Our live report ofRussia's war in Ukraine has moved here.
Ukrainian ambassador to Australia urges Novak Djokovic to explain his position on the war
Angus Watson de CNN en Sydney
kyiv's ambassador to Australia has asked Novak Djokovic to explain his position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine after the tennis player's father was photographed with Russian flags at a rally with fans.
Pictures show Srdjan Djokovicposing behind a russian flagsuperimposed with Putin's face at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Speaking to CNN on Friday, Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said the incident was provocative and "cast a negative light on Novak himself as he prepares for the semifinals."
"I think that to dispel the speculation it is important that he makes a very strong statement, but where he is and in this war I would like to see an apology from Novak Djokovic.
“Of course, the son cannot be responsible for the sins of the father, but he can have the same opinion as the father. I think the world should know where he is."
Tennis Australia told CNN that four people were banned from the tournament on Wednesday for showing pro-war images.
CNN contacted the twoSrdjan Djokovicand Novak Djokovic for their comments.
Zelenskyj Calls For More Western Weapons After Latest Russian Missile Attacks
By CNN's Vasco Kotovio in London and Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked the West for more arms suppliesanother wave of Russian missile attacksbound for Kyiv and other cities in the country.
“This evil Russian aggression can and must be stopped only with the appropriate weapons,” Zelenskyi told Ukrainians in his speech on Thursday night. "Weapons on the battlefield. Weapons that protect our skies."
Ukraine said it was able to shoot down most of the 55 missiles launched by Russia, an achievement Zelensky attributes to Western-donated air defense systems.
“Today, thanks to the air defense systems supplied to Ukraine and the professionalism of our fighters, we managed to shoot down most of the Russian missiles and shaheds,” he said, referring to the Iranian-made drones.
“At least hundreds of lives and dozens of infrastructure facilities have been saved,” the Ukrainian president said.
Update on the Eastern Front:Zelenskyy then shifted his focus to the eastern Donbass region, where fighting is still fierce. Ukrainian troops are taking severe attrition in the east.
“We need a new movement of our forces at the front. We must ensure that the ground forces of the terrorists are defeated. Regardless of what the Russian occupiers are planning, our preparation must be stronger,” Zelenskyy said. “I am grateful to all of our units that are showing the resilience that Ukraine needs by exhausting and destroying the occupier.”
"The more Russia loses in this battle for Donbass, the lower its overall potential will be," he added.
Zelenskyi said his government was aware of Russia's plans for future operations in Ukraine and assured his compatriots that they were working to contain Moscow's actions.
Sweden pledges nearly $2 million to UN nuclear safety regulator in Ukraine
By Amy Cassidy of CNN London
The Swedish government on Thursday pledged $1,947,000 (SEK 20 million) to support the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).Nuclear Security Mission in Ukraine.
"As a result of the Russian aggression, last year we saw several attacks in the vicinity of nuclear power plants, which pose very serious risks," Johan Forssell, Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, said in a statement. .
"Strengthening the important work of the IAEA to maintain and improve the safety of Ukraine's nuclear power plants is an urgent matter," Forssell added.
Ukraine says Russia is escalating hostilities in southeast Donetsk
By CNN's Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv and Vasco Kotovio in London
Ukrainian officials say that Russia is escalating hostilities in the southeastern part of the Donetsk region, around the cities of Avdiivka and Vuhledar.
DespitebachmutEven as the area where the fighting is fiercest, Avdiivka has become almost as controversial, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk region's military administration.
"Now it is also very hot in Avdiivka," he said.
"The enemy shelled Vuhledar township many times today, one person was killed and two were injured, and two people were killed in Ocheretyne township," it added. "In other words, we are seeing an escalation along both the southern and northern fronts."
Why this area is important:The region southeast of Donetsk is considered strategic territory by Russia to prevent a possible offensive by Ukrainian forces in Crimea.
Ukraine says Russia is using Bakhmut-like tactics further north in the Donetsk region.
Moscow's armies rely heavily on artillery and send large numbers of men into doomed offensives, said Serhii Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian military spokesman.
Targeting various communities, Russian forces "carried out 28 attacks in one day, shot 264 times, lost 141 people... and injured 165, but produced no results," Cherevatyi told a military briefing.
Cherevatyi said that the fighting on the eastern front remains relentless.
"The enemy is trying to successfully break through our defenses, especially in the direction of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Lyman," Cherevatyi said. “A total of 199 attacks and 35 combat operations took place in the Bakhmut sector (on Thursday). The enemy fired from all kinds of artillery and several rocket launchers.
"However, our defense forces did not allow the enemy to succeed," he added.
The US will send a more modern and lethal version of the Abrams tank to Ukraine: Pentagon
By Haley Britzky of CNN
The United States will send the M1A2 Abrams tank to Ukraine, which has significantly improved capabilities compared to the previous M1A1 model.
Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed Thursday that the M1A2 would be the version of the Abrams available to Ukrainians. She said that the United States "does not have an excess of these tanks available in our American reserves" and that "it will take months to transfer the tanks to Ukraine."
The M1A2 is a significant upgrade to the older M1A1, largely due to the fact that the A2 worksin a digital system, unlike the analog system of the A1.
It's "the difference between a plug-in phone, a rotary phone, and the iPhone you have in your hand," explained retired Army General Robert Abrams, a former commander of the US Armed Forces in Korea, whose father wears the name of this 70-ton tank. . .
US officialsannounced this weekthat after days of back and forth between the US and its allies, 31 Abrams tanks would be shipped to Ukraine. Officials have yet to announce which tank variant they would choose, and Army acquisition chief Doug Bush told reporters Tuesday that the decision was still being discussed.
More about the tanks:US President Joe Biden said at the White House on Wednesday that the tanks would "enhance Ukraine's ability to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives."
In addition to the A2's digital transformation, the latest version of the tank is "significantly" more lethal than the A1, Abrams said. Includes a standalone Commander thermal imaging viewer. Whereas previously only the gunner had a thermal location, now the tank commander has one too, so he can help scan and identify targets. The digital system also allows tank crews to run their own on-board diagnostics, Abrams said, rather than waiting for mechanics to run tests to identify any problems that arise.
When it comes down to it, Abrams said, the M1A2 is "far superior in terms of lethality, survivability and mobility" to anything Russia has on the battlefield.
It is not clear which variant of the A2 tank of whichthere are three, is selected. Singh declined to say that during a Pentagon briefing on Thursday, and Bush declined to say that on Wednesday.
Bush added that logistical and maintenance concerns for each variant, often cited as one of the reasons the United States was reluctant to send the Abrams in the first place, would not weigh heavily in the decision.
He also explained that the Army does not create new tanks from scratch and instead modifies older existing models. "That doesn't mean it's necessarily easy or fast," he added, but currently it's not necessary to build them from scratch.
CNN's Michael Conte provided coverage for this post.
CNN Ukraine staff watch as heavy fighting continues around Bakhmut
Von Vasco Cotovio on CNN
Heavy fighting continues between Ukrainian and Russian forcesBachmut don't read, a CNN crew on the ground testified.
CNN saw heavy indirect fire from Ukrainian positions in the hills west of Bakhmut, with most of the fire apparently directed at Russian units south and north of the town.
Units of the Russian mercenary organizationWagner groupThey are trying to advance on both flanks to encircle the city, which is still home to 6,000 civilians.
Bakhmut remains the main focus of the conflict,with the President of Ukraine and his advisers paying close attention to the situation at the front.
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a regular meeting with the staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Thursday," his office said in a statement on Thursday. "The participants listened to the reports of the commanders of the operational control centers on the current situation at the front and discussed in detail the situation in the Bakhmut sector."
The Council of Europe calls for a special court to investigate the "crime of aggression" by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine
Por Amy Cassidy, de CNN
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted unanimously to establish a special international tribunal to try Russian and Belarusian political and military leaders "for the crime of aggression in Ukraine," according to a statement released on Thursday.
PACE, made up of members appointed by the national parliaments of the Council's 46 member states, proposes a tribunal in The Hague "to try Russian and Belarusian political and military leaders who planned and prepared Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine." started or executed.
PACE recommends guidelines for adoption, which are then sent to national governments for implementation.
More background:The request for an international tribunal echoes a similar call by British lawmakers, who last week expressed support for "the creation of a special court with a narrow focus on the crime of aggression" to complement investigations carried out by theInternational Penal Tribunal (TPI)about Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.
The United Nations has defined aggression as "the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State, or which is inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations".
“No other international criminal court has the authority to prosecute and punish the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the assembly noted,” the PACE statement added.
The ICC is not in a position to investigate the crime of aggression unless the UN Security Council refers the matter to it, which is "highly unlikely" as Russia would likely use its Security Council membership to challenge the veto of a transfer. Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe, created after World War II to defend human rights, in March 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine.
In December, Representatives Bill Keating, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House of Representatives calling for the creation of a special court for the crime of assault. Administrative officials were neither committed to nor opposed to the idea.
CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this post.
Canada pledges 4 Leopard tanks to Ukraine
By Hira Humayun told CNN
Canada will send four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced Thursday.
The donation gives the soldiers a tactical advantage due to their "excellent mobility, firepower and survivability" and would allow Ukraine to retake even more territory, the defense minister added.
The tanks are combat-ready and will be deployed in the coming weeks, Anand said, adding that several members of the Canadian Armed Forces are being deployed to train Ukrainian soldiers in the skills necessary to operate the equipment.
The defense secretary also noted that the number of tanks committed could increase "if we coordinate donation and conservation plans with our allies" and work together to collect ammunition and spare parts.
"Tanks are not easy to maintain, but maintaining them will be critical to Ukraine's success and overall victory," he said, noting the complexity of their operations.
Canada will discuss with Germany, Finland, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands how to ensure the "long-term success of our grants," he added.
Ukraine's defense minister thanked Canada for its commitmentin a row.
"Thank you to my good friend and colleague Anita Anand for announcing this decision today," Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote. "Thank you to (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau and all Canadians."