Ukraine war live: Zelensky warns Putin has started WW3 and must be stopped
Zelensky warns Putin has started WW IIIOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchAt least two people were killed in a Russian attack on Odesa overnight, Ukraine’s emergency services said on Monday, as Russia launched fresh strikes on the eve of the anniversary of the four-year war.A Russian drone fell on a truck stop, causing a fire and leaving several people dead and injured, authorities said, still reeling from heavy missile and drone strikes over the weekend.A 33-year-old man was also killed and in a drone attack on an industrial facility in the Zaporizhzhia region, officials said.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned hours prior that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had already started World War Three, arguing that only intense military and economic pressure would end the conflict, approaching its fifth year.With progress in US-mediated peace talks still unclear, Zelensky told the BBC: “I believe that Putin has already started it [WW3].”“The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him... Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves.” Former UK PM Boris Johnson says UK should immediately send non-combat troops to UkraineSpeaking ahead of the fourth anniversary of the invasion, the former politician told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Ukraine’s allies had been “too slow” to respond.James Reynolds23 February 2026 08:00South Korea urges Russian embassy to remove 'victory' banner as Ukraine war anniversary nearsSouth Korea has asked the Russian embassy in Seoul to take down a large banner reading "Victory will be ours", its foreign ministry said, just ahead of this week's fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it had conveyed its concerns to the embassy without clarifying whether it had received a response.The roughly 15-metre (49.21 ft) banner, in the colours of the Russian flag and written in Russian, was hung on the embassy's outer wall in central Seoul ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.The banner remained in place on Monday.In its statement, the ministry reiterated South Korea's position that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is illegal.The ministry also said that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea should stop, describing it as a grave threat to South Korea's security and a violation of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions.A banner reading "Victory will be ours" is displayed on the exterior wall of the Russian embassy in Seoul (AFP via Getty Images)Arpan Rai23 February 2026 07:25Zelensky hints ‘real compromise’ could be made with RussiaVolodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is prepared for "real compromises" to end the war, but not at the expense of its independence or sovereignty.He expressed willingness to discuss compromises with the United States, while rejecting repeated "ultimatums" from Russia.Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would consider peace based on current battlelines, accusing Russia of "terrorism" through its demands."Stay where we stay – this is a big compromise," Zelensky said, confirming reports that Ukraine is agreeing to freeze the current lines of conflict as part of any deal."They took almost 20 per cent of our territory and we are ready to speak about peace at this moment, on the basis of 'stay where we stay'."This is a big compromise. What does Russia offer us as a compromise? What are they ready to do?"We are ready for real compromises. But not compromises at the cost of our independence and sovereignty. We are ready to speak about compromises with the United States. But not to get ultimatums from the Russians again and again. They are the aggressor. Everybody has recognised it,” he said."They said, 'We are ready not to occupy your other regions'. But it is terrorism. Even that language, it is terrorism. 'I'm ready not to kill you – give us everything',” the Ukrainian leader said, calling it an “ultimatum” and “not a compromise.“That's why I said: We are ready for compromises that respect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, our army, our people, and our children. But we are not ready for ultimatums,” he said.Arpan Rai23 February 2026 07:10Lviv attack: Bomb explosions kill police officer and injure 24One police officer was killed and 24 people were wounded after several explosive devices detonated at midnight in Lviv, in western Ukraine, the National Police said on Sunday, in an attack president Volodymyr Zelensky blamed on Russia."It has been preliminarily established that homemade explosive devices detonated," the police officials said.Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the incident as a terrorist act and said a 23-year-old policewoman had died. Twelve people remained in hospital, two in serious condition, he said.Interior minister Ihor Klymenko said a woman had been detained in connection with the investigation.The police said that the first explosion occurred after a patrol crew arrived at the suspected scene of a shop break-in, while the second explosion occurred a little later.A local resident walks at the site of an explosion that rocked a shop in Lviv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine (AFP via Getty Images)Arpan Rai23 February 2026 06:56Russian attack on Odesa region kills two peopleA Russian attack on Ukraine's southern Odesa region has killed at least two people and injured three overnight, Ukraine’s emergency service said this morning.People died when a Russian drone fell on a truck stop causing a fire, the service said on its Telegram channel.Arpan Rai23 February 2026 06:36Watch: Zelensky warns Putin has started WW III Zelensky warns Putin has started WW IIIArpan Rai23 February 2026 06:01Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia reports power outage after Ukrainian attackThe Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region was facing an electricity outage after a major Ukrainian attack on energy infrastructure, a Russian-installed official said yesterday.Yevgeny Balitsky, Moscow-installed governor of the Russian-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia region, said a second power outage occurred this morning. Maintenance services had earlier managed to resume electricity supply to around 50 per cent of the region."Socially significant facilities are connected to backup power sources. Generators are running, providing water and supporting critical infrastructure," Balitsky said on his Telegram.In Russian-controlled Luhansk a fuel reservoir caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot, Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-installed leader, said.The Russian defence ministry said air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed 86 Ukrainian drones over Russian region and the Crimean Peninsula overnight.Arpan Rai23 February 2026 05:45Hungary threatens block EU sanctions on Russia over Ukraine pipeline disputeHungary has threatened to block a new package of European Union sanctions against Russia and stall efforts to help Ukraine, demanding the immediate resumption of Russian oil deliveries.This ultimatum precedes a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday to discuss the bloc's 20th round of sanctions, hoping for approval by the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced his intention to block the sanctions in a social media video on Sunday, accusing Ukraine of deliberately withholding Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline.He stated: "We will not consent to the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions, because we have previously made it clear that until the Ukrainians resume oil shipments to Hungary, we will not allow decisions that are important to them to be approved."Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since 27 January.Arpan Rai23 February 2026 05:32Zelensky hints ‘real compromise’ could be made with RussiaVolodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is prepared for "real compromises" to end the war, but not at the expense of its independence or sovereignty.He expressed willingness to discuss compromises with the United States, while rejecting repeated "ultimatums" from Russia. Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would consider peace based on current battlelines, accusing Russia of "terrorism" through its demands. "Stay where we stay – this is a big compromise," Zelensky said, confirming reports that Ukraine is agreeing to freeze the current lines of conflict as part of any deal."They took almost 20 per cent of our territory and we are ready to speak about peace at this moment, on the basis of 'stay where we stay'."This is a big compromise. What does Russia offer us as a compromise? What are they ready to do?"We are ready for real compromises. But not compromises at the cost of our independence and sovereignty. We are ready to speak about compromises with the United States. But not to get ultimatums from the Russians again and again. They are the aggressor. Everybody has recognised it,” he said."They said, 'We are ready not to occupy your other regions'. But it is terrorism. Even that language, it is terrorism. 'I'm ready not to kill you – give us everything',” the Ukrainian leader said, calling it an “ultimatum” and “not a compromise.“That's why I said: We are ready for compromises that respect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, our army, our people, and our children. But we are not ready for ultimatums,” he said.Arpan Rai23 February 2026 05:06South Korea urges Russian embassy to remove 'victory' banner as Ukraine war anniversary nearsSouth Korea has asked the Russian embassy in Seoul to take down a large banner reading "Victory will be ours", its foreign ministry said, just ahead of this week's fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it had conveyed its concerns to the embassy without clarifying whether it had received a response.The roughly 15-metre (49.21 ft) banner, in the colours of the Russian flag and written in Russian, was hung on the embassy's outer wall in central Seoul ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.The banner remained in place on Monday.In its statement, the ministry reiterated South Korea's position that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is illegal.The ministry also said that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea should stop, describing it as a grave threat to South Korea's security and a violation of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions.Earlier this month, Russian ambassador to South Korea Georgy Zinoviev praised what he described as North Korean troops' role in fighting in Russia's Kursk region, according to media reports.Arpan Rai23 February 2026 04:12
