"Ukraine Fights Back: Battling Russian Forces on Multiple Fronts"

The Russian military has launched a major offensive against the town of Avdiivka in Ukraine's Donbas region, with intense frontline fighting concentrated in the area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported 610 incidents of artillery shelling near Avdiivka in the past 24 hours. The Russian forces have been attempting to surround the town for over two months, but have faced significant attrition. Meanwhile, resistance to providing further assistance to Ukraine is growing among certain U.S. Republican lawmakers, and Hungary is threatening to block aid and delay EU membership talks for Ukraine. The UK is bolstering its military support for Ukraine by transferring mine-hunting ships, and the EU has expanded sanctions against Iran for its support of Russia's war in Ukraine. The FSB claims to have uncovered a network of Ukrainian agents involved in targeted killings and attacks on infrastructure in occupied Crimea. Ballistic missiles were reportedly used in an attack on Kyiv, with some missiles allegedly shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.