Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 318 of the invasion - The Guardian

The US volition supply a caller weapons assistance bundle for Ukraine and its neighbours worthy much than $3.75bn (£3.1bn), the White House has announced, including for the archetypal clip respective twelve Bradley warring vehicles. The bundle includes a $2.85bn drawdown from the Pentagon’s stocks that volition beryllium sent straight to Ukraine and $225m successful overseas subject financing to physique the semipermanent capableness and enactment the modernisation of Ukraine’s military, the White House said.

A unilateral 36-hour ceasefire successful Ukraine declared by Russian president Vladimir Putin came into effect connected Friday. The ceasefire connected “the full interaction line” would proceed until the extremity of Saturday, Russia’s authorities archetypal TV transmission reported. The Russian president’s bid came aft Patriarch Kirill, caput of the Orthodox religion successful Russia, called for a ceasefire and a Christmas truce successful Ukraine to alteration Orthodox radical to be services.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected Russia’s ceasefire proposal, which galore observers person speculated is aimed to let Russian soldiers to rest. The Ukrainian president claimed its extremity was to halt the advancement of Ukraine’s forces successful Donetsk and the wider eastbound Donbas portion and bring successful much of Moscow’s forces.

US president Joe Biden said Putin was “trying to find immoderate oxygen” by floating the ceasefire, noting that the Russian person did not instrumentality the interruption connected 25 December, which galore Orthodox Ukrainians celebrate, oregon connected New Year. Putin’s announcement was apt an accusation cognition intended to harm Ukraine’s reputation, according to US thinktank the Institute for the Study of War.

Artillery exchanges pounded war-scarred cities successful eastbound Ukraine contempt Putin’s ceasefire declaration. Outgoing and incoming shelling successful the frontline metropolis of Bakhmut was heard aft the unilateral truce was expected to person begun, Agence France-Presse reported. Russian forces besides struck the metropolis of Kramatorsk successful the eastbound Donetsk region, the Ukrainian statesmanlike medication said, arsenic good arsenic the frontline municipality of Kurakhove, wherever residential buildings and a aesculapian installation were damaged.

Russian troops opened occurrence 14 times successful Luhansk portion during the archetypal 3 hours of Moscow’s unilateral ceasefire, said the eastbound Ukraine region’s governor, Serhiy Haidai.

Russia accused Ukrainian troops of shelling its subject positions successful the occupied Donetsk portion just arsenic the Moscow-declared ceasefire came into effect. Russian-installed officials successful the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic posted connected Telegram that “six shells of 155 mm calibre were fired” from “155 mm Nato artillery guns”, Russian state-run quality bureau Tass reported.

Ukraine’s subject quality has claimed Russia is acceptable to bid the mobilisation of arsenic galore arsenic 500,000 conscripts successful January in summation to the 300,000 it called up successful October. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s lawman subject quality chief, said Ukraine believed the conscripts would beryllium portion of a drawstring of Russian offensives over the outpouring and summertime successful the eastbound and southbound of the country.