Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv disputes Moscow’s claim to control Maryinka in country’s east | Ukraine

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Ukraine military chief disputes Russian claim to control Maryinka in east

The commander of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Tuesday his troops remained in an area of the eastern town of Maryinka despite assertions by Russia’s defence minister that Moscow was in control of the settlement, which has been reduced to ruins after many months of fighting.

Reuters reports that Valery Zaluzhnyi acknowledged to reporters that the town was in ruins, but said Ukrainian troops were still positioned on its northern flank.

Deepstate, a popular Ukrainian war blog, reported late on Tuesday that Russian troops had taken over all areas of the town that had previously been outside its control.

Reuters could not confirm reports of military activity from either side.

Capturing Maryinka would amount to Moscow’s most significant battlefield gain since May.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Maryinka in May amid battles with Russian troops
Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Maryinka in May amid battles with Russian troops. Photograph: Libkos/AP

Zaluzhnyi told journalists that Russian forces had for two years been bearing down on Maryinka, a short drive from the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk. He said:

At this time today, our troops are still in northern areas. Our troops had readied a defensive line outside this locality, but I can say that this locality no longer exists.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, said in a televised video with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Monday:

Our assault units … have today completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka.

Putin said taking the town would enable Russian troops to be able to operate in a wider area.

Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian forces were resolved to defend any corner of the country, be it in Maryinka or Bakhmut or Avdiikva, two other towns in the country’s east subject to months of fighting.

Bakhmut was captured by Russian troops in May and Ukrainian forces have been trying to secure nearby villages in a counteroffensive launched soon after. Avdiivka, adjacent to Maryinka, remains in Ukrainian hands, but has been under fierce attack for two months.

Key events

EU aid wont change war’s outcome, says Moscow

Any fresh European Union aid to Ukraine will not affect the outcome of the conflict, the Kremlin has said.

It added that such spending would only hurt Europe’s economy.

Commenting on EU plans to provide €20bn ($22.1bn) to Ukraine that would sidestep opposition from Hungary, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was up to EU taxpayers to realise that their money was being misspent.

Summary of the day so far

The time in Kyiv is 1.30pm. Here are the key developments from the day so far:

  • The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has held talks in Moscow with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and said progress had been made on plans for Russia and India to jointly produce military equipment.

  • Ukraine’s armed forces commander has said his troops remain in an area of the eastern town of Maryinka despite Russia’s assertions that Moscow is in control of the settlement. Capturing Maryinka would amount to Moscow’s most significant battlefield gain since May.

  • Russia’s newest howitzers will be deployed “soon” against Ukrainian forces. The head of the state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, told the RIA news agency that testing of the new self-propelled artillery units, named Coalition-SV, had been completed and mass production has already started, with the first pilot batch to be delivered by the end of this year.

  • Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, has warned that a move by Japan to hand over Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, would have “grave consequences” for Russia-Japan ties.

  • Russia has lost 355,750 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, according to data published by the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces on Wednesday. This includes 790 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day. The Guardian has been unable to verify the figures.

  • One person was killed after Russian forces sent dozens of attack drones over Ukraine in their latest overnight airstrike, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukraine‘s interior ministry also reported another death from overnight shelling of Kherson.

  • Russian forces shelled the railway station in Kherson as a train was set to evacuate residents, killing one police officer and injuring four people, said Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko.

India and Russia have made progress in talks on plans to jointly produce military equipment, according to Reuters. The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, shared the update on Wednesday after talks in Moscow with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Here are some of the the latest images coming out of Kherson, where a railway station was shelled overnight:

Two workers in high-viz vests clear debris on to a truck outside a railway station in Kherson, which shows visible shelling damage after a Russian military strike.
Workers clean an area at a railway station in Kherson after it was attacked in a Russian military strike. Photograph: Reuters
A worker in high-viz vest uses a shovel to clear debris on the floor outside a railway station in Kherson. Behind him is a stationary train and a soldier.
A worker shovels debris at a railway station in Kherson – the site of yesterday’s Russian military strike. Photograph: Reuters
Three women stand talking beside a small crater on the pavement and next to damaged buildings, following a Russian military strike in Kherson.
Local residents stand at a site of a yesterday’s Russian military strike in Kherson. Photograph: Reuters

Russia’s newest howitzers will soon be deployed against Ukrainian forces as part of its “special military operation”, Sergei Chemezov, the head of the state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec has told the RIA news agency.

Speaking on Wednesday, Chemezov told Russia’s state news agency that testing of the new self-propelled artillery units, named Coalition-SV, had been completed and mass production had already started, with the first pilot batch to be delivered by the end of this year.

Reuters reports Chemezov as saying:

I think they will appear there [on the battlefield in Ukraine] soon, since howitzers of this class are needed to provide an advantage over western artillery models in terms of firing range

Russia’s Tass state news agency reported earlier this month that single Coalition-SV howitzers had already been deployed to the frontline in Ukraine.

Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, has warned that a move by Japan to hand over Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, would have “grave consequences” for Russia-Japan ties.

Reuters reports that Zakharova made the comments on Wednesday. Japan, which had already joined its western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia, expanded its export blacklist earlier this month. It also includes a ban on Russian diamonds for non-industrial use.

Russia has lost 355,750 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, according to data published by the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces on Wednesday and cited by the Kyiv Independent. This includes 790 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The report also details Russia’s military vehicle losses. They are:

  • 5,913 tanks

  • 10,973 armoured fighting vehicles

  • 11,140 vehicles and fuel tanks

  • 8,376 artillery systems

  • 934 multiple-launch rocket systems

  • 616 air defence systems

  • 329 airplanes

  • 324 helicopters

  • 6,471 drones

  • 23 ships and boats

  • One submarine

The Guardian has been unable to verify the figures.

One person was killed after Russian forces sent dozens of attack drones over Ukraine in their latest overnight airstrike, Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday.

A 35-year-old man was killed by debris from a downed drone in a residential area, the governor of Ukraine‘s Odesa region said. The interior ministry said four others, including a six-year-old child, were wounded.

According to Reuters, the Ukraine air force reported that 32 of 46 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia had been shot down. These were downed over parts of central, southern and western Ukraine, it added. Most of the rest struck near the frontline, mainly in the southern Kherson region.

Ukraine‘s interior ministry also reported a separate fatality from overnight shelling of Kherson.

Ukraine military chief disputes Russian claim to control Maryinka in east

The commander of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Tuesday his troops remained in an area of the eastern town of Maryinka despite assertions by Russia’s defence minister that Moscow was in control of the settlement, which has been reduced to ruins after many months of fighting.

Reuters reports that Valery Zaluzhnyi acknowledged to reporters that the town was in ruins, but said Ukrainian troops were still positioned on its northern flank.

Deepstate, a popular Ukrainian war blog, reported late on Tuesday that Russian troops had taken over all areas of the town that had previously been outside its control.

Reuters could not confirm reports of military activity from either side.

Capturing Maryinka would amount to Moscow’s most significant battlefield gain since May.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Maryinka in May amid battles with Russian troops
Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Maryinka in May amid battles with Russian troops. Photograph: Libkos/AP

Zaluzhnyi told journalists that Russian forces had for two years been bearing down on Maryinka, a short drive from the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk. He said:

At this time today, our troops are still in northern areas. Our troops had readied a defensive line outside this locality, but I can say that this locality no longer exists.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, said in a televised video with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Monday:

Our assault units … have today completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka.

Putin said taking the town would enable Russian troops to be able to operate in a wider area.

Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian forces were resolved to defend any corner of the country, be it in Maryinka or Bakhmut or Avdiikva, two other towns in the country’s east subject to months of fighting.

Bakhmut was captured by Russian troops in May and Ukrainian forces have been trying to secure nearby villages in a counteroffensive launched soon after. Avdiivka, adjacent to Maryinka, remains in Ukrainian hands, but has been under fierce attack for two months.

Opening summary

We’re restarting our rolling coverage of the war. Here’s an overview of the latest developments:

Ukraine’s armed forces commander has said his troops remain in an area of the eastern town of Maryinka despite Russia’s assertions that Moscow is in control of the settlement.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi acknowledged on Tuesday the town was in ruins after prolonged fighting but said Ukrainian troops were still positioned on its northern flank.

Capturing Maryinka would amount to Moscow’s most significant battlefield gain since May.

More on that story shortly. In other news:

  • Russian forces shelled the railway station in Kherson as a train was set to evacuate residents, killing one policeman and injuring four people, said Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko.

  • The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee has approved Sweden’s bid for Nato membership but it still needs to pass a full vote of the parliament.

  • The Ukrainian air force said it struck Russia’s Novocherkassk navy ship during an air attack on Feodosia in Crimea, controlled by Russia. Ukraine said the ship was destroyed while Russia said it was damaged. Footage and photographs showed powerful explosions, fires over a port area, and burnt wreckage.

  • The Ukrainian army chief, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said he was not satisfied with the work of military draft offices responsible for mobilising troops. His comments came a day after Ukraine’s parliament published the text of a draft law including lowering the age of men who can be mobilised to 25 from 27.

  • Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defence minister, said he wanted “to express deep gratitude” to the British government “for providing basic training to Ukraine’s combat air pilots”.

  • Taiwan’s economy ministry said it expanded a list of sanctioned goods for Russia and Belarus. The list includes equipment for making semiconductors, where Taiwan is a world leader, as well as certain chemicals and medicines.

  • Japan’s Mitsui & Co has decided to pull its employees out of Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The decision is yet another blow for the project. Fearing the backlash from US sanctions targeting the project, foreign shareholders have suspended their participation.

  • The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Moscow on Wednesday, Russia’s foreign ministry has said. The ministers plan to discuss bilateral ties as well as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.



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