Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin suffers serious losses in largest offensive in months

Russia has lost 127 tanks, 239 armoured personnel vehicles (APVs) and 161 artillery systems in a week, Kyiv has said as Vladimir Putin launches a sustained assault in the east of Ukraine.

Moscow’s forces lost eight tanks, 25 APVs and 33 artillery systems in the past day, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Sunday.

The Independent cannot independently confirm Kyiv’s numbers which come after Putin claimed Ukraine‘s counteroffensive “completely failed”.

“As for the counteroffensive, which is allegedly stalling, it has failed completely,” Putin said in video remarks posted to social media by a Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin.

Russia currently controls about 17.5% of Ukrainian territory and a four-month-old Ukrainian counteroffensive this year has resulted in almost no net territorial gains.

Key Points

• Russia’s ‘exhausted’ troops ‘suffer significant losses in key town Avdiivka’

• British artillery guns aren’t used due to shortage of ammunition

• Ukraine hit two Russian vessels, says intelligence source

• Death toll from Hroza missile strike rises to 59, Ukraine says

Putin arrives in China

09:04 , Tom Watling

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, on a trip aimed at showing the “no limits” partnership between China and Russia.

Putin flew into the Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday morning.

He is among over 100 representatives from different countries attending an event to mark the 10-year anniversary of President Xi’s initiative to grow China’s overseas interests through various projects.

This latest trip comes just days after Putin’s visit to Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian nation with strong ties to Moscow.

You can watch the full video below.

Putin arrives in China on second foreign trip since March 2023

Ukrainian forces release video of downed Russian Mi-8 helicopter: ‘It burns beautifully’

09:53 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s military has released a video of the burning wreckage of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter on the war’s southern frontline, saying the aircraft was shot down by paratroopers.

“The Russian Mi-8 was shot down. Great work by the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade. It burns beautifully. Well done, warriors,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, heading the Ukrainian armed ground forces on one of the southern Ukrainian fronts.

A 12-second video of the helicopter engulfed in flames was shared by General Syrskyi on his official Telegram channel late on Sunday. The location and the time of the destruction of the Russian helicopter was not immediately clear.

You can watch it in full below.

Ukrainian forces release video of downed Russian Mi-8 helicopter

China's foreign ministry says President Xi, Russia's Putin will exchange views on bilateral ties

09:41 , Tom Watling

China’s foreign minsitry has said President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern in their proposed meeting at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

Footage shows aftermath of attack in Berdyansk - claim

08:50 , Tom Watling

Footage posted online has appeared to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike on a military airfield in occupied Berdyansk.

Putin arrives in China ahead of meeting with Xi Jinping

08:32 , Tom Watling

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a widely watched trip aimed at showcasing the trust and “no-limits”.

Russian air force bloggers angry at ‘serious losses’ overnight

08:15 , Tom Watling

Russian military bloggers associated with the air force have admitted it “is not a good morning” over reports that Ukraine had struck airfields in occupied Luhansk and nearby Berdyansk.

Fighterbomber, a Telegram channel associated with the air force, described the attack as “one of the most serious blows of all time in the Northern Military District”.

He added: “There are losses in both people and technology.”

You can see further comments from other milbloggers attached in the report below.

Satellite images from the occupied Berdyansk military airfield at the end of last month showed more than 20 Russian helicopters, while subsequent graphics showed they were building new revetments and shelters for vehicles and equipment at the site.

Ukraine makes overnight strike on Russian airfield, claims Kyiv

08:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s forces made successful overnight strikes on Russian airfields and equipment near the cities of Luhansk and Berdyansk in territory controlled by Russian forces, Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine made well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields and helicopters near the temporarily occupied Luhansk and Berdyansk," the Ukrainian military’s communication department said on the Telegram messaging app.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in parts of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Moscow in Ukraine’s southeast, said, however, that the strikes on Berdyansk were not successful.

"According to preliminary information, our air defence system successfully intercepted enemy rockets," Rogov said on the Telegram. "Information about victims and possible damage is being clarified."

Berdiansk is a port city in Zaporizhzhia on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

Since the start of its counteroffensive in June, Ukraine has made frequent air attacks on Russia-controlled territory, aiming to destroy military equipment and undermine Moscow’s war efforts.

Russia revoking ratification of nuclear test ban treaty

07:40 , Tom Watling

Russia is revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty because the irresponsible attitude of the United States to global security, the speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament said on Tuesday.

President Vladimir Putin, who earlier this month suggested that Russia revoke ratification of the 1996 treaty because the United States had not ratified it, said he was not ready to say whether or not Russia would resume nuclear testing.

“In the interests of ensuring the security of our country, we are withdrawing the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,” Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said ahead of a debate and parliamentary vote on revoking ratification.

Volodin said that while Russia had ratified the treaty in 2000, Washington had failed to ratify because of its “irresponsible attitude to global security issues”.

“The Russian Federation will do everything to protect its citizens and to maintain global strategic parity,” Volodin said.

While Russia is revoking ratification, it will remain a signatory and will continue to cooperate with the test ban treaty organisation and the global monitoring system which alerts the world to any test.

A resumption of nuclear tests by Russia, the United States or China could indicate the start of a new nuclear arms race between the big powers who stopped nuclear testing in the years following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

As the conflict in Israel rages on, the world must not forget about Ukraine

04:00 , Independent Editorial

Russian troops are shelling the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka with such relentlessness that emergency workers have been unable to enter destroyed buildings to remove the bodies. Ukrainian generals have said that fighting in eastern frontline towns has “worsened” significantly in the last few days, a consequence of Ukraine’s promised counteroffensive having been far less successful than had been hoped (Vladimir Putin, for all that his words are worth, said on Sunday that it had “failed completely”).

Ukrainian soldiers have been reduced to firing their high-powered, long-range howitzer guns, supplied to them by the UK, just once a day, owing to a shortage of ammunition to put in them.

This, but for horrifying events in Israel and Gaza, would have been last week’s news. There is always a concern that when people are forced to reprioritise what they care about that governments follow suit. That somehow events in Israel and Gaza might lessen the resolve and the unity of Western countries to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Reality doesn’t quite work like that. Commitments made are not unmade. Promises do not simply get broken. Not least as, for now, the horrific terrorist attack in Israel and the ongoing retribution do not come with extraordinary demands for assistance from Israel’s allies.

Read more below:

Editorial: As the conflict in Israel rages on, we must not forget about Ukraine

Government told it must make visa decisions for Ukrainians in UK soon

Tuesday 17 October 2023 00:30 , Katy Clifton

Ukrainians who fled to the UK from war must be given certainty over their futures including around visa extensions and in the face of rising costs and the risk of homelessness, a report has said.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said the generosity of the public in opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees had allowed the Government to work quickly to help tens of thousands come to safety since March 2022.

But decisions will need to be taken by ministers about future funding and visas and consideration given to the “threat of homelessness as sponsorships end”, according to the head of the body which scrutinises public spending for Parliament.

Gareth Davies, comptroller and auditor general of the NAO, said: “The Government worked quickly to help Ukrainians fleeing conflict, enabled by the generosity of the British people who opened their homes.

“The Government will soon need to take important decisions about the future of the scheme, including whether to extend visas beyond three years, and whether to extend funding for local authorities and sponsors, which currently finishes before visas expire.

“It will also need to carefully monitor key risks, such as safeguarding, and the threat of homelessness as sponsorships end.”

Russian governor reported to police for speaking out over Putin’s war

Monday 16 October 2023 23:30 , Arpan Rai

A Russian governor who said that Moscow had not prepared for its invasion of Ukraine and did not “need” the continuing war has been reported to the police.

Natalya Komarova, a member of president Vladimir Putin’s governing United Russia party and the governor of Russian Khanty-Masiysk region, on Saturday criticised the conflict that has stretched to nearly 600 days during a meeting with residents of the Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk.

Ms Komarova was confronted by the wife of a mobilised Russian man fighting in Ukraine who had asked why her husband was not provided with the necessary equipment to fight.

“Are you asking me (why your husband does not have equipment) knowing that I’m the governor and not the minister of defence?” the official said.

She added: “As a whole, we did not prepare for this war. We don’t need it. We were building a completely different world, so in this regard, there will certainly be some inconsistencies and unresolved issues,” according to a video of the event posted on social media.

Read more below:

Russian governor reported to police for speaking out over Putin’s ‘unnecessary’ war

'We cannot allow Ukraine to lose the war for economic reasons’

Monday 16 October 2023 22:00 , Jabed Ahmed

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said support for Ukraine remained a “top priority” for the US and Europe, calling it crucial to underpin Ukraine‘s military battle against Russia’s invasion.

She said the Biden administration was committed to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and would fight to ensure a bipartisan majority in the Congress enacted “robust” and uninterrupted assistance for the war-torn country.

“We cannot allow Ukraine to lose the war for economic reasons when it has shown an ability to succeed on the battlefield,” Yellen said in remarks prepared for her third meeting with the Eurogroup euro zone finance ministers.

Yellen’s meeting with the Eurogroup comes as the Biden administration prepares to push through a new military assistance package worth well over $2 billion for both Ukraine and Israel, which is preparing a ground invasion after a deadly Oct. 7 attack by the militant Hamas group that rules Gaza.

ICYMI: Latest MoD intelligence update

Monday 16 October 2023 20:44 , Jabed Ahmed

The purported Private Military Company (PMC) Redut is recruiting mercenaries under the guise of “volunteers”, including former Wagner personnel, the Ministry of Defence has said in its latest update.

“The Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) likely supervises and finances the group’s activities, including its recruitment,” the MoD said on Monday morning.

Russian official to visit North Korea amid weapons claims

Monday 16 October 2023 19:13 , Jabed Ahmed

Russia’s foreign minister will visit North Korea this week, days after the United States claimed Pyongyang had delivered munitions and military equipment to Russia for use in the fighting in Ukraine.

The ministry said Sergei Lavrov will be in North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, but did not specify any meetings or the aims of the trip.

The White House said on Friday that more than 1,000 containers of equipment and ammunition have been sent to Russia from North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia last month to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites, triggering speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores that have been drained by the protracted conflict with Ukraine.

Putin in call with Netanyahu

Monday 16 October 2023 18:51 , Jabed Ahmed

Russian president Vladimir Putin has told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Monday that Russia was ready to help end the confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians, the Kremlin said.

“Vladimir Putin informed (Netanyahu) about the steps Russia is taking to help normalize the situation, prevent further escalation of violence and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip,” the Kremlin said.

Earlier on Monday Putin discussed the crisis with the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Syria and the Palestinian Authority and said any form of violence against civilians was unacceptable, the Kremlin said. In these discussions Putin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to ending the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Russia ‘aiming to recapture territory in the north east'

Monday 16 October 2023 17:48 , Sam Rkaina

Russia is aiming to break through defences in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector of the front line after a sharp increase in fighting, the commander of Ukraine‘s ground forces said

Video footage released by the ground forces showed General Oleksandr Syrskyi meeting troops at an undisclosed location in woodland, and quoted him as saying fighting in the northeastern Kupiansk-Lyman sector had “significantly escalated”.

“The enemy is preparing, seriously preparing for offensive actions, bringing in staff,” Syrskyi said in the footage posted on the Telegram messaging app. “The main goal is to break through our troops’ defences and recapture our territory.”

Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Kupiansk and nearby areas nearly a year ago, ending months of Russian occupation following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, but Russian forces have gone on the attack in the region again.

The Ukrainian military reported in its daily update that fighting was raging along the eastern front, particularly around Kupiansk, and near Avdiivka and Mariinka in the Donetsk region.

Russia went on the offensive around Avdiivka last week and fighting there has been intense. A strategically important town with a large coking plant, Avdiivka is located in the northern outskirts of the Donetsk region, much of which has been occupied by Russia.

Putin condemns violence against civilians in Middle East

Monday 16 October 2023 16:57 , Sam Rkaina

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the escalation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict with the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Syria and the Palestinian Authority on Monday and said any form of violence against civilians was unacceptable, the Kremlin said.

In the conversations, “there was also serious concern about the likelihood of the conflict escalating into a regional war”, it said.

Putin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to co-ordinate with all “constructive partners” to stop the fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.

Republican House speaker skeptical over US funding for Ukraine

Monday 16 October 2023 16:12 , Sam Rkaina

Some Republicans in Congress have questioned funding for Kyiv, including Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, who has been nominated to be House speaker and leads a hardline Republican party caucus backed by former president and likely 2024 nominee Donald Trump.

Some EU countries including Hungary have also challenged Brussels’s plans.

Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told Reuters on Saturday that Ukraine is finding it harder to secure financial support.

Yellen lauded the European Union’s plans for a 50 billion euro Ukraine Facility to provide sustained economic and reconstruction support, saying that economic support should have maximum concessionality, meaning low or zero interest rates.

“Flexibility is also important, as it could enable front-loading budget support in the immediate term when it is needed most,” she said.

Monday 16 October 2023 15:32 , Sam Rkaina

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said support for Ukraine remained a “top priority” for the United States and Europe, calling it crucial to underpin Kyiv‘s military battle against Russia’s invasion.

She said the Biden administration was committed to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and would fight to ensure a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Congress enacted “robust” and uninterrupted assistance for the war-torn country.

“We cannot allow Ukraine to lose the war for economic reasons when it has shown an ability to succeed on the battlefield,” Yellen said in remarks prepared for her third meeting with the Eurogroup euro zone finance ministers.

Yellen’s meeting with the Eurogroup comes as the Biden administration prepares to push through a new military assistance package worth well over $2 billion for both Ukraine and Israel, which is preparing a ground invasion after a deadly Oct. 7 attack by the militant Hamas group that rules Gaza.

Yellen did not address the escalating crisis in the Middle East in her remarks, but told Sky News earlier that America “certainly” could afford to stand with both Israel and Ukraine.

Russia claims to take out Ukrainian aerial targets

Monday 16 October 2023 13:40 , Alex Ross

Russia has said that it has taken out Ukrainian aerial targets over Bakhmut using surface and missiles.

Footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defence reportedly shows Russian Strela-10 systems firing missiles into the sky and hitting Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The Russian MoD said “Russian Airborne Troops are in control of the sky over Artyomovsk preventing the enemy from conducting any surveillance and dropping ammunition on Russian positions.

“Ivanovo-based paratroopers have equipped a system of aerial surveillance posts which make it possible to timely detect aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After that, the Strela-10 SAM systems acquire aerial targets and engage them.

“Air defence crews of Ivanovo-based paratroopers eliminate dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles of the enemy on a daily basis. Moreover, one of the Strela-10 crews have managed to neutralise about 50 enemy UAVs in one month.”

Russia recruiting ‘volunteer’ units

Monday 16 October 2023 13:10 , Alex Ross

Russia has been accused of recruting mercenaries under the guide of volunteers by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

The MoD said the private military company Redut is likely to be supervised and financed by the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate on activities including the recruitment of soldiers.

It adds that the group has been involved in combat operations in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Lunhansk, and has more than 7,000 personnel.

In a statement, the MoD said: “At present, Redut is one of a number of private miltary companies and volunteer corps units being utilised by the Russian Ministry of Defence to augment Russian regular forces.

“It is a realistic possibility that the Russian Ministry of Defence’s practise of recruiting through “volunteer” units has contributed to Russia avoiding further unpopular mobilisations.”

Russia's assault on a key eastern Ukraine city is weakening, Kyiv claim

Monday 16 October 2023 12:29 , Alex Ross

An attempt by Russian forces to storm a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine appears to be running out of steam, Kyiv officials claimed Monday, as the Kremlin’s war entered its 600th day.Ukrainian forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on Avdiivka over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian General Staff said.That compared with up to 60 attacks a day in the middle of last week, according to Vitalii Barabash, head of the city administration. The slackening suggests the Russian effort to capture Avdiivka has “deflated,” Barabash said.

A Washington-based think tank broadly concurred with that assessment. “Russian forces continued offensive operations aimed at encircling Avdiivka — but have yet to make further gains amid a likely decreasing tempo of Russian operations in the area,” the Institute for the Study of War said in analysis published late Sunday.

Avdiivka lies in the northern suburbs of the city of Donetsk, in a region of the same name that Russian forces partially occupy. Avdiivka’s location grants Ukrainian forces artillery advantages over the city and could serve as a springboard for them to liberate Donetsk.

At least six killed in Russian airstrikes

Monday 16 October 2023 11:39 , Alex Ross

A teenager is among at least six people killed in Russian airstrikes across Ukraine over the past 24-hour period, local officials said on Sunday.

Of these, two people were killed and three were injured in the Kherson area after Russia fired more than 100 shells over the weekend, local governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Two more people died in the Donetsk area, local officials said. An airstrike in the Kharkiv region killed a 57-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman, and also destroyed their home.

A 14-year-old boy was killed in a separate incident after a mine exploded in a field in the Mykolaiv region, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said. Another 12-year-old boy was also injured in the attack.

Russian attacks kill six in Ukraine as Kyiv ramps up drone counterstrikes

600th day of the full-scale war - in numbers

Monday 16 October 2023 11:04 , Alex Ross

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 16th October 2023, Russia had lost about 288,630 personnel, 4,965 tanks, 9,385 armoured combat vehicles, 6,910 artillery units, 814 multiple launch rocket systems, 547 air defence systems, 318 warplanes, 317 helicopters, 5,280 drones, 1,531 cruise missiles, 20 warships, 1 submarine, 9,271 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 981 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

Russian helicopter ‘destroyed by paratroopers'

Monday 16 October 2023 10:35 , Alex Ross

A video of the burning wreckage of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter has been released by Ukraine’s military, which says the aircraft was shot down by paratroopers.

The12-second video of the helicopter engulfed in flames was shared by General Syrskyi on his official Telegram channel late on Sunday.

The location and the time of the destruction of the Russian helicopter was not immediately clear.

Ukrainian forces release video of downed Russian Mi-8 helicopter

Slovakia support for Ukraine

Monday 16 October 2023 10:10 , Alex Ross

Slovakia’s former Prime Minister Robert Fico and his SMER-SSD party will sign a coalition agreement to form a new government with the centre-left HLAS and nationalist SNS parties on Monday, SMER said.

Fico, a three-time prime minister, won an election on September 30 with pledges to halt military aid to Ukraine.

He struck a deal with the coalition parties last week and is expected to lead a new government.

The parties are seeking to have an administration in place ahead of a European Union summit this month where Ukraine will be high on the agenda.

Pictures: Latest images from the Ukraine-Russia war

Monday 16 October 2023 09:45 , Alex Ross

Ukraine evacuating residents from Gaza

Monday 16 October 2023 09:10 , Alex Ross

Ukraine is working to evacuate nearly 260 of its citizens from Gaza and to fly other Ukrainians out of Israel, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Sunday.

Ukraine‘s embassy in Israel said on social media on Saturday that 207 Ukrainian citizens, including 63 children, were evacuated from Tel Aviv to Romania on Saturday and that another flight would take 155 people to Romania on Sunday.

Putin set to meet Chinese leaders this week

Monday 16 October 2023 08:48 , Alex Ross

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet Chinese leaders in Beijing this week on a visit that underscores China’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine.

The two countries have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that is complicated by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

China has sought to balance its ties with Israel with its economic relations with Iran and Syria, which are strongly backed by Russia.

Mr Putin’s visit is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road drive to build infrastructure and expand China’s overseas influence.

The Russian leader will be among the highest profile guests at a gathering marking the 10th anniversary of Mr Xi’s announcement of the policy, which has laden countries such as Zambia and Sri Lanka with heavy debt after they signed contracts with Chinese companies to build roads, airports and other public works.

Chinese officials have suggested he will be arriving late on Monday.

Displaced children reunited with Ukrainian families

Monday 16 October 2023 08:10 , Alex Ross

Three Ukrainian children who had been taken to Russia are being reunited with family back in their home country, under a mechanism run by Qatar.

Qatari diplomats in Moscow aim to return many more children from Russia to Ukraine, a Qatari official briefed on the plans told Reuters on Monday.

Qatar on Friday facilitated the return of another Ukrainian child, aged 7, who was reunited with his grandmother and is en route to Ukraine via Estonia, the official said. The other three children are a boy aged 2, a 9-year-old boy, and a girl aged 17.

Kyiv has identified 20,000 children as taken to Russia or Russian-held territory without the consent of family or guardians.

The return of these first four children tests a system the Gulf Arab state established after months of secret talks with Moscow and Kyiv, according to the Qatari official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the process.

Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, shared a short initial list of Ukrainian children to be returned with a team of Qatari diplomats who verified each child’s identity, the official said.

About 400 children have been returned to Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion began in February 2022, but the United Nations human rights agency raised concerns last week that there was no system to facilitate the return.

Overnight attack by Russia in Ukraine

Monday 16 October 2023 07:41 , Alex Ross

Airstrikes from Russia continued overnight with five missiles and 12 kamikaze drones launched by Moscow toward Ukraine, Kyiv said early on Monday.

Ukraine’s air force said the missiles, of which it shot down two, targeted northern and eastern regions, while the drones, of which 11 were downed, were launched in several directions with a particular focus on western Ukraine.

The governor of the eastern region of Poltava, Filip Pronin, also said his region had been attacked by drones and missiles, and that three civilians had been hospitalised as a result.

“Fortunately, no civilian or critical infrastructure was hit. However, missile fragments damaged several private homes,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging service.

Russia also carried out artillery shelling and air strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region, damaging several residential buildings and infrastructure and injuring one elderly woman, the governor there said.

Two killed in Avdiivka

Monday 16 October 2023 05:24 , Barney Davis

Two civilians were killed in Russian attacks on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Saturday, the Donetsk region administration said on Sunday.

In one of its few offensives in months, Russia’s military pressed on for a fifth day with assaults on Avdiivka, with shelling so fierce that emergency crews were unable to recover the dead from wrecked buildings.

The administration of the Donetsk region said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app that one more person was injured elsewhere in the region.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on Sunday its forces had repelled 15 Russian attacks near Avdiivka, Tonenke and Pervomaiske in the Donetsk region, while Russian forces launched heavy air strikes in the area.

Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region also in Ukraine’s east, said on Sunday a 54-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man were killed and one woman injured in an overnight Russian air attack.

Russia bombards Sumy Oblast but no Ukraine casualties

Monday 16 October 2023 04:27 , Barney Davis

Ninety-three explosions were reported in Sumy Oblast on Sunday according to Governor Volodymyr Artiukh.

Artiukh noted that, as a result of Russian shelling in the region, civilian infrastructure and homes were damaged. No casualties were reported.

“Enemy military aircraft, kamikaze drones, artillery systems, and salvo fire systems were used,” he said. “Over the past month of (Russian) shelling, seven civilians have died in our region, including a 13-year-old girl. Many wounded.”

Artiukh added that there are currently over 5,000 homes in Sumy Oblast that have been damaged by Russian shelling.

Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia, has been targeted by Russian forces on a near-daily basis since April 2022.

Woman killed by Russian airstrike in garden

Monday 16 October 2023 03:24 , Barney Davis

Russian shelling killed a 58-year-old woman and wounded a 26-year-old man in Donetsk Oblast, the media outlet Suspilne reported.

The woman was killed in her garden when shells struck her home in the city of Avdiivka.

“A man was taken to the hospital with a concussion, fracture and shrapnel wounds for medical treatment. According to preliminary data, the Russian army shelled both settlements with artillery,” regional spokesperson Anastasia Medvedeva said.

Russian attacks on Ukraine over a 24-hour period killed six people, local officials reported Sunday.

Monday 16 October 2023 02:24 , Barney Davis

Two people were killed and three more injured in the Kherson area after more than 100 shells bombarded the region over the weekend, local governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on social media.

Two guided bombs later hit key infrastructure in Kherson city, sparking a partial blackout and disruption to the area’s water supply, reported the head of the city’s military administration, Roman Mrochko.

Local officials said two more people died in the Donetsk area and that a 57-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman were killed by an airstrike that destroyed their home in the Kharkiv region.

In a separate incident, a 14-year-old boy was killed by a mine in a field in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. The explosion also injured another 12-year-old boy.

Fighting remained fierce across eastern Ukraine over the weekend, with Russian forces repeatedly attempting to encircle the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, military officials said.

Watch: Ex-GOP lawmaker criticises colleagues comparing Israel and Ukraine conflicts

Monday 16 October 2023 22:00 , Katy Clifton

Russian governer underfire for saying army unprepared for Ukraine war

Monday 16 October 2023 00:30 , Barney Davis

A Russian governor was accused by critics on Sunday of “discrediting Russia’s armed forces” after telling residents in her region that the country had “no need” for its war in Ukraine.

Natalya Komarova, the governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk region and a member of President Vladimir Putin’s governing United Russia party, made the remarks during a meeting with residents in the Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk on Saturday.

Critics have called for authorities to launch an investigation into her remarks, but Komarova hasn’t been detained or faced any charges so far.

A video of the event posted on social media showed the politician being confronted by the wife of a Russian soldier who said that mobilized men had been poorly equipped for the front line.

“Are you asking me (why your husband does not have equipment), knowing that I’m the governor and not the minister of defence?”, the 67-year-old said.

“As a whole, we did not prepare for this war. We don’t need it. We were building a completely different world, so in this regard, there will certainly be some inconsistencies and unresolved issues,” she said.

Putin to meet President Xi next week

Sunday 15 October 2023 22:13 , Barney Davis

President Vladimir Putin will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing this week in a rare visit from the Russian leader.

During Tuesday’s trip to Beijing, Putin will attend a forum marking 10 years of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global infrastructure program that has helped boost its influence worldwide.

China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.

Washington and Brussels have been eyeing with alarm the relationship between China and Russia, with Beijing refusing to condemn Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, even as it has voiced support for the principle of territorial integrity.

“Over the past decade, Xi has built with Putin’s Russia the most consequential undeclared alliance in the world,” Graham Allison, professor at Harvard University and a former assistant secretary of defence under Bill Clinton, told Reuters.

“The U.S. will have to come to grips with the inconvenient fact that a rapidly rising systemic rival and a revanchist one-dimensional superpower with the largest nuclear arsenal in the world are tightly aligned in opposing the USA.”

Biden to pledge £2billion for Israel and Ukraine

Sunday 15 October 2023 21:28 , Barney Davis

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the Biden administration hopes to push a new weapons package for Israel and Ukraine through Congress that will be significantly higher than $2 billion.

Sullivan, in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” said U.S. President Joe Biden will have intensive talks with the U.S. Congress this week on the need for the package to be approved.

Asked whether the request would be for $2 billion, as has been previously reported, Sullivan said: “The number is going to be significantly higher than that, but it will, as I said, certainly include the necessary military equipment to defend freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine, and to help Israel defend itself as it fights its terrorist threat.”

Some Republicans have already said they would not back any Israel aid package that also contains aid for Ukraine.

Ukraine working to evacuate 260 citizens from Gaza and Israel

Sunday 15 October 2023 21:26 , Barney Davis

Ukraine is working to evacuate nearly 260 of its citizens from Gaza and to fly other Ukrainians out of Israel, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Sunday.

Ukraine’s embassy in Israel said on social media on Saturday that 207 Ukrainian citizens, including 63 children, were evacuated from Tel Aviv to Romania on Saturday and that another flight would take 155 people to Romania on Sunday.

Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said three parties would have to approve the departure of Ukrainians from Gaza, complicating the process.

“The Palestinians need to release all Ukrainian citizens, Egypt to accept them, and Israel should not conduct any operation at this time, so that the crossing point would be safe,” he said in remarks televised on Sunday.

Russian governor reported to police for there’s ‘no need’ for the war in Ukraine

Sunday 15 October 2023 21:15 , Alexander Butler

A Russian governor was accused by critics of “discrediting Russia’s armed forces” after telling residents in her region that the country had “no need” for its war in Ukraine.Natalya Komarova, the governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk region and a member of President Vladimir Putin’s governing United Russia party, made the remarks during a meeting with residents in the Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk on Saturday.Critics have called for authorities to launch an investigation into her remarks, but Komarova hasn’t been detained or faced any charges so far.

Russian forces ‘bolster’ positions across Ukraine

Sunday 15 October 2023 20:15 , Alexander Butler

Russian forces have “bolstered” their positions across the Ukrainian frontline, Vladimir Putin claimed. He said troops had been “improving their position” in a vast area in an interview on Russian television, which was posted on social media.

On Saturday, Kyiv reported “heated” fighting around Avdiivka Saturday, saying Russian forces had “not stopped assaulting” it for days in their attempt to surround it.

“What is happening now along the entire length of the [line of] contact is called ‘an active defence’. And our troops are improving their position at almost entire area. Quite a large area,” Putin said.

Putin: US seeking war with Russia and China is ‘nonsense'

Sunday 15 October 2023 19:15 , Alexander Butler

Russian president Vladimir Putin said suggestions the US is preparing for a simultaneous war against Russia and China were “nonsense”.

“I don’t think these are healthy thoughts in the minds of healthy people, because to say that the United States is preparing for war with Russia, well we are all preparing for war because we follow the ancient principle: if you want peace, get ready for war,” he said.

“But we want peace,” Putin said with a chuckle. “Moreover, to fight with both Russia and China, it is nonsense - I don’t think it is serious. I think they are just scaring each other.”

Pictured: Donestsk

Sunday 15 October 2023 18:15 , Alexander Butler

Roundup of today’s developments

Sunday 15 October 2023 17:15 , Alexander Butler

British artillery guns aren’t used due to shortage of ammunition

Ukrainian soldiers can only use L119 howitzers less than one a day because of the “catastrophic” shortage of ammunition used for them.

“The British L119 is a nice gun, very comfortable to work with and accurate to fire. But we don’t have enough shells for it – last week, we fired only five shells all week.

“It is catastrophically limited. When we are in battle, we are having to weigh up very carefully whether we should use a shell or not,” an artillery commander told The Telegraph.

Putin says Ukraine’s counteroffensive “failed completely”

Today, Vladimir Putin branded Ukraine‘s counteroffensive a “failure”.

“As for the counteroffensive, which is allegedly stalling, it has failed completely,” Mr Putin said in video remarks posted to social media by a Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin.

“The opposing side is preparing new active offensive operations. We see it and we know it,” he added when asked about the battle for the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka.

US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia

The White House said North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites.

US weapons package to cost $2bn

Sunday 15 October 2023 16:15 , Alexander Butler

The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Sunday that a new weapons package for Israel and Ukraine would be significantly higher than $2bn.

In an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, said Sullivan said Joe Biden would have extensive talks with the US Congress this week on the need for the package to be approved.

Asked whether the request would be for $2 billion, Sullivan said: “Well, the number is going to be significantly higher than that, but it will, as I said, certainly include the necessary military equipment to defend freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine, and to help Israel defend itself as it fights its terrorist threat.”

British artillery guns aren’t used due to shortage of ammunition

Sunday 15 October 2023 15:38 , Alexander Butler

British artillery guns provided to Ukraine aren’t being used on the battlefield due to a lack of ammunition, troops have claimed.

Ukrainian soldiers can only use L119 howitzers less than one a day because of the “catastrophic” shortage of ammunition used for them.

“The British L119 is a nice gun, very comfortable to work with and accurate to fire. But we don’t have enough shells for it – last week, we fired only five shells all week.

“It is catastrophically limited. When we are in battle, we are having to weigh up very carefully whether we should use a shell or not,” an artillery commander told The Telegraph.

US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia

Sunday 15 October 2023 14:10 , Sam Rkaina

President Zelensky’s international aid comes after the White House said North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites.

On Friday White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. believes Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea’s nuclear program.