Nadia and a neighbour react as they walk through her home which was damaged in a missile strike near the Russian border in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters
Nadia and a neighbour react as they walk through her home which was damaged in a missile strike near the Russian border in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters
Russian shelling causes major power outages in central and western Ukraine
Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up on Saturday to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire, as Ukrainian air defence tried to shoot down drones and incoming missiles.
Russia has intensified its strikes on power stations, water supply systems and other key infrastructure across the country, Associated Press reports.
Ukraine‘s air force said in a statement today that Russia had launched “a massive missile attack” targeting “critical infrastructure,” hours after air raid sirens blared across the country. It said that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from air and sea.
The governor of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, said the country was being “massively attacked” by Russian forces.
Posting on Telegram, Kubela said that the Kyiv area was on its third air alert of the day due to Russian shelling.
He said:
Since the very morning, the enemy has been massively attacking Ukraine.
The Kyiv region continues to defend the capital. Air defense forces shot down several enemy objects.
The danger has not passed. The air alert continues. I ask everyone to stay in shelters and keep calm!
It’s slightly past 10pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said that Russia has plunged Ukraine into a humanitarian catastrophe by attacking its energy infrastructure. In a statement to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Shmyhal said that Russia wanted to condemn Ukraine to “a cold winter when many people could literally freeze to death”.
The general staff of the Ukraine armed forces said on Saturday that the country pushed Russians out of Charivne and Chkalove settlements in Kherson oblast.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that Russia launched 36 rockets in a “massive attack” on Ukraine. In a post on Telegram he said that most of the missiles fired overnight were shot down by the country’s air defence systems.
Russian military forces carried out another missile attack targeting energy facilities in western Ukraine, the country’s power grid operator said today. In a message on Telegram, Ukrenergo said that the “scale of damage is comparable or may exceed the consequences of the attack on October 10-12”. It said that repair crews are starting to repair the facilities after the rocket attack, but that restrictions are in place as they try to restore the electricity supply.
Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up today to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire, as Ukrainian air defence tried to shoot down drones and incoming missiles. Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, says 1.5 million people are without electricity after Russian strikes against power stations on Saturday.
Iran’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned a call by France, Germany and Britain for the UN to probe accusations that Russia has used drones from Iran to attack Ukraine. Ukraine says that Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones. If true, the allegations would mark a breach of UN security council resolution 2231.
Ukrainian forces have bombarded Russian positions in the occupied Kherson region, targeting resupply routes across a major river while inching closer on Friday to a full assault on the key city. Associated Press reported that Russian-installed officials were said to be desperately trying to turn Kherson city – a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries and major river and seaport – into a “fortress” while attempting to evacuate tens of thousands of residents.
The Pentagon confirmed a phone call between the US defence secretary,Lloyd Austin, and the Russian defence minister,Sergei Shoigu. It said Austin “emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication” with Shoigu. Russia’s defence ministry said of the call: “Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed.”
Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said that Russia has plunged Ukraine into a humanitarian catastrophe by attacking its energy infrastructure.
In a statement to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Shmyhal said that Russia wanted to condemn Ukraine to “a cold winter when many people could literally freeze to death”.
This may lead to a “planned humanitarian catastrophe such as Europe has not seen since the Second World War," he said, adding that Ukrainians may flee to Europe en masse due to Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
The general staff of the Ukrainearmed forces said on Saturday that Ukraine pushed Russians out of Charivne and Chkalove settlements in Kherson oblast.
⚡️General Staff: Ukraine pushes Russians out of Charivne, Chkalove settlements in Kherson Oblast.
The General Staff reported that Russian forces continue to leave the occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, adding that looting and robbery have become more frequent.
It is 8pm in Kyiv. Here is what you might have missed:
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that Russia launched 36 rockets in a “massive attack” on Ukraine. In a post on Telegram he said that most of the missiles fired overnight were shot down by the country’s air defence systems.
Russian military forces carried out another missile attack targeting energy facilities in western Ukraine, the country’s power grid operator said today. In a message on Telegram, Ukrenergo said that the “scale of damage is comparable or may exceed the consequences of the attack on October 10-12”. It said that repair crews are starting to repair the facilities after the rocket attack, but that restrictions are in place as they try to restore the electricity supply.
Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up today to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire, as Ukrainian air defence tried to shoot down drones and incoming missiles. Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, says 1.5 million people are without electricity after Russian strikes against power stations on Saturday.
Iran’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned a call by France, Germany and Britain for the UN to probe accusations that Russia has used drones from Iran to attack Ukraine. Ukraine says that Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones. If true, the allegations would mark a breach of UN security council resolution 2231.
Ukrainian forces have bombarded Russian positions in the occupied Kherson region, targeting resupply routes across a major river while inching closer on Friday to a full assault on the key city. Associated Press reported that Russian-installed officials were said to be desperately trying to turn Kherson city – a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries and major river and sea port – into a “fortress” while attempting to evacuate tens of thousands of residents.
The Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, warned today that Russia using nuclear weapons would be seen as an “act of hostility against humanity”. Kishida, who leads the only country ever hit with a nuclear bomb, described President Vladimir Putin’s sabre rattling as “deeply disturbing”.
Spain on Saturday said it would send 14 fighter jets to Bulgaria and Romania to bolster NATO’s eastern flank as the defence alliance strengthens its deterrence capacity after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian forces are continuing to reinforce crossing points over the Dnieper River and have finished building a barge bridge alongside the damaged Antonovskiy Bridge in Kherson in Ukraine’s south, the UK Ministry of Defence says. The ministry said using civilian barges probably provided Russia “additional material and logistics benefits” after losing significant amounts of military bridging equipment and engineering personnel during the war with Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the west to warn Russia not to blow up a hydroelectric dam that would flood a large part of southern Ukraine, as Ukraine’s forces prepared to push Moscow’s troops from the occupied city of Kherson. In a television address, Zelenskiy said Russian forces had planted explosives inside the huge Nova Kakhovka dam, which holds back an enormous reservoir, and were planning to blow it up. “Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster.”
A Russian-appointed official in Kherson has denied Kyiv’s allegations that Moscow’s forces have started mining the dam. Citing state-owned news agency RIA, Reuters reported that Kirill Stremousov said Zelenskiy’s claims it had started mining the dam were “false”.
The office of Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed it will “not succumb to peace by coercion”, threatening to hit back harder if Russia destroys the hydroelectric dam in Kherson.
A team from the International Monetary Fund held productive discussions with Ukrainian authorities this week and will work in coming weeks on their request for enhanced programme monitoring in the wake of Russia’s invasion, the IMF mission’s head says. Gavin Gray said IMF staff met with Ukrainian authorities for four days in Vienna and discussed their findings with the finance minister, Serhiy Marchenko, and the governor of Ukraine’s national bank, Andriy Pyshnyi.
The Pentagon confirmed a phone call between the US defense secretary,Lloyd Austin, and the Russian defence minister,Sergei Shoigu. It said Austin “emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication” with Shoigu. Russia’s defence ministry said of the call: “Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed.”
The Pentagon also published a readout of Austin’s call with the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. The US defence secretary pledged “unwavering US commitment” to supporting Ukraine against Russia.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the US would consider every means to advance diplomacy with Russia if it saw an opening, but at the moment Moscow showed no sign of willingness to engage in meaningful talks. Reuters reported Blinken as saying: “Every indication is that far from being willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy, President Putin continues to push in the opposite direction.”
Spain to bolster NATO’s eastern flank with 14 jets, AFP reports.
Spain on Saturday said it would send 14 fighter jets to Bulgaria and Romania to bolster NATO’s eastern flank as the defence alliance strengthens its deterrence capacity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Madrid will send six Eurofighter jets and 130 soldiers to Bulgaria between mid-November and early December to train local forces, the Spanish defence ministry said in a statement.
It added that a further deployment will see eight F18M fighter jets and 130 air force personnel sent to Romania between December and March next year as part of NATO’s “reaction and deterrence” strategy.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin thanked Spain for its “very, very rapid response” to Ukraine’s latest request for more air defences.
Russian soldiers appear to say they have been “thrown out like dogs” in the fields of Ukraine with no information, no orders and no equipment in video footage circulating on social media.
The soldiers say they were transported back and forth, before being dropped off “somewhere in the fields of Ukraine” where they live in holes dug out of the ground with their bare hands, because they do not have shovels. Current temperatures drop to zero at night time.
1/ Russian mobilised soldiers from Krasnodar complain that they have been "thrown out like dogs" in the fields of Ukraine, with no information, no orders, no radio, no ammunition and no medicine, and live in holes dug out with their bare hands, as they have no shovels. ⬇️
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba took to Twitter to describe a “barrage of Russian missiles” targeting civilian spaces.
He said: “Saturday in Ukraine starts with a barrage of Russian missiles aimed at critical civilian infrastructure. We have intercepted part of them, others hit targets.
“Air defense saves lives. There should not be a minute of delay in capitals deciding on air defense systems for Ukraine.”
Saturday in Ukraine starts with a barrage of Russian missiles aimed at critical civilian infrastructure. We have intercepted part of them, others hit targets. Air defense saves lives. There should not be a minute of delay in capitals deciding on air defense systems for Ukraine.
Iran on Saturday strongly condemned a call by France, Germany and Britain for the United Nations to probe accusations that Russia has used Iranian-origin drones to attack Ukraine, its foreign ministry said.
Ukraine says that Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones. If found to be true, the allegations would be in breach of UN security council resolution 2231.
A letter, seen by Reuters, was circulated to UN security council members by the three countries, known as the E3.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Friday’s call by the E3 group of countries was “false and baseless” and that it was “strongly rejected and condemned”.
As she was driven by her son out of Dudchany, a small village in the north-east of the Kherson region a few days ago, Rosaliya Kovalchuk, 72, glimpsed something from the backseat that will haunt her forever.
“Hanging from the branches of a tree were guts from a man’s belly,” Kovalchuk said, pausing as she sought to collect her emotions. “A military car had been blown up. I think he was Russian from the boots and the uniform.”
Dudchany, one of the stepping stones down the Dnipro river to Kherson city, the regional capital 77 miles to the south-west, is at the centre of fierce fighting that the west says could be pivotal in the outcome of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Kovalchuk and her friend and neighbour Anna Koval, 72, who lives two doors down on the village’s Pushkina Street, recounted their sorrow from the gym of a school in the city of Kryvyi Rih, north of Kherson, where 70 beds have been laid out for refugees. They arrived on 11 October. “We sit and we pray,” said Koval, weeping as she gripped an icon of the virgin Mary.
