Russia-Ukraine War: Live Updates - The New York Times

Moscow Dec. 27, 1:13 p.m.

Washington Dec. 27, 5:13 a.m.

Ukrainian forces are edging person to Kreminna, a fiercely defended metropolis successful the eastbound of the country, officials say, successful a further motion that the bluish portion of Luhansk Province remains 1 of the astir hotly contested parts of the battlefield. The state is presently almost wholly occupied by Russia.

“The concern determination is difficult, acute,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said of Kreminna and different areas successful the Donbas region, which is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk Provinces, successful his nightly code precocious Monday. “The occupiers are utilizing each the resources disposable to them — and these are important resources — to compression retired astatine slightest immoderate advance.”

The run to recapture Kreminna began successful the fall, astir the clip that Ukraine recaptured the metropolis of Lyman, successful Donetsk Province, astatine the extremity of a sweep done the country’s northeastern portion of Kharkiv that drove Russian forces backmost toward their country’s border.

Since then, the sides person fought a bid of battles and artillery duels implicit highways and tiny settlements astir Kreminna and further northwest, successful the metropolis of Svatove. Russian forces took implicit some places aboriginal successful their 10-month penetration of Ukraine.

Recapturing the 2 cities, and a 3rd one, Starobilsk, could alteration Ukrainian forces to beforehand toward the Russian borderline and instrumentality backmost territory controlled by Russia. It would besides springiness them power of a triangle of roads that supply entree to 2 larger cities farther south, Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, that fell to Russia during the summer.

Regional officials person said that the run is focused connected larger cities, though Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly said that Ukraine wants to retake each of the territory Russia has seized since 2014, including the Crimean Peninsula.

“Fighting is going connected adjacent the city,” the determination subject governor, Serhiy Haidai, said of Kreminna connected nationalist tv connected Monday. He added that, successful effect to subject pressure, portion of the Russian bid successful the metropolis had withdrawn to the municipality of Rubizhne, a fewer miles to the southeast.

“The Russians recognize that if they suffer Kreminna, their full enactment of defence volition ‘fall,’” helium said successful a station connected the Telegram messaging app connected Tuesday.

There was nary autarkic confirmation of the battlefield developments, but Vitaly Kiselyov, a elder authoritative successful the self-proclaimed Russian-backed separatist republic successful Luhansk, said connected Russian authorities tv connected Monday that the concern astir Kreminna and Svatove remained “very tense.” Luhansk is 1 of 4 provinces that Moscow illegally annexed successful September.

In caller weeks, Russian forces person built a bid of defensive barriers adjacent Kreminna and different parts of Ukraine’s jagged beforehand lines. They person besides severed the pontoon bridges implicit the Seversky Donets River that runs done bluish Luhansk, the province’s subject medication said connected Telegram connected Monday.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based deliberation tank, said that aft losing the metropolis of Kherson successful the south and suffering different territorial setbacks, Russia was rallying its forces successful bluish Luhansk for an violative that would purpose to widen its power successful the portion and past perchance propulsion into Kharkiv Province.

To that end, the institute said, Russia is prioritizing mobilizing troops to support Kreminna and Svatove implicit operations successful different parts of the wider Donbas region. The institute cited Ukrainian subject reports of accrued Russian movements of troops, subject instrumentality and ammunition successful the area.

It said, however, that Russian occurrence successful the abbreviated word appeared improbable fixed the hard terrain and the “very limited” violative capabilities of Moscow’s forces.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is striking much boldly astatine targets heavy successful Russian territory due to the fact that Kyiv has assessed that Moscow’s subject is warring astatine the limits of its accepted capabilities, erstwhile subject officials and analysts say.

So far, the Ukrainian long-range attacks that deed airfields successful the bosom of Russia, on the Volga River, person not caused extended damage. The latest, connected Monday, killed 3 servicemen, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, aft aerial defenses changeable down a Ukrainian drone approaching Engels aerial base, adjacent the metropolis of Saratov.

But the attacks, which stay delicate capable that the Ukrainian authorities has not publically acknowledged them, person forced Russia to determination planes, perchance complicating Moscow’s run of aiming cruise rocket strikes astatine Ukraine’s vigor grid.

Since immoderate cruise missiles are launched from bombers that alert from the airfields deed successful the attacks, the strikes could perchance destruct the missiles connected the crushed astatine the Russian airfields earlier they tin beryllium deployed.

With the consciousness wide successful Kyiv among officials and civilians that, abbreviated of atomic intensification, Russia cannot bash overmuch much to Ukraine that it is not already doing, the allure of curtailing Moscow’s rocket capabilities astatine location outweighs immoderate escalatory concern.

“If idiosyncratic attacks you, you combat back,” Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a erstwhile Ukrainian defence curate who present advises President Volodomyr Zelensky, said successful an interrogation earlier this month, aft the archetypal Ukrainian long-range onslaught connected Russian subject targets deed Engels and different airfield successful cardinal Russia.

Mr. Zagorodnyuk, clarifying that helium did not talk for the authorities and could not corroborate the strikes, added: “You cannot consider, this idiosyncratic volition onslaught you due to the fact that you are warring back. There is perfectly nary strategical crushed not to effort to bash this.”

Serhiy Hrabskiy, a retired colonel and commentator connected the warfare for Ukrainian quality media, said that Ukraine’s subject has not hesitated to deed airfields, substance tanks and ammunition depots that are morganatic subject targets. Targeting sites successful Crimea and cross-border artillery duels person go regular arsenic the warfare has moved person to Russia and the occupied peninsula.

“There is nary reaction,” Mr. Hrabskiy said successful an interview. “Why? Because the Russians simply bash not person capableness to bash so.”

The United States and Ukraine person agreed that Kyiv volition not onslaught targets successful Russia with American-provided weaponry. The Biden medication has vowed to debar American engagement that could escalate to nonstop confrontation with Russia. But American officials clarified they volition not entity to Ukraine striking backmost with its ain weaponry.

A Ukrainian state-owned subject contractor has said it developed a long-range drone that would, theoretically, beryllium capable to deed Moscow. Russia said Ukraine utilized Soviet-era, jet-powered reconnaissance drones to deed aerial bases connected Dec. 5.

“We are not moving to forestall Ukraine from processing their ain capability,” Lloyd J. Austin III, the Secretary of Defense, said aft those strikes.

Ukraine’s long-range strikes person coincided with a depletion of Russian cruise and tactical ballistic missiles. After repeated forays connected electrical powerfulness plans, substations and different infrastructure targets done the autumn and aboriginal winter, Russia has capable missiles for 2 oregon 3 much waves of strikes connected Ukraine’s electrical grid, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s subject quality chief, told the Ukrainian quality outlet Liga.net successful an interrogation published Monday.

Russia has been firing waves of 70 to 75 missiles successful intervals of astir a week, but the clip betwixt strikes has been growing.

“They volition tally out,” Mr. Budanov said.

The astir blase rocket successful Russia’s arsenal, the Kinzhal, a hypersonic limb that tin scope targets successful minutes and is each but intolerable to sprout down, is successful adjacent shorter supply, Mr. Budanov said.

Russia began its penetration with 47 Kinzhals successful its arsenal, Mr. Budanov said, and has manufactured lone “a few” much during the war.

“You tin scare the satellite with the information that you person a Kinzhal,” helium said. “But erstwhile you commencement to truly usage them, what’s next?”

Russia has suffered a bid of high-profile attacks since it invaded Ukraine successful February. Some person taken spot connected Russian soil, portion others person damaged oregon destroyed important subject assets. All person exposed information lapses embarrassing to the authorities successful Moscow. In immoderate cases, Ukraine has hinted that it is responsible.

In the latest incident, three Russian servicemen died aft a Ukrainian drone was changeable down connected the attack to Engels subject aerial basal heavy wrong Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said connected Monday. It was the second attack this period connected the base, which is astir 300 miles from Ukraine’s borderline and houses immoderate of Russia’s strategical bombers.

Here is simply a timeline of immoderate different attacks.

April: Strikes adjacent Ukraine’s border

Two low-flying Ukrainian helicopters crossed into Russia and fired connected an lipid depot successful the metropolis of Belgorod, 20 miles from the border. The attack, which occurred connected April 1 and was reported by a regional governor, was the archetypal clip since the full-scale penetration began connected Feb. 24 that Russia reported a Ukrainian airstrike connected its territory.

Explosions besides ripped done oil depots successful precocious April successful the Russian metropolis of Bryansk, a logistical hub little than 100 miles from the Ukrainian border.

April: Missile onslaught connected Russia’s Black Sea flagship

In mid-April, 2 Ukrainian Neptune missiles deed Russia’s flagship, the Moskva, successful the Black Sea, astir 65 nautical miles southbound of Odesa, Ukraine. The vessel aboriginal sank, and many sailors died. The Russian authorities said lone that the vessel had sunk aft an accidental fire caused by an explosion.

Afterward, immoderate Russian commentators asked wherefore the pridefulness of the country’s Black Sea fleet had not been amended protected.

August: Explosions astatine a Crimea aerial base

Explosions connected Aug. 9 struck the Saki Air Base successful Crimea, a portion illegally annexed by Moscow successful 2014. The Russian authorities said munitions stored astatine the tract had blown up, but outer images appeared to amusement astatine slightest 8 wrecked warplanes. A elder Ukrainian authoritative said the blasts had been an onslaught carried retired with the assistance of partisans.

August: A car weaponry adjacent Moscow

Daria Dugina, the girl of a salient Russian nationalist, was killed erstwhile her conveyance blew up successful a Moscow suburb connected Aug. 20. U.S. officials aboriginal said they believed that Ukraine’s government had authorized the attack, and immoderate said they suspected that Ms. Dugina’s father, Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian ultranationalist, was the existent target.

Early October: The Crimea span explosion

Early connected Oct. 8, an detonation destroyed portion of a road and obstruction bridge that connects Russia with the Crimean Peninsula and had served arsenic the main proviso way for its forces successful confederate Ukraine.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had claimed idiosyncratic recognition for the bridge project, driving a motortruck on its 12-mile magnitude erstwhile it opened successful 2018.

October: A oversea drone onslaught successful Crimea

Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack connected its Black Sea Fleet successful Crimea and said that 1 minesweeper had sustained insignificant damage. A elder Ukrainian authoritative said the vas had been severely damaged. Video, ne'er confirmed, aboriginal emerged of a oversea drone heading toward a vessel arsenic gunfire peppers the water astir it.

December: Drones people airfields successful Russia

The attacks entered a caller signifier successful aboriginal December, erstwhile Ukrainian drones struck Engels and different subject airport successful Russia. A drone besides deed an lipid facility adjacent an airfield successful the Russian state of Kursk.

When videos and photos emerged successful April showing bodies of dozens of civilians strewn on a thoroughfare successful Bucha, Ukrainians and the remainder of the satellite voiced fearfulness and outrage. But successful Russia, officials had a wholly antithetic reaction: denial.

President Vladimir V. Putin dismissed the gruesome country arsenic “a provocation,” and claimed that the Russian Army had thing to bash with it.

But an eight-month visual investigation by The New York Times concluded that the perpetrators of the massacre on Yablunska Street were Russian paratroopers from the 234th Air Assault Regiment led by Lt. Col. Artyom Gorodilov.

The grounds shows that the killings were portion of a deliberate and systematic effort to ruthlessly unafraid a way to the capital, Kyiv. Soldiers interrogated and executed unarmed men of warring age, and killed radical who unwittingly crossed their paths — whether it was children fleeing with their families, locals hoping to find groceries oregon radical simply trying to get backmost location connected their bicycles.

We identified 36 of the Ukrainian victims killed on Yablunska Street. Read much astir their last moments.