Russia-Ukraine war updates LIVE: Poland may deliver Ukraine MiG-29 jets in next 4-6 weeks, says PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin's verbal attack on West rose to a crescendo for yet another time on Tuesday when he defended the war in Ukraine saying it is the question of Russia's very existence as a state.

Russian president said that the Ukraine war is more than just a geopolitical task. "So for us this is not a geopolitical task, but a task of the survival of Russian statehood, creating conditions for the future development of the country and our children," Putin said in his address. 
 

A Russian soldier who was trying to evade his arrest for six months in Ukraine's Kharkiv region was finally arrested by the Ukrainian police as they were patrolling the area, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces last September.

Hiding in abondanod building for months, the 42-year old serviceman was found on Monday. He is a serviceman with Russia's 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and was a Moscow resident. 

Kharkiv is one of the few regions in Ukraine that has come under heavy firing from Russian troops. 

Russia seems to be hardening its stance on Ukraine in the recent past as the fight in Ukraine resulted in hundreds of casualities on both the sides. In the midst of this, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday gave call for producing more precision-guided weapons. 

"Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted that the Tactical Missiles Corporation adequately fulfills the state defense order. However, even taking into account the increase in production this year, he ordered to double the production of high-precision weapons," according to a statement by country's defence ministry.

Shoigu made the remarks came during a visit to a major Russian arms manufacturer Tactical Missiles Corporation. 

WION's data lab, tells you why Bakhmut has become the focal point in the Russia-Ukraine war. Read the story here. 

Poland may supply Ukraine MiG-29 fighter planes in the coming four to six weeks, indicating that Kyiv's allies are inching closer to agreeing on the next phase of their military aid to the nation, according to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. 

Russian lawmakers approved legislation that could jail people for up to 15 years for criticising the mercenaries.

The Mayor of Paris stated that she would do all in her capacity to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics under their respective national flags.

When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated in January that it was open to accepting them as neutrals, Ukraine has taken the lead in calling for a ban on athletes from Russia and its close ally Belarus from competing in the Paris Games.

The renewal of a treaty that allows the shipment of Ukrainian grain on the Black Sea is still being discussed, according to a statement from the Turkish defence ministry on Tuesday (March 14).

In a statement, the ministry cited Russia as agreeing to back a 60-day extension to the deal, mediated between Moscow and Kyiv in July by Turkey and the United Nations.

On Tuesday (March 14), Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian missile strike on the eastern city of Kramatorsk resulted in one civilian death, and three injuries.

In a video that he shared on the messaging app Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that six apartment buildings had been destroyed.

With a unanimous vote on Tuesday (March 13), the Lithuanian parliament declared the Wagner mercenary army of Russia to be a "terrorist organisation," charging it with "systematic, major acts of aggression" in Ukraine, as reported by Reuters.