Ukraine war in the news blog | Putin is probably bringing hundreds of soldiers from Siberia

Day 631: Russian casualties rise to over 300,000, according to a report. Putin restricts reporting. All information in the news blog.

New British Foreign Secretary Cameron visits Ukraine

9:24 a.m.: On his first trip abroad, the new British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. During the conversation, he assured the country attacked by Russia that Britain would continue to provide military support in the future, as can be seen from a video that Zelenskyj published on the X platform (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.

“We will continue the moral support, the diplomatic support, the economic support and, above all, the military support,” said Cameron. “Not just this year and next, but for as long as it takes.”

“Thank you for coming. This is very important,” said Zelensky. “As you know, the world is not focused on the situation on the front in Ukraine right now,” he added, probably with a view to the escalated Middle East conflict. Britain has been considered one of Ukraine’s main supporters since the Russian invasion almost 21 months ago.

London: Russia makes progress in battle for Avdiivka

9:03 a.m.: According to British assessments, Russian troops have recently made progress in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. “Russia is almost certainly trying to encircle the city using a pincer movement,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Thursday, citing intelligence findings. “Recent advances have likely brought Russian forces close to the Ukrainian-held Avdiivka coking and chemical plant,” the London statement said.

The extensive industrial complex, in which the fuel coke and various chemicals are produced, has a strategically important position in the north of the city on an important main road. If Russian troops captured the plant, it would make it more difficult to supply the Ukrainian defenders, the statement said. “However, the industrial facility gives Ukraine a local defense advantage, and Russian forces are likely to suffer significant losses if they attempt to attack the facility.”

Report: Putin needs 500 soldiers from Siberia every week

8 o’clock: The Russian Defense Ministry has called on the government of the Siberian Republic of Sakha to send more than 500 soldiers to the Ukrainian front every week, Radio Free Europe reports. Sakha is the largest province in Russia in terms of area, but at the same time one of the poorest. The Yakut ethnic minority is the largest population group.

With the recruitment call, it would primarily be a minority that would strengthen Putin’s war effort. Human rights organizations had previously stated that ethnic minorities provided a disproportionate number of soldiers relative to their share of the population.

The situation at the front is cited as the reason for the increased recruitment. Radio Free Europe quotes the military commissar in charge of Sakha province: “We will work, we will work hard, we will send people (…). It seems that some people are saying that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been stopped, that it “It seems to have become easier at the front, but nothing is easier. The men in the trenches die every day.”

London: More than 300,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded

7:43 a.m.: “We estimate that around 302,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the conflict and tens of thousands of them have already deserted,” The Independet quoted a speech by Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey in the British House of Commons. In addition, according to Heappey, the losses of material are also enormous. So far, Russia has lost almost 2,500 tanks, more than 90 combat aircraft and over 1,300 artillery systems.

Survey: Majority of Russians against Putin’s war course

1:30: In a survey, 48 percent of Russians surveyed said they wanted a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine. The survey was conducted by telephone by the Russian Field group, with a total of 1,611 people spoken to between October 21st and 29th. Only 39 percent wanted to continue the war. Among those surveyed, it was primarily men and people over 45 who supported further military action, while women and young people preferred negotiations. Only 56 percent still believe that the war in Ukraine is going in the right direction, 25 percent believe the opposite, 18 percent did not want to give an answer. The public mood in Russia is also influenced by strict censorship measures; free and independent reporting is no longer possible.