{"id":120769,"date":"2024-12-30T14:45:37","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T14:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-putins-forces-suffering-record-losses-in-east-as-moscow-launches-drone-assault-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2024-12-30T14:45:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T14:45:37","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-putins-forces-suffering-record-losses-in-east-as-moscow-launches-drone-assault-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-putins-forces-suffering-record-losses-in-east-as-moscow-launches-drone-assault-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin\u2019s forces \u2018suffering record losses in east\u2019 as Moscow launches drone assault – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Vladimir Putin faces mounting pressure to admit responsibility for Azerbaijan plane crash in Kazakhstan
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Russian forces are \u201csuffering record losses<\/a>\u201d in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Kyiv<\/a>\u2019s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has claimed.
Vladimir Putin<\/a>\u2019s troops are attacking along multiple points <\/a>of the frontline in Donetsk, ultimately advancing towards the city of Pokrovsk<\/a>, a linchpin of the wider region\u2019s defences. They have taken more than 400 square miles of territory<\/a> since February this year in that area.
But their advances have come at a severe loss in personnel. \u201cThe enemy continues to carry out continuous meaty assaults, suffering record losses,\u201d says Gen. Syrskyi.
Western intelligence estimates suggest that the Russian military\u2019s daily casualties in the area number between 1,000 and 1,2000.
It comes as Ukraine<\/a>\u2019s air defence downed 21 drones out of 43 launched by Russia<\/a> in an overnight attack targeting six regions across the country, Kyiv\u2019s air force said.
Military analysts said Ukraine was increasingly using electronic warfare to redirect or spoof Russian drones.
Drone debris damaged residential houses in the eastern Kharkiv region and in the Odesa region in the south, regional officials said.
The first Ukrainian aid package to Syria will arrive in the country tomorrow, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has announced.
The leader said 500 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat flour will arrive in Syria tomorrow. \u201cAnd there will be more deliveries, as well as more mutually beneficial cooperation in many areas,\u201d he added.
The support comes just weeks after a Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad in a stunning offensive earlier this month. Mr al-Assad flew to Moscow upon invitation from the Kremlin, where he now lives in exile, to avoid the advancing HTS.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha recently led a delegation to the Syrian capital of Damascus to speak with the new administration.
\u201cWe support the Syrian people in overcoming decades of dictatorial rule and restoring stability, security, and normal life in Syria,\u201d said Mr Zelensky.
Below, you can see the latest updates on the frontline in Ukraine, according to The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank.
Russian forces are \u201csuffering record losses\u201d as they carry out constant assaults in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Kyiv\u2019s military chief has claimed.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi says the fighting in that region, where Russian forces are advancing along multiple points, \u201cremains the hottest\u201d of the roughly 650-mile frontline.
\u201cHe worked in units and subdivisions conducting a defensive operation in the Donetsk region,\u201d read a statement issued on Gen. Syrskyi\u2019s behalf \u201cThese areas remain the hottest. The enemy continues to carry out continuous meaty assaults, suffering record losses.\u201d
The United States has announced nearly $6 billion (\u00a34.76bn) in additional military and budget assistance for\u00a0Ukraine\u00a0as president Joe Biden uses his final weeks in office to surge aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes power.
Biden announced $2.5 billion in additional security assistance for\u00a0Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States has made available $3.4 billion in additional budget aid to\u00a0Ukraine, giving the war-torn country critical resources amid intensifying Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
\u201cAt my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office,\u201d Biden said in a statement.
Biden\u2019s announcement includes $1.25 billion in military aid drawn from US stockpiles and a $1.22 billion\u00a0Ukraine\u00a0Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package, the final USAI package of Biden\u2019s time in office.
Under USAI, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.
Since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine the area of arable land available for harvest has decreased 20%, a minister said.
Vitalii Koval, Ukraine\u2019s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, shared this information during a television broadcast<\/a>.
\u201cWe are facing objective factors contributing to rising food prices. For instance, the area of arable land today is 20% smaller than before the war.
\u201cThis year, crops were harvested from 19.8 million hectares. Additionally, the price increase for each type of product depends on how integrated Ukraine is into the global market for that particular product,\u201d Koval explained.
Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, the area of arable land available for harvest in Ukraine has decreased by 20%.<\/p>\n

Footage shows the moment a Russian base is destroyed in a Ukrainian air strike killing six in occupied Zaporizhzhia.
Aerial reconnaissance by the Defense Ministry\u2019s Main Intelligence force identified the headquarters\u2019 location, according to their post on Facebook.
Working with the Tavria Group of Forces, they carried out a \u201cprecise missile strike\u201d on the target.
The operation resulted in the destruction of the headquarters, with six Russian personnel eliminated and three others seriously injured.
President Joe Biden announced $2.5 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine on Monday as he uses his final weeks in office to surge military aid to Kyiv before Donald Trump takes power.
\u201cAt my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine\u2019s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office,\u201d Biden said in a statement.
Biden\u2019s announcement includes $1.25 billion in military aid drawn from stockpiles and a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package, the final USAI package of Biden\u2019s time in office.
The black box from the Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan, believed to have been caused by shots from the ground in Russia, has been recovered and is being sent to Brazil for investigation
There were 67 people on board the aircraft, including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz citizens. 38 were killed.
The government in Astana explained that the decision to send the flight recorders to Brazil was based on the fact that the Azal aircraft was manufactured there and followed \u201cconsultations with Azerbaijan and Russia.\u201d
\u201cIn accordance with the standards of Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, the state conducting the investigation ensures the reading of flight recorders and decides on the selection of a country to read and decode the black boxes,\u201d the statement said<\/a>, highlighting that Kazakhstan is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Falling Russian strike drones damaged five buildings in the Rozdilna district of the Odesa region.
Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kipe said on Telegram: \u201cAt night, Russian terrorists attacked Odesa with attack drones. Our air defense forces destroyed most of the enemy targets.
\u201cAs a result of falling debris in the Rozdilnian district, window glazing, facades and roofs of five residential buildings were damaged without subsequent burning.
\u201cThere are currently no casualties or injuries.\u201d
Ukraine’s military intelligence says that North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in the Kursk region and are facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks
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