Ukraine Russia war updates: Putin’s commanders ‘lying to hide true Makiivka death toll’

Russia “highly likely” suffered more than 300 casualties in the attack on troop accommodation in Makiivka on New Year’s Day.

Vladimir Putin’s commanders had claimed 89 soldiers were killed in the attack near Donetsk, but UK intelligence suggests it is over 300.

In an update on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said it is likely senior commanders are deliberately lying about the true death toll.

On the spread of disinformation on the death toll, the MoD said: “This typically comes about through a combination of deliberate lying authorised by senior leaders, and the communication of inaccurate reports by more junior officials, keen to downplay their failings in Russia’s ‘blame and sack’ culture.”

A senior aide to Ukrainian president Zelensky has slammed the International Olympic Committee on Saturday for siding with Russia over allowing its athletes to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Olympic Council of Asia has offered Russian and Belarusian athletes a chance to qualify for the international games, to the criticism of Ukrainian officials.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter. “#IOC proposes to the world promotion of violence, mass murders, destruction. That’s why it insists Russian athletes should participate in contests as real ‘ambassadors of death’,”

“Sport doesn’t exist outside politics – sport promotes it. Thus, the IOC promotes the Russian anti-human policy.”

President Zelenskiy added on Friday that Ukraine would launch a global campaign to prevent Russian athletes from being allowed to compete in the 2024 Games.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that any attempt to squeeze Moscow out of international sport was “doomed to fail”.

Russian athletes have previously been banned from representing their flag at international games after allegations of state-sponsored doping.

A Ukrainian citizen was among those killed in the attacks in Jerusalem on Saturday, says Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Expressing his condolences, president Zelensky reported the news on Twitter.

He wrote: “We share Israel’s pain after the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. Among the victims is a Ukrainian woman. Sincere condolences to the victims’ families.”

“The crimes were cynically committed on the Intl Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terror must have no place in today’s world. Neither in Israel nor in Ukraine.”

Seven people were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem on Friday, a day after Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, killing nine Palestinians.

Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in “fast-track” talks on equipping Ukraine’s forces with long-range missiles and military aircraft, a top Ukrainian presidential aide has said.

Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine’s allies “understand how the war is developing” and the need to supply planes capable of providing cover for the new armoured vehicles which have since been pledged.

He continued: “We must speak reasonably and tell them [allies], for example, ‘This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localized.”

Podolyak also said that Ukraine needs supplies of long-range missiles “to drastically curtail the key tool of the Russian army”, aimed at destroying the storage facilities where it keeps and maintains artillery used on the front line.

Read more on the newly pledged tanks here:

Ukraine’s troops are being offered advice and training on repairing donated military equipment through “encrypted chatrooms” and video calls.

A report from AP suggests a growing network of virtual, real-time maintenance advice conducted through interpreters is being given to Ukraine forces in the heat of battle.

Ukraine is being supplied with a wide range of high-tech and complex equipment from NATO allies.

Forces are pushing the donated equipment to their limits, one officer said anonymously.

“They’re using these systems in ways that we didn’t necessarily anticipate. We’re actually learning from them by seeing how much abuse these weapon systems can take, and where’s the breaking point.”

Douglas Bush, US assistant army secretary for acquisition said: “As we send more additional advanced equipment, like Strykers, like Bradleys, like tanks, of course that sustainment activity will have to increase.

“I think the challenge is recognized. I think the Army knows how to do it.”

The latest war updates from Reuters:

* Three people were killed and at least two others wounded after Russian forces struck a residential neighbourhood in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, the regional governor said on Saturday.

* On Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the situation at the front as “extremely acute”, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is stepping up an offensive.

* Zelenskiy reported major battles for Vuhledar, to the southwest of Donetsk’s regional capital, and Bakhmut, to the northeast. Bakhmut has largely been pulverised by repeated Russian attacks.

Germany has announced it is sending its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine – and will allow other nations to do so too. Berlin will send 14 to begin with, with Poland also saying it will send 14 and Canada saying it will send four.

Norway has also said it will send Leopards, while Spain has said it is open to providing them.

Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the tanks are crucial to replenish his nation’s military hardaware ahead of what he believes will be increased Russian offences in the spring – with intense fighting having already been taking place in eastern Ukraine for weeks. Kyiv also wants them to try and recapture territory taken by Moscow’s forces.

North Korea has condemned the decision by the US to supply Ukraine with advanced battle tanks to help fight off Russia’s invasion, saying Washington is escalating a sinister “proxy war” aimed at destroying Moscow.

The comments by the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un underscored the country’s deepening alignment with Russia over the war in Ukraine as it confronts the US and its Asian allies over its own growing nuclear weapons and missiles programme.

North Korea has blamed the US for the crisis in Ukraine, insisting the West’s “hegemonic policy” forced Moscow to take military action to protect its security interests.

It has also used the distraction created by the war to accelerate its own weapons development, test-firing more than 70 missiles in 2022 alone, including potentially nuclear-capable weapons believed able to target South Korea and the US mainland.