Russia Ukraine news - live: Putin ‘trying to deflect responsibility for military failure’, UK says - The Independent

Putin trying to ‘deflect work for subject failure’ says MoD

New video footage shows Putin apt trying to “deflect responsibility” for failures and precocious fatality rates the warfare successful Ukraine, which helium calls his ‘Special Military Operation’.

Putin visited the Joint Headquarters of the Special Military Operation connected Friday 16 December.

He was filmed gathering with a fig of elder subject officers including Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu.

The UK Ministry of Defence said today: “In this choreographed gathering Putin apt intended to show corporate work for the peculiar subject operation.

“This show apt aimed to deflect Putin’s work for subject failure, precocious fatality rates and expanding nationalist dissatisfaction from mobilisation. The televised footage was astir apt designed to besides dispel societal media rumours of General Gerasimov’s dismissal.”

Lucy Skoulding20 December 2022 07:49

Putin’s subject HQ sojourn aimed astatine deflecting work for nonaccomplishment successful warfare - MoD

The British defence ministry has called Vladimir Putin’s sojourn to the associated office of the peculiar subject cognition choreographed and aimed astatine deflecting the Russian president’s work for a failure.

“In this choreographed gathering Putin apt intended to show corporate work for the peculiar subject operation,” the ministry said.

It added: “This show apt aimed to deflect Putin’s work for subject failure, precocious fatality rates and expanding nationalist dissatisfaction from mobilisation. The televised footage was astir apt designed to besides dispel societal media rumours of wide Gerasimov’s dismissal.”

Mr Putin visited the associated office of the peculiar subject cognition connected Friday.

He was filmed gathering a fig of elder subject officers, including main of wide unit Valery Gerasimov and defence curate Sergei Shoigu, the ministry noted.

“He invited proposals for adjacent steps of the peculiar subject operation. Commander of the Russian radical of forces successful Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, was 1 of those who presented a report,” according to the defence ministry.

Arpan Rai20 December 2022 07:06

Russia violating astir conventions of warfare, says apical Ukrainian minister

Ukraine’s defence curate has said helium volition commencement acting connected immoderate of the violations Russia has committed successful its warfare against the country.

“Russia spent hundreds of billions of dollars connected the delusional thought of conquering Ukraine and became a violent state, violating astir conventions connected the rules of warfare. I volition absorption mundane connected immoderate of those violations,” Oleksiy Reznikov said today.

Arpan Rai20 December 2022 06:34

Reports of Putin utilizing Belarus successful Ukraine warfare ‘stupid’, says Moscow

Reports suggesting Vladimir Putin is going to propulsion Belarus into a much progressive relation successful Ukraine warfare are “groundless” and “stupid”, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“Russia has nary involvement successful absorbing anyone,” Mr Peskov said.

However, the US has refuted the claims from Moscow, calling it the “height of irony”.

“The reported assertion from president Putin that helium has nary volition of, arsenic you said, absorbing anyone successful his talks with president – with Lukashenka, look, I deliberation a connection similar that has to beryllium treated arsenic the tallness of irony coming from a person who is seeking astatine the contiguous moment, close now, to violently sorb his different peaceful adjacent doorway neighbor,” authorities section spokesperson Ned Price said past night.

“We’ve heard these statements from President Putin. At the aforesaid time, since the earliest days of this struggle and the weeks preceding this conflict, we person seen the Lukashenka authorities fundamentally cede its sovereignty, cede its independency to Russia.” helium said successful a property briefing.

The apical US authorities section officials said that the satellite saw Russian forces “mass wrong what should person been sovereign Belarusian territory.”

“We’ve seen attacks launched from what should beryllium sovereign Belarusian territory. And present we perceive these comments from president Putin and from Lukashenka, but I deliberation the way grounds speaks overmuch louder than thing these 2 leaders could say,” helium said.

Arpan Rai20 December 2022 05:57

Downing Street denies Rishi Sunak preparing to ‘water down’ enactment for Ukraine

Downing Street has rejected suggestions Rishi Sunak is preparing to h2o down Britain’s enactment for Ukraine arsenic “categorically untrue”.

The premier curate is successful Riga gathering different Western leaders to sermon the war-torn country.

But reports helium has asked for an appraisal of the advancement of the warfare and however UK subject supplies are being utilized led person to fears the Conservative person was taking an overly cautious approach.

His authoritative spokesperson said: “Certainly immoderate proposition of watered down enactment for Ukraine is categorically untrue.

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Arpan Rai20 December 2022 05:26

Putin orders stronger defence against ‘traitors, spies and saboteurs’

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered the strengthening of his coutry’s borders and instructed information services to measurement up defences against “traitors, spies and saboteurs”, according to authorities media.

Reports besides said that Mr Putin told the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) it indispensable support radical successful the Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia successful September, promising agents “modern instrumentality and weapons” for the cause.

“[The border] indispensable beryllium reliably covered,” the RIA quality bureau quoted him arsenic saying. “Any attempts to interruption it indispensable beryllium thwarted rapidly and efficaciously utilizing immoderate forces and means we person astatine our disposal, including mobile enactment units and peculiar forces.”

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Arpan Rai20 December 2022 05:16

White House volition proceed to ‘closely monitor' Russia aft Putin’s sojourn

The White House volition proceed to show Russia’s activities successful Ukraine amid Vladimir Putin’s sojourn to Belarus, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“Look, we proceed to show Russia’s unit posture closely. That’s thing that we person been doing and volition proceed to do, including a Belarus – successful Belarus, and stay successful adjacent interaction with Ukraine arsenic they valiantly support themselves against Russia aggression. So we’re continuing to bash that,” the apical White House authoritative said successful a property briefing past night.

She was answering the question connected the Biden administration’s concerns that determination mightiness beryllium further collaboration betwixt the 2 countries arsenic Mr Putin visited his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko and if Minsk whitethorn beryllium providing further subject enactment to Russia.

Ms Jean-Pierre said the US has agelong been acrophobic by Belarus’s relation successful Russia’s aggression. “Belarus has enabled Russia’s warfare against Ukraine, providing enactment for Russia and allowing Belarusian territory to beryllium utilized arsenic a staging crushed for Russian forces,” she told the reporters.

Arpan Rai20 December 2022 05:06

Fears Belarus could participate Ukraine warfare arsenic Putin meets Lukashenko

Vladimir Putin is successful Belarus on with his defence and overseas ministers, arsenic fears turn successful Kyiv that Moscow wants to propulsion its closest state into a caller crushed violative successful Ukraine.

Sitting alongside Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko earlier their talks successful Minsk, Mr Putin is said to person emphasised the adjacent military-technical ties betwixt the allies.

Mr Putin was allowed to usage Belarus arsenic the launchpad for his violative against Kyiv erstwhile the penetration of Ukraine began successful February – though Lukashenko has repeatedly said his nation, which relies heavy connected Moscow for support, volition not participate the warfare fixed however unpopular specified a determination could beryllium successful his country.

Ukrainian associated forces commandant Serhiy Nayev had said helium believed the talks would code “further aggression against Ukraine and the broader engagement of the Belarusian equipped forces successful the cognition against Ukraine, successful particular, successful our opinion, besides connected the ground”.

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Arpan Rai20 December 2022 04:46

IMF clears four-month woody for Ukraine to assistance beforehand donor financing

The International Monetary Fund has approved a four-month programme for Ukraine to assistance the besieged state support its economical stableness utilizing donor financing aft Russia invaded it successful February.

The Program Monitoring with Board engagement (PMB) was cleared by the IMF’s absorption connected 9 December and discussed by its enforcement committee yesterday. The IMF volition assistance Ukraine instrumentality prudent policies and “catalyse” outer financing..

"Large and predictable outer fiscal enactment volition beryllium captious for the occurrence of the authorities strategy, and frontloaded disbursements would assistance code strains successful aboriginal 2023," IMF archetypal lawman managing manager Gita Gopinath said successful a statement.

"At the aforesaid time, the PMB seeks to beforehand transparency and sphere hard-won gains from past fund-supported programs, including successful the areas of independency of the National Bank of Ukraine and, much broadly, governance and anti-corruption," Ms Gopinath said.

Arpan Rai20 December 2022 04:28

Bakhmut ‘hottest spot’ successful warfare arsenic Russia mislaid astir 99,000 soldiers - Zelensky

Eastern municipality Bakhmut continued to beryllium the blistery spots of the warfare with Russian and Ukrainian forces defending inches of onshore successful the astir 11 period aged siege, Volodymyr Zelensky said, addind that Vladimir Putin has mislaid astir 99,000 soldiers truthful far.

“Bakhmut is the hottest spot connected the full frontline - much than 1300 km of progressive hostilities. Since May, the occupiers person been trying to interruption our Bakhmut, but clip goes by and Bakhmut is already breaking not lone the Russian army, but besides the Russian mercenaries who came to regenerate the wasted service of the occupiers,” helium said successful his nightly address.

Mr Zelensky added: “Just deliberation astir it: Russia has already mislaid astir 99 1000 of its soldiers successful Ukraine. Soon determination volition beryllium 100 1000 of the occupiers’ casualties. For what? No 1 successful Moscow tin reply this question. And they won’t.”

“They wage warfare and discarded people’s lives, different people’s lives, not of their loved ones, not their ain lives, but the lives of others lone due to the fact that a radical successful the Kremlin can’t admit mistakes and is terribly acrophobic of reality. But world speaks for itself,” the war-time president said.

Arpan Rai20 December 2022 04:24