Russia-Ukraine war live: Yulia Navalnaya vows to continue work of her husband Alexei and blames Vladimir Putin for his death

Ukrainian troops are facing “heavy fire” from Russian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a Ukrainian army spokesperson was quoted by AFP as saying.

Dmytro Lykhoviy said that Russia was launching multiple attacks near the village of Robotyne – one of the few places where Ukraine had managed to regain ground during last year’s counteroffensive.

“The situation is dynamic here, the enemy is inflicting heavy fire,” he said on state TV.

He said Russia had attacked with armoured vehicles on Saturday – “which was repelled” – and was now trying to advance “with small assault groups, supported by armoured vehicles”.

It comes after Russia said it had taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, its biggest gain since capturing Bakhmut last May, after a retreat by Ukrainian troops.

Ukraine’s military said it shot down two more Russian warplanes used to drop highly destructive guided aerial bombs on Kyiv’s troops, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The destroyed planes were an Su-34 fighter-bomber and an Su-35 fighter, Syrskyi wrote on Telegram. Over the weekend, Ukraine said it shot down three Russian Su-34s and one Su-35.

“In just three days, the enemy lost six aircraft,” Oleksandr Pavliuk, Ukraine’s new ground forces chief, said on Telegram.

Russia has not commented on the reported downing of warplanes and the Guardian has not yet verified the claims.

Kyiv accuses Moscow of hitting civilian targets using Su-34s, in particular in the southern Kherson region.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, said she would continue the work of the Russian opposition leader as she accused Vladimir Putin of killing him.

“I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia,” Navalnaya said in a video message entitled “I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny”.

“Vladimir Putin killed my husband,” Navalnaya said, adding that she would work with the Russian people to battle with the Kremlin to create a new Russia.

“By killing Alexei, Putin killed half of me – half of my heart and half of my soul,” Navalnaya said.

“But I still have the other half, and it tells me that I have no right to give up. I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny, continue to fight for our country.”

The Kremlin has denied involvement in his death but Western leaders have said they hold the Kremlin responsible for it.

Navalny, 47, died in jail on 16 February at 2.17pm local time, said his official spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, citing a message from Navalny’s mother and challenging Russia’s official explanation that Navalny died after a fall at the Arctic penal colony where he was being held.

Lisa O’Carroll

Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia will address foreign ministers gathered in Brussels at 12.45pm today, with a separate meeting with the president of the European Council at 1.30pm.

Earlier, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said their meeting would send a strong message of support to democrats in Russia.

He said it would “send a message, a political message about how to support opposition, the political opposition inside Russia, against the Putin regime”.

Navalny died in an Arctic prison last week, just days before the two-year mark of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“(EU) member states will propose sanctions for sure against those responsible,” said Borrell. “The great responsible is Putin himself.”

“We can go down the institutional structure of the penitentiary system in Russia,” he said, indicating whom the bloc would add to its list of people subjected to asset freezes and travel bans. “But don’t forget who is really responsible for Navalny’s death.”

Journalists have confirmed the names of over 44,000 Russian soldiers who have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

The Kyiv Independent reports:

Through open source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 44,654 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Since Mediazona’s last update in early February, the names of 1,194 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties.

The journalists specify that the actual figures are likely considerably higher since the information they have verified so far comes from public sources, including obituaries, posts by relatives, news in regional media, and reports by local authorities.

In the past two weeks, 15 military personnel with ranks from Lieutenant Colonel and higher have been added to the list…

Total estimates of Russia’s casualties since the full-scale invasion vary widely. Senior US defence officials estimate that about 315,000 Russian troops had either been killed or injured so far in the war.

As of 18 February, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces says that Russia lost 402,430 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on 24 February, 2022.

Ursula von der Leyen will announce she plans to seek a second term as president of the European Commission at a meeting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Berlin on Monday.

The head of the most powerful institution in Brussels, von der Leyen, 65, has been cautiously guarding her intentions for the past year, deflecting all questions on the subject.

But announcing her candidacy for another five years will mark the first step in a four-month battle for election that could involve a wider field, with some speculating Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, could be a candidate for the job in the summer when the final choice will be made.

You can read the full story by the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent, Lisa O’Carroll, here:

The Kremlin said that the west’s reaction to Alexei Navalny’s death was “absolutely unacceptable”.

“We consider it absolutely unacceptable to make such, well, frankly obnoxious statements,” the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.

“These statements, of course, cannot cause any damage to our head of our state,” Peskov said.

Peskov said the investigation into Navalny’s death was ongoing and is being conducted in accordance with Russian law.

Asked how Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, reacted to news of the death, Peskov said: “I have nothing to add.”

The death of the jailed Kremlin critic drew swift condemnation from international leaders, senior western officials and Russian opposition figures on Friday, who placed the blame firmly on Russia and called the death a “further sign of Putin’s brutality”.

On Saturday, G7 foreign ministers gathered at the annual Munich security conference called on Russia to fully clarify the circumstances of Navalny’s death.

The US president, Joe Biden, on Friday blamed “Putin and his thugs” for Navalny’s death and warned there could be consequences.

Lisa O’Carroll

Germany is proposing to host a Ukraine reconstruction conference at the end of June in Berlin, the foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has said.

She also said she hoped Hungary would be backing the 13th round of sanctions, following hesitation last week.

Arriving at the foreign ministers summit in Brussels, she promised the EU would continue to support the democracy in Russia for which Alexei Navalny had fought.

Baerbock said:

President (Putin) is taking action against freedom, the freedom of Ukraine, he is also taking action… against the freedom of his own country. We have not only seen this in the most brutal his brutality against freedom in Russia.

Alexei Navalny had to pay with his life. Our thoughts are not only with with his family, with the many, many courageous people around Alexei Navalny who stand up for freedom in Russia, but we will also be here today with Yulia Navalny here in Brussels today, because the spirit of freedom can never be silenced forever.

‘Putin is a murderer,’ Estonia’s foreign minister says

Lisa O’Carroll

Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, did not mince his words on his way into the summit of foreign ministers in Brussels, calling Vladimir Putin a “murderer” and saying Ukraine urgently needs more ammunition.

“Putin is a murderer. He has murdered one person who fought for freedom for democracy and this is exactly why we have to keep going.”

“I’ve been asked many times during the last couple of days what our response is [to Navalny’s death] but the best response and most clear response would be this: finally do our job.

“We have to support Ukraine. We have to give support to Ukraine by military ways and by political ways. We have to give Ukraine this 1mn round of ammunition that EU actually has promised a year ago for this March,” he said.

EU diplomats have acknowledged that the EU has failed to meet this ammunition target, admitting recently it was only producing 500,000 rounds of ammunition and that the target would not be met until the end of the year.

Tsahkna’s remarks come as neighbouring Lithuanian foreign minister sharply criticised fellow EU leaders for not doing enough to see a decisive defeat of Russia in Ukraine.

Austria’s defence minister, Klaudia Tanner, announced the procurement of 225 Pandur armoured personnel carriers for around €1.8bn (£1.5bn).

The procurement is “an investment in the future, the security and the Austrian economy”, Tanner said during a press conference.

Over 220 Austrian companies are involved in the tank’s manufacturing, the managing director of the producer, General Dynamics European Land Systems, added.

Lithuania minister: It is a ‘miracle’ Ukraine has withstood Russian attacks with such low ammunition

Lisa O’Carroll

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has launched a scathing attack on his EU counterparts for failing to step up to the plate to provide Ukraine with enough ammunition to defeat Russia.

On arrival at the summit of foreign ministers in Brussels, he said it was a “miracle that it has been able to withstand so far” given the “6:1” advantage Russia has in terms of ammunition.

“We spent two years discussing; trying to figure out the way that we can help Ukraine bit by bit,” he said.

“But unfortunately, since we did not fall formulate a strategic goal for what we are trying to achieve, we’re unable to declare that we’re in this for the victory.”

He urged the EU to stop dithering about military funds, with Germany doing the heavy lifting with €17bn contributed so far and Europe still debating a fund of €5bn a year.

“Europe should be able or could be able to form a fund of €5bn when, you know, Germany alone is considering sending €7bn. So for the 27 countries of Europe, €5 bn should be a day’s work, an hour’s work.”

Landsbergis also told journalists:

The risk of war is not is not contained. And that is that the skeptical Russians are continuing and and we’re continuing debating.

I said that the main problem from the very onset of the war is that here in the west we could not; we were not able to formulate a goal of what we want to achieve.

Belgium minister calls for EU to develop army amid fears of Russian expansion

Lisa O’Carroll

Belgium’s foreign minister, Hadja Lahbib, has called on the EU to develop an army amid increasing nervousness about Russia’s capacity to defeat Ukraine.

She said:

It’s been almost two years since Russia attacked Ukraine, trying to subjugate, to invade this country hungry for democracy and freedom, just like Putin’s fiercest opponent, Alexei Navalny, who died this weekend.

Here too, we must become aware of what is at stake today. If Ukraine is invaded, if Russia manages to expand, it is a dictatorship that will expand and move a little closer to the European Union.

It is essential that, here too, we are united, that we develop a defence capacity together, that we also develop an army, not only to defend our territory, but also our values.

Alexei Navalny’s mother and his lawyers were not allowed into the morgue in the Russian town of Salekhard, near the prison colony where authorities said he died, Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said.

“One of the lawyers was literally pushed out,” Yarmysh wrote on X, adding that morgue staff would not answer a question about where Navalny’s body was.

Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his lawyer travelled over the weekend to the notorious “Polar Wolf” IK-3 penal colony in Russia’s Arctic north, where Navalny had been held since last year, to track down his body, but received contradicting information from various institutions over its location and left without recovering or seeing her son.

Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who was a fierce Kremlin critic, had been serving a decades-long prison term on various charges, the latest of which was a 19-year sentence on six counts, in the remote penal colony within the Arctic Circle. He had been behind bars since returning from Germany in January 2021 for charges that he rejected as politically motivated.

The 47-year-old former lawyer fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, the prison service said.

Navalny’s mother was told on Saturday at the prison colony that he had died from “sudden death syndrome”, a vague term for different hearth conditions that end in death, according to Navalny’s team.

Yarmysh said Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, and lawyers were told that the official verification of the cause of death had been extended and that it was unclear how long it would take.

“The cause of death is ‘undetermined’,” Yarmysh said, adding that the Russian authorities were lying and stalling.

Good morning, this is the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine. Here are the latest developments:

• Russian troops launched multiple attacks to the west of just-captured Avdiivka in a bid for more gains, a Ukrainian army spokesperson said on Sunday. Kyiv also announced it had opened a war crimes investigation after two separate reports of Russian troops shooting captured Ukrainian soldiers emerged. On Monday, state news of Russia said its troops had also taken control of the coking coal plant where some Ukrainian troops had remained. There was no verification of this from trustworthy sources.

• Russia’s Avdiivka offensive is now likely to be reaching the end of its potential, or the “culmination” point, as the Ukrainians are able to withdraw to prepared lines of defence not far from Avdiivka, the the Institute for the Study of War has assessed as of Monday morning. The ISW acknowledged there were varying accounts of the strength of Ukraine’s new defensive positions.

• Ukraine’s forced withdrawal from Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region handed Moscow its first major territorial gain since May last year – a gain made at great cost of casualties and equipment. “The enemy is trying to actively develop its offensive,” said Dmytro Lykhoviy, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian army commander leading Kyiv’s troops in the area. Ukraine’s general staff reported failed Russian attacks on the village of Lastochkyne, around 2km (one mile) to the west of Avdiivka’s northern edge. “But our considerable forces are entrenched there,” Lykhoviy said.

• Lykhoviy also reported failed Russian attacks near the villages of Robotyne and Verbove in the southern Zaporizhzhia region – one of the areas where Ukraine managed to regain ground during last year’s counteroffensive. He said it would be “very difficult” for Russia to break through there, given heavy Ukrainian defensive lines and natural conditions of the terrain. “The situation in the Zaporizhzhia sector is stable … No positions have been lost. The enemy was kicked in the teeth and retreated.”

• Denmark has decided to donate all its artillery to Ukraine, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, told the 60th Munich Security Conference on Saturday, pointing out that other European countries are also holding munitions they do not immediately need. “If you ask Ukrainians, they are asking us for ammunition now, artillery now,” he said. “From the Danish side, we decided to donate our entire artillery.”

• The widow of Alexei Navalny, who died aged 47 in highly suspicious circumstances in an Arctic prison on Friday, will join EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, days before the two-year mark of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Navalny was serving a three-decade sentence that was imposed for being an opponent of Vladimir Putin. He was subjected to years of persecution that included poisoning with a nerve agent in Siberia in 2020.

• The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, announced the visit by Yulia Navalnaya to highlight “support to freedom fighters in Russia and honour the memory of Alexei Navalny”. Ministers are due to discuss military support for Ukraine and what would be the EU’s 13th package of sanctions against Putin’s regime since the 24 February 2022 full-scale invasion.

• Japan promised more aid for Ukraine as it hosted the country’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, on Monday in Tokyo. Japan has pledged more than $10bn worth of financial aid but cannot provide direct military support because the export of lethal weapons is forbidden. “Japan has stood with and continues to stand with Ukraine,” said Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida. He announced a new bilateral tax treaty with Ukraine and negotiations towards an investment treaty.

• More than 100 Kremlin documents obtained by a European intelligence service and reviewed by the Washington Post reportedly show that Russia ran a disinformation campaign to undermine Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The US publication said Kremlin instructions had “resulted in thousands of social media posts and hundreds of fabricated articles” that “tried to exploit what were then rumoured tensions” between Zelenskiy and his top army commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.