Ukraine war | As it happened: March 9, 2023

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the city of Bakhmut may fall to Russia in the coming days

His remarks came as Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded the attack on Bakhmut, claimed to have captured the eastern bank of the industrial town, devastated in the longest battle since Moscow invaded Ukraine a year ago.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, claimed on Thursday (March 9) that the European Union is entirely avoiding any discussions on the necessity of conducting an inquiry into the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions.

Moscow has repeatedly demanded to be permitted to participate in the investigations into the explosions, which caused three of the four pipes of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas connections, which run beneath the Baltic Sea from Germany to Russia, to burst.

A public transportation depot in the town of Volnovakha, in the Russian-controlled area of Ukraine's Donetsk region, came under fire on Thursday, killing one bus depot employee and injuring many others, according to reports (March 9).

The attacks caused the destruction of vehicles as well as severe damage to a neighbouring structure.

According to a Russian investigator gathering evidence on the site, the Ukrainian forces used a HIMARS rocket launcher to carry out the attack, as reported by Reuters. 

Russia expressed reservations on Thursday about whether it would permit an extension of the historic agreement, which is set to expire next week, by claiming that it was only "half-implemented" and would secure the safe transfer of grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

Pro-Russian officials in Moldova's breakaway region accused Kyiv of plotting a botched assassination attempt on the separatist leader, escalating worries about a possible spillover of the crisis in Ukraine.

At a news conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Thursday (March 9), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Saudi Arabia and other Arabic nations have enabled prisoner of war swaps with Ukraine.

Ukraine's national energy provider said on Thursday it had restored power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which was disconnected earlier.

"Ukrenergo specialists have restored energy supplies to the Zaporizhzhіa nuclear power plant, which was interrupted by today's missile strikes," the company said in a statement on social media.

The Ukrainian authorities claimed that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plan has been "completely disconnected" from Ukraine's power amid ongoing military combat between Russia and Ukraine. The plant is reported to be operating in emergency mode.  There is enough diesel on site to power generators for 15 days, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The United Nations on March 9 warned against the developing situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying that "urgent action" was needed to protect the site's safety and security.

"This is the sixth time – let me say it again sixth time, that ZNPP has lost all off-site power and has had to operate in this emergency mode. Let me remind you - this is the largest nuclear power station in Europe," Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, reportedly told his board of governors.

He added: "What are we doing? How can we sit here in this room this morning and allow this to happen? This cannot go on. I am astonished by the complacency. What are we doing to prevent this from happening? Each time we are rolling a dice, and if we allow this to continue then one day our luck will run out."

Ukraine is becoming a "battle lab" for testing Iranian weapons outside of the Middle East, a senior US defence official said on Thursday.

“Everyone should be preparing for what the threat scenarios look like when Iran takes the tactics, techniques and procedures it learned in Ukraine and starts to use those coercive tactics here,” the official said in reference to the West Asia, CNN reported. 

The South Korean automobile major Hyundai Motor Co is in talks with a Kazakhstan company over the sale of its manufacturing plant in Russia.
The local government in St. Petersburg has been negotiating with Kazakhstan to sell Hyundai’s Russia plant, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a TASS report.

Yonhap reported that negotiations to sell Hyundai’s plant in St. Petersburg to an auto-related company in Astana, Kazakhstan are in the final stage, citing an unnamed source. The deal could be signed as early as June, it said.

Hyundai Motor suspended operations at its Russian factory in March 2022.

The Ukrainian air force said that it show down 34 cruise missiles, that it added were fired from the Russian side, and four of the drones. Kyiv's air defences said that a total of 81 missiles were launched from Russia on the night of March 8. 

The Kremlin has not reacted to the allegations, as yet.

Russian state news agency TASS on Thursday reported that a number of officials of Transnistria - a breakaway region of Moldova were made target of an assassination bid. 

"Suspects of preparing an assassination attempt on the leader of Transnistria were detained and are giving confessions. The impending assassination attempt on the leader of Transnistria is qualified as a preparation for a terrorist attack." 

Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of the Lviv region in a message on Telegram noted that enemy missile fell in the Zolochiv district at 4 in the morning. He said the people will never forget this day. 

"The fire destroyed three residential buildings, three cars, a garage and several outbuildings. The fire was extinguished. The demolition of the destroyed buildings has already been completed," said Kozytskyi.

"Everyone lived yesterday, doing good deeds and getting closer to victory in their place. But we woke up to sirens, and news about the dead. We will never forget this day. We will never forgive. And we will direct all our efforts to revenge and the return of justice."

"It’s been a difficult night. A massive rocket attack across the country. Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia regions. Attacks on critical infrastructure and residential buildings. Unfortunately, there are injured and dead. My condolences to the families," Zelensky posted on his official Telegram account. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Russia on Thursday after Moscow fired 81 missiles, hitting at least 10 of 27 regions across Ukraine. 

"The enemy fired 81 missiles in an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians again, returning to their miserable tactics. The occupiers can only terrorize civilians," Zelensky said in a statement. 

The Ukrainian government said on Thursday that its air defence shot down 34 out of 81 missiles fired by Russian forces on Wednesday night. 

Sharing a statement on social media, Ukraine's commander in chief Valery Zaluzhny said, "Last night, the enemy launched a massive missile attack on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. It launched 81 missiles from different bases. Ukraine destroyed 34 cruise missiles."

NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that Ukraine's Bakhmut city might fall to Russia in the coming days. 

"What we see is that Russia is throwing more troops, more forces and what Russia lacks in quality they try to make up in quantity. We cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days," Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of  an EU defence ministers meeting, the news agency AFP reported. 

German prosecutors probing the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts searched a ship suspected of having transported explosives used in the incident. 

Confirmation of the searches that took place from January 18 to 20 came after a report in the New York Times said that US officials saw new intelligence indicating that a "pro-Ukrainian group" was responsible for the sabotage.

Four people have died in the Lviv region following the Russian strikes Thursday, governor of the region said.

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was left without electricity supply following a Russian strike on Thursday. The plant is currently running on diesel generators, the country's nuclear energy operator said on Thursday.

"The last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian power system was cut off as a result of rocket attacks," Energoatom said in a statement.

Ukrainian nuclear plant has been left without power after Russian strike: Operator

Another explosion has reportedly hit Kyiv. The mayor of the city has said a second explosion was heard in the city and two people have been injured in the latest attacks.

Explosions were reported from Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported the explosions amid a wave of strikes across different parts of the country.

"Explosions in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital. All services are heading to the spot," Klitschko said on social media, referring to a southern area of the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview to CNN, has said that he doesn't plan to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin since he doesn't trust him. 

“We don't have any circumstances to talk to the Russian Federation president because he doesn't hold his word,” Zelensky said.

 “We don't have any confidence in him." 

Thursday morning missiles strikes have left much of Odesa and Kharkiv without power. Residential building were also hit, a top official said.

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