Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow deploys ‘150,000 soldiers’ to Pokrovsk as fighting rages on

Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, told the New York Post that Russia was concentrating some 150,000 troops on a drive to capture Pokrovsk, with mechanised groups and marine brigades part of the push.

He added that Ukrainian forces were using built-up urban areas to limit the progress of Russian troops and were also confronting Russian sabotage units.

“There are ongoing battles and fights raging on. There are fast manoeuvres carried out by the enemy all the time,” he added.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have launched a “large-scale operation” into the country’s energy sector to uncover graft involving a “high-level criminal organisation”, according to reports.

The National Anti-Corruption Agency (NABU) said that along with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), it conducted a “large-scale operation” to expose the alleged corruption.

The agency added that the investigation involved 15 months of work and 1,000 hours of audio recordings.“The activities of a high-level criminal organization have been documented,” the statement said, adding that the scheme was organised to influence “strategic state-sector enterprises”.

NABU claimed that those involved in the scheme sought to obtain illegal benefits to the tune of up to 15 per cent of a state contract value.

President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to order 25 Patriot air defence systems from the United States, as the nation faces relentless Russian aerial attacks, causing widespread blackouts on the brink of winter.

Acknowledging the high cost and lengthy manufacturing time, Mr Zelensky suggested European countries could donate their Patriots and await replacements, stressing, “we would not like to wait.”

The missile and drone strikes on the power grid coincide with Ukraine’s efforts to repel a Russian push towards the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has denied reports of Russia’s progress in Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, where troops from Kyiv and Moscow have been engaged in one of the fiercest frontline battles.

“They continue to show this area on their maps as if it’s under their control,” Oleksandr Syrsky said.

“This perception — that the enemy has got practically everything and they’re about to finish it — is not true.”

His statement comes after Russian media reports claimed that Moscow’s troops have overtaken the city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian overnight drone attack damaged civilian infrastructure in the Saratov region, the governor of the western Russian region said this morning.

“All emergency services were deployed to the scene,” governor Roman Basurgin said on Telegram.

Ukraine’s military units are competing with each other by launching deadly drone attacks to earn points that can be used to buy more weapons.

Bryony Gooch has more below…

Russian president Vladimir Putin gave no order to begin preparations for nuclear weapons testing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“The president gave no instructions to begin preparations,” Peskov told state owned VGTRK.

“First of all, we must understand whether we should do it. This must be a serious, well-founded and thought-out decision. So our specialists will work on that.”

Ukraine’s special forces have struck a Russian oil depot in occupied Crimea, officials have said.

“The Hvardiyska oil depot is an important element of the fuel logistics system of the occupying authorities in Crimea,” the special forces stated on Telegram.

“It is important for supplying military facilities and transport of the enemy army.”

The Independent could not independently verify the report.

Ukraine’s military units are competing with each other by launching deadly drone attacks to earn points that can be used to buy more weapons.

Bryony Gooch has more below…