The latest developments from the Ukraine war.
Russians stepping up attacks in eastern Ukraine, warns Zelenskyy
ADVERTISEMENTThe Ukrainian army is facing an "increase in the number of attacks" from Russia in the east of the country, particularly around the disputed town of Avdiivka, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
Moscow's forces have been trying for a month to encircle the industrial town, which has become one of the hotspots of the conflict.
"The army has reported an increase in the number of enemy attacks," the Ukrainian president said on his Telegram channel, citing the areas of Avdiivka, Kupiansk and Donetsk in the east.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his soldiers were 'holding their positions' and were also carrying out 'offensives'.
Putin pardons accomplice in Russian journalist murder
Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, a former Russian police officer sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2006 murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, has been pardoned by Vladimir Putin for joining Russian forces in Ukraine, his lawyer told AFP on Tuesday.
"I have just heard from his family that from the beginning of the special military operation (...) he was offered a contract to take part. He did so and when the contract expired he was pardoned by presidential decree," said lawyer Alexei Mikhaltchik, using the euphemism common in Russia for the offensive launched against Ukraine in February 2022.
According to him, his client was due to serve his sentence until 2030, but was offered a contract in exchange for a pardon because of his past experience in a Russian special forces unit.
Tens of thousands of Russian prisoners have signed such contracts with the army or paramilitary formations such as Wagner's.
Ukrainian MP detained after alleged treason
A court in Kyiv has remanded in custody Oleksandr Dubinsky, a Ukrainian MP accused of high treason on behalf of Russia, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) announced on Tuesday.
The hearing began on Monday evening and was held behind closed doors at the request of prosecutors.
The detention was ordered in the middle of the night, according to Ukrainian media.
Dubinsky, 42, confirmed on Telegram that he will remain in detention for at least two months and believes he is a victim of persecution because of his opinions. "A new year in prison for criticising the government," he said.
The DBR accuses the highly controversial MP of being part of a "criminal group" acting "on the orders of the Russian special services" with the aim of "discrediting Ukraine's image on the international stage".
According to a DBR press release, Russia spent "at least 9.3 million euros to finance this group, whose mission was specifically to 'deteriorate' Kyiv's relations with its ally Washington and to 'slow down' the country's plans to join the European Union and NATO.
The role of the MP, a former journalist who had been accused of corruption in the past, was to organise a media campaign to this end, the DBR said.
Ukrainians face winter in damaged homes, under threat of air raids
Millions of civilians in Ukraine are facing an increasingly uncertain and dangerous future as winter conditions set in, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned.
"Once-thriving communities are at risk of disintegrating under an increasingly protracted conflict" that has lasted more than 600 days, it added.
The NGO said "an unyielding barrage of shelling" had left an estimated 1.4 million homes in ruin or disrepair across east and south Ukraine.
ADVERTISEMENTThousands of families have been forced to flee or left to shelter in damaged buildings lacking basic services, it continued.
As temperatures drop and public services come under increasing pressure, NRC estimated that at least 2.5 million people need vital humanitarian assistance to support them through winter. It said millions remain out of reach of aid in Russian-controlled areas.
“Millions of families are facing a growing winter nightmare here,” explained Jan Egeland, NRC Secretary General, on a visit to Ukraine this week. “The physical impact of aerial bombardment can be seen right across the towns and cities I have visited. And the mental impact on those who remain under this ever-present threat is just as striking. People have told me about the horror of watching their communities transformed into sites of destruction or battlegrounds.
“While glimpses of stability emerge in pockets of the country, the humanitarian landscape in the east and south remains bleak and is defined by relentless hostilities and fighting along the frontlines. We are deeply concerned for the future of those millions who are already dependent on support, given that winter has barely begun.”
Heavy fighting around Avdiivka, says Ukraine
The ruined eastern Ukrainian city Avdiivka was experiencing intense fighting as Moscow tried to press its forces forward, Ukraine's army said on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENTRussia has suffered heavy losses around the city and is ramping up its air bombardment, they added.
Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks in other areas of the 1,000km front line, Ukraine's army also claimed.
With Ukraine making only incremental gains in the east and south, Moscow launched an assault on Avdiivka - some 20 km from Russian-occupied Donetsk - in October.
Earlier this month, the Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces are likely preparing for another wave of highly attritional infantry-led ground assaults on Ukrainian positions in the area.
Russian UN envoys shoot back at Western criticism of Ukraine war
Western countries on Monday repeatedly called on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine and domestic repression of dissident voices, as Russia came under a regular review at the UN's top rights body.
ADVERTISEMENTA delegation from Moscow, led by State Secretary and Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Loginov, defended Russia's “special military operation” in Ukraine, saying it had “no relation to the subject matter" at issue in the review.
He also said Russia had a right to ensure law and order by restricting some forms of protest or voices that might threaten domestic security.
Monday's hearing in Geneva was part of an exercise known as the universal periodic review (UPR), which all UN member states face around every five years with the Human Rights Council.
Western countries during Monday's session denounced the deportation of Ukrainian children, Russia's crackdown on civil society and the arrest of rights defenders, including Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza. They also condemned Russia for curbing the rights of LGBTQI people and those protesting against the war.
“Where does one start? Since the last UPR, Russia’s repression at home has intensified, enabling its oppression overseas — not least the continuing atrocities in Ukraine," said Britain's ambassador in Geneva.
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian pilots trained on F-16s next year
The Ukrainian army will be able to train its pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets from early 2024 in Romania, where a training centre was inaugurated on Monday.
The programme will "most likely" begin at the beginning of next year, according to a spokesperson for the Dutch army, which is supplying the planes.
Ukraine - desperately wanting to use the jets on the front against Russia - welcomed the opening of the centre in its neighbour.
“This is a concrete and significant contribution to the air coalition,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on X.
According to an agreement between NATO allies the Netherlands and Romania, the first five planes arrived last week. In total, 12 to 18 F-16s will be delivered.
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With the support of the United States - which makes the military jet - Denmark and the Netherlands vowed in August to provide up to 61 aircraft once Ukrainian pilots were trained.
Romanian pilots will also be trained at the facility, with US defence giant Lockheed Martin supporting training and plane maintenance.
Amid almost daily Russian strikes across its entire territory, Kyiv has asked Western allies for several months to strengthen its air defences.