RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Shoigu tells Putin Avdeyevka is under full control — defense ministry
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has informed President Vladimir Putin that the town of Avdeyevka near Donetsk has been taken under full control, the Defense Ministry stated.
"Today in the Kremlin, Russian Defense Minister Army General Shoigu reported to the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces that the Center grouping of forces under command of Col. Gen. Andrey Mordvichev has taken under full control the town of Avdeyevka of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which was a massive fortified stronghold of Ukraine’s armed forces," the ministry said.
"In the Kremlin today, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin the group of troops Center under the command of Colonel-General Andrey Mordvichev gained full control of the town of Avdeyevka, in the Donetsk People's Republic, which was a major stronghold of the Ukrainian military," the Defense Ministry said.
An area of 31.75 square kilometers has been liberated from Ukrainian nationalists. The enemy’s losses in the fighting for Avdeyevka over the past 24 hours alone exceeded 1,500 men.
Under continued Russian fire only scattered groups of Ukrainian militants managed to escape, abandoning weapons and military equipment. At present, measures are being taken to clear the town of militants and seal off Ukrainian forces that have fled the locality and entrenched themselves at the Avdeyevka coke and chemical plant, the Defense Ministry said.
The Ministry stressed that information about the advance of Russian troops was not made public until the complete defeat of the enemy and the establishment of full control of the locality.
"The liberation of Avdeyevka made it possible to push the frontline away from Donetsk, thus significantly securing it from terrorist strikes by the criminal Kiev regime. The group of forces Center continues offensive operations to further liberate the Donetsk People's Republic from Ukrainian nationalists," it added.
** Russian air defense intercepts 33 Ukrainian drones in 5 regions overnight — ministry
During the night, Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Bryansk, and Kaluga regions of Russia, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Saturday.
"Tonight, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using 33 aircraft-type UAVs on sites on the territory of Russia was thwarted. The air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 4 UAVs over the territories of the Belgorod region, 4 UAVs - over the Voronezh region, 1 UAV - over the Kursk region, 18 UAVs - over the Bryansk region, and 6 UAVs - over the Kaluga region," the ministry reported.
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
At least three dead in Russian assaults on Ukraine cities, officials say
Russian forces shelled and fired missiles at a series of cities in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least three people and leaving others under the rubble of shattered buildings, Ukrainian officials said.
Two cities close to the front line in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region -- Kramatorsk and Slovyansk -- came under fire.
The city council in Kramatorsk said on Telegram that a missile hit a section of town used for industry and individual houses, killing two people. Rescuers were combing rubble for another person believed to be trapped beneath it.
Kramatorsk has been the scene of some of the deadliest attacks in the nearly two-year-old war, including a missile strike on the town's train station in April 2022 that killed 63 people.
Russian shells on Saturday struck a school in the nearby town of Slovyansk, with rescuer teams searching for at least one person trapped underneath piles of debris.
Russian forces have been making slow progress in their drive through Donetsk region, but both towns would be certain targets for Moscow if they made greater progress along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line.
Further north in the town of Kupiansk, scene of heavy Russian attacks for months, one person was killed when a two-storey house was struck by Russian shells, the governor of Kharkiv region said.
Reuters could not independently verify any of the reports, but they occurred in areas where Russian assaults are frequent.
Russia says it does not deliberately target civilian sites.
** Zelenskiy urges leaders to send arms as 'artificial' shortage helps Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies at a global security conference on Saturday to plug an "artificial" shortage of weapons that is giving Russian forces the upper hand on the battlefield and said stalled U.S. aid was imperative.
Addressing the gathering of politicians, diplomats and military officials from around the world, who gave him a standing ovation, Zelenskiy mixed gratitude for the support shown by Western countries with urging them for more.
He spoke at a critical juncture in Russia's nearly two-year-old invasion of Ukraine, with his troops forced to withdraw from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka.
Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition and U.S. military aid has been delayed for months in Congress.
"Unfortunately keeping Ukraine in an artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in ... artillery and long-range capabilities, allows (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war," Zelenskiy said.
He said that sending additional packages of weapons and air defences to Ukraine was the most important thing its allies could do.
"If your artillery (range) is 20 km (12 miles), but Russia's is 40 km, there is your answer," Zelenskiy said.
Some European leaders cast a downbeat assessment of Western efforts to help Ukraine.
"We should have supported you much more from the very beginning of this war," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, "because Ukraine cannot win a war without weapons. Words are simply not enough."
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Europe should have started investing more in its defence industry two years ago.
Along with Ukraine, the conference focused on the war in Gaza, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggesting there was "an extraordinary opportunity" in the coming months for Israel to normalise ties with its Arab neighbours.
U.S. FUNDING
Asked about the delayed U.S. aid after a bilateral meeting with Zelenskiy, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, denounced "political gamesmanship" in Congress that had no place in such matters.
U.S. Republicans have insisted for months that any additional U.S. aid to Ukraine, and Israel, must also address concerns about migration.
Meanwhile Donald Trump, frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, has said he would ask European allies to reimburse the United States for around $200 billion worth of munitions sent to Ukraine.
That has raised concerns by Kyiv and its allies that U.S. funding for Kyiv in its war against Russia would dry up completely if Trump goes on to win a second term in the November U.S. election.
Zelenskiy said there was no alternative though to U.S. aid.
“We are counting on the United States as our strategic partner, that they would remain our strategic partner," he said.
EUROPE MUST UP ITS DEFENCE GAME
The delay in U.S. aid is putting more of a burden on Europe, with Germany the second-largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine. Berlin says it has provided and committed to some 28 billion euros ($30.2 billion) of such aid so far.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz side-stepped questions on Saturday on whether to give long-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv, although he did urge other European capitals to match Berlin's hike in military assistance.
Speaking to Reuters at the conference, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said his country was "ready to stand up and be counted" on defence spending ahead of a NATO Washington summit in July.
The country last year set a target for the first time to raise its defence spending to at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2026, in line with a long-held goal among members of the NATO alliance.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine must be integrated into Europe's defence programmes as Russia was "outmassing Ukraine" with soldiers and by "throwing quick and dirty weapons produced in North Korea and Iran".
The European Commission will present a defence industrial strategy proposal in three weeks, she said, and will also open a defence innovation office in Ukraine.
A potential return of Trump to the White House is fanning fears about U.S. commitment to defending its allies.
Trump said a week ago that if re-elected later this year he would not defend allies within the NATO western defence alliance who fail to spend enough on defence - although the NATO charter specifically commits members to defending each other in the event of attack.
'STOP WHINING ABOUT TRUMP'
Trump or no Trump, Europe still has to strengthen its ability to defend itself, Scholz and others underscored at the conference, dubbed the "Davos of Defence".
"We should stop moaning and whining and nagging about Trump," said outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "We do not spend more on defence or ramp up ammunitions production because Trump might come back."
"We have to work with whoever is on the dance floor," said Rutte, frontrunner to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general of NATO when he steps down.
Stoltenberg reiterated the importance of not undermining the defence alliance with talk of European defence autonomy.
Talk in particular of a potential European nuclear deterrent that would not involve the United States is "not helpful", he told Munich delegates on Saturday. And it "would only undermine NATO in a time when we really need credible deterrence".
Tass/Reuters