Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 378

As the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its 378th day, we take a look at the main developments.

This is the state of affairs on Wednesday, March 8, 2023:

To fight

• The Russian army would have an “open road” to eastern Ukraine if it captured the besieged city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, insisting Ukrainian troops will continue to defend Bakhmut.
• Belarus says it has arrested several people over what it called an attempted sabotage at a Belarusian airport last month when a Russian plane was blown up on the tarmac.
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the capture of Bakhmut would allow Moscow’s troops to conduct further offensive operations.
• More than 8,000 Ukrainian citizens have been killed by Russian forces since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
• Thousands of people in Ukraine have suffered complex injuries related to the war and are in need of rehabilitation services and equipment, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said.
• Ukraine has launched a criminal investigation into what it said was Russia’s “brutal and brutal shooting of an unarmed person” depicted in a video posted on social media.

Diplomacy

• New intelligence reviewed by US officials suggests a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines last year.
• The German government said its own investigation into the attack has not yet been completed.
• Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has said that “an invisible hand is leading the conflict in Ukraine” without elaborating.
• Qin, speaking on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary meeting, also said Beijing-Moscow relations would also go “from strength to strength”.
• US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone to French President Emmanuel Macron about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the challenges facing China, according to a rack by the White House.
• UN chief Antonio Guterres was on his way to Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy for talks on extending the Black Sea grain deal with Moscow.
• The Russian defense ministry says 90 Russian prisoners of war have been returned from Ukraine after consultations, state news agency RIA said.
• A Ukrainian court has ordered the seizure of billionaire Kostyantyn Zhevago’s shares in iron pellet maker Ferrexpo following claims for damages against his now-bankrupt bank, Ukraine’s Deposit Guarantee Fund says. Ferrexpo is the third largest exporter of iron ore pellets in the world.

Weapons

• Russia’s security service FSB said it foiled a Ukrainian-backed car bomb attack on prominent nationalist businessman Konstantin Malofeyev.
• Poland will send 10 more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine this week, Poland’s defense minister said.