February 25, 2024 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

Australia on Monday imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Russian prison officers it accuses of mistreating Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny at the Siberian penal colony where he died earlier this month.

The Kremlin has denied having anything to do with Navalny’s death.

Australia has hit Russian individuals with multiple rounds of “Magnitsky-style” human rights sanctions since December 2022, when it first applied penalties to Russians accused of poisoning Navalny in 2020. 

The United States and European Union enacted fresh sanctions against Russia last week in response to Navalny’s death and Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 25.

Sunday marks the start of the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at a conference about the year ahead in Kyiv, where he said at least 31,000 Ukrainian troops have died since the war began. The Ukrainian president also said tens of thousands of civilians in occupied parts of the country had lost their lives. 

CNN cannot independently verify that figure, but US officials estimate the toll could be closer to 70,000.

In his speech on Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine had “no alternative” but to defeat Russia, and reiterated his hope that the US would pass a bill through Congress to provide the nation with more funding. He rejected comments from Republican US Sen. J.D. Vance that more US funding would not change the outcome of the war, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that “millions will be killed” if the US does not send aid.

If you’re just joining us now, here’s what else to know:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 25.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that “millions will be killed” in the war against Russia if US lawmakers don’t approve President Joe Biden’s request for $60 billion of military aid to the country.

Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about a claim made by Republican US Sen. J.D. Vance that the outcome of the war would not change even if Ukraine receives the money, Zelensky said he wasn’t sure Vance “understands what is going on here.”

A Ukrainian serviceman prepares a shell for a drone at his position at a front line near the town of Avdiivka, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on February 20.

What Vance said: Earlier this month, Vance argued that the Senate-passed plan for Ukraine “is not going to fundamentally change the reality on the battlefield.” He said the US doesn’t have the manufacturing capacity to pump out sufficient ammunition for Ukraine and still address its own needs.

Instead, he called for a negotiated peace with Russia to end the war, and complained there was no clear endgame for US policy.

More background: Ukraine has for months warned that it is running out of armaments. Zelensky said at a news conference earlier Sunday — just one day after the two-year anniversary of the war — that he was still hopeful more US funding might soon be approved.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, is under increasing pressure to bring the Senate bill up for a vote. He has so far resisted calls to do so, at risk of a likely revolt from members of his own party.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Russia could attempt a new offensive as early as late May or early summer.

“They will prepare, and we will prepare for their fight,” he said Sunday at a news conference in Kyiv, following two years of war with Russia.

His comments come as the president reiterates his nation’s need for more weaponry to continue the fight against Russia. Half of all military aid pledged to Ukraine arrives late, the country’s defense minister said at a conference in Kyiv on Sunday, as concern grows about Ukraine’s dwindling stockpiles of ammunition.

Zelensky added that the coming months would be difficult for his country because there’s political uncertainty in the US. “The US elections will be a turning point,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader said earlier Sunday that the country is enduring its “most difficult moment,” but that he still has faith at home and abroad.

This map shows the current state of the battlefield in Ukraine:

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attends a press conference in Lviv, Ukraine, on February 23.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a dire warning Sunday about the need to supply more aid to Ukraine, and vowed not to “abandon” the European ally.

Speaking after returning from a trip to the war-torn country, Schumer said this year is a “crucial moment in the history of the world,” adding that a Ukrainian loss to Russia would also be “devastating in consequences for the US.”

Key areas of need: The Senate leader addressed some key areas where Ukraine needed more supplies, detailing that they need more artillery shells, more weapons to disrupt Russian supply networks, and more anti-aircraft weaponry.

Schumer provided a few examples of ways that Ukraine is struggling to wage its war, including that he met a Ukrainian drone operator who was able to identify Russian artillery, but no longer had the ammunition to destroy it.

Schumer also said Russian forces could fire their artillery much longer than Ukrainian artillery could fire back.

Remember: US House Speaker Mike Johnson is under increasing pressure to bring Ukraine aid up for a vote, after Schumer and the Senate passed a package which would provide over $60 billion in assistance. He has so far resisted calls to do so, however, at risk of a likely revolt from members of his own party.

Soldiers carry the coffin of Ukrainian serviceman Maksym Kryvtsov during his funeral ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 11.

At least 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war with Russia, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, in a rare admission of his country’s losses.

Zelensky disputed Russian claims of much higher numbers when it comes to Ukrainian casualties. The Ukrainian president also said tens of thousands of civilians in occupied parts of the country have been killed. 

CNN cannot independently verify these numbers. Ukraine’s battlefield losses are a closely guarded secret, but US officials estimate some 70,000 soldiers have been killed — and nearly twice that number wounded.

Some context: Throughout the conflict, Kyiv has been hesitant to admit how many soldiers have been killed. Former Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in June 2022 that he believed tens of thousands of Ukrainians had been killed since February of that year. But two months later, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, then the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, said 9,000 troops had been killed.

Russia, meanwhile, has lost a staggering 87% of the active-duty ground troops it had prior to the invasion, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN in December.

The US Capitol building is seen on February 11, in Washington, DC.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that he has hope for gaining additional military aid from the US.

Zelensky said the US is aware that Ukraine is in need of more air defense systems, and added the money provided for the additional support “will remain in the US companies — with companies who are the manufacturers of this kind of weapons which we need.”

Some background: On Saturday, US President Joe Biden urged House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of Congress to return from a two-week break and pass much-needed aid for Ukraine.

The speaker has resisted calls to bring a Senate-passed aid package up for a quick vote — a move that would almost certainly spark a revolt from some members of his own party. While visiting Ukraine last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also called on House Republicans to pass the aid bill.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 25.

There is “no alternative” but to win Ukraine’s fight against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, as he addressed the nation one day after marking the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

He thanked Ukrainians for their resilience throughout the conflict thus far, and suggested a peace summit in Switzerland could take place in the spring.

“It does not mean that Russia will accept this document,” he said of a possible peace plan proposal.

We will bring you more updates from Zelensky’s speech as they become available.

Ukraine’s top prosecutor said that 350 war crimes cases are before Ukrainian courts, an unprecedented figure never before achieved during a conflict.

Kostin said his office has identified 512 Russian suspects involved in said crimes. Eighty verdicts have already been handed down.

Kostin added that more than 20 countries have opened investigations into possible Russian crimes against Ukrainian citizens, including the United States.

Last December, four Russian soldiers were charged with war crimes against an American who was living in Ukraine during the Russian invasion, according to a historic indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Virginia.

The case against the Russian soldiers marked the first time the US government has used a decades-old law aimed to prosecute those who commit war crimes against American citizens. 

Pope Francis speaks at The Vatican on February 25.

Pope Francis, commenting during the Angelus Sunday, talked about the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, saying “I beg that they may rediscover that bit of humanity that might enable the creation of the conditions for a diplomatic solution, in the search for a just and lasting peace.” 

The pope had cancelled audiences on Saturday, but appeared in person on Sunday.

Pope Francis has consistently appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine. As the war approached its one year mark, the pope described it “absurd and cruel” as he called for a ceasefire.

Pope Francis frequently speaks out on issues such as war, migration and climate change, a senior Vatican cardinal said in January, to warn world leaders they are making “suicidal” decisions.

Ukraine Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that half of all military aid pledged to his country arrives late, costing his country dearly on the battlefield.

Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Umerov blamed the delays on what he called a “dynamic and changing” situation.

Umerov’s comments come as Ukraine as support from its allies appears to be faltering. A package of aid from the United States remains stalled in Congress, while the European Union has fallen short on previous commitments to supply Ukraine with more ammunition.

Ukraine is attempting to fill that shortfall by boosting its own defense industries. Speaking at the same conference, Ukraine Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said the country’s defense industry tripled its production capacity last year.

Kamyshin noted, however, that Ukraine needs a lot more ammunition than it can manufacture on its own.

Ukraine expects to get $11.8 billion from the United States this year, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Shmyhal was responding to a question from CNN about his level of faith in the US Congress to deliver aid to Ukraine. Lawmakers in Washington have so failed to agree upon providing more funding for Kyiv to push back against Russia as the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion enters its third year.

Earlier this month, the Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel, but legislation is not expected to make it to a floor vote in the House of Representatives, where isolationist Republicans hold more sway.

Speaking at “Ukraine. Year 2024,” a government-run conference bringing together the top officials, Shmyhal said the Senate’s decision “gives us great hope.”

Firefighters work at the scene of a Russian missile strike that destroyed a train station in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, on February 25.

A wave of Russian missile and drone attacks struck Ukraine overnight Saturday and early Sunday morning, military officials across the country said, though the number of casualties appears small.

The city of Kostiantynivka in the eastern region of Donetsk saw one person injured in a “massive” attack, regional police said. Residential buildings, a train station and educational facilities were hit.

The head of the Donetsk regional military administration said Russian forces had shelled the districts of Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut in a social media post on Sunday, forcing 81 people to evacuate.

The Kyiv region was targeted by drones, but no residences or pieces of critical infrastructure were struck, the region’s military administration said in a statement. No casualties have been reported.

Ukraine’s Air Force Command said its forces destroyed 16 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia toward the regions of Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

Ballot papers to be used in the 2024 Russian presidential election are pictured on February 22.

Early voting in the Russian presidential election is underway in the Russian-occupied c region of Ukraine, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Sunday.

TASS said that first people to vote would be residents of settlements near the front line, including military personnel.

The election, which is scheduled to take place next month, will see longtime Russian leader Vladimir Putin run virtually unopposed for a fifth term that will keep him in power until 2030. Anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin was barred from standing in the contest earlier this month.

Zaporizhzhia is one of four Ukrainian regions Russia said it would annex in September 2022 in violation of international law following referenda that were universally dismissed as “shams” by Ukraine and Western nations.

Russia has previously held elections in territory it has occupied, part of its efforts to enforce Russian legitimacy in the parts of Ukraine it holds. TASS reported that residents can vote by presenting either Russian or Ukrainian passports.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) hold bilateral talks as UK premier unveils $3.1B military aid package for Ukraine amid their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 12.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the West must be “bolder” in supporting Ukraine, providing the country with more long-range weapons, drones and munitions to stave off a resurgent Russian military advance.

Sunak said that his country and its Western democratic allies must not give in to the increasing pessimism over Kyiv’s ability to defeat Moscow. He said it is up to Ukraine’s partners to confront the “tough” situation on the battlefield, but also to change it.

Sunak also used the same word – “bolder” – in calling for the West to step up its seizure of Russian assets.

On Saturday, G7 leaders said they remained committed to supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko speaks in Minsk, Belarus, on February 20.

President Alexander Lukashenko, the longtime Belarusian strongman and key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he will run for another term in elections set to be held in 2025, Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported on Sunday.

Lukashenko made the announcement while speaking to journalists at a polling station after voting in parliamentary and local council elections.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994. His regime has been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses and stifling political opposition. During the last election in 2020, the opposition alleged Lukashenko’s regime engaged in electoral fraud to keep him in power.

Belarus has been an important partner to Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, when Minsk allowed Moscow’s troops to enter the country through the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) Ukrainian-Belarusian border before launching its opening salvo.

Two years ago, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I was among the many long-time observers of the Kremlin who got it wrong.

Few could fathom why Vladimir Putin, Russia’s calculating leader, would embark on such a risky military adventure, especially when the mere threat of a Russian invasion was already yielding results.

In June the previous year, as Russian forces massed near Ukraine, US President Joe Biden met Putin at a superpower-style summit, describing the US and Russia as “two great powers” elevating the Russian leader after previous US administrations had sought to downplay Russia’s influence.

In the days before the 2022 invasion, Washington offered a “pragmatic evaluation” of Moscow’s security concerns, signalling openness to compromise.

Pitching Russian forces against one of the region’s biggest standing armies seemed uncharacteristically reckless and, therefore, unlikely.

There were others, though, who rightly saw the invasion as inevitable, better reading the Kremlin’s intentions, and confidently predicting a swift Russian victory at the hands of Moscow’s vastly superior forces.

Two years on, I like to think that those of us who doubted the Kremlin’s resolve were wrong for the right reasons.

South Korea recorded a record number of Russian nationals seeking asylum in the country in 2023, according to a report released by the Korean Immigration Service.

A total of 5,750 Russian citizens sought asylum in South Korea in 2023, a five-fold increase from the 1,038 who had sought protection the year before and more than the total number recorded between 1994 and 2019.

Russians made up the single largest nationality of the 18,838 total asylum seekers in South Korea in 2023 followed by Kazakhstan (2,094), China (1,282), Malaysia (1,205), India (1,189), Mongolia (836), and Turkey (564).

Asylum applications in 2023 were the highest for at least the past eight years according to data from the Immigration Service, which is part of the Ministry of Justice.

South Korea has notoriously strict immigration laws which include requests for asylum. From 1994 to the end of 2023 103,760 people applied for refugee status, of which only 4,052 people have so far been recognized as refugees, according to the ministry’s report.

The most common reason applicants gave for asylum protection were persecution based on religion, followed by political persecution. Other reasons included discrimination for being a member of a specific social group, race or nationality.

The trend has continued into the beginning of 2024, according to figures released on Thursday.

In January, Russians recorded the highest number of nationals seeking asylum compared to other nationals in South Korea with 376, followed by India (142), Mongolia (142), Kazakhstan (132), China (129), Malaysia (113), Turkey (66), Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and world leaders participate in a joint media conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has marked the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion by saying his country “will succeed.”

Foreign leaders have been arriving in Ukraine to show solidarity on the anniversary. As the war enters its third year, the future of the conflict remains uncertain.

Below are the latest developments: