Russia-Ukraine war latest: nine people reportedly killed after military base near Polish border hit by missiles – live | World news

A Ukrainian MP has said countries such as France and Germany have not gone far enough with sanctions against Russia.

Lesia Vasylenko told Sky News: “They are not doing nearly as much as they could be doing.

“The same goes for the purchase of Russian oil and gas – Germany made the decision yesterday to stop with the purchases of oil and coal, but gas still remains a big one.

“Every penny that goes into the Russian economy goes to finance the Russian army, which essentially is committing genocide of the Ukrainian people by massacring civilians every single day.”

The UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has said there is no case for new investments in Russia.

In a statement issued alongside a video on Sunday morning, he welcomed the news that firms including BP and Shell were due to reduce or sell their holdings in Russia, in recent days.

He urged companies to “think very carefully”

Sunak added that the government supports those who will make similar decisions, but did not go into detail about what that support was.

He said: “I welcome commitments already made by a number of firms to divest from Russian assets – and I want to make it crystal clear that the government supports further signals of intent.

“I am urging firms to think very carefully about their investments in Russia and how they may aid the Putin regime – and I am also clear that there is no case for new investment in Russia.

“We must collectively go further in our mission to inflict maximum economic pain – and to stop further bloodshed.”

Duda says that transferring MIG29 jets to Ukraine is not possible, and thinks that having a no fly zone could be the start of World War Three.

He tells BBC’s Sophie Raworth: “Due to allied responsibility, because of that we can’t transfer [the planes], because we believe our allies could make a grudge against us and it could place NATO in a difficult situation.

“Transferring planes, or trying to defend the skies over the Ukraine against Russian combat aircraft, well this is a decision which is a strictly military one and a serious one, because it means that NATO jets will have to be sent into Ukrainian airspace and there would be a confrontation between NATO aircraft and Russian aircraft, and it means the opening of a third world war.

Duda said he does fear Russia turning its attentions to a potential invasion of Poland, if it succeeds in Ukraine. He said he believed that NATO allies would defend them if it happened. He quotes Poland’s former president, Lech Kaczyński, who said “Today is Georgia, tomorrow it might be Ukraine, then the Baltic states an after that a time may come for Poland” after Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.

“We do not want to be in the Russian sphere of influence, we dragged ourselves out of it, and we don’t want to go back there.

“I was born in a state not fully sovereign, or free. When someone talks about Russian socialism or communism, a shiver goes down my spine. Never again do we want to have Soviet soldiers here, do we want a Russian sphere of influence here. It would be contrary to our laws and this is destroying us as a nation. This is a destruction of our traditions.”

Polish president Andrez Duda is now appearing on the BBC, on Sunday Morning with Sophie Raworth.

He believes Russia could use chemical weapons as Vladimir Putin is in “a very difficult situation”.

“Actually, politically, he has already lost his war and internally he is not winning it,” he added.

He says that if Putin uses weapons of mass destruction it would be a “gamechanger”.

“For sure the North Atlantic alliance [NATO], will have to sit at that table and really have to think seriously about what to do, because then it starts to be dangerous, not only for Europe, or our region, but the whole world.”

Starmer says that the government should go “further and faster” with sanctions against people connected to the Putin regime, and should offer more humanitarian aid.

He told Sky News: “They should have been in place before this invasion started. The Russia Report two years ago set out these problems, the economic crime bill was talked about a year ago and is only now coming on to the statute book.

“On humanitarian aid, on refugees, I think the Home Office has got it completely wrong. Everybody knows they’ve got it completely wrong, and we need to see change.”

Opposition leader Keir Starmer says the current scheme for accepting refugees into the UK is “too slow, too narrow and too mean” and the government should learn from the refugee crisis in Afghanistan last year.

“What would comfort me more is to hear from Michael Gove that there’s plans for support that’s needed on arrivals,” he told Sophy Ridge on Sky News.

Starmer said there should be no cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees able to come to the UK.

He added: “What I saw in the summer was you need language experts, experts with traumatised family, experts to help them contact their family back in the country, help sorting out schooling quickly, and housing providers. That was all done in the summer. I’d like the reassurance knowing that was in place.”

Starmer calls for emergency protection visas, that can be dealt with on route as they travel to the UK. “The likelihood of an invasion of the Ukraine was known weeks ago, the Home Office have been too slow, far too mean in relation to this. Frankly, the last few weeks have been an embarrassment for the United Kingdom in terms of how it has dealt with refugees.”

The UK has issued more than 3,000 visas to Ukrainian families through its refuges scheme, a government minister has said.

Secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove, told Sophy Ridge on Sky News that the number was up from 1,000 on Thursday.

From Tuesday, the majority of people from Ukraine will no longer need to apply for visas, they will just need Ukrainian passports.

Gove estimates that modelling shows tens of thousands could come from Ukraine, far fewer than the 1.5 million in Poland and France expecting 50,000 to 100,000.

“We want to make sure that every available bed that we have in this country, every available home that can be made available to people fleeing persecution is mobilised,” he said. “We know that there are a large number of people in this country generous hearted and in a position to provide homes, and businesses and charities as well. We are saying we will act with you.

“We will not only provide a payment, but make sure they have a chance for work, and get support from the NHS, from education and other services that they need.”

People will be able to register an interest from Monday. Gove does not say whether he, like leader of the Labour party Keir Starmer, will be looking to take in refugees himself.

A rocket attack on a military base near Lviv has killed at least nine people, according to the area’s governor, with fears that more may have died.

Maksym Kozytskyy had said that nine people had been killed in airstrikes on the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre military base with 57 wounded.

The Guardian’s Luke Harding, who is in Yavoriv where the base is, has spoken to an emergency worker who said the death toll could be as high as 20.

Two large explosions were seen on Sunday at the base in Yavoriv, a garrison city just 12km from the Polish border. The rocket attack took place at 5.45am.

“My windows shook. The whole house vibrated. It was dark. The sky lit up with two explosions,” said Stepan Chuma, 27, an emergency worker, who hurried to the scene with his colleagues.

He said 20 people were confirmed dead. Nineteen ambulances with sirens blaring were seen driving from the direction of the base, a witness said, according to Reuters.

A further seven ambulances were seen driving towards the facility

According to Reuters, earlier on Sunday Kozytskyy said Russia fired 30 rockets at the complex.

Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said foreign military instructors work at the facility, but it was unclear whether any were present when the attack happened.

Ukraine’s minister of defence, Oleksii Reznikov, has called Russia’s missile strikes on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security a “terrorist attack”.

Reznikov added that “foreign instructors” work at the military base.

“This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!” he said.

If you’ve just joined us it is 10am in Ukraine as the country continues in its third week of war against Russia.

• Russian airstrikes hit the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC) in the Yavoriv district, about 50km south-west of Lviv and about 25km from the border with Poland just before 6am on Sunday. The IPSC is a large military base that includes a training centre for soldiers, predominantly for peacekeeping missions. Preliminary reports indicate Russian forces launched eight missiles.
• The attack on the military base so close to the border with Poland follows a warning on Saturday from Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, that western shipments to Ukraine were “legitimate targets” for attack.
• The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report this morning, claiming Russian forces are continuing to use civilian infrastructure for military needs, placing units and equipment at high-risk objects and carrying out shelling on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.
• Ukraine says its forces have claimed more than 12,000 Russian personnel as well as 374 tanks, 1,226 armoured combat machines and 140 artillery systems.
• Britain’s defence ministry said Russian forces are attempting to surround Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.
• Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart, but noted Russian forces have neither the strength nor the spirit to conquer Ukraine.
• The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied south-eastern Ukrainian city Melitopol following the alleged abduction of elected mayor Ivan Fedorov on Friday afternoon.

For a more detailed run-down you can read our earlier summary here.

The cyber hacking group Anonymous has published a message specifically designed to reach Russian citizens, allegedly urging Russians to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.

According to a translation offered by various commentators over Twitter, the clip in part reportedly says:

You are being trapped behind an iron curtain of propaganda, with your government attempting to keep you from being a part of the international conversation, out of fear for what you might find out.

The regime of Vladimir Putin has been carrying out war crimes with his recent invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a massive refugee crisis and countless deaths.

It is a terrible situation that you have been put in, but your only option to prevent the impending economic collapse and potential world war is to take actions to resist the war and the regime of Vladimir Putin.

Putin has put the Russian population up as a sacrifice. At this point, the most peaceful way that this conflict could end would be for the people of Russia to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.”

The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report this morning, claiming Russian forces are continuing to use civilian infrastructure for military needs, placing units and equipment at high-risk objects and carrying out shelling on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.

“The moral and psychological condition of enemy troops that participated in battles with the armed forces of Ukraine continues to deteriorate, desertion and refusal to comply with orders are increasing,” the report reads.

The military also claims a large number of wounded are undergoing treatment but a shortage of blood supplies is hindering surgical operations.

“The reserves accumulated for the citizens of the Republic of Belarus are being taken – about 2/3 of the reserve has been redirected to the needs of Russian soldiers,” the report adds.

The Ukrainian military says its forces have claimed more than 12,000 Russian personnel as well as 374 tanks, 1,226 armoured combat machines and 140 artillery systems.

The losses are reported to be from 24 February to 13 March, according to an update published by the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces just after 9am local time.

Russian forces are attempting to surround Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, Britain’s defence ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry said in an intelligence update this morning:

Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.

Russian forces advancing from Crimea are attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odesa.”

The ministry notes that Russia is “paying a high price for each advance” as the Ukrainian armed forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country.

Echoing Zelenskiy’s earlier fears that Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart, the Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied south-eastern Ukrainian city Melitopol following the alleged abduction of elected mayor Ivan Fedorov on Friday afternoon.

Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, earlier said Fedorov had been kidnapped and detained by a group of 10 armed men from the Russian forces. The Ukrainian foreign ministry called Fedorov’s detention an “abduction” and a “war crime.”

Melitopol’s newly installed mayor is believed to be Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, according to a statement on the Zaporozhye regional administration website, as reported by Ukrainian media, CNN and the BBC.

Danilchenko was reportedly introduced as the acting mayor on local TV where she made a televised statement saying her “main task is to take all necessary steps to get the city back to normal.”

She claimed there were people still in Melitopol who would try to destabilise “the situation and provoke a reaction of bad behaviour.”

“I ask you to keep your wits about you and not to give in to these provocations,” Danilchenko said. “I appeal to the deputies, elected by the people, on all levels. Since you were elected by the people, it is your duty to care about the well-being of your citizens.”

“This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region,” she added.

In case you missed his earlier address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart, but noted Russian forces have neither the strength nor the spirit to conquer Ukraine.

Posting a video to his social media accounts late Saturday evening, Zelenskiy called on Ukraine’s regions, including Kherson, which was captured by Russian forces, not to repeat the experience of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Zelenskiy said:

The occupiers on the territory of the Kherson region are trying to repeat the sad experience of the formation of pseudo-republics.

They are blackmailing local leaders, putting pressure on deputies, looking for someone to bribe.”

City council members in Kherson, a southern city of 290,000, on Saturday rejected plans for a new pseudo-republic, Zelenskiy added.

The Russian invaders cannot conquer us. They do not have such strength. They do not have such spirit. They are holding only on violence. Only on terror. Only on weapons, which they have a lot.

But the invaders have no natural basis for normal life. So that people can feel happy and dream. They are organically incapable of making life normal! Wherever Russia has come to a foreign land, dreams are impossible.

I keep reiterating to our allies and friends abroad; they have to keep doing more for our country, for Ukrainians and Ukraine. Because it is not only for Ukraine, but it is for all of Europe.”