March 3, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo, Aditi Sangal, Leinz Vales, Tori B. Powell and Matt Meyer, CNN

Updated 10:06 p.m. ET, March 3, 2023
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6:56 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Ukrainian forces blow up railway bridge inside Bakhmut

From CNN's Olga Voitovyh 

Ukrainian forces have blown up the remainder of a railway bridge inside the city of Bakhmut, according to Ukrainian forces and social media video geolocated by CNN.

The bridge was previously damaged by Ukrainian forces in August, and has now been blown up further.

The video of the controlled explosion was widely shared on social media on Friday, along with unconfirmed reports it was a sign Ukrainian forces were preparing to withdraw from the city.

Ukraine’s 46th Brigade, currently operating in the city, denied the reports, saying the bridge was already unusable.

"The bridge that is now being shown as proof that we are leaving was blown up a long time ago. Those who are in Bakhmut know that. Now it was just a control shot. Don't spread panic," the soldiers said. "And yes, one can cross the river there without a bridge."

Some context: Russian forces are advancing on Bakhmut, but the Ukrainian military says it is holding its ground in the battle for the eastern city and is not planning to withdraw.

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said Friday the city is "surrounded" and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to order a withdrawal.

6:41 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Kremlin says extra measures taken to ensure safety of Russian borders after Bryansk attack

From CNN’s Anna Chernova

The Kremlin said Friday additional measures were being taken to ensure the safety of the Russian borders from further incursions following an attack on the Bryansk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday there was an attack in the Ukraine-bordering Bryansk region, which he blamed on "neo-Nazis" who he said had penetrated the area.

In a press briefing Friday, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a special "border regime" is in place and additional measures to protect the frontiers are being taken. He added that no decisions were made by Putin as of yet in regard to introducing martial law following the attack.

Russian security officials claimed Thursday that a small Ukrainian armed group had crossed the Russian border into the southern Bryansk region, claims dismissed by a top Ukrainian official as a "classic deliberate provocation."

Peskov's claims: Peskov praised a boy who reportedly survived the incident with injuries and a driver who the local authorities claimed died under fire.

Commenting on the incident earlier, Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov called the boy a hero and added that he had saved two other children from the car that was under shelling.

"A 10-year-old boy took two children out of the car, and they escaped. This is a real heroic deed," the minister said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

6:15 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Russian foreign minister says its a "shame" that "nothing except Ukraine" is of interest to G20

From CNN's Martin Goillandeau

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during the Raisina Dialogue 2023, in New Delhi, India, on March 3.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during the Raisina Dialogue 2023, in New Delhi, India, on March 3. (Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that "nothing except Ukraine" was of interest to the G20, calling it "a shame."

"[The] G20 was formed in 1999 at the level of ministers of finance and central bank directors. And then in 2008, it became a ’summit G20.’ Nobody was giving a damn about anything except finances, and macroeconomic policies, which G20 was formed for," Lavrov told the audience of the Raisina Dialogue, an annual geopolitics conference in New Delhi, India.

"These days, when it's not something the West is doing, believing that it is right ... when Russia has, after many years of warnings, started to defend itself. There is nothing except Ukraine that is of interest to G20. It's a shame," the Russian top diplomat added.

Answering a question on how the Ukraine war affected Russia’s energy interest, Lavrov called the conflict "the war which we are trying to stop and which was launched against us using the Ukrainian people," remarks that were met with generalized laughter from the audience in Delhi.

Some background: Since the beginning of the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has portrayed his military operation as a response to a threat posed by NATO to its territory, claiming Moscow had no choice but to defend itself by attacking Ukraine without provocation.

A few days into the war, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution deploring the "aggression" committed by Russia against Ukraine. Russian diplomacy, meanwhile, has assiduously courted nations in the developing world -- particularly those which suffered from colonial rule -- as a counter to Western condemnation.

5:27 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Ukraine's defense minister is "confident" the West will send fighter jets

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said he is "confident'' that Western countries will supply fighter jets to Ukraine despite resistance from some allies, according to an interview published in Germany's Die Bild newspaper Friday.

Reznikov is confident Ukraine will receive "two to three different types of fighter jets," he is quoted as saying in the newspaper, adding ''this will depend on the engineers, air fields, maintenance and spare parts."

He said he believes there will be a "so-called fighter jet coalition," like there is with the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks from Western allies.

Reznikov believes that Western countries will not initially approve the delivery of fighter jets, drawing parallels to the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks, which Germany initially did not agree to.

Western allies have signaled to Kyiv that they are ready to start training pilots on fighter jets and understand that fighter jets are the next step in strengthening Ukraine's air defense system, according to Die Bild.

4:01 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

China acknowledges different views on Ukraine but gives no reason for not signing G20 joint statement

From CNN’s Beijing bureau and Wayne Chang

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning gestures during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China, on February 27.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning gestures during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China, on February 27. (Mark R Cristino/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

China acknowledged Friday that there are "different views on the Ukraine crisis" among G20 members but stopped short of explaining its reasons for not signing a joint statement following the group's foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

G20 is the “main forum for international economic cooperation” and not a forum for “resolving security issues” — as agreed upon in the G20 leaders summit in October 2022 in Bali — Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular press briefing.

“China’s position on the Ukraine issue is consistent…China calls for all G20 members to focus on the main order of business and contribute to the promotion of a stable, inclusive, and economic recovery,” Mao said.

On Thursday, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar announced that the G20 meeting of the foreign ministers was unable to reach a consensus to issue a joint statement due to “differing opinions” by various parties regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.

China has attempted to present itself as a neutral peace broker in conflict while at the same time deepening its "no-limits" partnership with Moscow.

6:32 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Vital supply bridge to Ukraine's Bakhmut blown up overnight by Russian forces

From CNN's Seb Shukla and Alex Marquardt

A vital supply bridge to Bakhmut, Ukraine, destroyed by a Russian attack, on March 3.
A vital supply bridge to Bakhmut, Ukraine, destroyed by a Russian attack, on March 3. (Social media)

A vital bridge connecting the besieged city of Bakhmut to the nearby village of Khromove, and the last main supply route from Bakhmut to the city of Chasiv Yar, has been blown up overnight by Russian forces, according to multiple sources speaking with CNN.

A soldier in Bakhmut and a local official told CNN that the bridge was taken out by Russia and a photo that confirmed the destruction appeared on social media.

The bridge was hit with a Russian missile and left a large crater, according to the soldier, who added that he believes it was an Iskander missile.

Without any more paved roads for Ukraine to use in or out of Bakhmut, the supply and evacuation route will now be forced to go through dirt roads, according to both sources.

The local official told CNN that they hope to repair the bridge in the coming days.

Some context: A mandatory evacuation order is in place in the Donetsk region and about 5,000 people remain in Bakhmut, according to Ukrainian officials. 

Russian forces are advancing on Bakhmut, but the Ukrainian military says it is holding its ground in the battle for the eastern city and not planning to withdraw.  

This post has been updated with additional details.

5:15 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Ukraine orders drone unit to leave Bakhmut, commander says

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Olga Voitovych

Ukrainian commander Robert Brovdi delivers a message via Telegram on March 3.
Ukrainian commander Robert Brovdi delivers a message via Telegram on March 3. (Telegram)

A Ukrainian drone reconnaissance unit based in Bakhmut has been ordered to leave the besieged eastern city, its commander said in a video posted on Telegram on Friday.

“In the middle of the night, the Madiar Birds unit received a combat order to immediately leave Bakhmut for a new place of combat operations,” Commander Robert Brovdi said.

Russian forces have advanced on Bakhmut over the past few days after months of intense shelling and fighting around the battered city, which sits toward the northeast of the Donetsk region and has been a target for Moscow for months.

“We are following the order,” Brovdi said, adding he did not know why the unit was being moved.
3:24 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Ukraine war sends message to "aggressors everywhere," says Blinken at Quad meeting

From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi

Antony Blinken speaks during a Quad ministers' panel at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi on Friday, March 3.
Antony Blinken speaks during a Quad ministers' panel at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi on Friday, March 3. (Olivier Douliery/AP)

Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and the support flooding in to Kyiv from countries across the world, sends a powerful message to “would be aggressors everywhere,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

“Part of the reason countries way beyond Europe are also so focused on this and are working to support Ukraine and deal with the challenge is because they know it could have effect here,” Blinken said in New Delhi.

“If we allow, with impunity, Russia to do what it’s doing in Ukraine, then that’s a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they may be able to get away with it too.”

The comments came as Blinken met with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia — a grouping known as the “Quad,” or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

Left to right - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pose for a photograph after the Indo-Pacific Quad Foreign Ministers panel discussion in New Delhi, India, on March 3.
Left to right - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pose for a photograph after the Indo-Pacific Quad Foreign Ministers panel discussion in New Delhi, India, on March 3. (Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images)

The Quad is an informal group focused on security that dates back to the early 2000s, though it has become more active in recent years as part of efforts to counter China’s reach and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific.

Blinken added that the challenges faced by people around the world cannot be dealt with by “any one country acting alone.”

“The great power of the Quad is you have four like-minded countries, united in their basic values, united in their basic interests, bringing different strengths, experiences, different comparative ways to tackle these problems,” he said.

Though he didn’t specify any “would-be aggressors,” he made several veiled references, saying the Quad is working on increasing countries’ maritime domain awareness — meaning greater surveillance on things happening in their waters — and tamping down on illegal fishing.

Read more here.

2:54 a.m. ET, March 3, 2023

Blinken never raised the case of detained US citizen, Russian Foreign Ministry claims

From CNN's Fred Pleitgen and Olga Voitovych

Maria Zakharova attends a meeting in Moscow on February 15.
Maria Zakharova attends a meeting in Moscow on February 15. (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Friday claimed that Antony Blinken did not raise the issue of a US citizen detained in Russia during a meeting with the Kremlin's foreign minister — directly contradicting earlier comments by the US Secretary of State.

Blinken said Thursday that he pressed his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Paul Whelan's detention and a US offer to free him during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

But on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed: “It turned out that the US Secretary of State did not even mention it," referring to Whelan's case.

"Everything the State Department said yesterday about Blinken expressing concern about the situation around the US citizen is a lie. Unbelievable behavior by the US administration,” she said.

Some context: Whelan, a former US Marine, was detained in Moscow in December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged he was involved in an intelligence operation. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair.