The war in Ukraine is a complex and ongoing conflict that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The war has killed more than 14,000 people and displaced millions more. Despite several ceasefire agreements, the fighting has continued with varying intensity and frequent violations. Here are some of the latest developments and news about the war in Ukraine:
- Ukraine has been widening the breach in Russia’s defences in the southern Zaporizhzhia region as its counter-offensive continues to make slow progress against Moscow’s forces1. Ukrainian forces have been operating armoured vehicles beyond the Russian anti-tank ditch and dragon’s teeth obstacles in the area for the first time, analysts say2. This is an important sign of progress, but it is not clear if Ukraine has broken through the last visible defensive positions2. Ukraine’s goal is to cut off Russia’s supply lines that connect the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don to Crimea, which would make it difficult for Russia to maintain its huge garrison in Crimea1.
- As Ukraine has been trying to widen the breach near Robotyne, a village in Zaporizhzhia region, Russia has been bringing reinforcements into the region - including some of its best trained soldiers that had previously been deployed elsewhere1. The UK Ministry of Defence says the redeployments of Russia’s paratroop formations, known as the VDV, have probably weakened its defences around the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which has endured some of the heaviest fighting of the war1. Ukraine has gained some ground in the surrounding areas and secured the villages of Klishchiivka and Andriivka, about 8km (five miles) south of the city1.
- Russia has been executing some of its own retreating soldiers, according to the White House. The US says that heavy losses and poor morale are leading to mutinies in some units3. Russia has also been conducting drone attacks on Ukraine’s River Danube ports, damaging the country’s grain export infrastructure3. Russia has also rehearsed a ‘massive’ nuclear strike as part of its military drills, according to its defence ministry. The drills come as Moscow pulls out of a treaty banning physical nuclear weapons tests2.
- Ukraine has evacuated children from some areas as Russian attacks mount. With fighting intensifying in Donetsk and Kherson, officials are forcibly ordering people to leave3. Just over 1,000 civilians remain in Avdiivka, a town that has been a focus of a bloody Russian assault in eastern Ukraine2. Ukraine is also planning to build its first underground school in a war-torn area to protect children from shelling2.
- A poll shows that 20 months into the war, Russian public support for President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has dropped significantly. An overwhelming majority of Russians now want to end the war and seek a peaceful solution4. However, Putin has shown no signs of backing down and has accused the West of provoking the conflict and supporting Ukraine’s ‘fascist’ government2.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says European leaders are ‘tired of Ukraine war’ in a prank call by Russian pranksters posing as African diplomats. Meloni regrets being deceived by the pranksters, whose remarks play into the hands of the Kremlin. Meloni also said that Italy would not send troops to Ukraine and that she hoped for a diplomatic solution5.
I hope this gives you an overview of the war in Ukraine. If you want to learn more, you can check out these sources:
1: CNBC article on Ukraine’s latest updates 2: MSN article on Russian public opinion 3: MSN article on Italian PM’s prank call 4: BBC article on war in Ukraine 5: BBC article on war in maps
