Putin says Ukraine counter-offensive ‘completely failed’ – follow live

Vladimir Putin has branded Ukraine‘s counteroffensive a “failure”.

Whereas Kyiv took again territory taken by Russia final yr, the Ukrainian military has struggled to penetrate Russian traces which have been bolstered with minefields and hundreds of additional troops.

“As for the counteroffensive, which is allegedly stalling, it has failed fully,” Mr Putin mentioned in video remarks posted to social media by a Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin.

“The opposing aspect is getting ready new energetic offensive operations. We see it and we all know it,” he added when requested in regards to the battle for the japanese Ukrainian city of Avdiivka.

In line with the Belfer Heart at Harvard, Ukraine made a internet acquire of 8 sq. miles of territory the month to 10 October.

The battle in japanese Ukraine started in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine‘s Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed forces combating Ukraine‘s armed forces.

Russian forces are conducting an ‘energetic defence’ and have been in a position to enhance their positions at nearly complete line of contact in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin mentioned on Sunday.

“What is going on now alongside all the size of the [line of] contact known as ‘an energetic defence’,” Putin mentioned in video remarks posted to social media by a Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin.

“And our troops are bettering their place at nearly complete space. Fairly a big space.”

Two civilians have been killed in Russian assaults on the japanese Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on Saturday, based on the Donetsk area administration.

In one in all its few offensives in months, Russia’s navy pressed on for a fifth day with assaults on Avdiivka, with shelling so fierce that emergency crews have been unable to get better the useless from wrecked buildings.

The administration of the Donetsk area mentioned on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app that yet one more particular person was injured elsewhere within the area.

The Common Workers of Ukraine’s Armed Forces mentioned on Sunday its forces had repelled 15 Russian assaults close to Avdiivka, Tonenke and Pervomaiske within the Donetsk area, whereas Russian forces launched heavy air strikes within the space.

Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv area additionally in Ukraine’s east, mentioned on Sunday a 54-year-old lady and a 57-year-old man have been killed and one lady injured in an in a single day Russian air assault.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the reviews.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is about to fulfill Xi Jinping in China this week, marking solely his second go to outdoors former USSR because the begin of the struggle in Ukraine.

The Russian president will probably be attending the Belt and Street Discussion board in Beijing on 17, 18 October.

This could even be Mr Putin’s first journey outdoors of former USSR since Hague-based Worldwide Prison Court docket issued a warrant for him in March over the deportation of youngsters from Ukraine.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is conducting drills utilizing rocket launchers off the Crimean-port Sevastopol.

“The whole lot is calm within the metropolis,” the Crimean-port’s Russian-installed governor mentioned at present in a submit on the Telegram messaging app.

It’s identified that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet launches lots of its drone and missile assaults on Ukraine from the Black Sea.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has doubled down on defence measures after struggling setbacks within the current months, based on the UK Protection Ministry.

“Since struggling a sequence of strikes in August and September, the Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) has extremely doubtless doubled down on its defensive and reactive posture,” the Protection Ministry mentioned yesterday.

Ukraine has gained the initiative within the northwest Black Sea since June launching unmanned floor vessels, unmanned air automobiles, and missile assaults in opposition to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

The Russian fleet has largely continued to defend itself whereas additionally launching missiles into Ukraine, which “it may well nearly definitely proceed to take action from the japanese (area of the) Black Sea,” the UK Protection Ministry mentioned.

Greater than two dozen drones launched from Ukraine have reportedly been destroyed over Kursk and different Russian areas.

About 18 of those have been downed over Kursk in southern Russia and two the place destroyed over Belgorod, one other area bordering Ukraine, Russia’s defence ministry mentioned early at present.

Kursk governor Roman Starovoit mentioned there have been no casualties within the drone assault, Reuters reported.

Practically a 3rd of Ukrainian territory is unsafe as a result of mines and unexploded ordinance, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned yesterday.

Demining and clearing of explosive supplies have been points mentioned at a two-day convention in Croatia in October.

About 250 individuals have reportedly been killed by mines to date in Ukraine, and over 500 have been injured.

Greater than 40 nations took half within the convention in Croatia, and collectively pledged about 500 million euros ($530 million) to help in demining

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has moved a lot of its ‘status property’ following a sequence of strikes by Ukraine in August and September, the Ministry of Defence has mentioned.

In it’s every day replace on progress on the struggle, the MoD mentioned cruise missile succesful ships and submarines had been relocated from Sevastopol to bases additional east.

“The chance of additional navy losses and the dire political penalties of Russian naval forces overtly attacking service provider transport would extremely doubtless outweigh any acquire from trying to implement a blockade of Ukrainian-bound commerce.”

Ukrainian officers have mentioned assaults being carried out by Russian forces are “relentless”, as the continuing assault on the japanese Ukrainian metropolis of Avdiivka entered its fifth day.

“The enemy has not stopped both assaulting or shelling positions” round Avdiivka, metropolis head Vitalii Barabash mentioned on Ukrainian tv.

Barabash additionally reported that Moscow was deploying further forces to encircle the strategically necessary metropolis within the japanese Donetsk area, located simply north of the Moscow-held regional capital, additionally referred to as Donetsk.

Round 1,600 civilians stay throughout the metropolis, a stark distinction to its prewar inhabitants of about 31,000.

Barabash’s feedback got here after Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, instructed a U.N. Safety Council assembly on Friday that the intensified assaults within the east amounted to a brand new stage in Moscow’s marketing campaign in Ukraine.

“Russian troops have, for a number of days now, converted to energetic fight motion virtually all through all the entrance line — The so-called Ukrainian counteroffensive can subsequently be thought-about completed,” he mentioned.