Russia Ukraine war – latest: Putin ‘sacks one of the most senior commanders’ amid heavy Russian losses

The Biden administration is investigating the leak of classified war documents about secret American and Nato plans for bolstering the Ukrainian military ahead of an anticipated spring salvo against Russian forces, senior officials said.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, reported The New York Times.

The five-weeks-old documents reportedly reveal details of Ukraine’s requirements ahead of a planned counteroffensive to reclaim territory taken by Russia since the full-scale invasion last year, as well as how the US and Nato might meet them.

Russian forces have very likely seized the center of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and are threatening a key supply route for Ukrainian forces to the west, British intelligence said on Friday.

Asked to comment on the report, a Ukrainian military command spokesman told Reuters the situation was difficult in Bakhmut and that Russian forces were concentrating all efforts to take the city but were not having “strategic success”.

The months-long battle for Bakhmut, one of the last urban centers in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province yet to fall to Russian forces, has proven one of the bloodiest of the war.

The British report, if confirmed, indicates that Ukrainian forces are under severe pressure, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said they would withdraw if at risk of encirclement.

Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia is seeking to fully occupy. It declared them annexed last year after failing to seize the capital Kyiv in an attempt to overrun Ukraine early in the war.

Ukraine said on Friday that Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut where it described the situation as “difficult” but said it was holding out despite Russia’s numerical superiority.

Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters that Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and that Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it.

Xi Jinping is willing to speak to Ukraine, the head of the EU said on Thursday, after Emmanuel Macron said he was “counting on China” to reason with Russia over the year-long war.

China’s president expressed willingness to speak to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen said, if the “conditions and time are right”.

Russia has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River, endangering a key Ukraine supply route, in its push to regain control of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, the British defense ministry said on Friday.

“Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town center … Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely much threatened,” the ministry said on Twitter in a regular bulletin.

Russian forces have regained some momentum in the battle for Bakhmut in recent days after their advance was largely stalled since late last month, the British defense ministry has said today.

“Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town centre, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely hardly threatened,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

“Russian regular forces, likely including airborne troops, have probably reinforced the area, and Russia is again using artillery more effectively in the sector,” the MoD said.

It added that there was a realistic possibility that Wagner and Russian military commanders had paused their ongoing feud and improved cooperation.

The months-long battle for Bakhmut has continued to flare up in the salt-mining city this week.

“(Battles) are underway in the streets, enemy attempts to encircle the city are failing. Our command fully controls the situation,” said Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The leader of Russia’s private Wagner militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said fighting was continuing in the west of the city.

“It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere,” he said on his Telegram channel.

The Wagner chief has often complained of a lack of ammunition for his fighters in Bakhmut but there are signs of revival of ammunition supply to the mercenary group.

But Ukrainian border guard Levko Stek, speaking in a video clip amid explosions, said Ukrainian forces did not sense any “ammunition hunger” on the Russian side.

Donald Trump’s indictment in New York City has been met with ridicule by state TV in Russia, where hosts have enjoyed themselves by showcasing artwork depicting the former president wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and speculating about future jail time.

Mr Trump appeared at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to plead not guilty to 34 felony charges relating to the falsification of business records to conceal a series of hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, Playboys model Karen McDougal and a former Trump Tower doorman on his behalf in exchange for their silence about his alleged extramarital affairs.