Russia targets Ukraine railways as Western aid due to arrive

Ukraine warned Friday that Moscow was ramping up attacks on railways in a bid to disrupt military supplies ahead of a fresh Russian offensive while Kiev waits for new U.S. weapon deliveries.

Kiev fears Russia is seeking to press its advantage on the battlefield ahead of symbolic May 9 Victory Day celebrations, as both sides continued to launch deadly cross-border strikes.

A Ukrainian security source told AFP that Russia wanted to damage Ukrainian railway infrastructure to "paralyse deliveries and movement of military cargo" as Moscow prepares to advance.

"These are standard steps ahead of an offensive," the source added.

Russian forces have a firepower and manpower advantage at the front lines, and Kiev has warned that fighting will become increasingly difficult in the coming weeks.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday announced a $6 billion military aid tranche, which is its largest ever for Ukraine and will include interceptors for both Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems.

The package is the second this week, after President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to provide a total $61 billion of new funding for Ukraine.

 Costly delays 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed the Kremlin wants its army to capture the strategic heights of Chasiv Yar, a village in the eastern Donetsk region, before May 9, when Russia celebrates the Soviet Union's victory in World War II.

On Friday, he said the months of delays to U.S. aid had cost his forces.

"While we were waiting for a decision on the American support, the Russian army managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield," he told a video meeting of dozens of Ukraine's international supporters.