At least one wounded after Russian missile hits administrative building in Kupyansk
From CNN's Nathan Hodge and Radina Gigova
At least one person was injured Thursday when a Russian missile hit an administrative building in Kupyansk, northeast Ukraine, a local official said.
"The occupiers struck today in Kupyansk district. Once again with an S-300 missile. An administrative building is hit. A civilian who was near the building was wounded," said Oleh Synyehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region, said on Telegram.
The S-300 missile is normally an air defense missile that Russian forces have been using as an offensive weapon. Their speed makes them difficult to intercept. But they are hardly accurate.
"At least two people are currently under the rubble," Synyehubov continued, adding that rescue teams are at the scene.
8:28 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023
"I was back to work on Monday as usual": Ukrainian worker recalls surviving Russian shelling
From CNN's Hanna Ziady
Anastasia Kvitka working from home in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. (Anastasia Kvitka)
For Anastasia Kvitka, a marketer for Latvia-based tech startup Bordio, working from home in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro means planning the day’s tasks around frequent internet outages, power cuts and Russian air raids.
Simple errands, such as buying groceries or sending post, may be interrupted by sirens warning of incoming missile and air strikes.
Often, Kvitka works from her pantry. The improvised shelter is intended to protect her and her husband from glass splinters when there are explosions nearby, although it would be of no use in the event of a direct missile attack on their apartment block.
I have a blanket on the floor there and fairy lights on batteries so that there is lighting. It looks romantic, but I wish I’d never have to experience that,” Kvitka, who spoke through a translator, told CNN.
After one particularly heavy day of shelling in December last year, Kvitka and her husband had no water and electricity for three days.
Without internet, they were cut off from the outside world and couldn’t check in with family in nearby Zaporizhzhia, which had also come under heavy fire.
By Sunday, their apartment was so cold that they decided to travel to another city early on Monday morning. They later cancelled the trip after the electricity and internet were restored Sunday evening.
“I was back to work on Monday as usual,” Kvitka said.
5:59 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023
Putin honors fallen troops on Defender of the Fatherland Day
From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow, Russia, on February 23. (Pavel Bednyakov/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute to the country's fallen soldiers on its Defender of the Fatherland Day by laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.
Video footage and a photo published by the Kremlin show Putin standing in front of the wreath at the monument in the Alexander Garden on Thursday.
Putin traditionally marks February 23 by commemorating those who perished in the Great Patriotic War – the name used in Russia to refer to the Second World War – at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
4:54 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023
Russian warplane crashes near Ukraine border, killing the pilot, state media report
From CNN's Nathan Hodge and Anna Chernova
A pilot has been killed after a Russian military aircraft crashed in the country's Belgorod region, according to state media.
Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a plane belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed in the Valuysky municipality, not far from the country's border with Ukraine.
"An investigation team and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are currently working on the ground," Gladkov said in a post on Telegram. "The reason for the incident is being investigated. The situation is under control."
Russian state news agency TASS reported that the Su-25 attack aircraft crashed while returning to its base in the Belgorod region following a combat mission, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
The pilot was killed, TASS said, citing the ministry.
Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti said the plane crashed in an unpopulated area, causing no damage on the ground.
The region borders Ukraine, and the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv lies across the border from the city of Belgorod.
3:03 a.m. ET, February 23, 2023
Spain's prime minister to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv, visit Ukrainian parliament
From CNN's Al Goodman
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez gives a press conference in Slovenia on February 17. (Jurre Makovec/AFP/Getty Images/FILE)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and make a speech to the Ukrainian parliament on Thursday, his office said.
The Spanish leader is making a surprise visit to Kyiv in a show of support for Ukraine on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. He will later hold a joint news conference with Zelensky, according to his schedule.
Sánchez also plans to visit visit Bucha and Irpin, two towns near Kyiv that have become synonymous with alleged Russian war crimes. In addition, he will lay a wreath at a war memorial, his office said.
Support for Ukraine: Sánchez's trip 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.
2:55 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.
