Ukraine ‘shoots down Russian attack helicopter’

Ukraine has shot down a Russian attack helicopter near Avdiivka, its military has claimed, as fighting engulfs the city.

Ukrainian soldiers used a portable anti-aircraft missile to take down a Ka-52 Alligator, one of the Russian air force’s most advanced helicopters, according to Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukrainian units fighting on the southeastern front line.

Soldiers are currently fighting from “street-to-street” in the embattled city as Russia’s army steps up its four-month campaign to surround Ukrainian defending troops, the UK Ministry of Defence said in its daily update.

Capturing the town would provide another boost for Russia, which remains on the front foot as the second anniversary of its invasion approaches.

Vitaliy Barabash, the mayor of the town, described the conditions as “simply unreal” in a television interview, adding: “The enemy is pressuring from all directions. They are storming with very numerous forces.”

There are now only 941 residents in the town that was once home to 32,000 people, he added.

Follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section

03:14 PM GMTThat’s all for today

Thank you for tuning in to today’s live blog on the Ukraine-Russia war. Come back tomorrow for updates on all the latest news from the conflict.

Today in brief:

Xi Jinping told Vladimir Putin that both countries should oppose interference by US “external forces”, Chinese state media reported, in a sign of increasing proximity between the two great powers.

Italy will help to reconstruct a cathedral in Odesa after it was badly damaged by a missile strike last year, the Italian foreign ministry has said.

German plans to confiscate shares of Moscow’s energy champion Rosneft could result in “very deep consequences”, a Kremlin spokesman has warned.

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, urged the European Union and United States to step up efforts to supply aid to Ukraine, ahead of talks with Joe Biden.

Large numbers of Russian troops are attacking Avdiivka in east Ukraine from all directions, and the situation is increasingly difficult for Ukrainian troops defending the town, its mayor said.

Russian anti-war presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin has been blocked from standing for election against Vladimir Putin.

Evidence of “apparent war crimes” has been uncovered following Russia’s invasion of Mariupol, an in-depth report has found

Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin will air on Thursday night, the Right-wing US talk show host has announced.

Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, has launched a scathing attack on the US senate after Republicans voted against a bill to provide $60 billion aid package to Ukraine.

Ukraine shot down 11 Russian drones after a series of strikes targeted four regions of the country over night, the Ukraine air force has said.

03:07 PM GMTPictures emerge in the wake of Russia’s missile attack on Donetsk

A woman walks among debris of a residential building partially destroyed by a missile attack in the town of Selydove – AFP/GENYA SAVILOV

A man walks past a crater and destroyed cars following a missile attack in the town of Selydove – GENYA SAVILOV/AFP

02:58 PM GMTUkraine military training sessions in action

Ukrainian soldiers of the Khartia brigade train in a trench assault – Getty Images/Diego Herrera Carcedo

Ukrainian soldiers of the Khartia brigade train in a trench assault – Getty Images/Diego Herrera Carcedo

Ukrainian soldiers of the Khartia brigade during a training session – Getty Images/Diego Herrera Carcedo

02:52 PM GMTWatch: UK-supplied missiles in operation in Ukraine02:41 PM GMTUN urges Moscow to end kidnapping of Ukrainian children

A United Nations committee has called on Moscow to end its alleged kidnapping of Ukrainian children and to return them to their families.

Kyiv says 20,000 children have been forcibly transferred from Ukraine to Russia without family or guardians’ consent, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking the arrest of Vladimir Putin for alleged illegal deportation, an accusation the Kremlin denies.

In a report on Russia, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said Moscow should provide information about the precise number of children taken from Ukraine and their whereabouts, so they can be identified and returned.

Moscow says it has only been protecting vulnerable children from a war zone.

12:35 PM GMTBeijing and Moscow agree to oppose interference by US ‘external forces’

Xi Jinping told Vladimir Putin that both countries should oppose interference by US “external forces”, Chinese state media reported, in a sign of increasing proximity between the two great powers.

This is the latest signal that Beijing and Moscow are strengthening their relationship even as many countries have turned their backs on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

During Thursday’s phone call, Xi said that they “should closely collaborate strategically, defend the sovereignty, security and development interests of their respective countries, and resolutely oppose interference in internal affairs by external forces”, a readout from state broadcaster CCTV said.

Putin told Xi that ties between China and Russia were at “an unprecedentedly high level”, a Kremlin readout said.

12:23 PM GMTItaly to help rebuild ancient Ukrainian cathedral damaged in missile attack

The Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa was heavily damaged by Russian missile on July 23, 2023 – Getty Images/Yan Dobronosov

Italy will help to reconstruct a cathedral in Odesa after it was badly damaged by a missile strike last year, the Italian foreign ministry has said.

Italy and UNESCO signed an agreement in Kyiv to provide 500 million euros (£427 million) towards the restoration of the roof of Odesa’s Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral, or Transfiguration Cathedral.

Ukraine said the cathedral, which dates back to 1036, was damaged when it was hit during a Russian missile attack on the southern port of Odesa last July. Russia denied responsibility for the attack.

Pier Francesco Zazo, an Italian ambassador, noting Italy’s enviable pedigree in monument restoration, said: “Italy is very committed, through its institutions and its industrial capacity, to the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

11:50 AM GMTRussia threatens ‘very deep consequences’ over German plans to confiscate Russian oil giant’s assets

German plans to confiscate shares of Moscow’s energy champion Rosneft could result in “very deep consequences”, a Kremlin spokesman has warned.

Germany’s economy ministry informed Rosneft earlier this week that it was considering nationalising shares in the company’s German assets, worth an estimated $7 billion (£5.5 billion), which it seized following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It warned that if Russia regained control over the company’s assets, the refineries’ operations would be jeopardised because contractual partners would refuse to cooperate, adding that it would take all measures to protect shareholders’ rights.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters: “This is nothing else than the expropriation of someone else’s property.

“These are steps that undermine the economic and legal foundations of European states, these are steps that absolutely devalue the investment attractiveness of these countries and have very deep consequences for those who make such decisions,” he said.

11:21 AM GMTOne dead and seven wounded in Russian shelling

Russian shelling of Donetsk overnight left one person dead and seven wounded, including a child, the Ukrainian military reported.

The shelling attacks also damaged seven high-rise buildings, three homes and three schools, according to Ukrainian media.

This brings the total  number of Ukrainian civilian casualties over the past 24 hours to one death and 15 injured across Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, the Kyiv Independent reported.

11:07 AM GMTScholz urges US to ‘do more’ to aid Ukraine ahead of state visit

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, urged the European Union and United States to step up efforts to supply aid to Ukraine, ahead of talks with Joe Biden.

“We must find a way to all do more together,” Scholz said in Berlin, adding that what had been promised by Europe and the United States was “still not enough”.

Mr Scholz’s visit to Washington comes as a $60 billion US aid package for Kyiv has been blocked by the Senate amid Republican opposition.

EU leaders last week agreed 50 billion euros (£43 billion) of aid for Ukraine, overcoming months of opposition from Viktor Orban, the Hungarian leader.

Mr Scholz said that Germany had made a “very large contribution but it will not be enough on its own”.

“Now is the moment where we have to do what is necessary – that is, to jointly give Ukraine the opportunity to defend itself.”

10:36 AM GMTFighting in Avdiivka ‘simply unreal’

Large numbers of Russian troops are attacking Avdiivka in east Ukraine from all directions, and the situation is increasingly difficult for Ukrainian troops defending the town, its mayor said.

“The enemy is pressuring from all directions. They are storming with very numerous forces,” Vitaliy Barabash, the mayor of the town, said in televised comments, describing the situation as “very difficult and hot”.

There are now only 941 residents in the town that was once home to 32,000 people, he added.

Russian forces have have been trying to cut supply lines and encircle Ukrainian forces dug in at Avdiivka since October.

“The situation in some directions is simply unreal,” Mr Barabash said.

See post at 8.56am for more details.

10:27 AM GMTListen to The Telegraph’s leading podcast, Ukraine: The Latest, for daily updates on the conflict10:25 AM GMTTwo injured and multiple homes damaged in Russian drone attacks

Russian drone attacks overnight injured two policemen and damaged multiple civilian buildings, Ukrainian media has reported.

Two patrol policemen were wounded in a strike on Odesa which also damaged a multi-story building and aan educational institution, local officials said.

Further strikes in Mykolaiv are reported to have damaged 20 residential buildings as well as office premises and private businesses.

09:43 AM GMTRussian anti-war candidate barred from election

Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician, has been banned from next month’s election – AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Russian anti-war presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin has been blocked from standing for election against Vladimir Putin.

Mr Nadezhdin said the Central Election Commission (CEC) had refused to register him as a candidate for next month’s Russian election, preventing him from running for the Kremlin.

The CEC last week said that it had found flaws in the more than 100,000 signatures that Mr Nadezhdin, 60, and his allies had collected in support of his candidacy, claiming that some of the signatures were those of dead people.

Mr Nadezhdin, who has vowed to challenge the decision in the supreme court, said: “I collected more than 200,000 signatures across Russia. We conducted the collection openly and honestly – the queues at our headquarters and collection points were watched by the whole world.”

He is not expected to win even if he is allowed to participate, given Mr Putin’s tight control. But his campaign has captured people’s attention because of his outright opposition to what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“Taking part in the presidential election in 2024 is the most important political decision of my life. I am not giving up on my intentions.”

09:29 AM GMTEvidence of ‘apparent war crimes’ uncovered in Mariupol

Evidence of “apparent war crimes” has been uncovered following Russia’s invasion of Mariupol, an in-depth report has found.

The Russian assault on the Ukrainian city from February to May 2022 left thousands of civilians dead and injured, including many in apparently unlawful attacks, the new findings show.

A two-year investigation revealed that at least 10,000 people were killed in the city, many of whom were buried in unmarked graves. It also details 14 attacks on non-military targets including strikes on hospitals, apartment blocks and the city’s theatre, as well as evidence that 93 per cent of high rise apartment buildings in the city centre were damaged as the area was laid to waste.

The 224-page report by Human Rights Watch, Truth Hounds, and SITU Research, is based on 240 interviews mostly with displaced Mariupol residents as well as extensive analysis of verified photos and satellite imagery.

The groups have called for an inquiry into potential Russian war crimes.

08:56 AM GMTRussian forces storm ‘critical’ Ukrainian town

Large numbers of Russian forces are storming a ‘critical’ town in East Ukraine, an Ukrainian official has said.

Russian forces are pushing to capture the front line Ukrainian town of Avdiivka from multiple sides, Vitaly Barabash, its mayor, told state media this morning, escalating months of fighting to seize the industrial hub.

Mr Barabash said: “Unfortunately, the enemy is pressing from all directions, there is not a single part of our city that is more or less calm. Indeed, they are storming with very large forces.”

The Kremlin’s forces launched a renewed push to capture the town in October, with troops on three sides pounding the settlement with relentless artillery strikes in a bid to force a Ukrainian withdrawal. Mr Barbarash earlier this week warned that efforts to hold the town had reached a “critical” stage.

“This does not mean that everything is lost, that everything is very bad. But the enemy is directing very large amount of forces at our city,” he said.

08:40 AM GMTBritain extends tariff-free trade with Ukraine to 2029

Britain has said it would extend tariff-free trade with Ukraine on almost all goods until 2029, giving continued favourable trading terms to Kyiv in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

Britain removed tariffs on all its trade with Ukraine after war broke out two years ago, and had previously agreed the arrangement would last until March 2024.

Britain’s business and trade ministry said tariff-free trade would be extended on all goods for five years, except eggs and poultry which will be extended for two years, and that British firms would also benefit from the removal of tariffs for exports to Ukraine too.

Greg Hands, the trade minister, said: “This agreement provides much needed long-term economic support to Ukraine, its businesses and people – critical to its recovery,” adding Britain’s support would continue “for as long as is needed”.

08:36 AM GMTTucker Carlson to release Putin interview today

Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin will air on Thursday night, the Right-wing US talk show host has announced.

In a post on his Instagram account on Wednesday, Carlson said the sit-down interview, which has already been recorded, would be broadcast at 6pm Eastern time (11pm GMT) on his website.

The former Fox News host, a key ally of 2024 election candidate Donald Trump and a vocal opponent to US military aid for Ukraine, travelled to Moscow for Putin’s first interview with a Western journalist since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

Carlson’s access to Putin is a huge contrast with restraints on other foreign journalists in Russia, where two US citizens – Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe presenter – are currently imprisoned.

08:32 AM GMTReagan “must be turning in his grave” says Tusk as US blocks Ukraine aid bill

Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, has launched a scathing attack on the US senate after Republicans voted against a bill to provide $60 billion aid package to Ukraine.

The bill bundles together aid for Ukraine and Israel with measures to reinforce America’s border security in a package worth a total of $118 billion.

Following months of negotiation, the bill, which needed 60 votes to advance, was squarely defeated by a 49-50 after Republican Senators came under pressure to reject it from former president Donald Trump.

Addressing the Senate’s decision, Mr Tusk wrote on Twitter: “Dear Republican Senators of America. Ronald Reagan, who helped millions of us to win back our freedom and independence, must be turning in his grave today. Shame on you.”

Despite the bill’s defeat, Ukraine clings to the possibility that US Congress could yet provide the much-needed aid. The Senate was expected to vote on Thursday on a $96 billion package that strips out the immigration provisions but leaves the foreign aid intact.

Read Andrew Buncombe’s full story here.

08:24 AM GMTUkraine downs 11 Shahed drones following series of Russian strikes

Ukraine shot down 11 Russian drones after a series of strikes targeted four regions of the country over night, the Ukraine air force has said.

The attack, launched from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea, involved 17 Shahed “kamikaze” drones targetting Mykolaiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro.

More than 20 residential houses and commercial buildings in the city of Mykolayiv were damaged as well as civilian infrastructure facilities in Odesa.

No casualties were reported, and details of the full extent of the damage in other regions are not yet clear.

08:16 AM GMTUkrainian ranks bolstered by Columbian volunteers

A barber cuts the hair of Checho, 32, a wounded professional soldier from Medellin, Colombia, in a hospital in Ukraine – AP/Efrem Lukatsky

Hector Bernal, a retired Colombian combat medic, says that in the last eight months he has trained more than 20 Colombians who went on to fight in Ukraine – Ivan Valencia/AP

08:08 AM GMTIn case you missed it

Key Updates from yesterday:

The Kremlin has insisted Tucker Carlson is not “pro-Russian” as it confirmed the former Fox News host has interviewed Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine urges EU to boost munitions deliveries as doubts loom over US aid package.

The Wagner mercenary group appears to have been absorbed into Russia’s internal military force, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

Ukraine’s parliament has tentatively backed a bill to boost military numbers amidst pressure from army chiefs.

Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv and other major cities, killing at least four people and injuring 25 others, including a pregnant woman, Ukrainian authorities reported.

A former Wagner group commander has had his asylum request rejected by Norwegian authorities, his lawyers report.

08:07 AM GMTGood morning

Hello and welcome to the Telegraph’s Ukraine blog. We’ll be bringing you all the latest from Ukraine throughout the day.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.