Ukraine updates: Russian bomber destroyed by air defenses

While standing ovations are commonplace for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the one he received at the Munich Security Conference was still an important boost.

Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion tops the agenda at the annual gathering of politicians and policy experts. The topic has gained all the more urgency with recent setbacks on the battlefield and fears that allies like the United States could withdraw aid.

DW takes a look at how the Ukrainian leader has been seeking to win over support from the international community in the Bavarian capital. Click here to find out more.

German Chief of Defense, General Carsten Breuer, told DW that he believes Ukraine's decision to retreat from the key town of Avdiivka is "absolutely correct." Breuer gave his opinion on the matter after just having visited Ukraine.

"What I experienced during my visit last week were soldiers who are tired, but steadfast. I met a new commander-in-chief who has a plan, who knows where he wants to go and is now putting this plan into action," Breuer said, referring to Oleksandr Syrskyi.

"I believe what we saw in Avdiivka was resolute decision-making to save personnel and I think this was absolutely correct." Breuer said.

Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy recently installed Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief, replacing General Valery Zaluzhny after a stalled counteroffensive against Russia. 

While Ukrainian forces have been under pressure on land, they have broken Russia's naval supremacy in the Black Sea.

This week, the Ukrainian army announced on Telegram that Caesar Kunikov landing craft had been sunk off the coast of the Crimean peninsula.

Click here to see how Ukraine has been able to break Russia's naval supremacy.

The situation on Ukraine's eastern Avdiivka front has stabilised somewhat after the withdrawal of Kyiv's forces from the industrial city on Saturday, Ukrainian military spokesman said.

"I can state ... that on the day after leaving Avdiivka we perceive the situation as having stabilized somewhat," military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said in televised comments.

He also said that Ukrainian forces suffered casualties during the withdrawal, but that they were minimal under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have captured Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew, but said some Ukrainian troops were still holed up in a huge Soviet-era coke plant. There was no public comment yet by Ukrainian authorities on this

Russian Defense Ministry also said its troops had taken full control of Avdiivka and advanced 8.6 kilometers in that part of the front line.

Events on the battlefield in Ukraine are a matter of "life and death" for Russia that could determine its fate, President Vladimir Putin said.

"I think it is still important for us, and even more so for our listeners and viewers abroad, to understand our way of thinking," Putin said in an interview broadcast on state television.

"Everything that is happening on the Ukraine front: For them, it is an improvement of their tactical position but, for us, it is our fate, it is a matter of life and death," he said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly portrayed the nearly two-year-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a struggle for Russia's survival, in an attempt to whip up patriotic sentiment among a population largely apathetic about the offensive.

Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian offensive on the southern front, the Ukrainian military said on Sunday. The news follows the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka.

"Defense forces in the Zaporizhzhia sector defeated yesterday's Russian offensive," Ukrainian military said on Telegram messaging app.

The military said 18 armoured vehicles including three tanks were destroyed and that the Russians "retreated to their previous positions."

The southern Zaporizhzhia direction became the main focus of theUkrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 although there were no significant breakthroughs and only a few settlements were liberated.

Ukraine's forces destroyed 12 Russia-launched attack drones overnight as well as one Kh-59 cruise missile and one Su-34 fighter-bomber, Ukraine's Air Force chief said on Sunday.

"I want to thank Air Force units for their successful combat work!" Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

However, not all targets were intercepted. At least three people have been killed in Russian drone and missile attacks in eastern Ukraine, local leaders said.

Two bodies have been recovered so far from the rubble of a residential building in the city of Kramatorsk that was struck by a missile overnight, said Vadym Filashkin, the military governor of the Donetsk region, on Telegram.

Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the military administration in the neighboring Kharkiv region, reported one dead and five injured in an attack on a two-storey residential building in the front-line city of Kupiansk.

Earlier, Ukrainian troops in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk had been forced to retreat from the industrial city of Avdiivka. The Russian air force had been bombing Ukrainian positions on the front line with precision-guided bombs for days. 

dh/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)