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

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.

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 is "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.

Vladimir Putin has thanked North Korea for supporting his actions in Ukraine and said their countries will cooperate closely to overcome US led sanctions.

The Russian president will be in Pyongyang today for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un - his first visit to the country in 24 years.

Mr Putin's comments appeared in an op-ed in North Korean state media hours before he was expected to arrive in the North for a two-day visit.

He said he appreciates North Korea's support of Russia in their invasion of Ukraine, adding that the two countries would continue to "resolutely oppose" what he described as Western ambitions to "to hinder the establishment of a multipolarised world order based on mutual respect for justice."

Here's what he said on Pyongyang's support for the Ukraine war:

We highly appreciate the DPRK's firm support for Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, its solidarity with us on key international issues, and its readiness to defend common priorities and views on the platform of the UN. Pyongyang has been and remains our convinced supporter, ready to resolutely oppose the collective West's desire to prevent the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty and consideration of each other's interests.

There was also a reference to the two nations developing unspecified trade and payment systems "that are not controlled by the West."

We are also ready to work closely together to make international relations more democratic and stable. To this end, we will develop alternative mechanisms of trade and mutual settlements beyond the control of the West and jointly oppose illegitimate unilateral restrictions. At the same time, we will build an architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.

There was lengthy comment on the role that the US is playing on the world stage right now, which Mr Putin described as a "global neo-colonial dictatorship based on double standards."

The Russian president accuses the US of trying to "prolong and inflame" the war in Ukraine and reaffirms Russia's apparent commitment to open "equal dialogue."

The US is trying hard to impose a so-called rules-based order on the world, which is, in fact, nothing but a global neo-colonial dictatorship based on double standards. They are doing everything to prolong and inflame with greater force the conflict in Ukraine, which they themselves provoked by supporting and organising the armed coup d'etat in Kiev in 2014 and then the war in Donbass. At the same time, all these years they have repeatedly rejected all our attempts to resolve the situation peacefully. Russia has been and will continue to be open to equal dialogue on all the most difficult issues.

In reference to the combined actions of nations around the world arming Ukraine with weapons, and the economic sanctions placed on Russia, Mr Putin was defiant yet again.

He said all attempts to "contain and isolate" Russia had failed.

Our adversaries continue to supply the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv with money, weapons and intelligence, and allow and actually encourage it to use modern Western weapons and equipment to launch attacks on Russian territory (..) At the same time, they are trying to wear down our economy with more and more sanctions and provoke the growth of social and political tension inside the country.

But no matter how hard they try, all their attempts to contain and isolate Russia have failed.

Ukraine's air force said today that its air defence systems destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight.

The drones were destroyed over Dnipropetrovs and to the south, in Zaporizhzhia, the air force said on Telegram.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

We reported yesterday that fighting in the Kharkiv region escalated over the weekend, with heavy combat under way at an aggregate plant on the northern edge of Vovchansk.

Kharkiv has become a focus after Russia opened up a second front in the northeastern region last month.

Ukrainian soldiers are now looking to isolate Russian troops advancing across the nearby border.

Meanwhile, a large explosion was reported in the Rostov-on-Don region of southern Russia.

Eyewitness reports said a large flash was spotted before apartments nearby lost power.

Before we bring you today's news, here is more of what happened over the last 24 hours...

• Vladimir Putin reportedly sacked four of his deputy defence ministers
• More than 20 people were injured in a Russian missile attack on the Poltava region
• The US said it was troubled by the "deepening relationship" between Russia and North Korea
• The Kremlin said peace talks in Switzerland were futile without Russia and the results of it were "close to zero".

That's all of our live coverage on the conflict for now.

We'll bring you any major developments overnight, and we'll be back with our regular updates in the morning.