Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river – live

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.

A Russian missile targeted homes in Kryvyi Rih in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Friday, killing one man and leaving a woman in serious condition, the regional governor said on the Telegram messaging app.

“The enemy aimed a rocket at a dacha cooperative,” Serhiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrosk region, wrote. Dachas are traditional cottages usually outside of towns.

He said a 60-year-old man was killed and the 57-year-old woman in serious condition had suffered shrapnel injuries and was in hospital. Rescue workers extinguished a fire caused by the attack, Lysak added.

Reuters could not immediately verify details of the attack.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Ukrainian forces had repelled a new Russian onslaught on the eastern town of Avdiivka and were holding their ground in heavy fighting.

Zelenskiy and top military commanders visited the southern region of Kherson, where they discussed the situation there and around Avdiivka and Kupiansk, a town north of Avdiivka where Russian forces have also intensified attacks.

“Thanks to all our boys, who powerfully hold the defence and destroy the occupier day after day,” Zelenskiy said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

“These days, the Russian losses are really staggering, and it is precisely losses by the occupier that Ukraine needs.”

Zelenskiy’s office said Russia’s assault on Avdiivka had resulted in “record losses” of personnel and equipment, but gave no further details of the extent of the losses.

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.

American leadership “holds the world together”, US president Joe Biden said.

“If we put that at risk and walk away from Ukrainians or turn our back on Israeli and Palestinian civilians, it’s just not worth it.

“That’s why I’ve sent an urgent budget request to Congress to fund America’s national security needs,” he said.

It comes as the White House on Friday asked Congress for nearly $106bn to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and US border security.

The Latvian president has urged European countries to increase their defence industry capacity to produce enough weapons to defend themselves and Ukraine.

“Whether we like it or not, Europe must arm itself,” President Edgars Rinkevics said on the air of the TV3 channel, adding that mere slogans will not be enough and the EU members must be ready to accept real costs.

Romania will install an anti-drone system along the border with Ukraine, reports suggest.

The system will be provided by an unnamed “partner state, with the agreement of NATO.”

Debris from drone strikes on Ukrainian ports has been repeatedly found on Romanian territory.

Germany has transferred three self-propelled Gepard anti-aircraft guns, over 3,000 rounds of smoke ammunition, and other military equipment to Ukraine as part of its latest aid package, the German government said.

It brings the total number of Gepard systems sent by Germany to Ukraine to 49. The guns have been instrumental in helping Ukraine defend itself against Iranian-made Shahel drones used by Russia.

It comes as The White House on Friday asked Congress for nearly $106bn to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and US border security.

“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities,” said Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Youn.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’s attack on Israel represent a “global inflection point”, the White House’s national security advisor said.

“This budget request is critical to advancing America’s national security and ensuring the safety of the American people,” Jake Sullivan added.

It comes as The White House on Friday asked Congress for nearly $106bn to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and US border security.

“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities,” said Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Youn.

The White House on Friday asked Congress for nearly $106 billion to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and US border security, but offered no strategy for securing the money from a broken Congress.

US President Joe Biden’s request for the funding comes days after he visited Israel and pledged solidarity as the country bombards Gaza following an attack by Hamas militants that killed 1,400 people in southern Israel.

By grouping Israel funding with Ukraine, border security, refugee assistance, measures to counter China and other hotly debated priorities, Biden is hoping he has created a must-pass national security spending bill that can win support in a chaotic House of Representatives.

The chamber, which Republicans won control of last year, has been without a leader for more than two weeks.

Some Republican lawmakers have grown skeptical of the need to fund Ukraine’s war with Russia, and have threatened to halt government altogether to put an end to debt-fueled fiscal spending.

“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities,” said Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young, in a letter to acting House speaker Patrick McHenry. “I urge Congress to address them as part of a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement in the weeks ahead.”