US to Level More Sanctions as Russia Claims Fresh Gains in Ukraine

The United States plans to impose sanctions Friday on more than 500 targets involved in Russia's war in Ukraine, as Moscow claims fresh battlefield advances two years after its invasion.

Ukraine, grappling with hold-ups to much-needed Western military aid, has been pushed back from the front line in recent months.

Already outgunned, Kyiv is rationing ammunition as political wrangling in Washington, Ukraine's biggest ally, stalls a critically needed $60-billion aid package.

Russia has for months been ramping up arms production and driving massive resources into its renewed offensive, exacting an enormous human toll.

The Russian defence ministry on Thursday announced the capture of Pobeda ('victory' in Russian), a frontline village about five kilometres (three miles) west of Donetsk city.

Last week, it said it had seized the former Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka.

With no end to the war in sight, Ukraine's army is struggling with recruitment as well as depleted resources.

US President Joe Biden has voiced "confidence" that Congress will soon push through new war aid, while his administration revealed sanctions to be doled out Friday.

The US Treasury Department told AFP the measures would hit "Russia, its enablers, and its war machine".

Since Russian troops poured across the border on February 24, 2022, Washington and its allies have imposed a host of sanctions, targeting Moscow's revenue and military-industrial complex.

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The statement came hours after Russian President Putin announced the “experimental hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile” launch.

Earlier Thursday, the US government marked the looming second anniversary of the invasion with charges against a series of wealthy Russians to help cut the "flow of illegal funds that are fueling" Moscow's war.

And the International Monetary Fund said it would disburse $880 million to Ukraine in the third phase of a $15.6-billion package announced almost two years to the day since Russian forces invaded.