Ukraine-Russia war live: Iran could send ballistic missiles to Moscow, warns US

The Kremlin has said it is “developing relations” with Iran but declined to comment on the US’s specific claim that Tehran may soon supply it with ballistic missiles.

“We are developing relations with Iran, including in the field of military-technical cooperation, but we do not comment on this information,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Tehran has already supplied Russia with drones, bombs and artillery shells.

Two bodies have been found in the rubble of a hospital in eastern Ukraine that was struck by Russian missiles on Monday.

Ukraine’s state emergency service believes another person may still be trapped at the hospital in Selydove in the Donetsk region.

The city’s hospital was hit by multiple missiles late on 20 November, damaging two buildings and wounding at least six.

Rescue operations are continuing.

Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed German military aid for saving “many lives” in Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky thanked chancellor Olaf Scholz in a post X, formerly Twitter, a day after Germany announced a new £1.1bn aid package.

“Thank you for your words and deeds to support Ukraine and all Ukrainians,” he said.

“German assistance has saved many lives. Together, we are strengthening and protecting our Europe.”

The American public’s support funding the war in Ukraine has increased, a poll has suggested.

The poll found 38 per cent of American adults believe current spending is “about the right amount”, up from 31 per cent in October.

The proportion saying too much is being spent has also decreased, from 52 per cent to 45 per cent.

The poll of 1,239 adults by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research nevertheless shows the stark opposition of many Americans to the aid being sent to Ukraine.

Ukraine has unveiled a new drone which it has developed itself and is “almost impossible to jam”.

Dubbed ‘Backfire’, the drone has a range of 21 miles (35km) and has already flown more than 50 trial combat missions, digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

“We continue to increase the number of drones at the front,” he said.

Ukraine also unveiled its ‘Beaver’ long-distance attack drone project earlier this week. The $700million development aims to produce a drone with a range of up to 497 miles (800km).

Russia is launching fewer ground and air assaults on the beleaguered Ukrainian city of Avdiivka but is “not abandoning” its plans to take it.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said eight attacks were repelled on Tuesday as the month-long battle for the city continues.

“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” he added.

“The invaders are not abandoning their plans to surround Avdiivka.”

Russia has committed a large number of men and materiel in a bid to take the city, which is in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russia is “unable to suppress” Ukraine’s advance on the left bank of the Dnipro river, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has said.

“Russian milbloggers continue to acknowledge a Ukrainian presence in the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast and complain that Russian forces are unable to suppress Ukrainian operations in the area,” it said.

One blogger is reported to have claimed 76 Russian soldiers were killed in a single Ukrainian strike on 17 November, while another said there are “three Ukrainian drones for each Russian soldier” fighting near the village of Krynky.

“The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Russian officials are struggling to subdue Russian hysteria around Ukrainian operations in the east (left) bank,” the ISW added.

Vladimir Putin uses food as a weapon of war just like Joseph Stalin, the US ambassador to the United Nations has said.

“Like Stalin, Putin has used food as a weapon of war,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

“And like Stalin, Putin has inflicted hunger and death on Ukraine.”

She made the remarks a week after Global Rights Compliance, a human rights law firm, published a report which accused the Russian president of planning to starve Ukrainians and target food infrastructure in the run up to the invasion in February 2022.

“We must not let Russia continue to weaponize food and inflict so much pain and suffering on Ukraine by attacking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure as the cold, dark winter approaches,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said.

The US has denied reports that artillery shell deliveries to Ukraine dropped by more than 30 per cent since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.

American broadcaster ABC News quoted the remarks from an unnamed Ukrainian official.

“Look, I would push back on that assertion,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.

“We have been able to supply Ukraine with what it needs during its counteroffensive, and we will continue to supply Ukraine with what it needs as it heads — as we head into winter.”

Ukraine downed all 14 drones launched by Russian forces overnight, its air force has said.

There have been no reports of casualties or major damage so far after the attack by Iranian-made Shahed drones.

The air force also said a Russian X-22 missile was fired on the Zaporizhzhia region but fell into a field, missing its target.