By This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates.
Russia provoked outrage with its plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that a deal had been struck with his ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to station tactical nukes on Belarusian territory. He added that Russia had already moved 10 aircraft to the country that are capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons.
A NATO spokesperson described Russia’s nuclear rhetoric as “dangerous and irresponsible.” The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Belarus not to host the weapons, saying that doing so “would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security.” He also warned of sanctions against Minsk.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, fighting rages in Donetsk. One Ukrainian official likened the destruction seen in Avdiivka, a town to the southwest of besieged Bakhmut, to scenes from a “post-apocalyptic” movie. Utility workers were evacuated from Avdiivka as fighting intensified at the weekend.
The 18 Leopard 2 tanks the German government sent to bolster Kyiv’s war effort have arrived in Ukraine, German news outlet Der Spiegel reported. About 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles have also reached Ukraine.
The Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, has spent the last two months training Ukrainian soldiers on the weapon systems at a site near Munster, Germany.
On the heels of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, the Biden administration announced it will equip Ukraine with the mighty M1A1 Abrams tank.
The 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks will expand on the more than $27 billion the U.S. has committed to Kyiv’s fight since Russia invaded more than a year ago.
— Amanda Macias
Officials from Poland and the European Union discussed artillery munitions manufacturing as part of a new, 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) program to supply Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces and to replenish Europe’s dwindling stocks.
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton visited DEZAMET S.A. munition plant in Nowa Deba, in southeast Poland, accompanied by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
The visit came just days after Brussels announced a program to reimburse countries offering artillery ammunition to Ukraine from a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) fund. The program also aims to spend an equal amount on increasing production in 11 countries with such manufacturing capacity.
Breton said the EU is “determined” to quickly do what is needed in light of a conflict that’s expected to drag on. He also encouraged other EU countries to transfer ammunition to Ukraine as soon as possible.
— Associated Press
The White House said that it has not seen evidence that the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent that Russia would deploy “tactical nuclear weapons” to Belarus.
“We are continuing to monitor this very, very closely,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on a conference call. He added that so far, the U.S. has not seen reason to change its own nuclear posture.
Earlier this month, U.S. intelligence chiefs warned that Putin is likely to further upgrade the Kremlin’s arsenal of long-range nuclear-capable missiles in order to deter Kyiv and its powerful Western allies.
“Heavy losses to its ground forces and the large-scale expenditures of precision-guided munitions during the conflict have degraded Moscow’s ground and air-based conventional capabilities and increased its reliance on nuclear weapons,” the intelligence community wrote in an unclassified 35-page intelligence assessment.
— Amanda Macias
A view of Ukrainian soldiers of the 80th Brigade on the front line near Bakhmut as the war with Russia drags on:
— Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
At least two people died and 25 were injured following Russian shelling on the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk.
Administrative office buildings, a high-rise building and seven residences were destroyed by S-300 rockets, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, said on Telegram.
He said a rescue operation was ongoing.
— Amanda Macias
Two ships carrying 120,309 metric tons of agricultural products left Ukraine’s ports of Odesa and Yuzhny-Pivdennyi.
The vessels are destined for China and Bangladesh and are carrying corn and wheat. On Sunday, four ships departed for Iraq, China and Bangladesh.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw three key Ukrainian ports reopen. Ukraine and the UN pushed for a 120-day extension of the deal in March but Russia agreed to only 60 days, which would expire in May.
So far, more than 700 ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports since the deal began.
Correction: This post has been updated to correct the extension terms of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
— Amanda Macias
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the frontlines of Zaporizhzhia to meet with troops and observe the effects of Russia’s war on Ukrainians living in the region.
“I am honored to be here today, next to our military. I am thankful to each of our warriors for defending Ukraine, our sovereignty, our cities and our children. We will definitely win,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post.
Zelenskyy also met with IAEA Director General Mario Grossi and had “a rich exchange on the protection of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its staff,” Grossi said in a separate statement.
“I reiterated the full support of the IAEA to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities,” he added.
— Amanda Macias
Orlando Bloom, a British actor and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, traveled to Ukraine to meet children and families affected by Russia’s war.
Bloom also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and traveled to Kyiv, Irpin and Demydiv during his three-day trip.
“Some of the children I have met – such as 10-year-old Hanna from Volnovakha, Donetsk region – have had limited access to face-to-face education for more than a year,” said Bloom in a statement provided by UNICEF.
He added: “Amid the chaos and uncertainty of war, supporting children’s education is an essential tool in protecting their long-term mental health and wellbeing. This is especially important during their early years, when children develop the learning and emotional skills they need to reach their full potential.”
UNICEF has previously estimated that 1.5 million children face a risk of depression, anxiety or another mental health condition.
— Amanda Macias
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he is visiting the Zaporzhizhia nuclear power plant to investigate the security situation at the site.
“I will continue my efforts to protect the nuclear plant during the ongoing military conflict and lead our next regular rotation of IAEA experts to and from the site,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi wrote in a tweet.
Russian forces seized control of the Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in the early days of the war.
— Amanda Macias
The United Nations has confirmed 8,401 civilian deaths and 14,023 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor more than a year ago.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.
The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.
— Amanda Macias
The city of Sloviansk in Donetsk has been shelled by Russian forces, leaving at least one person dead and 25 injured, Ukrainian officials said Monday.
Administrative and office buildings, five high-rise buildings and seven private houses were destroyed in Monday’s shelling, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration. He said Russian missiles had hit the city center this morning and that the rescue operation was ongoing. The post was accompanies by images showing emergency services in the aftermath of the strikes.
Kyrylenko said in his post on Telegram that another Donetsk town, Druzhkivka, had also been targeted with an orphanage in the town completely destroyed. He said preliminary information suggested there were no victims in the attack.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the latest assaults Monday, saying they were another instance of Russian “terrorism.”
“Another day that began with terrorism by the Russian Federation. The aggressor state shelled our Sloviansk. Unfortunately, there is a dead person and victims [with injuries] of various degrees of severity. All services are working on the ground. Help is being provided. Debris clearance is ongoing,” Zelenskky said on Telegram.
Russia has repeatedly said that it does not intentionally target civilian infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said Russia should know that Ukraine “will not forgive these deaths and wounds.”
— Holly Ellyatt
The Kremlin said Monday that the West’s critical reaction to Moscow’s decision to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory won’t change its plans.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that “such a reaction [of the West], of course, cannot affect Russia’s plans,” Russian state news agency TASS reported.
He added that Russian head of state Vladimir Putin “explained everything in his statements, which he made in an interview on Saturday.” “There is nothing to add to this,” Peskov told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the weekend that Russia would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying that the U.S. had long done the same thing, stationing tactical nuclear weapons (used on the battlefield rather than for mass destruction) on its allies’ territory.
Putin said the move had come after his Belarusian ally President Alexander Lukashenko raised the issue of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. He also said the agreement with Belarus did not violate international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.
NATO members have reacted critically to the move, however, with the military alliance calling Russia’s nuclear rhetoric “dangerous and irresponsible.” The EU signaled Belarus could be subjected to more sanctions.
— Holly Ellyatt
Moscow may seek compensation for the damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines from two explosions last September, but the future of the projects is unclear, according to a Russian diplomat cited by the news agency RIA Novosti.
The pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, were ruptured by unexplained blasts that Moscow called an act of international terrorism.
“We do not rule out later raising the issue of compensation for damage as a result of the explosion,” Dmitry Birichevsky, head of the Foreign Ministry’s department for economic cooperation, said in an interview with RIA. He did not say who Russia would seek damages from.
The two pipelines had a combined capacity of 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, more than the 101 bcm that Russia exported outside the former Soviet Union in 2022. Birichevsky said the future of the pipelines was not clear.
“At the moment, it’s very difficult to speak about the future of the Nord Stream pipeline system. On the whole, according to experts, the damaged lines could be restored,” he said.
The Kremlin has said it is for all shareholders to decide whether the two pipelines, each consisting of two pipes, should be mothballed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would establish who was behind the blasts before claiming any compensation.
— Reuters
Poland has detained a foreign citizen on charges of spying for Russia, prosecutors said on Monday, as the largest country on NATO’s eastern flank finds itself increasingly targeted by Moscow’s intelligence services.
The war in Ukraine has plunged what were already strained relations between Poland and Russia to new lows, with Warsaw saying it is frequently the subject of Russian espionage and disinformation.
Prosecutors in the northern Polish city of Gdansk said in a statement that the suspect had been detained on March 21.
“The findings made in the case show that the suspect acted for the benefit of Russian intelligence by obtaining and collecting information… on critical infrastructure in the Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regions and on the activities of services and bodies responsible for security,” they said.
“The information obtained was passed on to the Russian intelligence service,” the statement added.
The arrest comes after Poland dismantled a Russian espionage network that had been preparing acts of sabotage and monitoring rail routes to Ukraine. If found guilty the suspect could face up to 10 years in prison.
— Reuters
Ukrainian officials have reported separate explosions in the Russian-occupied port cities of Melitopol and Mariupol in southern Ukraine this morning.
The explosion in Mariupol, occupied by Russian forces since last May, occurred by the Bakhchyvandzhy market this morning, according to the Telegram channel of Mariupol’s de jure City Council, with preliminary information suggesting a Russian commander’s car was blown up.
The post quoted Mayor Vadym Boychenko as saying “the Mariupol resistance struck in occupied Mariupol, blowing up the car of one of the top military officers. Details later.”
Explosions were also reported near Russian barracks in the occupied city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Monday morning. Melitopol’s de jure Mayor Ivan Fedorov wryly noted on Telegram that “‘Nothing is happening’ to the occupiers in Melitopol. Several explosions have already been heard in the city. We are checking what is on fire this time,” he said, adding that he was “looking forward to good news from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
CNBC was unable to immediately verify the reports.
— Holly Ellyatt
The secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said that NATO countries are a party to the conflict in Ukraine, according to excerpts from an interview with Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Monday.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta cited Patrushev as saying: “In fact, NATO countries are a party to the conflict. They made Ukraine one big military camp. They send weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian troops, provide them with intelligence”.
Patrushev, a former chief of the FSB internal security service, is widely seen as one of the most hawkish members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
— Reuters
The operations of Russia’s prized Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, are likely to be constrained after several attempted attacks, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Monday.
The ministry noted in its latest intelligence update that, on March 22, at least three uncrewed surface vessels (USV) and one uncrewed aerial vehicle reportedly attempted to strike the Russian naval base in Sevastopol.
It noted that even though the latest attacks had likely failed to damage any military assets, “the USV threat likely continues to constrain operations of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.”
The attempted attacks last week were the latest targeting the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, a peninsula Russia annexed in 2014.
The U.K. said open source reports suggest that one USV was stopped by defensive booms, while two were destroyed in the harbor. Russian officials said that no Russian vessels had been damaged.
The ministry noted that a previous USV attack on Sevastopol last October was believed to have damaged the minesweeper Ivan Golubets and the frigate Admiral Makarov.
— Holly Ellyatt
Intense attacks on the eastern Donetsk town of Avdiivka and the damage they’ve caused prompted a Ukrainian official to liken the destruction to what you would see in a “post-apocalyptic” movie.
Utility workers were evacuated from Avdiivka, a town just over 50 miles southwest of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, as fighting intensified at the weekend.
“Avdiivka is becoming more and more like a site from post-apocalyptic movies … Therefore, a difficult decision was made to evacuate the rest of our heroes — utility workers who at least tried to keep the city clean and livable,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, said on Telegram Sunday.
Barabash told any remaining residents to leave the town while they were still able to, saying: “so now I do not ask, I strongly recommend leaving Avdiivka, because Russian rockets and projectiles do not spare anyone or anything, no matter what views you hold,” he said.
Ukrainian military officials have already warned that the town could be a “second Bakhmut,” where there has been heavy fighting for over seven months.
On Monday, Ukraine’s general staff said Russia was concentrating its offensives around Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka and two other settlements, and added that its forces had repelled more than 60 attacks in the past 24 hours along the eastern front.
— Holly Ellyatt
Russia and China are strengthening their cooperation in a variety of areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday, but insisted his country isn’t creating a military alliance with the Asian nation.
“This is absolutely untrue,” Putin said when asked in a televised interview Sunday whether cooperation between Moscow and Beijing poses a threat to the West.
“We are not creating any military alliance with China. Yes, we also cooperate on the track of military-technical cooperation, we do not hide it, but it is transparent, there is nothing secret there,” Putin told the Rossiya-24 TV channel, according to remarks published on the state news agency Tass.
Nonetheless, Putin said Moscow is developing its military cooperation with Beijing, including joint exercises.
“By the way, not only with China, but with other countries as well. We even continue it now, despite the developments in Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson,” he said, referring to territories in Ukraine that Russia has declared to be annexed, a move not recognised by most of the international community.
“We still continue; it’s all transparent, but it’s not a military alliance,” Putin added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a high-profile state visit to Moscow last week where both leaders reaffirmed their strategic partnership. Beijing is seen as the senior partner in the relationship.
There have been concerns that China could help Russia with lethal military aid, but Western nations have warned that such a move would lead to sanctions on Beijing.
— Holly Ellyatt
NATO criticized Russia’s nuclear rhetoric after Moscow’s announcement at the weekend that it will station a supply of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible,” a spokesperson told NBC News.
“NATO is vigilant, and we are closely monitoring the situation. We have not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own. We are committed to protect and defend all NATO allies,” the spokesperson added.
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plan to station tactical nukes within Belarusian territory do not violate non-proliferation agreements as the weapons would be under Russian control.
“There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” Putin said.
“We agreed that we will do the same — without violating our obligations, I emphasize, without violating our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons,” he added.
NATO said “Russia’s reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing is totally misleading,” however, adding that “NATO allies act with full respect of their international commitments.”
“Russia has consistently broken its arms control commitments, most recently suspending its participation in the New START Treaty.”
“Russia must return to compliance and act in good faith,” the spokesperson added.
— Holly Ellyatt
NATO and Ukraine’s Western allies have expressed dismay at Russia’s announcement at the weekend that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the move on Saturday, saying a deal had been struck with his ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a leader who is seen as subservient to Moscow.
Putin claimed Lukashenko had long asked for the weapons to be stationed in Belarus, a country that borders NATO member Poland.
The Russian president said 10 aircraft that are capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons had already been moved to Belarus and that the construction of storage facilities for the weapons in Belarus would be completed by July 1.
A spokesperson for the Western military alliance NATO responded to the move by branding “Russia’s nuclear rhetoric” as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Belarus not to host Russian nuclear weapons, commenting on Twitter that “Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security.” Borrell also warned of sanctions against Minsk.
A senior Ukrainian official, meanwhile, said the Kremlin had taken “Belarus as a nuclear hostage” and is looking to destabilize Belarus with the deal.
Defense experts and academics argue over the term, but “tactical” nuclear weapons generally refer to weapons designed to be used on the battlefield for specific tactical gains, rather than for the all-out destruction of larger targets like cities.
In announcing the move, Putin insisted the plan did not violate non-proliferation agreements as the weapons would be under Russian control.
“There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” Putin said.
“We agreed that we will do the same -— without violating our obligations, I emphasize, without violating our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.”
— Holly Ellyatt
