Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s troops ‘trying to regroup’ for attacks on besieged town after heavy losses
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Russian forces are trying to regroup and recover their losses near the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, where heavy fighting has been ongoing since mid-October.
This comes after Putin’s troops bombarded 118 Ukrainian towns and villages over the course of 24 hours, the most intense day of shelling this year, Kyiv said.
Communities near the front lines in the east and south were targeted, with 10 out of 27 of Ukraine’s regions coming under attack.
Vladimir Putin’s warplanes have dropped “explosive objects” into the paths of civilian shipping lanes in the Black Sea, the region’s military command said.
“The occupiers are continuing to terrorise the paths of civilian shipping in the Black Sea with tactical aviation, dropping explosive objects into the likely paths of civilian vessel traffic,” it said.
“There were three such drops registered in the last 24 hours. However, the navigation corridor continues to function under the watch of the defence forces.”
Ukraine is trying to build up a new shipping lane without Russian approval to revive its vital seaborne exports. But Russia said it would consider any vessel a potential military target after it quit UN-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian goods to pass through.
Key Points
Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of shelling in a single day this year
Russia ‘regrouping for new attacks at Avdiivka’
Russia attacks oil refinery, Kyiv says
Ukraine ‘successfully’ hits Russia’s air defence system in Crimea
Belarus leader Lukashenko says Ukraine and Russia are locked in a ‘stalemate’
Italy's premier acknowledges 'fatigue' over Ukraine war in call with Russian pranksters
04:00 , Lydia Patrick
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office has expressed “regret” that she fell prey to a prank call that induced her to acknowledge “fatigue” over the war in Ukraine.
Meloni, believing she was speaking with officials of the African Union, told a pair of Russian pranksters that “there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides.
We are near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.”
“The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both, without destroying the international law,” she said.
Audio of the call was released Wednesday and replayed by Italian media. The call by Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus was made in September.
The office of Meloni’s diplomatic advisor said it “regrets having been misled by an imposter who posed as the president of the African Union commission.”
The call occurred on Sept. 18, in the run-up to the U.N. General Assembly, where Meloni had meetings with African leaders.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, a Meloni ally, said Thursday that such episodes cannot be repeated. “There was certainly superficiality by whoever organized the phone call,” Tajani told state RAI radio.
Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war
03:00 , Natalie Crockett
The timing could not be worse. Just as Ukraine is fighting to repel one of the fiercest Russian onslaughts since the war began, so fears emerge that US support to Kyiv could be severely undermined by Republicans loyal to the former president.
Read more from Askold Krushelnycky here:
Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war
Polish hauliers to block Ukraine border crossings in protest
02:00 , Lydia Patrick
Polish truckers will block several border crossings with Ukraine starting next week in protest at what they say is Ukrainian hauliers’ free rein in Poland that is hurting their business, a co-organiser of the protest told Reuters.
The protest, planned to start on Nov. 6, comes amid an economic slowdown in Europe and a relaxation of regulations for Ukrainian transport companies in 2022 by the European Union to ease the transport of goods to and out of the country invaded by Russia.
The protesters plan to stop trucks travelling at three border crossings, letting through one truck per hour, but exempting shipments of equipment for Ukraine‘s army and vehicles transporting livestock, according to a protest notification seen by Reuters.
Protesters’ demands include reimposing restrictions on the number of Ukraine-registered trucks entering Poland and a ban on transport companies with capital from outside the European Union, among others, according to the notification.
“Ukrainian transport companies are ... entering without restrictions and carrying out transport operations they have no right to perform,” said Jacek Sokol, protest co-organizer and deputy head of the Committee to Protect Transporters and Transport Employers.
He said the protest measures would affect traffic in both directions at crossings in Dorohusk and Hrebenne-Rawa Ruska, as well as outbound traffic through Korczowa.
US imposes new sanctions on companies they believe are linked to Russian war
01:00 , Lydia Patrick
The United States on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on 130 firms and people from Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates in an effort to choke off Russia’s access to tools and equipment that support its invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control target third-party firms and people alleged to assist Moscow in procuring equipment needed on the battlefield, including suppliers and shippers.
In addition, the State Department imposed diplomatic sanctions targeting Russian energy production and its metals and mining sector.
Thursday’s sanctions targets include Turkish national Berk Turken and his firms, which are alleged to have ties to Russian intelligence.
The Treasury Department said Mr Turken’s network arranged payments and shipping details designed to bypass sanctions and move goods from Turkey to Russia.
A series of United Arab Emirates firms alleged to have shipped aviation equipment, machines for data reception and more also were sanctioned.
And UAE-based ARX Financial Engineering Ltd was sanctioned for allegedly being involved in finding ways for Russian rubles to be sent from sanctioned Russian bank VTB Bank and converted to US dollars.
Mr Turken and a representative from ARX were not available for comment on Thursday.
Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines since beginning of Russian invasion
Thursday 2 November 2023 23:55 , Sam Rkaina
Extensive mines and explosives in Ukraine have killed more than 260 civilians and injured another 571 during Russia’s 20-month-old invasion, Kyiv’s military officials have said.
Around 174,000sq km of Ukraine, making up about a third of its territory, has been potentially strewn with mines or dangerous war detritus, estimates from Kyiv officials showed.
The 571 injuries have occurred in more than 560 incidents that involve mines or explosive objects left behind in the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops, the country’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday.
Almost a quarter of these incidents have happened in fields, the military official said.
Two killed as Russian artillery keeps on battering southern Ukraine’s Kherson region
Thursday 2 November 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina
Russian shelling killed an 81-year-old woman in the yard of her home and a 60-year-old man in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region Thursday, local authorities said. The deaths were the latest civilian casualties in Moscow’s recent ramped-up bombardment of the front-line area.
Kherson is a strategic military region located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea. Unconfirmed reports say attacking Ukrainian troops have gained a foothold on the Russian-held side of the river during Kyiv’s monthslong counteroffensive.
The two civilians died when Russian artillery targeted Kherson region villages, according to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. Four others were injured in the strikes, which also damaged residential and public buildings, authorities said.
On Wednesday, one person died in Russian shelling that caused extensive damage in the Kherson region’s capital city of the same name. Prokudin called it “an apocalyptic scene.”
A 91-year-old local woman was killed in her apartment last weekend in what Prokudin described as a “terrifying” nighttime barrage.
The Kherson region is a key gateway to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 and is now home to a lot of Moscow’s war logistics operations and rear supply depots.
Russia says Ukraine 'playing with fire' with drone attack near nuclear plant
Thursday 2 November 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina
Russia on Thursday said Ukraine was risking a nuclear disaster after nine Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian forces near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, Europe’s largest atomic power plant.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been under Russian control since early March 2022, has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235.
Four of the reactors are shut down while two of the reactors - No. 4 and No. 5 - are in so-called ‘hot shutdown’ mode, according to the Russian operator of the plant.
Russia’s defence ministry said air defences had shot down nine Ukrainian drones near the Russian-held city of Enerhodar, where many workers for the plant live, in an attempt to disrupt the rotation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff.
“Kyiv is continuing to ‘play with fire’ and is carrying out criminal and irresponsible provocations,” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, said of the drone attack.
Zakharova said the IAEA should look at a Russian proposal to rotate its staff monitoring the plant only through Russian-held territory. The IAEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ukraine did not immediately comment.
The IAEA has repeatedly said that the world is fortunate that no nuclear accident has yet happened at the Zaporizhzhia plant where the Agency says nuclear safety remains extremely fragile.
Shortly after sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, Russian forces took control of the Zaporizhzhia station. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of attacking the station.
US concerned by withdrawal of Russia’s ratification of global nuclear test ban
Thursday 2 November 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina
The withdrawal of Russia’s ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests is a step in the wrong direction and will serve to set back confidence in the international arms control regime, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
“We are deeply concerned by Russia’s planned action to withdraw its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT),” Blinken said in a statement released by the State Department.
“Unfortunately, it represents a significant step in the wrong direction, taking us further from, not closer to, entry into force,” Blinken said.
US senate looking at support deals for Ukraine and Israel
Thursday 2 November 2023 20:00 , Sam Rkaina
New US Speaker Mike Johnson has told Republican senators a fresh Ukraine aid package will come as soon as lawmakers wrap up the $14.5 billion Israel aid package that is heading for passage later this week.
Johnson, who has been on the job a week, made the trip across the Capitol to speak privately with GOP senators to outline the agenda ahead.
“Look, we all like the new speaker we want him to be successful,” said Senator JD Vance, Republican for Ohio, who opposes more aid to Ukraine.
Johnson was greeted with applause at the start of the lunch meeting, a get-to-know-you session for the new GOP speaker that many senators had never met — or even heard of — until he won a longshot race for House speaker to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy.
The new speaker told the senators Ukraine needs U.S. aid as it battles Russia, but that there was no way President Joe Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion supplemental funding request that included Israel could be passed through the House.
“‘We want to take up Ukraine,’” was his message, said Senator Josh Hawley, Republican for Missouri, who opposes more funding for the overseas war.
Hawley said Johnson told the Republican senators the “next order of business” after the Israel package would be the Ukraine-U.S. border package.
The Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the House’s Israel-only approach was dead on arrival in the Senate.
Putin ally warns 'enemy' Poland: you risk losing your statehood
Thursday 2 November 2023 19:30 , Holly Evans
A top ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Poland on Thursday that the NATO member state was now considered a “dangerous enemy” by Russia and could end up losing its statehood if it continued on its current course.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, made the comments in an 8,000-word article on Russian-Polish relations, saying Moscow now had a “dangerous enemy” in Poland.
“We will treat it (Poland) precisely as a historical enemy,” Medvedev said. “If there is no hope for reconciliation with the enemy, Russia should have only one and a very tough attitude regarding its fate.”
“History has more than once delivered a merciless verdict to the presumptuous Poles: no matter how ambitious the revanchist plans may be, their collapse could lead to the death of Polish statehood in its entirety.”
There was no immediate response to his comments from Poland.
Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war
Thursday 2 November 2023 19:00 , Holly Evans
Ukraine is seeing some of the fiercest fighting since Moscow’s full-blown invasion began, with Russia going all-out to smash through several Ukrainian frontline positions despite sustaining enormous casualties.
Ukraine’s soldiers, also taking numerous casualties, have so far prevented any significant Russian breakthroughs.
The Ukrainian military’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhny, has said the conflict has reached a stalemate which he compared to the bloody parity that obtained on the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War.
Read the full article from Askold Krushelnycky here
Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war
More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials
Thursday 2 November 2023 18:30 , Holly Evans
At least 930 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Kyiv’s officials claimed.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its battlefield update on Thursday morning also claimed Vladimir Putin has lost approximately 302,420 military personnel since the invasion began on 24 February last year.
The Independent has not been able to verify claims of the battlefield casualties.
Read the full article here
More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials
More on US sanctions against Russian individuals and companies
Thursday 2 November 2023 18:00 , Holly Evans
The U.S. also cracked down on sanctions evasion in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and China, as the Treasury Department said companies based in the countries continue to send high priority dual-use goods to Russia, including components Moscow relies on for its weapons systems.
Seven Russia-based banks and dozens of industrial firms were also hit with sanctions by the Treasury Department, including Gazpromneft Catalytic Systems LLC, which Treasury said manufactures chemical agents for advanced oil refining in Russia.
The Kremlin said on Thursday ahead of the action that it expected the West to impose ever tougher sanctions on it over the war, but that there was a growing sense that such penalties hurt Western interests while Russia’s economy was adapting well.
Bill pairing Ukaine aid ‘will come next’, says US republican
Thursday 2 November 2023 17:30 , Holly Evans
Mike Johnson, the US Republican House of Representatives Speaker has said that a bill pairing Ukraine aid with border security “will come next” following the body’s vote on a standalone Israel aid measure.
Polish hauliers to block Ukraine border crossings in protest
Thursday 2 November 2023 16:45 , Holly Evans
Polish truckers will block several border crossings with Ukraine starting next week in protest at what they say is Ukrainian hauliers’ free rein in Poland that is hurting their business, a co-organiser of the protest told Reuters.
The protest, planned to start on Nov. 6, comes amid an economic slowdown in Europe and a relaxation of regulations for Ukrainian transport companies in 2022 by the European Union to ease the transport of goods to and out of the country invaded by Russia.
“Ukrainian transport companies are ... entering without restrictions and carrying out transport operations they have no right to perform,” said Jacek Sokol, protest co-organizer and deputy head of the Committee to Protect Transporters and Transport Employers.
According to Sokol, prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian transport companies were granted 160,000-180,000 permits per year for specific shipments requiring entrance or transit through Poland, but not for shipments within the country.
“Now these companies are doing whatever they want. There is a complete, uncontrolled influx, just like with grain.”
Zelensky thanks those who care about the ‘interests of Ukraine'
Thursday 2 November 2023 16:20 , Holly Evans
Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked those who care about the interests of Ukraine and who have set out to “protect our country and people”.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: “It is important to always remember how many people from all walks of life work to protect our country and people, preserve Ukraine, its resilience, society, and each and every one of us.
“I thank everyone who cares about the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
It is important to always remember how many people from all walks of life work to protect our country and people, preserve Ukraine, its resilience, society, and each and every one of us. I thank everyone who cares about the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians. pic.twitter.com/FQRLTdbKGX
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 2, 2023
Italian leader Giorgia Meloni expresses ‘regret’ over prank phone call
Thursday 2 November 2023 15:53 , Holly Evans
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office has expressed “regret” that she fell prey to a prank call that induced her to acknowledge “fatigue” over the war in Ukraine.
Meloni, believing she was speaking with officials of the African Union, told a pair of Russian pranksters that “there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. We are near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.
“The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both, without destroying the international law,” she said.
Audio of the call was released Wednesday and replayed by Italian media. The call by Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus was made in September. The office of Meloni’s diplomatic advisor said it “regrets having been misled by an imposter who posed as the president of the African Union commission.”
The call occurred on Sept. 18, in the run-up to the U.N. General Assembly, where Meloni had meetings with African leaders. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, a Meloni ally, said Thursday that such episodes cannot be repeated.
“There was certainly superficiality by whoever organized the phone call,” Tajani told state RAI radio.
Russia says Ukraine 'playing with fire' with drone attack near nuclear plant
Thursday 2 November 2023 15:38 , Holly Evans
Russia has said Ukraine was risking a nuclear disaster after nine Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian forces near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, Europe’s largest atomic power plant.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been under Russian control since early March 2022, has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235.
Four of the reactors are shut down while two of the reactors - No. 4 and No. 5 - are in so-called ‘hot shutdown’ mode, according to the Russian operator of the plant.
“Kyiv is continuing to ‘play with fire’ and is carrying out criminal and irresponsible provocations,” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, said of the drone attack.
The IAEA has repeatedly said that the world is fortunate that no nuclear accident has yet happened at the Zaporizhzhia plant where the Agency says nuclear safety remains extremely fragile.
US imposes sweeping new sanctions targeting Russia over war in Ukraine
Thursday 2 November 2023 15:02 , Holly Evans
The Biden administration today added 12 Russian companies to a trade blacklist for supporting Russia’s military with drones.
The United States has imposed sweeping new measures against Moscow over the war in Ukraine, targeting Russia’s future energy capabilities, sanctions evasion and a suicide drone that has been a menace to Ukrainian troops and equipment in sanctions on hundreds of people and entities.
The latest measures target a major entity involved in the development, operation and ownership of a massive project in Siberia known as Arctic-2 LNG, the State Department said in a statement. The project expected to ship chilled natural gas, known as liquefied natural gas to global markets.
The U.S. Department of Commerce on Thursday added 13 entities in Russia and Uzbekistan to its export control list for acting contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.
German minister confident Ukraine’s bid to join EU will be advanced
Thursday 2 November 2023 14:30 , Holly Evans
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said she is confident that the European Union next month would advance Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc at a summit seen as a key milestone in Kyiv’s efforts to integrate with the West.
Presenting EU enlargement as a geo-strategic necessity, Baerbock told a conference in Berlin that the 27-nation bloc also needed to plough ahead with “tedious” internal reforms to be able to function with 30-plus members.
“We want to see Ukraine a member of our European Union,” said Baerbock, who is from the Greens party that forms part of Germany’s ruling coalition. “The European Union has to be enlarged. That is the geo-political consequence of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
EU leaders will decide at a Dec. 14-15 summit whether to grant Ukraine the formal start of membership talks, which for Kyiv is a top priority on a par with Western military and financial support.
“I am convinced that the European Council in December is going to send out that signal,” said Baerbock.
“However, an enlarged EU will only be stronger if we do what we have been so hesitant to do for so long - review and rethink the way in which our union functions.”
Ukraine urges EU to find the ‘right balace’ as it pushes for membership
Thursday 2 November 2023 13:50 , Holly Evans
Ukraine has urged the EU to take a more flexible approach as it strives to quickly become a member of the 27-nation European Union.
The process however could take years as Kyiv must undertake a long list of reforms demanded by Brussels.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the EU on Thursday to adopt a more agile approach to admitting new members.
“Our main position that I brought from Kyiv is that EU reform should not take (the) enlargement process as a hostage,” Kuleba said as he arrived at a conference in Berlin on the bloc’s future expansion.
“We have to find the right balance between the process of reforming the European Union and continuing with enlargement,” he said.
Kremlin denies Ukraine war has reached a ‘stalemate’
Thursday 2 November 2023 13:30 , Holly Evans
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed claims by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief that the war had reached a stalemate.Russia is steadfastly pursuing its war goals, Peskov said.
“It’s absurd to talk about any prospect for the victory of the Kyiv regime on the battlefield,” he added.
“The sooner the Kyiv regime comes to realize that, the earlier some other perspectives will open up.” Russian authorities commonly use the term “Kyiv regime” when referring to Ukraine’s democratically elected government.
Russia says it downed nine Ukrainian drones near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Thursday 2 November 2023 13:10 , Holly Evans
The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday accused Ukraine of posing a threat to security at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and said that it had downed nine Ukrainian drones near the facility.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was seized by Russia in March 2022, shortly after it ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. It remains close to the frontline between the two sides.
Two civilians, including 81-year-old woman, killed in latest Russian shelling
Thursday 2 November 2023 12:46 , Holly Evans
Russian shelling killed an 81-year-old woman in the yard of her home and a 60-year-old man in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region Thursday, local authorities said.
The deaths were the latest civilian casualties in Moscow’s recent ramped-up bombardment of the front-line area.
The two civilians died when Russian artillery targeted Kherson region villages, according to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. Four others were injured in the strikes, which also damaged residential and public buildings.
On Wednesday, one person died in Russian shelling that caused extensive damage in the Kherson region’s capital city of the same name. Prokudin called it “an apocalyptic scene.”A 91-year-old local woman was killed in her apartment last weekend in what Prokudin described as a “terrifying” nighttime barrage.The Kherson region is a key gateway to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 and is now home to a lot of Moscow’s war logistics operations and rear supply depots.
Situation in Kupyansk is ‘dire’ as evacuation orders issued
Thursday 2 November 2023 12:25 , Holly Evans
Responding to the compulsory evacuation of Ukrainian civilians from Kupyansk, the International Rescue Committee’s field manager in Kharkiv said the situation was “dire”.
Following the intensification of hostilities, evacuation orders are mandatory for the 275 children still living in the region, which is situated near the frontline.
In a statement, Igor Bodnia said: “The situation in Kupiansk is dire, and the impact on children is particularly devastating. Many of them have seen violence and displacement more than once, and they are in urgent need of protection and support.
“The IRC is working in a reception hub and dormitories in Kharkiv, focusing on providing primary health care to evacuated families, as well as psychological first aid to children to help them cope with the trauma they have experienced.”
“Intensified hostilities in Kupiansk are part of the worrying trend of an increased number of attacks that we are witnessing in the lead-up to winter. Just as temperatures plummet, communities in Ukraine will suffer from even more widespread destruction of the infrastructure they need to cope with the cold season.
“The combination of freezing weather, ongoing shelling, destroyed critical facilities and homes will make life even tougher for the people in affected areas.”
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni tells pranksters posing as diplomats of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war
Thursday 2 November 2023 11:59 , Holly Evans
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni told Russian pranksters posing as African diplomats that there is “a lot of fatigue” over the war in Ukraine.
In a 13-minute recording released by pranksters “Vova and Lexus”, Ms Meloni claimed that Kyiv’s counteroffensive “didn’t change the destiny of the conflict” and that the time is approaching when Europe will “need a way out”.
The Italian PM believed she was speaking to senior African Union officials in the call on 18 September, a day before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but her office later admitted that she “had been deceived”.
Read the full article below
Italy PM Giorgia Meloni tells pranksters of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war
Ukraine repels new Russian assault in Donetsk region, says Zelensky
Thursday 2 November 2023 11:46 , Holly Evans
Ukrainian forces repelled a new Russian assault near the town of Vuhledar in eastern Donetsk region and continued its attempt to press forward in the south, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held bastion at a strategic intersection between the eastern and southern front lines, has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the 20-month-old full-scale war.
“There was an attempt by the enemy to advance in the Vuhledar direction, but our soldiers stopped it, causing heavy losses to the enemy: dozens of pieces of equipment, many killed and wounded,” he said on Telegram messenger.
The Ukrainian military has said the fighting has escalated along the eastern front in recent weeks.
The military said Russia was trying to regroup and recover from its losses near the eastern city of Avdiivka before launching more attacks.
Israeli plea for citizens to leave Russian region is 'anti-Russian', official says
Thursday 2 November 2023 11:24 , Holly Evans
An Israeli recommnedation for its citizens to leave Russia’s North Caucasus region after a violent anti-Israeli protest in Dagestan on Sunday was “anti-Russian”, a spokesperson has said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that an Israeli warning against travel in the mostly Muslim regions of the North Caucasus bore “no relation to reality”.
Dozens were arrested after hundreds of protesters stormed Makhachkala airport in Dagestan on Sunday, looking for Jewish passengers on board a plane arriving from Tel Aviv.
Zakharova said that Russia’s traditionally strong relations with Israel were “resilient”.
Russia has repeatedly criticised Israel’s military actions around the Gaza Strip, restated its long-standing support for a Palestinian state, while also hosting a Hamas delegation in Moscow.
Russia promises Bulgaria it will retaliate over Russian journalist's expulsion
Thursday 2 November 2023 11:10 , Holly Evans
Russia has warned Bulgaria that it would retaliate against Sofia for its decision to expel a Russian journalist on national security grounds, something it called an “outrageous” attack on the media.
Alexander Gatsak, a correspondent for the state-owned Rossiyskaya Gazeta, was stripped of his accreditation and residency permit and expelled for what Bulgaria said was activity “posing a threat to national security”.
Gatsak sought refuge in the Russian embassy after being summoned by Bulgaria’s interior ministry and left Bulgaria on Nov. 1, according to the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security.
Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, said the expulsion was an “outrageous attack” and cautioned that Moscow would take retaliatory measures.
She said that a Moscow correspondent for Bulgarian radio had been summoned by the foreign ministry.
Russia says Moldova's president is a 'disgrace'
Thursday 2 November 2023 10:51 , Holly Evans
Russia said on Thursday that Moldova’s pro-European president, Maia Sandu, was a disgrace and accused the Moldovan government of trying to distract from its own failings ahead of local elections by exaggerating the threat of Russia.
Sandu, who has denounced Russia’s war in Ukraine and accused Moscow of trying to topple her in a coup, said on Wednesday that Russia was trying to buy voters in this weekend’s local elections.
“Maia Sandu is a disgrace to the country and the main threat to the Moldovan people,” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, told reporters.
Zakharova said that Moscow was monitoring the situation ahead of the elections and accused the Moldovan government of trying to use the exaggerated threat of Russia to distract from its own considerable shortcomings.
Kremlin says Ukraine are ‘absurd’ for talking about victory over Russia
Thursday 2 November 2023 10:22 , Holly Evans
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander Valery Zaluzhnyi was wrong to talk of the conflict in Ukraine moving towards a new stage of static fighting as Russia would achieve all of its aims.
Asked by reporters if Zaluzhnyi was right that the conflict was moving towards an impasse, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “No, it has not reached a stalemate.”
Peskov said that all of Russia’s aims would be achieved and said it was absurd for Kyiv to talk about victory over Russia on the battlefield.
“The Kyiv regime has long needed to understand that even talking about some sort of prospect of victory on the battlefield is absurd. The sooner the Kyiv regime understands this for itself, the sooner some prospects will open up,” he said.
Peskov was responding to an essay by Zaluzhnyi in the Economist in which he said the war was moving towards a new stage of static and attritional fighting, a phase that could allow Moscow to rebuild its military power.
Putin signs law to deratify nuclear test ban treaty
Thursday 2 November 2023 10:08 , Holly Evans
President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a law revoking Russia’s ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons test, a move he says is designed to bring Moscow into line with the United States.
Russia says that it will not resume testing unless Washington does and that its de-ratification does not change its nuclear posture or the way it shares information about its nuclear activities.
Washington had signed but never ratified the 1996 treaty and Putin had said he wanted Russia, which had signed and ratified the pact, to adopt the same stance on the treaty as the United States.
Some Western arms control experts are concerned that Russia may be inching towards a test to intimidate and evoke fear amid the Ukraine war, an idea Russian officials have played down.
The upper house of Russia’s parliament voted to rescind the country’s ratification of the test ban last week - and hours later, Russia’s military conducted a simulated nuclear strike in a drill overseen by Mr Putin.
Top Ukrainian military figure warns a significant breakthrough is unlikely
Thursday 2 November 2023 09:56 , Holly Evans
A top Ukrainian commander said there is unlikely to be a “deep and beautiful breakthrough” in the war against Russia.
Commander-in-Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said that the months-long counteroffensive is “gradually moving to a positional form” and acknowledged the two had reached to a type of “stalemate” similar to that seen in the First World War.
Commander-in-Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in an essay and interview with The Economist that despite previous Ukrainian victories in counteroffensive operations last year, the war is moving “to a new stage: what we in the military call ‘positional’ warfare of static and attritional fighting”.
“There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough,” he told the magazine, and warned “positional warfare” could end up benefitting Moscow.
More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials
Thursday 2 November 2023 09:36 , Holly Evans
At least 930 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Kyiv’s officials claimed.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its battlefield update on Thursday morning also claimed Vladimir Putin has lost approximately 302,420 military personnel since the invasion began on 24 February last year.
The Independent has not been able to verify claims of the battlefield casualties.
Read the full article below
More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials
Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines and explosives
Thursday 2 November 2023 09:28 , Holly Evans
Extensive mines and explosives in Ukraine have killed more than 260 civilians and injured another 571 during Russia’s 20-month-old invasion, Kyiv’s military officials have said.
Around 174,000sq km of Ukraine, making up about a third of its territory, has been potentially strewn with mines or dangerous war detritus, estimates from Kyiv officials showed.
The 571 injuries have occurred in more than 560 incidents that involve mines or explosive objects left behind in the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops, the country’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday.
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Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines and explosives
Kremlin says they expect more Western sanctions in future
Thursday 2 November 2023 09:24 , Holly Evans
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Western sanctions on Russia over Ukraine hurt those who imposed them and that it expected more to be introduced in future.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was answering a question about a fresh packet of U.S. sanctions on Russia, the details of which are expected to be unveiled later on Thursday.
Russia likely lost four SAM launchers in past week, says latest MoD update
Thursday 2 November 2023 09:11 , Holly Evans
Russia has likely lost at least four long range Surface-to-Air Missiles to Ukrainian strikes in the last week, the Ministry of Defence has said in its latest intelligence update.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 02 November 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/M81EEqaamH
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/2rCvub7o8d— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 2, 2023
Russia claims to have shot down five Ukrainian drones
Thursday 2 November 2023 08:50 , Holly Evans
Russian media has reported that their troops shot down five Ukraine drones over Crimea and one over the Black Sea overnight.
The TASS news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying its air defences destroyed the drones.
Russia ‘regrouping for new attacks at Avdiivka’
Thursday 2 November 2023 08:34 , Holly Evans
Russian forces are trying to regroup and recover their losses near the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka before trying to press on with attacks to try to encircle the besieged settlement, Ukraine’s military said on Thursday.
“The enemy continues to try to encircle Avdiivka, but now not so actively - the enemy is trying to regroup and recover losses in order to attack further,” said Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesman for Ukraine’s Tavria military command.
Russia renewed a push to encircle the embattled town in mid-October, trying to overwhelm Ukrainian positions with constant barrages of artillery and waves of troops and fighting vehicles, according to local and military authorities in Ukraine.
North Korea has sent unspecified number of missiles to Russia
Thursday 2 November 2023 08:25 , Holly Evans
North Korea has likely supplied several types of missiles to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, along with its widely reported shipments of ammunition and shells, South Korea’s military said Thursday.
In a background briefing for local journalists, South Korea’s military said that North Korea is suspected of sending an unspecified number of short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank missiles and portable anti-air missiles to Russia, in addition to rifles, rocket launchers, mortars and shells.
North Korea has been pushing to expand cooperation with Russia and China in the face of protracted security tensions with the United States and pandemic-caused domestic hardships. In an apparent sign of its economic troubles, the country is moving to close some of its overseas diplomatic missions.
Giorgia Meloni says European leaders are ‘tired of Ukraine war’ in prank call
Thursday 2 November 2023 07:54 , Holly Evans
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said European leaders are tired of the war in Ukraine and want to broker a deal with the Kremlin to end it, in a prank call with Russians posing as African diplomats.
She made the remarks during a call she believed she was having with a senior African Union official when she was in fact speaking with two prolific Russian pranksters and suspected Kremlin agents.
During the conversation with “Vovan and Lexus”, she said European leaders wanted a “way out” of the 20-month war in Ukraine.
Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling in a single day this year, Kyiv says
Thursday 2 November 2023 07:32 , Holly Evans
Ukraine has suffered its most intense bombardment of Russian shelling so far this year as Vladimir Putin’s troops hit 118 settlements in just 24 hours, Ukraine’s interior minister has said.
Moscow fired millions of shells on cities, towns and villages on Wednesday – more than on any single day so far this year – reducing some to rubble across the eastern and southern parts of the country, Ihor Klymenko said in a post on social media.
“Over the last 24 hours, the enemy shelled 118 settlements in 10 regions. This is the highest number of cities and villages that have come under attack since the start of the year,” he wrote on Telegram.
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Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling this year, Kyiv says
ICYMI - Nato chief says Russia must not be allowed ‘to take pieces of Ukraine’
Thursday 2 November 2023 07:00 , Lydia Patrick
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Russia must not be allowed to “continue to take pieces of Ukraine” as he backed arming Kyiv to give it an upperhand during negotiations.
“The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger they will be at the negotiating table. And when the war does end, we must ensure that history does not repeat itself. That Russia does not continue to take pieces of Ukraine,” the Nato chief said on Tuesday at the 75th Nordic Council in Oslo.
“Russia has lost. It has lost tens of thousands of soldiers. It has lost large amounts of military material. And it has lost political influence and is increasingly isolated,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Nato chief says Russia must not be allowed ‘to take pieces of Ukraine’
Mapped - The front lines and counteroffences
Thursday 2 November 2023 06:00 , Lydia Patrick
Bulgaria expels Russian journalist
Thursday 2 November 2023 05:00 , Lydia Patrick
Bulgaria has expelled a Russian journalist for allegedly engaging in activities that pose a threat to the country’s national security, authorities said.
The State Agency for National Security said Alexander Gatsak, a correspondent for Russian state-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, was stripped of his residency rights and barred from entering Bulgaria and other European Union member nation.
The agency said Gatsak was summoned Sept. 29 to receive the expulsion order at the Interior Ministry migration office, but he did not show up and instead took refuge inside the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.
ICYMI - South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia
Thursday 2 November 2023 04:00 , Lydia Patrick
South Korea’s top spy agency believes North Korea sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August to help fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, according to a lawmaker who attended a closed-door briefing Wednesday with intelligence officials.
North Korea and Russia have been actively boosting the visibility of their partnership in the face of separate, deepening confrontations with the United States.
South Korea's spy agency says North Korea shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia
Kyiv - ‘Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling in single day this year'
Thursday 2 November 2023 03:00 , Lydia Patrick
Ukraine has suffered its most intense bombardment of Russian shelling so far this year as Putin’s troops hit 118 settlements in just 24 hours, Ukraine’s interior minister has said.
Moscow fired millions of shells on cities, towns and villages on Wednesday - more than in any single day so far this year, reducing several to rubble across the east and southern parts of the country, Ihor Klymenko said in a post on social media.
“Over the last 24 hours, the enemy shelled 118 settlements in 10 regions. This is the highest number of cities and villages that have come under attack since the start of the year,” he wrote on Telegram.
The bombardments came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky lamented the world’s expectation of a speedy victory on the battlefield.
Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling this year, Kyiv says
ICYMI - Russian soldiers accused of killing family of nine as they slept in Russia-occupied Ukrainian town
Thursday 2 November 2023 02:00 , Lydia Patrick
Russian forces allegedly gunned down an entire family of nine, including two young children, as they slept in their beds in the Russia-occupied town of Volnovakha in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk, officials in Kyiv said.
Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russian soldiers killed all members of the Kapkanets family on 27 October after the civilians refused to give them control of their house.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office in Donetsk, the attackers were in army uniforms and had demanded the family house be vacated, leading to an argument.
“According to preliminary information, the occupiers have killed the whole of the Kapkanets family, who were celebrating a birthday and who had refused to hand their own house over to occupiers from Chechnya,” he said on his official Telegram channel.
Family of nine shot dead as they slept in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town
Moldovan president accuses Russia of 'buying' voters in local election
Thursday 2 November 2023 01:00 , Lydia Patrick
Moldova's pro-European president, Maia Sandu, accused Russia on Wednesday of "buying" voters in this weekend's local elections by funnelling money to pro-Moscow political parties.
Sandu, who has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accused Russia of trying to oust her in a coup, said Moscow had channelled 90 million Moldovan lei (about $4.9 million) in two months in financing for "criminal groups". These include a banned party led by fugitive businessman Ilan Shor.
"Russia previously bought those people who were running Moldova," Sandu said in an interview with Jurnal TV, referring to corruption scandals in the ex-Soviet state before her 2020 landslide election.
"It no longer has that possibility. Now it is buying Moldovan citizens. The Kremlin uses various categories of people ... There are people who work for the Kremlin and they are going to Moscow to fetch money."
Russian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Sandu's allegations.
Soros university in Vienna declared 'undesirable' in Russia
Thursday 2 November 2023 00:00 , Lydia Patrick
Russian has designated the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, founded by billionaire financier and civil society activist George Soros, as an “undesirable organisation”, according to a list on its website.
Prosecutors had accused the CEU of discrediting Russia’s political leadership and the Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine in what Moscow calls a “special military operation”, and of recruiting staff to formulate a global anti-Russian agenda in the media, the Russian daily Vedomosti reported.
Since its foundation in 1991, CEU has been a gateway to the West for thousands of students from eastern Europe, offering U.S.-accredited graduate degree programs in an academic climate that celebrates free thought.
The university, which does not have a branch in Russia, rejected the accusations and said it was committed to academic excellence and critical independent inquiry.
It said the move would restrict its freedom to cooperate with Russian institutions and individuals, prevent Russian citizens from cooperating with it, and put its Russian students and employees at risk of political persecution.
It has therefore ceased cooperating with Russian partners and promoting its degree programmes in Russia.
CEU in 2019 moved the bulk of its courses from Budapest, Soros’s birthplace, to Austria after a long struggle with Hungary’s right-wing leader Viktor Orban, who accused it of encouraging mass immigration to Europe.
Russia's Kuzmichev put under formal investigation in France
Wednesday 1 November 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick
French investigative judges on Wednesday put Russian tycoon Alexey Kuzmichev under formal investigation, a source at the financial prosecutor’s office said.
Kuzmichev has been held for questioning since Monday and was put under formal investigation over allegations of laundering of tax evasion proceeds, money laundering and concealed work, the source said.
A lawyer for Kuzmichev declined to comment.
Ukraine needs new military capabilities as war moves to attritional fighting says army chief
Wednesday 1 November 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick
Ukraine‘s commander-in-chief said on Wednesday the war with Russia was moving to a new stage of positional warfare involving static and attritional fighting, a phase he warned could benefit Moscow and allow it to rebuild its military power.
In an article for The Economist, top general Valery Zaluzhnyi said the Ukrainian army needed key new military capabilities and technology, including air power, to break out of that kind of war.
He also called for Ukraine to build up its army reserves and expand the categories of Ukrainian citizens who can be called up for training or to be mobilised.
Wednesday 1 November 2023 21:00 , Lydia Patrick
More than 260 civilians have been killed in Ukraine after stepping on landmines or other explosives during the 20-month-old war with Russia, Ukraine‘s military said.
Kyiv estimates that 174,000 sq km of the country - about a third of its territory - is potentially strewn with mines or dangerous war detritus.
At least 571 people have received injuries during more than 560 incidents involving mines or explosive objects left behind by the fighting, the General Staff said on Telegram messenger.
Almost a quarter of the incidents occurred in fields, it added.
Some farmers take risks trying to work in areas thought to be contaminated with mines. On Wednesday, a tractor hit an unidentified explosive in southern Mykolaiv region, leaving two men wounded, the Interior Ministry said.
“One of them had two legs amputated, the other refused to be taken to hospital after being examined,” it added on Telegram.
Ukraine is in critical need of sappers. It now has about 3,000 specialists operating, but it needs 7,000 more to fully clear all the mines, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Suspilne media.
That process would require around $37 billion in funding, a sum Kyiv is seeking to raise with the help of international partners.
ICYMI - Zelensky says Ukraine’s Black Sea assault ‘will go down in history’
Wednesday 1 November 2023 20:00 , Lydia Patrick
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s success in the battle for the Black Sea “will go down in history books”, as he rallied troops in his nightly video address.
“Ukraine’s success in the battle for the Black Sea will go down in history books, although it’s not being discussed much today,” he added.
Mr Zelensky also warned against expecting instant success in Ukraine’s counter-offensive campaign as Russian forces showed signs of amping up fresh attacks on different sections of the frontline.
“We live in a world that gets used to success too quickly. When the full-scale invasion began, many people around the world did not believe that Ukraine would survive,” the war-time president said in his nightly video address.
He added: “Glory to all those who do not retreat, who do not burn out, who believe in Ukraine just as they did on February 24, and who have been fighting unwaveringly.”
Read the full report by Arpan Rai here...
Zelensky says Ukraine’s Black Sea assault ‘will go down in history’
ICYMI - Russian oligarch arrested in France in money laundering probe
Wednesday 1 November 2023 19:00 , Lydia Patrick
A Russian tycoon has been arrested in France in connection with alleged tax evasion and money laundering and for violating international sanctions, prosecutors have said.
Searches took place on Monday at Kuzmichev’s Paris home and in the Mediterranean Var region as part of the investigation, the French Financial Prosecutors office said, confirming a report in the French daily newspaper Le Monde.
The search was carried out during a dramatic raid involving 60 officers.
Kuzmichev was still being held in custody on Tuesday but has not yet been charged in the case.
French customs agents last year seized the oligarch’s 27-metre yacht “La Petite Ourse”, as part of sanctions by the European Union for his ties to president Vladimir Putin.
Read the full report by Tom Watling here...
Russian oligarch arrested in France in money laundering probe
Bulgaria expels Russian journalist
Wednesday 1 November 2023 18:00 , Alexander Butler
Bulgaria has expelled a Russian journalist for allegedly engaging in activities that pose a threat to the country’s national security, authorities said.The State Agency for National Security said Alexander Gatsak, a correspondent for Russian state-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, was stripped of his residency rights and barred from entering Bulgaria and other European Union member nation.The agency said Gatsak was summoned Sept. 29 to receive the expulsion order at the Interior Ministry migration office, but he did not show up and instead took refuge inside the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.
Wagner group resumes recruitment under Prigozhin’s son
Wednesday 1 November 2023 17:30 , Alexander Butler
The mercenary group Wagner may have resumed recruiting soldiers under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s son, Pavel Prigozhin, according to reports.
The organisation has become a unit of the Russian National Guard, hiring soldiers from Perm and Novosibirsk, Ukrainska Pravda said.
It quoted the Novosibirsk office of the Wagner Group as saying recruitment had been taking place for two or three days.
Russia shells over 100 settlements in 24 hours, Kyiv says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 16:30 , Alexander Butler
Russia has shelled over 100 settlements within the last 24 hours, more than in any single day so far this year, Ukraine said.
“Over the last 24 hours, the enemy shelled 118 settlements in 10 regions,” Ukraine’s interior minister, Igor Klymenko, said on social media.
“This is the highest number of cities and villages that have come under attack since the start of the year,” he added.
Corruption is biggest problem second to war, survey finds
Wednesday 1 November 2023 15:09 , Alexander Butler
The second largest problem in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion is corruption, according to research.
“The war is definitely the biggest problem of Ukraine and Ukrainians. However, if you ask what problems outside of the war are the most worrying for Ukrainians, then among the specified list, 63 per cent talk about corruption,” the research’s authors said.
The third largest problem is low salaries and pensions at 46 per cent, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology said.
North Korea sent ‘more than one million artillery shells’ to Russia
Wednesday 1 November 2023 14:10 , Alexander Butler
North Korea has sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August, according to South Korea’s national security agency.
Politician Yoo Sang-bum said the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes roughly two months of supplies were transported via ships and other means, accompanied by a North Korean weapons expert.
The US, South Korea and Japan issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning what they described as North Korea’s supply of munitions and military equipment to Russia.
Russian warplanes drop explosives on Black Sea shipping lanes, Kyiv says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 12:26 , Alexander Butler
Russian warplanes dropped “explosive objects” into paths of civilian vessels in the Black Sea three times in the last 24 hours, Ukraine said.
“There were three such drops registered in the last 24 hours. However, the navigation corridor continues to function under the watch of the defence forces,” the southern military command said.
Ukraine is trying to build up a new shipping lane without Russian approval to revive its vital seaborne exports. Russia said it would consider any vessel a potential military target after it quit a UN-brokered deal in July that allowed some food exports to flow despite the war.
Pictured: ‘Shark drone’ launch
Wednesday 1 November 2023 12:23 , Alexander Butler
Uzbek man sentenced for serving in Russian forces
Wednesday 1 November 2023 12:13 , Alexander Butler
An Uzbek man has been found guilty of serving in the Donetsk People’s Republic military between 2014 and 2015, a court heard.
Relatives of the convicted man claimed he did not participate in the war in Ukraine and was in Russia during over the period, the ISW said.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the sentencing may heighten tensions between Russian and Central Asian authorities as Moscow seeks to coerce migrants into joining the war effort.
Russian attacks kill 3, injure 15 over past day
Wednesday 1 November 2023 11:02 , Alexander Butler
Russian forces carried out attacks against 13 of Ukraine’s oblasts over the past day, killing at least three people and injuring at least 15 others, local officials reported.
In Donetsk, one person was killed and two were wounded during Russian attacks on the region, according to the local military administration.
In Kharkiv, a Russian strike killed a man aged around 50 and injured a 52-year-old woman, its governor reported.
Another person was killed and eight others were injured in Russian attacks on Kherson, according to the region’s governor.
Russia fails to regain lost ground on two fronts
Wednesday 1 November 2023 10:02 , Alexander Butler
Russian forces failed to regain lost ground near Klishchiivka and Andriivka south of Bakhmut, and near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said.
There were also 68 skirmishes with Russian forces recorded over the past day, according to the General Staff.
It comes as Ukraine is preparing for a new wave of attacks near the besieged town of Avdiivka, the head of the region’s military administration said.
Russian officials concerned with maintaining authoritarian rule, think tank says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 09:40 , Alexander Butler
Russian officials are “concerned” with maintaining authoritarian rule following antisemitic riots which were blamed on Western inteference, a think tank said.
“Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s reactions to the riots in Dagestan suggest that he is first and foremost concerned with maintaining the perception of his unwavering support of Putin,” the Institute for the study of War said.
“And secondly, he is concerned with demonstrating the strength of his authoritarian rule over Chechnya by threatening a violent response to potential future riots.”
Biden threatens to veto Israel-only aid bill
Wednesday 1 November 2023 09:10 , Alexander Butler
US President Joe Biden has threatened to veto a Republican bill which would provide aid to Israel but not Ukraine.
“In contrast to the President’s national security package, this bill provides no aid whatsoever to Ukraine. This is an urgent requirement,” the White House’s Office of Management and Budget said.
It comes as Mr Biden wants Congress to provide $106bn in funding to both Israel and Ukraine. But Republican speaker Mike Johnson, who was elected by the House last week, is sceptical about funding Ukraine’s war effort and said he would not back the president’s efforts.
Ukraine preparing for ‘new wave’ of attacks on Avdiivka
Wednesday 1 November 2023 08:32 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine is preparing for a new wave of attacks near the besieged town of Avdiivka, the head of the region’s military administration said.
“Our boys are preparing for a new wave,” military chief Vitaliy Barabash said. On Monday, Kyiv claimed Russia was preparing to conduct “meat assaults” by throwing troops at the front line without artillery cover.
The Storm-Z units, made up of penal convicts, are often destroyed after a few days and on average lose between 40 to 70 per cent of their personnel, according to a Russian milblogger.
One-way-attack systems most effective weapon used by Russia, MoD says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 08:19 , Alexander Butler
Russia’s small one-way attack weapons have been one of the “most effective” military capabilites Putin has used on the battlefield this year, the UK Ministry of Defence said.
“Russia’s Lancet small one-way-attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAVs) have highly likely been one of the most effective new capabilities Russia has fielded in Ukraine over the last 12 months,” the ministry said.
“Russia deploys Lancets to attack priority targets and they have become increasingly prominent in the key counter-battery fight, striking enemy artillery.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 01 November 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/OZliNVlcZr
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3clDjWJvob— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 1, 2023
World expects success ‘too quickly’, Zelensky says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 08:04 , Alexander Butler
The world expects success on the battlefield “too quickly”, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In response to growing criticism Kyiv’s counteroffensive has been a failure, Mr Zelensky said: “The modern world is set up in such a way that it becomes accustomed to success too quickly. When the full-scale aggression began, many in the world did not think Ukraine would endure.”
Ukraine’s military said Russian forces were gearing up for fresh attacks in different sections of the front, but there has been little movement along the 1,000km frontline in recent months.
Russia attacks oil refinery, Kyiv says
Wednesday 1 November 2023 07:38 , Alexander Butler
Russia struck a Ukrainian oil refinery after launching scores of drones and a missile overnight, according to military officials.
The Kremenchuk oil refinery in Poltava, was set ablaze amid a broader attack which targeted military and critical infrastructure, Filip Pronin, head of the region’s military administration, said.
“The fire has been extinguished. The situation is under control,” he said on Telegram, adding that there were no reports yet of casualties as officials sought to gather more details of the destruction.
The air force said 18 of the 20 Russian-launched kamikaze Shahed drones were destroyed before reaching their targets, as was the missile.
ICYMI - US dismisses Putin’s claim that anti-Israel riot at Dagestan was organised by Ukraine and West
Wednesday 1 November 2023 07:00 , Lydia Patrick
The US has rejected Vladimir Putin’s claim that the Ukraine and the West were behind a riot in Russia’s Dagestan where thousands of people stormed an airport to target a flight landing from Israel.
Mr Putin on Monday, without presenting any evidence, accused unnamed Ukrainian agents of Western spy agencies of “trying to inspire” the rampage at the airport late on Sunday which injured more than 20 people.
The Russian president claimed the chaos was part of America’s efforts to weaken Russia.
None of those injured in the attack were Israeli nationals, reported The Associated Press.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller answered a question on Russia publicly blaming outsiders for the attack.
Ukraine received £2.3bn from international partners this month
Wednesday 1 November 2023 06:00 , Lydia Patrick
Ukraine has received about £2.3bn from international partners including the US and EU this month, according to its finance ministry.
The total sum included a $1.15bn grant from the US and 1.5bn euro as part of a macro-financial assistance package from the EU.
Overall, Ukraine has received £29bn in external funding so far in 2023. The World Bank estimated in December 2022 that Ukraine’s reconstruction could cost more than £518bn.
ICYMI - Ukraine bombards Russian forces with drones as Putin suffers losses in fight for Avdiivka
Wednesday 1 November 2023 05:00 , Lydia Patrick
Ukrainian forces fired more than 30 drones in a renewed assault over the weekend as Russian forces lost at least an entire brigade in their push for the eastern town of Avdiivka, officials said.
The Russian air defence systems destroyed 36 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the Black Sea and the northwestern part of the Crimean peninsula, its defence ministry wrote on Telegram on Sunday, accusing Kyiv of carrying out a “terrorist attack”.
In a separate incident, local officials in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region near the Black Sea said an oil refinery was hit and set ablaze in the early hours of Sunday but did not explain what caused the fire. Several local media outlets said that the fire was caused by a drone strike or a crashed drone’s debris.
Officials in Kyiv have not issued a comment on the Russian defence ministry’s claims. The war-hit nation rarely acknowledges responsibility for attacks on Russia and Russian-occupied territories but has admitted that striking targets there helps its counteroffensive.
Ukraine bombards Russia with drones as Putin suffers losses in fight for Avdiivka
Air raid alerts in Crimea’s port of Sevastopol – officials
Wednesday 1 November 2023 04:40 , Arpan Rai
An air raid alert has been declared in the Crimean port of Sevastopol and traffic on the Crimean Bridge as well as sea transport were suspended, Russian-installed officials in the Crimean Peninsula said in the early hours today.
Sevastopol, where Russia parks it major naval fleet, has come under heavy attacks from Ukraine since September this year.
The Sevastopol shipyard attack in September was one of the biggest in recent weeks, even though the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014, has been a frequent target in the 18-month old war.
Mapped - The Ukraine - Russia War
Wednesday 1 November 2023 04:00 , Lydia Patrick
Watch - Mike Johnson says Congress will pass 'stand-alone Israel funding bill' before supporting Ukraine
Wednesday 1 November 2023 03:00 , Lydia Patrick
Zelensky speaks with Bulgarian PM to strengthen Black Sea security
Wednesday 1 November 2023 02:00 , Lydia Patrick
Zelensky spoke with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov on ways to further strengthen Black Sea security amid Russian military threats.
He said: “Ukraine strengthens global food security with the alternative Black Sea export corridor. I appreciate the joint naval demining initiative by Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.”
I spoke with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov on ways to further strengthen Black Sea security in the face of Russian militarization and threats to freedom of navigation.
Ukraine strengthens global food security with the alternative Black Sea export corridor. I appreciate… pic.twitter.com/1vMWCnkoaH— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 31, 2023
Ukraine urges EU to cancel European film festival in Russia
Wednesday 1 November 2023 01:00 , Lydia Patrick
Ukraine has urged the European Union to cancel an upcoming film festival being held in Russia that was organised by the bloc’s Russian delegation.
“It is important to continue an effective sanctions policy not only in the economic sphere, but also in culture, in particular in cinema,” Ukraine’s Culture Ministry said.
The festival, which features over 20 films from across the continent, is set to be held online between 1 November and 15 November under the slogan of “Cinema Unites”.
US House Republicans' Israel-only aid bill faces opposition in Senate
Wednesday 1 November 2023 00:00 , Lydia Patrick
U.S. senators from both parties expressed doubts on Tuesday about House of Representatives Republicans’ plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel by cutting funding for the Internal Revenue Service, without providing aid to Ukraine.
In the first major legislative action under new Speaker Mike Johnson, House Republicans unveiled a standalone supplemental spending bill only for Israel on Monday, despite President Joe Biden’s request for a $106 billion package that would include aid for Israel and Ukraine and funding to boost competition with China in the Indo-Pacific as well as security along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Republicans have a narrow majority in the House, but Biden’s fellow Democrats control the Senate. To become law, the bill would have to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by Biden.
Democrats said the Republican bill would be dead on arrival in the Senate, even if it passed the House.
“The bottom line is it’s not a serious proposal,” Senate Democratic Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, told reporters.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate said he felt the four issues needed to be addressed.
“We need to treat all four of these areas, all four of them, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the border,” McConnell told reporters.
Republicans are expected to pass the legislation in the House as soon as this week.
ICYMI - Putin ally Lukashenko calls for ceasefire in ‘stalemate’ Ukraine war
Tuesday 31 October 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick
Russia and Ukraine were locked in a serious stalemate in Moscow’s continuing invasion of the country and needed to sit down for peace talks, Belarusian president and Vladimir Putin’s close ally Alexander Lukashenko said.
“There are enough problems on both sides and in general the situation is now seriously stalemate: no one can do anything and substantively strengthen or advance their position,” Mr Lukashenko said.
“They’re there head-to-head, to the death, entrenched. People are dying,” he said over the weekend.
This marks the first time the Belarusian president has come forward seeking truce in the conflict and called for a “stop” command.
“We need to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement,” Mr Lukashenko said in a question and answer video posted on the website of the Belarusian state news agency BelTA.
Putin ally Lukashenko calls for ceasefire in ‘stalemate’ Ukraine war
Irish Prime Minister addresses whether social welfare payments will be cut for Ukrainians
Tuesday 31 October 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that if social welfare payments were to be cut for Ukrainians arriving in Ireland, it would be done via a joint memo.
He said: “The procedure for anything would be would be joint memo. So a memo that would be coordinated by my office, the Department of the Taoiseach, but will be brought forward by a number of ministers because we have to look at the whole thing in the round, how it impacts on schools, healthcare, on the housing situation as well.”
Asked when the memo would be brought to Cabinet, Mr Varadkar said: “I actually can’t say that. There have been some draft proposals brought forward by Minister (for Integration Roderic) O’Gorman, but they only related to accommodation and we’ve formed the view that we have to see it all in the round and take into account social protection, education, healthcare, housing, all of those things.
“So certainly not this week. Maybe in the next couple of weeks, but we don’t have a timeline as of yet.”
Ireland to ‘change offering’ to Ukrainian refugees
Tuesday 31 October 2023 21:00 , Lydia Patrick
Leo Varadkar has said that a joint proposal would be brought to Cabinet in the coming weeks to change the offering to Ukrainians arriving into the country.
The Taoiseach said Ireland was not going to refuse Ukrainian refugees or other asylum seekers, but that the Government “can’t be blind to (the) reality” that Ireland is seen as more attractive than other EU countries.
“We’re not going to turn anyone away,” he said on Tuesday as he opened a new road in Athy, Co Kildare.
“No Ukrainian who comes to Ireland is going to be told ‘you’re not welcome here’. Nobody coming from other parts of the world seeking international protection is going to be told to go away. They’ll have their application processed.
“But what we are saying is that we’re seeing increasing numbers of what are called secondary movements, Ukrainians who had been living in other parts of Western Europe for a number of months or even over a year, people seeking international protection, who may have fled a country where they weren’t safe but have actually been living in other parts of Western Europe for a number of months or a number of years, and that is different.
“And we do believe that part of the reason why we’re seeing those secondary movements is because the offering that we have in Ireland is different to that of other countries.”
He said that Ireland had accepted an “unprecedented” number of people from overseas from the war in Ukraine and others seeking international protection, compared to 3,000 or 4,000 in previous years.
“So you can see how much the situation has changed and we can’t be blind to that reality.”
As of October, 96,338 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in Ireland since the start of the war in February 2022.
The Government has said that as a further 30,000 to 50,000 were expected to arrive in the next year, it must change the open-ended accommodation it was offering, and potentially reduce entitlements to social welfare supports.
Russian soldiers accused of killing family of nine as they slept in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town
Tuesday 31 October 2023 20:00 , Lydia Patrick
Russian forces allegedly gunned down an entire family of nine, including two young children, as they slept in their beds in the Russia-occupied town of Volnovakha in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk, officials in Kyiv said.
Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russian soldiers killed all members of the Kapkanets family on 27 October after the civilians refused to give them control of their house.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office in Donetsk, the attackers were in army uniforms and had demanded the family house be vacated, leading to an argument.
“According to preliminary information, the occupiers have killed the whole of the Kapkanets family, who were celebrating a birthday and who had refused to hand their own house over to occupiers from Chechnya,” he said on his official Telegram channel.
The suspects came back later as the family slept and gunned down the members, as per media reports.
Family of nine shot dead as they slept in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town
