Sawt Falasteen - Ukraine's long-range missiles will only prolong its 'agony': Putin

Ukraine asked its Western allies for longer-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian-held territory, as its counteroffensive to recapture occupied land progressed slower than expected.

"War is war, and, of course ... they pose a threat, that goes without saying," said Putin, when asked about the weapons at a Beijing news conference.

"But most importantly, this will not change the situation on the line of contact dramatically at all," he added.

The decision to supply the missiles had been "another mistake on the part of the United States," he said. "It just prolongs the agony."

The White House confirmed on Tuesday that it had provided Ukraine with the missiles, which according to US media outlets have a maximum range of around 160 kilometres (100 miles).

Russian officials had already accused Ukraine on Tuesday of using the US-supplied missiles to attack Berdyansk, a Russian-controlled port city in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine had used the missiles after the attacks, but did not give details about how or when they were deployed.

"They have performed very accurately. ATACMS have proven themselves," he said in an evening address Tuesday.

- Non-stop shelling -

Putin's comments came as Kyiv warned Russian forces were likely to escalate their assault on the frontline town of Avdiivka, as Moscow continued shelling nearby Ukrainian positions.

Ukraine has in recent weeks reported intense Russian attacks on Avdiivka, which lies just north of the Moscow-controlled city of Donetsk, seized by pro-Russian separatist forces in 2014.

"I can say for sure that this is the largest offensive that has ever taken place in Avdiivka since the war began in 2014," the head of the town's administration Vitaliy Barabash said on television.

While attacks on the town itself had quietened down, Russia had continued to shell Ukrainian positions. "Most likely, in the next few days we expect this escalation to continue," he added.

The town has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Moscow, with Kyiv clinging on there despite relentless Russian attacks during the Kremlin's almost 20-month long offensive.

Russian forces now control territory to the east, north and south of Avdiivka, gradually tightening the noose in a bid to push Ukrainian forces further from Donetsk.

Avdiivka itself has been devastated by the conflict and most of its pre-war population of around 30,000 has fled.

- Overnight attacks -

Russia continued to attack other parts of Ukraine overnight, as officials said strikes on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions killed at least three people.

Two were killed in a missile strike that hit a residential building in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the local governor said.

A 31-year-old woman was killed in a strike on a town just outside the city of Dnipro, Ukraine's internal affairs minister Igor Klymenko said.

Zaporizhzhia governor Yuriy Malashko said Russia "launched six missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia city" between 1:33 am and 1:48 am (2233 and 2248 GMT Tuesday).

"I am at the scene where the S-300 missile hit a residential building," Malashko said in an interview with a Ukrainian TV station.

So far there were two confirmed dead, three wounded being treated at medical facilities and three people unaccounted for, he added.

Emergency services said the Zaporizhzhia strike had destroyed the building's third to fifth floors. Photos showed a crater in the upper floors and a collapsed facade.

"The apartment was badly damaged. The part facing the street is not there at all. There are two rooms on the other side and there is nothing left at all," one resident, 41-year-old Tetyana, told AFP.

Residents said they were worried for the fate of at least one more couple who lived on the fifth floor.

Governor Malashko said three people were still missing.

In Dnipropetrovsk region, interior minister Klymenko said an attack that destroyed eight buildings had killed a 31-year-old woman and wounded four others.

"Russia once again struck the civilian population," he posted on Telegram.

O.Salim--SF-PST