Day 723 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Avdiivka Will Fall Soon

Day 723 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• USA: Avdiivka will fall because the Ukrainians have no shells
• Zelensky confirmed that there are actions to rescue military personnel in Avdiivka
• Ukrainian intelligence: Russian troops use thousands of Starlink terminals
• NATO countries plan delivery of 1 million drones to Ukraine
• Ukrinform: Tens of thousands of mercenaries from Africa and Asia are fighting for Russia in Ukraine
• Russian bloggers claim that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet has been fired after the latest attack on a ship by the Ukrainians
• Putin urged Russians to have more children, said ethnic survival was at stake

USA: Avdiivka will fall because the Ukrainians have no shells

Russia is close to taking control of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka due to the lack of artillery shells in Ukraine, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced during a briefing at the White House.

"Russia is sending wave after wave of forces to attack Ukrainian positions. And because Congress has not yet passed the supplemental bill, we have failed to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells it desperately needs to thwart these Russian attacks."

Earlier this week, the US Senate (upper house) voted on a bill to allocate financial resources to key Washington allies, including $60 billion for Ukraine.

A bill was supposed to pass as early as the end of 2023, but Republicans, who hold a majority in the House of Representatives (the lower house), are delaying the process. There...