Russians ‘dressed in Ukrainian uniform’ attempt to seize key city

A Russian remote minelaying system fires towards Ukrainian positions, Nov 14
A Russian remote minelaying system fires towards Ukrainian positions, Nov 14 - Russia Ukraine/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service
Ukrainian servicemen fire a howitzer on the frontline in Donetsk
The Ukrainian military insisted that Kyiv’s soldiers remained in control of Kupiansk and had ‘successfully repelled’ all Russian attacks - Shutterstock

Russian soldiers wore Ukrainian army uniforms to fight their way into the frontline city of Kupiansk, Kyiv’s military has said.

Captain Andrii Kovaliov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military, said that by disguising themselves as Ukrainian troops the Russian soldiers had committed a war crime.

“Russian soldiers wore uniforms resembling those of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This violates the laws and rules of warfare and constitutes a war crime,” he said.

Kupiansk lies on the northern fringe of the front line and is considered a vital stronghold for Ukraine to control on the banks of the River Oskil, a natural defensive line.

The town had a pre-war population of around 26,000 people and served as an important railway hub. It has already changed hands twice since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Analysts have said that if Russian forces capture Kupiansk, they could use it as a launchpad to push further west into the Kharkiv region which is already under attack from the north.

Captain Kovaliov insisted that Kyiv’s soldiers remained in control of the town and had “successfully repelled” all the Russian attacks even though several military bloggers reported that the Kremlin’s forces had breached its defences.

The pro-Moscow Two Majors channel reported that two columns of Russian soldiers had entered the city at night marking the “beginning of the battle for the city”, an analysis backed up by the pro-Ukraine DeepState Telegram channel.

DeepState said: “In parade formation, the enemy has broken into Kupiansk. This afternoon, two columns of enemy vehicles advanced from the Limanu Persho district.”

It also said that Ukrainian forces had destroyed two Russian armoured personnel carriers as they advanced into the town.

Andrii Besedin, a city official, said Russian troops who entered Kupiansk on Wednesday failed to hold their positions.

Asked if Russian soldiers who had hidden in local houses had been neutralised, Mr Besedin replied: “They were eliminated.”

Ukrainian servicemen at the frontline in Donetsk
Kupiansk is considered a vital stronghold for Ukrainian forces to control - Shutterstock

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia programme at the US-based think tank the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, also said Russian forces had “penetrated fairly deep” into the eastern section of Kupiansk.

“Russians attacked in four waves, using a total of 15 vehicles, including a UR-77 mine-clearing vehicle, tanks, and other armoured vehicles,” he said.

The Kremlin’s forces have been grinding slowly forward over the past few months across the long Donbas frontline, accelerating their attacks in October and soaking up an enormous casualty rate.

This has meant bearing down on Kupiansk where local Ukrainian officials have ordered a mandatory civilian evacuation.

Ukrainian soldier operating artillery at the  Donetsk frontline
Ukrainian forces destroyed two Russian armoured personnel carriers as they advanced into Kupiansk, according to military bloggers - Shutterstock

Elsewhere on the frontline reports said that Russian forces were pressuring Ukrainian forces in Kurakhove in the south, a battle that the Two Majors Telegram channel described as “vital for the defence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces”.

“The Russian Army continues to storm Kurakhove and deploy a wide pincer around the city,” it said.

Fierce fighting was also continuing in Russia’s Kursk region, where the Kremlin had launched an attack against Ukraine’s salient.

There, Russian forces claimed to have destroyed a British Challenger tank used by Ukrainian forces.

Credit: Social media/Telegram

On the accusations that its soldiers had dressed up in Ukrainian uniform, Russia’s military has not commented but warfare law states that any disguise needs to be limited to escape or infiltration. Soldiers are not allowed to fight in enemy uniforms.

Russian and Ukrainian soldiers wear combat uniforms with different patterns and different coloured masking tape around one arm or their helmets. These are usually blue or yellow for Ukrainian forces and white for Russian.

There are many examples of soldiers disguising themselves to fool enemy forces throughout history, from the Trojan Horse in Greek mythology at the siege of Troy, to the 1942 British commando raid on Saint Nazaire in France that knocked out German U-boat pens.

Nazi soldiers also dressed up in American uniforms during the Battle of the Bulge towards the end of World War II.


03:13 PM GMT

Today’s live coverage has ended

Today’s live coverage has ended. We will leave you with the latest from Europe editor James Crisp:

European Union governments will jointly buy arms and weapons for the first time in the bloc’s history in a step towards a closer common defence policy.

Pooling defence procurement is part of the EU’s response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine but has now been given greater impetus by the election of Donald Trump.

For the first two years of the war, individual member states have bought their weapons separately, as they attempt to deliver supplies to Kyiv while maintaining the strength of their own armed forces.

But 20 member states will now put money together to purchase military supplies from manufacturers within the bloc.

According to the European Commission, the group including France, Poland, Belgium, and the Netherlands could buy defence products worth as much as £9bn.

That is made possible thanks to EU subsidies worth £250m which Brussels claims will encourage European defence manufacturers to ramp up production, boost the bloc’s “defence readiness” and help Ukraine.

By negotiating together as a bloc, governments would also be able to get a  better deal and incentivise manufacturers to boost production of weapons in Europe,  Brussels said.

The five projects announced so far involve joint procurement of air and missile defence systems, which protect against drones, aircraft and combat helicopters, modern armoured vehicles, and ammunition for artillery.


02:37 PM GMT

Russia open to negotiations with Trump, Moscow says

Russia will be open to negotiations with the US after Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN has said.

Gennady Gatilov however warned that Mr Trump’s repeated pledge to end the war within 24 hours of taking office was unrealistic.

“Trump promised to settle the Ukrainian crisis overnight,” Gatilov said.“Okay, let him try. But we are realistic people of course we understand that this will never happen.”

“But if he starts or suggests something to start the political process, it’s welcome.”

Mr Gatilov added that any negotiations would need to be based on the “realities on the ground”, describing Ukraine as being on the back foot after Russia’s recent frontline advances.


02:15 PM GMT

Russia ‘charges soldier for surrendering’

A Russian soldier faces up to 20 years in jail for “voluntarily surrendering” to Ukrainian forces, Russian newspaper Kommersant has reported.

Roman Ivanishin surrendered to Ukrainian forces in July 2023 near the village of Stepnoye, the newspaper said, citing a recording of a speech made by Mr Ivanishin.

Mr Ivanishin, a former miner from Russia’s far east, was said to have spoken out about the war in Ukraine in the same video, claiming his comrades did not want to fight and were fleeing their positions.

He spent six months in Ukrainian captivity before being returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange in January.

Ivanishin will be tried by the Moscow military court in what understood to be the first case of its kind brought against a Russian soldier during the war in Ukraine.

He also faces a charge of desertion, which carries a potential 15 year jail sentence.


01:29 PM GMT

Ukrainian bonds surge as markets bet on war ending under Trump

The price of Ukrainian sovereign bonds has surged by 12% since a month ago, in a sign that investors are betting Donald Trump will push for a quick end to the war when he takes office in January.

The investors hope that Mr Trump’s election will lead to a ceasefire and boost Kyiv’s ability to repay creditors.

“The main part of the trade has really been based on the war ending, or at least the possibility of Trump pushing through the start of negotiations,” Thys Louw, portfolio manager at Ninety One, which owns some Ukrainian bonds, told the Financial Times.

During his election campaign, Mr Trump pledged to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end within a day of taking office.

Two senior Ukrainian officials said that Kyiv would prioritise securing Western security guarantees over retaking Russian-occupied territory in future talks with the incoming US administration, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.


12:43 PM GMT

Russian bloggers share footage of drone strike on British Challenger 2 tank

Credit: Social media/Telegram

Footage of a British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine service being hit by a Russian drone has been shared by pro-Russian bloggers.

Russian marines from the 155th Guards Naval Infantry brigade destroyed the vehicle during fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, according to prominent pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Rybar.

In a grainy video released by the Russian marines, first-person camera footage shows a drone about to hit the tank underneath its turret.

Rybar said the fact that the tank was operating in Kursk suggested that Ukraine intended to hold the line in the region “at all costs”.

It did not specify when the tank was reportedly destroyed.

A Challenger 2 was reported to have been destroyed by Russian troops in Kursk earlier this year.

Pictures broadcast by Russian state media at the time showed the tank’s turret blown off, lying in a wooded area as a twisted heap of charred metal.


12:15 PM GMT

Russians setting up defences to bring fleet back to Crimea, Ukrainian partisans say

Ukrainian partisans have photographed new Russian sea defences in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, which they say suggests the Kremlin intends to bring its fleet back to the occupied peninsula.

The group, called Atesh, said was it was seeing the construction of structures designed to defend against Kamikaze drones.

“These measures suggest the invaders’ desire to bring their warships back,” the group added.

One photograph shows a solid barrier across a harbour, which Atesh said is designed to prevent naval drones attacking ships docked in port.

Russia withdrew its last naval patrol ship from Crimea in July after a Ukrainian missile and drone campaign inflicted heavy damage on the Russian fleet.


11:52 AM GMT

Russian attack hits nursery in Sloviansk

Russian forces damaged a nursery and several other building during an attack on the town of Sloviansk on Thursday, local authorities said.

“The city was attacked again. There were two explosions in the Lisnyi district,” said Vadym Liakh, the head of Sloviansk’s city military administration.

“High-rise buildings, administrative buildings of a pedagogical university, a kindergarten, a supermarket and private cars were damaged,” he added.

Sloviansk was at the epicentre of fighting during the early stages of the 2014 war in the Donbas, when pro-Russian separatists captured the town and held it for three months. It has been in Ukrainian hands ever since.


11:25 AM GMT

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers shell Russian positions near Chasiv Yar

Ukrainian artillerymen fire a howitzer towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar, 12 Nov
Ukrainian artillerymen fire a howitzer towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar, 13 Nov - 24TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES/Shutterstock
Ukrainian soldiers load shells into an artillery gun near Chasiv Yar, Nov 13
Ukrainian soldiers load shells into an artillery gun near Chasiv Yar, Nov 13 - 24TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES/Shutterstock
Ukrainian soldiers around an artillery gun at a position near Chasiv Yar, Nov 13
Ukrainian soldiers around an artillery gun at a position near Chasiv Yar, Nov 13 - 24TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES/Shutterstock

11:16 AM GMT

Russian fish factory imports Indian labour due to wartime manpower shortages

A Russian fish canning factory in Kaliningrad has started importing labour from India to plug manpower shortages caused by the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Sergey Lyutarevich, chairman of the For the Motherland fishing and canning company, said that foreign workers were now vital for keeping the economy of Russia’ Baltic Sea exclave running.

“If there were no foreigners, then the Kaliningrad region would have a very difficult time with the economy and taxes,” he was quoted by the media as saying.

Russian industry has complained that manpower shortages triggered by the Kremlin’s military recruitment drive are causing major production problems.


10:37 AM GMT

Watch: Russian soldiers ‘riot because of lack of medical care’

Up to 30 Russian soldiers in Novosibirsk rioted earlier this week because of a lack of medical care, Russian Telegram channels have reported.

The Astra Telegram channel said that soldiers from military unit 57849 smashed windows in their barracks and destroyed furniture.

At least 10 soldiers also escaped. Video showed one of the soldiers smashing windows and a noticeboard with a crowbar.

The soldiers told Astra that they had been injured fighting in Ukraine and didn’t want to be sent back to the frontline without receiving proper medical care.

“The unit commander treated us badly,” said one of the soldiers.

Credit: Telegram/Astra


10:18 AM GMT

Russia says it has seized another village as its forces close in on Kurakhove

Russia has said it has captured another village in east Ukraine as its forces close in on the fortress town of Kurakhove.

The Kremlin’s defence ministry said troops had captured Voznesenka, which is around 9 miles north of Kurakhove.

Russian forces are advancing to the north, south and east of Kurakhove, enveloping the town in a pincer movement.

The Institute for the Study of war reported on Wednesday that Russian troops had carried out a series of mechanised assaults on the town earlier this week.


09:48 AM GMT

Pictured: Russian “rocket minefield” fires towards Ukrainian positions

A Russian Zemledeliye rapid minelaying system is pictured firing at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Thursday. The Russian defence ministry said it was firing towards Ukrainian positions.

The system fires rockets that can scatter mines over a specified area within a 3-9 mile radius.

Russian media said the weapon can also fire conventional explosive rockets.

A Russian Zemledeliye rapid minelaying vehicle fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Nov 14
A Russian Zemledeliye rapid minelaying vehicle fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Nov 14 - Russian Defence Ministry Press Service

09:23 AM GMT

Biden sending aid so Ukraine can fight on next year

The Biden administration is determined to use its final months to send “every dollar” at its disposal to Ukraine so it can keep fighting next year, amid fears that incoming US president Donald Trump will cut off support for Kyiv.

“President Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20,” secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

Donald Trump is due to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 20.

During his election campaign, Mr Trump pledged to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end within a day of taking office.


08:53 AM GMT

Russians attempt to take Kupiansk ‘dressed in Ukrainian uniforms’

Russian forces on Wednesday attempted to capture the city of Kupiansk dressed in Ukrainian uniforms, Kyiv’s military said.

“The Russian invaders launched an assault to break through our defenses in the Kupiansk sector. Enemy assault groups attacked the positions of the Ukrainian defenders in four waves,” the Ukrainian general staff said.

It added that some Russian troops were dressed in uniforms similar to those of the Ukrainian armed forces, which it said “violates the laws and customs of war and constitutes a war crime”.

Pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar said that two columns of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles entered Kupiansk, while infantry occupied houses on the city’s eastern edges.

Kupiansk is located in the northeastern sector of the Ukrainian frontline. Russian forces seized the city shortly after the 2022 invasion. Ukraine recaptured it eight months later.


08:33 AM GMT

Ukrainian air force shoots down 21 of 59 overnight Russian drones

Ukraine’s air force has said it shot down 21 out of 59 attack drones fired at the country overnight.

“The enemy launched 59 Shahed attack UAVs and unidentified drones from Russia’s Kursk Oblast on the night of 13-14 November (starting from 19:00 on 13 November). As of 08:30 on 14 November, 21 UAVs were confirmed downed,” the force said in a statement.

Explosions were reported in the eastern city of Kharkiv, its mayor said.

“Be careful as the enemy is launching guided bombs at the city and surrounding areas,” mayor Ihor Terekhov added.

No injuries or damage has so far been reported.


08:17 AM GMT

Russia ‘expected to advance 20 miles west by December’

Russian forces are expected to advance 20 miles further into Ukraine by December, according to Kyiv-based security think tank Centre for Defence Strategies.

“The front line will probably shift 30-35 km west of its current position [by December],” the centre told the Financial Times.

Moscow’s troops are advancing at a faster rate than at any time since 2022, having captured a reported 463 sq miles of territory since August.

Fighting is particularly intense in the southern sector of the frontline, where Russia is inching towards the key logistic hub of Pokrovsk and rapidly enveloping the fortress town of Kurakhove.


08:07 AM GMT

Welcome to our live coverage

Welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. We’ll be keeping you up to date with events as they happen.