March 4, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Sophie Tanno, Matt Meyer, Adrienne Vogt and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 2242 GMT (0642 HKT) March 4, 2023
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1:01 p.m. ET, March 4, 2023

Russian defense minister pays rare visit to troops in Ukraine

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu awards service members deployed in Ukraine, in this handout image published March 4.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu awards service members deployed in Ukraine, in this handout image published March 4. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout/Reuters)

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Russia’s forces deployed in Ukraine, the country’s defense ministry said on Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry said Shoigu “inspected the forward command post of one of the formations of the Vostok forces in the South Donetsk direction."

In a video from the ministry, Shoigu is seen handing out medals to Russian military personnel and inspecting damaged buildings with the Eastern Military District’s commander, Colonel-General Rustam Muradov. 

“Awards deserved, earned. You fight with dignity! There is still a lot of work ahead. I really hope that you will continue to faithfully serve our country,” Shoigu told the military.

Shoigu and other members of Russia's defence establishment have faced criticism from the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and military bloggers.

Prigozhin has since the start of the Ukraine war been openly taking credit for Wagner’s efforts to secure some territorial gains, particularly in the battles raging around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

His unexpected rise prompted speculation about possible infighting among Moscow's elite as Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine sputtered.

6:15 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

Russian FM's false claim about Ukraine war draws laughter from crowd

From CNN's Sophie Tanno

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks in New Delhi on Friday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks in New Delhi on Friday. (Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov drew laughter from a crowd in India after he made a false claim about the war in Ukraine.

Lavrov had been pedaling the Kremlin's narrative of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, falsely stating that the invasion was actually launched against Russia.

"You know, the war that we are trying to stop and which was launched against us using the Ukrainian people..."

His words were drowned out by the sound of laughter coming from the audience of top diplomats who were gathered for a G20 meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

Watch the full video clip here.

8:39 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

Ukraine's army under “increasingly severe” pressure in Bakhmut, says UK Ministry of Defence

From CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury

Ukraine's army is under “increasingly severe” pressure in Bakhmut, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war, the UK Ministry of Defence says.

According to the UK intelligence, Russian forces and Wagner troops have made further advances into the northern suburbs, making the Ukrainian-held section of the city vulnerable to Russian attacks on three sides.

Meanwhile Ukraine's military says numerous attacks in various areas of the eastern Donetsk region, including Bakhmut, have been repelled.

“Over the past day, our troops repelled numerous attacks in the areas of Vasiukivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bohdanivka, Bakhmut and Ivanivske in the Donetsk region,” the General Staff said. “In the Bakhmut sector, the enemy continues attempts to encircle Bakhmut.”

On Friday, Russian forces blew up a vital supply bridge to Bakhmut linking the besieged city to a nearby village.

Russia has been trying to capture Bakhmut for months. Its military significance is limited, however a Russian victory would be a symbolic boost for the Kremlin after a series of costly setbacks.

5:00 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

Biden say US and Germany worked in lockstep to support Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks alongside US President Joe Biden meets in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks alongside US President Joe Biden meets in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's support for Ukraine has "made a world of difference" during the war, as the two leaders met at the White House on Friday.

"You stepped up and provided critical military support and you know, I would argue that beyond your military support, the moral support you gave to Ukrainians has been profound. And you've driven historic changes at home — increase in defense spending and diversifying away from Russian energy sources — I know that has not been easy, very difficult for you," Biden said, noting they had moved in "lockstep" in supporting Kyiv.

As NATO allies, we're making the alliance stronger and more capable," he added.

Scholz said Germany will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

"This is a very, very important year because of the very dangerous threat to peace that comes from Russia invading Ukraine, and it's really important that we acted together, that we organized in lockstep, and that we made it feasible that we can give the necessary support to Ukraine during all this time," said Scholz, who added he felt the transatlantic partnership was in "very good shape."  

Germany and the US were in a standoff earlier this year over sending tanks to Ukraine, but both countries announced plans to send the vehicles after intense pressure on Berlin and prolonged diplomacy between Germany, the United States and other European allies.

4:04 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

China is still considering providing lethal aid to Russia, White House national security official says

From CNN's Sam Fossum

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre listens as National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Thursday.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre listens as National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Thursday. (Evan Vucci/AP)

China could still take the escalatory step of providing lethal military aid to Russia, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday. 

"We don't believe they've taken it off the table," Kirby told CNN's Abby Phillip, while noting that the administration still doesn't "believe that they've made the decision to move forward."

On fighter jets for Ukraine: Kirby also said that F-16 fighter jets are not a "key part" of the agenda for US President Joe Biden's meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this afternoon, but the two leaders will speak extensively on what Ukraine will need this spring and summer for the tough fighting ahead. 

About US detainee in Russia: Asked about detained American Paul Whelan, Kirby said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "absolutely" brought it up with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, despite Russian claims otherwise. 

"Paul Whelan needs to be home with his family and with his friends," Kirby said. "We're going to keep working to get him released and get him back home."

3:41 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

Alexey Navalny's daughter calls on Putin to end war in Ukraine and to release her father

Dasha Navalnaya speaks to CNN on Friday.
Dasha Navalnaya speaks to CNN on Friday. (CNN)

Dasha Navalnaya, the daughter of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, on Friday shared a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin:

“I have a couple of things to say to him — that he should stop this incredibly unnecessary and terrible invasion of Ukraine, that he should release my father and all of Russia’s political prisoners, who are just fighting for a better democratic, more prosperous country. And that until those two primary goals among others are met, we will not stop fighting,” she told CNN's Erin Burnett.

Navalny, a Kremlin critic and activist, was sentenced to nine years in prison on fraud charges that he said were politically motivated.

Navalnaya said once her father is released from prison, “he will continue fighting until Russia is a country that’s able to have free and fair elections."

"That’s the main goal of the anti-corruption foundation, is for Russia to become a free state, to have open elections, to have freedom of press, freedom of speech, and just you know, to have the opportunity to become a part of the normal Western democratized community in the world,” she said.

Navalnaya, 21, said she has not seen her father in person in over a year.

8:48 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

Zelensky holds talks with Latvia's president and visits wounded soldiers in Lviv 

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Maria Kostenko 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Latvian President Egils Levits shake hands during a joint news briefing, in Lviv, Ukraine on Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Latvian President Egils Levits shake hands during a joint news briefing, in Lviv, Ukraine on Friday. (Roman Baluk/Reuters)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he met with the president of Latvia Friday on the sidelines of a conference in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. 

"The negotiations with the president of Latvia, who today, by the way, visited Ukraine for the third time during the full-scale war, went very well," Zelensky said in his nightly address.
"We also signed an important bilateral declaration with our Latvian counterpart. The declaration that enshrines justice at the political level. Latvia fundamentally supports the full integration of Ukraine into the European Union and NATO and will defend this position at all levels," he added. 

He thanked Ukraine's allies and politicians who have helped the country "for understanding the price that the Ukrainian people pay for their freedom and that of all Europeans."

In addition to meetings at the United for Justice Conference, Zelensky visited a Lviv hospital Friday, where wounded soldiers are being rehabilitated.

"I had the honor to communicate with the soldiers and present them with state awards," he said. "I also presented awards to doctors who save the lives of our soldiers."

3:29 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

US Attorney General Merrick Garland makes unannounced trip to Ukraine

From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz

Left to right: Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, US Attorney General Merrick Garland, and National Prosecutor of Poland Dariusz Barski meet in Lviv, Ukraine, with a group of international prosecutors on Friday.
Left to right: Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, US Attorney General Merrick Garland, and National Prosecutor of Poland Dariusz Barski meet in Lviv, Ukraine, with a group of international prosecutors on Friday. (Roman Baluk/Reuters)

US Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced trip to Ukraine on Friday, his second trip to the country since Russia invaded a little more than a year ago.

The trip was not announced for security reasons, according to a Justice Department official.

Garland was invited to Lviv by the Ukrainian prosecutor general, the official said, and joined President Volodymyr Zelensky at the “United for Justice Conference.”

The attorney general “held several meetings and reaffirmed our determination to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in its unjust and unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbor,” the official said.

The trip comes nearly two weeks after President Joe Biden made his first trip to Ukraine since the war began and is one of several trips made by members of Biden’s Cabinet. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also recently made a trip to Ukraine to meet with Zelensky.

The Justice Department has taken several steps to hold the Russian government and its supporters accountable since the invasion began.

On Wednesday, Garland testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he believed the Russian government was committing crimes against humanity and said the Justice Department supports efforts by The Hague to investigate and prosecute those crimes.

“The United States supports what is now being developed in The Hague, sponsored by Eurojust, looking into the possibility of creating that court [to charge crimes of aggression],” Garland testified.
“There are concerns that we have to take into account with respect to how that might deal with our own service members and other circumstances,” he continued. “We have to be sure that the appropriate guardrails are up. But we support any number of different ways in which war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the potential for crimes against aggression are investigated.”

7:12 a.m. ET, March 4, 2023

US will send rockets, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine in new $400 million aid package

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

The United States announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine on Friday that is valued at up to $400 million.

This is the thirty-third presidential drawdown on US inventories, totaling more than $32 billion, used to aid Ukraine since Russian's full-scale invasion began more than one year ago.

In a drawdown, the Defense Department pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to send abroad, rather than purchasing new weapons from manufacturers.

“This package features more ammunition and support equipment for Ukraine’s precision fires, artillery, and armored vehicle operations," the Defense Department wrote in a statement.

CNN reported earlier Friday key details of the package, including that the aid would include Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges for the first time, a system used to launch bridges to cross trenches and narrow water obstacles.

Here's a look at the weapons, munitions and equipment included in the package:

  • Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
  • Additional 155mm artillery rounds
  • Additional 105mm artillery rounds
  • Additional 25mm ammunition
  • Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges
  • Demolition munitions and equipment for obstacle clearing
  • Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair
  • Spare parts and other field equipment

Last week, the US announced $2 billion in aid under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which contracts with the industry to procure the supplies and takes more time.

Ukrainian officials have also been pushing to obtain US F-16 fighter jets, which President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have opposed so far.