February 26, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Andrew Raine, Sophie Tanno, Matt Meyer, Maureen Chowdhury and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 12:20 a.m. ET, February 27, 2023
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10:16 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

Russian unit complains of receiving "criminal orders" and being sent into battle "to be slaughtered"

From CNN's Hannah Ritchie, Tim Lister, Josh Pennington and Maria Kostenko

Russian citizens drafted during the partial mobilization are seen being dispatched to combat coordination areas after a military call-up for the Russia-Ukraine war in Moscow, Russia on October 10, 2022.
Russian citizens drafted during the partial mobilization are seen being dispatched to combat coordination areas after a military call-up for the Russia-Ukraine war in Moscow, Russia on October 10, 2022. (Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

For the second time in a month, men who say they are with a mobilized Russian unit deployed to Ukraine have complained about their treatment and commanders.

The men are from regiment 1439, which comes from Irkutsk in Siberia. A group from the same regiment issued a similar protest in January. It's unclear whether the new video includes men involved in the previous complaint.

In the latest video, published Saturday, the group claimed they had been given “unlawful and criminal orders” from their command and sent to battle without “any support.”

“We are the mobilized from Irkutsk oblast (region), regiment 1439, who were sent to the (self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic) from the city of Novosibirsk on December 31, 2022,” said a hooded soldier reading a message and surrounded by other soldiers.

“We ask for help in dealing with the unlawful and criminal orders of our command … the soldiers of the territorial defense were made into assault units in a single day and were sent to assault the Avdiivka stronghold — without any support from artillery, communications, sappers, reconnaissance — to be slaughtered.” 

Avdiivka is a hotly contested city close to the front lines in Donetsk

“DPR commanders are firing machine guns and infantry fighting vehicles at our mobilized soldiers because (they) refuse to join the assault units. There is no point in appealing to the local military prosecutor's office since they are in full collusion with the commanders … At this point, this battalion has been almost completely destroyed,” the hooded soldier continued.

As the video nears its end, the soldier says the unit is in a “desperate position” because the DPR “commanders do not care” about their lives. 

Another video, also purportedly from men of the 1439th, circulated at the end of January.

In it, a group of soldiers said they were being threatened and fired at by their commanders for refusing to join the front line, and were being forced into combat without adequate support.

“Our command directly tells us that we are expendable. DPR commanders fire machine guns and BMPs at our mobilized soldiers because (they) refuse to join the assault units," said a man dressed in a military uniform. The video was published on January 26. 

The man alleged that many in his unit were sent to the front line in assault groups without any training, and that two men died as a result, while 19 more were wounded. He also claimed the soldiers were paying for food and water from their “own pockets,” living in “complete disorder” and treating themselves for injuries. 

CNN cannot independently verify the videos, or whether the group are indeed soldiers from the 1439 regiment.

TVRain — an independent Russian outlet — said it received Saturday’s video direct from the soldiers.

CNN has asked for comment from the Russian Ministry of Defence.

8:31 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

German defense minister: Judge China "by its actions and not its words" as it calls for Ukraine peace talks

From CNN's Sophie Tanno

After just over a month in office, the new defense minister Boris Pistorius, has become the most highly rated German politician, according to a poll.
After just over a month in office, the new defense minister Boris Pistorius, has become the most highly rated German politician, according to a poll. (Christian Charisius/dpa/Getty Images)

Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has reacted with skepticism to China's plans on how to end the Ukraine conflict.

“When I hear reports – and I don’t know whether they are true – according to which China may be planning to supply kamikaze drones to Russia while at the same time presenting a peace plan, then I suggest we judge China by its actions and not its words,” he told German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

On Friday, China's foreign ministry issued a position paper calling for a resumption of peace talks and an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressing its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

But Beijing’s claim to neutrality has been severely undermined by its refusal to acknowledge the nature of the conflict – it has so far avoided calling it an “invasion” – and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.

Western officials have also raised concerns that China may be considering providing Russia with lethal military assistance, an accusation denied by Beijing.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian politician who advises President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Saturday hit out at China for "betting on an aggressor" after Beijing repeated its call for a political settlement to the Ukraine war.

"If you claim to be a global player, you don't offer an unrealistic plan," he tweeted. "You don't bet on an aggressor who broke international law and will lose the war."

French President Emmanuel Macron has said it is a "good thing" that China is engaging in peace efforts, as he announced plans to visit Beijing in April.

8:28 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

Latest on the fighting: Ukraine reports heavy shelling throughout front line, says attacks in Luhansk repelled

From CNN's Maria Kostenko and Tim Lister

A residential area is seen after bombing in Kherson on Friday.
A residential area is seen after bombing in Kherson on Friday. (Vincenzo Circosta/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Here's what we know about the latest fighting on the ground, with authorities in several parts of Ukraine reporting extensive Russian shelling over the past 24 hours — from the northern region of Sumy to Kherson in the south.

Much of the incoming fire was directed at settlements in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, many of which have been deserted by their residents. Russia controls much of the two territories and hopes to fully capture them.

Artillery fire on the town of Kupyansk in neighboring Kharkiv region has picked up in recent weeks, with Russian forces only some ten kilometers away.

Ukrainian officials said there were artillery attacks against several towns and villages along the hotly contested frontlines to the east of Kupyansk.

The authorities in Donetsk region said three people were killed and four wounded over the past 24 hours. They said several settlements near the flashpoint city of Bakhmut came under fire.

Serhiy Hayday, head of Luhansk region military administration, said in the area where Donetsk and Luhansk regions meet (near the town of Kreminna) "all attacks have been repelled. The Kreminna sector is a forest landscape which is why Russians are trying to manoeuvre there, going with small groups of 10-15 people. Russians are learning from us, so it varies from day to day."

Hayday added that "enemy losses reached 70 killed and uncountable wounded. Their hospitals are overcrowded. Russians do not care about their losses at all."

CNN can't independently confirm losses of either side in the fighting.

6:20 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

Analysis: Why Moldova fears it could be next for Putin

From CNN's Rob Picheta

People take part in a protest against the Moldovan Government in the capital of Chisinau on February 19.
People take part in a protest against the Moldovan Government in the capital of Chisinau on February 19. (Elena Covalenco/AFP/Getty Images)

Tensions are mounting in Moldova, a small country on Ukraine’s southwestern border, where Russia has been accused of laying the groundwork for a coup that could drag the nation into the Kremlin’s war.

Moldova’s President, Maia Sandu, has accused Russia of using “saboteurs” disguised as civilians to stoke unrest amid a period of political instability, echoing similar warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has meanwhile baselessly accused Kyiv of planning its own assault on a pro-Russian territory in Moldova where Moscow has a military foothold, heightening fears that he is creating a pretext for a Crimea-style annexation.

US President Joe Biden met President Sandu on the sidelines of his trip to Warsaw last week, marking the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Although there is no sign he has accepted her invite to visit, the White House did say he reaffirmed support for Moldova’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Read the full analysis piece here.

5:38 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

Putin says the West aims to break up Russia

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to watch the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to watch the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2022. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images/FILE)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of attempting to destroy Russia.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that in an interview with Rossiya 1 Putin said the West has "one goal - to break up the former Soviet Union and its main part - the Russian Federation."

“And then, perhaps, they will accept us in the so-called family of civilized peoples, but only separately, each part separately. For what?” Putin said.

In comments to another channel, Putin said that Russia needs to consider NATO’s nuclear capabilities.

"In today's conditions, when all the leading NATO countries have declared their main goal as inflicting a strategic defeat on us, so that our people suffer as they say, how can we ignore their nuclear capabilities in these conditions?" Putin told Rossiya 1, according to TASS.

Putin has frequently stressed the importance of modernizing Russia's nuclear forces. 

The Russian president remarks build on his state of the union speech earlier in the week.

“The US and NATO openly state that their goal is the strategic defeat of Russia,” he said. “And what, after that are we just supposed to let them to travel around our (nuclear) facilities?”

Although the speech revisited old themes and largely recycled his arguments for invading Ukraine, he did make one substantial announcement, that Russia is suspending its participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty.

4:26 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

Three weapons that changed the course of Ukraine’s war with Russia

From CNN's Brad Lendon

A HIMARS of the Ukrainian army fires close to the frontline in the northern Kherson region on November 5, 2022
A HIMARS of the Ukrainian army fires close to the frontline in the northern Kherson region on November 5, 2022 (Hannibal Hanschke/EPA/Shutterstock/FILE)

When Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his forces into Ukraine a year ago, most observers expected a quick victory for the invaders.

Those early predictions of Russian success have not materialized, for what experts cite as a variety of factors, including higher morale and superior military tactics on the Ukrainian side but also – crucially – the supply of Western armaments.

While recent headlines have made much of the potential for Western battle tanks or Patriot air defense systems to influence the war’s outcome, these systems have yet to be used in combat in Ukraine.

But there are other weapons that have already helped to change the course of the war.

Find out what the three key ones are here.

11:58 p.m. ET, February 25, 2023

CIA director says US is "confident" that China is considering lethal aid for Russia

From CNN's Michael Callahan

CIA Director William Burns testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 10, 2022.
CIA Director William Burns testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 10, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/FILE)

The director of the CIA says the US is “confident” that China is "considering" sending lethal aid to Russia but intelligence suggests there has been no final decision by Beijing.

"We're confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment," CIA Director William Burns told CBS News.

"We also don't see that a final decision has been made yet, and we don't see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment,” Burns added.  

Some context: CNN reported Friday that the US has intelligence that the Chinese government is considering providing Russia with drones and ammunition for use in the war in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

12:03 a.m. ET, February 26, 2023

Kyiv's troops are holding their lines in Bakhmut despite constant attacks, Ukrainian colonel says

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Ukrainian servicemen sit inside a howitzer near Bakhmut on February 25.
Ukrainian servicemen sit inside a howitzer near Bakhmut on February 25. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)

Ukrainian troops are standing their ground around Bakhmut despite a significant concentration of Russian forces near the eastern town, a Ukrainian commander said Saturday.

Cmdr. Yuriy Fedorovych Madyar, a colonel in Ukraine's military, published a video message on his Telegram channel about the state of the fighting around Bakhmut, which remains one of the most fiercely contested territories in the war.

"Ukrainian troops have retained their positions on all three suburbs of Bakhmut — the northern, eastern and southern-southwestern. The enemy had no territorial successes," Madyar said. "Enemy assault operations were unsuccessful." 

The colonel said Ukrainian forces "don't see any additional accumulation" of Russian troops in these areas. Still, the concentration of Russian forces in Bakhmut is "already considerable," allowing the Russians "to launch assault operations several times a day."

Madyar said the situation in the southern suburbs of Bakhut is stable, and that it's the northern suburbs that are proving "the most difficult part of the front lines to hold on to."

"There is a large number of enemy troops and high intensity of enemy assault operations," Madyar said, describing the situation in the northern suburbs. "Appropriate forces were sent there to prevent the enemy from implementing its plan to surround the city and its outskirts."  

Madyar said that over the past week, the number of remaining civilians seen in the streets of Bakhmut "has fallen to zero."

What Russia is saying: Russia state news agency RIA Novosti carried a report this week showing a Russian soldier walking through the outskirts of Bakhmut, saying that Ukrainian forces have been holding on to their lines but retreating "occasionally."

And the Russian private military company Wagner has claimed that it now controls the village of Yahidne. The village is in the northern suburbs of Bakhmut — the same area that Madyar, the Ukrainian colonel, said was proving the most difficult to hold.

CNN has not been able to independently verify either side's claims on recent troop movements around Bakhmut.

11:58 p.m. ET, February 25, 2023

One year into Ukraine war, US gas prices are lower. Here’s how that is possible

From CNN's Chris Isidore

A customer pumps gas at an Exxon gas station on July 29, 2022 in Houston.
A customer pumps gas at an Exxon gas station on July 29, 2022 in Houston. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine has roiled global economies and made an impact even in countries far from the frontline horrors of the war.

In the United States, Americans have felt the effects at the gas pump, paying the price for a disrupted global energy markets and the sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and its allies.

From the day before Russia's full-scale invasion started, US gas prices shot up $1.48 a gallon, or 42%, to a record price of $5.02 by June 14.

That peak was short-lived — the national average price of gasoline, as tracked by the agency Oil Price Information Service for AAA, fell continually for 98 straight days from the day the record was set to September 20.

On Friday, the first anniversary of the invasion, the national average stood at $3.39 a gallon, compared to $3.54 on the day the war started.

Why prices shot up, then fell: To understand why gas prices are down, it’s important to understand why they went up so much — and so fast.

Crude oil prices are determined on global commodity markets. And to some extent, those markets overreacted to the start of the war.

“The market’s reaction was due to uncertainty,” said oil analyst Andy Lipow. He said that those trading oil futures thought the global market would have to find a replacement for all the Russian oil when there wasn’t an alternative available.

But Russian oil shipments continued even with the sanctions, although they were redirected elsewhere. Instead of sending much of its oil and refined products to Europe, Russia sent them to countries like China, India and Turkey.

And the sanctions never completely shut down the flow of oil to Europe, although a price cap limited the shipments and the amount that buyers in those countries would be willing to pay.

In addition, the United States and its allies announced in March they would start releasing oil from their stockpiles of crude, such as the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, putting downward pressure on prices.

The economic outlook also drove oil prices: Few things take a bite out of gas prices like a recession, or even just the fear of one. People who lose their jobs don’t have to commute, and they pull back their spending on discretionary items like travel, too. Consumption falls, followed by prices.

Rising fears of a global and US recession roiled markets in late 2022, pushing down the price of oil futures. Fears of a US recession have receded recently, with very strong reports on US job growth and retail sales, but they’re not gone — particularly not with the Federal Reserve expected to continue raising interest rates.

That has only further helped tamp down prices at the pump.

Read a full breakdown of the war's impact on gas prices here.