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The US will send an additional $400 million in military aid to Ukraine
The US will send an additional $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, officials announced Thursday. According to the Pentagon, the aid package will contain large quantities of ammunition and, for the first time, four highly mobile Avenger air defense systems. I have directed another $400M worth of weapons and equipment from @DeptofDefense stockpiles to Ukraine. This is our 25th withdrawal since August 2021. As defenders of Ukraine repel Russian forces, the United States stands #UnitedWithUkraine. — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 11, 2022 This increased air defense will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use Iranian-made cruise missiles and drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The US will also buy 100,000 artillery rounds from South Korean manufacturers to give to Ukraine, an official added. Updated at 06:18 GMT
Russian withdrawal from the city of Kherson will last a week, Ukraine says
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said it would take at least a week for Russia to withdraw from the city of Kherson. Russia still has 40,000 troops in the area and intelligence indicated that its forces remained in and around the city, Reznikov told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. It is not so easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in a day or two. As a minimum, [it will take] one week.” He added that intelligence indicated that Russian forces remained inside the city, around the city and on the west bank of the Dnipro. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy chief of military intelligence, estimated that more than half of the Russian forces stationed on the city’s right bank were still there – a force previously estimated at 20,000.
Ukraine closes in Kherson, retakes dozens of cities
Ukraine says its forces have retaken dozens of towns and villages riddled with land mines abandoned by Russian troops in southern Ukraine as they close in on the outskirts of the strategic capital Kherson. In his speech on Thursday afternoon, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that “dozens of Ukrainian flags have already returned to their rightful place.” Today we have good news from the south,” said the Ukrainian president. “Forty-one settlements liberated.” Ukraine claimed to have liberated the key town of Snihurivka, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Kherson. Images also appeared of Ukrainian soldiers flying a Ukrainian flag in Kyslivka, a village just outside Klapaya and about nine miles (15 kilometers) from Kherson city center. The large enclave around the city once held by Russian forces also appeared to be shrinking. Video posted of Russian soldiers retreating along the Dnipro appeared to confirm that at least some troops had already withdrawn. Ukrainian soldiers move along a road in the Kherson region. Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA Kyiv has said it is wary of rushing to claim victory, warning it could be a Kremlin trap. Ukraine’s army chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed withdrawing from the city, but said Kiev forces had advanced 36.5 kilometers (22.7 miles) and retaken 41 villages and towns from October 1 in the region. This included 12 settlements on Wednesday alone. Updated at 05:55 GMT
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours. Ukraine says its forces have retaken dozens of towns and villages riddled with land mines abandoned by Russian troops in southern Ukraine as they close in on the outskirts of the strategic capital Kherson. But Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said it would take at least a week for Russia to withdraw from the city of Kherson, and Moscow still has 40,000 troops in the area. For any updates or comments you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out via email or Twitter. If you’ve just joined us, here’s all the latest:
Ukrainian forces are closing in on the outskirts of the southern city of Kherson after Russia said its forces had begun to withdraw. Ukraine claimed to have liberated the key town of Snihurivka, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Kherson. Images also appeared of Ukrainian soldiers flying a Ukrainian flag in Kyslivka, a village just outside Klapaya and about nine miles (15 kilometers) from Kherson city center. The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its withdrawal to the region is underway. “Units of the Russian troops are maneuvering to a prepared position on the left bank of the Dnipro River, according to the approved plan.” Ukrainian troops continued their advance on Kherson from the north, east and west, as the large enclave around the city once held by Russian forces appeared to be shrinking. Video posted of Russian soldiers retreating along the Dnipro appeared to confirm that at least some troops had already withdrawn. Ukraine’s defense minister said it would take at least a week for the Russians to leave the city of Kherson, and Moscow still has a contingent of 40,000 troops in the Kherson region. “It is not so easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one or two days. At least, (it will last) one week,” Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters. He added that intelligence indicated that Russian forces remained inside the city, around the city and on the west bank of the Dnipro. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy chief of military intelligence, estimated that more than half of the Russian forces stationed on the city’s right bank were still there – a force previously estimated at 20,000. Kyiv has said it is wary of rushing to claim victory, warning it could be a Kremlin trap. Ukraine’s army chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed withdrawing from the city, but that Kiev forces had advanced 36.5 kilometers (22.7 miles) and recaptured 41 villages and cities from October 1 in the region. This included 12 settlements on Wednesday alone. There were unconfirmed reports of shelling explosions around the Nova Kakhovka dam late Thursday. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that the 30-meter-high hydroelectric facility could become a Russian target. Ukrainian forces liberated 41 settlements as they advanced south, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech on Thursday afternoon. Ukraine is working to rid areas retaken by Russian forces of thousands of unexploded mines and munitions left behind. America’s top general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated that the Russian military had seen more than 100,000 of its soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine, adding that Kiev’s armed forces had “probably” suffered a similar level of casualties. Mark Milley’s statements offer the highest US casualty estimate to date. The UK government has frozen more than £18bn of assets belonging to oligarchs and other Russians under the new sanctions regime. Sanctions have been imposed on 1,271 people – including former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and ‘Nickel King’ Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s second-richest man – according to a report published on Thursday. The US will send an additional $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, officials announced Thursday. According to the Pentagon, the aid package will contain large quantities of ammunition and, for the first time, four highly mobile Avenger air defense systems. “This increased air defense will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use Iranian-made cruise missiles and drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure,” said national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The US will also buy 100,000 artillery rounds from South Korean manufacturers to give to Ukraine, an official added.
