World

All fronts: Russia says troops advancing in Ukraine

Residential buildings destroyed
 
Residential buildings destroyed
Russia said on Friday its troops were advancing in every section of the Ukrainian front, despite observers seeing little movement.

The front lines have barely shifted in 2023 but fighting has remained intense. The latest major flashpoint is the nearly encircled industrial town of Avdiivka, where Ukraine said it was fending off assaults.

Moscow has been throwing troops and equipment at the war-battered town of Avdiivka in a bid to encircle and capture the industrial hub.

Meanwhile, Russia's FSB security service said it had arrested a dual Russian-Italian national for carrying out sabotage attacks under the orders of Ukrainian military intelligence.

Investigators accuse him of launching a drone attack against a military airfield in the Ryazan region in July and derailing a freight train using an explosive device last month. — AFP