The Ukrainian military said on Monday that fighting intensified in the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka as Moscow’s forces stepped up airstrikes and tried to advance with ground forces. Ukrainian officials said that Moscow forces suffered heavy losses around the city. They also reported that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks in other front-line areas.

Ukrainian military man from Kharkiv districtPhoto: Diego Herrera Carcedo / AFP / Profimedia

Highlights of the war in Ukraine, day 629, LIVETEXT:

07:23 A Ukrainian lawmaker who this week was formally charged with treason for allegedly cooperating with Russian military intelligence said on Wednesday that a court in Kyiv ordered him to be taken into custody for 60 days.

Oleksandr Dubinsky, who is on the US sanctions list, was informed on Monday that he is also suspected of spreading disinformation about the political leadership of Ukraine, according to authorities.

“The court granted the request of the prosecutor’s office to choose a preventive measure for me in the form of detention for a period of 60 days until January 12, 2024,” Dubinsky said in a video published on his Telegram channel. Dubinsky did not specify the reason for the detention.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Telegram on Monday that the politician is suspected of treason, but did not name the suspect. (Reuters)

01:22 On Monday evening, Zelenskyy spoke to his compatriots about the “good news” from Romania and thanked Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the opening of the F-16 pilot training center in Fetest.

00:56 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken promised a senior Ukrainian official on Monday that the United States would continue to support Kyiv even in the winter, when more Russian strikes on critical infrastructure are expected.

00:36 The European Commission hopes to announce a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, which should lead to the end of Russian diamond exports to the EU, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Monday.

A brief summary of recent events:

  • The European F-16 Training Center in Romania was inaugurated at Feteşti Air Base. Since last week, the Netherlands has sent the first five F-16 fighters to Romania, which will be used to train Ukrainian pilots.
  • Vladimir Putin once again believes that he will win a decisive victory in Ukraine because of “discussions” in Washington and the “failure” of the European Union, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis warned on Monday.
  • What air defense systems does Romania have and what exactly could it do to help Ukraine, as Zelensky claims.
  • The European Union’s plan to spend up to 20 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine is facing resistance from EU countries and may not survive in its current form, several diplomatic sources told Reuters.
  • Negotiations between the Ukrainian side and Polish truck drivers, who have been blocking the three main crossing points between the two countries for a week, have not reached an agreement, Polish truck drivers reported on Monday.
  • Chaos in the Russian state media: RIA and TASS reported on the movement of troops east of the Dnieper, then refused and apologized. The Ministry of Defense says that it was a provocation, the Kremlin does not want to comment.
  • The Kremlin comments on an article in the Washington Post about the alleged sabotage of Nord Stream by Ukrainians: “It is alarming” that Zelensky did not know.

——————

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