Ukraine war briefing: Ukraine strikes Russian aircraft sites 800km from border

Ukraine’s military struck two Russian plants producing and repairing military transport and cargo planes in the Ulyanovsk and Novgorod regions, the Ukrainian general staff said on Wednesday. It said in a statement that the attack on the Aviastar plant, part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, in the city of Ulyanovsk, was carried out on 16 March. The plant produces Ilyushin-76MD-90A military transport planes, Ilyushin-78M-90A refueling planes, and provides maintenance for “Ruslan” cargo planes, and is located about 800km (about 500 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine’s military said the hangars and parking areas were hit and some of the planes were damaged.

The attack on the 123rd aircraft maintenance plant in the city of Staraya Russia in the Novgorod region took place one day later, the general staff said. It said the facility provided a full cycle of repairs and modernisation for heavy transport planes, including Ilyushin-76, Ilyushin-78, and L-410. “Striking such targets directly reduces the enemy’s ability to restore and sustain combat-ready aircraft,” Ukrainian drone forces said on X.

Ilya Remeslo, for years a reliable pro-Kremlin operator, has abruptly turned on Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. Remeslo on Tuesday posted a manifesto to his 90,000 Telegram followers titled: “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.” In it, reports Pjotr Sauer, Remeslo accused the “illegitimate” president of waging a “failing war” in Ukraine that had caused millions of casualties and wrecked the economy. He called on Putin to step aside.

Spanish police said they have arrested three people on the holiday island of Mallorca for allegedly helping a Russian national evade EU sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The man and two women are accused of acting as fronts to manage luxury properties, bank accounts and vehicles to shield assets from seizure, police said on Wednesday. Authorities did not name the Russian national, but Spanish media identified him as Nikolai Kolesov, a businessman linked to the military sector and considered close to Putin. Kolesov heads a major supplier of helicopters to the Russian army.

UK officials are preparing for a possible court case against Roman Abramovich after he missed a deadline to release £2.4bn he raised from selling Chelsea FC. The Russian billionaire failed to hand over the money by the deadline of 17 March, amid a dispute over how it will eventually be used. Government officials said they would now take steps to prepare for a potential court case so the money can be spent for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. They have written to Abramovich’s lawyers to warn them of this, Kiran Stacey writes. Spokespeople for Abramovich have been contacted for comment.

Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to Putin, said Russia considers the attack on a Russian LNG tanker in the Mediterranean Sea to be “an act of international terrorism”, Russia’s state media reported. Russian officials said the Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked by Ukrainian naval drones and said the weapons were launched from the Libyan coast. The vessel has limped into Libyan waters, writes Angela Giuffrida.

Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday its forces had captured the village of Oleksandrivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that a call by the Belgian prime minister, Bart De Wever, to normalise relations with Moscow showed there was still some sanity left in parts of Europe. De Wever’s comments run counter to official EU policies to maintain a hard line against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine and phase out the use of Russian fossil fuels. De Wever’s comments were criticised by various European leaders.

A senior Nato military officer has called on the alliance to extend its cold war-era fuel pipeline network hundreds of kilometres eastwards to ensure sufficient supplies for Nato troops in case of a future conflict with Russia. The 10,000km (6,215-mile) pipeline network, buried 80 centimetres underground (31in), was built during the cold war. The pipeline network currently spans 12 countries but ends in western Germany, where it serves military bases such as the US Ramstein airbase, but also major civilian hubs such as Germany’s biggest airport in Frankfurt.