Russia-Ukraine war live: dozens of attacks in Avdiivka repelled, says Kyiv, as Russia presses on supply lines | Russia #RussiaUkraine #war #live #dozens #attacks #Avdiivka #repelled #Kyiv #Russia #presses #supply #lines #Russia

Russian troops press on town of Avdiivka

Ukraine says its forces have repelled 32 enemy attacks in the town of Avdiivka, dominated by a vast coking plant, Reuters reports.

The head of the military administration in the town, less than 12km from the outskirts of the Moscow-held regional capital of Donetsk, said Russian forces were “pressing on the entire defensive line around the town”.

Ukrainian soldiers walk through Avdiivka, Ukraine. Photograph: Getty Images

“Weather conditions prevent the occupiers from using their vehicles, so they resort to ‘human wave’ assaults, throwing more personnel into battles,” Vitaliy Barabash said.

Moscow’s forces have been inching forward on the flanks to try to cut supply lines.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said Russian forces had suffered heavy losses around the town.He told national television Russian forces had dropped about 450 aerial bombs in the region and were bringing in reserves.

The Russian defence ministry rarely mentions Avdiivka in its reports, but the war blog Rybar said on Friday that battles were raging by the coking plant and near Stepove village north of the city. Rybar acknowledged that the front was all but unchanged.

Key events

Ukraine’s first lady warns Ukrainians in ‘mortal danger’ without foreign aid

Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has warned that Ukrainians are in “mortal danger” of being left to die if western countries do not continue their financial support in an interview with the BBC.

Zelenska made the remarks a day after Republican senators in the US blocked a key aid bill that would have provided more than $60bn worth of support to Ukraine.

Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine. Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images

Zelenska told the BBC the slowdown in aid represented a “mortal danger” for her country:

We really need the help. In simple words, we cannot get tired of this situation, because if we do, we die. And if the world gets tired, they will simply let us die.

It hurts us greatly to see the signs that the passionate willingness to help may fade. It is a matter of life for us. Therefore, it hurts to see that.

The White House has warned that US funds for Ukraine could soon run out, and Republicans have held up a deal to authorise more assistance.

The UK has also been urging politicians in Washington DC to agree a deal for Ukraine. UK foreign secretary David Cameron said on a visit to Washington this week that the US was the “linchpin” of the western coalition backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

Russian troops press on town of Avdiivka

Ukraine says its forces have repelled 32 enemy attacks in the town of Avdiivka, dominated by a vast coking plant, Reuters reports.

“Weather conditions prevent the occupiers from using their vehicles, so they resort to ‘human wave’ assaults, throwing more personnel into battles,” Vitaliy Barabash said.

Moscow’s forces have been inching forward on the flanks to try to cut supply lines.

Opening summary

It is 10am in Kyiv and we’re are restarting our rolling coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine says its forces have repelled 32 enemy attacks in the town of Avdiivka as Russian troops have been inching forward to try to cut supply lines. The head of the military administration in the town, less than 12km from the outskirts of the Moscow-held regional capital of Donetsk, said Russian forces were “pressing on the entire defensive line around the town”.

More details shortly, in other recent developments:

The Kremlin has said that the idea Russia would engage in peace talks with Ukraine on Kyiv’s terms in 2024 was unrealistic. It was responding to a media report that said Washington wanted such a scenario to unfold. Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, called the idea “absolutely unrealistic”.
Russia has launched a wave of cruise missiles against Ukraine, killing at least one person and injuring six, as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, warned of attacks by Moscow this winter on energy infrastructure. Ukrainian air defences shot down 14 out of 19 missiles fired by Russia during a morning airstrike Ukrainian officials said, including those heading for Kyiv.
Vladimir Putin has said he will run for re-election in the March 2024 presidential poll, moving the longtime Russian leader a step closer to a fifth term in office. The announcement was widely expected, with Putin’s long-term spokesperson saying in a previous interview: “Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90% of the vote.”
The Ukrainian parliament has approved four bills necessary to start European Union accession talks, including one on national minorities’ rights, a critical demand from Hungary which opposes Ukraine’s EU bid. Parliament’s website confirmed that president Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed all the bills into law. “
“We expect that Ukraine’s efforts will be duly appreciated by leaders of the European Union and the corresponding European promises to Ukraine will be fulfilled,” Zelenskiy said. Ukraine, he said, had “done everything expected of us” in taking on EU recommendations.
European Union leaders are conscious of how “existential” financial aid is to Ukraine and will honour their commitments, a senior official said, less than a week before a summit where billions in aid for Kyiv hang in the balance. Ahead of the year’s final summit of EU leaders in Brussels on the 14 and 15 December, Hungary has threatened to veto a proposal for the bloc to grant €50bn in budget aid to Kyiv through 2027.
The EU’s executive is due to approve next week a legal proposal on using proceeds from Russian assets frozen under sanctions, but doubts in France, Germany and Belgium mean Ukraine would not get the money anytime soon, officials and diplomatic sources said. The draft law is expected on 12 December, two days before the year’s final summit of the EU’s 27 national leaders at which billions of much-needed budgetary and military aid for Kyiv are at stake, as well as advancing Ukraine’s membership bid.
Zelenskiy has underscored Kyiv’s need for more air defences and the importance of EU unity in the run-up to a key summit next week. The Ukrainian leader said that during a call with Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, the leaders “discussed the importance of maintaining EU political and financial support for Ukraine, as well as EU unity in light of the expected [European Council] summit decisions to open accession negotiations and provide €50bn in support.”
Ukraine’s farm ministry has raised its 2023 grain harvest forecast to 59.7m tonnes, saying the country had a “record grain yield”. The total grain and oilseed harvest is expected to reach 81.3m tonnes, the ministry added in a statement.