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Russian troops disguised themselves as Ukrainian soldiers as they launched new attacks in the outskirts of the northeastern city of Kupiansk, Kyiv said while confirming a frontline breach.
The Russians attacked in four waves and used troops disguised as Ukrainian soldiers but were repelled from the city, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
“They partially entered the suburbs, the industrial zone, and were destroyed by our troops,” the city’s military administration chief Andriy Besedin said. “There were assault actions using heavy armoured vehicles, there were attempts to bring in infantry.”
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days after the February 2022 invasion but liberated by Ukraine in a counteroffensive a few months later. The Russians are now making a renewed bid to recapture the region.
The attack came as Russia signalled it was open to negotiations mediated by US president-elect Donald Trump to end the Ukraine war.
Gennady Gatilov, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, said any talks would have to be based on the realities of Russian advances, a claim pushed by Vladimir Putin for territory grab in Ukraine.
One killed and 10 injured in Russian strike on Odesa, says Zelensky
Russian forces hit the territory of the port of Odesa in southern Ukraine in a strike on Thursday evening, killing one person and injuring 10, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Last night, Odesa suffered a combined massive attack involving missiles and drones,” Mr Zelensky said on Friday. “Residential buildings, a heating main, an educational institution, and a church were damaged. The port area was also hit.
“Tragically, one person died because of terror, and ten others were injured, including two children. Assistance is being provided to everyone in need. I am grateful to everyone involved in rescuing our people.”
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 09:31
Germany’s Scholz to discuss Ukraine with China’s Xi at G20 meeting
Embattled German chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Tuesday while in Brazil for the G20 leaders’ meeting, Berlin has said.
The focus of the bilateral meeting will be Ukraine and economic themes, reporters were told.
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 09:12
Hungary’s Orban claims EU needs to rethink Russian sanctions to cut energy costs
Hungary’s Viktor Orban has claimed that the European Union needs to reconsider sanctions against Russia which are keeping energy prices elevated, hindering the bloc’s economic competitiveness.
European Union leaders signed a declaration on competitiveness at their informal summit last week.
But Mr Orban – the EU leader most closely aligned with Vladimir Putin, and a vocal critic of military aid to Kyiv – said US companies pay a quarter of the amount their European counterparts spend on gas and electricity, a disadvantage that he said could not be overcome by other means.
While countries in western Europe have made serious efforts to wean themselves off Russian energy, landlocked Hungary gets 80 to 85 per cent of its gas from Russia, with 80 per cent of its crude oil supplies also coming from its former communist ally.
“Energy prices need to be lowered by all means,” Mr Orban told Hungarian broadcasters. “This means that sanctions need to be reconsidered because under the current sanctions policy, energy prices will not go lower.”
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 08:49
Remains of car that exploded in Sevastopol killing Russian naval officer
Arpan Rai15 November 2024 08:00
Trump says ‘Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop’
Donald Trump has said his administration would focus on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“We’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s gotta stop. Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop,” he said during an event in Florida.
The US president-elect expressed regret over the deaths caused by the war, “whether they’re soldiers or they’re people sitting in towns”. “We’re going to work it.”
During his campaign, Mr Trump repeatedly said he could quickly end the fighting in Ukraine but did not offer details of how he would accomplish that.
Arpan Rai15 November 2024 07:39
A France-trained and armed force aims to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses at critical juncture in war
Tom Watling15 November 2024 07:00
Ukraine says it has stopped Putin’s forces advancing on key city in Kharkiv
The Ukrainian military’s general staff wrote on the Telegram messenger app that the “alleged presence of Russian troops in the city of Kupiansk is not true”.
The comments came after it was reported that Russian troops had, in fact, entered the city in the Kharkiv region on Wednesday for the first time since they fled in September 2022. The city is an important railway hub with a pre-war population of 26,000.
Arpan Rai15 November 2024 06:45
Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
Tom Watling15 November 2024 06:00
Why Russia is going all-out to capture Ukraine’s Kupiansk
Russian forces have breached the outskirts of Ukraine’s northeastern city Kupiansk, part of a region it briefly held after first invading Ukraine, military officials said.
Moscow’s forces attacked the region in four waves and used soldiers disguised as Ukrainian troops but were repelled from the city by Kyiv’s forces, Ukraine’s General Staff said. But why does the control of Kupiansk, a significant rail hub in the area, matter?
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days of the February 2022 invasion and then liberated by Ukraine in a counteroffensive months later.
Vladimir Putin’s forces deployed 15 pieces of hardware in their assault on Kupiansk, including tanks and armoured vehicles, as they attempt to expand offensive operations on a sprawling more-than-1,000km front, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Russian attack looked opportunistic and Kyiv appeared to have isolated and destroyed most of the Russian forces that penetrated the outskirts of Kupiansk, Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Black Bird Group, said.
“However, a penetration like that certainly signals confusion and weakness in Ukrainian defences in that area, which could prompt the local Russian commanders to increase their efforts to squeeze or cut off the Ukrainian salient,” he added.
He said the coming days would likely indicate whether the Kremlin was going to react to this by ramping up attacks there further.
Arpan Rai15 November 2024 05:21
Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
The Ukrainian incursion was the largest on Russian soil since the Second World War and succeeded in taking Moscow – and even Kyiv’s closest allies – by surprise.
But despite Ukrainian troops’ success in bedding into positions deep into Kursk, the offensive received a mixed reaction from analysts, with some questioning the wisdom of drawing vital defensive power away from the fight in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Mr Putin’s forces have been making steady, grinding gains for months.
Alex Croft and Tom Watling report:
Arpan Rai15 November 2024 05:05
