Soldiers try to escape burning Russian trench
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that Russian forces have incurred substantial casualties in their efforts to seize the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, with the loss of at least an entire brigade of troops. The size of a brigade can vary, encompassing anywhere from 1,500 to 8,000 soldiers.
Zelensky stated, “The aggressors repeatedly attempted to encircle Avdiivka, but on each occasion, our valiant soldiers repelled them, inflicting significant losses.” He conveyed this information during a recent phone conversation with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and the President’s office quoted him as saying, “In each of these encounters, the enemy suffered the loss of a full brigade.”
The claim has not been independently verified, and there has been no immediate response from Russia.
Both Ukraine and Russia consider battlefield losses to be classified information, but it is widely believed that tens of thousands of lives have been lost on both sides since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In mid-October, Russia launched a renewed offensive to encircle the key city of Avdiivka. In its most recent update, the Institute for the Study of War suggested that the substantial equipment losses suffered by Russia in the city are likely to have a detrimental impact on its offensive capabilities over the long term.
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KEY EVENTS
EU leaders want Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine
EU leaders are backing using billions earned from Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine, reports The Financial Times.
You can read more about the plans – expected to be put forward in December here.
Ukraine’s armed forces claims Russia has lost 298,420 troops
Ukraine’s armed forces has claimed today that Russia had lost 298,420 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion last year.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine revealed the figures in a Facebook post.
It added: “Strike the occupier! Let’s win together! Our strength is in the truth!”
Russia’s forces around Avdiivka “likely suffered” some of its highest casualty rates
The UK’s Ministry of Defence’s intelligence update has said that Russia’s forces around the Donetsk oblast town of Avdiivka have “likely suffered” some of its highest casualty rates of 2023 so far.
You can see the full update on the image taken from the Ministry of Defence’s X channel below.
Russian defence ministry “recruiting prisoners”
The Russian defence ministry has been recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, reports The BBC.
It has reportedly taking over from the Wagner mercenary group which was the first to adopt the practice last year.
The prisoner units are commonly known as Storm-Z.
This is because the letter Z is one of the symbols of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine and it’s also the first letter of the Russian word “zek” meaning inmate.
What we know on day 612…
We are now on day 612 of the Russia-Ukraine war which started on 24 February 2022.
You can keep up to date with the very latest news on the conflict here.
‘Ukraine won’t win’: says Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
According to military experts, it’s “evident” that Ukraine won’t be able to secure victory on the battlefield, but only Western politicians are hesitant to acknowledge it, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said during an interview on Radio Kossuth.
Orban said: “It is absolutely clear that the Ukrainians won’t win on the front lines.
“All military experts talk and write about it, but politicians dare not admit they have chosen a flawed strategy.”
You can read more on the story here.
Pro-Russia Ukrainian politician shot and wounded
Oleg Tsaryov – a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician with a controversial past – has been shot and wounded where he lives in Yalta, Crimea.
Family members and officials have confirmed the incident.
It has prompted Russia’s top investigative body to launch a criminal inquiry into the attempt on Tsaryov’s life.
You can read more here.
China ‘much less likely’ to move against Taiwan as war in Ukraine forces Xi’s hand
EXCLUSIVE: The economic repercussions of warfare, as demonstrated by Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, have raised alarms for China.
The war in Ukraine has revealed significant factors that make an all-out conflict between China and Taiwan far less likely, according to an expert.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Serhii Plokhy, author of The Russo-Ukrainian War, shed light on the implications of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and how it might influence China’s approach to Taiwan.
“First of all,” he said, “it is very clear that military operations like the one that Russia started against Ukraine can’t last forever and bring unpredictable results. It’s a very costly undertaking.”
Mr Plokhy pointed out that the ongoing war proved that military endeavours can be financially debilitating.
China’s leadership, cognisant of their nation’s current economic state, is wary of embarking on such costly endeavours.
‘I’ve been put on Vladimir Putin’s most wanted list — it’s a badge of honour’
EXCLUSIVE: The Georgian military figure said the Kremlin’s decision to add him to its “most wanted” list proves he is doing the right thing in Ukraine.
“I wasn’t surprised when I heard I’d been added to the list,” Mamuka Mamulashvili, the 45-year-old leader of the Georgian Legion who is one of Vladimir Putin’s most wanted, told Express.co.uk.
Since 2014, he and what was initially a group of volunteers but is now a fully-fledged military unit have fought against Russia in Ukraine.
That is nine long years of brutal warfare, mostly in Ukraine’s east but recently elsewhere in the country, often on the frontlines and often just moments away from his opposite numbers.
Ukrainian drone crashes into nuclear waste, says Russia
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said that a Ukrainian drone crashed into a nuclear waste storage at Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia.
He added that two other drones hit administrative buildings.
Ministry of Defence update
The latest update from the British Ministry of Defence
Inside the key Ukraine city now unliveable after being devastated by Russian fighting
The city of Avdiivka, situated in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, has been plunged into a living nightmare as heavy and inconclusive fighting has continued to ravage the region.
The British Ministry of Defence recently issued a concerning update on the situation, shedding light on the ongoing conflict that has pushed this once-vibrant village to the brink of becoming uninhabitable.
For Avdiivka, the past few weeks have been marred by the relentless onslaught of Russian military forces.
This offensive began in mid-October 2023 and has witnessed a formidable Russian presence, with the British Ministry of Defence suggesting that up to eight brigades have been committed to the sector.
Vladimir Putin uses weirdly large table to keep away from officials after health rumours
Putin has used a new massive table as he continues to keep his distance from other Kremlin officials amid speculation about his health.
Putin met with representatives of Russia’s religious associations at the Kremlin on Friday as the war in Ukraine continues.
The Russian leader was pictured sitting at one side of a huge rectangular table as other officials sat on the other side.
The footage was shared on social media, with various users giving their views on Putin’s latest appearance.
Germany provides Ukraine with water vessels
Germany has shown its support for Ukraine by providing them with uncrewed surface vessels known as Sonobot 5, as reported by Militarnyi. These vessels serve the primary purpose of surveying bodies of water to identify objects such as unexploded ordnance and potential hazards resting on the seabed.
The Sonobot 5 is designed and manufactured by the German company EvoLogics GmbH. It represents a compact unmanned surface platform that can be easily customised for conducting hydrographic surveys in inland waters.
EvoLogics GmbH highlights the Sonobot 5’s exceptional intelligence and seamless integration, making it a breeze for a single individual to transport and deploy. With its robust thrusters and a battery capable of sustaining a full day of operation, the Sonobot 5 is recognised as one of the most compact and user-friendly autonomous vehicles suitable for professional multibeam sonar application.
Russian missiles shot overnight
The Ukrainian air defence forces shot down six Russian missiles overnight in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv. Local authorities reported this on Telegram, as mentioned by R-Ukraine. Serhiy Lysak, the head of the military regional administration of Dnipropetrovsk, stated that three missiles were destroyed in the skies of his region. He also added that the Russians targeted the Marganets community in the Nikopol district twice with heavy artillery but did not cause any deaths or injuries. On the other hand, Vitaly Kim, the head of the military regional administration of Mykolaiv, announced that Ukrainian forces shot down three Kh-59 cruise missiles in the region overnight.
New US Speaker on Ukraine aid
Mike Johnson, the recently appointed Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, expressed the view that funding for Ukraine and Israel should be treated as distinct matters. This indicates his reluctance to endorse President Joe Biden’s $106 billion aid package for both nations.
New round of peace talks begins in Malta
A third round of talks, supported by Ukraine to halt the Russian invasion, will begin in Malta, with representatives from approximately 50 countries, but Russia will notably be absent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes that this two-day meeting, following similar ones held over the summer in Jeddah and Copenhagen, can garner support for his 10-point plan to end the war triggered by the Russian invasion in February 2022. Diplomatic advisors from around 50 countries and international institutions are expected to attend, surpassing the approximately 40 nations that participated in the Saudi summit in August.
Good morning
Good morning from London. I’m Alessandra Scotto di Santolo, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: [email protected]
X: @AleScotto
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