Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 322 of the invasion - The Guardian

The caput of Russia’s Wagner mercenary radical has claimed his forces person completed the takeover of the Ukrainian municipality of Soledar, which if confirmed would people Moscow’s archetypal large battlefield occurrence since past summer. “Wagner units person taken the full territory of Soledar nether control,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin successful an audio connection released connected his Telegram transmission precocious connected Tuesday. Soledar, location to immense brackish mines, has symbolic, subject and commercialized worth for Russia.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked the “heroic” defenders of Soledar but gave nary update connected the subject concern successful his nightly code connected Tuesday.

Russian forces trained tank, mortar and artillery occurrence connected Avdiivka, Ukraine’s equipped forces said, a 2nd absorption for Russia southbound of Bakhmut and not acold from the metropolis of Donetsk, held by Russian proxies since 2014.

Russia’s artillery occurrence successful Ukraine has gone down dramatically from its wartime high, successful immoderate places by arsenic overmuch arsenic 75%, according to US and Ukrainian officials. The driblet successful shelling is further grounds of Russia’s progressively anemic presumption connected the battlefield astir a twelvemonth into its invasion, officials person told CNN. The officials did not springiness a wide oregon azygous mentation down the striking diminution successful artillery fire.

Western officials person warned that Ukraine volition not beryllium capable to instrumentality backmost a important magnitude of territory from Russia without an summation successful subject capability, including tanks and armoured vehicles. Russian and Ukrainian forces are presently excessively intimately matched for the Ukrainians to beryllium capable to equine a large offensive, a occidental authoritative said connected Tuesday. They said a reported Ukrainian telephone for 300 tanks was “not an unreasonable number” to make the unit wide needed for them to spell connected the attack.

Canadian premier curate Justin Trudeau connected Tuesday said his authorities would acquisition a US aerial defence strategy to donate to Ukraine. The US-built aerial defence strategy was worthy C$406m (US$302m), defence curate Anita Anand said. “Canada volition proceed to basal with the Ukrainian radical arsenic they combat against Russia’s amerciable and unjustifiable invasion,” Anand said.

Ukrainian troops are acceptable to statesman grooming connected the Patriot rocket strategy successful the US arsenic soon arsenic adjacent week, US officials said. The grooming programme will instrumentality spot astatine Fort Sill successful Oklahoma, with the programme expected to instrumentality “several months”, 1 said. During Zelenskiy’s sojourn to the US successful December, Joe Biden announced $1.85bn (£1.54bn) successful caller subject assistance to Kyiv, including the transportation of a Patriot rocket artillery system. The US is besides reportedly considering sending Stryker armoured combat vehicles to Ukraine. The determination could beryllium announced adjacent week, but nary last determination has been made, Politico reported, citing 2 sources acquainted with the matter.

Russia has appointed Colonel-General Alexander Lapin as main of unit of the country’s crushed forces, state-owned quality bureau TASS reported, contempt disapproval from hawks implicit his show successful Ukraine.

The household of 1 of two British men missing successful Ukraine person said they are “very disquieted and concerned” astir his health. Chris Parry, 28, was past seen connected Friday with chap Briton Andrew Bagshaw, 48, heading to the municipality of Soledar successful the eastbound Donetsk portion of Ukraine. The men had been moving arsenic volunteers helping radical evacuate from the frontline.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report