The Russian invasion

Ryska invasionen|Omvärldens svar

Petr Pavel with his wife/Ukrainian soldier. TT. 

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world  

Czech Republic: Ukraine only gets one chance to go on the offensive this year 

Czech President Petr Pavel, in a conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyj, has warned Ukraine against launching a counter-offensive at too early a stage, writes The Guardian.  

Pavel tells the newspaper that such a counter-offensive must succeed, stressing that Ukraine does not have the same chances of surprising the Russians as it did with the offensives in Kharkiv and Kherson last year.  

- It will be extremely harmful for Ukraine if the counter-offensive fails, because they will not get another chance, at least not this year.  

Pavel has previously been a military advisor in NATO.  

Russian soldiers in the Zaporizhzhya region DAVID GUTTENFELDER / NYT 

IAEA: "Extreme concern" over safety at Zaporizhzhya  

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed concern over the potentially dangerous situation at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya, AFP reports.  

Ahead of Ukraine's expected spring offensive, Russia has been ordered to evacuate civilians from the Russian-controlled area around Zaporizhzhya. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says he feels "extreme concern" about the situation at the nuclear power plant.  

- The situation in the area around Zaporizhzhya is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous, says Grossi.  

According to the Kyiv Independent, Russia has begun forcibly evacuating civilians in the town of Enerhodar to the Russian-occupied areas of Berdiansk and Prymorsk.  

A Russian combat aircraft of the model Sukhoi Su-35.Misha Japaridze / Ap  

The Russian InvasionThe Battles  

Russian warplane near collision with Polish plane  

A Russian military aircraft came dangerously close to a Polish plane patrolling for the EU's border agency Frontex over the Black Sea near Romania, several news media write.  

The plane narrowly avoided a collision and as a result of the incident the Polish crew is said to have temporarily lost control of their plane.  

"The Russian Su-35 flew without radio contact into Romanian territory and performed aggressive and dangerous maneuvers, as a result of which the crew lost control and altitude," writes the Polish Ministry of the Interior on Twitter.  

The Romanian Ministry of Defense condemned the incident, saying it was "further proof of Russia's provocative actions in the Black Sea."