Russia Ukraine war live: Frontline city facing ‘critical’ Kremlin attack as Putin wants political prize

Norway’s defence minister urged his country to be ready for a possible conflict with Russia even after the end of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said Russia might retaliate in response to Finland and Sweden‘s new Nato membership. Other Nato nations have also explicitly warned of Russia’s aggression and plans to disrupt peace in the region in the past few months.

Grigory Chkhartishvili, known under the pen name Boris Akunin, was charged in absentia by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court on Tuesday. He is now under an arrest warrant and will be detained if he returns to Russia.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell all but acknowledged on Tuesday that the security bill that included provisions for border security and restrictions to immigration in exchange for money for Ukraine will not pass the Senate.

As we at The Independent’sInside Washington newsletter like to say, what McConnell does not says matters as much as what he does. And after he gave a few condescending pats on the head to Republican Oklahoma Senator James Lankford for being the sacrificial lamb in these negotiations, he said “it’s been made pretty clear to us by the speaker that it will not become law.”

Fears remain over the ‘fragile’ security at one of the world’s biggest atomic power plants following Putin’s war on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has seen worrying recent staff cuts enacted by Russian authorities occupying the facility, the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief said Tuesday.

Three people have been pulled from the rubble and one person remains trapped after Russia attacked a hotel in Kharkiv in the early hours of Tuesday, according to officials in Ukraine.

House Republican leadership – including House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik – put out a joint statement saying the bill was “DEAD on arrival.”

Grigory Chkhartishvili, known under the pen name Boris Akunin, was charged in absentia by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court on Tuesday. He is now under an arrest warrant and will be detained if he returns to Russia.

In December last year, after Mr Akunin expressed support for Ukraine on a call with two Russian pranksters, known as Vovan and Lexus – who were posing as Ukrainian officials – the Kremlin escalated its crackdown on the novelist.

Turkish defence company Baykar has started building a factory near Kyiv that will employ around 500 people and manufacture either its TB2 or TB3 drone models, the company’s chief executive has said.

Turkish-made Bayraktar drones have gained prominence globally after being used by Ukraine’s military to thwart Russian forces by destroying armoured vehicles and artillery systems.

Baykar has said it has signed export deals for its TB2 drone with 30 countries. These include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya and Azerbaijan since 2018, according to think tank SIPRI.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said a broad “reset” of the country’s military and leadership is needed – suggesting his plans go beyond removing his army’s top commander, Valery Zaluzhny.

“Definitely a reset, a new beginning is necessary,” he said, when asked about rumours of General Zaluzhny’s dismissal by Italian outlet Rai News. “I have something serious in mind, which is not about a single person but about the direction of the country’s leadership.”

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has announced that he is in Moscow to interview Vladimir Putin, ending days of speculation after he was first spotted in the Russian capital a couple days ago.

We will have more on this story later. For now, you can view his statement as to why has decided to interview the Russian autocrat.

His video has drawn widespread criticism for playing into the hands of Putin’s propaganda.