Front-line combat in the Donbas has “devolved” into small groups of ad hoc troops fighting on foot, the Ministry of Defence has said.
In its daily update on Twitter, the MoD said Russian combat forces have begun “operating in increasingly ad hoc and severely undermanned groups”.
Citing Ukrainian authorities, the MoD said they believe some Russian Battalion Tactical Groups, which usually comprise of 600-800 personnel, “have been able to muster as few as 30 soldiers”.
“Some of Russia’s strengths, such as its advantage in number of tanks, become less relevant in this environment. This is likely contributing to its continued slow rate of advance,” the Ministry said.
Follow the latest updates below.
10:08 AM
European leaders arrive in Kyiv as tensions rise of weapons delivery
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi have arrived in Kyiv, a day after the United States announced $1 billion worth of new arms for embattled Ukrainian forces.
Kyiv’s troops are resisting a fierce onslaught in the Donbas region by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces, which are pushing to seize a swathe of eastern and southern Ukraine.
In a show of support, Mr Macron, Mr Scholz, and Mr Draghi are visiting the Ukrainian capital. The three leaders left Poland in the morning by train, according to an AFP video.
Asked by a journalist on arrival why he had come to Ukraine, Mr Macron said: “For a message of European unity.”
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, told German newspaper Bild this week he was concerned the three leaders would put pressure on Kyiv to accept a peace deal favourable to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
“They will say that we need to end the war that is causing food problems and economic problems … that we need to save Mr Putin’s face,” he said, referring to comments by Mr Macron this month that it was vital not to humiliate the Russian leader.
Ukrainian officials have also attacked Mr Scholz over his perceived hesitancy to provide the country with weapons.
09:54 AM
Slovakia donates 5 helicopters, Grad rockets
Slovakia has donated one Mi-2 and four Mi-17 helicopters and thousands of Grad rockets to Ukraine, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said on his Facebook account.
“This assistance to Ukraine, as well as all previous supplies, will be reimbursed from the European Peace Facility, which is a strong expression of the European Union’s solidarity with Ukraine,” Mr Nad said.
The defence minister said Ukraine was already using the donated helicopters and ammunition and that the helicopters donated had been replaced by UH-60M Black Hawks.
Slovakia has donated military equipment to Ukraine worth 154 million euros ($160 million) since the beginning of the war, the defence ministry said.
Ukraine has pleaded for allies to send more weapons to help it repel Russia’s invasion, with officials saying only a fraction of what they have asked for has so far been delivered.
09:37 AM
Russia not thinking about leaving WTO – IFAX
Russia is not considering an exit from World Trade Organisation, the Interfax news agency cited a deputy Russian foreign minister as saying on Tuesday.
09:13 AM
Ukraine today, in pictures
08:56 AM
France wants Ukraine victory that establishes total territorial integrity
France wants a military Ukrainian victory against Russia that reestablishes the territorial integrity of the country, including Crimea that was seized by Russia in 2014, a French diplomatic source said on Thursday.
The source added it was up to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to define what a military victory could be.
His comments come as Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi arrived in Kiyv on Thursday on a joint trip to show their backing for Ukraine as it struggles to withstand a Russian assault.
08:31 AM
Olaf Scholz vows support for Ukraine for ‘as long as necessary’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged enduring backing for Ukraine as he arrived in Kyiv along with leaders of France and Italy for the first time since Russia invaded its neighbour.
“We want to show not only solidarity, but also assure that the help that we’re organising – financial, humanitarian, but also, when it comes to weapons – will continue,” Mr Scholz told Bild daily.
“And that we will continue it as long as it is necessary for Ukraine’s fight” against Moscow, he said.
08:11 AM
European leaders arrive in Kyiv, in pictures
07:58 AM
10,000 civilians still in Severodonetsk: governor
Around 10,000 civilians are trapped in Ukraine’s eastern city of Severodonetsk, where intense fighting with Russia has raged for weeks, the local governor has said.
“Out of 100,000 residents, around 10,000 remain,” Sergiy Gaiday, the governor of the Lugansk region, said on Telegram. He said Kyiv’s army is “holding back the enemy as much as possible.”
07:43 AM
Japanese airline ditches ‘Z’ logo to avoid Russian military misunderstanding
Low-cost carrier Zipair Tokyo said Wednesday it will ditch its logo featuring the letter “Z,” a pro-war symbol often seen on Russian military vehicles, to avoid misunderstanding.
The president of the wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines told reporters at Narita Airport near Tokyo that some people might see the current logo as indicating that the company approves of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I think some people might feel that way when they see it without any explanation,” Shingo Nishida said.
The new logo will be a geometric pattern in green, black and white, the company said.
07:29 AM
Russia, U.S. at ‘a very, very hot point of confrontation’ – Kremlin
Moscow and Washington are currently at “a very, very hot point of confrontation”, the RIA news agency said, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Mr Peskov said earlier on Thursday that Russia and the United States must discuss the extension of the START nuclear arms reduction treaty.
07:23 AM
Russia’s Donbas advance ‘increasingly ad hoc’ – MoD
06:55 AM
Deadly rocket strike hits Sumy
The governor of Ukraine’s Sumy region has said four people were killed and six wounded in an overnight rocket strike on the outskirts of Sumy city.
06:45 AM
Macron, Scholz and Draghi on train to Kyiv
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi left Poland on Thursday on a train bound for Kyiv.
The three leaders left in the morning, according to an AFP video, which showed the trio sitting together in a train compartment.
It is the first time that the leaders of the three European Union countries have visited Kyiv since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
They are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the visit comes as Kyiv is pushing for membership of the EU.
06:16 AM
‘Drugged’ separatists used as ‘cannon fodder’
Russian-backed separatists fighting in Ukraine are suffering from staggering casualties, according to official figures, amid accusations that the Kremlin is using them as “cannon fodder”.
Moscow has not introduced mass mobilisation of the Russian population since the war began on February 24. However, forcible conscription has been in place for the two breakaway republics it supports in eastern Ukraine – the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
Families from the region have staged repeated protests over the “kidnapping” of their menfolk.
READ MORE: ‘Drugged’ separatists thrown into line of fire by Russia as ‘cannon fodder’
05:06 AM
Beijing expresses support for Russia
Russian forces continued to pressure Kyiv’s troops in Donbas, as Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in which Xi expressed support for Russia’s “sovereignty and security”.
Putin underscored that he was not as isolated internationally as his foes would wish with a call with Xi, their second reported call since Russian attacked Ukraine on February 24.
The Kremlin said that the two leaders agreed to ramp up economic cooperation in the face of “unlawful” Western sanctions.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi told Putin that Beijing is “willing to continue to offer mutual support (to Russia) on issues concerning core interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security”.
China has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Russia by criticising Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv.
05:04 AM
Biden: Ukrainian people continue ‘to inspire the world’
Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “the United States will stand by Ukraine as it defends its democracy, and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression”.
“The bravery, resilience, and determination of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world,” the US President said in a phone call on Wednesday.
Mr Biden announced $1 billion worth of new arms for Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky said later in his evening address to the people of Ukraine that he was grateful for the package.
“The United States announced new strengthening of our defence, a new $1 billion support package,” he said.
“I am grateful for this support, it is especially important for our defence in Donbas.”
The newest US arms package features 18 more 155mm Howitzers and 36,000 rounds of ammunition for them; two land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems; and additional rockets for four Himars precision rocket artillery systems that Ukraine is soon to put in the field.
02:43 AM
US to provide $1bn in arms for Ukraine
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US President Joe Biden announced $1 billion worth of new arms for Ukraine on Wednesday as Pentagon officials defended the pace and quality of supplies as meeting Kyiv’s battlefield needs
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Ukrainian troops shelled Russian targets on the front lines in the eastern Donbas region with newly arrived French Caesar howitzers
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Kyiv officials met in Brussels with Western allies, hoping to obtain more ammunition and lethal weapons to turn the tables on the invaders
02:18 AM
View from the window: All that remains of families’ homes
02:13 AM
Calls for captured US fighters to be treated fairly
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh “have enlisted in the Ukrainian army, and thus are afforded legal combatant protections”, American politician Adam Kinzinger tweeted.
“As such, we expect members of the Legion to be treated in accordance with the Geneva convention.”
It was unclear whether Mr Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, had any further information about the men.
He was commenting on a tweet sent earlier on Wednesday by Task Force Baguette – a group of former US and French servicemen – saying that two Americans fighting with them were captured a week ago.
The group said Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the information.
These men have enlisted in the Ukrainian army, and thus are afforded legal combatant protections. As such, we expect members of the Legion to be treated in accordance with the Geneva convention. #UkraineArmy https://t.co/8eJmaSPmZ2
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) June 15, 2022
02:05 AM
‘Ukraine is not the place for Americans’
John Kirby, a national security spokesman at the White House, said on Wednesday that the administration was not able to confirm the reports about missing Americans.
“We’ll do the best we can to monitor this and see what we can learn about it,” he said.
However, he reiterated his warnings against Americans going to Ukraine.
“Ukraine is not the place for Americans to be travelling,” he said.
“If you feel passionate about supporting Ukraine, there’s any number of ways to do that that that are safer and just as effective.”
02:02 AM
Two US veterans reported missing in Ukraine
Two US veterans from Alabama who were in Ukraine assisting in the war against Russia have not been heard from in days and are missing, members of the state’s congressional delegation said on Wednesday.
Relatives of Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, of Trinity and Alexander Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa had been in contact with both Senate and House offices seeking information about the men’s whereabouts, press aides said.
Rep. Robert Aderholt said Mr Huynh had volunteered to go fight with the Ukrainian army against Russia, but relatives had not heard from him since June 8, when he was in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, which is near the Russian border.
Mr Huynh and Mr Drueke were together, an aide to Mr Aderholt said: “As you can imagine, his loved ones are very concerned about him.
“My office has placed inquires with both the United States Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation trying to get any information possible.”
Rep. Terri Sewell said Mr Drueke’s mother reached out to her office earlier this week after she lost contact with her son.
EXCLUSIVE: US fighters ‘captured’ by Russian forces in Ukraine
