Vladimir Putin’s forces are focusing on attacking on the outskirts of a key eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk amid reports of heavy troop losses.
Around half of Russian attacks across the 620-mile front have focused on the area around the city, seen as a gateway to the rest of the Donetsk region, over the last week, Kyiv said.
“The enemy is trying to advance around the clock,” Maksym Bakulin, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Guard units fighting in Pokrovsk said.
The Russian defence ministry also claimed its troops had taken control of the village of Novoielyzavetivka, less than 10 miles to the southwest of Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian military has not confirmed Russia’s claims but DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker known to have close ties to the military, records the town as being occupied.
Six people have also been killed after Russian drones blasted a hole in an apartment building in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, the town’s authorities said. Ten others were injured.
“This is a terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime. It is very important that the world does not stop putting pressure on Russia for this terror,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky added.
What Trump’s intel chief pick Tulsi Gabbard thinks of Ukraine and Russia
Over the past nearly four years, US’s incoming director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has repeated Russia’s arguments about its invasion of Ukraine.
She has suggested Moscow had justification to send troops into the neighboring country. She also endorsed Russian claims that the US and Ukraine were involved in dangerous biological research before the war in unfounded claims.
She has criticised the government of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as a “corrupt autocracy” and has expressed sympathy for Russia’s position, given Ukraine’s desire to join Nato, the Western military alliance.
“This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/Nato had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns,” she posted on Twitter at the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 03:30
Sweden donates $1.2bn in aid package to Ukraine
Sweden’s defence minister said the Nordic country had agreed to donate its biggest aid package to Ukraine so far, worth 13.5bn Swedish crowns ($1.23bn).
The aid package is Sweden’s 18th since Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The government is now negotiating with suppliers in Sweden and Europe to supply prioritised equipment such as artillery and drones, defence minister Pal Jonson told a press conference.
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 03:14
Mapped: Ukraine-Russia frontline
Tom Watling31 January 2025 03:00
Russia says air defences down 17 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s defence ministry said late last night that air defence units had downed 17 Ukrainian drones in four southern regions in a period of just over two hours.
A ministry statement said 11 of the 17 drones were downed between 7.50pm and 10pm Moscow time (1650 GMT and 1900 GMT) over the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold a chunk of territory since staging a cross-border incursion last August.
The ministry’s post on Telegram said other drones had been downed in Belgorod and Voronezh regions and in the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
The ministry made no mention of damage or casualties on the ground.
The governor of Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, said “several” drones had been downed over his region on the Ukrainian border. Gusev said there had been no injuries or damage
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 02:52
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Winged explosives weighing up to 1,500 kilograms – and nicknamed the ‘building destroyer’ – have had a devastating impact wherever they have been used, writes Tom Watling. Kyiv is battling them as best it can but needs Western allies to step up and provide more weapons, air defences and ammunition
Tom Watling31 January 2025 02:02
In ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka,’ Oscar winner takes viewers back to Ukraine’s frontlines
Tom Watling31 January 2025 01:00
Trump claims he secured peace in Gaza – can he do the same in Ukraine?
Lithuania supplies weapons to Ukraine
Tom Watling30 January 2025 23:00
The extremes North Korean soldiers will go to avoid capture in Ukraine
Unhandled: p
Unhandled: articleLink
Tom Watling30 January 2025 22:00
UK alert over rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections in Ukraine
Tom Watling30 January 2025 21:00
