Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin suffering ‘mounting casualties’ and forced to appeal for foreign fighters

There is plenty of pride in the cities around the frontline in managing to keep Putin’s forces at bay, writes Kim Sengupta from Druzhkivka. But it has come at the cost of crushing loss.

Read Kim’s full report here:

“Russian terrorists continue to attack port infrastructure in the hope of provoking a food crisis and famine in the world,” the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.

He posted a photo of a firefighter directing water at the burning ruins of concrete structures.

Ukraine’s South Military Command said on social media at least two civilians were injured in the attack on what it said was the “civil infrastructure of the Danube”.

Concealed under pine branches in the forests of northeast Ukraine, the muzzle of a Soviet-era howitzer rises, aiming for a group of approaching Russian infantrymen many kilometers away.

A Ukrainian soldier signals to fire, then swiftly runs for cover. The thunderous crash of the unleashed projectile sends a pall of black smoke billowing above jabs of yellow flames. A pile of spent shells in the nearby foliage grows by the day.

Here, along a small section of the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) front line, Moscow’s army is staging a ferocious push designed to pin down Ukrainian forces, distract them from their grinding counteroffensive and minimize the number of troops Kyiv is able to send to more important battles in the south.

Russia is trying to exploit foreigners in an army recruit drive to replace its “mounting casualties” on the battlefield in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

“Online adverts have been observed in Armenia and Kazakhstan offering 495,000 roubles ($5,140 USD) in initial payments and salaries from 190,000 roubles ($1,973 USD),” it said in its latest war update.

“There have been recruitment efforts in Kazakhstan’s northern Qostanai region, appealing to the ethnic Russian population.

“Since at least May 2023, Russia has approached central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine with promises of fast-track citizenship and salaries of up to $4,160 USD.

“Uzbek migrant builders in Mariupol have reportedly had their passports confiscated upon arrival and been coerced to join the Russian military. There are at least six million migrants from Central Asia in Russia, which the Kremlin likely sees as potential recruits.

“Russia likely wishes to avoid further unpopular domestic mobilisation measures in the run up to the 2024 Presidential elections. Exploiting foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to acquire additional personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties.”

Some 280,000 people have signed up so far this year for professional service with Russia’s military, the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, former president Dmitry Medvedev, said on Sunday.

Visiting Russia’s Far East, Medvedev said he was meeting local officials to work on efforts to beef up the armed forces.

“According to the Ministry of Defence, since 1 Jan, about 280,000 people have been accepted into the ranks of the Armed Forces on a contract basis,” including reservists, state news agency TASS quoted Medvedev as saying.

Last year Russia announced a plan to expand its combat personnel more than 30 per cent to 1.5 million, an ambitious task made harder by its heavy but undisclosed casualties in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Russia targeted the Odesa region with a sustained three-and-a-half hour drone attack in the early hours of this morning, Ukraine says, hitting some key port infrastructure.

Ukraine said its air defences succeeded in shooting down 22 of the 25 Iranian-made kamikaze Shahed drones fired by Russia.

At least two civilians were injured in the attack, according to Ukraine’s South Military Command.

The bombardment targeted “civil infrastructure of the Danube [River]”, it said.

Some Ukrainian media reported explosions at the port in Reni, one of the two major Ukrainian facilities on the river, though this was not immediately confirmed by the authorities.

The Danube is now Ukraine’s main route for crucial grain exports, after Russia pulled out of a UN deal that had allowed Kyiv to ship grain via the Black Sea.

Ukraine is the world’s largest wheat producer and its failure to export grain has been one of the key drivers of global food inflation since Russia’s invasion.

Long-range strikes by drone and missile and a raid on territory in occupied Crimea that took Russian forces by surprise – all part of Kyiv’s recent push towards the peninsula that is a symbol of Vladimir Putin‘s territorial ambitions.

Perhaps most significant of all is the capture of the key village of Robotyne, about three hours drive east of Crimea. Gaining that foothold will help Ukraine build a foundation to punch through to the coastline of the Sea of Azov.

Kyiv has been stepping up drone attacks on Crimea as it looks to break key supply lines from the Russian-occupied peninsula, writes Askold Krushelnycky in Ukraine:

Drone strikes on Russian soil are only set to increase as Ukraine brings Moscow’s invasion home, a senior Kyiv official has said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky said that it has increased strikes on Russian-occupied areas and would also ramp up attacks within Russia itself. Kyiv does not generally directly claim attacks outside of Ukraine, with Mr Podolyak saying such strikes would be carried out by “agents” or “partisans”.

“As for Russia … there is an increasing number of attacks by unidentified drones launched from the territory of the Russian Federation, and the number of these attacks will increase,” Mr Podolyak told Reuters. “This is the stage of the war when hostilities are gradually being transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation.”

A Russian air strike on a high rise residential building has killed a married couple, according to the Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office.

Ukraine has opened a war crimes investigation into the attack on Vuhledar, which left the couple’s 19-year-old daughter and another resident, 53, injured.

Explosions destroyed the entrance to the building and damaged windows and balconies.