Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says war was ‘unleashed’ on Russia
The Russian president delivered his annual Victory Day speech.
More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
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Latest headlines:
Russian strike damages clinic, injuring 1: Ukrainian official
One person was injured after a Russian missile hit a medical clinic in the town of Krasnotorka, Ukraine, in the eastern Donetsk oblast, Ukrainian regional military chief Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a Facebook post.
-ABC News' Max Uzol
Zelenskyy says he's open to meet with Chinese president
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference in Kyiv on Friday he would like to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Zelenskyy said he’d like to talk about the Chinese government's offer to discuss a peace agreement in detail, "because it’s about our country." However, the president noted that the Chinese government hasn't directly talked to Ukrainian's government.
"The first point of their plan is 'recognition of national sovereignty and territorial integrity,' but they didn’t even mention the country. I hope they meant us, Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. "If it’s us, everybody understands that territorial integrity can be achieved by withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied territories."
Zelenskyy said it is "priority number one" for him to prevent China from providing Russia with weapons for the ongoing conflict.
"I believe China is going to side with the idea of fair peace, peace and fairness which is our side," he added.
-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman
Nearly 200k Russian troops killed or wounded so far: Western officials
Western officials have provided a more detailed look at the scope of losses for Russia since its invasion began a year ago.
The range of Russian casualties is believed to be between 180,000 and 200,000, which includes killed and wounded figures, a U.S. official told ABC News. The official cautioned that this number is all inexact but also includes Wagner forces.
The ratio of wounded to killed soldiers is three to one among estimated Russian casualties of 175,000 to 200,000, Western officials told ABC News on Feb. 21.
On the Ukrainian side, there are "at least 100,000" Ukrainian casualties in the war so far with a ratio of 20 wounded soldiers to every dead soldier, Western officials said on Feb. 21.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez, Elle Kaufman and Zoe Magee
White House says Iran's support for Russia is expanding
The White House is now warning that Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine is "expanding" with the country sending additional military aid in November with the expectation that more will be obtained.
"In November, Iran shipped artillery and tank rounds to Russia for use in Ukraine," White House spokesperson John Kirby said Friday. "Russia is planning to cooperate with Iran to obtain more military equipment."
In return, Kirby said that Russia “has been offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defense.”
“We believe that Russia might provide Iran with fighter jets. Iran is also seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia including attack helicopters, radars and combat trainer aircraft. In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars of military equipment from Russia," Kirby said.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Wagner announces retreat from Bakhmut; blames Russian Defense Ministry
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said it will retreat from Bakhmut because of severe shortages in ammunition, according to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's leader. He said his forces would withdraw on May 10, blaming Russia’s defense ministry for the retreat.
Wagner has played a crucial role for months in the fighting for Bakhmut, sustaining huge casualties. The announcement and the suggestion of bitter infighting within Russia’s military forces signals division and disorganization just as Russia is bracing for a major Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Prigozhin said he was taking the decision in retaliation against Russia’s military leadership, which he accused of deliberately starving his troops of ammunition because they are jealous of Wagner’s success.
Prigozhin and Russia’s defense ministry have been in a one-sided public feud for months. Prigozhin claims it's now reached a breaking point, delivering a blistering attack on Russia's senior military command in the video announcing the withdrawal. He accused them of being "cowards" and of denying Russians a victory in Bakhmut because of their "petty envy."
Ukrainian military officials said they did not believe Wagner forces would retreat from Bakhmut, suggesting they believed his announcement was an attempt to excuse his failure to seize the city by May 9 as he pledged. A spokesman for Ukraine's eastern command, Sergiy Cherevatyi, said Wagner was running out of fighters, not ammunition.
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell