Ukraine Russia war – latest news: Wagner chief says Putin has ‘cut him off’ over arms call

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has accused Russian president and his boss Vladimir Putin of cutting him off over repeated requests for replenishing his forces fighting in eastern Ukraine.

“To get me to stop asking for ammunition, all the hotlines to offices, to departments etc have been cut off from me. But the real humdinger is that they’ve also blocked agencies from making decisions [related to Wagner],” the private Russian military’s leader said on Telegram.

Russia launched a huge wave of missile strikes across Ukraine, killing a number of civilians and forcing Europe’s largest nuclear power plant off the electrical grid for hours.

It is the first search mass attack in weeks, with the strikes including the use of hypersonic cruise missiles – one of Moscow’s most valuable weapons which travel at such speed they can evade air defences.

“The occupiers can only terrorise civilians. That’s all they can do. But it won’t help them,” said Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. They won’t avoid responsibility for everything they have done.”

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Wildlife groups are calling for Britain to ban the transportation of eels to Russian conservation projects because of fears they are being sold on to China for food.

The alarm was sounded after a consignment of half a million eels were moved to Kaliningrad. Charities have said that the profits Russia has made from these sales could be funding the Ukraine war.

Multi-member organisation Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), which represents the RSPCA, CPRE and the Marine Conservation Society, has called for action from Defra (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs).

Conservation has been required with the European eel population falling by 90 per cent in the past four decades despite hundreds of millions of baby, or glass, eels arriving each year.

William Mata has the full story:

Georgia ruling party has withdrawn a controversial proposal for a “foreign agents” law – condemned by opponents as a Russian-inspired authoritarian bill that could have hit hopes of the country joining the European Union.

The bill, which had been given initial approval by the country’s parliament, has sparked several nights of protest, with tens of thousands of people coming out onto the streets. The demonstrations had been forcefully dispersed by police using water cannons and tear gas.

Given Georgia’s status as former Soviet state situated at Russia’s south-west border, any suggestions of influence from Moscow will carry significan weight. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has long seen the country as part of Russia’s sphere of influence. The Russian leader has also upped his rhetoric in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine about Western institutions, such as the EU and the Nato military alliance, seeking to erode Russia’s standing in the world. Georgia is not a member of Nato, but has sought to join.

The controversial proposed law has been withdrawn for now following mass protests, writes Chris Stevenson:

Aerial footage reveals the extent of destruction in Lviv Oblast after Russia launched a barrage of missile strikes against Ukraine.

This video, shared by the region’s governor, shows the state civilian houses were left in after the shelling hit the area.

It was the first such missile attack in weeks, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy reporting a total of 81 strikes across the country.

He said it has “been a difficult night” and offered his condolences for the families of the dead and injured.

Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, and Vinnytsia regions were hit.

The capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and the Black Sea port of Odessa were all struck as air raid sirens rang out across the nation while explosions were also reported in the northern city of Chernihiv and the western Lviv region, as well as in Dnipro, Lutsk and Rivne.

Among the projectiles fired were six Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which are difficult to intercept because they reportedly travel at up to ten times the speed of sound, which is around 8,000mph.

Russia has used hypersonic missiles since the earliest stages of the conflict, claiming to have destroyed a fuel depot in the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv and an underground ammunition store in western Ivano-Frankivsk in the opening skirmishes.

Ukraine has confirmed that those targets were struck but did not specify what weapons were used.

A group of 42 retired Canadian Olympians urged the Canadian Olympic Committee to reject the idea of allowing Russians to participate in next year’s Paris Games unless Russia withdraws from Ukraine.

“We condemn recent public statements issued by the COC supporting the ‘exploration of a pathway’ for Russians and Belarusians to compete as ‘neutrals’ in the 2024 Paris Olympics,” the Canadians wrote in a statement released Wednesday.

Opening that door, the athletes said, “sends a message that the COC is no longer concerned with Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.”

Signing the statement was a who’s-who of Canadian Olympic greats and gold medalists, including Hayley Wickenheiser (hockey), Jenn Heil and Alex Bilodeau (freestyle skiing), Tessa Virtue (skating) and Beckie Scott (cross-country skiing).

Dmytro Kotsyubaylo, a leader of a group that Moscow has accused of having neo-Nazi and fascist links, died during shelling near the Donbas city, which has been the focus of a sustained Russian offensive for months.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who presented Kotsyubaylo with the Order of the Golden Star as well as the title “Hero of Ukraine” last year, said in tribute: “He was one of the youngest heroes of Ukraine; one of those whose personal history, character and courage forever became the history, character and courage of Ukraine. He was killed in a battle near Bakhmut – a battle for Ukraine.”

Kim Sengupta has the full story:

The Independent’s international correspondent Bel Trew has won Foreign Reporter of the Year at The Press Awards 2023.

Spending months covering the war in Ukraine, Bel has crisscrossed the country to reveal harrowing stories from the frontlines.

She has also produced multiple in-depth investigations, including into the fate of thousands of civilians who vanished since Putin launched his invasion last year.

Her video and text series “The Missing” uncovered evidence of possible war crimes, including torture, widespread illegal transfer of civilitins, enforced disappearances, forced labour and hostage-taking. One of the articles was the most extensive deep dive yet into Olenivka prison in occupied territory where 53 Prisoners of War were blown up.

During the year Bel also uncovered other evidence of war crimes including an underground torture chamber in the north east of the country, followed evacuation convoys rescuing civilians, combat medics and first responders in frontline towns like Bakhmut and Soledar, revealing the devastating impact of the conflict on the most vulnerable.

Russia has launched a huge wave of missile strikes across Ukraine, killing a number of civilians and forcing Europe’s largest nuclear power plant off the electrical grid for hours.

It is the first search mass attack in weeks, with the strikes including the use of hypersonic cruise missiles – one of Moscow’s most valuable weapons which travel at such speed they can evade air defences.

“The occupiers can only terrorise civilians. That’s all they can do. But it won’t help them,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. They won’t avoid responsibility for everything they have done.”

In all Russia was said to have fired 81 missiles, with Ukraine’s military saying that 34 cruise missiles were successfully shot down, as well as the four of the eight Iranian-made Shahed drones that were sent. Eight guided missiles did not reach their target. Ukraine said six hypersonic missiles had been fired, with Russia’s Defence Ministry confirming their use.

My colleague Chris Stevenson has the full story: