One of President Putin’s closest allies warned today that military support given to Ukraine by the United States and its allies risked triggering conflict between Russia and Nato.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former prime minister under Putin and president from 2008 to 2012 who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, said that such a conflict had the risk of turning into a nuclear war.
“Nato countries pumping weapons into Ukraine, training troops to use western equipment, sending in mercenaries and the exercises of alliance countries near our borders increase the likelihood of a direct and open conflict between Nato and Russia,” he said in a post on Telegram. “Such a conflict always has the risk of turning into a fully fledged nuclear war. This will be a disastrous scenario for everyone.”
Ukrainian forces have recaptured several towns and villages in counterattacks to the north of Kharkiv and towards the Russian border, inflicting heavy losses on enemy troops.
In its daily intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence said that Russia had been forced on to the defensive and had withdrawn some units from around the city to reorganise and replenish after heavy losses.
“Russia’s prioritisation of operations in the Donbas has left elements deployed in the Kharviv Oblast vulnerable to the mobile and highly motivated Ukrainian counterattacking force,” it said.
It said that Russian military chiefs would move the troops to act as a “blocking force” as Ukrainian soldiers pressed their advantage on the flanks of the battle.
Ukraine said yesterday that it had pushed back Russian forces in the east to recapture Pytomnyk, a village on the main highway north of Kharkiv, about halfway to the Russian border.
A video, filmed by a Chinese news channel, also emerged of a Russian tank exploding deep within the Donetsk region, well out of the range of Ukrainian artillery.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said during a trip to Japan that Russia was “the most direct threat to the world order with the barbaric war against Ukraine”, adding that it had a “worrying pact with China”.
Fumio Kishida, prime minister of Japan, which has joined western countries in implementing tough sanctions on Russia, including on energy, said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not just a matter for Europe, but it shakes the core of the international order including Asia. This must not be tolerated.”
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, met his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, at the Pentagon for talks on “the next steps” in Ukraine. They discussed the importance of transatlantic co-operation and regional security, with reference to Russia’s “unprovoked and brutal attack on Ukraine”, according to a statement from the US Defence Department. They also talked about “ongoing efforts to support Ukraine”, including through the provision of “security assistance”.
Gina Raimondo, the US commerce secretary, claimed yesterday that US-led sanctions were forcing Russia to use computer chips from dishwashers and refrigerators in some military equipment.
Ukraine has announced it will hold its first war crimes trial over the Russian invasion, as Moscow accused Kyiv of shelling a Russian city in the war’s latest flashpoint.
The conflict has devastated cities and displaced millions, with fears also growing of its broader international impact as gas supplies to Europe were disrupted by a halt in Russian flows through Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian troops of committing atrocities since the invasion began on February 24.
The office of Iryna Venediktova, the Ukrainian prosecutor general, said that Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian soldier, is accused of killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian as he fled with four other soldiers in a stolen car. “The man died on the spot just a few dozen metres from his home,” a statement said. Shishimarin faces possible life imprisonment if found guilty.
Finland, which shares an 810-mile border and a difficult past with Russia, has announced its intention to join Nato, in a significant shift of security policy. The Nordic country has gradually stepped up its co-operation with Nato as one of its “partner” nations since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
“Finland must apply for Nato membership without delay,” Sanna Marin, the Finnish prime minister, and President Niinisto said in a joint statement today.
