Russia-Ukraine war live: Donetsk attack kills dozens as Putin’s troops ‘desperate’

Ukraine’s military said they had downed eight Russian drones overnight on Monday morning, AFP reports.

“The enemy attacked with eight attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) of the Shahed-136/131 type from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk region of the Russian Federation,” the air force said in a statement.

It added that the drones had been downed by defence systems in several southern and central regions of Ukraine.

There were no immediate reports of damage caused by falling debris.

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk said it was important for the country’s players to keep winning at the Australian Open to remind people of the continuing conflict.

The 21-year-old thrashed Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1 and refused to shake her hand afterwards. Kostyuk will meet US Open champion Coco Gauff in the quarter-final.

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North Korea and Russia have pledged to establish a “new multi-polarised international order” and are undertaking “deep strategic communication” on various regional and international issues, the North Korean foreign ministry said on Sunday, according to state media KCNA.

In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not address the attack but said that in a single day, Russia had shelled more than 100 cities, towns and villages in nine regions in Ukraine, and that the attacks in Donetsk region had been “particularly severe.”

Donetsk is one of four regions in Ukraine‘s east and south that Russia claimed to have annexed in late 2022 in a move condemned as illegal by most countries at the U.N. General Assembly. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.

A summit of the European Union’s foreign ministers in Brussels takes place on Monday – with the focus being on both Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

It will include engagements with foreign ministers from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Ukraine, and the secretary general of the League of Arab States.

Ireland’s deputy PM Michael Martin said: “We have seen reprehensible attacks in Ukraine over the new year period, which has caused civilian death and significant damage to civilian infrastructure on a large scale.

“These attacks show that Russia is intent on continued escalation.

“While we were able to deliver some important messages in December, including the historic decision by the European Council to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, it is clear that much work remains to be done.

“There are a number of important meetings in weeks ahead, including the Foreign Affairs Council today, and it is critical that we as the EU continue to send a clear and united message of support for Ukraine.”

Twenty-seven people were killed and 25 injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the Donetsk region has said.

According to Alexei Kulemzin, the city’s Russian-installed mayor, Ukrainian forces bombarded a busy area where shops and a market are located. Pushilin said the city was shelled by Ukrainian artillery.

Ukraine‘s forces in the Tavria, or southern zone, said in a Facebook post that soldiers under its command were not responsible. “Donetsk is Ukraine!” it said. “Russia will have to answer for taking lives of Ukrainians.”

Russian energy company Novatek said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.

The giant Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, is used to ship oil and gas products to international markets. It processes stable gas condensate – a type of light oil – into light and heavy naphtha, kerosene and diesel to be shipped by sea.

It was not clear how long the disruption would last, how many tankers would have to idle outside the port, and what the knock-on effect would be on international energy markets.

Critical infrastructure facilities in the surrounding Leningrad region were placed on high alert, with security units and law enforcement agencies ordered to destroy any drones detected, the regional administration said on Telegram.

The Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing unnamed sources, said the fire was the result of a special operation carried out by Ukraine‘s security services.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the attack on Donetsk as “a barbaric act of terrorism” by Ukraine that was carried out “with the use of weapons supplied by the West”.

Twenty-five people were killed and 20 injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian-controlled city in eastern Ukraine,

According to Alexei Kulemzin, the city’s Russian-installed mayor, Ukrainian forces bombarded a busy area where shops and a market are located. Pushilin said the city was shelled by Ukrainian artillery. There was no immediate Ukrainian comment.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “The Russian side categorically condemns this treacherous strike against the civilian population.”