Russian attack on frontline town in Donbass – the nightly update without photos EU Chief Diplomat: Majority in the EU against a payment freeze for Palestinians

The Russian army is trying to encircle one of Ukraine’s most important bastions in Donbass: the industrial city of Avdiivka in the immediate vicinity of Donetsk. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the offensive attacks had been repulsed: 13 attacks near Avidiyivka itself, 10 attacks near the village of Stepove, which is slightly further north. But the offensive, supported by planes, artillery and dozens of tanks, is the Russian army’s biggest in weeks. On Thursday evening, Russia again attacked the south and east of Ukraine with numerous combat drones, the Ukrainian air force announced.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made new promises of military aid following a visit to Brussels. “Our main focus is on strengthening our air defense and the main instruments at the front, artillery and long-range systems,” the head of state said in his video message on Wednesday evening.

Ukraine has been defending a Russian invasion for almost 20 months. Thursday is the 596th day of the war.

Offensive against frontline town Avdiivka

Located just over 15 kilometers from Donetsk, Avdiivka has been a frontline town since 2014, when fighting began in the east between Moscow-led separatists and the Ukrainian army. When Russia began its large-scale invasion in 2022, the city, which was dominated by a large coking plant, still had more than 30,000 inhabitants. It is said that only a few hundred people are holding out there despite the shelling. According to military experts, the Russian offensive is intended to remove pressure on other sectors of the front and tie down the Ukrainian forces.

The head of Avdiivka’s military government, Vitaly Barabash, called the Russian attacks the heaviest since the invasion began in February 2022. About sixty tanks were deployed on Tuesday. Russian infantry groups are currently attacking with air support, but without tank technology, he told Donbass Realiji radio station. On Wednesday alone, 23 rockets were fired into the city. Russian sources reported territorial gains north of Avdiivka. The information could not initially be independently verified.

$500 million in aid

During the meeting of its supporting countries in the so-called Ramstein format, Ukraine received aid worth 500 billion dollars (471 million euros). Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umarov said this on Wednesday after the meeting in Brussels. The list includes anti-aircraft defense, ammunition, aid for the coming winter and F-16 fighter jets, Umerow said.

During the unannounced visit to Brussels, Zelenskyj personally attended a meeting of defense ministers in Ramstein for the first time. He spoke with American department head Lloyd Austin, the new American chief of staff Charles Brown and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In addition to aid packages from the US, Great Britain and Finland, Belgium promised to supply F-16s.

“So it was a strong day!” Zelensky said. «Belgium, thank you! To all Ramstein allies: thank you! I am grateful to the United States for its leadership and support! Every day our soldiers and our entire people become stronger.” The new commitments are important for the attacked country because the supporter front is becoming vulnerable in some places. A budget dispute in the US is blocking the financing of further aid to Ukraine.

What was special was that Zelensky filmed himself giving his speech on the train – with driving sounds in the background. For security reasons, foreign politicians currently only travel to Kiev by night train. It is believed that Zelenskyj also takes the train on his unannounced trips abroad and back.

Night air and artillery attacks

Warnings about Russia’s Shahed drones, which descend on their targets kamikaze-style with explosive charges, hit many Ukrainian areas on Thursday evening. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, explosions were reported in the Kharkov areas in the east and Odessa and Kherson in the south. There was no information yet about possible damage.

Conversely, the Russian side reported two deaths following an alleged Ukrainian drone strike in the Belgorod border area. Rescuers recovered the bodies of a woman and a man from the rubble of a house, state news agency Tass reported, citing Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. It is still suspected that a child is buried under the rubble. This information could not initially be verified.

Russian artillery shells continued to hit the regional capital Kherson, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November 2022, on Wednesday evening, authorities said. Several tall buildings were damaged. Kherson is located directly on the Dnipro River, the southern bank of which is occupied by Russian troops.

Earlier in the day, Russian shelling hit the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Rescue teams pulled four dead people from the rubble of a school in the evening, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced.

That will be important on Thursday

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan and wants to speak to President Sadyr Japarov there. The Russian-led defense alliance CSTO is also conducting military maneuvers in the high mountains. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are involved. (sda/dpa)