Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting fiercely around the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka since Moscow launched one of its biggest military offensives in months this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said Ukrainian forces were holding their positions in the third day of fighting, but local authorities said the Russian attacks were merciless.

Ukrainian War: Day 597 LIVETEXT:

08:05Since Tuesday, Russian troops have captured 4.5 square kilometers of territory from various directions around Avdiyvka in the Donetsk region, the Institute for the Study of War reports in its latest assessment of the conflict.

Experts note that Russian troops are 5.2 kilometers north of Avdiivka, and Russian claims of advancing beyond that distance are probably exaggerated.

Russian sources reported that Moscow’s troops are advancing slowly at the moment.

The head of Donetsk Oblast established by the Russians, Denys Pusilin, said that it is too early to talk about “exit”. [ucrainean] on a large scale from the city,” despite some Russian successes in the area.

Russian military bloggers have said that Russian troops have taken additional territory in the terrain on the northern flank of Avdiyivka near the Avdiyivka coke plant, seized a railway section south of Avdiyvka and advanced around the town, but ISW says it cannot confirm this information. .

07:57 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto arrived in Moscow on Thursday evening, according to photos he posted on Facebook.

“With cold weather approaching, energy security is back in the spotlight,” Sijarto wrote.

This is Sijarto’s fifth trip to Russia since the beginning of the invasion.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary is in Moscow to participate in the Russian Energy Week forum, Russian media reports with reference to The Kyiv Independent.

A quick summary of the latest information:

• Another drone crashed in Romania on the border with Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense reported.
• The most expensive Russian assault since the beginning of the war: Moscow troops are making little progress on the Avdiivka front, with absolutely huge losses of armored vehicles / Why they have no chance of taking the city.
• The Ukrainian Navy claims damage to the Russian warship “Pavlo Derzhavin” near Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean peninsula.
• General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Military Intelligence Service of Ukraine, made an eclectic comment in an interview with “Ukrainian Pravda”, saying that Ukraine is “off the charts”, but did not elaborate on his statement.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the address sent on Thursday evening: “We are grateful to every leader, every country that helps us with weapons, equipment and ammunition.”
• The ruble rose more than 3 percent to a two-week high on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin issued a decree to impose measures that many analysts see as a last-ditch measure to stem a slide in Russia’s national currency.
• Russia: Five passenger planes in flight sent a general alarm message.
• What was Putin doing in Kyrgyzstan, the first country he is visiting after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.
• The Russian Orthodox Church has appointed Bishop Tikhon, who in Russia has been dubbed the “cleric” of President Vladimir Putin, to head the Crimean Diocese.
• The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday extended the mandate of the rapporteur on human rights abuses in Russia for a year, dealing Moscow a second diplomatic defeat in less than a week.
• Turkey confirmed its consent to Sweden’s accession to NATO.
• The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after it integrated into its membership sports organizations from the annexed Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
• The United States presents the wreckage of Iranian drones “discovered” in Ukraine to the UN.
• The US imposed sanctions against two companies for violating the limit prices for Russian oil.

——————

Thursday’s events related to Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro