Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin suffers ‘particularly heavy’ losses as battles rage on Donetsk frontline

Russia is suffering “particularly heavy losses” on the Donetsk frontline as it seeks to capture the tactically key city of Avdiivka, with fighting continuing to rage in Kupiansk and at the Dnipro River, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said. And Vladimir Putin has lost around a brigade’s worth of forces at the Dnipro River since Ukraine first began attacking its eastern bank, where it now claims to have secured a foothold, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War think-tank. But despite these heavy losses, neither side has achieved substantial progress in any fighting hotspot, and “there are few immediate prospects of major changes in the frontline” as colder winter weather sets in earnest in eastern Ukraine, the ministry said. Meanwhile, Ukraine said its air defences had shot down 29 of an overnight barrage of 39 Iranian drones on Saturday, as it claimed to have destroyed a total of 15 Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea since the start of Moscow’s invasion, damaging 12 others. Read More David Cameron meets Zelensky in Ukraine in first visit as foreign secretary – and praises Boris Johnson In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows Russian court convicts a woman for protesting the war in Ukraine in latest crackdown on free speech Bombs, betrayal and burying loved ones: Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion