Volodymyr Zelensky posed the question of why Russia and Vladimir Putin continued to have representation at the United Nations to world leaders ahead of his UN security council speech. Mr Zelensky was speaking in the US after visiting wounded Ukrainian military members at a New York hospital shortly after arriving for his diplomatic tour on Monday. "For us, it’s very important that all our words, all our messages, will be heard by our partners. And if in the United Nations still – it’s a pity, but still – there is a place for Russian terrorists, the question is not to me. I think it’s a question to all the members of the United Nations," he said. Follow latest live updates on coverage of Ukraine war here The Ukrainian president is likely to cross path with Russia’s top diplomat at the United Nations during the upcoming UN Security Council meeting. On being asked if he will stay in the room to listen to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s remarks at the meeting, Mr Zelensky said: “I don’t know how it will be, really”. Mr Lavrov had called Mr Zelensky a “b*****d” and walked out after a round of condemnation and accusations of war crimes aimed at Russia in last year’s UNSC meeting. “Such outrages remain unpunished because the United States and their allies with the connivance of international human rights institutes have been covering up the crimes of the Kyiv regime based on the policy of ‘Zelensky might be a b*****d, but he’s our b*****d’,” the foreign minister said. He walked out after his speech and remained absent for most of the session having already arrived 90 minutes late – missing UN chief Antonio Guterres’s briefing. The Ukrainian president had confronted the UN even before the war launched by neighbour Russia, who, as a Security Council member, is entrusted with maintaining international peace and security. In September last year, Mr Zelensky detailed the Russian atrocities in Ukraine and described a sweeping peace plan to end the war in his previous address to the UN General Assembly. “How can we allow the Russian army somewhere on Ukrainian soil, knowing that they are committing such mass murder everywhere?” Mr Zelensky asked. “We cannot. We must protect life. The world must protect life.” He also called on the international community to temporarily strip Russia of its UN powers, continue sanctions, and establish a special tribunal to oversee the peace process. He lamented at the General Assembly in 2021 that the UN was a “retired superhero who’s long forgotten how great they once were”. Mr Zelensky will be making a case for Ukraine’s protection and security assurances as the country continued to fight off a Russian full-scale invasion for nearly 600 days now. He will also seek help from Washington ahead of a looming winter. The US Congress is currently mulling over president Joe Biden’s request to provide Ukraine with as much as $24bn more in military and humanitarian aid. Mr Zelensky will spend some time at the Capitol Hill on Thursday and then proceed to meet with Mr Biden at the White House. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv commander says Russian defensive line breached near villages of Bakhmut Explosions shake Ukraine’s Lviv as western parts remain under air raid alerts Heading for UN, Ukraine's president questions why Russia still has a place there How Ukraine’s battle for the Black Sea is inflicting serious pain on Putin’s forces New explosions at Sevastopol as Ukraine launches fresh drone strikes on Crimea

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Ukraine’s military has “good news” in the eastern front of the battlefield where heavy fighting is underway to regain ground, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar has said, saying Kyiv’s forces were making gains near Bakhmut. “We are moving forward in the Bakhmut direction. The main battles continue in the districts of Andriivka, Kurdyumivka, Klishchiivka. And we have good news there – Andriivka. The situation is very complex and changeable, we keep our fingers crossed,” the deputy defence minister said in her official Telegram channel on Thursday evening. Initially, the minister claimed Ukrainian forces had retaken Andriivka village, which falls south of Bakhmut, but the country’s Third Assault Brigade fighting in the region said the report was “premature”. “Currently, serious and heavy fighting continues in the districts of Klishchiivka and Andriivka,” the brigade from Ukraine’s ground forces handling military operations on the eastern front said. Ms Maliar also said Vladimir Putin’s troops had sustained “significant losses” in attacks on key towns as Ukrainian forces are bolstering their efforts to capture clusters of villages in a drive towards the Sea of Azov. The Russian casualties had “significantly reduced their ability to defend themselves”, she said. Senior military officials said heavy casualties have been inflicted on Russian forces on the southern front, with over 600 deaths of Russian soldiers. “The enemy, as a result of attempts to recapture at least some of the lost positions in the Tavria (south) direction in the last two days has lost 15 tanks and 12 armoured vehicles,” Oleksander Shtupun, spokesperson for troops on the southern front, said on national television. Russian personnel losses stand at 665 over two days, he said. As part of a critical component of Ukraine’s four-month-old counteroffensive, the country’s forces are pushing southward with the aim to split a land bridge created by Russian forces between the Crimean peninsula and the areas Ukraine holds in the east. Russia’s defence ministry claimed its forces repelled eight attacks in the east in the hotly contested areas south of Bakhmut. Ukraine’s military confirmed attacks on two Russian patrol ships early on Thursday and said it destroyed a sophisticated air defence system in the west of occupied Crimea. President Volodymyr Zelensky marked a direct and rare celebration of the attacks on the Russian navy in his nightly address. “The entire staff of the Security Service of Ukraine and our Navy should be specially commended for this. I thank you for today’s triumph – the destruction of the occupiers’ air defence system on the land of our Crimea. It is a very significant achievement, well done! Glory to all who fight for Ukraine! And thank you to everyone who helps!” he said in his nightly address. The war-hit nation has been pushing back in the southern region and making increasing missile hits on the Crimean peninsula this week to challenge Mr Putin’s control in the Black Sea region. On Wednesday, Kyiv said it seriously damaged a Russian submarine and landing ship undergoing repairs in a missile strike on a shipyard in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Read More Zelenskyy is expected to visit Capitol Hill as Congress is debating $21 billion in aid for Ukraine Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv is pushing Putin forces back, UK’s most senior military officer says With Russia isolated on the world stage, Putin turns to old friend North Korea for help Kim Jong-un tests out Putin’s limousine during historic meeting Why support for Ukraine is in danger of splitting the EU

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