100 days since Russia's invasion: Ukraine announces plans for a counter-offensive | Ukraine latest

As the Russian war enters its 100th day, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said he expects Western partners to send more advanced weapons to defend his country.

Ukraine’s military has reported that it has managed to hold positions in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, and that fighting continues in the strategically important city. In a post on Facebook the Ukrainian general staff said that Russian forces were continuing their bombardment of Ukrainian positions in the city. The general staff also reported that there had been air strikes on the village of Myrna Dolyna and failed attempts to advance on two nearby settlements. Military leadership went on to say that there had also been a failed attempt to cut Sievierodonetsk from supply lines, but these were also unsuccessful. DW cannot independently verify the reports.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine reaches 100 days, Moscow has not achieved any of its initial goals, according to a daily briefing by the British Defense Ministry. "Russian forces failed to achieve their initial objectives to seize Kyiv and Ukrainian centers of government," the UK ministry wrote, putting the failures down to Russian "false planning and poor tactical execution." Russian forces are having more success in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, a part of the country that has witnessed a military standoff between Russian and Ukrainian forces since 2014. However, those gains, particularly in the Luhansk Oblast of the Donbas region, have come at a "significant resource cost" that has prevented Russian forces from generating momentum on other fronts. The war in Ukraine will continue for some time if the Kremlin is to reach its goals, the UK said.

In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said brutal fighting continued in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, particularly around the city of Sievierodonetsk. "It's the toughest there right now," he said. "The entire temporarily-occupied territory of our state is now a complete disaster zone, for which Russia bears full responsibility. "The longer the war goes on, the more vile, shameful and cynical things Russia is forever inscribing in its history," he added. Zelenskyy went on to thank the United States for agreeing to send advanced rocket systems. "These weapons really can save the lives of our people and defend our land," he said. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine expects to receive modern combat systems from other countries and noted that Sweden announced Thursday it was sending a new package of military assistance. Earlier this week, Germany also announced it would send additional weapons to Ukraine.

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