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☆ Ukraine war latest updates: Russia's punishing strikes on Ukraine leave dead and injured, cars ablaze and buildings destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

DONETSK, UKRAINE - JANUARY 21: A view of the damage after the shelling in the market place in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is currently under Russian control, ongoing Russian and Ukrainian war on January 21, 2024. At least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured on Sunday due to shelling in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is currently under Russian control. (Photo by Leon Klein/Anadolu via Getty Images)The number of people killed or injured in a missile strike on a market in Donetsk city on Sunday has risen, a Russian-installed official said Monday. Pushilin blamed the attack on Ukraine, saying it had resorted to targeting civilians as a result of failures on the battlefield. Pushilin also claimed Ukraine had used cluster munitions in the strike, which the Kremlin described as a terrorist attack.

Persons: Leon Klein, Denis Pushilin, Pushilin, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Donetsk, RIA Novosti, Russian Locations: DONETSK, UKRAINE, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russian, Donetsk People's Republic, Ukraine

☆ Deadly Blast Hits Market in Ukrainian City Controlled by Russia, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At least 25 people were killed on Sunday when artillery shells hit a market in Donetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, the pro-Moscow head of the region said, blaming Ukrainian forces for the strike. If confirmed, the episode would be one of the most serious in recent months involving civilians in an area controlled by Moscow. The authorities in Ukraine did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not possible to independently confirm the strike. The area is roughly eight miles east of the front line in the war. The pro-Russian mayor of Donetsk, Aleksei Kulemzin, said on Telegram that the market “was attacked on Sunday, when it is busiest,” calling it “horrendous.”

Persons: Denis Pushilin, Aleksei Kulemzin Organizations: Moscow Locations: Donetsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kirovsky

☆ Thirteen killed after Ukraine shells Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian tank crews T64 battle tank fires on the Russian troops position on January 9, 2024 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Thirteen people were killed and 10 more injured after Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the Donetsk region, said on Sunday. According to Alexei Kulemzin, the city's Russian-installed mayor, Ukrainian forces shelled a busy area where shops and a market are located. Pushilin said emergency services were working at the scene and that the relevant specialists were also trying to collect fragments of the weapons used in the attack. Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions which Russia claimed to have annexed last year in a move condemned as illegal by most countries at the United Nations General Assembly.

Persons: Denis Pushilin, Alexei Kulemzin, Pushilin Organizations: United Nations General Assembly Locations: Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At least 13 people were killed Sunday by shelling at a market on the outskirts of the city of Donetsk in Russian-occupied Ukraine, local officials reported Sunday. A further 10 people were injured in the strike on the suburb of Tekstilshchik, said Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk. He said that the shells had been fired by the Ukrainian military. Kyiv has not commented on the event and the claims could not be independently verified by The Associated Press. Emergency services continue to work on the scene, Pushilin said.

Persons: Denis Pushilin, Pushilin Organizations: Associated Press, Emergency Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Tekstilshchik, Ukrainian

☆ At least 18 killed and 13 injured in Ukrainian strikes on Russian-controlled Donetsk
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Darya Tarasova | Teele Rebane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —At least 18 people were killed and 13 were injured by shelling near a market in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, officials say. He cautioned that the number of dead and injured was still being updated. Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow said in 2022 it would recognize as Russian territory – an annexation process which is illegal under international law. The region, which is partially but not fully controlled by Russian forces, is on the frontline of fighting in the east. Earlier this month, 11 people including five children were killed in Russian S-300 missile strikes in the region, according to the local military administration; after which, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Russia must feel - and always feel - that none of these strikes will be without consequences for the terrorist state.”

Persons: Denis Pushilin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Russian Locations: Russian, Donetsk, Ukraine, Donetsk People’s Republic, Moscow, Russia

☆ Ukrainian Attack Cuts Power to Some Russian-Occupied Areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Ukrainian strike on a power station in Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine overnight cut power to towns and cities, the pro-Russian authorities there said on Sunday, less than a day after Moscow launched a record number of attack drones toward Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The overnight attack was another sign of Kyiv’s determination to inflict damage on its adversary’s electricity infrastructure before what many in Ukraine expect will be a renewed wintertime assault by Russia on Ukraine’s power grid. Denis Pushilin, the pro-Moscow leader in the Russian-held part of the Donetsk region, said that most of the drones launched by Ukraine at the area overnight had been intercepted, but “due to the massiveness of the strikes, not everything was shot down.”“The situation is not easy,” he said on the Telegraph messaging app, adding that some towns and districts had been left without light. He did not say whether the attack had involved drones or missiles or a combination of the two.

Persons: Denis Pushilin, ” Organizations: Moscow Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russia, Donetsk

CNN —Russia has foiled at least 20 Ukrainian drone attacks over the past day, including on the capital, Moscow, officials said Sunday, a day after it launched its largest drone attack against the Ukrainian capital. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, 11 drones were destroyed over the territories of Moscow, Tula, Kaluga and Bryansk oblasts over Saturday night, adding later on Sunday that nine more were also destroyed over the same regions. A municipal service worker sweeps up debris on the playground of a drone-damaged preschool in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine, on November 25, 2023. Global Images Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesThe attacks follow Russia’s largest drone attack against Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv since the start of its full-scale invasion, according to local officials. A Telegram post from Ukraine’s Air Force said it had intercepted 71 Shahed drones across six regions of Ukraine, with the vast majority in Kyiv region.

Persons: Sergey Sobyanin, Alexey Dyumin, Denis Pushilin, ” Pushilin Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Moscow, Donetsk People’s, DPR, Ukraine’s Air Force, Kyiv Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Tula, Kaluga, Bryansk, Russian, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azov, a.m, Solomianskyi, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Russia says it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow, following a mass strike on Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An explosion of a drone is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 25, 2023. Moscow's Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports also briefly shut down because of the drone attack, according to Russia's state-run news agency Tass. The attack was "the most massive air attack by drones on Kyiv" in the war so far, Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration, said on Saturday. Ukrainian air force spokesman, Yurii Ihnat, confirmed later that same day that air defenses shot down 66 air targets over the Ukrainian capital and surrounding region throughout the morning. The Ukrainian air force early on Sunday said it had brought down eight of nine Iranian-made Shahed drones fired overnight by Russian forces.

Persons: Sergei Sobyanin, Andrei Vorobyev, Moscow's, Vitali Klitschko, Serhii Popko, Yurii Ihnat, Denis Pushilin Organizations: Sunday, Russia, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Telegram, Military, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian General Staff, Ukrainian, Staff Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Tula, Ukrainian, Russia, Soviet Ukraine, Azov, Crimea, Kyiv ., Donetsk, Mariupol, Avdiivka, Washington

☆ HIMARS strike by Ukraine targets Russian drone pilots at training school in Donetsk, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A HIMARS attack targeted a Russian drone training school in occupied Donetsk, say reportsActing head of the Donetsk People's Republic said six people were killed and 11 injuried in the attack. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian officials say a Ukrainian missile attack on Ukraine's occupied eastern Donetsk region targeted a Russian drone pilot training center, Newsweek reports. Acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, said a Ukrainian HIMARS attack resulted in six deaths and 11 injuries. AdvertisementAdvertisementEarlier this year, a HIMARS attack on five Russian units gathered on a beach resulted in 200 casualties and destroyed equipment. "A lot of people want to become drone pilots because they think the work is further back and safer," one front-line commander told the outlet.

Persons: —, Denis Pushilin, Vladimir Organizations: Donetsk People's, Mobility Artillery, Service, Newsweek, Euromaidan Press, Vladimir Zhoga Locations: Russian, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kherson, Russia, Zaporizhia

☆ Six killed, 11 wounded in Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk -Russian-installed official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/5] Rescuers work to put out fire outside a damaged residential building hit by recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsNov 7 (Reuters) - Shelling by Ukrainian forces killed six people in the city of Donetsk on Tuesday, a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine said. Eleven people were wounded, according to preliminary data, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer, Denis Pushilin, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian

☆ Russia imposes 'military censorship' on the internet, ban on public gatherings and strikes in occupied Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia, via a local proxy, is imposing a ban on public gatherings and strikes in occupied Ukraine. A decree published Sunday also announces that "military censorship" will be imposed on the internet. In a decree published Sunday, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People's Republic, "imposed military censorship on mail, Internet communications and phone conversations," Russian state media reported. The decree also prohibits public gatherings that have not received prior approval from military authorities, according to Reuters. The order comes as Ukrainian and Russian forces clash along the borders of Donetsk, which Moscow formally (and illegally) annexed last year.

Persons: Donestk, Denis Pushilin Organizations: Service, Donetsk People's, Reuters, Civilians, Pravda, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Institute for Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donestk People's Republic, Wall, Silicon, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Russian, Moscow, Donestk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Washington, Bakhmut

☆ Russian-installed head of Donetsk imposes five-hour curfew
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows a newly built apartment block next to those damaged in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Mariupol, Russian-controlled Ukraine, August 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsSept 24 (Reuters) - The Russian-installed head of the Russian-annexed Ukrainian region of Donetsk has imposed a curfew, according to a decree published on Sunday. Denis Pushilin banned the presence of civilians on streets and public places from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. on Mondays-Fridays, according to the decree. The decree forbade assemblies, rallies and demonstrations as well as other mass events in Russia-controlled parts of Donetsk region unless they were permitted by Operational Headquarters for Military Threat Response in Donetsk People's Republic. Among other steps entailed by Pushilin's order was the establishment of checkpoints and security posts at borders with Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Denis Pushilin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Operational Headquarters, Military, Pushilin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Mariupol, Russian, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian strikes on the eastern Donetsk region left six people dead and another nine wounded Saturday, said Denis Pushilin, the Russia-backed head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Ukrainian forces shelled the cities of Donetsk, Svitlodarsk and Horlivka, Pushilin said on Telegram. Several houses and civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged during the strikes, Pushilin added. Remember: The Donetsk People's Republic is a self-declared, Russian-backed separatist region in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has raged since 2014. This post has been updated to include the latest death and injury toll reported by Russia-backed authorities in Donetsk.

Persons: Denis Pushilin, Pushilin Organizations: Donetsk People's Locations: Donetsk, Russia, Donetsk People's Republic, Ukrainian, Svitlodarsk, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Five Killed, One Wounded in Donetsk, Russian-Installed Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Five civilians were killed and one wounded as a result of intense Ukrainian shelling of the Donetsk region on Saturday, said a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine. The five were killed in the Kirov and Kuibyshevskyi districts and a woman was injured in Svetlodarsk, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Reuters could not independently verify the information out of Donetsk, which with some other parts of eastern Ukraine has been partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014. On Saturday, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported heavy fighting and partial success of its forces as part of Ukraine's counteroffensive to reclaim land occupied by Russia in its 19-month invasion. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William Mallard)

Persons: Denis Pushilin, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces Locations: Donetsk, Russian, Ukraine, Kirov, Kuibyshevskyi, Svetlodarsk, Kyiv, Russia, Melbourne

“They just come and say ‘vote.’ So people vote,” Baska told CNN. “Here, when you buy a SIM card for your phone, you immediately get an SMS from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and United Russia Party,” Baska said. The text messages carry pro-Kremlin messaging, informing voters that “about 90% of voters are ready to vote for Yedianaya Rossiya (United Russia),” or that “United Russia is helping Zaporizhzhia region,” she added. Guerrilla activity by Ukrainian partisans has taken place but is more difficult to achieve now, Baska told CNN. ‘Nothing to do with democracy’Few residents in Melitopol are interested in the bogus elections taking place, Baska told CNN.

Persons: ”, Alexander Ermochenko, ” Baska, Yedianaya Rossiya, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Baska, Melitopol, …, Republic Denis Pushilin, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, ” Sobolevskyi Organizations: CNN, Communist, National Resistance Center, Ministry of Internal Affairs, United Russia Party, Kremlin, “, NRC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of, NATO, Yale Humanitarian Research, United Russia, Russian, Russian Guard Locations: Melitopol, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, United Russia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Kyiv, of Europe, ”, Mariupol, Crimea, Republic

The Russian-backed leader of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Telegram that “a fire occurred at a military training ground.” Askenov said residents of four surrounding villages – more than 2,000 people – were being evacuated. Smoke and flames billow over a military training ground following an explosion in the Kirovske district, Crimea, on July 19, 2023. Kyiv has not commented on Wednesday’s explosions at the Crimea training ground. Ukraine’s attack on the Crimea bridge dealt a logistical and symbolic blow to Moscow’s faltering military campaign. The $3.7 billion-dollar corridor, which is 12 miles long, is a critical artery for supplying the peninsula with both its daily needs and supplies for the Russian military, in addition to fuel and goods for civilians.

Persons: Sergey Aksyonov, ” Askenov, Vladimir Putin, Odesa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Hennadii Trukhanov, ”, Denis Pushilin Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Russian Grey Zone Telegram, Ukrainian, Shadow, Atesh, Ukrainian Air Force, Russian Defense Ministry, Monday, Russian, Presidential Press Service, Reuters Odesa, Facebook, Donetsk People’s, DPR, Ukraine’s Security Locations: Crimea, Stary Krym, Crimea’s Kirorvsky, Russian, Kirovske district, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Odesa, Iran, Moscow, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic

CNN —Russian tour operators are pleading with vacationers to Crimea not to make decisions “based on emotions,” as Ukraine’s strike on the Crimea bridge on Monday played havoc on travel between the occupied Ukrainian peninsula and Russia. Hundreds of cars were waiting Tuesday to cross the bridge both to and from Crimea, and Russian-backed officials were encouraging drivers to travel along the land route through occupied southern Ukraine. Or we shift their reservations in Crimea to later dates.”Road traffic over the Crimea bridge resumed overnight over one of the bridge’s four lanes, but there is heavy traffic. TASS reported that bus services from Rostov, in southern Russia, to Crimea had been restored – via southern Ukraine, rather than over the Crimea bridge. A tourist from the Russian city of Rostov told the Russian tourism website Tourdom about her experience driving to Crimea.

Persons: “, ” Elena Bazhenova, ”, ” Bazhenova, Multitour, ” Kizey, Viktor Korotaev, ” Denis Pushilin, ” Ilya Umansky Organizations: CNN, Russian Union of Tourist Industry, Tourists, AP Rail, Novosti, TASS, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Crimean Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Kerch, Russia’s Krasnodar, –, Krasnodar Territory, Moscow, Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mariupol, Donetsk People’s Republic, Chonhar, Ukraine’s Kherson, Rostov, Alushta

☆ Moscow says civilians hit in Makiivka attack that Kyiv says destroyed Russian unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said late on Tuesday that it destroyed a formation of Russian forces in the Moscow-controlled Makiivka in the Donetsk region, while Russia-installed officials said that one civilian died and 36 were injured in Kyiv's attacks. "As a result of precision firing by Defence Forces units, another formation of Russian terrorists in the temporarily occupied Makiivka ceased to exist," the strategic communication office of Ukraine's Armed Forces said. Russia-installed representatives in part of Ukraine's Donetsk region now controlled by Moscow and where Makiivka is situated said on the Telegram messaging app that one man died and at least 36 people were injured. Denis Pushilin, the Russia-installed head of those parts of Donetsk that Moscow controls said that among the injured were a 33-month-old baby and a 7-year-old boy. On New Year's Day, at least 89 Russian troops were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russian military quarters in Makiivka.

Persons: Makiivka, Denis Pushilin, Pushilin, Lidia Kelly, Muralikumar Organizations: Defence Forces, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Donetsk, Russia, Ukraine's Donetsk, Makiivka, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine retakes part of village near Bakhmut, head of Russia's Wagner says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] View of military vehicles as Ukrainian forces destroy Russian positions in direction of Bakhmut, near Klischiivka, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a video released on June 4, 2023. 3rd Assault Brigade / Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Handout via REUTERSJune 5 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the village of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, calling it a "disgrace". Prigozhin's private Wagner militia captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops. Ukrainian forces have continued to attack areas north and south of the city including Berkhivka, whose seizure Wagner had claimed on Feb. 24. The village lies about 3 km (1.9 miles) northwest of Bakhmut.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bakhmut, Wagner, Prigozhin, Denis Pushilin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, you'll, Shoigu, Mark Trevelyan, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: 3rd Assault Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Klischiivka, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, Russian, Berkhivka, Moscow, Donetsk

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke in Finland Friday about peace talks in Ukraine. "The prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy and real peace is a stronger Ukraine," he said. Blinken described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a catastrophic strategic failure for Moscow that had strengthened NATO, the European Union and Ukraine. Ukrainian officials acknowledged their forces were responsible and claimed Russian ships were evacuating the port. The U.K. Ministry of Defense said the incursions could be a Ukrainian strategy to disperse Russian forces before a counteroffensive.

Persons: Antony Blinken, —, Blinken, Potemkin, Grigory Potemkin, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Washington, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Serhii Popko, Denis Pushilin, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Roman Starovoit, Alexander Bogomaz Organizations: Service, —, Kremlin, NATO, European Union, General's, Gov, Russia Legion, Air, Ministry of Defense Locations: Finland, Ukraine, United States, Russia, China, Moscow, Kyiv, Crimean, Sweden, Baltic, Beijing, Brazil, Western, Azov, Berdyansk, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Donetsk province, Russia's Belgorod, Belgorod, Kursk, Russia's Bryansk, Russia's, Smolensk, Belarus

☆ Dozens of POWs freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox Easter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian prisoners of war pose for a picture after a swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location, Ukraine. "The lives of our people are the highest value for us," Yermak said, adding that Kyiv's goal was to bring back all remaining POWs. At Easter, which from time immemorial has been a family holiday for Ukrainians, a day of warmth, hope and great unity. Others in the line echoed Zaluzhnyy's words about a wartime Easter being a symbol of hope. Despite the shared Orthodox holiday, Russian shelling and missile attacks continued to sow destruction in Ukraine, according to social media statements from Ukrainian regional officials.

☆ Russia's Wagner claims it controls most of Bakhmut; Kyiv says forces holding firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File PhotoApril 11 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group on Tuesday said his forces controlled more than 80% of the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after some of war's heaviest and bloodiest fighting. Senior Ukrainian military officials did not address the claims directly, but said their forces were holding firm against fierce attacks in what once was a city of 70,000 and keeping Russian forces in check. The Russian-installed head of Donetsk region, one of four areas declared annexed by Moscow last September, said Russian forces had backed Ukrainian defenders into a corner. But Russian forces, she said, "are generally losing to us in street battles so they are simply destroying all buildings and structures". Russian forces have made only incremental gains in their advance through eastern Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The head of the Moscow-controlled part of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said Russian forces now held 75% of the city. As the battles ground on, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Ukraine was forced to amend some military plans ahead of its long-anticipated counter-offensive because of the leak of dozens of secret documents. HOT ON THE EASTERN FRONTA Ukrainian counter-offensive has long been expected after months of attritional warfare in the east. Elsewhere, Russia's defence ministry said its forces destroyed a depot with 70,000 tonnes of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, and Ukraine reported widespread Russian shelling in northern regions. In a rare coordination between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner swap, with 106 Russian captives freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.

☆ Russian official claims 75% of Bakhmut seized
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters) - The Russian-installed head of the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Monday that Russian forces controlled more than 75% of the besieged city of Bakhmut. The battle for Bakhmut has been one of the bloodiest of the 13-month war, drawing comparisons with World War One due to massive casualties on both sides. Moscow-installed regional leader Denis Pushilin published footage of himself on Telegram purportedly visiting the small mining city where battles have raged since last summer. Russia says the capture of Bakhmut will open up the possibility for future offensives across Ukraine, while Kyiv and the West say the now smashed city has only symbolic importance. In video from an unidentified underground location, Pushilin decorated fighters from the Wagner Group mercenary army that has been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut.

☆ Factbox: Who was Vladlen Tatarsky and why was he targeted?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 3 (Reuters) - Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg cafe on Sunday in which some 30 other people were wounded. Tatarsky – real name Maxim Fomin - was among the best-known members of an influential group of military bloggers who have provided a running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Tatarsky, 40, was among those who publicly demanded that Russia pursue the war even more aggressively. Tatarsky was the second high-profile war propagandist to be assassinated in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Tatarsky also had ties to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group fighting for Russia in Ukraine and also the former owner of the cafe.

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