Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s forces launch heavy attacks as Zelensky says leadership reset coming

Moment Russian plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war appears to crash

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Vladimir Putin’s troops have launched heavy attacks along Ukraine’s front line with dozens of clashes as Kyiv hinted at an armed forces leadership reset.

There were 78 clashes over the past day, with 43 Russian air strikes carried out in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s general staff.

It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky admitted he was seeking to replace the country’s most senior military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

“A reset, a new beginning is necessary. If we want to win we must all push in the same direction, convinced of victory, we cannot be discouraged, let our arms fall, we must have the right positive energy,” Zelensky told Rai News.

The president and Zaluzhnyi have disagreed over plans for further mobilisation, with Zelensky announcing at the end of last year that he had turned down a request from the military to mobilise up to 500,000 new recruits.

Meanwhile, at least 28 people have been killed after Ukrainian shelling destroyed a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk, Moscow officials claimed.

Show latest update 170708045828 dead in Ukrainian attack on Russian occupied city, Moscow claims

Moscow-installed officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 28 people at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk.

At least one child was among the dead Saturday, local leader Leonid Pasechnik wrote in a statement on Telegram. A further 10 people were rescued from under the rubble by emergency services, he said.

Ukrainian officials in Kyiv did not comment on the incident.

Lydia Patrick4 February 2024 21:00

1707076858G7 eyes Russian assets as collateral to fund Ukraine reconstruction, says Bloomberg News

The Group of Seven and the European Union are discussing a plan to use more than $250 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets as collateral to help fund the reconstruction of Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Lydia Patrick4 February 2024 20:00

1707073258ICYMI – Twenty journalists detained in Moscow crackdown on protests held by wives of Russian soldiers in Ukraine

Russian police have detained 20 journalists reporting on a rally in central Moscow, in which the wives of soldiers sent to the frontline in Ukraine urged Vladimir Putin to bring their loved ones home.

The relatives of military reservists have been gathering weekly to publicly voice their demands, in a rare but mounting display of dissent which threatens Mr Putin’s claim to have the full backing of the Russian people in his war against Ukraine, as he seeks a near-certain victory in next month’s presidential elections.

Lydia Patrick4 February 2024 19:00

1707069658Ukrainian forces come under intense Russian attack

However, Ukrainian forces have come under intense Russian attack over the past 24 hours, with continuous assaults along the front line, Ukraine‘s General Staff said in a statement Sunday.

Fighting has been particularly fierce in the eastern city of Avdiivka, where Moscow is attempting to encircle Kyiv’s troops, while Ukrainian forces have also been on the defensive in Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia, officials said.

One civilian was killed and two injured in a Russian artillery strike in the frontline town of Toretsk, less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Bakhmut, said Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin.

The military administration for Ukraine‘s northern Sumy region said Sunday that Russian forces had shelled the region in 16 separate attacks the previous day, firing on the border communities of Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Esman.

Gen. Serhii Naiev, commander of the Ukrainian Joint Forces, also said that Kyiv’s troops had pushed back Russian sabotage and reconnaissance units attempting to cross the border in the Sumy region.

With Ukraine‘s soldiers concentrated in the eastern regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, the reported incursion suggests that Moscow could be probing vulnerabilities on a new front to further stretch Ukrainian resources.

Lydia Patrick4 February 2024 18:00

1707066058ICYMI – With all eyes on crisis in the Middle East – Russia’s Wagner mercenaries are returning to outflank the West in Africa

Kim Sengupta speaks to a former Wagner fighter about how many of those who had fought for the group considering signing back up, with Western officials sure that the Kremlin will seek to exploit the current instability

As the drumbeat of war continues across the Middle East, with clashes in multiple countries raising fears of a wider conflict, the mercenaries of Russia’s Wagner Group are once again getting back to action.

The snowy fastness of Ukraine has been replaced by the sand and savanna of Africa. There is a new banner to fight under – Africa Corps, a name echoing Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s German Afrika Korps which took part in the momentous campaign against British and allied forces in Libya in the Second World War.

Read the in focus report by Kim Sengupta here…

Lydia Patrick4 February 2024 17:00

1707062319Zelensky visits front line amid speculation about the fate of top general

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukrainian troops on the southeastern front and handed out medals, his office said on Sunday amid intense speculation that his popular army chief could soon be sacked.

“It’s an honour to be here today. To support the warriors and award them. They face a difficult and critical mission to repel the enemy and defend Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a statement after visiting Zaporizhzhia region.

The presidential office said in the statement that Zelensky visited the Ukrainian military’s forward positions near the village of Robotyne, which is located almost on the battle line.

The southeastern settlement of Robotyne had been liberated in late August in the counteroffensive against Russian forces.

The president’s visit to the battle lines came at a time of uncertainty over the fate of army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

Two sources said on Friday that the Ukrainian government had informed the White House that it plans to fire the country’s top military commander overseeing the war against Russian occupation forces.

The alleged move to oust Zaluzhnyi, who has clashed with Zelensky over a range of issues, follows a Ukrainian counteroffensive last year that failed to recover significant amounts of Russian-held territory.

Known as “the Iron General”, Zaluzhnyi is extremely popular. His removal could hurt morale among Ukrainian troops battling to hold positions along more than 620 miles (1,000 kms) of frontlines against a vast Russian force armed with large munitions stockpiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Ukrainian students during a meeting along with Polish Prime minister in Kyiv

(AFP via Getty Images)

Lydia Patrick4 February 2024 15:58

1707058816The EU is providing Ukraine with $54bn. How will the money be spent?

EU leaders have sealed a deal to provide Ukraine with $54bn to shore up its war-ravaged economy after Hungary dropped weeks of threats to veto the measure.

The aid package — about two-thirds loans and one-third grants to be paid out over a four-year period — is not intended to fund arms and ammunition, which fall under a separate EU plan. Instead, it aims to stabilize Ukraine’s economy after nearly two years of fighting, pay for rebuilding, and set the country up for future EU membership.

The package will help Kyiv plug budget gaps while avoiding the skyrocketing inflation seen in the first months after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine lost a third of its economic output to wartime destruction and occupation by Moscow, which took over the main heavy industry hubs in the east.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar4 February 2024 15:00

1707057016In Pics: Ukraine attack in occupied Lysychansk kills 28

Emergency responders retrieve bodies from the rubble of a devastated building following a Ukrainian attack on the city of Lysychansk

(via REUTERS)

A crane lifts a destroyed vehicle from under the rubble as a damaged building is seen in the background, in Lysychansk

(via REUTERS)

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar4 February 2024 14:30

1707053416Russia condemns Ukraine strike in Moscow-controlled city

Russia’s foreign ministry condemned the Ukrainian attack in Moscow-controlled Lysychansk city, saying the West should think about why its financial support to Kyiv was being used to kill civilians.

“According to preliminary data, the strike was carried out using Western weapons,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

“EU citizens should know how their taxes are used – they are used to buy deadly weapons systems and send them to the Kyiv regime which uses them to kill civilians.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar4 February 2024 13:30

1707049816US house Republicans’ bill to provide more military aid skips Ukraine

The US house Republicans will move forward with a $17.6bn package that provides military aid to Israel and replenish US weapons, but leaves out more help for Ukraine.

The move gives speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans the chance to show support for Israel even though there is little chance the Senate will go along.

Meanwhile, text of a broader senate compromise is expected to be released this weekend and a key test vote on that package will be held during the week.

Mr Johnson said that senate leadership is aware that by failing to include the House in their negotiations, they have eliminated the ability for swift consideration of any legislation.

“As I have said consistently for the past three months, the House will have to work its will on these issues and our priorities will need to be addressed,” he said in a letter to colleagues.

The house has already approved a nearly $14.5bn military aid package in November for Israel that the senate declined to take up.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar4 February 2024 12:30