Russia-Ukraine war: Putin’s sea fleet attacks military infrastructure as weather hits ground fighting – live

Bad weather has slowed Russia’s campaign to secure eastern Ukraine and capture the shattered town of Avdiivka, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

Russian troops, backed by air strikes, have been trying to seize control of Avdiivka since mid-October as part of their slow-moving advance through eastern Ukraine.

After two days of storms – and snow in the south – the forecast was for more rain in the east, leaving the ground sodden and unsuitable for military manoeuvres.

“They’ve started to shell the town centre from Donetsk. Our brigade is holding its ground, but we can’t see any equipment coming,” Serhiy Tsekhotskyi, a Ukrainian officer in the town, told national television.

“The weather is unsuitable. But once the frosts come and the ground hardens, an attempted assault with equipment is possible.”

Another military spokesperson, Volodymyr Fitio, said inclement weather had forced the Russians to make “adjustments”.

“You cannot advance when the ground is like this,” Fitio told the media outlet Espreso TV. “The Russians previously brought in reserves and threw them into battle. There are a lot fewer movements like that now because of the weather.”

Russian air defence forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched drone flying towards Moscow, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Wednesday.

The drone was destroyed over the Podolsk district in Moscow’s region, Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app.

“According to preliminary information, there was no damage or casualties at the site where the debris fell,” Sobyanin said.

A frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet launched an attack with four cruise missiles on Ukraine’s military infrastructure, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported on Wednesday.

“The crew of a frigate of the Black Sea Fleet received a sudden task of launching a strike with Kalibr cruise missiles in the shortest possible time against enemy military infrastructure,” TASS cited the ministry as saying.

The ministry said that “the designated targets” were hit but there was no immediate comment early on Wednesday from Ukraine about infrastructure being hit overnight.

Russia launched 21 drones and three cruise missiles overnight on Ukraine, Ukraine‘s Air Force said on Wednesday, adding that all the drones and two missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets.

The Iranian-made Shahed drones were headed towards the Khmelnitskyi region, which is home to an airbase.

The missiles were headed for the southern parts of Ukraine, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Although not destroyed, the third missile “did not reach” the target, the air force said, without further detail and there were no immediate reports of damage from falling debris.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s Ukraine live blog.

We will be bringing you the latest updates on the war in Ukraine, where several drones and missiles have been launched by Russian forces overnight, according to the Ukrainian military.

British foreign secretary Lord Cameron is urging his counterparts in Nato not to waver in their support for Ukraine as it continues to fight against Russian invaders.

The former prime minister has travelled to Brussels to demonstrate the UK’s continued support for Kyiv as it battles President Vladimir Putin’s attack. There has been less focus on the war in eastern Europe as Western allies address the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

But Lord Cameron said Nato must show the Kremlin that Nato backing for Ukraine will not dampen.

He said: “Nato keeps over one billion people safe and secure and, nearly 75 years on, the alliance is stronger than ever. Putin first believed that Nato would be divided and that Ukraine would crumble.

“Now he believes he can wait out his war in Ukraine. He was wrong then and he is wrong now. Together, the UK and our Nato allies will never turn a blind eye to Russian aggression.

“The UK will continue to be a steadfast supporter of Ukraine and a champion for European peace and stability.”

The wife of Ukraine‘s intelligence chief has been diagnosed with heavy metals poisoning and is undergoing treatment in hospital, a spokesperson for the agency said as the country’s war with Russia stretched into its 22nd month.

Marianna Budanova is the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine‘s military intelligence agency known by its local acronym GUR.

Her condition was confirmed to The Associated Press by Andrii Yusov, the agency’s spokesman.

Mr Yusov did not provide more details about the alleged poisoning, nor did he say if it was believed to have been intended for Mr Budanov or whether Russia was thought to be behind it.

Earlier this year, he told Ukrainian media that the military intelligence chief had survived 10 assassination attempts carried out by the Russian state security service, or FSB.

Previously, Mr Budanov had also told local media that his wife lives with him in his office, which could suggest he was the intended target for the poisoning.

The British government has given £4.6 billion of aid to Ukraine since the war started, but ministers have faced questions about why no extra money to help the eastern European country defend itself against Russia’s invading forces throughout 2024 was announced in the Chancellor’s autumn statement.

Labour and senior Conservatives pressed the British government about future support, with defence minister James Heappey giving assurances that an announcement would be made in the Commons once plans were confirmed.

Shadow defence secretary John Healey told the Commons: “The Defence Secretary (Grant Shapps) said last month ‘Let’s not forget about Ukraine’. So why did the autumn statement do just that? No 2024 military funding for Ukraine, no 2024 action plan for Ukraine. At the very time when Ukraine needs confidence that it has strong, continuing support from allies, the prime minister is stepping back.”

Defence minister Mr Heappey responded: “As for the plan for next year, I completely accept that he is right in saying there could have been a number in the autumn statement.

“But what is more important surely is a number that reflects the discussions that the chairmen of the joint chiefs, the Chief of the Defence Staff (Admiral Sir Tony Radakin), and General Zaluzhny have had, the conversations that senior politicians UK, US and Ukrainian have had, in order to understand what the Ukrainian ambition is for their operations next year, so that we can resource that properly.

“All the way through, the thing that the UK has done better than anybody else in the world is understood what the Ukrainians want to do next and got their first in terms of delivering that capability, and in so doing emboldening others to follow.

“As soon as that plan for next year is confirmed, I am certain that the amount of money that it will cost will be announced to Parliament, and the plan firmed up.”

Vladimir Putin will not make peace in Ukraine before he knows the results of the November 2024 US election, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, amid concerns that a potential victory for former president Donald Trump could upend Western support for Kyiv.

Trump, who is seeking reelection in 2024 and is the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, has been sharply critical of US support for Kyiv.

A senior official briefing reporters after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels said the alliance reiterated its support for Ukraine knowing that a peace agreement in the next year is unlikely.

“My expectation is that Putin won’t make a peace or a meaningful peace before he sees the result of our election,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the outcomes of the meeting.