Ukraine war: Russia suffers 'deadliest 24 hours'

Ukraine claims the last 24 hours were the deadliest of the war for Russian troops, as Moscow hurls tens of thousands of freshly mobilised soldiers and mercenaries into relentless winter assaults in the east.

The Ukrainian military said 1,030 Russians were killed yesterday, describing it as the highest daily toll of the war so far and bringing the total to 133,190.

The figure could not be independently verified and battlefield losses are notoriously difficult to estimate.

But the unprecedented scale of reported casualties fits accounts from both sides that describe recent battles in snow-covered trenches as the deadliest combat of the war to date, despite little progress by either side at the front.

The Ukrainian military increased its running tally of Russian military dead by 1,030 overnight to 133,190, and described the increase as the highest of the war so far. For its part, Russia said it had inflicted 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in the month of January.

The war is soon entering its second year at a pivotal juncture, with Moscow attempting to regain the initiative while Kyiv holds out for Western tanks to mount a counter-offensive later in 2023.

After Russia failed to capture the Ukrainian capital last year and lost ground in the second half of 2022, Moscow is now making full use of hundreds of thousands of troops it called up in its first mobilisation since the Second World War.

Kyiv and the West say Russia has been pouring troops and mercenaries into eastern Ukraine in recent weeks in hopes of being able to claim new gains around the time of the first anniversary of its full-scale invasion later this month.

03:08 PM

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Today's top stories included:

• Russia was pouring troops into Eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive but its plans may be "unrealistic" given a lack of munitions and manpower, according to the UK Ministry of Defence

• Labour warned that the UK must replenish its weapons stockpile as more is sent to Ukraine

• Security concerns looked set to scupper President Zelensky's trip to Brussels after details were leaked

• Zelensky called for a stop to rumours over whether Ukraine's defence minister would be replaced, to avoid undermining unity

• Switzerland is close to breaking neutrality to support Ukraine as pressure grows to allow third countries to export Swiss weapons to the war zone

02:57 PM

Paris mayor says Russians should not compete in Olympics if war continues

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo changed her stance on Russian competitors at the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday saying they should be banned "while the war continues" in Ukraine, her office said.

Last month Ms Hidalgo said she believed Russians could take part "under a neutral flag" to avoid "depriving athletes of competition".

On Tuesday, however, she told French media that a neutral flag, "does not really exist" although she said there should be a place for "dissident Russians who want to parade under the refugee flag".

02:45 PM

Zelensky calls for end to 'rumours' over defence minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Tuesday for an end to the spread of "rumours or any other pseudo-information" that could undermine unity in the war against Russia.

His remarks, in an address to parliament, appeared intended to end public speculation over whether Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov will be removed and underline that only the president can announce such decisions.

"We are taking personnel and institutional steps at various levels in the defence and security sector that can strengthen Ukraine's position," Zelensky said.

"The necessary information is provided as regards each such step, whether personnel or institutional - at the level where decisions are made," he said, underlining that such decisions were the responsibility of the president alone.

A senior ally of Mr Zelensky had suggested over the weekend that Mr Reznikov was about to be replaced.

02:28 PM

Photos from the front

02:11 PM

'Five explosions' in Mariupol

Five loud explosions were reported in the occupied city of Mariupol on Tuesday.

An advisor to the exiled mayor said the explosions were reported "in the sea port area."

"That’s exactly where the occupiers recently deployed military hardware and anti-aircraft defence systems," said Petro Andriushchenko.

A large number of Russian warplanes were seen flying over the city afterwards, according to Mr Andriushchenko, who added that pro-Russia social media channels were being "purged" of any reports about the blasts.

02:04 PM

New chief for Ukraine's security service

General Vasyl Maliuk has been appointed to lead Ukraine's security service, the SBU.

He had served as acting head of the agency since July, when its former chief Ivan Bakanov - a childhood friend of President Zelensky - was dismissed over alleged failures to crack down on Russian collaborators within the agency.

01:35 PM

Russian shells spark hospital fire

Russian shelling hit more civilian targets in Ukraine overnight, starting a fire at a hospital and damaging five apartment buildings, local officials said on Tuesday.

The main hospital in the northeastern town of Vovchansk caught fire late yesterday as a result of the shelling, regional Ukrainian emergency services reported. Fires also broke out elsewhere in the town.

Emergency crews evacuated eight civilians from the hospital before putting out the blaze, which caused no casualties, authorities said.

01:00 PM

Russia pouring troops into Eastern Ukraine ahead of new offensive

Russia is pouring reinforcements into Eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive that could begin next week along a front where there have been relentless battles for months, a Ukrainian governor said.

"We are seeing more and more [Russian] reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in," said Serhiy Haidai, the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk.

"They bring ammunition that is used differently than before - it is not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive," Haidai told Ukrainian television.

"It will most likely take them 10 days to gather reserves. After Feb. 15 we can expect [this offensive] at any time."

The war is reaching a pivotal point as its first anniversary approaches, with Ukraine no longer making the kind of gains it was achieving in the second half of 2022 and Russia inching forward with hundreds of thousands of mobilised reserve troops.

12:43 PM

Defence minister’s future remains unclear

The future of Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov remained unclear on Tuesday as officials sent mixed messages about whether he would be replaced, leaving a key post in doubt.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired a series of high-level officials this year in a purge aimed at clamping down on corruption. Mr Reznikov has been under pressure over a corruption scandal in his department, although he denies wrongdoing.

On Sunday, David Arakhamia, head of Mr Zelensky’s parliamentary bloc, published a statement saying that Mr Reznikov would transferred to another department.

However, he later said that no reshuffle was planned for this week and Mr Zelensky made no mention of the rumours in his nightly address on Monday.

Kyrylo Budanov, currently serving as Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, is tipped to take over as defence minister if the reshuffle goes ahead.

12:15 PM

Russian Foreign Minister in Mali, where Wagner mercenaries are accused of massacre

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Mali today for talks with junta leaders seeking Moscow's help in battling an Islamist insurgency.

The visit is his third to Africa since July, part of a bid to expand Russia's presence on the continent amid its international isolation following the invasion of Ukraine.

Several Malian officials have travelled to Moscow, but the visit by Lavrov is "the first of its kind" aimed at cementing "a new dynamic" for security and economic cooperation, according to Mali's foreign ministry.

Mali has already received planes and attack helicopters from Moscow as well as several hundred Russian soldiers described by Mali's leaders as instructors who are helping to reinforce its defence and sovereignty.

But Western officials say the fighters are actually paramilitaries with the Wagner mercenary group, who have been accused of brutal tactics and rights abuses.

A group of UN experts spoke last week of “credible reports” of a massacre carried out last year by Malian armed forces accompanied by Wagner personnel.

11:52 AM

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