Russia Ukraine war latest: Kyiv says Putin’s forces suffering significant losses in Avdiivka

Russia has fired more than 450 missiles and drones at Ukrainian civilian areas over the past week, killing more than 60 civilians and injuring hundreds more. Ukraine has fired dozens of drones and missiles over the Russian border and in Moscow-occupied Crimea in return, as the aerial duel between the two escalates while the frontlines on the ground remain deadlocked.

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD), in its latest intelligence update, suggested that Russia had committed a significant proportion of its stockpiled weapons to carry out the aerial attacks. It added that Russia appears to have transitioned from targeting critical energy infrastructure to Ukraine’s defence industry – seeking to reduce Kyiv’s ability to fire missiles and drones. That is an acknowldgement that the Kremlin is expecting a long war of attrition both in the air and on the ground.

At least 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned to their homes and a total of 248 Russian servicemen were released from Ukrainian territory on Wednesday after the United Arab Emirates brokered a swap deal between the two nations.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers have defected from Vladimir Putin’s army using an “I want to live” hotline set up by Ukraine, military intelligence officials in Kyiv have revealed.

Created just days before Russia’s partial mobilisation of 300,000 reservists in September 2022, the hotline has reportedly received tens of thousands of calls and has led to 220 soldiers defecting to Ukraine.

Kyiv’s military intelligence unit (GUR), which launched the initiative, said a website that accompanies the hotline has been visited more than 48 million times in 15 months.

The UK has condemned Russia‘s decision to use ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea in recent attacks against Ukraine.

The Foreign Office said the attacks are a sign of Russia‘s “desperation” and a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “The UK strongly condemns Russia‘s decision to use ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea in recent attacks against Ukraine. We urge North Korea to cease its arms supply to Russia.

“Russia is turning to North Korea for its weapons in pursuit of its cynical and ill-conceived military aims in Ukraine. This is symptomatic of its isolation on the world stage and a sign of its desperation.

“Furthermore, this activity is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions – which Russia supported as a permanent member.

“Any support for North Korea’s own illegal weapons programmes risks significantly undermining the UN’s long standing commitment to security, and further destabilising the region.

“North Korea is subject to a robust sanctions regime, and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia‘s illegal war in Ukraine.”

Russian air defence systems downed 10 airborne targets late on Thursday over the southern city of Belgorod, with two people injured and some damage to a residence, the regional governor said.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the targets were downed as they approached the city.

Two people were being treated in hospital for injuries. Gladkov said windows were blown out in a multi-storey apartment building and at least 30 cars sustained damage.

Ukraine launched missile and drone attacks on Wednesday on Belgorod region, local officials said. Russia said 25 civilians, including five children, were killed in attacks last weekend.

Britain on Thursday condemned what it called Russia‘s decision to use ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea in recent attacks against Ukraine.

“The UK strongly condemns Russia’s decision to use ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea in recent attacks against Ukraine,” the UK’s Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement. “We urge North Korea to cease its arms supply to Russia.”

The reaction followed the White House, citing newly declassified intelligence, saying that North Korea recently provided Russia with ballistic missiles and launchers for use in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, some of which Russia has fired into Ukraine.

U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby also said that the United States will raise the development with the United Nations Security Council, and would impose additional sanctions against those facilitating the arms deals, while calling North Korea’s arms transfer to Russia a “significant and concerning escalation.”

North Korea is subject to a robust sanctions regime, the UK Foreign office spokesperson said.

“UK will continue to work with its partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia‘s illegal war in Ukraine.”

Britain on Thursday said it condemned what it called Russia‘s decision to use ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea in recent attacks against Ukraine.

“We urge North Korea to cease its arms supply to Russia,” UK’s Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

Russia shot down 10 Ukrainian air-launched missiles over Crimea, its Defence Ministry said on Thursday, as both sides in the war pounded each other with long-range aerial strikes while fighting along the front line remained largely deadlocked.

One person was wounded by the falling debris of a downed aerial target in Sevastopol, a major port and the largest city on the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.

Russian military bloggers posted video of air raid sirens wailing in Sevastopol during the day, and traffic was suspended on the bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia‘s Krasnodar region. The bridge is a key supply link for Russia.

On Wednesday night, Russia fired two S-300 missiles at central Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second-largest city, which in the past week has come under almost daily aerial attack, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.

One person was killed in Russia‘s morning missile attack on Kropyvnytskyi, a city in central Ukraine, regional governor Andrii Raikovych said on Telegram. An energy facility was damaged in the attack, which also targeted an industrial area, he said.

Ukraine‘s air force said it intercepted two Shahed drones over the Khmelnytskyi region, in west-central Ukraine, which hosts an important air base at Starokostiantyniv.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general Rafael Grossi said inspectors at the plant have for the past two weeks been refused access to the main halls of reactors one, two and six.

Mr Grossi said the UN nuclear watchdog was also yet to receive 2024 maintenance plans for the facility, which is currently under Russia’s control.