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Russia-Ukraine war live: Russia ‘pulls back forces from towns opposite Kherson’ – as it happened

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Statement gave only limited details and made no mention of any Ukrainian forces having crossed the Dnipro

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Thu 1 Dec 2022 16.24 ESTFirst published on Thu 1 Dec 2022 00.42 EST
Ukrainian artillerymen standing atop their howitzer in a field near an undisclosed frontline position in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian artillerymen standing atop their howitzer in a field near an undisclosed frontline position in eastern Ukraine. Photograph: Yevhen Titov/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian artillerymen standing atop their howitzer in a field near an undisclosed frontline position in eastern Ukraine. Photograph: Yevhen Titov/AFP/Getty Images

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Russia has pulled back forces from towns opposite Kherson, says Ukraine

Ukraine’s military said Russia had pulled some troops from towns on the opposite bank of the Dnieper River from Kherson city, the first official Ukrainian report of a Russian withdrawal on what is now the main frontline in the south.

The statement gave only limited details and made no mention of any Ukrainian forces having crossed the Dnipro. Ukrainian officials also stressed that Russia had intensified shelling across the river, knocking out power again in Kherson where electricity had only begun to be restored nearly three weeks after Russian troops vacated the city and fled across the river.

Since Russia abandoned Kherson last month, nine months into its invasion of Ukraine, the river now forms the entire southern stretch of the front, Reuters reported.

Russia has already told civilians to leave towns within 15 km of the river and withdrawn its civilian administration from the city of Nova Kakhovka on the bank. Ukrainian officials have previously said Russia pulled back some artillery near the river to safer positions further away, but until now had stopped short of saying Russian forces were quitting towns.

“A decrease in the number of Russian soldiers and military equipment is observed in the settlement of Oleshky,” the military said, referring to the town opposite Kherson city, on the far side of a destroyed bridge over the Dnipro.

“Enemy troops were withdrawn from certain settlements of the Kherson oblast and dispersed in forest strips along the section of the Oleshky - Hola Prystan highway,” it said, referring to a 25-km (15-mile) stretch of road through riverside towns scattered in woods on the bank opposite Kherson city.

It said most of the Russian troops in the area were recently mobilised reservists, suggesting that Moscow’s best-trained professional troops had already left. Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

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Key events

Summary

It’s slightly past 11pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:

  • According to a new law adopted on Thursday, every Ukrainian serviceman is now allowed to take an annual paid leave of ten days. “In a special period during martial law, military personnel may be granted a part of the annual basic leave, as well as leave for family reasons and for other valid reasons with preservation of financial support,” Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zaliznyak wrote on Telegram.

  • Ukraine’s General Staff has announced that Russia is withdrawing some of its military units and is preparing to evacuate occupation personnel from certain settlements across Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports.

  • Russian publishers at a leading Moscow bookfair told Agence France-Presse Thursday they were “all very worried” by new restrictions and feared the return of Soviet-like censorship. Yevgeny Kopyov, of the large Eksmo publishing house, said he was worried by the “broad interpretation” of the LGBTQ propaganda law. He warned that it “may affect a large amount of literature, including the classics,” adding, “Everything will depend on our interaction with the regulatory authorities.”

  • US president Joe Biden said he has no immediate plans to contact Russian president Vladimir Putin but is prepared to speak with him if he shows an interest in ending the war in Ukraine, and only in consultation with NATO allies. “I have no immediate plans to contact Mr Putin,” Biden said at a White House news conference after talks with French president Emmanuel Macron, Reuters reports.

  • US president Joe Biden has told the press conference that the US stands with its allies “as strong as ever” against Russia’s “brutal war” against Ukraine. Biden said the support would continue in the face of Russian aggression, which he adds has been “incredibly brutal”. He adds: “I knew Russia was [brutal], but I didn’t anticipate them being as brutal as they have been.”

  • US president Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have issued a statement beforehand, after a meeting between the two presidents earlier on Thursday. “The presidents strongly condemn Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and stress that intentionally targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure constitutes war crimes whose perpetrators must be held accountable,” part of it said.

  • EU members are close to agreeing a $60 dollar per barrel price cap on Russian oil, diplomats said Thursday, with just Poland left to give the final nod, Agency France-Presse reports. Europe will begin enforcing an embargo on Russian crude shipments from Monday, so the price cap will apply to oil exported by sea by Moscow to ports around the world.

  • The British adventurist and TV personality Bear Grylls has become the latest celebrity to meet Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. Grylls posted pictures with Zelenskiy on his Instagram on Thursday afternoon. He wrote that he wanted to know how Zelenskiy was coping for an upcoming programme “but got so much more.”

  • The UK-based Royal United Services Institute defence and security thinktank published a paper on Wednesday that examined the early days of the Russian invasion in February. A few snippets from the report’s executive summary. It believes that a Ukrainian victory is possible, but “it requires significant heavy fighting”. The paper says that according to operational data from the Ukrainian general staff, Russia had a 12:1 advantage over the Ukrainian forces north of Kyiv in the immediate aftermath of the invasion.

  • More than 1,300 prisoners have been returned to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday. Zelenskiy was speaking after a new exchange of 50 prisoners with Russian and pro-Russian forces. “After today’s exchange, there are already 1,319 heroes who returned home,” Zelenskiy said on Instagram, posting a photo showing a few dozen men holding Ukrainian flags.

  • The head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, said it was too early reach a verdict on talks between Poland and Germany about sending the Patriot air-defence systems from Germany to Ukraine. “We all agree on the urgent need to help Ukraine, including with air defence systems,” Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Ukrainian servicemen of the Armed Forces will now be allowed to take a paid leave during martial law, Euromaidan reports.

According to a new law adopted on Thursday, every Ukrainian serviceman is now allowed to take an annual paid leave of ten days.

“In a special period during martial law, military personnel may be granted a part of the annual basic leave, as well as leave for family reasons and for other valid reasons with preservation of financial support,” Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zaliznyak wrote on Telegram.

No more than 30 percent of the total number of servicemen of a certain category and unit is allowed to be absent at the same time, he added.

Ukraine’s General Staff has announced that Russia is withdrawing some of its military units and is preparing to evacuate occupation personnel from certain settlements across Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports.

⚡️General Staff: Russian troops withdraw from some settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Russia is withdrawing some of its military units and preparing to evacuate occupation administration personnel from some settlements in the region, Ukraine's General Staff said.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) December 1, 2022

Russian publishers at a leading Moscow bookfair told Agence France-Presse Thursday they were “all very worried” by new restrictions and feared the return of Soviet-like censorship.

Agence France-Presse reports:

Since president Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, Russian authorities have strengthened controls on the flow of information, including in the arts.

Last week, lawmakers approved a bill banning all forms of LGBTQ “propaganda” in books, films, the media and the internet.

Authorities also want to ban the sale to minors of books written by “foreign agents” - a label given to Kremlin critics and activists, but also to a growing number of writers.

Leading novelists like science fiction writer Dmitry Glukhovsky and historical fiction novelist Boris Akunin have been slapped with the tag, which has Stalin-era connotations.

At the “Non/Fiction” book fair in Moscow - an important annual cultural event in the Russian capital that opened Thursday - many publishers, booksellers and readers were concerned.

Yevgeny Kopyov, of the large Eksmo publishing house, said he was worried by the “broad interpretation” of the LGBTQ propaganda law.

He warned that it “may affect a large amount of literature, including the classics,” adding, “Everything will depend on our interaction with the regulatory authorities.”

Many publishers like Kopyov are waiting for authorities to clarify what they believe is LGBTQ “propaganda” or not.

But some bookstores in Saint Petersburg already got rid of problematic books by offering discounts of up to 50 percent, according to local media.

At the Non/Fiction fair, Marina Kadetova of the Kompas-Gid publishing house, warned that the restrictions are fuelling “self-censorship.”

“When people start censoring themselves, then the problems start,” she said, adding, “In any restrictions that are not justified and not thought through, it is hard to work.”

Tatiana Stoyanova, who also works at the same publishers, said the restrictions could lead to a revival of the Soviet “samizdat” practise that saw the underground publishing of banned books.

“In Russia, there is such a mentality: the more its forbidden, the more it’s interesting,” she said.

US president Joe Biden said he has no immediate plans to contact Russian president Vladimir Putin but is prepared to speak with him if he shows an interest in ending the war in Ukraine, and only in consultation with NATO allies.

“I have no immediate plans to contact Mr Putin,” Biden said at a White House news conference after talks with French president Emmanuel Macron, Reuters reports.

“I’m prepared to speak with Mr. Putin, if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he’s looking for a way to end the war. He hasn’t done that yet.”

Macron: 'we will never force Ukrainians into a compromise'

Biden and Macron are asked about Republican dissenters about money being sent to support the Ukrainian war effort.

Macron responds. Speaking in English, he says: “Look I do thank president and his administration for his great commitment they have vis a vis Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

“Let me just say that our two nations are made of values and a history. What is at stake in Ukraine is now just very far from here, in a small country, somewhere in Europe. But it is about our values. It is about our principles. And it is about what we agreed together in the UN charter, protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity. That’s why I do believe that the US strongly supporting Ukraine in that time is very important, not just for the Ukrainians but also for the Europeans, but for the stability of our world today.

“If we consider that we can abandon a country, and abandon the full respect of these principles, it means there is no possible stability in this world. I think it is important to have you so much committed.

“We will follow up our own support. We increased our military support, our humanitarian support and our economic support.”

He goes on to add that he will not try to strongarm the government in Kyiv into agreeing a settlement they are unhappy with.

“We will never urge the Ukrainians to make a compromise that will never be acceptable to them. They are so brave, and they defend precisely their lives and nations and our principles. It will never build a sustainable peace if we want a sustainable peace. We have to respect the Ukrainians to decide the moment and the conditions which they will negotiate their territory and their future.”

Emmanuel Macron is now responding to Joe Biden’s comments.

Macron said that France led the diplomatic effort to avoid Russia’s invasion in February. “We clearly condemn this war, immediately,” he says.

“We support both the Ukrainian army that is resisting and the Ukrainian population.”

He thanks the US for its support, saying that it is affecting Europe directly and recognises the money the US has sent as part of the war effort.

“The war effort is targeting the civilian infrastructure, bringing even more violence to make the Ukrainian people desperate and make it difficult for them to survive this winter,” the French president said.

Macron said the allies are committed to the UN charter, and helping rebuild Ukraine after the war and a “sustainable peace”.

Biden: 'I didn't anticipate Russia being as brutal as they have been'

Joe Biden has told the press conference that the US stands with its allies “as strong as ever” against Russia’s “brutal war” against Ukraine.

Biden said the support would continue in the face of Russian aggression, which he adds has been “incredibly brutal”. He adds: “I knew Russia was [brutal], but I didn’t anticipate them being as brutal as they have been.”

“Today we reaffirm that we are going to stand together against this brutality. We will continue this strong support for the Ukrainian people as they defend their homes, their families, hospitals, their nurseries, their sovereignty, their integrity, against Russian aggression.”

He adds that France has welcomed more than 100,000 refugees, and Biden thanks them for doing so.

“Attacking civilian infrastructure, choking off energy to Europe to drive up prices, exacerbating the food crisis. That is hurting very vulnerable people not just in Ukraine but around the world. But he won’t succeed.

“We will work together to hold Russia accountable for their actions, and to mitigate the global impacts of Putin’s war on the rest of the world.”

The US president says that the country is helping Europe with its energy security and that a new deal has been agreed with France on civil nuclear power.

Russia must be held accountable for war crimes say Biden and Macron

Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron are set to give a press conference shortly, as part of the French president’s official visit to the White House.

They have issued this statement beforehand, after a meeting between the two presidents earlier on Thursday.

The main part is that they say that Russia is carrying out war crimes and that they should be held responsible.

The presidents strongly condemn Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and stress that intentionally targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure constitutes war crimes whose perpetrators must be held accountable.

They also condemn and reject Russia’s illegal attempted annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, in clear violation of international law. The United States and France deplore Russia’s deliberate escalatory steps, notably its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its disinformation regarding alleged chemical attacks, and biological and nuclear weapons programs.

They reaffirm their nations’ continued support for Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the provision of political, security, humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine for as long as it takes.

This includes the provision of significant resources to support Ukrainian civilian resilience through the winter, including stepping up the delivery of air defense systems and equipment needed to repair Ukraine’s energy grid. The United States and France plan to continue working with partners and allies to coordinate assistance efforts, including at the international conference taking place in Paris on 13 December 2022.

They also intend to continue providing robust direct budget support for Ukraine, and to urge the international financial institutions to scale up their financial support.

The United States and France reiterate their duty to uphold applicable international obligations and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. They also reiterate their steadfast resolve to hold Russia to account for widely documented atrocities and war crimes, committed both by its regular armed forces and by its proxies, including mercenary entities such as Wagner and others, through support for international accountability mechanisms, including the international criminal court, the Ukrainian prosecutor general, UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry, and the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, sanctions, and other means.

The United States and France remain committed to addressing the wider effects of Russia’s war, including working with the international community to build greater resilience to food and energy disruptions.

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EU members are close to agreeing a $60 dollar per barrel price cap on Russian oil, diplomats said Thursday, with just Poland left to give the final nod, Agency France-Presse reports.

Europe will begin enforcing an embargo on Russian crude shipments from Monday, so the price cap will apply to oil exported by sea by Moscow to ports around the world.

Measures will be taken to prevent tankers from shipping Russian oil sold above this price, for example by refusing to allow British and EU insurers to cover vessels and shipments.

The EU was already in agreement with Washington on the need to cap the price western clients pay for Russia’s oil, to prevent Moscow profiting from price rises triggered by its own war on Ukraine.

The European Commission had suggested the ceiling along with an order that if the trading price of oil falls below $60 then the cap will be cut until it is 5% lower than the market. Poland had been pushing for it to be even lower at $30.

Isobel Koshiw
Isobel Koshiw

The British adventurist and TV personality Bear Grylls has become the latest celebrity to meet Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

Grylls posted pictures with Zelenskiy on his Instagram on Thursday afternoon. He wrote that he wanted to know how Zelenskiy was coping for an upcoming programme “but got so much more.”

“Through this special programme the world will see a side to president Zelenskiy that has never been shown before.”

Word started spreading that Grylls was in Ukraine on Wednesday when he was photographed filming at a Ukrainian petrol station.

Grylls also posed for pictures on a train with the staff of Ukraine’s state railway company posted on Thursday. Ukraine has not had commercial flights since the invasion.

Sean Penn, Ben Stiller and Richard Branson are among other celebrities who have been hosted by Ukraine’s president in Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

The UK-based Royal United Services Institute defence and security thinktank published a paper on Wednesday that examined the early days of the Russian invasion in February.

A few snippets from the report’s executive summary. It believes that a Ukrainian victory is possible, but “it requires significant heavy fighting”.

The paper says that according to operational data from the Ukrainian general staff, Russia had a 12:1 advantage over the Ukrainian forces north of Kyiv in the immediate aftermath of the invasion.

The paper’s four authors said that the plan was to invade Ukraine over a 10 day period, which would have led to a full annexation by August 2022. It hoped to draw defending forces away from the capital, enabling a swift capture.

However it goes on to say: “The very operational security that enabled the successful deception, however, also led Russian forces to be unprepared at the tactical level to execute the plan effectively.

“The Russian plan’s greatest deficiency was the lack of reversionary courses of action. As a result, when speed failed to produce the desired results, Russian forces found their positions steadily degraded as Ukraine mobilised.”

It also claims that Russia planned to arrested and execute those involved in the 2014 Maidan revolution, which led to the resignation of pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych.

Rusi’s paper says that Russia underperformed tactically compared to expectations, and it was only superior weapons systems and Ukrainian troops using up their ammunition supply that has led to relative Russian successes.

The paper also paints a chaotic behind-the-scenes operation for Kremlin troops. It says the Russian army “are culturally averse to providing those who are executing orders with the context to exercise judgement”.

It also has lessons for UK and US forces. It says that it is only because of two artillery brigades that Ukrainian forces prevented Kyiv being captured, and initially it was able to match the resources of the Russians. However this has since shifted starkly in favour of Russia, and that the imbalance “must be rectified if deterrence is credible and is equally a problem for the [British] RAF and Royal Navy.”

More than1,300 prisoners returned to Ukraine since Russia invaded

More than 1,300 prisoners have been returned to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

Zelenskiy was speaking after a new exchange of 50 prisoners with Russian and pro-Russian forces.

“After today’s exchange, there are already 1,319 heroes who returned home,” Zelenskiy said on Instagram, posting a photo showing a few dozen men holding Ukrainian flags.

“We will not stop until we get all our people back,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said the 50 returning Ukrainians included those who had defended Mariupol and Azovstal.

In a meeting with the Red Cross in October Russia said it held about 6,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

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The head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, said it was too early reach a verdict on talks between Poland and Germany about sending the Patriot air-defence systems from Germany to Ukraine.

“We all agree on the urgent need to help Ukraine, including with air defence systems,” Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

However, he added, “it is important to understand that this is not only about delivering new systems but ensuring the systems that are being delivered can operate,” Reuters reports, including having enough ammunition, spare parts and maintenance.

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