Russia-Ukraine war live: wave of Russian drones shot down, say Ukrainians | Ukraine

November 22, 2023 Stan

Key events

Russia’s energy corporation Gazprom said it would ship 42.4m cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, a volume in line with those of recent days, Reuters reports.

The US national security council spokesperson John Kirby also noted Iran’s announcement earlier this year that it had finalised a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, and said Iran was looking to buy additional military equipment from Russia, including attack helicopters, radars and combat-trainer aircraft.

Kirby said:

In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities.

Russia has also been helping Iran develop and maintain its satellite collection capabilities and other space-based programs.

He said the burgeoning military partnership between Iran and Russia was harmful to Ukraine, Iran’s neighbours in the Middle East and “quite frankly to the international community”.

At the direction of the Russian government, Kirby said the Wagner mercenary group was preparing to provide an air-defence capability to either Hezbollah or Iran. He said the US would be watching to see whether that happened and was prepared to use “counter-terrorism sanctions authority against Russian individuals or entities that might make these destabilizing transfers”.

The US says the Kremlin’s reliance on Iran, as well as North Korea – countries largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programmes and human rights records – shows desperation.

US officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for its invasion of Ukraine.

The US and other countries have taken steps to thwart the potential supply, sale or transfer involving Iran and ballistic missile-related items, Kirby said. The US has also issued guidance to private companies about Iranian missile procurement practices to make sure they aren’t inadvertently supporting Iran’s development efforts.

The White House has voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people, a US national security official said.

National security council spokesperson John Kirby noted that Iran has already been providing Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition, and may be preparing “to go a step further in its support for Russia”.

Kirby highlighted a September meeting in which Iran hosted the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to show off a range of ballistic missile systems, sparking US concern. “We are therefore concerned that Iran is considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles now for use in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters during a conference call. “In return for that support, Russia has been offering Tehran unprecedented defence cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defence.”

Kirby’s warning came as president Joe Biden’s request for more than $61bn in emergency US funding to continue to support Ukraine’s defence remained stalled in Congress. The additional aid for Ukraine is part of a larger $106bn funding request from the Democratic president that also would support Israel, Taiwan and the US operations on the border with Mexico.

A growing group of lawmakers in the Republican party, which controls the House of Representatives, opposes sending more money to Ukraine. Kirby and other top US officials have been urging Congress to pass aid for Ukraine, saying existing funding is drying up.

Summary

Good morning, this is the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine. Here are some of the most recent developments:

Ukrainian air defences shot down all 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces in an overnight attack, the air force said this morning. The attack on Ukraine’s central, south-eastern, and western regions lasted from 8pm on Tuesday until 3am on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The air force also said that the Russian military launched an X-22 missile in Zaporizhzhia region in the south-east but the missile failed to reach its target, falling into a field.
For their part, the Russians said their anti-aircraft units destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula.
The White House says it is concerned Iran may provide ballistic missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine. “In return for that support, Russia has been offering Tehran unprecedented defence cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defence,” said John Kirby, US national security council spokesperson.
President Joe Biden’s request for more than $61bn in emergency US funding to support Ukraine’s defence remains stalled in Congress. The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has announced the Pentagon will in any case be sending an additional $100m in weapons to Ukraine from existing US stockpiles, including another Himars mobile artillery system.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with about half of recent deaths occurring far behind the frontlines, the UN human rights office said. Its mission in Ukraine, which has dozens of monitors, said it expected the real toll to be “significantly higher” since its work was continuing.
Germany will support Ukraine with a further military aid package worth €1.3bn (£1.1bn) that will include an additional IRIS-T air defence unit, Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, has said.
Russia has not used its “premier air-launched cruise missiles” from its heavy bombers for nearly two months, likely allowing it to build up a substantial stock that could be used in a repeat of last year’s campaign to destroy Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure, the UK Ministry of Defence has said in an intelligence update.
Russian forces hit port infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa on Tuesday evening, the regional governor said, adding that no one was injured. The Ukrainian southern military command also reported strikes on the Belhorod-Dniester district south-west of Odesa, with missiles hitting open ground and administrative buildings. Ukraine is maintaining a humanitarian corridor into the Black Sea to circumvent Russia’s de facto port blockade.
A Slovakian border crossing with Ukraine was blocked on Tuesday, it was reported, although the Slovakian haulers’ union played it down as involving a single truck. Ukrainian truckers have been exempt from seeking border crossing permits since Russia’s invasion. Polish and Slovakian drivers say that has undercut business and they want restrictions imposed.
The European Council’s president, Charles Michel, on a visit to Kyiv said he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. The European Commission has recommended opening formal membership negotiations but talks cannot start unless all 27 member states agree.
“I will do everything in my power to convince my colleagues that we need a decision in December,” Michel told the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelenskiy was quoted by AFP as saying: “We believe that the EU will be ready to do its part … so that by the end of the year in December, the result will be a political decision to start accession negotiations.”