“I extended an invitation to attend the summit and implement the Peace Formula items on food and nuclear security, as well as the exchange of prisoners.”
I spoke with the President-elect of Indonesia @Prabowo Subianto to congratulate him on his election victory and express hope for continued mutually beneficial bilateral relations.
It was in Indonesia in 2022 that I presented the Peace Formula—a true path to just peace. Now we…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 18, 2024
India’s Modi congratulates Putin on his election win
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Putin on his re-election and says he looks forward to boosting ties to develop their “special” relationship.
“Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come,” Modi wrote on X.
India has shied away from explicit condemnations of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, even as it pursues greater security ties with the United States.
Russia has become the top oil supplier for India, which has bought hundreds of millions of barrels of discounted Russian crude since the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
Warm congratulations to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 18, 2024
North Korea ships 7,000 containers of ammunition to Russia: South Korea
North Korea has shipped about 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year, according to South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik.
During a news conference in Seoul, Shin said the South Korean military believes the North has been increasingly using its rail networks to send arms to Russia through their land border.
He added that in exchange for sending possibly several million artillery shells and other supplies, North Korea has received more than 9,000 Russian containers likely filled with aid.
US and South Korean officials have previously accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other equipment in recent months to help fuel its war on Ukraine.
They said the arms transfers accelerated after a September summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Putin.
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham arrives in Kyiv
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has arrived in Kyiv to pledge the US’s support despite a deadlock in Congress over the passing of a new military aid bill to Ukraine.
Graham has been a longtime advocate for supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself from Russia.
Today we welcome @LindseyGrahamSC to Kyiv. The U.S.’s unwavering support is crucial for Ukraine’s success against Russia’s illegal full-scale war. pic.twitter.com/1wrelIp7NG
— U.S. Embassy Kyiv (@USEmbassyKyiv) March 18, 2024
Russia claims downing 11 MLRS shells fired at Belgorod from Ukraine
Russia’s air force has shot down eight Vampire, two Alder and one Grad multiple-launch rocket system shells over its Belgorod region, according to the Russian defence ministry statement.
The ministry said on Telegram that the incident it called “another attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack” took place from 11:30 to 11:45am Moscow time (08:30-08:45 GMT).
China to consider participation in Ukraine peace conference held in Switzerland
China will consider participating in a peace conference held in Switzerland aimed at ending the Ukraine war, the Chinese ambassador to Switzerland was quoted as saying.
In an interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Wang Shihting said all parties should work to end the conflict, adding that “the crisis must be prevented from getting even worse, or even getting out of control”.
“We are closely following the Ukraine conference that Switzerland will host, and are examining the possibility of taking part,” Wang stated, saying China had put forward a strategy for a political end to the conflict.
The Swiss government has said it aims to hold the peace conference “by the summer” after the idea was floated in January. Russia called the peace conference plan “pointless” and indicated it was doomed to fail without Moscow’s participation.
Russia’s FSB detains woman for sabotage attempt in Crimea
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a 24-year-old Russian woman in Crimea who was attempting to sabotage rail infrastructure and bring military equipment to the front line in Ukraine, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
The FSB was quoted as saying that the woman had corresponded with a Ukrainian handler regarding the planned attack and was under suspicion of “terrorism” and treason.
The service also said it had detained some Ukrainian agents in recent days amid a surge in Ukrainian strikes on Russia during its presidential elections.