Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia could be shifting battlefield focus (2024)

Using a splintered piece of wood for stability and wearing a pair of slippers on her feet, a 98-year-old Ukrainian woman managed to escape Russian-occupied territory.

Lidia Stepanivna Lomikovska and her family decided to leave the frontline town of Ocheretyne, in the eastern Donetsk region, last week after Russian troops entered and fighting intensified.

The elderly woman became separated from her son and two daughters-in-law while fleeing, but she kept going to reach Ukrainian lines.

She walked along one of the main roads for six miles (10km) without food or water.

"Once I lost balance and fell into weeds. I fell asleep… a little, and continued walking. And then, for the second time, again, I fell. But then I got up and thought to myself: 'I need to keep walking, bit by bit,'" Ms Lomikovska said.

She was reunited with her family after being taken to a shelter for evacuees.

A senior Russian defence official has reportedly been questioned by theFederal Security Service after the detention of one of his colleagues on bribery charges.

Ruslan Tsalikov is the "number three" in Moscow's defence ministry after Sergei Shoigu, the minister, and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov, the UK defence ministry says in its intelligence update today.

He was reportedly pulled in for questioning after the arrest of deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov, his close ally, on 21 April.

As first deputy defence minister, Mr Tsalikov ranks above Ivanov.

Ivanov is accused of accepting large bribes and will be kept in custody until 23 June after appearing at a Moscow district court last week.

He was in charge of property management, housing, construction and mortgages at the ministry - whose spending has spiralled since the Ukraine war began.

A number of defence ministers have already been questioned or detained after Ivanov's arrest.

The Russian military claims it has attacked the headquarters of the Ukrainian army's southern grouping.

The attack was carried out using Russian air force missiles and artillery, Moscow's defence ministry said.

It gave no further details about the attack but said thatRussian forces were improving their positions along the entirefrontline.

Ukrainian forces defending Chasiv Yar have said they are desperately waiting for more ammunition to arrive from the US.

Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine's 225th SeparateAssault Battalion, which is fighting in the eastern city, called specifically forlong-range weapons.

He said they would "cut [Russianforces] off from logistics and supplies".

Commander Shyriaiev also called for cluster munitions, which are banned by a number of countries over the danger they pose to civilians.

Earlier, we reported that Russian troops appear to be concentrating advances in the direction of Chasiv Yar - which is 80km north of Avdiivka.

If captured, the city would give the Russians a better opportunity to target towns and cities further to the west.

The images below show the apocalyptic scenes in Chasiv Yar after bombardment by the Russians.

At least two people have been killed after Russian guided bombs struck the northeast Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.

A man and a woman were killed in their car as they travelled in the village ofZolochiv, Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, said.

A man, 77, and a woman, 74, were injured after three fires broke out after the strike.

Ten homes were also damaged.

The region of Kharkiv has been under intense fire by Russian forces targetting energy infrastructure.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that his country needed a "significant acceleration" in the delivery of weapons to enable its troops to push back advancing Russian troopsin several parts of the frontline.

The Ukrainian security service (SBU) is today conducting counterintelligence measures in a Kyiv district.

Officials will inspect some buildings and premises searching for unspecified prohibited items, the SBU said.

The district of Shevchenkiv, including the Sofiyska and Mykhailivska squares in the old part of the city, is the main focus of the operation.

Checks will also be carried out on citizens, some of who may be asked to show identification documents and observe curfew.

The SBU said the national police force and the military law and order service will be involved.

An American man has admitted plotting to smuggle sensitive drone technology worth more than $250,000 (£200,000) into Russia.

Nikolay Grigorev, 36, pleaded guilty yesterday after more than 11,500 electronic components were stopped from going to Russia.

He faces up to five years in prison.

Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general in New York, said: "The justice department will continue to hold accountable those who defy our sanctions and export controls to support Russia's unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine - whether they're based in New York City or overseas."

The justice department said it is still searching for two other people connected to the case.

These images show devastation in Kharkiv after Russian strikes yesterday.

One person died in the attack, which appeared to target the northeastern region's railway infrastructure.

Two districts of the city were hit and at leastnine people were injured.

As we told you earlier, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, has ordered new weapons for Moscow (see 6.56am post).

But what about weapons for Kyiv?

After a massive US military aid package was passed last week, deliveries to Ukraine have started.

The White House confirmed that on Monday.

"The aid into Ukraine is ongoing. They have been receiving that security assistance," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"I want to be very careful, because there is operational security," she added, "but we hope that the aid will get to the frontlines soon so that Ukraine can continue to defend itself."

The bill, under which Ukraine will receive more than $60bn in support, was finally signed into law on 24 April after months of debate in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Russia's focus on the battlefield may be shifting north of Avdiivka, according to a leading thinktank.

Moscow's forces have seen their considerable progress slow to the west of the city, with troops appearing to be concentrated in the direction of Chasiv Yar, the US-based Institute for the Study of War said.

Chasiv Yar is around 80km north of Avdiivka.

"The Ukrainian General Staff's morning and evening reports yesterday stated that Ukrainian forces repelled a total of 47 Russian attacks in the Avdiivka direction and 57 Russian attacks in the Bakhmut direction throughout the day, notably a much higher number of attacks in the Chasiv Yar direction than Ukrainian sources have recently reported out on," the ISW said.

"One day's worth of reporting is not sufficient to establish a pattern," it said, "but it may suggest that Russian forces are somewhat slowing down the rate of attacks around Avdiivka while re-committing to offensive pushes around Chasiv Yar."

Russia has reportedly set its sights on the strategic town of Chasiv Yar, which, if captured, would make it easier for Moscow to advance further in the east.

The ISW also highlighted recent Russian successes near Avdiivka, notably at Ocheretyne, northwest of Avdiivka, and Novokalynove, north of Avdiivka, but said "the rate of confirmed advances appears to have slowed".

Here's what the battlefield situation looks like, according to the ISW...