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Russia's war in Ukraine

February 23, 2023 - Town hall on Russia's war in Ukraine

By Kathleen Magramo, Tara Subramaniam, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales, Maureen Chowdhury, Tori B. Powell and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 12:02 a.m. ET, February 24, 2023

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2:55 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

Moldova dismisses Russia's "armed provocation" claim against Ukraine

From CNN’s Tim Lister

Moldova on Thursday dismissed accusations from Russia that Ukraine is planning military action against the country's pro-Moscow separatist region of Transnistria.

Earlier Thursday, Moscow's Defense Ministry accused Kyiv of "preparing an armed provocation" against Transnistria “in the near future,” state-run news agency TASS reported. No evidence or further details were offered to support the ministry's claim.

“The state authorities do not confirm the information disseminated this morning by the Russian Ministry of Defense,” a message on the Moldovan government’s official Telegram channel read. “We call for calm and invite the public to follow the official and credible sources of the Republic of Moldova. Our institutions cooperate with foreign partners and in case of any danger to the country they will inform the public without delay.”

Some context: Anxieties about Russia’s long-term plans for Transnistria have intensified after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last February.

The separatist region, bordered by the Dniester River on the west and Ukraine on the east, declared itself a Soviet republic in 1990 and opposed any attempt by Moldova at the time to become an independent state or to merge with Romania.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this month that Washington has “deep concern” about Moscow's efforts to destabilize Moldova's government. His remarks came just days after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting a coup in Moldova and dragging Transnistria into its war.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed Sandu’s claims as “completely unfounded and unsubstantiated.”

2:14 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

Russian shelling kills 2 in Kherson, Ukrainian officials say

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych

Two people were killed by Russian shelling in Kherson on Wednesday, the southern Ukrainian region's military administration said in a post on Telegram.

"According to the Kherson Military Administration, Russian occupiers fired 71 times at Kherson region. They attacked with various weapons - MLRS, mortars, artillery, tanks and UAVs,” the post read. "The enemy shelled Kherson city twice. Enemy shells hit residential buildings. Unfortunately, the last day was not without civilian casualties. Yesterday 2 residents of the Kherson region were killed by Russian occupiers."

On Wednesday, Kherson officials said additional safety measures would be put in place throughout the region during the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The news followed intense shelling in Kherson in recent days that has left at least seven residents dead and more than 16 injured.

3:06 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrives in Kyiv for surprise visit to mark invasion anniversary

From CNN’s Al Goodman

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, right, is greeted by Ukrainian official as he arrives for a visit with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 23. (Borja Puig de la Bellacasa/Moncloa Palace/Reuters)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for a surprise visit marking the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“I return to Kyiv a year after the start of the war. We will stand by Ukraine and its people until peace returns to Europe,” Sánchez wrote on Twitter, alongside a video of himself stepping off a train and greeting Ukrainian officials.

The trip — which was not listed on the Spanish leader's official agenda for Thursday —follows a highly secretive visit by Joe Biden to the Ukrainian capital on Monday, in which the US President announced a half-billion dollars in new assistance for Kyiv.

Spain is among a number of NATO allies that have agreed to send modern tanks to Ukraine and has trained 800 Ukrainian troops in the Iberian country since the start of war, Madrid's defense minister said Wednesday.

2:06 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

Wagner chief says ammunition shipment on way to his fighters after criticizing Russian Defense Ministry

From CNN's Josh Pennington

People gather outside the PMC Wagner headquarters in St. Petersburg on November 4, 2022. (Igor Russak/Reuters/FILE)

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday said an ammunition shipment is on its way to his fighters in Ukraine after he accused Russia’s defense establishment earlier this week of creating “major problems” with supplies for the mercenary group.

In a message and voice note published on his Telegram channel Thursday, Progozhin said the shipment began at 6 a.m. local time.

"Most likely, the train has started moving…we are told that the main papers have already been signed,” the message read. “I would like to thank all who helped us accomplish this. You saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives of men who are defending their homeland.”

Public spat: On Tuesday, Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry's leadership of "treason" for failing to get ammunition to Wagner fighters and "not helping with air transport."

CNN has not been able to independently verify Prigozhin's claims about ammunition shortages. The Wagner chief, who has no official position, has repeatedly blamed the Russian Ministry of Defense for battlefield losses in Ukraine.

The US government estimates the Wagner group has suffered more than 30,000 causalities, including roughly 9,000 dead in the battle for the city of Bakhmut. About half of those 9,000 have been killed since mid-December, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said last week. And about 90% of those killed in December were recruited from Russian prisons, he said.

12:33 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

Russia accuses Ukraine of planning an "armed provocation" against Transnistria

From CNN’s Hannah Ritchie and Josh Pennington

Russia’s Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of “preparing an armed provocation” against Moldova’s pro-Moscow separatist region of Transnistria “in the near future,” state-run news agency TASS reported Thursday.

No evidence or further details were offered to support the ministry's claim.

"According to current information, the Kyiv regime is preparing an armed provocation against the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic in the near future, which will be carried out by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including involving the Azov nationalist formation," the ministry said, according to TASS.
The ministry said the “pretext for the invasion” would be to “stage an alleged attack by Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria,” TASS reported.
“'To this end, the Ukrainian saboteurs participating in the staged invasion will be disguised wearing uniforms of Russian Federation troops," it said.

Transnistria tensions: Moldova, situated between Ukraine and Romania, was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991.

The separatist region of Transnistria is a strip of land bordered by the Dniester River on the west and Ukraine on the east, which declared itself a Soviet republic in 1990, opposing any attempt by Moldova at the time to become an independent state or to merge with Romania.

Anxieties about Russia’s long-term plans for Transnistria have only intensified after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last February.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington has “deep concern” about Moscow's efforts to destabilize Moldova's government.

The remarks came just days after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting a coup in Moldova and dragging Transnistria into its war.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed Sandu’s claims as “completely unfounded and unsubstantiated.”

12:58 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

3 ways China is helping to prop up the Russian economy

From CNN's Laura He in Hong Kong

In the year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Moscow has been hit by unprecedented Western sanctions and shut out of much of the global economy.

But China, which has declared “no limits” to its friendship with its northern neighbor, has thrown the Kremlin an economic lifeline, tempering the impact of its banishment from the global financial system.

Here are three ways China has been propping up the Russian economy:

Buying Russian energy: Total trade between China and Russia hit a new record high in 2022, up 30% to $190 billion, according to Chinese customs figures. In particular, the energy trade has risen markedly since the onset of the war. China bought $50.6 billion worth of crude oil from Russia from March to December, up 45% from the same period the previous year. Coal imports surged 54% to $10 billion. Natural gas purchases, including pipeline gas and LNG, skyrocketed 155% to $9.6 billion.
Replacing Western suppliers: Russia has also been spending billions on buying machinery, electronics, base metals, vehicles, ships and aircraft from China, as detailed in a US Congressional Research Service report from last May. Chinese car brands, including Havel, Chery, and Geely, have seen their market share surge from 10% to 38% in a year following the exit of Western brands, according to most recent data from Russian research firm Autostat. In consumer electronics, Chinese brands accounted for about 40% of the smartphone market at the end of 2021. A year later, they’ve virtually taken over the industry with 95% market share, according to market research firm Counterpoint.
Providing an alternative to the US dollar: After some Russian banks were cut off from SWIFT — the international messaging system that enables bank transactions — Moscow has been dropping the dollar for the Chinese yuan. Russian companies have been using more yuan to facilitate the increased trade with China. The yuan’s share of the Russian foreign currency market jumped to 48% by November 2022 from less than 1% in January, according to Russian media, citing the head of the Moscow Exchange.

Read more here.

12:33 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023

Russian man accused of selling prolific hacking tool extradited to US

From CNN's Sean Lyngaas

A 28-year-old Russian man accused of developing and selling a hacking tool used to obtain the login information for tens of thousands of computers worldwide was arrested in the country of Georgia and extradited to the US, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Dariy Pankov is accused of advertising access to more than 35,000 computers, earning more than $350,000 in illicit sales, and enabling cybercriminals to conduct ransomware attacks and tax fraud, prosecutors said.

Pankov’s arrest is the latest move by US law enforcement agencies to try to nab accused Russian cybercriminals who venture outside of Russia. US President Joe Biden in 2021 urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to reign in criminal hackers, but Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago has soured hopes of bilateral cooperation on the issue.

Read more here.

8:04 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023

Putin commits to strengthening Russia's nuclear triad

From CNN's Duarte Mendonca

President Vladimir Putin has committed to Russia strengthening its nuclear triad, a military force structure capable of launching three types of nuclear weapons.

“This year, the first Sarmat missile system launchers with the new heavy missile will be put on combat duty. We will continue full production of the Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic systems and begin mass deployment of Tsirkon [Zircon] sea-launched hypersonic missiles,” Putin said in a statement Thursday to mark Fatherland Day, a holiday that celebrates Russia's military achievements.
“With the Borei-A nuclear-powered submarine Emperor Alexander III becoming operational in the Navy, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the naval strategic nuclear forces will reach 100%. In the coming years, three more cruisers from this project will be delivered to the Navy.”

Putin’s remarks also emphasized the reliance on a “modern and efficient Army and Navy.”

“Relying on actual combat experience, we will pursue balanced and high-quality development of all components of the Armed Forces, improve the system for training units. A solid foundation here is the soldiers, sergeants and officers who showed their worth in combat on the front line,” Putin was quoted as saying.

He added that Russia’s military manufacturing industry was “quickly increasing production” as Moscow prioritizes investment in military hardware.

8:01 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023

Challenger tanks could arrive in Ukraine in the spring, UK defense minister says

From CNN's Michael Rios

Challenger 2 battle tanks could start to arrive in Ukraine in "the spring," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

Britain could offer Ukraine more of its main battle tanks on top of the 14 already promised, but that would depend on the country's defense needs, Wallace told the news agency.

Wallace was visiting a training site in southwest England where Ukrainian soldiers are learning to operate the tanks in combat conditions. The UK Defense Ministry said in a statement that training was "continuing at pace" and would last several weeks.

"Ukrainians will continue to fight, and the UK, alongside our allies will not falter," Wallace said. "We will continue to provide the capabilities needed to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he added.