Ukraine-Russia war - live: Putin’s forces keep pressure on Avdiivka as Zelensky’s troops repel assaults

Russian forces maintained pressure on Sunday on the town of Avdiivka in the east and intensified shelling in the southern area of Kherson.

Russia has focused on the industrial east since pulling back from a failed advance on Kyiv at the start of the February 2022 invasion and its forces have tried to maintain positions in Kherson since abandoning the region’s main town late last year.

The General Staff of Ukraine‘s Armed Forces, in its evening report, said Ukrainian forces repelled nearly 20 Russian attacks around Avdiivka, its buildings now largely reduced to shells. Russian air strikes hit nearby villages, it said.

It comes as officials in southern Ukraine said on Sunday that the Russian military had used a record number of aerial bombs over the country’s Kherson region in the past 24 hours.

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military’s Operational Command South, said 36 missiles had been recorded over the area, with some villages being hit by several strikes.

In other developments, six people have been killed in a Russian missile attack that hit a postal distribution centre in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said, as Kherson has seen a record number of bomb attacks in the past 24 hours.

Key Points

• Six killed in Russia’s missile attack on Kharkiv postal centre, says Ukraine

• Ukraine reports record bomb attack numbers in Kherson

• Russian forces launch renewed offensive near Avdiivka

• Kyiv forces make ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river

• Ukraine repels new Russian onslaught on eastern front, Zelenskiy says

• UN probe finds evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

Kremlin says U.S. can't build 'new world order' that Biden spoke of

11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Monday that it agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden on the need to build a “new world order”, but that it disagreed that the United States was capable of building it.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. was talking about an “American-centric” world order that would not exist in future.

The exchange was emblematic of a contest, playing out against the background of the Ukraine and Gaza wars, in which Russia is trying to persuade developing countries to join it in building a new world free of U.S. “hegemony”.

In a speech on Friday, Biden said the order that had worked well for 50 years after World War Two had “sort of run out of steam” and a new one was needed. He said Americans had “an opportunity to do things, if we’re bold enough and have enough confidence in ourselves, to unite the world in ways that it never has been”.

Peskov said Moscow was in rare agreement with Biden about the need for a new order that, in his words, would be “free from the concentration of all mechanisms of world governance in the hands of one state”.

But he said Russia disagreed with Biden about the capacity of the United States to build such a system.

“In this part we disagree because the United States... no matter what world order they talk about, they mean an American-centric world order, that is, a world that revolves around the United States. It won’t be that way any more.”

Six killed and 16 injured in Russian missile strike on Kharkiv mail depot

11:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A missile strike on a mail depot in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has killed six people and injured 16 others, officials said on Sunday.

The blast was caused by a Russian S-300 rocket, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

All of the victims were employees of private Ukrainian postal and courier service Nova Poshta.

Six killed and 16 injured in Russian missile strike on Kharkiv mail depot

Ireland considering time limit on state housing for Ukrainians

11:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ireland is considering limiting the length of time Ukrainian refugees arriving in the country can stay in state housing to three months before they must find their own accommodation, the Irish Examiner reported on Monday, citing a government source.

Nearly 100,000 Ukrainians have fled to Ireland since Russia‘s invasion began in February 2022, which the government says equates to 1.6% of Ukrainian refugees in Europe. By September, there were around 72,000 in state-provided accommodation.

There are currently no limits on how long Ukrainian refugees can stay there, but the system has been stretched for months amid a wider housing shortage, with arrivals at times having to stay in makeshift facilities such as sports halls or even in tents.

The change being considered would apply to new arrivals who would have to find private rental accommodation or move into a property pledged for use by homeowners after three months, the Irish Examiner reported.

A spokesperson for the department of integration said the government was keeping its approach under review, taking account of the need to shift towards a more sustainable medium-term approach similar to that adopted elsewhere around the European Union.

No decision has been taken on a change to the current policy, the spokesperson said.

The US quietly delivered new long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. Why the sudden secrecy over aid?

10:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Ukrainian special forces reported last week that they had struck two Russian military airfields, following the first-time deployment of long-range ballistic missiles supplied by the US.

The details of the weapons’ delivery has been shrouded in secrecy – unlike previous aid provided to Ukraine from the Biden Administration.

The missiles – which Ukraine has reportedly been petitioning the US to deliver for months – may prove key to helping Ukrainian forces in the months of conflict ahead.

Here’s what we know:

The US quietly delivered long-range missiles to Ukraine. Why the sudden secrecy?

Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

10:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian defence systems successfully destroyed all Russian air weapons fired in the east and south directions, including a cruise missile fired overnight, its air force said on Monday.

A total of 14 attack drones, including 13 Iran-made Shahed drones and one unspecified drone as well as one cruise missile, were destroyed, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on its official Telegram channel, lauding Western-supplied air defence systems.

“Western weapons have proven and continue to prove their effectiveness on the battlefield,” Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the air force, wrote in a statement on Telegram.

However, debris from a downed drone struck a warehouse and damaged it at the Black Sea port of Odesa, officials said.

Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

Russian court extends detention of US journalist

10:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian-American journalist who stands accused of breaking Russia‘s law on foreign agents had her pre-trial detention extended on Monday until 5 December.

Alsu Kurmasheva is a Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. Congress and designated by Russia as a foreign agent, meaning it gets foreign funding for activity deemed to be political.

She is the second U.S. journalist to be arrested and charged in Russia since the start of its war in Ukraine, which has plunged relations between Moscow and Washington to their lowest level in more than 60 years.

After Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March on spying charges, which he denies, almost all other U.S. journalists left Russia. Washington has repeatedly urged other Americans to leave.

The U.S. State Department said last week that the proceedings against Kurmasheva appeared to be “another case of the Russian government harassing U.S. citizens”. The Kremlin denied that and called the comment inappropriate.

Kurmasheva, who holds U.S. and Russian passports, entered Russia on May 20 to deal with a family emergency, RFE/RL said. As she awaited her return flight on June 2, she was detained and her passports were confiscated.

She was fined for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities, and charged last week with failure to register as a foreign agent, an offence that carries up to five years in prison.

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

10:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In the humble backyard of a destroyed house, a 13-year-old chops firewood to get ready for winter. His mother, Tetiana Yarema, has been preparing for months as she remembers last winter’s Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure that plunged Ukraine into darkness.

“Those were dark days. I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to pack my things and go abroad,” said Yarema, 48, who says she ended up staying because of her son’s insistence.

For the Yarema family, like millions of other Ukrainians touched by Russia’s war on Ukraine, winter is an especially challenging time.

Read more here:

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

Russia to return four Ukrainian children to their families as part of Qatari-brokered deal

09:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Four children from Ukraine are to be to be returned to their families from Russia in a deal brokered by Qatar.

The youngest is two years old, while the oldest is 17.

A seven-year-old boy returned to Ukraine on Monday via Estonia after he was reunited with his grandmother in Qatar’s Moscow embassy last week, the official said. The two-year-old boy was handed over to Qatari diplomats in Moscow on Monday, and a nine-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl are due to be handed over this week, the official said.

The Ukrainian Presidential Office said the children would all be home soon.

Russia to return four Ukrainian children to their families as part of Qatari deal

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six in Kharkiv

09:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Six people died in a missile strike late on Saturday night (21 October) on a mail depot in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Another 14 people were injured in the blast, which is believed to have been caused by a Russian S-300 rocket, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said on social media.

All of the victims were employees of private Ukrainian postal and courier Nova Poshta.

In a statement, the company said that the air raid siren had sounded just moments before the attack, leaving those inside the depot with no time to reach shelter.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as an attack on an “ordinary civilian object.”

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day

09:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed more than 80 times on Sunday as fierce fighting was witnessed in three major fronts that saw the use of guided air missiles, drones, rockets, artillery and mortar shells, military officials in Kyiv said.

The announcement by Kyiv’s officials comes amid reports that Russia rushed more troops to Avdiivka to replace their heavy losses. Officials have said fighting on three fronts has remained particularly “hot”.

Fighting in the direction of Avdiivka, Marinka and Kupiansk has intensified in the past few months but aggravated assaults have been particularly strong this month as Russian forces are eyeing the capture of Avdiivka.

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day as fighting intensifies

Teenager schools government on Russian poisoning risk as Lords warned UK is ‘unprepared’

08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The British government has been accused of failing to address the rising threat of political poisonings in the UK after an A-Level student presented a report to the House of Lords highlighting its inaction.

Labour peer Baroness Kennedy KC, who chaired the panel in the Palace of Westminster on Thursday, highlighted Sophia Browder’s “revelatory” research but added it was “embarrassing” for the government that a 17 year-old was having to point out its shortcomings.

Sophia is the daughter of financier Bill Browder, formerly the largest portfolio investor in Russia before being declared a national security threat by Vladimir Putin in 2005.

Teenager schools government on Russian poisoning risk as Lords warned UK ‘unprepared’

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

08:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden about Washington’s future support for Kyiv, and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military base near the Ukrainian border, as the warring countries laid plans for the winter and next year’s combat operations.

Almost 20 months of war have sapped both sides’ military resources. The fighting is likely to settle into positional and attritional warfare during the approaching wintry weather, analysts say, with little change along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday he spoke to Biden about “a significant support package” for Ukraine. Western help has been crucial for Ukraine’s war effort.

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

A price cap on Russian oil aims to starve Putin of cash. But it's largely been untested. Until now

08:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

For months after Ukraine’s Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel, the price cap was still largely symbolic. Most of Moscow‘s crude — its main moneymaker — cost less than that.

But the cap was there in case oil prices rose — and would keep the Kremlin from pocketing extra profits to fund its war in Ukraine. That time has now come, putting the price cap to its most serious test so far and underlining its weaknesses.

Russia’s benchmark oil — often exported with Western ships required to obey sanctions — has traded above the price cap since mid-July, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars a day into the Kremlin’s war chest.

A price cap on Russian oil aims to starve Putin of cash. But it's largely been untested. Until now

Putin forced to increase number of soldiers on ground as UK estimates death toll

07:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin has been forced to increase the number of soldiers on the ground as Russia has amassed “150,000-190,000 permanent casualties” in the war with Ukraine, the UK ministry of defence has estimated.

The Ukrainian ministry of defence also claimed the recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to “a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties”.

What happened on Sunday?

07:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces aiming to contain a four-month-old Ukrainian counteroffensive maintained unrelenting pressure on Sunday on the shattered town of Avdiivka in the east and intensified shelling in the southern area of Kherson.

Russia has focused on the industrial east since pulling back from a failed advance on Kyiv at the start of the February 2022 invasion and its forces have tried to maintain positions in Kherson since abandoning the region’s main town late last year.

The General Staff of Ukraine‘s Armed Forces, in its evening report, said Ukrainian forces repelled nearly 20 Russian attacks around Avdiivka, its buildings now largely reduced to shells. Russian air strikes hit nearby villages, it said.

Avdiivka has become a watchword for resistance, viewed as the gateway to recapturing the Russian-held city of Donetsk and the rest of Donbas -- made up of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

It was briefly seized in 2014 when Russian-backed separatists captured swathes of eastern Ukraine, but was later retaken by Ukrainian forces who, in the ensuing nine years, have built solid fortifications.

All Russia-launched drones, cruise missile downed -Ukraine Air Force

07:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine‘s defence systems destroyed all air weapons Russia launched overnight, Ukraine‘s Air Force said early on Monday.

The Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app that a total of 14 attack drones, including 13 Iranian-made Shahed drones and one unspecified drone, as well as one cruise missile were all destroyed.

Has the Israel-Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes?

06:00 , Joe Middleton

From the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia to this conflict in Gaza, the Russian leader’s attempts to cosplay a serious global power player continue to look threadbare and unconvincing when actually put to the test, writes Dr Mark Galeotti

Has the Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes? | Mark Galeotti

Three Crimea-bound missiles downed, says Russia-installed governor

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Three Ukrainian missiles heading for targets in Crimea were downed on Sunday over a Russian-held area of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, the Russia-installed governor said.

Vladimir Saldo, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the missiles were downed over the town of Henichesk.

Russian troops occupied Kherson region in the first days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces have regained control of the region’s main town and areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine reports record bomb attack numbers in Kherson

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Officials in southern Ukraine said on Sunday that the Russian military had used a record number of aerial bombs over the country’s Kherson region in the past 24 hours.

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military’s Operational Command South, said 36 missiles had been recorded over the area, with some villages being hit by several strikes.

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

03:00 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden about Washington’s future support for Kyiv, and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military base near the Ukrainian border, as the warring countries laid plans for the winter and next year’s combat operations.

Almost 20 months of war have sapped both sides’ military resources. The fighting is likely to settle into positional and attritional warfare during the approaching wintry weather, analysts say, with little change along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday he spoke to Biden about “a significant support package” for Ukraine. Western help has been crucial for Ukraine’s war effort.

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

02:00 , Joe Middleton

Teenager schools government on Russian poisoning risk as Lords warned UK is ‘unprepared’

01:00 , Joe Middleton

The British government has been accused of failing to address the rising threat of political poisonings in the UK after an A-Level student presented a report to the House of Lords highlighting its inaction.

Labour peer Baroness Kennedy KC, who chaired the panel in the Palace of Westminster on Thursday, highlighted Sophia Browder’s “revelatory” research but added it was “embarrassing” for the government that a 17 year-old was having to point out its shortcomings.

Sophia is the daughter of financier Bill Browder, formerly the largest portfolio investor in Russia before being declared a national security threat by Vladimir Putin in 2005.

Teenager schools government on Russian poisoning risk as Lords warned UK ‘unprepared’

British Army trains Ukrainian engineers to defend energy sector against Russia

Monday 23 October 2023 00:01 , Joe Middleton

The British Army’s Royal Engineers have trained Ukrainian civilian engineers how to defend their energy sector from Russian attacks this winter.

Damage and destruction of critical national infrastructure (CNI) by Russian missile and drone attacks has represented one of the greatest threats to the lives and safety of Ukrainian civilians since the invasion.

The two-week training package was developed after a request from Ukraine.

British Army trains Ukrainian engineers to defend energy sector against Russia

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

Sunday 22 October 2023 23:00 , Joe Middleton

In the humble backyard of a destroyed house, a 13-year-old chops firewood to get ready for winter. His mother, Tetiana Yarema, has been preparing for months as she remembers last winter’s Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure that plunged Ukraine into darkness.

“Those were dark days. I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to pack my things and go abroad,” said Yarema, 48, who says she ended up staying because of her son’s insistence.

For the Yarema family, like millions of other Ukrainians touched by Russia’s war on Ukraine, winter is an especially challenging time.

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six in Kharkiv

Sunday 22 October 2023 22:01 , Joe Middleton

Six people died in a missile strike late on Saturday night (21 October) on a mail depot in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Another 14 people were injured in the blast, which is believed to have been caused by a Russian S-300 rocket, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said on social media.

All of the victims were employees of private Ukrainian postal and courier Nova Poshta.

In a statement, the company said that the air raid siren had sounded just moments before the attack, leaving those inside the depot with no time to reach shelter.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as an attack on an “ordinary civilian object.”

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

Has the Israel-Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes?

Sunday 22 October 2023 20:44 , Joe Middleton

From the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia to this conflict in Gaza, the Russian leader’s attempts to cosplay a serious global power player continue to look threadbare and unconvincing when actually put to the test, writes Dr Mark Galeotti

Has the Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes? | Mark Galeotti

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

Sunday 22 October 2023 19:26 , Joe Middleton

Three Crimea-bound missiles downed, says Russia-installed governor

Sunday 22 October 2023 17:54 , Tara Cobham

Three Ukrainian missiles heading for targets in Crimea were downed on Sunday over a Russian-held area of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, the Russia-installed governor said.

Vladimir Saldo, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the missiles were downed over the town of Henichesk.

Russian troops occupied Kherson region in the first days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces have regained control of the region's main town and areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Watch: Aftermath of Russian strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

Sunday 22 October 2023 16:00 , Tara Cobham

Six people died in a missile strike late on Saturday night (21 October) on a mail depot in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Another 14 people were injured in the blast, which is believed to have been caused by a Russian S-300 rocket, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said on social media.

All of the victims were employees of private Ukrainian postal and courier Nova Poshta.

In a statement, the company said that the air raid siren had sounded just moments before the attack, leaving those inside the depot with no time to reach shelter.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as an attack on an “ordinary civilian object.”

Oliver Browning reports:

Russia says it thwarted Ukrainian attempts to cross Dnipro

Sunday 22 October 2023 15:19 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces have foiled several attempts by Ukrainian units to cross the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region over the past day, Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian "sabotage and reconnaissance" teams were stopped while trying to cross the river near the villages of Pridniprovske, Tiahynka and Krynky.

Russia also said it had destroyed Ukrainian personnel, water-crossing equipment and vehicles near the village of Stanislav. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports.

On Friday the Institute for the Study of War, a US research group, said Ukrainian forces appeared to have broken through on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson.

Ukraine recaptured parts of the Kherson region late last year after months of Russian occupation. But Russian forces who left Kherson, the region's biggest city, retreated only as far as the other side of the Dnipro and have continued to shell the city from there.

Russia suffers 90% surge in casualties after attacks in Avdiivka, says MoD

Sunday 22 October 2023 14:00 , Tara Cobham

Recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties recorded by the Ukrainian MoD, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

In its latest intelligence update on the invasion of Ukraine, the MoD estimates Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered 150,000-190,000 permanent casualties since the conflict began, with the total figure including temporarily wounded in the region of 240,000-290,000.

Three injured in Russian shelling of Kupiansk, says local governor

Sunday 22 October 2023 13:08 , Tara Cobham

Elsewhere in the Kharkiv region, three people have been injured in Russian shelling on the city of Kupiansk, local governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

The Ukrainian-held front-line city has been at the heart of fierce fighting as both Moscow and Kyiv push for battlefield breakthroughs amid the looming onset of wintry conditions.

Ukraine reports record bomb attack numbers in Kherson

Sunday 22 October 2023 11:31 , Tara Cobham

Officials in southern Ukraine said on Sunday that the Russian military had used a record number of aerial bombs over the country's Kherson region in the past 24 hours.

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military's Operational Command South, said 36 missiles had been recorded over the area, with some villages being hit by several strikes.

Ukraine ‘likely repels intensified Russian offensive’ at Avdiivka

Sunday 22 October 2023 09:45 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian forces have “likely repelled another intensified Russian offensive” towards Avdiivka over the past several days, a US war think tank has said.

The Institute for the Study of War added that Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered “further heavy personnel and equipment losses” in the area, including 900 troops during attacks on Thursday.

Ukraine says it destroys six Russian drones and a missile overnight

Sunday 22 October 2023 08:30 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine's air defence systems destroyed six Russia-launched attack drones and a cruise missile overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said on Sunday, adding that in total Russia launched nine cruise missiles on Ukraine.

Six killed in Russia’s missile attack on Kharkiv postal centre, says Ukraine

Sunday 22 October 2023 07:38 , Tara Cobham

Six people have been killed and at least 14 injured in a Russian missile attack that hit a postal distribution centre in the war-devastated northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.

"Russian missiles hit the Nova Poshta centre - an ordinary civilian object," President Volodymyr Zelenksiy said on the Telegram messaging app.

He posted a video showing s building with windows blown out and construction materials strewn about, with red trucks with Nova Poshta written in Ukrainian in front of it.

Oleh Synehubov, the governor of the broader Kharkiv region of which the city of Kharkiv is the administrative centre, said several of the injured were in serious condition in hospital.

Those killed and injured were employees of the postal centre, Synehubov said on Telegram. Police said the workers did not have time to run to the shelter, because the siren sounded a second before impact.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched against its neighbour in February 2022.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was devastated in the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion.

ICYMI: Russian forces launch renewed offensive near Avdiivka

Sunday 22 October 2023 07:00 , Matt Mathers

Russian forces launched a renewed offensive push near Avdiivka on Friday, according to a US war think tank.

The Insitute for the Study of War (ISW) said Moscow’s troops had “marginally advanced”.

It added the latest offensive indicated that the Russian military command “remains committed to offensive operations in the area despite heavy materiel and personnel losses”.

This includes the damage and destruction of almost 50 Russian tanks and over 100 armored vehicles by Ukrainian forces during the past day of fighting near Avdiivka, reported the Ukrainian General Staff on Friday, according to the ISW.

ICYMI: Lower house of Russian parliament votes to revoke ratification of global nuclear test ban

Sunday 22 October 2023 06:30 , Matt Mathers

The lower house of Russia’s parliament on Wednesday gave its final approval to a bill revoking the ratification of a global nuclear test ban treaty, a move Moscow described as putting it on par with the United States.

The State Duma lawmakers voted unanimously to revoke the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the third and final reading on Wednesday. The bill will now go to the upper house, the Federation Council, which will consider it next week. Federation Council lawmakers have already said they will support the bill.

Full report:

Lower house of Russian parliament votes to revoke ratification of global nuclear test ban

ICYMI:

Sunday 22 October 2023 05:30 , Matt Mathers

Two people were killed and at least three were injured after Russian missiles hit Zaporizhzhia’s central district on Wednesday 18 October, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry has reported.

Footage released by the Ukrainian emergency service showed rescuers carrying survivors out of a damaged residential building in the district.

Regional Governor Yurii Malashko said more people could be trapped under rubble.

Mr Malashko said the attack was likely conducted with six S-300 missiles that take only 42 seconds to reach the city once launched from Russian-controlled territories.

Watch the clip here:

Rescuers search for survivors after deadly strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia

ICYMI: Russian, North Korean foreign ministers meet amid Western suspicions about weapons transfers

Sunday 22 October 2023 04:30 , Matt Mathers

The foreign ministers of Russia and North Korea met Thursday in Pyongyang for talks expected to focus on how to boost their military ties, days after the United States accused the North of sending fresh shipments of munitions to Russia to support its war efforts in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew to Pyongyang on Wednesday for a two-day trip. During a reception speech later in the day, Lavrov said he thanked North Korea for its strong support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Russian, North Korean foreign ministers meet amid Western suspicions about weapons transfers

ICYMI: The US quietly delivered new long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. Why the sudden secrecy over aid?

Sunday 22 October 2023 03:30 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian special forces reported on Tuesday that they had struck two Russian military airfields, following the first-time deployment of long-range ballistic missiles supplied by the US.

The details of the weapons’ delivery has been shrouded in secrecy – unlike previous aid provided to Ukraine from the Biden Administration.

Mike Bedigan reports:

The US quietly delivered long-range missiles to Ukraine. Why the sudden secrecy?

ICYMI: Experts reveal what the winter will bring for the Ukraine war – and why Putin will be banking on Trump

Sunday 22 October 2023 02:30 , Matt Mathers

The Ukraine war may remain a “stalemate” throughout 2024, military experts have told The Independent, as hopes fade for a major breakthrough in this year’s counteroffensive against Russia.

Delays in Western military aid handed Moscow time to build heavily fortified defences which have largely held up against months of intense assaults – and constraints in ammunition and weaponry now mean both armies may struggle to sustain the current pace of the war, some analysts believe.

Andy Gregory reports:

Experts on what winter brings for the Ukraine war – and why Putin is banking on Trump

ICYMI: Russian missile attacks kill 10 Ukrainian civilians as Kyiv sees ‘partial success’ in south

Sunday 22 October 2023 01:30 , Matt Mathers

At least 10 civilians in Ukraine were killed on Wednesday in Russian attacks as Ukrainian military officials confirmed battlefield gains in counteroffensive operations in the south of the warzone.

The death toll rose to five from four after a missile struck a residential building in southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Arpan Rai reports:

Russian missile attacks kill 10 Ukrainian civilians as Kyiv advances in south

ICYMI: Russia’s Lavrov thanks Kim Jong-un for supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine

Sunday 22 October 2023 00:30 , Matt Mathers

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov thanked North Korea for aiding Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine as he landed in Pyongyang for a two-day visit on Wednesday.

Mr Lavrov is in North Korea for meetings viewed as preparatory efforts ahead of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit as Moscow and Pyongyang slide closer in diplomatic cooperation against Ukraine and the West.

Russia’s Lavrov thanks Kim Jong-un for supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine

ICYMI: Russian-American journalist charged in Russia with failing to register as a foreign agent

Saturday 21 October 2023 23:30 , Matt Mathers

A Russian-American journalist working for a U.S. government-funded media company has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, according to her employer.

Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty editor Alsu Kurmasheva is the second U.S. journalist to be detained in Russia this year. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested for alleged spying in March.

Full report:

Russian-American journalist charged in Russia with failing to register as a foreign agent

Russian missile strike on distribution centre in Kharkiv kills six, say officials

Saturday 21 October 2023 23:13 , Joe Middleton

A Russian missile hit a postal distribution centre in Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Saturday, killing six people and injuring 14, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Synehubov said.

Synehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said several of the injured were in serious condition in hospital.

“This is strictly a civilian site,” Synheubov said. “The Russians have inflicted more terror on Kharkiv‘s peaceful population.”

ICYMI: Putin says Russia ‘will be able to repel’ Ukraine’s new weapons used to damage Kremlin’s air assets

Saturday 21 October 2023 22:30 , Matt Mathers

Vladimir Putin said Russia “will be able to repel” attacks by Ukraine’s new long range weapons supplied by the US, which Kyiv used to launch one of the most damaging attacks on the Kremlin’s air assets since the start of the war.

While the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, result in an additional threat, the weapon would not change the situation along the 1,500km (932 mile) frontline, Mr Putin told reporters in Beijing. He said his forces will be able to repel attacks by the top-tier missile system.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin says Russia ‘will be able to repel’ Ukraine’s new long range weapons

ICYMI: Ukrainian troops fight off fresh attacks from Putin’s forces in eastern town of Avdiivka

Saturday 21 October 2023 21:30 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian forces are fighting off a new Russian military onslaught in the bombarded eastern city of Avdiivka where intense fighting has been concentrated this month, senior military officials said.

“The enemy is not relenting in attempts to break through our defences and surround (Avdiivka),” Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhnyi said in a video posted on Telegram in which he is seen conferring with officers in Avdiivka and Kupiansk.

Apran Rai reports:

Ukrainian troops thwart fresh attacks from Putin’s forces in eastern town of Avdiivka

ICYMI: The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

Saturday 21 October 2023 20:30 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden about Washington’s future support for Kyiv, and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military base near the Ukrainian border, as the warring countries laid plans for the winter and next year’s combat operations.

Almost 20 months of war have sapped both sides’ military resources. The fighting is likely to settle into positional and attritional warfare during the approaching wintry weather, analysts say, with little change along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Illia Novikov reports:

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

ICYMI: Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent

Saturday 21 October 2023 19:30 , Matt Mathers

A Russian-American journalist was ordered Friday to be detained for another three days on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent, Russian media reported.

Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, appeared in court in the central Russian city of Kazan, according to the state news agency Tass.

Full report:

Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent

ICYMI: British Army trains Ukrainian engineers to defend energy sector against Russia

Saturday 21 October 2023 18:30 , Matt Mathers

The British Army’s Royal Engineers have trained Ukrainian civilian engineers how to defend their energy sector from Russian attacks this winter.

Damage and destruction of critical national infrastructure (CNI) by Russian missile and drone attacks has represented one of the greatest threats to the lives and safety of Ukrainian civilians since the invasion.

The two-week training package was developed after a request from Ukraine.

Trainees were taught how to identify potential blast ranges and the impacts of different weapons and explosives, and where best to locate physical and aerial barriers to help protect sites from Russian attacks, the Ministry of Defence said.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the training was “essential” to protect Ukrainian civilians as winter approaches.

Mr Shapps said: “Ukraine’s civilian population faces mortal danger on a daily basis from Putin’s forces and their indiscriminate campaign of bombardment against its critical infrastructure.

“The Ukrainian people have demonstrated unwavering resilience in the face of this illegal invasion and this tailored package of training will help save lives during the bitterly cold winter months, where access to reliable energy is of vital importance.”

ICYMI: White House details its $105 billion funding request for Israel, Ukraine, the border and more

Saturday 21 October 2023 17:30 , Matt Mathers

The White House on Friday released a sweeping set of proposals to bolster Israel and Ukraine in the midst of two wars as well as invest more in domestic defense manufacturing, humanitarian assistance and managing the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The total cost of the supplemental funding request was pegged at just over $105 billion. President Joe Biden hopes Congress will move urgently on the legislation, and he made the case for deepening U.S. support for its allies during a rare Oval Office address on Thursday night.

Full report here.

Civilians killed and injured on Friday and Saturday - Ukraine

Saturday 21 October 2023 16:30 , Matt Mathers

At least two civilians were killed and others wounded across Ukraine as Russian forces continued to shell frontline areas and other parts of the country, local Ukrainian officials reported.

In Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown in central Ukraine, a 60-year-old man died on Friday evening when a Russian missile slammed into an industrial facility, according to Telegram posts by Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul.

Mr Vilkul added that the man’s wife was taken to hospital with serious shrapnel wounds.

Early on Saturday, Mr Vilkul reported that Russian missiles and drones overnight hit the same site again, causing unspecified damage and sparking a fire that was put out by morning.

Mr Vilkul did not elaborate on the site’s nature or whether it was linked to Ukraine’s war effort. He said nobody was hurt in the second strike.

In Ukraine’s frontline Kherson region to the south, one civilian was killed and another suffered wounds as Russian forces launched "mass shelling" attacks, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Saturday.

In a Telegram post, Mr Prokudin said that Russian troops used mortars, artillery, tanks, drones, and multiple-rocket launchers to target the province, striking some residential areas.

Zelenskiy says he discusses Ukraine peace formula with Erdogan

Saturday 21 October 2023 15:32 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy talked with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, Zelenskiy said, in a call where the two men discussed Ukraine's peace formula, food security, and situation in the Middle East.

"We discussed the next round of negotiations on the Peace Formula, which will take place in Malta. Turkey will participate, adding its authoritative voice and position," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

"We also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for humanitarian law," he added.

Russia extends detention of a US journalist

Saturday 21 October 2023 13:30 , Tara Cobham

A Russian-American journalist was ordered Friday to be detained for another three days on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent, Russian media reported.

Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor for the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, appeared in court in the central Russian city of Kazan, according to the state news agency Tass.

She is the second US journalist detained in Russia this year, after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges in March.

Read more here:

Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent

Ukraine says civilians killed and wounded in Russian overnight attacks

Saturday 21 October 2023 13:07 , Tara Cobham

At least two civilians were killed and others wounded across Ukraine as Russian forces continued to shell frontline areas and other parts of the country, local Ukrainian officials reported Saturday.

In Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown in central Ukraine, a 60-year-old man died on Friday evening when a Russian missile slammed into an industrial facility, according to Telegram posts by Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul. Vilkul added that the man's wife was hospitalized with serious shrapnel wounds.

Early on Saturday, Vilkul reported that Russian missiles and drones overnight hit the same site again, causing unspecified damage and sparking a fire that was put out by morning. Vilkul did not elaborate on the site's nature or whether it was linked to Ukraine's war effort. He said nobody was hurt in the second strike.

In Ukraine's front-line Kherson region in the south, one civilian was killed and another suffered wounds as Russian forces launched "mass shelling" attacks, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Saturday. In a Telegram post, Prokudin said that Russian troops used mortars, artillery, tanks, drones, and multiple-rocket launchers to target the province, striking some residential areas.

Russian shelling over the past day also wounded one civilian in the front-line city of Avdiivka, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, acting local Gov. Ihor Moroz reported on Saturday. Avdiivka has been fiercely contested by Russian and Ukrainian forces over the past weeks as Kyiv's forces try to hold off waves of Russian attacks. Moroz said that exploding drones, missiles, mortars and artillery shells fired by Russian troops also struck other parts of the province.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a 39-year-old civilian man was hospitalized with wounds as Russian shelling hit two village homes near the embattled town of Kupiansk, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov reported on Saturday. Russian forces have for weeks been pressing an offensive to retake territory near Kupiansk and the nearby town of Lyman.

Local Ukrainian authorities also reported Russian attacks on Friday and overnight on the northern Sumy and southern Zaporizhzhia provinces, but made no mention of casualties.

School in Kherson hit in overnight Russian shelling, says Ukraine

Saturday 21 October 2023 11:00 , Tara Cobham

A school in the Kherson region has been hit in overnight Russian shelling, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has said.

Posting a video on X of a collapsed building, it wrote, “A school in Molodizhne, Kherson region, after the overnight shelling.”