Ukraine-Russia war latest: More than a dozen killed in daytime Russian glide bomb attack in Zaporizhzhia
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky describes the latest Russian glide bomb attack as ‘cruel’
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Your support makes all the difference.More than a dozen people have been killed after a Russian glide bomb hit a pedestrian street in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials have reported.
The missile hit some of the city’s industrial infrastructure just before 3.45pm local time while civilians were out in the street.
Images released by local governor Ivan Fedorov showed bodies lying on the street with vehicles smashed and engulfed in flames behind them.
“Thirteen killed in enemy attack on Zaporizhia,” Mr Fedorov wrote. “Russia is a terrorist country.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as “cruel” and carried out in full knowledge that it would maim or kill civilians.
“There is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer,” he wrote.
“Russia must be put under pressure for its terror. The protection of lives in Ukraine must be supported. Only through strength can such a war be ended with a lasting peace.”
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Ukraine military confirms responsibility over Engels strike
The Ukrainian military has confirmed responsibility for a drone strike against a Russian oil base in the city of Engels.
They said they hit the Russian oil base, known as Kristall, to “reduce [Russia’s] ability to strike peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects”, as well as to “create serious logistical problems for Russian occupiers’ strategic aviation”.
They claimed the oil base, located near a major Russian military airbase, was fueling bomber planes that were later being used to fire missiles at Ukraine.
It is not usual practice for the Ukrainians to officially state responsibility for attacks deep inside of Russia.
You can read their full statement below.
Ukraine military says it shot down 41 Russian drones launched overnight
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that Russia launched a total of 64 drones at the country overnight.
Of those drones, Ukraine‘s air force shot down 41, while 22 “imitator drones” did not reach their targets, the air force added.
Drone debris fell on a private residence in the Kyiv region, damaging its facade and windows without causing any casualties, according to the local authorities.
Footage shows aftermath of fire in Russian region
Footage published this morning has shown the aftermath of what local Russian officials are claiming is a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil facility in the city of Engels.
Russian media outlets have claimed the oil facility was used to fuel Russian bomber planes. The city is host to a major military base.
Ukraine stages drone attack on Russia's Saratov region, causing big fire
Ukrainian drones struck deep inside Russia overnight and attacked the Saratov region, causing a major fire in the city of Engels, the local governor said on Wednesday.
The region hosts a major air base for strategic bomber planes that form part of Russia’s nuclear forces. Ukraine has attacked the base with drones before, but there was no word on whether it had been targeted on this occasion.
Russian news reports said the fire was at an oil facility. Unverified videos and photos published on social media showed a large fire burning with orange flames, sending thick clouds of smoke into the night sky.
Regional governor Roman Busargin said the cities of Saratov and Engels, on opposite sides of the Volga river, had been subject to a “mass drone attack” and there was a fire at an industrial site, but that there were no known casualties.
“There are sufficient forces and resources to localise the fire,” he posted on Telegram.
Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement that 11 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight over the Saratov region, and 21 over other parts of Russia and the Azov Sea. It did not mention any damage.
The Engels air base is located about 450 miles southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometres from the Ukrainian border. In December 2022, three Russian air force personnel were killed when a drone was shot down there.
Independent news outlet Astra said the oil depot where the fire was burning provided fuel for the air base. The Independent was not immediately able to confirm that.
Ukraine Kursk offensive: What Kyiv stands to gain and lose in surprise counterattack on Russian soil
Ukraine has launched a fresh counterattack in the Russian border region of Kursk as it looks to gain the most territory it can ahead of possible peace negotiations – with US president-elect Donald Trump saying he wants to end the war as soon as possible.
The attack started over the weekend, with unverified footage circulated by Russian military bloggers showing a column of Ukrainian tanks and armoured personnel carriers heading towards the village of Berdin, a small area outside of what Ukraine currently controls in Kursk.
Kyiv’s military has not officially acknowledged a fresh offensive, months after an initial incursion that caught Russia off guard and allowed Ukraine to capture a swathe of Russian territory in the region. The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said: “Kursk region, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves.”
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Ukrainian refugee family learns that son is alive after almost three years of captivity in Russia
A Ukrainian refugee family have received the heartwarming news that their son is alive – nearly three years after he was captured by Russian forces while battling the invading forces in his homeland.
Valeriia and Roman Biletskiy fled to Washington state at the start of the brutal war in February 2022 along with seven of their children. Their other child, Roman Jr., instead remained, and enlisted to defend Ukraine. However, three months later, he was captured by Russian forces and later, presumed dead.
But on Monday 30 December, the couple saw a picture shared by Ukraine’s media that showed their son Roman Biletskiy Jr., 25, alive, and sitting at the back of a bus with a group of men who had just been freed from a Russian prison.
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Ukraine still fighting for eastern town despite Russian claims of a takeover
Ukraine has denied Russian claims that they have captured a key town in the eastern Donetsk region, but admitted that the situation looks desperate.
Russia claimed control of the eastern town of Kurakhove on Monday, after months of heavy fighting. The town has been decimated by continuous Russian shelling.
A Ukrainian military spokesperson, however, said on Monday that fighting is ongoing in the western outskirts of the town.
“Currently, the situation in Kurakhove is indeed quite difficult, because a significant part of the city has been destroyed,” spokesperson Viktor Tregubov said.
Ukraine still fighting for eastern town despite Russian claims of a takeover
Ukraine says the eastern town of Kurakhove remains partially in their control despite heavy Russian bombing
Ukraine says Trump’s envoy’s visit cancelled but will be rescheduled
An upcoming trip to Kyiv by US president-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia has been canceled but will be rescheduled, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said yesterday.
The planned meetings between Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general who has long been Mr Trump’s top adviser on defence issues, and Ukrainian officials are “extremely important,” Mr Sybiha told reporters in the Ukrainian capital.
“I am confident that this meeting will take place in its own time,” he said during a news conference with his visiting Icelandic counterpart. “We are in contact to clearly define the timeline for its organisation and to ensure that the meeting is as meaningful as possible.”
Mr Trump’s arrival in the White House on 20 January injects another measure of uncertainty into how the almost three-year-old war might unfold and whether it can end in the foreseeable future.
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