Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s assault in Donbas ‘flounders’ as Kyiv claims strike on military factory

A large-scale Russian assault on a town in the Donbas region has “floundered” after coming up against “strong” Ukrainian defences, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said the Kremlin has lost around 200 armoured vehicles during its assaults on Avdiika over the past three weeks.

“In the south, the Ukrainian advance remains relatively static between the two main lines of Russia’s well-prepared defensive positions,” the MoD said in a statement.

“Around the Donbas town of Avdiivka, a large-scale Russian assault has floundered on strong Ukrainian defences.”

It comes as Ukraine's armed forces said they hit marine and port infrastructure at a factory in the port city of Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea on Saturday.

Reports have suggested that the Russian military vessel “Askold” was hit three times, though those claims remain unconfirmed.

“The evening of Nov. 4 Armed Forces of Ukraine implemented successful strikes on marine and port infrastructure of the 'Zalyv' factory in the temporarily-occupied city of Kerch,” the Department for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Telegram post, giving no further details.

Key Points

• Putin’s assault on Donas town ‘flounders'

• EU will stand behind Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’ - von der Leyen

• Russian forces hit civilian targets near Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials say

• Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of shelling in a single day this year

Zelensky pushes US for more aid, invites Trump to Ukraine

15:39 , Matt Mathers

Volodymyr Zelensky called on the US  to provide more funding to help his forces counter Russia, and invited former president Donald Trump to fly in to see the scale of the conflict for himself.

Zelensky said American soldiers could eventually be pulled into a greater European conflict with Russia if Washington did not step up support.

"If Russia will kill all of us, they will attack NATO countries and you will send your sons and daughters [to fight]," Zelensky said according to a transcript of an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press‘ airing on Sunday.

Russia cruise missile carrier ‘Askold’ damaged in strikes but still afloat

14:34 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine attacks in Russian-occupied Crimea damaged the Russian cruise missile carrier Askold, Ukraine has said.

Navy captain Andrii Ryzhenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s investigative program Schemes that the ship was still afloat but damaged.

“You can see that it’s still afloat, but the upper part of the ship is significantly damaged,” he said.

Russia reports successful test fire of intercontinental ballistic missile

12:41 , Matt Mathers

The Russian military has reported a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads from a new nuclear submarine.

Sunday’s report came as tensions soar between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine.

Adding to those tensions, President Vladimir Putin last week signed a Bill revoking Russia’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban in a move that Moscow said is needed to establish parity with the United States.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Imperator Alexander III strategic missile cruiser fired the Bulava missile from an underwater position in Russia’s northern White Sea, and hit a target in the far-eastern region of Kamchatka.

It was not immediately clear from the statement when the test launch occurred.

200 Russian armoured vehicles wiped out in Donbas town

12:00 , Matt Mathers

About 200 Russian armoured vehicles have been wiped out by Ukraine during battles in a Donbas town, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said the vehicles had been destroyed over the past three weeks in the town of Avdiivka.

This was “likely due to a combination of relative effectiveness of Ukraine’s modern hand-held anti-armour weapons, mines, uncrewed aerial vehicle-dropped munitions, and precision artillery systems.”

Musk-endorsed X war account spreading ‘pro-Russian propaganda’

11:44 , Matt Mathers

An anonymous X/Twitter account that was boosted by Elon Musk was set up by a 24-year-old US military veteran who used it to spread “pro-Russian propaganda”, according to a private Ukrainian intelligence firm.

The @sentdefender account gained hundreds of thousands of followers after being endorsed by Mr Musk on 8 October for its coverage of the Israeli-Hamas war, and puts out dozens of daily posts on the widening Middle East conflict and the war in Ukraine.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Musk-endorsed X war account spreading ‘pro-Russian propaganda’

ICYMI: Ukraine plans massive winter drone campaign to ‘devastate’ bogged-down Russian invaders

11:04 , Matt Mathers

Exclusive: The second winter of the conflict is almost here and Ukraine’s forces are marching into more grinding warfare. But faced with freezing temperatures, Kyiv and its expert drone pilots still hope to bring home a lot to celebrate, a senior general tells Arpan Rai

Read the full report here:

Ukraine plans massive winter drone campaign to ‘devastate’ bogged-down Russians

Russia’s defences suffering from ‘poor enforcement’

09:58 , Matt Mathers

Russia is struggling to maintain basic levels of administration in its defensive positions along the frontline, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said “open-source evidence suggests a generally very poor level on enforcement of basic field administration amongst Russian forces.”

It added: “This is likely partially caused by a deficit in motivated junior commanders as well as variable logistical support.”

Ukraine strike damages Russian ship in Crimea - Kremlin

09:21 , Matt Mathers

The Russian military said a Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in annexed Crimea damaged a Russian ship.

The Russian Defence Ministry said late on Saturday that Ukrainian forces fired 15 cruise missiles at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, a city in the east of the Crimean Peninsula.

Air defences shot down 13 missiles but others hit the shipyard and damaged a vessel, a statement from the ministry said.

The ministry did not give details about the ship or the extent of the damage.

The report could not immediately be independently verified.

Zelensky: ‘Everything is in our power'

08:47 , Matt Mathers

The war between Israel and Hamas is “taking away the focus” from the conflict in Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky warned as he denied the fighting had reached a stalemate.

Mr Zelensky said that Russia wanted focus on the war to be “weakened” but insisted that winning was still within Ukraine’s power amid its counteroffensive in the south.

“Everyone is getting tired and there are different opinions,” Mr Zelensky said in a press conference following talks with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. “But this is not a stalemate.”

Ukraine orders investigation into Russian attack on assault brigade

08:20 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s defence minister ordered on Saturday an investigation into an alleged Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian assault brigade, after reports that more than 20 soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony.

"My condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers from the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a social media statement, adding that he had ordered a "full investigation."

In a separate statement on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia region with the Iskander ballistic missile.

"Servicemen were killed, and local residents were also injured," the military said.

It was not clear how many soldiers died.

Focus from war in Ukraine fading, Zelensky says

07:06 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The Israel-Hamas war is “taking away the focus” from the conflict in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday.

Speaking at a briefing in Kyiv with visiting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Zelensky said: “It’s clear that the war in the Middle East is taking away the focus” from Ukraine.

He added that Russia wanted the world’s attention on Vladimir Putin’s invasion in Ukraine to be “weakened”, but added that “everything is in our powers”.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni tells pranksters posing as diplomats of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war

07:00 , Tom Watling

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”.

Italy PM Giorgia Meloni tells pranksters of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war

House speaker lays out conditions for Republicans to support Ukraine aid

06:00 , Tom Watling

Mike Johnson says that Ukraine aid must be coupled with security for the US-Mexico border.

You can read the full report below.

House speaker lays out conditions for Republicans to support Ukraine aid

Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war

05:00 , Tom Watling

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, says Askold Krushelnycky

Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war

Beloved Russian singer who criticized Ukraine war returns home. The church calls for her apology

04:00 , Tom Watling

The Russian Orthodox Church has called for an apology from Alla Pugacheva, the country’s most renowned pop singer who returned home this week, over her criticism of Russia's war on Ukraine.

You can read the full report below.

Beloved Russian singer who criticized Ukraine war returns home. The church calls for her apology

Ukraine plans massive winter drone campaign to ‘devastate’ bogged-down Russian invaders

03:00 , Tom Watling

Exclusive: The second winter of the conflict is almost here and Ukraine’s forces are marching into more grinding warfare. But faced with freezing temperatures, Kyiv and its expert drone pilots still hope to bring home a lot to celebrate, a senior general tells Arpan Rai

Ukraine plans massive winter drone campaign to ‘devastate’ bogged-down Russians

Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

02:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s newly appointed head of defense industry says he is working tirelessly to ramp up local arms production and wants to turn the country into a weapons production hub for the West.

Oleksandr Kamysyhin, the minister for strategic industries of Ukraine, said that Russia’s invasion of his country and the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Middle East have highlighted the need for countries to spend on their defense systems.

“We’re really focusing on making Ukraine the arsenal of the free world,” Kamyshin told The Associated Press in an interview late Friday.

You can read the full story below.

Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

Musk-endorsed X war account spreading ‘pro-Russian propaganda’

01:00 , Tom Watling

An anonymous X/Twitter account that was boosted by Elon Musk was set up by a 24-year-old US military veteran who used it to spread “pro-Russian propaganda”, according to a private Ukrainian intelligence firm.

The @sentdefender account gained hundreds of thousands of followers after being endorsed by Mr Musk on 8 October for its coverage of the Israeli-Hamas war, and puts out dozens of daily posts on the widening Middle East conflict and the war in Ukraine.

You can read the full story below.

Musk-endorsed X war account spreading ‘pro-Russian propaganda’

Latest information on frontline

00:00 , Tom Watling

Below are the latest graphics detailing the frontline in Ukraine.

The city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine has become the main flashpoint in the past month.

Lithuanian official warns West ‘close to missing opportunity’ to stop wider Russian aggression

Saturday 4 November 2023 23:00 , Tom Watling

Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has called on Ukraine’s western allies to continue supporting Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Landsbergis said: “For Russia, ‘peace agreement’ only means ‘time to rearm’.

“We are dangerously close to missing the opportunity to end centuries of the Kremlin’s imperial aggression and secure the future of multiple continents. Our children will curse us in the trenches we are digging for them.”

Ukraine hits shipyard in Crimea's Kerch, damages ship - Russian defence ministry

Saturday 4 November 2023 22:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine hit a shipyard in the city of Kerch with 15 cruise missiles on Saturday, damaging one ship, Russian news agencies cited the Russian defence ministry as saying.

The ministry said in a statement that air defence systems destroyed 13 of the Ukraine-launched missiles.

Footage shows smoke over Russian dry dock

Saturday 4 November 2023 21:25 , Tom Watling

Footage has shown smoke rising from a Russian dry dock that Ukraine claimed to hit with missiles earlier today.

Russia opens a vast national exposition as presidential election approaches

Saturday 4 November 2023 20:57 , Tom Watling

Russia has unveiled a sprawling exposition highlighting the nation’s accomplisments, which will run through the months leading to the presidential election in which Vladimir Putin is widely expected to seek a new term.

Russia opens a vast national exposition as presidential election approaches

Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

Saturday 4 November 2023 20:04 , Tom Watling

Ukraine's newly appointed head of defense industry says he wants to turn the country into a weapons hub for the West.

You can read the full story below.

Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

Ukraine military says it hit Zalyv plant in port city of Kerch, Crimea

Saturday 4 November 2023 19:03 , Tom Watling

Ukraine's armed forces said they hit marine and port infrastructure at a factory in the port city of Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea on Saturday.

“The evening of Nov. 4 Armed Forces of Ukraine implemented successful strikes on marine and port infrastructure of the ‘Zalyv’ factory in the temporarily-occupied city of Kerch,” the Department for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Telegram post, giving no further details.

You can read more about the strike further down in the blog.

British missiles allegedly used in Crimea strike

Saturday 4 November 2023 18:09 , Tom Watling

British long-range missiles were allegedly used in a strike on Crimea earlier today as Russian air defences are seen operating in the area.

It has not been confirmed but multiple reports suggest British Storm Shadow missiles were used to strike the shipyard in Kerch, on the eastern coastline of Crimea.

Geolocators on X, formerly Twitter, have published some more specific information on the location of the defences at work.

Russian attacks in Ukraine injure 14 civilians in 24 hours

Saturday 4 November 2023 17:40 , Tom Watling

Russian attacks in Ukraine have wounded at least 14 civilians over the past day, officials said as the president of the European Union (EU)’s executive arm returned to the Ukrainian capital to meet Volodymyr Zelensky.

Nine people were hurt in a Russian rocket strike on the village of Zarichne, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yurii Malashko, said.

Overall, 26 cities and settlements in the region have come under attack over the past day, he said.

In the Kherson region, five people were injured, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Attacks in the region came from artillery, mortars, drones, warplanes and tanks, he added.

Nikopol, a city of the opposite bank of the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe’s largest, came under fire, but no injuries were immediately reported, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak.

Some more information on the Crimea explosion

Saturday 4 November 2023 17:10 , Tom Watling

Some more information has been published regarding explosions in Crimea earlier today.

According to the latest updates, at least three explosions were recorded in a shipyard stationed south of Kerch, a port city in eastern Crimea.

It is believed a small Russian missile ship, the “Askold”, is located there.

Ukraine plans massive winter drone campaign to ‘devastate’ bogged-down Russian invaders

Saturday 4 November 2023 16:45 , Tom Watling

The second winter of the conflict is almost here and Ukraine’s forces are marching into more grinding warfare.

But faced with freezing temperatures, Kyiv and its expert drone pilots still hope to bring home a lot to celebrate, a senior general tells Arpan Rai.

Ukraine plans massive winter drone campaign to ‘devastate’ bogged-down Russians

Explosion recorded in Crimea shipyard

Saturday 4 November 2023 16:21 , Tom Watling

An explosion has just occurred in Crimea, allegedly in a shipyard holding Russian vessels.

Ukrainian soldiers seen only 700m from Russian troops in Avdiivka

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:43 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian soldiers have been geolocated to positions just 700 metres from their Russian counterparts in the eastern city of Avdiivka, footage has shown.

The Ukrainians were seen in the city’s coke plant a day after the local mayor claimed Russia was focusing their efforts on taking that plant.

Mayor Vitaliy Barabash, speaking on national television, said audio transmission intercepts had revealed that Moscow was now seeking to secure the town’s giant coking plant.

“They have a new aim and that’s the coking plant. They have to take it. Period,” Mr Barabash said.

“We understand that a (new) third wave of attacks is bound to start any day once the ground dries out and they can move forward. They are engaged in a build-up. We see and hear that.”

Avdiivka has become the latest flashpoint along the frontline over the past month. Ukraine’s General Staff, in a Friday evening report, said its forces had repelled 17 attacks on and around the city.

Ukrainian is ‘not in a stalemate’, says Zelensky

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:21 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that the situation on the frontline has become a stalemate despite relatively minimal gains during Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

He made these comments while speaking alongside the president of the European Commision, Ursula von der Leyen.

“Remember, on the 24th, everyone told us how much we had left. And not all leaders communicated with us... We were in a more difficult situation than Ukraine has been in since the beginning of independence,” he said.

“But we believed very much and fought and won. Today, time has passed and people are getting tired.

“There are different opinions. All people, regardless of their status. But this is not a stalemate. I emphasise this once again.”

President Zelensky welcomes Chair of the EU commission

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:20 , Maira Butt

President Zelensky welcomed Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv as Ukraine proceeded on its path to opening EU accession talks.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Ukraine President said:

“Even in the midst of a total war, Ukraine is committed to reform. We clearly understand that every country’s EU membership is a recognition of its institutional progress.

This is why Ukraine is not asking for discounts on its path to the EU and is fulfilling all the recommendations issued by the European Commission for opening accession talks. We have made progress in the rule of law, the protection of human rights and freedom for national communities, the increased transparency of state institutions, and the strengthening of the anti-corruption system.

And Ukraine is not stopping on its transformation path. Reforms will continue. We have prepared legislation that will provide the anti-corruption system with more opportunities to work effectively. A draft law on Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecution has already been registered in the parliament. We are also working on a lobbying law that will increase openness in political processes and protect the state from the damaging influence of oligarchs and other persons who seek to circumvent the rule of law.

We are also continuing to work on building digital public services and digitalizing the functioning of state institutions; this is the way to maximum transparency and efficacy for the state. Ukraine will be fully prepared both for the start of EU accession talks and, later, full-fledged EU membership.”

UAE adviser says US stronger after Ukraine

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:00 , Maira Butt

UAE presidential adviser, Anwar Gargash has said that the United States is “coming out stronger” after the war in Ukraine.

He also reported that his discussions with Iran had led him to know that “Iran is interested in regional prosperity”.

ICYMI: Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war

Saturday 4 November 2023 14:40 , Matt Mathers

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, says Askold Krushelnycky.

Read Askold’s full piece here:

Trump’s shadow looms large over Congress battle that could define Ukraine war

Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

Saturday 4 November 2023 14:07 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s newly appointed head of defense industry says he is working tirelessly to ramp up local arms production and wants to turn the country into a weapons production hub for the West.

Oleksandr Kamysyhin, the minister for strategic industries of Ukraine, said that Russia’s invasion of his country and the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Middle East have highlighted the need for countries to spend on their defense systems.

Full report:

Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West

Western officials discuss with Kyiv issue of possible peace talks with Moscow - NBC

Saturday 4 November 2023 13:29 , Matt Mathers

US and European officials have spoken to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, NBC quoted an unidentified senior US official and one former US official as saying.

The war in Ukraine, now in its 21st month, has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands and destroyed swathes of the country. It has also triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

NBC said the conversations had included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal with Russia.

Zelensky says Ukraine to press on with reforms, including anti-corruption

Saturday 4 November 2023 12:47 , Matt Mathers

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine was committed to pressing on with reforms, including strengthening anti-corruption practices.

He spoke at a joint news conference with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv.

The EU next week is expected to present a report on Ukraine’s progress in its bid to join the bloc.

At least 14 wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine

Saturday 4 November 2023 11:48 , Matt Mathers

Russian attacks in Ukraine wounded at least 14 civilians over the past day, officials said Saturday, as the president of the European Commission returned to the Ukrainian capital to meet with president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yurii Malashko, said nine people were injured in a Russian rocket strike on the village of Zarichne. Overall, 26 cities and settlements in the region came under attack over the past day, he said.

In the Kherson region, five people were injured, said governorOleksandr Prokudin. He said attacks in the region came from artillery, mortars, drones, warplanes and tanks.

Nikopol, a city of the opposite bank of the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, came under fire but no injuries were immediately reported, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhii Lysak.

Von der Leyen: EU will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes

Saturday 4 November 2023 10:36 , Matt Mathers

The EU will stand by Ukraine for as “long as it takes,” Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said.

Ms von der Leyen made the comment while on her sixth wartime visit to Kyiv, where she was due to hold talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The pair were expected to discuss progress on Ukraine joining the bloc.

“I’m here to discuss Ukraine’s accession path to the EU. The EU’s financial support to rebuild Ukraine as a modern, prosperous democracy, ” she wrote on X.

“Of course the enlargement topic will be at the top of the agenda but also our financial and military support,” she later told reporters.

“The most important message is reassuring that we stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

‘Large-scale’ Russian assault on Donas town ‘flounders’ - MoD

Saturday 4 November 2023 10:25 , Matt Mathers

A large-scale Russian assault on a town in the Donbas region has “floundered” after coming up against “strong” Ukrainian defence, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said the Kremlin has lost around 200 armoured vehicles during its attacks on Avdiika over the past three weeks.

“In the south, the Ukrainian advance remains relatively static between the two main lines of Russia’s well prepared defensive positions,” the MoD said in a statement.

“Around the Donbas town of Avdiivka, a large-scale Russian assault has floundered on strong Ukrainian defences.”

EU’s von der Leyen visits Kyiv ahead of report on accession progress

Saturday 4 November 2023 08:21 , Matt Mathers

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Saturday ahead of a report the European Union is expected to present next week about Ukraine’s progress in its membership bid, a Ukrainian lawmaker said.

Parliamentary deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on his Telegram channel that von der Leyen was expected to speak in the Ukrainian parliament.

The EU assessment due on Wednesday is expected to detail how far Ukraine has advanced in fulfilling various economic, legal, and other criteria to clear the way for accession talks to be launched in December.

Ukraine, which applied to join the European Union days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, sees joining the trade bloc as a top priority.

The EU’s 27 members are due at a summit in December to decide whether to allow Kyiv to begin accession negotiations, a move requiring the unanimous backing of all the bloc’s members.

Home-made weapons to reach front line more quickly, says Kyiv

Saturday 4 November 2023 07:00 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine’s defence ministry says it will relax testing processes for home-produced weapons, allowing them to reach the front faster, the Kyiv Independent reports.

Requirements such as a six-month minimum climatisation test are unnecessary in times of war, the ministry said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is prioritising domestic arms manufacturing, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says more than 200 Ukrainian companies have begun developing drones.

ICYMI - Italian PM Giorgia Meloni tells pranksters posing as diplomats of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war

Saturday 4 November 2023 06:00 , Lydia Patrick

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”.

They also confirmed the authenticity of the audio published by Vova and Lexus, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, on Wednesday.

Italy PM Giorgia Meloni tells pranksters of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war

More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials

Saturday 4 November 2023 05:00 , Lydia Patrick

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.

Kyiv claimed that in addition to the casualties, 43 armoured vehicles, 42 artillery systems, 18 of Russia’s tanks and one aircraft had also been damaged in the same period.

More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials

Pictured - The Ukraine - Russia war today

Saturday 4 November 2023 04:00 , Lydia Patrick

ICYMI - North Korea likely sent more than million artillery shells to Russia, says South Korea’s spy agency

Saturday 4 November 2023 03:00 , Lydia Patrick

North Korea has shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August to aid Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, according to a lawmaker in South Korea.

The artillery shells were sent to Russia through ships and other transport means since early August, said lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, citing an intelligence briefing.

The short-range arms will last for about two months, he said.

The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS), which held the briefing, also believes the Kim Jong-un regime is operating its munitions factories at full capacity to meet Moscow’s arms demands.

The hermit kingdom is also mobilising its citizens to increase production, the South Korean lawmaker said.

North Korea may have sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia

ICYMI- Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines since beginning of Russian invasion

Saturday 4 November 2023 02:00 , Lydia Patrick

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.

Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines and explosives

Italy PM's diplomatic adviser resigns over prank call fiasco

Saturday 4 November 2023 01:00 , Lydia Patrick

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that her chief diplomatic adviser had resigned, carrying the can for a prank call fiasco that led to the release of unfiltered remarks on Ukraine and migration.

“This matter was not handled well, we are all sorry, Ambassador (Francesco) Talo took responsibility for it,” Meloni said, announcing that her aide had quit.

Talo, a 65-year-old career diplomat who previously served as Italian ambassador to NATO and Israel and as envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, was due to retire by the end of the year.

Meloni’s office confirmed on Wednesday that she had a phone conversation with a Russian comedian who successfully posed as a high-ranking African Union official.

During the English-language call which took place in September but was released online only this week, Meloni spoke of international “fatigue” with the war in Ukraine and complained that Italy had little support from European partners in dealing with migration.

On Friday, she said she had “a doubt” about her interlocutor but “no certainty” that he was an impostor, and blamed her diplomatic staff for not properly screening the caller.

Belarus summons Polish charge d'affaires over airspace violation

Saturday 4 November 2023 00:00 , Lydia Patrick

The Belarus foreign ministry has summoned the Polish charge d’affaires Marcin Wojciechowski over a violation of its airspace on Nov. 2, it said in a statement on social media platform X, without providing details of the incident.

“The Polish side was asked to thoroughly investigate the incident and take effective actions to prevent similar incidents in the future,” it said.

A spokesperson for the Polish army’s operational command said the information provided by Belarus was being subjected to “detailed analysis”.

“We are checking records from our radar systems and aircraft systems to see if any such violation had occurred, the spokesperson said.

In late September Belarus also summoned Wojciechowski after saying a Polish helicopter had violated its airspace but Warsaw said none of its helicopters had crossed the border between the two countries.

Tense relations between the neighbours have been further strained by Belarusian ally Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

US unveils $425 mln in arms for Kyiv, including anti-drone rockets

Friday 3 November 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick

The United States will provide $425 million worth of additional arms and equipment to Ukraine for its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, the Biden administration announced on Friday.

The package uses the last of the funds in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a more than $18 billion fund that allowed the Biden administration to buy weapons from industry, rather than pull from U.S. weapons stocks.

The USAI funds will be put toward $300 million worth of laser-guided munitions to shoot down Russian drones, which will include some for the Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) kit made by L3Harris Technologies , a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The administration also announced $125 million worth of weapons pledges made possible by utilizing the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which authorizes President Joe Biden to transfer excess articles and services from U.S. stocks without congressional approval during an emergency.

Moldova bars pro-Russian party from taking part in local elections

Friday 3 November 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick

Authorities in Moldova on Friday barred a pro-Russian party from taking part in local elections on the grounds it endangers national security -- two days before the vote viewed as a litmus test of President Maia Sandu’s campaign to join the European Union.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean announced the bar on candidates from the Chance Party linked to fugitive business magnate Ilan Shor - jailed in absentia earlier this year on fraud charges.

The ban was imposed hours after Moldova’s national security service accused Shor of helping funnel 1 billion lei (50 million euros) into the country to stage anti-government protests during the war in Ukraine and to “buy” voters in Sunday’s elections.

Recean told a briefing that Moldova’s Commission for Emergency Situations introduced the bar “for reasons of state security” because of a “hybrid war” waged against Moldova by Russia, which the Moldovan government says is funding and backing Shor.

“Russia cannot invade Moldova with tanks like in Ukraine, instead it invades using criminal groups,” he said.

Alexei Lungu, Chance’s leader and one of the candidates sidelined by the ban, said the party was instructing voters to back alternative independent candidates still permitted to run.

“Nothing dreadful has happened. They are just afraid of us,” Lungu wrote on Telegram. “What Dorin Recean said today amounts to nothing other than the murder of our people.”

Some 600 candidates in Sunday’s election are set to be affected by the ban. Voters in Moldova, a former Soviet Union country that lies between Ukraine and Romania, will elect 12,000 officials, including the mayor of capital Chisinau.

ICYMI - Beloved Russian singer who criticized Ukraine war returns home. The church calls for her apology

Friday 3 November 2023 20:59 , Lydia Patrick

The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday called for an apology from Alla Pugacheva, the country’s most renowned pop singer who returned home this week, over her criticism of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Pugacheva, for decades hugely popular in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, left the country for Israel along with her husband several weeks after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

In September of that year, she sparked widespread attention by both supporters and opponents of the conflict by saying that Russian soldiers were dying for “illusory goals” and that the country had become “a pariah.”

She also provocatively suggested that authorities should name her a “foreign agent” — a status already applied to her husband Maxim Galkin, an actor and comedian.

Beloved Russian singer who criticized Ukraine war returns home. The church calls for her apology

US sent to give Kyiv more weapons

Friday 3 November 2023 18:50 , Jane Dalton

The United States will provide additional arms and equipment to Ukraine for its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, US Secretary of Staten Antony Blinken has said.

The announced $125m worth of weapons, authorised under previously allowed “drawdowns” for Ukraine, comes amid other expected defence aid for Kyiv that could include about $300m worth of laser-guided munitions to shoot down Russian drones, according to a document seen by Reuters and a US official.

That batch of weapons could be announced later.

Photos of bloodied Gaza children make you weep, says Putin

Friday 3 November 2023 17:59 , Jane Dalton

Any “normal person” would be outraged by images of “bloodied children” in the Gaza Strip, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Mr Putin was commenting on a riot at Makhachkala airport in Russia’s Muslim-majority Dagestan region, when hundreds of people stormed the airport in search of Jewish people who had arrived on a flight from Tel-Aviv.

“As for these events in Makhachkala...it was easy to throw a spark, very easy. Against the background of the horrors taking place there (in Gaza), it is easy to do so, because...when you look at the suffering and bloodied children, you clench your fists and tears come to your eyes.”

Seven people killed by Ukrainian attack, Russian Kherson senator says

Friday 3 November 2023 17:17 , Jane Dalton

Seven people were killed and another seven wounded in an Ukrainian missile attack in the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region, the Russian senator for Kherson region Konstantin Basyuk wrote on his Telegram channel.

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.

Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Kherson last November.

Home-made weapons to reach front line more quickly, says Kyiv

Friday 3 November 2023 16:45 , Jane Dalton

Ukraine’s defence ministry says it will relax testing processes for home-produced weapons, allowing them to reach the front faster, the Kyiv Independent reports.

Requirements such as a six-month minimum climatisation test are unnecessary in times of war, the ministry said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is prioritising domestic arms manufacturing, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says more than 200 Ukrainian companies have begun developing drones.

Western weapons sold to Taliban, Putin claims

Friday 3 November 2023 16:11 , Jane Dalton

Russian president Vladimir Putin has claimed Western weapons supplied to Ukraine are finding their way to the Middle East through the illegal arms market and being sold to the Taliban.

“Now they say: weapons are getting into the Middle East from Ukraine. Well of course they are because they are being sold,” Mr Putin said. “And they are being sold to the Taliban and from there they go onto wherever.”

Ukraine says it keeps tight control over any weapons supplied to it, but some Western security officials have raised concerns and the United States has asked Ukraine to do more to tackle the broader issue of corruption.

In June last year, the head of Interpol, Jürgen Stock, warned that some of the advanced weapons sent to Ukraine would end up in the hands of organised crime groups.

A report about the Ukraine war and the illegal arms trade by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in March that there was “currently no substantial outflow of weapons from the conflict zone.

“However, every precedent suggests that, especially if the threat is not addressed proactively and imaginatively, when the current war ends, Ukraine’s battlefields could and will become the new arsenal of anarchy, arming everyone from insurgents in Africa to gangsters in the streets of Europe,” the report said.

Russian tanks seen being blown up in Ukraine

Friday 3 November 2023 15:06 , Jane Dalton

Video clips from Ukraine’s defence ministry apparently show a column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles being destroyed.

Recap: What would happen if Putin died?

Friday 3 November 2023 14:35 , Jane Dalton

Vladimir Putin’s term as Russian president is set to expire next year, but under sweeping changes to the constitution introduced in 2020, he could rule Russia until 2036. Speculation about his health is constant, so here’s a look at who could succeed him if he died:

If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia