March 8, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Joshua Berlinger, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond, Leinz Vales and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 12:03 a.m. ET, March 9, 2023
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11:43 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

Polish president calls for training of Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets

From CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi in Abu Dhabi

Polish President Andrzej Duda talks to CNN’s Becky Anderson on Wednesday.
Polish President Andrzej Duda talks to CNN’s Becky Anderson on Wednesday. (CNN)

The training of Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets is “necessary,” Poland’s President Andrzej Duda told CNN’s Becky Anderson. 

The Polish president said he believes that Ukraine’s armed forces will want to be “up to the NATO standard” and therefore will want to use F-16 fighter jets. 

“The training of Ukraine in pilots is important and it is quite necessary,” Duda said.

In the US: The United States is working with Ukrainian pilots in the US to determine how long it would take to train them to fly F-16 fighter jets, three sources briefed on the matter told CNN. Two Ukrainian pilots are currently at a military base in the US having their skills tested in flight simulators to see how much time they would need to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including F-16s.

Duda is also in Abu Dhabi on Poland’s first bilateral visit in 13 years to warn Emirati leaders of Russian propaganda and to relay how the situation in Ukraine looks from his "very close perspective.”

More than a year since Russia launched its war on Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates' wider policy — as is the case with much of the Middle East — is one of neutrality. Energy-rich Gulf states have benefited from the rise in prices brought by the war in Ukraine, which has added tens of billions of dollars to their coffers, while Russia continues finding financial escape routes into UAE markets.  

“I'm convincing them to be very sensitive to Russian propaganda,” Duda said about his meetings with Emirati leaders. 

11:21 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

Zelensky welcomes UN secretary general to Kyiv for talks on grain initiative

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres attend the joint press conference following their meeting on March 8, in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres attend the joint press conference following their meeting on March 8, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to Kyiv for discussions on extending the grain initiative that allows Ukraine to export its agricultural produce from Black Sea ports.

"We are interested in ensuring that there is no hunger in the world, and our common policy is to extend the grain initiative corridor. We also raised the issue of the future prolongation of the initiative," Zelensky told a news conference.

"It is very important that we are talking in Kyiv about how to restore peace, international security, and the full force of the UN Charter – those norms that are equally important to all nations on earth," Zelensky said.

Background on grain initiative: Russia suspended its participation in an agreement that guarantees safe passage for ships carrying vital grain exports from Ukraine in October 2022, but quickly reversed course a few days later. Turkey, alongside the United Nations, helped broker the deal in July 2022.

The US also announced three new partnerships last week as an effort to boost Ukraine’s agricultural sector and help supply the country’s grain to the world, USAID officials told CNN.

According to the UN, Ukraine normally supplies the world with around 45 million tons of grain every year. It ranks among the top five global exporters of barley, corn and wheat. It’s also by far the biggest exporter of sunflower oil, accounting for 46% of the world’s exports.

8:58 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

Germany searched boat suspected of carrying explosives used for Nord Stream pipelines attack

From CNN's Stephanie Halasz

Gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 27.
Gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 27. (Swedish Coast Guard/Getty Images)

The German federal prosecutor's office searched a boat in January that was suspected of carrying explosives used in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline detonations in September, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

"The Office of the Attorney General of Germany had a ship searched from January 18 to 20, 2023 in connection with a suspicious ship rental," the statement details.

"The evaluation of the seized traces and objects is ongoing. The identity of the perpetrators and their motives are the subject of ongoing investigations," it said.

Investigations are ongoing, and reliable statements cannot be issued yet, particularly as to whether a state controlled these plans, it added.

It comes after a media report cited new intelligence that a "pro-Ukrainian group" may have been behind the attack last year.

"There are no grounds for suspecting employees of the German company that leased the ship," the office said.

More details from German public broadcaster's report: The boat left the Baltic sea port of Rostock, Germany, on September 6, 2022, according to German public broadcaster ARD, citing its own investigation. The ARD reporting cited unnamed security sources from five countries.

ARD said the boat carried six people: one captain, two divers, two assistant divers and a doctor. The nationalities of those six are not known, according to ARD. The broadcaster said the group was using professionally falsified passports to rent the boat.

A truck delivered the group's gear to the harbor beforehand, it said. 

ARD said the investigators, according to its research, were able to piece together the route of the boat after September 6: It went to Wieck, a German municipality east of Rostock, and could also be pinned on the Danish island of Christiansø, northeast of Bornholm. 

The boat was – according to ARD — returned in a dirty state and the investigators, according to the broadcasters’ research, were able to find traces of explosives on the cabin table.

The German prosecutors’ office declined to give any more information when asked for any further details.

CNN also approached the port of Rostock and is awaiting a response, but it is a public holiday today.

8:55 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

NATO chief "can’t rule out" that Bakhmut may fall in the coming days

From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the press upon arrival to the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers on March 8, in Marsta, Sweden.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the press upon arrival to the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers on March 8, in Marsta, Sweden. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said he can't rule out that Russian forces will soon take over the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm, he said he “cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days.” 

Stoltenberg said that “this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war,” adding the conflict in the eastern Donetsk region “just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia.” 

Let's recap: The head of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed that the eastern part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is now under his mercenary group's control. CNN cannot independently confirm Prigozhin’s claim. While the Ukrainian military did not address his claims, it said that Russian attacks in the Bakhmut area continue, but described them as unsuccessful and incurring heavy losses. Wagner, the predominant forces in the Bakhmut area, is also running out of prisoners to recruit, according to Western officials.

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

Republican US House leader says he has no plans to visit Ukraine in response to Zelensky invite

From CNN's Clare Foran

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is inviting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Ukraine to see the situation on the ground firsthand – an invitation that comes as the Republican Party faces a divide over whether the United States should continue to provide aid to the country under attack from Russia.

“Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, what’s happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions,” Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview.

But when told of the invitation on Tuesday, McCarthy told CNN that he does not plan to visit Ukraine, and argued that President Joe Biden has not acted quickly enough to aid the country. McCarthy, a California Republican, has said he supports Ukraine but does not support “a blank check,” a position he repeated on Tuesday – even though there is federal oversight of all the dollars that are spent there.

“I think that Speaker McCarthy, he never visited Kyiv or Ukraine, and I think it would help him with his position,” Zelensky said.

As speaker, McCarthy must navigate competing views within his party over sending additional assistance. There is widespread bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress, but some House Republicans are calling for an end to further military and financial aid to the country.

“When the Democrats and Republicans come to us, they see the supply roots – every shell, every bullet, every dollar,” Zelensky said.

Read more here.

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7:58 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

Russian support for Wagner forces in Bakhmut "appears to be dwindling," Western officials say

From CNN’s Max Foster and Jessie Gretener in London

Fighters of private military company Wagner are the predominant forces in the Bakhmut area "with occasional support from Russian regular forces, and that appears to be dwindling down at the moment,” western officials said.

"Part of Wagner’s desperation, Prigozhin’s rather emotional outburst is because he sees himself as not only running out of human resource, but now he is also running out of Russian artillery support to provide an offset these losses,” they said. 

Death rates among Wagner fighters "have been significantly higher than of the Russian Armed Forces,” they added.

Officials also said Bakhmut “doesn’t hold any operational strategic significance" for either Russia or Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's trip to Bakhmut in December has politicized it.

They acknowledged that Russia has "taken territory," but said that the said area is "open ground — wasn’t an urban area or built-up area. And there were no Ukrainian defensive lines there.”

The Western officials said Ukraine "conceded ground to the Russians” and is “surrounded by three sides because they traded that space for time.”

Discussing a timeline, they said Ukraine can still get forces in and out of Bakhmut. “It may well last another month, or the Ukrainians could decide to leave within a week. They could withdraw to prepare defensive lines which they have to the west of Bakhmut.”

“They have shown previously that they are very adept to withdrawing when they need to, or when they feel they need to,” the officials later added.

7:52 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

Ukraine needs 1 million rounds of ammunition to deter Russian troops, according to defense minister

From CNN's Radina Gigova

A Ukrainian serviceman carries a shell for a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer before firing towards Russian troops outside the frontline town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on March 5.
A Ukrainian serviceman carries a shell for a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer before firing towards Russian troops outside the frontline town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on March 5. (Anna Kudriavtseva/Reuters)

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Wednesday his country needs 1 million rounds of ammunition "as soon as possible" to deter Russian forces and launch a counteroffensive.

Speaking to reporters before a European Union defense ministers meeting in Stockholm, Reznikov said Ukraine requires 1 million 155-millimeter as well as 105-millimeter shells that would cost about 4 billion euros ($4.22 billion).

Reznikov said he supports a plan proposed by Estonia for EU countries to jointly secure those rounds of ammunition. Ukraine needs 90,000 to 100,000 artillery rounds per month, he said.

The defense minister also said air defense systems, tanks and ammunition are among the priorities he will discuss with the EU defense ministers during Wednesday's meeting. 

"Priority number one is air defense systems — and also ammunition, ammunition, and again ammunition," so that Ukraine can be ready for a counteroffensive, he said. 

Reznikov said time is a decisive factor that can save lives, therefore "we need to move forward as soon as possible."

7:37 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

Russian and Ukrainian troops continue to fight fiercely in the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed the eastern part of Bakhmut is now under his fighters' control. Ukraine hasn't address the claims, but has said that Russian forces incurred heavy losses.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have denied any involvement in sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines after a media report cited new intelligence that a "pro-Ukrainian group" may have been behind September's attack.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Battle for Bakhmut: Ukrainians have reportedly inflicted massive losses on attacking forces in the city, by some estimates at a ratio of 7:1. A Ukrainian military spokesman said Wednesday that more than 100 Russian troops were killed in and around Bakhmut in the past 24 hours.
  • Wagner refutes claims: Prigozhin, head of the notorious Russian private military company Wagner, dismissed those claims. He said in a video Wednesday that Wagner "will conquer this frontier with dignity" and claimed the entire eastern part of Bakhmut is under his fighters' control. CNN cannot independently confirm this and has reached out to Kyiv for response.
  • Importance of Bakhmut: Though mostly abandoned, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that Bakhmut is tactically important for his country because, should it fall to Russian hands, it would give the Kremlin an "open road" to capture key cities.
  • Nord Stream whodunit: Germany's defense minister said that recent media reports regarding who's responsible for an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines should be viewed with caution. Boris Pistorius's comments came after reports that a "pro-Ukrainian group" could have been responsible for the incident last year, which targeted a pipeline meant to bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack.
  • Germany boat search: The German federal prosecutor's office searched a boat in January that was suspected of carrying explosives used in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline detonations, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. Investigations are ongoing, and reliable statements cannot be issued yet, particularly as to whether a state controlled these plans, it added.
  • Georgia protests: At least 66 people were detained on Tuesday in Georgia during protests against a so-called anti-foreign agents bill at the parliament building in Tbilisi, the country's public broadcaster reported. The controversial draft law would require some organizations receiving foreign funding to register as "foreign agents." Rights groups say the legislation has echoes of a similar law in Russia and fear, should it pass, it would curtail basic freedoms.
  • International Women's Day: The leaders of Russia and Ukraine both issued statements marking International Women's Day on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to honor Russian women who have chosen "the highest mission — defending the Motherland." Zelensky said it was "important to express gratitude today" to the women who fight for Ukraine and have given their lives for the country.
7:14 a.m. ET, March 8, 2023

NATO chief says it's not yet clear who was behind Nord Stream pipelines sabotage 

From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks to journalists upon arrival to the informal meeting of EU defence ministers at the Scandinavian XPO in Marsta outside Stockholm, Sweden, on March 8.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks to journalists upon arrival to the informal meeting of EU defence ministers at the Scandinavian XPO in Marsta outside Stockholm, Sweden, on March 8. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency/Reuters)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said there is no identified perpetrator of the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines which were damaged last September.

“We have not been able to determine who was behind [the sabotage],” Stoltenberg said. “There are ongoing national investigations, and I think it's right to wait until those are finalized before we say anything more.” 

Stoltenberg’s comments come after a report by the New York Times Tuesday citing new intelligence reviewed by US officials, which suggested a group loyal to Ukraine but acting independently of the government in Kyiv was involved in the operation.

The pipelines, a crucial source of revenue for Russia, were closed at the time of the attack, which occurred months after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.