Ukraine war latest live: 'Nobody is pushing them to die for the sake of ruins,' Zelensky says of Pokrovsk defense
Hello, this is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,358 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story so far:
President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukrainian soldiers are not being "pushed to die for the sake of ruins" in the defense of Pokrovsk, as concerns mount over the fate of the embattled city.
Russian troops have encircled Pokrovsk on three sides, leaving only a roughly 15-kilometer (nine-mile) corridor for Ukrainian forces to bring in reinforcements and supplies, according to the Ukrainian open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState.
In an interview with Bloomberg published Nov. 13, Zelensky admitted the situation is "very difficult," but insisted any decision to withdraw from the city was down to military commanders.
"Nobody is pushing them to die for the sake of ruins," he said. "I will support our soldiers, especially commanders who are there, how they can control the situation. Or it’s too costly for us — the most important for us is our soldiers."
More than two weeks since Russian soldiers were filmed breaking into the urban area of the mining city in Donetsk Oblast en masse, the city has descended into a deep gray zone, in which the concept of territorial control is lost in a fog of chaotic movement.
"The situation hasn't changed that much in Pokrovsk," a Ukrainian drone pilot fighting in the area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Kyiv Independent last week.
"It’s a mess, with a bunch of our soldiers and a bunch of bastards and all of them mixed together."
Ukraine confirms use of Flamingo missiles in strikes on Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, targets inside Russia
Last updated 2:00 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine carried out a series of long-range strikes on Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and on Russian territory overnight on Nov. 13, using several types of domestically produced long-range weapons, including Flamingo and Bars missiles, Ukraine’s General Staff reported.
According to the report, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck "several dozen" targets as part of efforts to degrade Russia’s military, logistical, and economic capabilities.
"To conduct complex strikes, Ukraine employs attack UAVs, loitering munitions, and various types of missiles. Last night, several long-range strike systems were launched, including the domestically developed Flamingo, Bars, and Liutyi (drones)," the report said.
The Flamingo is a domestically produced missile which was described by President Zelensky as "the most successful" missile Ukraine currently has. It has a claimed range of 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) and a 1,150 kilogram warhead.
Pokrovsk not encircled but remains Russia’s main target, Syrskyi says
Last updated 11:40 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russia has not taken control of Pokrovsk, but the area remains Russia’s primary offensive focus, with the highest number of daily assaults and a significant concentration of Russian forces, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Nov. 13.
Syrskyi said he recently traveled to the sector to assess the progress of earlier tasks and coordinate further actions with local commanders.
"There is no talk of Russian control over the city of Pokrovsk or the operational encirclement of the Defense Forces of Ukraine group," Syrskyi said in a post on Telegram.
"Stabilizing the situation depends largely on effective coordination between command bodies and units operating in the area," he said, adding that Moscow is also attempting to use difficult and foggy weather conditions to push forward.
Pokrovsk, with a pre-war population of around 60,000, has been a key target for Russia in recent months. Since this summer, Russian reconnaissance and sabotage groups have entered the city but have so far failed to capture it.
At least 3 killed, 9 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least three people have been killed and nine others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 13.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 102 out of the 138 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys launched by Russia overnight, according to a post from the Air Force. Thirty-six drone strikes occurred at 10 locations, the post said.
Kharkiv and Oblast: 3 killed, 4 injured
The most brutal attack occurred in Kharkiv Oblast, where what preliminary reports suggest was a drone strike on a two-wheeled tractor near the village of Bohuslavka killed three people and injured one, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
In the city of Kharkiv, overnight drone strikes injured a 58-year-old man, a 54-year-old man, and a 60-year-old woman, authorities reported.
Kherson and Oblast: 4 injured, 1 dead
In Kherson Oblast, Russia’s documented practice of targeting civilians with FPV drones continued: a man born in 1947, a resident of Osokorivka, was fatally wounded in a strike at around 8 p.m., Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Other strikes on villages and towns in the region injured another four people, according to Prokudin.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast: 1 injured
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces targeted another civilian with an FPV drone — a 52-year-old man in the village of Huliaipole received multiple injuries to his limbs and torso, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,155,360 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,155,360 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Nov. 12.
The number includes 1,180 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.According to the report, Russia has also lost 23,567 (+11) armored fighting vehicles, 67,211 (+88) vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,388 (+9) artillery systems, 1,242 (+2) anti-aircraft systems, 1,540 multiple rocket launchers, and 79, 945 (+141) drones.
