Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin launches biggest drone attack yet as explosions heard through night in Kyiv

Russia has launched its most significant kamikaze drone attack on Ukraine in months according to the Ukrainian air force, firing nearly a hundred Iranian-made drones and forcing civilians into bomb shelters for most of the night.

The attack in the early hours of Saturday primarily targeted the capital Kyiv. Dozens of Russian kamikaze drones were heard circling over the city for a period of roughly six hours before many were intercepted by Ukrainian air defences.

It was the most significant attack since May this year, in which residents were targeted at least 15 times in a month. Last winter, Russia launched a brutal campaign targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine for several months.

Two were reported injured in the attacks overnight that struck at least three Kyiv districts, said the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s long-range precision strikes are inflicting mass casualties among Vladimir Putin’s forces “well behind” Russia’s frontline, the UK’s Ministry of Defence earlier claimed.

The dire lack of rotation among frontline troops is leaving Russia’s commanders with “an acute dilemma” of whether to keep soldiers safely dispersed or gather them in groups to boost morale, the ministry claimed – pointing to two recent strikes which likely caused dozens of casualties in Russian-held territory.

Key Points

• Explosions heard overnight in Kyiv as Putin launches biggest drone attack yet

• Vladimir Putin suffering losses ‘well behind the front line’, says UK

• Chinese executives ‘linked to underwater Crimea tunnel’ in intercepted emails

• Ukrainian troops ‘standing their ground’ in battle for Avdiivka, claims Kyiv

• Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations with Ukraine, insists Putin

World’s focus must not leave Ukraine, warns former NATO chief

08:26 , Tom Watling

The world's attention must "stay on Ukraine" as the Russian invasion continues, a former Nato secretary-general has warned.

Lord George Robertson said Russian President Vladimir Putin would be emboldened to extend the attacks beyond Ukraine if foreign governments stop providing weaponry.

Lord Robertson, who was in the top Nato role between 1999 and 2003, said: “I think it is inevitable that because we're seeing the television from Gaza every day, that people are paying less attention to Ukraine, but that must change.

“We have got to keep the world's attention focused on Ukraine because they are involved in a fight with Russia that has got huge implications for all of us as well.

“Vladimir Putin is not simply interested in subjugating Ukraine. He has got a much bigger agenda in the future, and if he succeeds in Ukraine, who knows where he is going to stop.”

The conflict in Ukraine has now surpassed 640 days - the invasion began in February 2022 - and Lord Robertson urged Nato member states to continue to press Russia amid Mr Putin's "miserable failure".

Russia ‘proud of its ability to kill people’ - Zelensky

07:58 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of being “proud of its ability to kill people” after it launched a significant drone attack against Kyiv this morning during the remembrance day for those killed in the Holodomor genocide.

As the fourth Saturday of November, today marks the Day of Memory for Victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine, honouring those killed in a famine in Ukraine manufactured by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union in the 1930s.

Estimates suggest that more than three million people, many of whom were farmers and rural villagers, were killed by forced starvation.

At least 5 injured in drone strikes on Kyiv, local mayor says

07:48 , Tom Watling

At least five people have been injured as a result of Russian drone attacks on Kyiv, including an 11-year-old child, the local mayor has claimed.

Vitali Klitschko said all five were “receiving medical assistance on the spot or in the trauma centre, without further hospitalistion”.

He wrote on Telegram: “The enemy continues to terrorise. To intimidate us, sow panic and decay in our cities and towns.

“But it won’t be like that! We work for the livelihood of communities, we support each other, together we bring Victory closer!”

Russia fire ‘record number’ of drones overnight

07:31 , Tom Watling

Russia has fired nearly 100 Iranian-made kamikaze drones overnight, mainly on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Local reports suggested air raid sirens began at around 3am. Mayor Vilati Klitschko wrote at 3.25: “It’s loud in the capital. Several more groups of ‘Shaheeds’ (Iranian drones) are going to Kyiv. Stay in shelters!”

Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said roughly 75 Shahed-131 and 136s were launched overnight, with at least 71 “destroyed by air defence”.

“On this night, November 25, 2023, the enemy released a record number of strike UAVs over Ukraine!” he wrote on Telegram. “The main direction of the attack is Kyiv!”

Explosions heard overnight in Kyiv as Putin launches biggest drone attack yet

07:11 , Anuj Pant

Drone engines and explosions were heard overnight in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in what the country’s air force said was Vladimir Putin’s biggest drone attack yet.

The air force said Iran-made Shahed drones were used in the assault that mainly targeted Kyiv, and hit at least three of the capital’s districts.

The mass drone attack struck apartment complexes and falling drone fragments set fire to a children’s nursery, said Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Two people were also injured in the attack due to the falling drone fragments.

Ukraine removes 3 Greek companies from 'international sponsors of war' list

07:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) fully removed three Greek shipping companies from the international sponsors of war list after they stopped shipping Russian oil, the NAZK announced on 24 November.

Thenamaris Ships Management Inc., Minerva Marine, and TMS Tankers Ltd ceased transporting Russian oil in recent weeks amid tightening U.S. sanctions.

“The National Agency is open to cooperation with international business and is ready to consult on the steps necessary to de-list each individual company,” the NAZK said.

Mass drone attack strikes Kyiv

06:18 , Anuj Pant

A mass drone attack targeted many districts in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Saturday, reported Reuters, citing an eyewitness.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram said two people were injured by fragments from downed drones that hit residential areas and other buildings in at least three Kyiv districts.

The fragments from one intercepted drone started a fire at a children’s nursery, said the mayor.

Zelensky discusses ammunitation supply with Lativa

06:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed the production of ammunition supply for his country’s war against Russia with Latvia.

“We talked about the defense support of Ukraine, our soldiers. About the stability of such support. We discussed the production and supply of ammunition - artillery, caliber 155 - as well as the issue of “Medevacs” - special armored vehicles for evacuating our wounded soldiers,” Zelensky said.

Finland shuts nearly all crossings to Russia

05:00 , Alexander Butler

Finland has temporarily closed all but one of its eight passenger crossings to Russia, its border force has announced.

“All border crossings and application for international protection at the eastern border is centralised at Raja-Jooseppi starting on 24 November 2023. The decision will remain in force until 23 December 2023,” it said in X.

More than 700 migrants from countries such as Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, and Somalia have entered Finland over the past weeks via Russia.

Ukraine discusses ‘unity’ with Netherlands, Zelensky says

04:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the importance of maintaining “European unity” with the Netherlands.

“During our call, Mark Rutte and I discussed efforts to maintain European unity. We also discussed the importance of continuing military and financial assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

“In this regard, the Netherlands’ recent decision to provide Ukraine with an additional €2bn for 2024 is the best signal to other partners.

“I am grateful to the Netherlands for all of its assistance, as well as for its support of Ukraine’s Peace Formula and the humanitarian initiative,” Zelensky said on X.

Up to 25,000 tons of graine destined for Nigeria, Kyiv says

03:00 , Alexander Butler

Up to 25,000 tons of grain will be sent to Nigeria from Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s foreign ministry.

“In cooperation with UN WFP, in a few days, the loading of vessel with 25K tons of grain to Nigeria will start, as part of the #GrainFromUkraine initiative.

“Ukraine is focused on expanding the list of recipient states and is actively considering supplying 12,5K tons to Somalia,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.

Strengthening of Ukraine aids European security, Kyiv says

02:00 , Alexander Butler

The strengthening of Ukraine’s military industry is also an investment into European and global security, a Ukrainian official said.

“Strengthening Ukrainian military industry is an investment into European and global security, not just Ukraine’s. Our state is a reliable partner in ensuring stability,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said.

Ukraine prepares army mobilisation reforms as war drags on

01:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine is drawing up reforms to its programme for mobilising troops as the war with Russia rages on with no end in sight, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“The plan will be worked out and all the answers will be there - next week I will see this plan,” he said.

Kyiv does not disclose its troop losses or the workings of its mobilisation programme which has been under way since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Zelensky said he had ordered senior officials to draft proposals.

Ukrainian resident sentenced to 15 years for aiding Russia

00:01 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian resident was sentenced to 15 years in prison for passing information to Russia and aiding strikes on Vinnytsia, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

The man was found guilty of treason on account of providing Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) with information on local military and civilian infrastructure.

The prosecutors pointed to a period between May and June 2023 when the sentenced resident spied on a local defense company’s facility. He also reportedly scanned WiFi networks and cell towers near military facilities using specialized software.

Zelensky names ‘three victories’ Ukraine needs on international front

Friday 24 November 2023 23:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed to secure three key “victories” abroad, including the approval of major aid packages from the US Congress and European Union, and a formal start of accession talks to join the bloc.

“We need three victories. The first one is the victory with US Congress. It’s a challenge, it’s not easy but Ukraine is doing everything,” Zelensky said.

“The second is we need the help from the EU on the 50bn euro package,” he added. “And the third is to open a dialogue about our future membership.”

President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve many billions of dollars in assistance for Ukraine last month, but Kyiv funding was omitted from a stop-gap spending bill passed last week, raising concerns it may not get through.

A vocal bloc of Republicans oppose sending more aid to Ukraine. Opponents of the aid have said US taxpayer money should be spent at home, but a majority of Republicans and Democrats in Congress still support supplying aid.

Slovak leader calls the war between Russia and Ukraine a frozen conflict

Friday 24 November 2023 22:00 , Alexander Butler

Slovakia’s new prime minister, Robert Fico, said on Friday he considers the war between Ukraine and Russia a frozen conflict that cannot be solved by sending arms to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Fico ended his country’s military aid for Ukraine after his new government was sworn in on 25 October.

After meeting his Czech counterpart, Petr Fiala, in Prague on Friday, he said he would prefer the Russian and Ukrainian sides sit at a negotiation table. He didn’t say how to achieve that.

Slovak leader calls the war between Russia and Ukraine a frozen conflict

Putin to boost AI work in Russia to fight a Western monopoly he says is 'unacceptable and dangerous'

Friday 24 November 2023 21:00 , Alexander Butler

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced a plan to endorse a national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that it’s essential to prevent a Western monopoly.

Speaking at an AI conference in Moscow, Putin noted that “it’s imperative to use Russian solutions in the field of creating reliable and transparent artificial intelligence systems that are also safe for humans.”

“Monopolistic dominance of such foreign technology in Russia is unacceptable, dangerous and inadmissible,” Mr Putin said.

Putin to boost AI work in Russia to fight a Western monopoly he says is 'unacceptable and dangerous'

Pictured: Ukrainians sit atop German leapord tanks

Friday 24 November 2023 20:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia warns Moldova for joining EU sanctions

Friday 24 November 2023 19:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia has vowed to retaliate against Moldova for joining European Union sanctions against it.

“We regard this as yet another hostile step by the Moldovan leadership, which is fully integrated into the anti-Russian campaign of the ‘collective West’,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

“Its aim is the complete destruction of Russian-Moldovan relations, which, through the fault of official Chisinau, are already in a very deplorable state.”

Denmark gives Ukraine £300m in military support

Friday 24 November 2023 18:00 , Alexander Butler

Denmark will increase its military support for Ukraine by £302m this year, its defence ministry has said.

This is in addition to the £629m it has already pledged to spend on military donations for Kyiv.

Interestingly, Denmark, which is a NATO member, said it would include this funding for Ukraine towards its alliance obligations.

Putin calls on Russia to rival West in AI development

Friday 24 November 2023 17:07 , Alexander Butler

Russian president Vladimir Putin has urged his country to rival the West in its development of artificial technology.

“In the very near future, as one of the first steps, a presidential decree will be signed and a new version of the national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence will be approved,” Mr Putin said.

More than 150 ships travel through Black Sea grain corridor

Friday 24 November 2023 16:35 , Alexander Butler

More than 150 ships carrying grain and other cargo have now travelled through Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor, according to the US ambassador in Kyiv.

“As of today, 153 ships carrying over 5.6 million metric tons of grain and other cargo have gone through Ukraine’s Black Sea humanitarian corridor, supporting farmers and other businesses in Ukraine and providing food and other products to the world,” ambassador Bridget A. Brink said on X.

Full report: Ukraine aims a major drone attack at Crimea as Russia tries to capture eastern city

Friday 24 November 2023 15:56 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine launched one of the biggest drone attacks on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula since the full-scale war that started with Russia’s invasion 21 months ago, Russian officials said Friday.

At the same time, Ukrainian officials reported that the Kremlin’s forces escalated their weekslong and costly attempt to storm Avdiivka, a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine.

The stepped-up efforts came as both sides are keen to show they are not deadlocked as the fighting approaches 2024.

Illia Novikov has the full report:

Ukraine aims a major drone attack at Crimea as Russia tries to capture a destroyed eastern city

More than 150 ships have passed through Black Sea corridor, says US diplomat

Friday 24 November 2023 13:29 , Andy Gregory

Some 153 ships have so far passed through Ukraine’s humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea since Russia pulled out of the UN-brokered grain deal in July, the US ambassador in Kyiv has said.

Germany extends protection status for Ukrainian refugees until March 2025

Friday 24 November 2023 13:02 , Andy Gregory

The residence permits of refugees from Ukraine who fled the war and received protection status in Germany will be extended until March 2025, the interior ministry has said.

The Bundesrat upper house of parliament had approved the decree from the ministry on Friday, the ministry said in a statement.

This means that those affected do not have to apply for an extension of their residence status, and no associated appointments with the immigration authorities are necessary, it added.

Dutch minister says she hopes aid to Ukraine will continue despite election outcome

Friday 24 November 2023 12:43 , Andy Gregory

Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren has said she hoped the country’s military support to Ukraine would continue even under a new government led by anti-EU populist Geert Wilders – who has said the Dutch should stop providing Kyiv with arms.

Ms Ollongren said Mr Wilders’ victory in this week’s elections had led to concerned phone calls from colleagues around Europe asking whether the Dutch stance on Ukraine would change.

“In the Netherlands there is broad support for our help to Ukraine,” she told reporters on Friday. “I hope and expect this will not change in the new parliament. But the PVV is now the largest party and they have never been enthusiastic about support to Ukraine. They have even been pro-Russia at times. So that has me worried.”

The Dutch government last week earmarked an additional €2bn in military aid for Ukraine in 2024, taking total support since the start of the Russian invasion to around €7.5bn.

It is still unclear how Dutch talks that began on Friday on the formation of a new government will unfold, but none of the PVV’s potential coalition partners share his views on ending support for Ukraine.

Moscow accuses Ukraine of launching huge drone attack on Crimea

Friday 24 November 2023 11:51 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has launched one of its largest drone attacks on Crimea since Moscow’s invasion last February, Russian officials have claimed.

Vladimir Saldo, governor in Russian-occupied parts of Kherson, said claimed dozens of drones were shot down over the region and in northern Crimea after Ukraine launched a major attack early on Friday.

The Russian defence ministry said air defences downed 13 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and three more over southern Russia’s Volgograd region.

Hopes fade for quick end to Polish lorry protests, as two Ukrainian drivers die in cold

Friday 24 November 2023 11:35 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s top hauliers’ union has warned that hopes of a rapid end to Polish lorry driver protests at the border were fading, as Kyiv prepared to evacuate its drivers stranded in Poland.

Two Ukrainian drivers have died and thousands of lorries have been stuck for days in the winter cold as Polish truckers blocked the roads to four crossings on the border.

“Frankly speaking, the more we talk to them the less hope we have,” Leonid Kostiuchenko, president of the Ukrainian Association of International Carriers, told Ukrainian broadcasters.

“I spoke to the leader of the protesters and his attitude is that we will block for such a long time that you will ... celebrate New Year in a queue. I don’t understand this humour.”

The Polish truckers say they are losing out to Ukrainian companies who offer a cheaper rate and are now transporting goods within the European Union, and not just back and forth to Ukraine.

Russian and Chinese executives holding secret talks on underwater tunnel to Crimea

Friday 24 November 2023 10:53 , Andy Gregory

Russian and Chinese business executives have been secretly discussing the construction of an underwater tunnel from Russia to annexed Crimea, Ukraine’s security services claim.

Kyiv claims to have intercepted transmissions about plans to build a vast tunnel under the Kerch strait, as Vladimir Putin’s prized 11-mile bridge there comes under sustained Ukrainian attacks.

The emails – handed to the Washington Post, which claims to have corroborated them in its own reporting – suggest one of China’s largest construction companies has indicated its willingness to be involved, and mention meetings with Chinese delegates in Crimea.

The emails also reportedly reveal efforts to maintain secrecy, with one emphasising that the company will participate only under a “strict provision of complete confidentiality”, with its name will be replaced by “another, unaffiliated legal entity” on any contracts. Another email mentions a Chinese bank willing to “convert its dollar funds into rubles for their transfer to Crimea to fund [consortium] projects”, The Post reports.

Experts told the newspaper that any such construction would likely not be completed for many years – but that this may well fit into Mr Putin’s longer-term planning for the Ukrainian peninsula illegally seized by Russia in 2014.

Kremlin expresses concern over Nato calls for military ‘Schengen Zone'

Friday 24 November 2023 10:28 , Andy Gregory

Nato’s desire to create a military equivalent of the Schengen Zone has ratcheted up tensions and is a cause for concern, the Kremlin has said.

The chief of Nato’s logistics command, Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that he would like to see such a zone, as he was worried that too much red tape across Europe was hindering troop movements.

Mr Sollfrank said it was a problem that could cause major delays were a conflict with Russia to erupt.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov retorted on Friday that Russia would respond if the proposal became a reality.

Russia pauses attacks across Ukraine frontline amid losses in fierce battle for Avdiivka

Friday 24 November 2023 10:10 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s forces have halted their fighting at hotspots on the frontline as the war in Ukraine entered its 22nd month on Friday, my colleague Arpan Rai reports.

Russian forces continued to pound the battered Ukrainian town of Avdiivka but were unable to breach the defence of Ukraine’s troops as heavy fighting engulfed Bakhmut, military officials said.

“Basically, nothing has changed. Everything is very tough. As regards the city, there is an average number of eight to 16 to 18 attacks per day. Sometimes 30. We don’t have the time to count them,” said Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration.

Russia’s troops have unleashed “the fiercest” attacks on Avdiivka – Moscow’s newest target after the bloody battle of Bakhmut.

“I am pleased the defence line has been holding for a month and a half. It has not been breached, no matter what they say,” Mr Barabash said in a daily update of fighting on Thursday.

Russia pauses attacks across Ukraine frontline amid losses in battle for Avdiivka

Pictured: Snow hits Kyiv and hampers efforts on frontline

Friday 24 November 2023 09:52 , Andy Gregory

Snow has been pictured falling as far west as Kyiv in recent days, with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky warning that the changing weather would make the situation more difficult on the frontline.

Finland closes all but one crossing on Russian border

Friday 24 November 2023 09:30 , Andy Gregory

Finland has temporarily closed all but one of its eight passenger crossings to Russia.

Helsinki has accused Russia of funnelling asylum-seekers to its border, after more than 700 people from nations such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria have entered Finland from Russia in recent weeks.

Having last week closed four border stations, Finland overnight closed all remaining passenger crossings except its northernmost one – Raja-Jooseppi, in the Arctic region – for a month.

Raja-Jooseppi opened its gates for traffic this morning and will continue to accept asylum applications during its four daily opening hours, the Finnish Border Guard said.

No migrants arrived overnight outside opening hours, it added.

The European Union’s border agency Frontex said on Thursday it would deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff to Finland along with equipment such as patrol cars to bolster control activities along the Russian border.

High inflation persists in Russia

Friday 24 November 2023 09:01 , AP

The shelves at Moscow supermarkets are full of fruit and vegetables, cheese and meat. But many of the shoppers look at the selection with dismay as inflation makes their wallets feel empty.

Russia’s Central Bank has raised its key lending rate four times this year to try to get inflation under control and stabilize the ruble’s exchange rate as the economy weathers the effects of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and the Western sanctions imposed as a consequence.

The last time it raised the rate – to 15 per cent, doubled that from the beginning of the year – the bank said it was concerned about prices that were increasing at an annualised pace of about 12 per cent. The bank now forecasts inflation for the full year, as well as next year, to be about 7.5 per cent.

Although that rate is high, it may be an understatement.

“If we talk in percentage terms, then, probably, (prices) increased by 25 per cent. This is meat, staple products — dairy produce, fruits, vegetables, sausages. My husband can’t live without sausage! Sometimes I’m just amazed at price spikes,” said Roxana Gheltkova, a shopper in a Moscow supermarket.

Russian consumers feel themselves in a tight spot as high inflation persists

Putin’s troops suffering mass casualties ‘well behind the front line’, says UK

Friday 24 November 2023 08:36 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian long-range precision strikes are inflicting mass casualties among Vladimir Putin’s forces gathering in large groups “well behind the frontline”, as lengthy deployments to the front leave commanders with “an acute dilemma” of whether to keep troops separate or arrange events to boost morale, the UK has claimed.

“Russian forces in Ukraine continue to suffer mass casualties from Ukrainian long-range precision strikes well behind the front line,” said Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

“On 10 November 2023, likely over 70 Russian troops were killed in a strike on a convoy of trucks 23km behind the front line in the village of Hladkivka, Kherson Oblast. Subsequently, on 19 November 2023, a strike on Russian troops attending an award ceremony or concert in Kumachove, 60km inside Russian-controlled territory, likely caused tens of casualties.

“Ukraine has also suffered similar incidents: a Russian ballistic missile killed 19 members of Ukraine’s 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade at a medal ceremony on 3 November 2023.

“Deployed soldiers are typically well aware of the ranges of their adversary’s weapons systems. However, faced with the reality of very long combat deployments, commanders face an acute dilemma.

“They must balance the best practice of keeping the troops dispersed, and less vulnerable to strikes, and the day-to-day requirement to gather units together to conduct administration and to maintain morale.”

Putin pardons two cannibals who joined Russia’s war in Ukraine – report

Friday 24 November 2023 08:04 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin has reportedly pardoned two Russian men convicted of cannibalism after they deployed to the frontline in the war with Ukraine.

One of the men, Denis Gorin, was recruited into a private military company after signing a contract with the Russian ministry of defence but is known to have been convicted thrice for murdering at least four people between 2003 and 2022. He was also convicted of eating the remains of his victims along with his brother, reported Sibir Realii, a news outlet aligned with Radio Free Europe.

Another man, Nikolai Ogolobyak, was convicted of ritual murders, according to the Russian media reports.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2019 for murdering four teenagers and then consuming their remains. The 33-year-old man was reportedly pardoned this week by the Russian president for fighting in the invasion of Ukraine.

My colleague Arpan Rai has the full report here:

Estonia accuses Russia of weaponising immigration at Europe’s borders

Friday 24 November 2023 06:00 , Alexander Butler

Estonia has accused Russia of weaponising immigration on Europe’s eastern borders amid a rise in the number of asylum seekers trying to enter its territory and Finland.

Speaking during a meeting in Stockholm of Nordic and Baltic defence ministers, Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s defence minister, claimed the hundreds of people who had arrived at the borders of the two countries in recent weeks were a “fully state-orchestrated” operation by Moscow.

Latvia’s defence minister, Andris SprÅ«ds, went a step further, blaming the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who he described as the “puppet master”.

Ukrainian embassy asks Warsaw to unblock border following 2nd driver's death

Friday 24 November 2023 05:00 , Alexander Butler

The Ukrainian embassy in Poland appealed to Warsaw to end a haulers’ blockade at the Polish-Ukrainian border after a second trucker died while waiting in the line, Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych said.

Polish protesters have been blocking the movement of cargo vehicles at several border crossings with Ukraine since early November in a protest against the EU’s liberalization of transport rules for Ukrainian trucks.

EU border agency to bolster Finland's border

Friday 24 November 2023 04:00 , Alexander Butler

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) plans to deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff, as well as equipment, to Finland amid a growing migrant crisis on the border with Russia, the agency announced on Nov. 23.

November saw an unusually high number of third-country asylum seekers coming to the Finnish border from Russia.

Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating the migrant influx as retribution for the country’s entry to NATO and moved to close all but one border crossing with its eastern neighbor.

Ukraine sanctions over 300 Russian, foreign companies

Friday 24 November 2023 03:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine has introduced economic sanctions against more than 300 companies around the world, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.

A number of energy companies from across Russia have been targeted by five-year sanctions, while sanctions lasting 10 years were imposed on 87 individuals, among them Ukrainian citizens.

A separate decree imposed 10-year sanctions on Swiss, Cypriot, British, Uzbek, and Russian citizens, as well as companies based in Malta, China, Turkey, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Russia.

Zelensky wishes Americans a happy Thanksgiving

Friday 24 November 2023 02:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has wished Americans a happy thanksgiving and said Ukraine was “grateful” for the country’s support.

“On behalf of all Ukrainians, Olena and I wish all Americans a happy Thanksgiving. We thank you, the people of America. We know how many of you sincerely sympathize with our struggle and wish Ukraine victory.

“We saw how many of you took to heart the illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine and felt that it was also an attack on your values.

“Thanks to American support and global leadership, millions of Ukrainian lives have been saved. Ukraine is grateful to you!

“And we have faith that the unity of the free world will always overcome any threats to freedom. Freedom must not, and will not, fall. We guarantee it together,” Zelensky said on X.

UK has trained 30,000 Ukrainian recruits, MoD says

Friday 24 November 2023 01:00 , Alexander Butler

The UK has trained 30,000 Ukrainian recruits since June of last year, the UK ministry of defence said.

It has been aided by military personnel from “10 partner nations”, it added.

Those include Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.

ICYMI - Zelensky says Putin has made ‘five or six’ attempts on his life

Friday 24 November 2023 00:00 , Lydia Patrick

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that at least “five or six” Russian attempts to assassinate him have been foiled by his security services.

The wartime leader, speaking from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, said the volume of attempts had turned him almost numb to the danger. He compared the later attempts to catching the Covid-19 infection.

“The first one is very interesting, when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid,” he said in a new interview. The first attempt carried panic, he added.

“First of all people don’t know what to do with it and it’s looking very scary,” he told The Sun. “And then after that, it is just intelligence sharing with you that one more group came to Ukraine to [attempt] this.”

‘It’s like Covid’: Zelensky says Putin has made ‘five or six’ attempts on his life

ICYMI - Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic Avdiivka town after heavy Russian losses

Thursday 23 November 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick

Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyiv’s military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.

Mr Putin is pouring in fewer troops and equipment in an attempt to seize the battered but strategic Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia.

“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.

Avdiivka, that has a vast coking plant, has seen fierce fighting and is now down to just 1,500 residents compared to its pre-war population of about 32,000.

Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic town after heavy Russian losses

Finland accuses Russia of ‘weaponising migrants'

Thursday 23 November 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick

Finnish border controls have built barriers at some crossing points on their Russian border to better control the flow of undocumented migrants, officials say.

Some 600 migrants have attempted to cross the border, they are mainly from the Middle East and Africa, say officials.

The controls erected by Finnish officials include concrete obstacles with barbed wire.

“We need to do this to maintain order (at the crossing points) and guarantee the security of legal border traffic,” Tomi Tirkkonen, deputy commander of the Kainuu border guard district in eastern Finland, told The Associated Press.

The Kremlin disapproved of Finland’s decision to close the checkpoints and rejected Finnish authorities’ claims that Russia has encouraged the influx of migrants at the border to punish Finland for joining NATO.

Tirkkonen’s district monitors and surveils two of Finland’s nine crossing points on the border with Russia, which runs 1.340 kilometers (830 miles), serves as the European Union’s external border and makes up NATO’s northeastern flank.

“Undoubtedly Russia is instrumentalizing migrants” as part of its “hydrid warfare” against Finland, said Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Wednesday. Finland joined NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment and pragmatic friendly relations with Moscow.

ICYMI - Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks

Thursday 23 November 2023 21:00 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine may not be able to meet domestic and export demand for wheat in the years to come if Russia’s attacks on its export routes and facilities continue, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

“If attacks on food infrastructure and the blockage of sea export routes continue, it will dramatically impact the agricultural production outlook over years to come, and may, in a worst-case scenario, lead to wheat production being unable to meet domestic and export demand,” said the WFP’s Ukraine director Matthew Hollingworth on Tuesday.

Since mid-July this year, there have been 31 documented attacks on Ukraine’s grain production and export facilities, according to an upcoming report by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), said Mr Hollingworth.

Of these, “28 of these attacks were in Odesa oblast alone”. The province has critical Black Sea and the Danube River terminals essential for global trade, the top official told the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN

Watch - Putin will choose Iran over Israel in tough choice for protecting his regime, says expert

Thursday 23 November 2023 20:00 , Lydia Patrick

Russian journalist killed by drone strike, claim Russia

Thursday 23 November 2023 19:00 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian television journalist has died from injuries he sustained in a Ukrainian drone attack, says Russia’s Ministry of Defence.

Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraine‘s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

Russian court fines Google over 'fakes' about Ukraine war

Thursday 23 November 2023 18:00 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian court fined Alphabet’s Google 4 million roubles ($44,582) for its failure to delete what the court called fake information about the course of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported.

Russia has repeatedly clashed with foreign technology companies over content, censorship, data and local representation in a simmering dispute that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Israel and Ukraine could face each other in a playoff final for a spot at soccer's Euro 2024

Thursday 23 November 2023 17:00 , Lydia Patrick

Israel and Ukraine, two countries currently fighting wars, could face each other for a spot at next year’s European Championship.

The two national teams were put on the same qualifying path in Thursday’s playoff draw, with a possible deciding match in March.

Israel was paired with Iceland, while Ukraine will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the playoff semifinals. The 12 playoff teams will play the six semifinal matches on March 21. All three finals are scheduled for March 26.

Neither Israel nor Ukraine can currently host games at home because the wars. If they both advance to the playoff final, they could meet in a neutral country.

Israel and Ukraine could face each other in a playoff final for a spot at soccer's Euro 2024

Another person killed in Kherson strikes

Thursday 23 November 2023 16:00 , Lydia Patrick

The death toll from the overnight strikes on Kherson has risen to four.

The office said on the Telegram messaging app that Russian forces shelled the town of Beryslav, killing a man who was riding a bicycle.

In a separate massive shelling of several settlements in Kherson district, three people - two men and a woman - were killed, it said.

“It is preliminarily known that the shelling was carried out with cluster munitions,” Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine‘s presidential office, said on Telegram.

Russian troops abandoned Kherson and the western bank of the Dnipro River late last year, but now regularly shells those areas from positions on the eastern bank.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Russia singer killed in occupied Ukraine after missile strike hits concert hall during her performance

Thursday 23 November 2023 15:30 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian singer entertaining soldiers in occupied Ukraine has been killed after a missile hit the concert hall in which she was performing, local reports have confirmed.

Polina Menshikh was performing at a dancehall in the town of Kumachove, Donetsk Oblast, roughly 37 miles from the frontline when two missiles allegedly struck the area on 19 November.

The first missile hit the car park outside and the second struck the hall, according to Russian commentators on Telegram.

A video circling among Russian military blogger channels appears to show the moment the first missile hits the car park while Ms Menshikh was singing inside.

Russia singer killed in occupied Ukraine after missile hits the concert hall

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Thursday 23 November 2023 14:43 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the country’s emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Kremlin ‘inexplicably concerned’ about upcoming election, say ISW

Thursday 23 November 2023 14:00 , Lydia Patrick

The Kremlin seems to be inexplicably concerned about the outcome of next years’ election, despite Putin’s widespread popularity, report the Institute for the Study of War.

Ella Pamiflova, the chairperson of the Russian Central Electoral Comission, said both Russian citizens who live in Russia and those who have left are attempting to discredit the president.

The ISW suggests the statement means the government will continue to “intensify censorship efforts under the guise of fighting attempted internal election meddling.”

NATO logistics chief warns ‘We are running out of time'

Thursday 23 November 2023 13:30 , Lydia Patrick

NATO has warned its members that too much red tape is hindering troop movements across Europe, a problem that could cause major delays were a conflict with Russia to erupt.

“We are running out of time. What we don’t get done in peacetime won’t be ready in case of a crisis or a war,” the chief of NATO’s logistics command JSEC, Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, told Reuters in an interview published on Thursday.

NATO’s Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) in the southern German town of Ulm started operating in 2021. Its job is to coordinate the swift movement of troops and tanks across the continent as well as logistical preparations such as the storage of munitions on the alliance’s eastern flank.

A result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the creation of JSEC reflected the assessment that NATO, after decades of detente following the Cold War, once again needed to be ready for a war in Europe that could break out at any time.

However, the task of quickly deploying forces up to a size of a division with some 20,000 troops, as well as having ammunition, fuel, spare parts and provisions in place, has become trickier since the Cold War.

“We have a surplus of regulations, but the one thing we don’t have is time,” warned Admiral Rob Bauer, head of NATO’s military committee.”

Russian journalist killed by drone strike, claim Russia

Thursday 23 November 2023 13:00 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian television journalist has died from injuries he sustained in a Ukrainian drone attack, says Russia’s Ministry of Defence.

Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraine‘s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region.Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

ICYMI- Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House

Thursday 23 November 2023 12:30 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the country’s emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Russia carry out deadly strike in southeastern regions

Thursday 23 November 2023 12:00 , Lydia Patrick

Russian shelling killed three civilians in southeastern regions of Ukraine, Kyiv authorities said.

Eight artillery barrages targeted Kherson overnight, killing a 42-year-old in his apartment and wounding another man, the Ukrainian presidential office said.Russian shelling also killed two people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the office said.It was not possible to independently verify the reports. Long-range Russian shelling that hits civilian areas has been a hallmark of Moscow’s 21-month war in Ukraine.

Two Ukrainian truckers die amid trucker protest

Thursday 23 November 2023 11:45 , Lydia Patrick

Two Ukrainian drivers have died and thousands of trucks have been stuck for days in the winter cold as the truckers block the roads to three crossings on the Polish-Ukrainian border, a key route for Ukraine‘s trade during Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine wants its export routes via Poland to be unblocked before it holds talks with Warsaw and the European Commission aimed at ending protests by Polish truckers.

Taras Kachka, Ukraine‘s trade representative and a deputy economy minister, said drivers were being forced to live for days in freezing temperatures and unhygienic conditions.

“Our task is to unblock the road first and then talk about all the demands that the protesters have,” Kachka said in an interview on national television.

“This should be done at the negotiating table... in Brussels, or in Warsaw, or in Kyiv, but not on the road in winter, causing damage not only to the economy but also to the health and lives of drivers who are stuck there,” he added.

Ukrainian media outlets reported that a truck driver died overnight near the Polish village of Korczowa where he had been stuck waiting to cross the border. Another driver died on Nov. 11 near the crossing in the Polish city of Chełm.

Polish truckers started their blockade on Nov. 6 to protest against what they said was business lost to Ukrainian drivers who have been made exempt from seeking permits to cross the Polish border during the Russian invasion.

With Ukraine‘s Black Sea ports - a key export route before the war - virtually blocked by Russia, Ukrainian businesses rely on roads and railways to reroute exports and imports.

Ukraine‘s Infrastructure Ministry estimated that an average 40,000-50,000 trucks cross the border with Poland per month via eight existing crossings, twice as many as before the war. Most of the goods are carried by Ukraine‘s transport fleet.

ICYMI - What Russian leader said in virtual address about Ukraine war ‘tragedy’ in G20 speech

Thursday 23 November 2023 11:15 , Lydia Patrick

Russian president Vladimir Putin told the leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) on Wednesday it was time to think about how to stop the “tragedy” of the war in Ukraine which entered its 22nd month.

Acknowledging his military operations in the neighbouring nation, the Kremlin chief said some of the leaders mentioned in their speeches that they were shocked by the “continuing aggression” of Russia in Ukraine.

“Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy. And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy,” he said.

Mr Putin declared a full-scale invasion of the country – calling it a “special military operation” – and despite international calls for peace, continued to send to Ukraine tens of thousands of troops who are trying to capture areas in east and south of the country.

Putin G20 speech: Russian leader calls Ukraine war a ‘tragedy’

Wagner veterans officially recognised by Russia, say MOD

Thursday 23 November 2023 10:45 , Lydia Patrick

A group of Wagner soldiers have been officially recognised as veterans by Russian troops.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has established a new system allowing Wagner veterans to receive official identificaion documents and obtain bonuses, reports the UK’s MOD.

Yale historian says west can help Ukraine break stalemate

Thursday 23 November 2023 10:15 , Lydia Patrick

A historian urges western countries to continue their aid to Ukraine so they can overcome their ‘deadlock’.

Timothy Snyder insisted Ukraine had not reached a stalemate since the west could ‘drop five more queens on the board’, in conversation with the Guardian.

It comes as Kyiv’s top military commander said the Ukrainian counteroffensive was stalling in an interview with the Economist in November.

Professor Snyder told the Guardian: “I hate the stalemate analogy because war is not a game of chess,.

“In chess, there are only so many pieces on the board, and the reason why you get into stalemate is that your pieces get into a certain arrangement.”

Ukraine’s defence

Thursday 23 November 2023 10:03 , Chris Stevenson

Ukraine’s military says it is inflicting major losses on Russian troops as Vladimir Putin’s forces seek to try and encircle the key strategic city of Avdiivka in the east.

Russia has been trying to advance in the area for weeks, with the army saying that Ukrainian troops have repelled more than 30 attacks in the last 24 hours.

Russia carry out deadly attack on Ukrainian hospital

Thursday 23 November 2023 09:45 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the country’s emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital