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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is to address U.S. senators on December 5 to make Ukraine’s case for continued U.S. military aid as Kyiv’s forces brace for a difficult winter on the battlefield and Russian shelling and strikes continue to kill civilians.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration asked Congress in October to pass an aid package worth some $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and border security, but the Republican-controlled House rejected the request.

Zelenskiy’s appearance via video link during a classified briefing was announced on December 4 by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a close ally of Biden’s.

The briefing, which will include U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, comes a day after the White House warned that U.S. aid for Ukraine will dry up by the end of the year.

While Congress passed more than $110 billion in aid for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, it has not approved any additional financial aid since Republicans took over the House in January.

In a blunt warning, Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young, told Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter that the lack of U.S. military aid would “kneecap” the Ukrainian military’s efforts, increasing Russia’s chances on the battlefield.

“Already, our packages of security assistance have become smaller and the deliveries of aid have become more limited,” Young wrote. “If our assistance stops, it will cause significant issues for Ukraine. While our allies around the world have stepped up to do more, U.S. support is critical and cannot be replicated by others.”

The briefing, which is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. in Washington, comes as Ukrainian forces are locked in close combat with Russian troops around the industrial city of Avdiyivka. Russian forces have been attempting for several weeks to encircle the city in the eastern region of Donetsk that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian troops repelled 18 Russian assaults in the Avdiyivka area, the General Staff said in its daily report on December 5.

The military also reported heavy fighting in the Kupyansk area of the Kharkiv region, the military said, adding that along the whole eastern front, Ukrainian forces fought 73 close-quarter battles against the Russian invader.

Separately, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 10 out of 17 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia overnight, the air force said on its Telegram channel on December 5.

“17 Shahed-type strike UAVs and six S-300 antiaircraft guided missiles were launched at Ukraine’s territory,” the message said, adding that 10 drones were destroyed over various regions of Ukraine.

The message did not say whether there were casualties or damage as a result of the attack.

In southern Ukraine, Russian shelling killed two civilians in the city of Kherson on December 5.

Regional prosecutors said they had opened a war crimes investigation into one of the strikes, which occurred around 9 a.m. local time and killed a 48-year-old man and a woman who have yet to be identified.

“The Russians struck Kherson again, killing civilians,” Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, the Russian military said it had destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones and “intercepted” another 13 early on December 5 over occupied Crimea and the Sea of Azov.

“Twenty-two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air-defense systems and 13 more were intercepted over the Sea of Azov and the territory of the Republic of Crimea,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Separate reports said that traffic on the Crimea Bridge was temporarily suspended.

Unverified reports on social media indicated that the target of the Ukrainian drone attack could have been the Kerch shipyard.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

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