Ukraine-Russia war: Russian state TV journalist killed in Ukrainian drone strike

A Russian state television journalist was killed by shrapnel in a Ukrainian drone attack.

Boris Maksudov, 38, was embedded with Russian forces in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of south-eastern Ukraine when he was injured on Wednesday.

Russia’s defence ministry initially said his injuries were not life-threatening but today confirmed his death.

“Boris Maksudov died a hero’s death, like a brave fighter,” said Dmitry Kiselyov, the chief executive of media group Rossia Segodnia.

Mr Maksudov was seen injured on the ground before being carried towards a vehicle in footage filmed by state news agency TASS in the moments after the attack.

03:03 PM GMT

That's all for today

Thank you for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine today. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to guide you through all the latest developments.

03:01 PM GMT

Today’s headlines

• Ukraine’s counter-offensive has not failed, European Council president Charles Michel insisted

• Vladimir Putin’s call for peace talks in his speech at the G20 on Wednesday was deemed “false” by the ISW

• Wagner Group mercenaries who fought in Ukraine have received bonuses from Russia, the MoD said

• Russian military spending is set to surge to one-third of its total budget next year

• A Russian state television journalist died after being hit by shrapnel in a Ukrainian drone attack

• Russia sentenced a Ukrainian partisan to 18 years in prison for a bombing behind enemy lines

• The EU agreed to send Hungary £800m in a bid to overcome Orban’s opposition to Ukraine’s accession

• Ukrainian soldiers said Russia is throwing “waves” of men at Avdiivka “like a Zombie movie”

• “Ineffective” sanctions will see Russia’s economy grow “three times faster” than the EU next year, Europe’s largest manager said

02:49 PM GMT

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers don snow suits

02:42 PM GMT

Russia throwing 'waves' of men at Avdiivka 'like a Zombie movie'

Russia is throwing “waves” of soldiers at Avdiivka in its attempt to take the eastern Ukrainian city.

“The fields are just littered with corpses,” Oleksandr, a deputy battalion commander in Ukraine’s 47th mechanised brigade, told AFP. “They are trying to exhaust our lines with constant waves of attacks.”

The Russian army has now “switched to infantry tactics,” he said – “advancing solely at the expense of human resources”.

“Some die, others keep on coming. It’s like a zombie movie,” added a drone operator who goes by the callsign ‘Trauma’.

On Thursday, Ukraine said it had repelled 30 separate Russian attacks around the city in the past 24 hours alone.

Russia’s relentless attempts to capture Avdiivka are reminiscent of its conquest of Bakhmut earlier this year, where 20,000 Russians were said to have died.

02:28 PM GMT

Counter-offensive has not failed, EU insists

Ukraine’s counter-offensive has not failed, one of the European Union’s most senior leaders has insisted.

European Council president Charles Michel said Ukraine’s Black Sea navy and its recently established bridgehead over the Dnipro river were successes.

“I don’t think this counteroffensive had failed,” he said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.

“Firstly, how the Ukrainian Army made huge progress in the Black Sea is extremely important. This is a major step in the right direction.

“Secondly, the recent progress made on the left side of the Dnipro River is also very important.”

Concerns have grown in recent months about Western allies’ commitment to funding Ukraine’s defence amid a faltering counter-offensive that has not shifted the frontlines as much as had been hoped.

02:05 PM GMT

EU border agency to send officers to Finland amid migrant crisis

The European Union’s border agency will send 50 officers and other staff to Finland next week to help it deal with a surge in illegal migration.

Finland has closed all but its northernmost border crossing with Russia in response to a large increase in asylum seekers which it says Russia has orchestrated.

01:38 PM GMT

We've sold 99pc of our oil above West's price cap, boasts Russia

Russia has sold “more than 99 per cent” of its oil for more than the Western-imposed price cap of $60 per barrel, an official has claimed.

“Even unfriendly countries note that the so-called price cap has not worked,” Vladimir Furgalsky, an energy ministry official said.

“More than 99 per cent of oil traded well above the $60 per barrel ceiling.”

01:07 PM GMT

Russia's economy to grow 'three times faster' than Eurozone despite sanctions

Russia’s economy will grow three times faster than the Eurozone in 2024 because of ineffective Western sanctions, the chief investment officer of Europe’s largest fund manager has said.

Vincent Mortier said Amundi expects Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 1.5 per cent in 2024 and two per cent in 2025, compared with the eurozone’s 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent.

He said the West needed to accept a “reality check” that sanctions have not been effective in hamstringing the Russian economy.

12:42 PM GMT

EU approves £800m funding for Hungary to overcome Ukraine veto

The European Union has approved £800million ($1bn) in funding for Hungary in an attempt to overcome its opposition to Ukraine joining the bloc.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday that the EU should not admit Ukraine until it undertakes a full review of its strategy of support for Kyiv.

Mr Orban is in a stand-off with Brussels over £11.3bn in funding which the EU has held back over concerns that Budapest is not upholding the rule of law.

The EU is expected to vote next month to start accession talks and grant Ukraine £43bn in economic aid by 2027.

12:01 PM GMT

Ukraine moves national seed bank after Russian strikes

Ukraine has moved its national seed bank away from the embattled north-eastern city of Kharkiv amid repeated Russian bombardments.

The bank is the 10th largest seed collection in the world and is home to more than 50,000 seeds.

“As part of a year-long effort, the Ukrainian genebank system... has successfully and safely transported over 50,000 seeds from Kharkiv to a more secure location,” the Crop Trust NGO said in a statement.

A research facility near the seed bank was damaged in the spring of 2022 in a Russian strike.

Kharkiv has been the target of repeat missile and drone attacks ever since the war began.

11:38 AM GMT

Russia sentences Ukrainian partisan to 18 years for bombing

A Ukrainian partisan has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Russian military court for attempting to blow up buildings in the occupied city of Melitopol.

Russian state media said Dmitri Golubev was found guilty of “international terrorism” after carrying out one explosion at a traffic police headquarters in August last year and plotting two others.

“I am Ukrainian, I was defending Ukraine,” Mr Golubev was quoted by Russian newspaper Kommersant as telling the court.

Prosecutors said the partisan was trained and equipped by Ukraine’s secret services.

The southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol was captured by the Russian army in the first week of their invasion in February 2022.

11:17 AM GMT

Putin arrives in Belarus on official visit

Vladimir Putin has arrived in Belarus in his first visit to the country for 11 months.

The Russian president will participate in a Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit hosted by Belarus’ dicator Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.

Alliance members Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will also attend.

Putin last visited Belarus in December 2022.

11:01 AM GMT

Kremlin 'inexplicably concerned' about next year's election

The Kremlin is “inexplicably concerned” about the presidential elections next March despite widespread expectations of Vladimir Putin winning, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has said.

“The Kremlin’s apparent concern about Putin’s support is odd,” the ISW said, “given that the Levada Center – an independent Russian polling organisation – found that 82 per cent of Russians approved of Mr Putin’s performance as of October this year”.

Ella Pamfilova, the chair of Russia’s electoral commission, said on Tuesday that some citizens and emigres had “already begun efforts to discredit” the election.

On 15 November, Mr Putin said any foreign or domestic “election interference” would be suppressed.

“The Kremlin may also be concerned about a perceived lack of support for Putin from the Russian veteran community,” the ISW added, saying the veterans want the war in Ukraine to be fought more vigorously.

10:36 AM GMT

Russian attacks kill three civilians and injure five

Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed three civilians and injured five others in the past 24 hours.

One person was killed and one injured in the Kherson region, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Dnipropetrovsk governor Serhii Lysak said two men, 61 and 37, were injured on Wednesday morning.

Attacks on 18 settlements in the Kharkiv oblast hospitalised a 61-year-old man, said governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Donetsk governor Ihor Moroz said two were killed and another injured in his region.

10:14 AM GMT

Russian war correspondent killed by shrapnel in drone strike

A Russian war correspondent was killed on Thursday after suffering shrapnel wounds in a Ukrainian drone strike.

Rossiya 24’s Boris Maksudov, 38, was wounded in occupied Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine and later died from his injuries.

“Boris Maksudov was hospitalised urgently but the injuries turned out to be fatal,” state television said.

Footage filmed by state news agency TASS just moments after the attack showed Maksudov moaning on the ground before being carried towards transport.

09:50 AM GMT

Lithuania gives Ukraine three million rounds of ammunition

Lithuania has donated three million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package.

It also delivered remote detonation systems and winter equipment for use in the war against Russia.

“Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable,” Lithuania’s defence ministry said.

09:17 AM GMT

Russian military spending surges to one-third of total budget

Russian military spending will surge to a record one-third of its total budget in 2024, independent Russian outlet Meduza reported.

The figure rises to 40 per cent when funding for internal security is included.

The budget has been approved by Russia’s parliament and is only requires Vladimir Putin’s signature.

08:55 AM GMT

In pictures: Fighting near Bakhmut

08:32 AM GMT

Wagner fighters officially recognised as veterans, says MoD

Former Wagner Group fighters have been officially recognised as Russian veterans for the first time, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

A number of the men were issued official veteran ID documents on 14 November and are now able to receive “commensurate bonuses”.

“This highly likely signals the rehabilitation of some Wagner elements by the Russian administration,” the MoD said.

The Wagner Group has been subsumed into Russia’s national guard since its failed coup attempt in June.

Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and a number of other top brass died in a suspected assassination in August when their plane was destroyed in an explosion.

08:12 AM GMT

ISW: Putin's peace talks rhetoric is 'false'

Vladimir Putin’s calls for peace talks in his speech to the G20 on Wednesday were “false”, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has said.

“Kremlin officials have pushed this narrative while claiming that Ukraine is unwilling to negotiate with Russia, likely to coerce Western officials into prematurely offering concessions favorable to Russia rather than engage in meaningful, good faith negotiations,” it said.

It added that “a premature cessation of hostilities in Ukraine greatly increases the likelihood of renewed Russian aggression on terms far more favorable to the Kremlin in the near future”.

Ukraine has said it will negotiate with Russia when it removes its forces from internationally-recognised territory in Crimea, Donbas and the rest of the occupied territories.

07:55 AM GMT

Russia aided North Korea's satellite launch, says South Korea

Russia helped North Korea successfully launch its first military satellite on Tuesday, South Korea’s spy agency has said.

Kim Jong Un met Vladimir Putin in September and is said to have received “feedback” on the plans from the Russians.

“After the summit with Putin, the North provided Moscow with the blueprint and data relevant to the first and second satellite launches,” the National Intelligence Service told MPs in a briefing.

“Russia in turn analysed those data and provided the North with feedback.”

South Korea suspended a 2018 de-escalation accord in response to the launch.

North Korea is said to have provided Russia with millions of artillery shells since the war in Ukraine began.

07:46 AM GMT

Ukraine's air raid alerts to continue despite criticism

Ukraine’s air raid alert system will continue unchanged despite being criticised for paralysing social and economic activity.

“We have no right to take risks here,” said Yuriy Ihnat, the air force command spokesperson.

He added: “For us, the public notification scheme will not change.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has previously promised reforms that “allows us to somewhat modernise the response without unnecessarily shutting the country down”.

07:39 AM GMT

Russian teenager sentenced for army recruitment arson attacks

A Russian teenager has been sentenced to six years in a penal colony after attempting to set fire to two Russian army recruitment centres.

Yegor Balazeikin, 17, confessed to the arson attacks on enlistment offices in St Petersburg and Kirovsk, a town 21 miles to the east.

“I cannot agree with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he told prosecutors.

“Therefore, I began to talk with people around me in order to collect information about the military registration and enlistment office.

“I realised that conversations were useless, and decided that something needed to be done to change the situation.”

Mr Balazeikin has accused Russian security service officers of threatening to beat and rape him in custody.

07:29 AM GMT

Norway and Estonia may close borders with Russia

Norway and Estonia may follow Finland in closing their borders with Russia.

Helsinki has completely closed its border with Moscow after a surge in illegal migration which it said Russia has orchestrated.

Lauri Laanemets, Estonia’s interior minister, accused Russia of a “hybrid attack operation” and said it would also close its border if “the migration pressure from Russia escalates”.

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday that he would do the same “if necessary”.

Finland has accused Russia of funneling migrants to its border in retaliation to its accession to Nato earlier this year.

07:21 AM GMT

Zelensky hails 20-country 'air shield' protecting Ukraine from bombardment

Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the formation of a 20-country Western coalition to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.

“Not everything can be disclosed publicly at this time, but the Ukrainian air shield is becoming stronger every month,” Mr Zelensky said.

Russia is expected to launch a major bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid this winter in a repeat of similar attacks last year.

Germany and France are leading the group, which was formed at a virtual meeting of the ‘Ramstein group’ of countries that meets to discuss Ukraine’s military needs.

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