Russia-Ukraine war live: blast reported near Russian military headquarters in Rostov; US to give Kyiv depleted uranium shells | Ukraine

The US will give Ukraine depleted uranium anti-tank shells as part of a new military aid package worth up to $175 million, the Pentagon announced during a visit to Kyiv by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken.

The $175 million is part of a total of more than $1bn in assistance that Blinken announced in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday, the first day of his two-day visit.

It is the first time the US is sending armor-piercing munitions to Ukraine, although Britain has already done so. The US shells will arm the Abrams tanks that the US is also set to supply in the coming months.

The Russian embassy in Washington denounced the decision as “an indicator of inhumanity”, adding that “the United States is deluding itself by refusing to accept the failure of the Ukrainian military’s so-called counteroffensive.”

In a social media post on Telegram, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also slammed the US decision, writing: “What is this: a lie or stupidity?” She claimed an increase in cancer had been noted in places where ammunition with depleted uranium was used.

Port infrastructure has been damaged during a three-hour Russian drone attack on the Danube port of Izmail, the regional governor has said in a Telegram post.

Oleg Kiper said the attack was the fourth on the port, in the south of the Odesa region, in five days. He said civilian and port infrastructure, a grain silo, and an administrative building were damaged while a truck driver sustained a minor leg injury.

Russia has increased its attacks on Ukrainian ports since July when it pulled out of a deal that had allowed Kyiv to export its grain via its Black Sea ports.

Anthony Blinken is currently in Kyiv on a previously unannounced visit during which he confirmed new aid to Ukraine worth $1bn.

Controversially, this also includes the supply of uranium-depleted munitions, which are valued for their armor-piercing abilities but which critics say carry health and other risks.

We’ve put together this explainer on what exactly depleted uranium is and what risks it poses:

Ukrainian drones have also been shot down by air defenses in the Moscow region and the Bryansk region that borders northern Ukraine, Russian officials have said.

The Ria news agency said one drone was shot down in the Ramensky district south-east of Moscow and that according to preliminary information, there was “no destruction or casualties as a result of falling debris”.

Another drone was shot down over Bryansk, the regional governor, Alexander Bogomaz, said on Telegram. There were no casualties or damage, he added.

Blasts have been reported in the Russian city of Rostov, near the headquarters of the southern military district command, which plays a key role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was one of the sites seized by late Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during his aborted mutiny in June.

Regional governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram that at least three buildings and several cars had been damaged and one person was injured after Russian air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones targeting the city, just 100km east of the border with Ukraine.

Golubev said that the remains of one drone fell outside the city, while the other fell “in the center, in the area of ​​42 Pushkinskaya Street”.

Rostov is the largest city in southern Russia and is the capital of the Rostov region that adjoins parts of eastern Ukraine where the war is raging.

It is home to the Russian southern military district command, whose 58th Combined Arms Army is fighting against Kyiv’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.

Rostov also houses the command center for the Russian joint group of forces in Ukraine as a whole and is therefore a critical logistical hub for the Russian army.

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine with me, Helen Livingstone.

Blasts have been reported in the center of the Russian city of Rostov, near the headquarters of the southern military district command, key to the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine.

The regional governor, Vasily Golubev, said on Telegram that at least three buildings and several cars had been damaged and one person was injured after Russian air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones targeting the city, just 100km east of the border with Ukraine.

Golubev said that the remains of one drone fell outside the city, while the other fell “in the center, in the area of ​​42 Pushkinskaya Street”.

Rostov hit the headlines in June, when the late Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin seized military sites in the city during his aborted mutiny, including the military headquarters.

Another drone was shot down over the Moscow region, the Ria news agency reported, citing the defense ministry.

Other key developments in Ukraine:

• At least 17 people have been killed, including a child, and another 32 injured after a Russian rocket struck a busy outdoor market in the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, according to Ukrainian officials. Videos of the aftermath of the attack, one of Russia’s deadliest strikes in months, showed fires raging in destroyed buildings and soldiers carrying body bags away.

• The Russian attack came as the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was in Kyiv for an unannounced two-day visit, his first in a year to the Ukrainian capital. Blinken met his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, who held discussions with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and described progress in the Ukrainian counteroffensive as “very, very encouraging”.

• The top US diplomat announced new aid for Ukraine totaling more than $1bn during his visit, including Himars missile launch systems, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Abrams tanks, and other weapons systems. The Pentagon said it would also send depleted uranium shells for Abrams tanks, a form of ammunition that is controversial.

• Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, called for an urgent investigation into apparent drone debris discovered on its soil after Russian attacks on neighboring parts of Ukraine. Romania, a Nato member, had earlier repeatedly rejected claims by Kyiv that Iranian-made Russian drones fell and detonated on Romanian territory during a strike on the Ukrainian port of Izmail on Sunday night.

• A Russian-occupation-appointed official has acknowledged that Moscow’s forces have abandoned the Ukrainian village of Robotyne, more than a week after Kyiv announced its recapture. “The Russian army abandoned – tactically abandoned – this settlement because staying on a bare surface when there is no way to completely dig in … doesn’t generally make sense. Therefore the Russian army moved off into the hills,” said Yevgeny Balitsky, the top Moscow-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region.

• The situation along the eastern frontline remains difficult and the main task for Ukraine’s troops is to ensure reliable defense and prevent the loss of strongholds, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces has said. “The enemy does not abandon his plans to reach the borders regions,” said Oleksandr Syrskyi.

• Ukraine’s parliament voted to approve the appointment of Rustem Umerov as the new defense minister, a lawmaker said. Umerov is a leading member of the Crimean Tatar community who has represented his country in sensitive negotiations with Russia. He is replacing Oleksii Reznikov, who stepped down at Zelenskiy’s instigation after 22 months on the job.

• Vladimir Putin’s “gangster” nuclear threats require NATO to adopt a much more aggressive response, including flying more aircraft with nuclear weapons, the chief of the general staff of the Polish armed forces has said. Gen Rajmund Andrzejczak also said he did not think North Korea would be preparing to sell weapons to Russia without the agreement of China.