Russia Ukraine war live: Putin’s latest assault weakens as Avdiivka losses are seen

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, on a trip aimed at showing the “no limits” partnership between China and Russia.

Putin flew into the Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday morning.

He is among over 100 representatives from different countries attending an event to mark the 10-year anniversary of President Xi’s initiative to grow China’s overseas interests through various projects.

This latest trip comes just days after Putin’s visit to Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian nation with strong ties to Moscow.

You can watch the full video below.

Ukraine’s military has released a video of the burning wreckage of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter on the war’s southern frontline, saying the aircraft was shot down by paratroopers.

“The Russian Mi-8 was shot down. Great work by the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade. It burns beautifully. Well done, warriors,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, heading the Ukrainian armed ground forces on one of the southern Ukrainian fronts.

A 12-second video of the helicopter engulfed in flames was shared by General Syrskyi on his official Telegram channel late on Sunday. The location and the time of the destruction of the Russian helicopter was not immediately clear.

You can watch it in full below.

China’s foreign minsitry has said President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern in their proposed meeting at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

Footage posted online has appeared to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike on a military airfield in occupied Berdyansk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a widely watched trip aimed at showcasing the trust and “no-limits”.

Russian military bloggers associated with the air force have admitted it “is not a good morning” over reports that Ukraine had struck airfields in occupied Luhansk and nearby Berdyansk.

Fighterbomber, a Telegram channel associated with the air force, described the attack as “one of the most serious blows of all time in the Northern Military District”.

He added: “There are losses in both people and technology.”

You can see further comments from other milbloggers attached in the report below.

Satellite images from the occupied Berdyansk military airfield at the end of last month showed more than 20 Russian helicopters, while subsequent graphics showed they were building new revetments and shelters for vehicles and equipment at the site.

Ukraine’s forces made successful overnight strikes on Russian airfields and equipment near the cities of Luhansk and Berdyansk in territory controlled by Russian forces, Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine made well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields and helicopters near the temporarily occupied Luhansk and Berdyansk,” the Ukrainian military’s communication department said on the Telegram messaging app.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in parts of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Moscow in Ukraine’s southeast, said, however, that the strikes on Berdyansk were not successful.

“According to preliminary information, our air defence system successfully intercepted enemy rockets,” Rogov said on the Telegram. “Information about victims and possible damage is being clarified.”

Berdiansk is a port city in Zaporizhzhia on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

Since the start of its counteroffensive in June, Ukraine has made frequent air attacks on Russia-controlled territory, aiming to destroy military equipment and undermine Moscow’s war efforts.

Russia is revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty because the irresponsible attitude of the United States to global security, the speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament said on Tuesday.

President Vladimir Putin, who earlier this month suggested that Russia revoke ratification of the 1996 treaty because the United States had not ratified it, said he was not ready to say whether or not Russia would resume nuclear testing.

“In the interests of ensuring the security of our country, we are withdrawing the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,” Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said ahead of a debate and parliamentary vote on revoking ratification.

Volodin said that while Russia had ratified the treaty in 2000, Washington had failed to ratify because of its “irresponsible attitude to global security issues”.

“The Russian Federation will do everything to protect its citizens and to maintain global strategic parity,” Volodin said.

While Russia is revoking ratification, it will remain a signatory and will continue to cooperate with the test ban treaty organisation and the global monitoring system which alerts the world to any test.

A resumption of nuclear tests by Russia, the United States or China could indicate the start of a new nuclear arms race between the big powers who stopped nuclear testing in the years following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Russian troops are shelling the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka with such relentlessness that emergency workers have been unable to enter destroyed buildings to remove the bodies. Ukrainian generals have said that fighting in eastern frontline towns has “worsened” significantly in the last few days, a consequence of Ukraine’s promised counteroffensive having been far less successful than had been hoped (Vladimir Putin, for all that his words are worth, said on Sunday that it had “failed completely”).

Ukrainian soldiers have been reduced to firing their high-powered, long-range howitzer guns, supplied to them by the UK, just once a day, owing to a shortage of ammunition to put in them.

This, but for horrifying events in Israel and Gaza, would have been last week’s news. There is always a concern that when people are forced to reprioritise what they care about that governments follow suit. That somehow events in Israel and Gaza might lessen the resolve and the unity of Western countries to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Reality doesn’t quite work like that. Commitments made are not unmade. Promises do not simply get broken. Not least as, for now, the horrific terrorist attack in Israel and the ongoing retribution do not come with extraordinary demands for assistance from Israel’s allies.

Ukrainians who fled to the UK from war must be given certainty over their futures including around visa extensions and in the face of rising costs and the risk of homelessness, a report has said.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said the generosity of the public in opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees had allowed the Government to work quickly to help tens of thousands come to safety since March 2022.

But decisions will need to be taken by ministers about future funding and visas and consideration given to the “threat of homelessness as sponsorships end”, according to the head of the body which scrutinises public spending for Parliament.

Gareth Davies, comptroller and auditor general of the NAO, said: “The Government worked quickly to help Ukrainians fleeing conflict, enabled by the generosity of the British people who opened their homes.

“The Government will soon need to take important decisions about the future of the scheme, including whether to extend visas beyond three years, and whether to extend funding for local authorities and sponsors, which currently finishes before visas expire.

“It will also need to carefully monitor key risks, such as safeguarding, and the threat of homelessness as sponsorships end.”