Ukraine-Russia war – live: Zelensky sure of battlefield success as Putin’s ‘third wave’ advance bogged down

Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is certain that Ukraine will have success in its war against Russia and insisted that Kyiv has a plan for the year head, as he defended the slow pace of his country’s counteroffensive.

“I am sure that we’ll have success,” the Ukrainian president told Reuters, adding: “We’ll try to show the result this year. We don’t need to surprise everybody in the world, we need this for ourselves.”

His comments came as a top Donbas military official said that Russia’s “third wave” advance near Avdiivka been bogged down on sodden land, with several days of rain having for the moment ruled out any new Russian advance.

“We’ve had nearly a week of heavy rain,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne. “The terrain is too difficult and equipment cannot move.”

Elsewhere, the Kremlin has again warned of the risk of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons being used amid the war, blaming a “deterioration in global security” as a “the natural consequence of the United States’ destructive policies”.

Key Points

• Volodymyr Zelensky certain of battlefield success

• Putin’s ‘third wave' advance bogged down amid heavy rain

• Kremlin issues another warning over ‘nuclear, chemical and biological’ weapons

• Ex-Russian officer says Putin’s forces ‘deteriorating’

• Russia repels 17 drones over Black Sea and Crimea

New US infrastructure advisor to Ukraine unveiled

21:43 , Andy Gregory

US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced a new American infrastructure adviser for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv.

Robert Mariner, who has performed engineering work for the US Air Force and Navy, will serve as transportation advisor to Ukraine, following a similar role at the US Embassy in Afghanistan.

“Transportation is critically important to Ukraine’s ability to import goods and to export Ukrainian products,” Mr Buttigieg told reporters in Kyiv, where he met with president Volodymyr Zelensky, adding there was also “a lot of interest here in the future of the aviation sector, which we discussed”.

Mr Buttigieg, who met with Ukrainian officials to discuss the country’s economic recovery and the impact of the war on its supply chains, particularly port and rail infrastructure, said Ukraine had asked that a US infrastructure advisor be named.

The adviser “will be in Kyiv to provide technical assistance on project delivery as part of the country’s rebuilding efforts,” Buttigieg said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

Russia sending Ukrainian prisoners of war to fight on front lines, report claims

20:37 , Andy Gregory

Russia is sending Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front lines of their homeland to fight on Moscow’s side, a Russian state news agency has claimed.

News agency RIA Novosti claimed the soldiers swore allegiance to Russia when they joined a battalion which entered service last month, named after medieval nobleman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, seen as a national hero in Russia for bringing parts of Ukraine under Moscow’s control in the 15th century.

Footage published by the news agency purported to show the Ukrainians swearing allegiance to Russia, holding rifles and dressed in military fatigues.

Experts told the Associated Press that such actions would be an apparent violation of the Geneva Conventions relating to the treatment of prisoners of war, which forbids them from being exposed to combat or from working in unhealthy or dangerous conditions.

“Russian authorities might claim they are recruiting them on a voluntary basis but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a prisoner of war’s decision could be taken truly voluntarily, given the situation of coercive custody,” said Yulia Gorbunova, senior researcher on Ukraine at Human Rights Watch.

Nick Reynolds, of the Royal United Services Institute, added that “the entire scenario is laced with the potential for coercion”, noting that a prisoner of war does not have “a huge amount of agency” and is in a “very difficult situation”.

Top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

19:57 , Andy Gregory

A senior Chinese military official has held talks in Moscow today, praising strong ties between the two countries in a visit which underlined their growing cooperation.

General Zhang Youxia, China’s second-ranking military official, said that relations between Russia and China are “at the highest level in the new epoch.”

Russia and China “invariably support each other on issues of fundamental interest and key concerns”, General Youxia said.

You can read more in this report:

A top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

US has gone through 96% of funds allocated for Ukraine

19:29 , Andy Gregory

The United States has gone through 96 per cent of the funds that it allocated for Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said

The US believes that Ukraine can win back its territory, Mr Kirby told reporters, but acknowledged that progress had been slow.

Ukraine takes credit for death of Luhansk official in car-bombing

19:04 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s intelligence agency has taken credit for a car bombing that killed a member of the Russia-backed authority in the illegally annexed Luhansk region.

Mikhail Filiponenko was a member of the local legislature and previously served as police chief, and sided with Russian-backed separatists in 2014.

Taking credit for his death, the main intelligence directorate of Ukraine’s ministry of defence accused Filiponenko of having organised and participated in the torture of prisoners of war and civilians.

It said that the killing was a warning that “traitors to Ukraine and collaborators with terrorist Russia in temporarily occupied territories ... will receive just retribution. The hunt continues.”

Slovakia rejects military aid deal for Ukraine

18:46 , Andy Gregory

As pledged by incoming prime minister Robert Fico, Slovakia’s new government has rejected a previously drafted plan to donate rockets and ammunition to Ukraine.

The aid package included surface-to-air defence system rockets, more than 5,000 pieces of 125mm cannon ammunition and 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition, according to the deal that had been put forward by the Nato country’s caretaker government before it handed over power last month.

But Fico’s government rejected the package at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to the government’s website, having run an electio campaign criticising Western military support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, and backing calls for peace talks.

The country had been a staunch backer of Ukraine, and a previous centre-right government supplied military equipment including fighting vehicles as well as an S-300 air defence system and MiG-29 jets.

One dead and four injured as Russian missile hits civilian vessel near Odesa, Ukraine claims

18:25 , Andy Gregory

A Russian missile has damaged a civilian vessel entering the Black Sea port of Odesa, killing one and injuring four people, the Ukrainian military has claimed.

“The missile hit the superstructure of a civilian vessel under the flag of Liberia, at the moment of its entry into the port,” Ukraine’s southern military command said on Telegram messenger.

It added that one person was killed, three crew members and one port employee were injured.

Zelensky jokes that dogs should run the world

18:07 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has joked that dogs run the world instead of humans.

Speaking to Reuters while promoting a 10-point peace plan, the Ukrainian president was asked what still made him laugh – and said that his dogs provide much-needed relief when he spends time with his wife and children, and are “always funny”.

“Sometimes I’m ... looking at all these wars or looking at all the crisis, Middle East crisis. It’s not only Ukraine, everywhere in Africa and the Middle East,” Mr Zelensky said.

“Sometimes I’m looking at this and think that the best way [is] if this planet will be the planet of dogs,” he said, adding with a smile: “Sometimes I don’t understand people, really.”

Zelensky ‘sure’ of battlefield success and aiming for ‘results this year’

17:31 , Andy Gregory

Asked about the slow pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive this year, Volodymr Zelensky told Reuters: “We have some slow steps forward on the south of our country, also we have steps on the east. And some, I think, good steps near Kherson region.

“I am sure that we’ll have success. It’s difficult.”

He added: “We’ll try to show the result this year. We don’t need to surprise everybody in the world, we need this for ourselves.”

Ukraine takes step towards EU membership as European Commission backs talks to begin

17:28 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has praised the European Commission’s recommendation that Kyiv should begin formal EU membership negotiations as a “historic step”.

In an important milestone, the Commission said the talks should formally be launched once Kyiv satisfies remaining conditions related to reining in corruption, adopting a law on lobbying in line with EU standards and strengthening national minority safeguards.

“This is a strong and historic step that paves the way to a stronger EU with Ukraine as its member,” Mr Zelensky said, vowing to press on with the necessary reforms.

The 27 national EU leaders are next due to decide mid-December on whether to accept the Commission’s recommendation. Any such decision requires unanimity of the bloc’s 27 members, with Hungary seen as the main potential obstacle.

Gabriela Baczynska and Marine Strauss have the full report:

Ukraine moves step closer to EU membership as European Commission backs talks

EU countries to debate of 12th package of Russia sanctions next week - officials

17:14 , Andy Gregory

European Union countries will start debating next week a proposal for a 12th package of sanctions on Russia that will focus on a ban on Russian diamonds, EU diplomats and an EU official told Reuters.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, EU countries have already applied 11 packages of sanctions against Moscow to diminish the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war. The measures span across sectors and include some 1,800 individuals and entities.

But so far, the EU has not sanctioned Russian state-owned diamond miner Alrosa, even though major western jewellers are already boycotting stones coming from Russia.

The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell told the Financial Times on Wednesday that the bloc received the go-ahead for diamonds from the G7 - the United States, Canada, Britain, Japan, France Germany and Italy - at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan.

EU diplomats said the 27-nation bloc had been waiting for a G7 green light to move ahead with the diamond ban. An EU official said the current timing for a European Commission proposal for the package, that would then be debated by the EU’s 27 governments, was “early next week”.

“The plan is that the Commission adopts the package in the coming days. Then it’ll be for Council to adopt,” one EU official told Reuters, adding the discussions among governments would start next week.

Ukraine has a plan to continue fighting Russia next year, Zelensky says

16:54 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has a plan to continue fighting against Russian forces despite the difficulty of its ongoing counteroffensive, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Speaking to Reuters in New York, the Ukrainian leader said: “Nobody believed at the beginning of this war that we can manage and destroy the Russian army. We did it. Now there are some difficulties.”

Asked how much land he believes Ukraine can claim back over the next year, Mr Zelensky drew supportive laughter as he said: “First of all, we haven’t finished this year.”

Pointing to past successes in Kherson, he added: “We will try to show the results this year, and for us it’s very important because we lose people each day. It’s not because of some movie, some show. We don’t need to surprise everybody in the world. We need for ourselves to try not to lose each day, because we are losing people.

He added: “We have a plan for the next year but I will not share it.”

A top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

16:30 , Matt Mathers

A senior Chinese military official held talks in Moscow Wednesday, praising strong ties between the countries during a visit that underlined growing cooperation between them.

Gen. Zhang Youxia, China’s second-ranking military official and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that relations between Russia and China are “at the highest level in the new epoch.” He said they “invariably support each other on issues of fundamental interest and key concerns.”

Full report:

A top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

Britain targets Russian gold, oil sectors in new sanctions

16:00 , Matt Mathers

Britain on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 29 individuals and entities in Russia’s gold and oil sectors, as it targets the Kremlin’s finances supporting the war in Ukraine.

Britain sanctioned two of Russia’s largest gold producers, Nord Gold Plc and Highland Gold Mining Ltd. Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) also issued an alert to financial institutions, warning them about Russian attempts to use gold to evade sanctions.

The two companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Those sanctioned also include a United Arab Emirates-based network which Britain said was responsible for channelling more than $300 million in gold revenues to Russia, as well as businessmen Vladislav Sviblov and Konstantin Strukov.

"Today’s sanctions will hit those who have provided succour to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin by helping him to lessen the impact of our sanctions on Russian gold and oil, two critical sources of revenue for the Russian war machine," British foreign secretary James Cleverly said.

Prosecutors demand 8 year sentence for Russian artist who staged anti-war supermarket protest

15:41 , Matt Mathers

A female Russian artist who staged a protest against Moscow’s war in Ukraine by replacing supermarket price tags with trenchant calls to stop the conflict is facing eight years in a penal colony after a court hearing on Wednesday.

Alexandra Skochilenko, 33, an artist and musician known to her friends as "Sasha", carried out the protest on March 31 last year, replacing price tags in a supermarket in Russia’s second city with five pieces of paper urging an end to the war, which Moscow calls "a special military operation."

Alexander Gladyshev, a state prosecutor, on Wednesday asked a judge in St Petersburg to jail her for eight years and ban her from using the Internet for three years, according to a statement from St Petersburg’s courts.

Ukraine hails ‘historic’ step after EU recommends joining bloc

15:20 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky praised as a "historic step" a recommendation by the European Union executive on Wednesday to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it fights to repel Russia’s war.

The recommendation by the European Commission is an important milestone on Kyiv’s road to Western integration and a geo-political gambit for the EU as Ukraine has been fighting against a large-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

The Commission said the talks should formally be launched once Kyiv satisfies remaining conditions related to reining in corruption, adopting a law on lobbying in line with EU standards and strengthening national minority safeguards.

"This is a strong and historic step that paves the way to a stronger EU with Ukraine as its member," Zelensky said on social media, vowing to press on with the necessary reforms.

Ukraine spy agency says it killed Russia-installed lawmaker with car bomb

15:15 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s military spy agency claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Russia-backed lawmaker with a car bomb in the occupied eastern city of Luhansk on Wednesday, an operation it said it conducted with local resistance forces.

Mikhail Filiponenko, a lawmaker in a Russia-installed local assembly, had been active in Luhansk’s pro-Russian separatist movement since 2014. He had served as one of the top commanders in the army of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic.

The agency said Filiponenko was eliminated in an early morning explosion. He died at the site, it added on Telegram messenger.

It accused him of organising dungeons for civilians and prisoners of war in Luhansk region.

"Filiponenko himself brutally tortured people," agency said, giving no details.

Ukraine backs move to use military taxes to fund weapons

14:55 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s parliament approved a law on Wednesday to allow funds raised from income tax paid by military personnel to be used to fund arms purchases and production, the finance ministry said.

The tax, which previously went into local coffers rather than the central budget, would raise about 96 billion hryvnias ($2.7 billion). The funds would be used to buy drones, implement new technology and boost the domestic defence industry, finance minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

New Russian naval corvette damaged in Ukraine cruise missile attack on Crimea base

14:11 , Matt Mathers

A newly built Russian naval corvette was “almost certainly damaged” after being struck in occupied Crimea, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in its intelligence update.

The Karakurt-class Askold warship was launched in 2021 and had not been yet commissioned into the Russian navy, the MoD said, citing Ukrainian and Russian sources. The Russian word “Karakurt” means “Black Widow spider”.

Full report:

New Russian naval corvette damaged in Ukraine cruise missile attack on Crimea base

Moldova and Georga also get positive news on EU accession

13:30 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia received positive news on Wednesday about their quests to join the European Union but countries in the volatile Balkans region that have waited years longer to become members of the world’s biggest trading bloc appeared to slip back in the queue.

In a series of reports, the EU’s executive branch recommended that war-ravaged Ukraine should be permitted to open membership talks, once it’s addressed some shortfalls.

Full report:

Ukraine gets good news about its EU membership quest as Balkans countries slip back in the queue

Ukraine formally recommended to join EU

12:48 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has been formally recommended to join the EU. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen urged the EU’s 27 member states to open accession talks.

“Ukraine continues to face tremendous hardships and tragedies provoked by Russia’s war of aggression,” she said on Wednesday.

“And yet the Ukrainians are deeply reforming their country even as they are fighting a war that is existential for them.” Her recommendation must be given political sign off by the bloc’s members before any talks can take place.

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline as Russian forces ‘gradually deteriorating’

12:00 , Matt Mathers

A Russian former military officer has suggested Vladimir Putin’s troops are weakening as he predicted the forces will be “even less capable of offensive operations than they are now” by spring 2024.

Imprisoned nationalist, Igor Girkin, said the current Ukrainian presence in the east bank of Kherson Oblast is likely to keep Russian forces busy during the winter, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

This map shows the key points of fighting in Ukraine. Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline as Russian forces ‘gradually deteriorating’

Russian railways targeted by anti war activists

10:04 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s railway network continues to come under attack from anti-war activists, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said in a statement: “Seventeen months after the first incidents were reported, sabotage of Russian railways by anti-war activists continues to represent a significant challenge for the Russian authorities.

“Research by independent Russian media outlet Mediazona suggests that, as of October 2023, 76 cases of railway sabotage had reached court since the invasion. At least 137 people, with the vast majority aged under 24, had been prosecuted.

“Since early 2023, notices have been stencilled on key pieces of railway infrastructure pointing out that, under the Russian Criminal Code, sabotage can be punished with up to life imprisonment.

“Russia’s military logistics, including supplying the war in Ukraine, remain reliant on the country’s 33,000km of railway line.

“With virtually all methods of overt dissent banned in Russia, sabotage continues to appeal to a minority of young people as a method of protest against the ‘Special Military Operation’”.

Russia suffers setbacks across Ukraine frontline as rains stall Putin’s ‘third wave’

09:14 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian troops have repelled several Russian assaults in the past 24 hours in separate parts of the country as heavy rain has spoiled Vladimir Putin’s plan to recapture the strategic city of Avdiivka for a third time, officials said.

The General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine said its troops beat back at least 15 attacks near Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine and 18 attacks near Maryinka further south, where heavy fighting has been concentrated for months.

Arpan Rai has the full report:

Russia suffers setbacks across Ukraine frontline as rains stall Putin’s ‘third wave’

Kremlin warns of ‘nuclear and biological weapons’ risk

08:36 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin has issued another warning over the risk of “nuclear, chemical and biological weapons” being used amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Nikolai Patrushev, the Russian security council secretary and a close ally of Putin, hit out at what he described as the “destructive” policies of the US and its allies, that were increasing the risk that nuclear, chemical or biological weapons would be used, Reuters reports.

“The natural consequence of the United States’ destructive policies is the deterioration in the global security,” the state news agency Tass reported him as saying.

“The risk that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons will be used is increasing. The international arms control regime has been undermined.”

Russia’s ‘third wave’ bogged down in sodden land

08:28 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday its troops had repelled Russian assaults in widely separated sectors of the war and braced for a fresh attempt to capture the key frontline eastern town of Avdiivka.

Russia is engaged in a slow-moving campaign in eastern areas of the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line after failing in its bid to march on Kyiv in the conflict’s early days. Ukraine has registered only limited progress in a counteroffensive launched in the east and south in June.

Ukraine’s General Staff, in its evening report, said its forces had beaten back 15 attacks near Kupiansk in the northeast and 18 attacks near Maryinka further south, where battles have raged for months.

Nine attacks were repelled in and near Avdiivka, where Moscow launched the latest of several drives in mid-October.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration, said several days of rain had for the moment ruled out any new Russian advance - what he described as the “third wave”.

“We’ve had nearly a week of heavy rain,” he told the public broadcaster Suspilne. “The terrain is too difficult and equipment cannot move.”

New Russian naval corvette damaged in Ukraine cruise missile attack on Crimea base

08:07 , Matt Mathers

A newly built Russian naval corvette was “almost certainly damaged” after being struck in occupied Crimea, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in its intelligence update.

The Karakurt-class Askold warship was launched in 2021 and had not been yet commissioned into the Russian navy, the MoD said, citing Ukrainian and Russian sources. The Russian word “Karakurt” means “Black Widow spider”.

Arpa Rai reports:

New Russian naval corvette damaged in Ukraine cruise missile attack on Crimea base

NATO allies condemn Russia’s withdrawal from CFE treaty, will suspend its operation

07:45 , Matt Mathers

NATO allies condemned a decision by Russia on Tuesday to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, a key post-Cold War agreement, and said they would suspend its operation in response.

Russia formally withdrew from the security treaty, which limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the United States for undermining post-Cold War security with the enlargement of the NATO military alliance.

"Allies condemn Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and its war of aggression against Ukraine which is contrary to the Treaty’s objectives," NATO said in a statement.

The Russian move was its latest action that systematically undermined Euro-Atlantic security, it said.

UK and Poland sign £4bn air defence system deal

07:18 , Matt Mathers

The UK and Poland defence industries have signed a deal worth £4bn to continue the next stage of Poland’s future air defence programme.

UK firm MBDA has signed a sub-contract with Polish defence company PGZ, in a programme that will provide Polish forces with an enhanced ground-based air defence system capable of launching missiles to engage air threats.

This includes cruise missiles and fighter jets, at ranges of more than 40 kilometres. The deal will create more than 1,000 Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles – Extended Range (CAMM-ER) and over 100 iLaunchers.

Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, said: “This is another crucial step forward for our historic defence ties with Poland, supplying next generation air defence capabilities to act as a clear deterrent to our adversaries.

“We continue to fully back our thriving UK defence industry, and this landmark export deal is yet another example of the huge potential our collective defence sectors boast.”

The Ministry of Defence says the deal “will bolster European security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Chris Allam, managing director of MBDA UK,  said: “The scale and ambition of NAREW is truly impressive – building a Polish air defence shield using our CAMM family missiles and iLaunchers that will protect the entirety of Poland’s skies.

“The transfer of technology in NAREW will be transformative for Poland’s sovereign complex weapons capabilities, and we are deeply proud of the trust placed in us by Poland and excited for the future of our partnership with PGZ.”

‘No way’ for US to stay in key post-Cold War agreement

07:00 , Athena Stavrou

There was no way for the US to stay in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, a key post-Cold War agreement, after Russia pulled out, White house national security spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

“I don’t know how we can justify not pulling out” of the treaty after Russia did, Kirby said.

He said the U.S. will meet all Article Five commitments to NATO allies, which could force changes.

Earlier, Nato announced the formal suspension of the treaty in the wake of Russia withdrawing from the deal.

Zelensky rules out elections next year

06:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out holding a presidential vote in the spring and urged his countrymen to avoid political divides, saying they must concentrate all resources on fighting Russia.

Mr Zelensky, who was elected for a five-year term in March 2019, had previously avoided definitive statements on the question. His associates had said he was pondering various possibilities.

“Now, in wartime, when there are so many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to throw the topic of elections into society in a light-hearted and playful way,” he said, adding that “the waves of any politically divisive things must stop”.

“We must realise that now is the time of defence, the time of the battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine,” he said.

“I believe that now is not the right time for elections.”

G7 support for Ukraine will not be affected by Middle East conflict, Japan says

05:00 , Athena Stavrou

G7 support for Ukraine will not be affected by the intensifying Middle East conflict, Japan said as the group’s foreign ministers prepared to hold virtual talks with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo.

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – as well as the European Union will meet in Tokyo today and tomorrow to discuss issues including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza crisis.

“Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies,” Japan’s foreign minister, Yōko Kamikawa, said.

Putin faces ‘tough choice’ between Iran and Israel if he is to preserve his regime, expert says

04:00 , Athena Stavrou

Vladimir Putin will soon have to make the “tough choice” of siding with either Iran or Israel as he faces the twin challenge of protecting his regime and continuing with his invasion of Ukraine, an expert said.

Moscow’s continuing war in Ukraine will test its relationship with both Iran and Israel, according to Kimberly Kagan, the president for the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin faces ‘tough choice’ as Ukraine war threatens Russia-Israel relations

Zelensky cancels Israel visit over leaked plans

03:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky cancelled a planned visit to Israel today after news of his apparent trip was leaked to Israeli media over the weekend, according to reports.

Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel cited diplomatic sources as saying the Ukrainian president was still due to visit the country, but no date had been set.

“If President Zelensky comes, he will be welcomed with open arms,” an Israeli official was reported as saying. A Ukrainian diplomat previously told The Times that Mr Zelenskyy was “very disappointed” by the leak.

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline

02:00 , Athena Stavrou

As fierce fighting ensued across much of eastern and southern Ukraine, Maryam Zakir-Hussain maps out where Ukraine’s frontline currently stands:

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline

Zelensky says Israel-Gaza war is ‘taking away focus’ from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

00:45 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that the war in Israel and Gaza is “taking away the focus” from Russia’s full-scale invasion as he denied suggestions that the conflict in eastern Europe had reached a stalemate.

Speaking at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday alongside European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Zelensky said Russia wanted the focus on Ukraine to be “weakened” but added that “everything is [still] in our power”.

Mr Zelensky has offered to visit Israel, though he has admitted it is “difficult” because it depends on “what’s happening on the battlefield” in Ukraine, which he said remains “hot”.

My colleague Tom Watling has more here:

Zelensky says Israel-Gaza war is ‘taking away focus’ from Ukraine

Nato suspends key Cold War-era armed forces treaty after Russia withdraws

Tuesday 7 November 2023 23:30 , Athena Stavrou

Nato has announced the formal suspension of a key Cold War-era armed forces treaty in the wake of Russia withdrawing from the deal.

The alliance said that members who signed the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe are now freezing their participation in the pact.

Read more:

Nato suspends key Cold War-era armed forces treaty after Russia withdraws

US suspends exports of three companies over Russia sales

Tuesday 7 November 2023 22:30 , Athena Stavrou

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday issued an order temporarily suspending the exports of three companies accused of sending electronics to Russia in aid of that nation’s war effort, the department said.

Details of which companies have been suspended have not been released yet.

Zelensky rules out elections next year

Tuesday 7 November 2023 21:30 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out holding a presidential vote in the spring and urged his countrymen to avoid political divides, saying they must concentrate all resources on fighting Russia.

Mr Zelensky, who was elected for a five-year term in March 2019, had previously avoided definitive statements on the question. His associates had said he was pondering various possibilities.

“Now, in wartime, when there are so many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to throw the topic of elections into society in a light-hearted and playful way,” he said, adding that “the waves of any politically divisive things must stop”.

“We must realise that now is the time of defence, the time of the battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine,” he said.

“I believe that now is not the right time for elections.”

Ukrainian legislation bans elections during martial law which has been in place since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

The country would need to amend the law if it decided to hold the vote.

US Senate Democrats block Republican bid to aid Israel, not Ukraine

Tuesday 7 November 2023 20:30 , Athena Stavrou

On Tuesday, US Senate Democrats blocked a Republican effort to win quick approval for a bill that provides emergency aid to Israel but no assistance to Ukraine.

The original bill passed through the House of Representatives last week.

Republican Senator Roger Marshall said: “Time is of the essence and it’s imperative that the Senate not delay delivering this crucial aid to Israel another day,” he said.

Democrats objected, stressing the importance of providing aid to Ukraine as well as Israel, in addition to humanitarian aid, border security funding and money to push back against China in the Indo-Pacific that was in a $106 billion funding request President Joe Biden sent to Congress last month.

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline

Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:30 , Athena Stavrou

As fierce fighting ensued across much of eastern and southern Ukraine, Maryam Zakir-Hussain maps out where Ukraine’s frontline currently stands:

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline

Ukraine deploys new air defences ahead of winter bombardment

Tuesday 7 November 2023 18:30 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine has deployed new western air defence systems as it braces for a second winter of Russian attacks on its energy grid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the deployment of additional Nasams mobile surface-to-air missile launchers.

“I received reports on the receipt of ammunition, hardware and equipment over the past day,” he said on social media

“Additional Nasams systems from partners have been put on combat duty. Timely reinforcement of our air defence before winter.”

Six killed Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk, says Russia

Tuesday 7 November 2023 17:33 , Athena Stavrou

Shelling by Ukrainian forces killed six people in the city of Donetsk on Tuesday, a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine said.

Eleven people were wounded, according to preliminary data, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine rebuilds over 400 medical facilities destroyed by Russia

Tuesday 7 November 2023 16:30 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine has fully repaired 421 medical facilities and partly restored a further 413 damaged by Russia in the war, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health announced today.

Since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022, the ministry said Russia has damaged 1,468 medical facilities in Ukraine and completely destroyed an additional 193.

The Mykolaiv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital, which was damaged at the beginning of the war, has been fully repaired, it said.

Zelensky plots extension to Ukrainian gas export ban

Tuesday 7 November 2023 15:30 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky has proposed extending Ukraine’s ban on exporting domestically produced natural gas until the end of 2024.

First introduced in February 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ban has already been extended once to cover 2023.

Ukrainian energy minister Herman Haluschenko has previously stressed the importance of its gas for domestic power generation because of the impact the war with Russia has had on coal production.

Zelensky cancels Israel visit over leaked plans

Tuesday 7 November 2023 15:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky cancelled a planned visit to Israel today after news of his apparent trip was leaked to Israeli media over the weekend, according to reports.

Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel cited diplomatic sources as saying the Ukrainian president was still due to visit the country, but no date had been set.

“If President Zelensky comes, he will be welcomed with open arms,” an Israeli official was reported as saying. A Ukrainian diplomat previously told The Times that Mr Zelenskyy was “very disappointed” by the leak.

US officials urge Congress to approve Ukraine aid

Tuesday 7 November 2023 14:30 , Alexander Butler

Major figures in major US departments have urged Congress to approve $11.8bn in extra aid for Ukraine as part of Joe Biden’s emergency funding request.

The heads of the state, treasury and defence departments, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen and Lloyd Austin, have co-signed a letter released today.

The aid “benefits from an unprecedented level of robust oversight and transparency, and is bolstered by significant budget support from the European Union, other G7 partners, and the International Monetary Fund”, they said.

Kyiv bracing for renewed Russian assault on Avdiivka, military says

Tuesday 7 November 2023 14:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine is bracing for a renewed Russian assault on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivk following several failed Russian attempts to take it.

“The third wave will definitely happen. The enemy is regrouping after a second wave of unsuccessful attacks,” Vitaly Barabash, head of the Avdiivka military administration, said on Tuesday.

Putin is said to have lost thousands of troops in his army’s “meat assault” attacks on the town which have so far been unsuccessful.

Putin to visit Kazakhstan on Thursday, Kremlin confirms

Tuesday 7 November 2023 13:30 , Alexander Butler

Russian president Vladimir Putin will visit Kazakhstan on Thursday, the Kremlin has confirmed.

The two leaders will meet in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to discuss a range of matters including “current regional and international problems,” it said in comments reported by state news agency TASS.

It will be only Putin’s third known trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March for war crimes, which the Kremlin strongly rejects.

Kazakhstan is not a signatory to the ICC. Neither are China and Kyrgyzstan, the two other countries Putin has visited recently.

Russian cable under the Baltic sea damaged

Tuesday 7 November 2023 13:00 , Alexander Butler

A Russian fibre optic cable under the Baltic Sea was damaged last month, the state company which operates it has confirmed.

Rostelecom said the damage to the cable between Russia and Kaliningrad, its Baltic exclave, was first detected on Saturday 7 October.

It did not respond to questions about the cause of the outage, Reuters reported.

First Dutch F-16s sent to Romania for training Ukrainian pilots

Tuesday 7 November 2023 12:30 , Alexander Butler

The Netherlands sent its first five F-16 fighter jets to Romania for use in the training of Ukrainian pilots.

The Netherlands will deliver a total of between 12 and 18 F-16s for use in the new European F-16 training centre in Romania, which will be opened soon, its Defence ministry said.

The Dutch have also promised to deliver F-16s to Ukraine to use in battle, alongside similar pledges from Denmark, Norway and Belgium.

Nato allies condemn Russia’s withdrawal from key post-cold war security treaty

Tuesday 7 November 2023 12:00 , Alexander Butler

Nato has condemned Russia’s decision to withdraw from a key post cold-war treaty, the organisation said in a statement.

“Allies condemn Russia’s decision to withdraw from the treaty on conventional armed forces in Europe (CFE), and its war of aggression against Ukraine which is contrary to the treaty’s objectives.

“Russia’s withdrawal is the latest in a series of actions that systematically undermines Euro-Atlantic security.

“Therefore, as a consequence, allied states parties intend to suspend the operation of the CFE Treaty for as long as necessary, in accordance with their rights under international law. This is a decision fully supported by all Nato allies.”

The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, placed verifiable limits on categories of conventional military equipment that Nato and the then-Warsaw Pact could deploy.

The treaty was designed to prevent either side of the Cold War from amassing forces for a swift offensive against the other in Europe, but was unpopular in Moscow as it blunted the Soviet Union’s advantage in conventional weapons.

But Russia’s foreign ministry said it had formally withdrawn from the pact and that the treaty, signed in an era when “cooperation seemed possible”, was now “history”.

Russia puts musician on international wanted list

Tuesday 7 November 2023 11:30 , Alexander Butler

Russia has put a member of protest music group Pussy Riot on an international wanted list for spreading “fake” information about the armed forces.

Lyusya Shtein, 27, fled the country in March 2022 after escaping house arrest dressed as a food delivery man.

TASS, the state news agency, cited a source in a Moscow court who said she would be arrested immediately if she ever re-enters the country.

G7 support for Ukraine will not be affected by Middle East conflict, Japan says

Tuesday 7 November 2023 11:00 , Alexander Butler

G7 support for Ukraine will not be affected by the intensifying Middle East conflict, Japan said as the group’s foreign ministers prepared to hold virtual talks with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo.

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – as well as the European Union will meet in Tokyo today and tomorrow to discuss issues including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza crisis.

“Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies,” Japan’s foreign minister, Yōko Kamikawa, said.

Ex-Russian officer says Putin’s forces ‘deteriorating’

Tuesday 7 November 2023 10:26 , Alexander Butler

An ex-Russian officer has said Vladimir Putin’s forces are ‘deteriorating’ in Ukraine as the Crimea was hit by up to 17 drones.

Igor Girkin, an imprisoned Russian nationalist, said Putin’s forces would be “even less capable of offensive operations than they are now” by spring 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

In a letter published by his wife, Girkin claimed that the situation for Russian forces was “gradually deteriorating” and that Russian forces are showcasing “growing weakness compared to Ukraine’s capabilities.”

He added that the Avdiivka offensive, where thousands of troops are said to have died, demonstrated the Russian Army’s inability “to achieve superiority on a very narrow sector of the front”, the ISW said.

Russian ship damaged after being struck in Crimea, MoD says

Tuesday 7 November 2023 10:00 , Alexander Butler

A Russian ship was “almost certainly” damaged after being struck in Crimea, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

In a defence intelligence update, the MoD said a newly built Russian naval corvette was damaged on 4 November, earlier reported by Ukrainian and Russian sources.

“Ukraine’s capability to hit Crimean shipbuilding infrastructure will likely cause Russia to consider relocating farther from the front line, delaying the delivery of new vessels,” the update said.

Russia repels 17 drones over Black Sea and Crimea

Tuesday 7 November 2023 09:30 , Alexander Butler

Moscow has claimed it destroyed and intercepted drones used in a Ukrainian attack on the Black Sea and Crimea early this morning.

A total of 17 drones were launched by Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said. Nine drones were destroyed by air defence systems and eight were intercepted by electronic warfare, it added.

Explosions were heard near the towns of Novofedorivka and Saky, a Russian air base, just after 4am, according to local reports.

Moscow says Israeli nuclear remark raises 'huge number of questions'

Tuesday 7 November 2023 09:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia’s foreign ministry said a statement by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised many questions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, from a far-right party in the coalition government, from cabinet meetings “until further notice”.

Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: “That’s one way”.

His remark drew swift condemnation from around the Arab world, scandalised mainstream Israeli broadcasters and was deemed “objectionable” by a US official.

Russia formally withdraws from post-Cold War security treaty

Tuesday 7 November 2023 08:26 , Alexander Butler

Russia has formally withdrawn from a landmark security treaty which limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the United States for undermining post-Cold War security with the enlargement of the Nato military alliance.

The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, placed verifiable limits on categories of conventional military equipment that Nato and the then-Warsaw Pact could deploy.

The treaty was designed to prevent either side of the Cold War from amassing forces for a swift offensive against the other in Europe, but was unpopular in Moscow as it blunted the Soviet Union’s advantage in conventional weapons.

But Russia’s foreign ministry said it had formally withdrawn from the pact and that the treaty, signed in an era when “cooperation seemed possible”, was now “history”.

Zelensky says Israel-Gaza war is ‘taking away focus’ from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Tuesday 7 November 2023 06:59 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that the war in Israel and Gaza is “taking away the focus” from Russia’s full-scale invasion as he denied suggestions that the conflict in eastern Europe had reached a stalemate.

Speaking at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday alongside European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Zelensky said Russia wanted the focus on Ukraine to be “weakened” but added that “everything is [still] in our power”.

Mr Zelensky has offered to visit Israel, though he has admitted it is “difficult” because it depends on “what’s happening on the battlefield” in Ukraine, which he said remains “hot”.

My colleague Tom Watling has more here:

Zelensky says Israel-Gaza war is ‘taking away focus’ from Ukraine

Full report: Russian drone attack damages 124-year-old art gallery in Odesa

Tuesday 7 November 2023 05:57 , Andy Gregory

A 124-year-old art museum was damaged as Russia launched a barrage of drone attacks in Ukraine’s port city of Odesa, injuring at least five people and setting trucks with grain on fire, my colleague Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports.

“On November 6, the Odesa National Art Museum turns 124 years old,” said Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region. “On the eve of November 6, the Russians ‘congratulated’ our architectural monument with a missile that hit nearby,” he added.

The walls of the building were damaged while some windows and glass were broken, according to the governor.

The drones reportedly damaged port infrastructure, including warehouses and loading equipment, before Ukraine downed 15 Russian drones over the city, the authorities said.

Russian drone attack damages 124-year-old art gallery in Odesa

Watch: Russia tests intercontinental ballistic missiles from new submarine

Tuesday 7 November 2023 04:51 , Andy Gregory

Wagner mercenaries training in Chechnya, Kadyrov claims

Tuesday 7 November 2023 03:44 , Reuters

A large group of Russia’s former Wagner mercenaries has started training with special forces from the southern Russian region of Chechnya, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday.

Wagner played a prominent role in some of the fiercest fighting of Russia’s war in Ukraine, but its future was thrown into question when its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in August, two months after leading a brief mutiny against the Russian defence establishment.

Kadyrov said in a message on Telegram that a big group of ex-Wagner fighters was undergoing intensive training with his own Akhmat special forces.

“I am glad that today the ranks of the famous (Akhmat) unit have been joined by fighters who have excellent combat experience and have proven themselves as brave and efficient warriors,” he said.

“I am confident that in the upcoming battles they will fully live up to their reputation.”

He published a video, accompanied by stirring music, showing soldiers in combat training, including some wearing Wagner insignia on their uniforms and masks over their faces. Kadyrov said the drills included shooting, field medicine and training for snipers, machine gunners, sappers and artillerymen.

Zelensky says Ukraine has ‘eliminated’ another Russian warship

Tuesday 7 November 2023 02:40 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says his troops have “eliminated” a Russian warship housed in a shipyard at the Crimean city of Kerch.

“I thank everyone who ensured the successful targeting of the Russian warship at the Kerch shipyard. This is significant – another source of Russian terror against Ukraine has been eliminated,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address.

It follows an admission by Russia’s defence ministry that Ukraine had targeted the shipyard with 15 cruise missiles on Saturday, 13 of which were shot down in an attack which damaged a ship.

Western officials ‘quietly talking to Kyiv about outline of peace negotiations'

Tuesday 7 November 2023 01:33 , Andy Gregory

US and European officials have been quietly talking to Kyiv about what possible peace negotiations to end the war with Russia might look like, NBC reports, citing one current and one former US official familiar with the discussions.

Some of the talks, which the officials described as delicate, took place last month during a meeting of the the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels, which brought together representatives from more than 50 nations, NBC reported.

Satellite image ‘shows strike on Russian warship'

Tuesday 7 November 2023 00:30 , Andy Gregory

Satellite imagery shared by an analsyst at the American Enterprise Institute think-tank appears to show the damage from a Ukrainian strike on a Russian warship in the Crimean port city of Kerch.

Ukraine expected to ‘take major step towards EU membership talks'

Monday 6 November 2023 23:33 , Andy Gregory

The European Union executive is expected to recommend on Wednesday that the bloc opens membership negotiations with Kyiv once it meets outstanding conditions, two EU officials have told Reuters.

The Commission will assess Ukraine across seven reform areas in a report that will inform a key decision in December at a summit of the EU’s national leaders on whether to start formal membership negotiations with Kyiv.

Both EU officials said the recommendations meant formal negotiations with Kyiv – and fellow EU candidate Moldova – could start next year.

The Commission’s report, which will also cover progress towards membership by other EU hopefuls, was still to be finalised before official publication, the sources added.

In Kyiv, a senior government official also said Ukraine expected the European Commission to deliver a “positive” appraisal of its membership bid.

Footage shows Bucha 18 months on from Russian occupation

Monday 6 November 2023 22:39 , Andy Gregory

A Ukrainian journalist has shared footage showing a view of the streets of Bucha some 18 months on from Russia’s withdrawal from the town of Bucha, in the Kyiv region.

The first clip shows houses destroyed, and debris and wreckage littering the streets.

The more recent clip shows a car driving through unmarked roads and passing by perfectly intact buildings:

Ukraine interior minister says investigation under way into fatal explosion

Monday 6 November 2023 22:04 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s interior minister has urged people not to spread “unofficial information” about the explosion which killed a Ukrainian Major acting as an assistant to the Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny.

The Ukrainska Pravda outlet cited a security source as saying that Major Hennady Chastyakov’s wife said her husband had been killed in a blast caused by a gift bag with a bottle of alcohol and gift glasses in the form of grenades.

But interior minister Ihor Klymenko later said the gifts were “Western grenades” that he was showing to his son. “The son first took the munition in his hand and began to twist the ring,” Mr Klymenko said. “Then, the serviceman took the grenade from the child and pulled the ring, causing a tragic explosion.”

Mr Klymenko said the colleague who presented the gift had been identified and two more grenades of this type were found in his office as an investigation got under way. He said he had issued the explanation so as not to “spread unofficial information.”

Mr Zaluzhny had earlier expressed condolences to Chastyakov’s family, saying “an unknown explosive device went off in one of his presents”.

Ukraine commander’s aide ‘killed by explosive hidden in grenade-shaped birthday present'

Monday 6 November 2023 21:43 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief has revealed that his assistant, a major in rank, was killed when a booby-trapped birthday present he had been given exploded.

“My assistant and close friend, Major Hennady Chastyakov, was killed in tragic circumstances on his birthday in a family setting,” General Valery Zaluzhnyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “An unknown explosive device went off in one of his presents.”

The Ukrainska Pravda outlet said a security source was told by Chastyakov’s wife that the gift was a bottle of liquor in the form of a grenade that he had brought home. It exploded when he opened it, and Chastyakov’s 13-year-old son suffered serious injuries.

The source told Ukrainska Pravda that Chastyakov, 39, was a graduate of a military academy and fully trained in handling grenades.

Last week, Zaluzhni wrote an essay in the Economist magazine saying the war had entered a new phase of attrition that was to Russia’s advantage and calling for more sophisticated technology for Ukraine’s military. President Volodymyr Zelensky had denied any suggestion that the war has entered a stalemate.

Putin going to have to choose between Israel and Iran, analyst says

Monday 6 November 2023 21:02 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin is soon going to have to choose between maintaining Russia’s relationships with either Israel or Iran, with the Russian president needing Tehran’s support “in order to sustain his war in Ukraine”, an analyst has suggested.

Kimberly Kagan, president for the US-based Institute for the Study of War think-tank, told PBS: “The Israeli government has always hoped that Russia would provide some check on Iranian behaviour in Syria. We at ISW have assessed that that check has not been effective.

“Be that as it may, it has been Israeli policy to tolerate Russia’s presence inside of Syria. I don’t think that this myth is going to last very long. I think Putin is going to have to make a choice soon between whether he will maintain his relationship with Iran or whether he will maintain his relationship with Israel.

“Putin needs Iran in order to sustain his war in Ukraine, so Putin is going to end up facing a tough choice.

“I think he’s going to try to delay that choice for as long as he can, but since his war in Ukraine is so important to him and the survival of his regime, he is going to have to optimise his alliance relationship to be able to continue to sustain that war.

“I think the Israelis are going to find that Putin is not a helpful or a friendly actor.”

Ukraine elections ‘not appropriate’ during wartime, says Zelensky

Monday 6 November 2023 20:19 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed it is irresponsible to engage in talk of holding an election in Ukraine in wartime.

Mr Zelensky said it was critical to concentrate on the military challenges facing Ukraine as it tries to expel Russian forces occupying nearly a fifth of its territory.

“We all understand that now, in wartime, when there are many challenges, it is utterly irresponsible to engage in topics related to an election in such a frivolous manner,” he said in his nightly video address.

“We need to recognise that this is a time for defence, a time for battle, upon which the fate of the state and its people depend ... I believe that elections are not appropriate at this time.”

While Ukraine’s martial law enacted after Russia’s invasion prohibits elections, Kyiv has faced calls from some allies to hold a vote – with parliamentary elections having been due for October and a presidential vote in March 2024.

Mr Zelensky was said last week to be mulling the pros and cons of holding elections while war rages, with concerns over how it would be possible to ensure a fair and accurate vote extended safely to all eligible citizens.