February 28, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut describe a worsening situation on the ground as Russian forces continue to apply pressure to capture the eastern Ukrainian city.

The soldier refuted Russian claims that Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut had been cut off and were unable to get supplies into the city.  

“The Khromove [settlement] is the key for the defense of the city. When it is captured, only one Bakhmut - Kostiantynivka road will remain to supply the city,” the soldier explained. “It is already under the enemy's fire control, and if the enemy captures it, supplies will be impossible.”

Despite the challenges, the soldier said Ukrainian forces would defend the city as long as possible. “The city will be defended until the end, no matter what.”

"We all understand that we are holding on and dying to win time for a counteroffensive in the spring,” the soldier also said. “We cannot give up every city without a fight.”

Another soldier referenced only by his call-sign Kyivan, described a similar situation in a video posted on social media.

“As of the morning of February 28, the situation around the defense of Bakhmut is quite difficult,” Kyivan, who used to be based in Bakhmut said, citing information he is getting from colleagues inside the city. A third soldier speaking alongside Kyivan described the battles in Bakhmut as “hellish,” but added that Ukrainian soldiers were “holding everything.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reiterated the Biden administration’s concern that China is considering providing lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine and warned that Beijing would face consequences for such a move.

“We did very clearly warn China about the implications and consequences of going through with providing such support,” Blinken said at a press conference in Kazakhstan. “We will not hesitate, for example, to target Chinese companies or individuals that violate our sanctions, or otherwise engaged in supporting the Russian war effort.”

Blinken said he raised the issue “directly” with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi when he saw him on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, and US President Joe Biden raised it with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia in November.

If China were to support Russia's war efforts, it would create a "serious problem" for US-China relationship as well as China's relationships with other countries around the world, Blinken said, adding that he hopes China will take US warnings seriously and refrain from helping Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted to "losses in our ranks" while thanking members of the Federal Security Service (FSB) for fighting extremism inside the country, as well as working in claimed Russian-occupied territories.

"Unfortunately, there are losses in our ranks," he said at the start of an FSB meeting. "The leadership of the FSB must do everything to provide additional support to the families of our fallen comrades."

Putin said that "2022 was a special year for the whole country and for your service."

"The FSB units were directly involved in the special military operation, they were solving complex, non-standard operational tasks here, covering the state border, actively fighting terrorism, organized crime, corruption, and extremism," he claimed. 

Putin's "special military operation" is the euphemism the Russian president and leadership uses to describe the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"I would like to thank the management and all employees of the department, especially those who acted at the forefront, in the liberated territories, in the frontline zone and, I would add, behind enemy lines. I want to thank you for this work, dear comrades," he said. 

In November 2022, US Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley said Russia has likely suffered more than 100,000 killed and wounded soldiers as a result of the war in Ukraine, and Ukraine is probably looking at similar numbers.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut continues to come under attack from Russian forces, and a local pro-Russian official has claimed "it is already clear that Ukraine has lost" the city.

Meanwhile, the airport serving the Russian city of St. Petersburg has reopened following an unexplained temporary closure, and hackers caused Russian radios and TVs to play air raid sirens.

Here are the latest headlines:

Russian forces control routes into Bakhmut and it’s only a matter of time until the city falls into Russian hands, according to an adviser to the head of self-declared, pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic.

“Now the fighters are already working in the city, almost in the central district, they have approached it,” Yan Gagin told Russian state broadcaster Russia 1 on Tuesday.

“There is almost complete control of all the routes along which either new fighters for rotation, ammunition or new equipment can be brought in," he said.

“It is already clear that Ukraine has lost Artemovsk (the Russian name for Bakhmut). The only question is when it will happen,” added Gagin.

CNN could not independently verify Gagin’s claims, but Ukrainian military commanders have in the past 24 hours described a worsening situation in Bakhmut, calling it “extremely tense” and “extremely difficult.”

Ukrainian President Zelensky said in his nightly address on Monday that the situation in the Eastern Ukrainian city was getting “more and more challenging.”

"The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, to secure and defend it," Zelensky said, soon after military commanders spoke of hundreds of Russian strikes in the area.

Russia's new territorial "realities" cannot be infringed upon during possible talks with Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. 

"There are certain realities, I mean the new Russian territories, there is the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which cannot be ignored, which the Russian side will never be able to infringe upon. These are very important realities," Peskov told reporters during a regular call.

"The main thing is to achieve our goals, this is our priority for sure," he added. 

When asked how favorable the present moment is for these negotiations, Peskov replied:

"Currently, probably no one can ascertain the signals from the Ukrainian side. At the moment, we proceed from the impossibility de jure for the Ukrainian side to negotiate on this matter. We proceed from this."

German-made Leopard tanks have been spotted near Bakhmut, according to an advisor to the head of the self-declared pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic.

“There have been claims that Leopards have appeared near Artemovsk (the Russian name for Bakhmut),” Yan Gagin told state broadcaster Russia 1 on Tuesday.

Gagin went on to downplay the presence of the tanks near the frontline.

“There is no need to sensationalize this. Given the muddy weather now, it will make it difficult for heavy vehicles like the Leopard to move,” he said. “[It] is the same armored target as all the others.”

CNN could not independently verify Gagin’s claims, but European officials have said previously that the first donated Leopard 2 tanks have begun arriving in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has accused Ukraine of attempting a drone attack against civilian infrastructure in the Krasnodar region of Russia.

“UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were suppressed by the electronic warfare units of the RF (Russian Federation) Armed Forces,” said the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD), adding that none of the drones hit their target.

“Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight path. One UAV fell in a field, and another UAV, deviating from the trajectory, did not harm the attacked civilian infrastructure facility,” the MOD statement read.

Social media video geolocated by CNN showed a fire at a Rosfnet oil depot in Tuapse, on the Krasnodar region’s Black Sea coast. It’s unclear if the facility was the intended target, but Ukraine has previously targeted oil depots within Russian-controlled territory.

CNN could not independently confirm if Ukraine was behind the alleged attack and Ukraine did not immediately comment on the incident. Ukraine has in the past declined to comment on similar operations.

Finland and Sweden's applications to join the NATO military alliance is a “top priority," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.

“The time is now to ratify and to fully welcome both Finland and Sweden as members,” he said at a joint presser with Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki. 

“It is inconceivable that there would be any threat against Finland or Sweden without NATO reacting,” he added. 

Stoltenberg went on to say that, so far, Finland and Sweden have had the “quickest accession process in NATO’s modern history.” 

Both countries applied for membership in May last year, and in June all NATO allies agreed to invite both countries to join the alliance and set out accession protocols. 

So far, 28 out of the 30 allies have ratified both Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. Only Hungary and Turkey have not yet done so.    

The Hungarian parliament have made it clear they will start discussion within a few days, according to Stoltenberg. 

Stoltenberg added that Turkey had expressed some concerns about the countries’ accession, mainly concerning Sweden. 

More on NATO bids: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that his country's talks with Sweden and Finland on the Nordic countries’ NATO accession bid will resume on March 9.

Finnish PM Marin was clear on her country's reasons for joining the alliance, saying that the "NATO line is the only line that Russia wouldn’t cross.” 

Marin said that those countries which have not yet ratified Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership are “a burden to NATO.” 

“Because we are fulfilling the criteria, there shouldn’t be any problems when it comes to our membership,” she said, adding that she hopes Hungary and Turkey will ratify soon. 

Stoltenberg also added that Ukraine “will become a member of our alliance… but that is a long-term perspective.”