Ukraine-Russia war live: Russian army ‘overextended’ as Kyiv warns any peace talks are a ‘trap’ to help Putin

Ukraine has warned that any peace talks with Russia are a “trap” that will lead to the Kremlin “quickly violating” the agreement and using the pause to gain more territory.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba accused Western officials calling for Kyiv to resume peace talks with the Kremlin of having “short memories”, as well as being “uninformed and misled”.

Ukraine has held roughly 200 rounds of talks with Russia since the Donbas war began in 2014, Mr Kuleba said onTwitter/X, adding that all 20 cease-fire agreements that were subsequently reached were violated.

It comes as the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) suggested Ukraine’s successful targeting of Russian long-range missile systems last week could force the Kremlin to “overextend its military and strain its ability to retain baseline defences”.

Russia may be forced to move some of its SA-21 long range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems to shore up the losses elsewhere, leaving them responsible for larger areas than originally intended, the ministry said.

Key Points

• Ukraine warns any peace talks with Russia are a ‘trap'

• Russian missile system losses could see Kremlin ‘overextend militarily’, says UK

• Volodymyr Zelensky says he is certain of battlefield success

• Vladimir Putin’s ‘third wave’ advance bogged down amid heavy rain

• Kremlin issues another warning over ‘nuclear, chemical and biological’ weapons

• Ex-Russian officer says Putin’s forces ‘deteriorating’

Ukraine GUR post video of Crimea attack

08:50 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s special intelligence service have posted a video purporting to show their overnight operation that destroyed multiple Russian landing ships docked in northwestern Crimea.

They claimed that multiple small vessels “carrying a crew and loaded armoured vehicles” were destroyed in the early hours of this morning.

Local reports suggest the attack took place around the port village of Chornomorske.

Previously, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) have used small groups of its operatives to carry out swift attacks on Crimea, traversing the Black Sea using jet skis to avoid detection.

Russian attacks intensify after war broke out between Hamas and Israel - Ukraine

11:01 , Matt Mathers

Russian attacks on a town near the eastern frontline have intensified after war broke out between Hamas and Israel, a Ukrainian military spokesman has said.

Putin’s troops have been bearing down since mid-October on the shattered town of Avdiivka, known for its coking plant and its position as a gateway to the city of Donetsk, 20 km (12 miles) to the east.

Oleksandr Borodin, press officer for Ukraine’s third separate assault brigade, said Russian forces were launching major infantry attacks, while trying to keep equipment intact.

"All this started after the events in Israel," he said. "Perhaps they believe it is the best time to advance, but they have no serious successes."

Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration, told Espreso TV Russian forces were shelling the town "round the clock" but wet ground from several days of rain was holding their troops back.

Putin visits military HQ near border with Ukraine - state media

10:13 , Matt Mathers

Russian president Vladimir Putin visited the southern military district headquarters in Rostov-on-Don as he assessed the state of his country’s forces in Ukraine as the war drags on toward winter.

It was his second public visit to the headquarters in less than a month.

Video shared by a Russian state news agency showed Mr Putin being greeted late on Thursday by defence minister Sergey Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff.

In Rostov-on-Don, less than 60 miles from Ukraine’s south-eastern border, Mr Putin was "introduced to new types of military equipment" and was informed about the progress of the war, his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

Mr Putin made the visit on the way back from a trip to Kazakhstan, where he aimed to cement ties with Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbour and major economic partner in the midst of tensions with the West over Ukraine.

Ukraine’s global ‘peace summit’ deferred to next year amid war in Gaza

08:33 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s global “peace summit” is likely to take place next year, amid concerns over diplomatic rallying for the end of war in Europe with a simultaneous war raging in Gaza.

The war-hit country is arranging a fourth meeting of national security advisers in late November or early December, said Ihor Zhovka, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s top diplomatic adviser.

“And the Global Summit might take place in February 2024,” he said in a statement.

He added that the summit will “definitely” take place “as it will mark both the symbolic beginning of the practical implementation of the Ukraine ‘peace formula’ and summarise all the results that have already been achieved on this track”.

Arpan Rai reports.

Ukraine’s global ‘peace summit’ deferred to next year amid war in Gaza

Germany to adapt defence budget to meet NATO target even after special fund exhausted

08:16 , Tom Watling

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that the government will adapt the defence budget to ensure that the country achieves its NATO spending target even after its 100-billion-euro special defence fund has been exhausted.

"This is because procurement processes can only be planned and implemented sustainably if the Bundeswehr can rely on" receiving sufficient funds, said Scholz.

He added that adapting the budget to reach the two percent NATO defence spending target from 2028, without the help of a special fund, would be a formidable but feasible political task.

"Everybody understands that we need to spend more on defence," Scholz said.

While the need for longterm planning for defence investment in Europe has long been known, low levels of stockpiles across the bloc after nearly two years of supporting Ukraine have compounded this problem. Mr Scholz’s announcement appears to be an attempt to remedy this.

Zelensky says more than 150 Ukrainians evacuated from Gaza in last 24 hours

08:10 , Tom Watling

More than 150 Ukrainians have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip through the southern border crossing with Egypt in the last 25 hours, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president issued a statement on X to say that the last round of refugee rescues brought the total to more than 200.

Hundreds of foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave Gaza through the Egyptian Rafah crossing this week, according to local officials, though many others have been refused.

Ukraine beats back Russian attacks on frontline as rain slows down Putin’s troops

08:03 , Tom Watling

Russian forces were failing to advance against Ukrainian troops as they scaled up their attacks on the eastern town of Avdiivka, senior military officials said.

They said Moscow wanted to advance while attention remained on Israel.

There were major infantry attacks being launched by the Russian forces as they tried to keep equipment intact, said Oleksandr Borodin, press officer for Ukraine’s third separate assault brigade.

The battlefield is not seeing any dramatic statistics on destruction of Russian equipment because “they use it much less, mainly from a distance”, he said.

“But their movements are quite dense now. It is not just infantry advancing but also parallel work of artillery, drones, aviation, the same air bombing and more,” Mr Borodin said but added that Russian forces were unable to replenish supplies quickly while Ukraine’s defensive positions remained solid.

Arpan Rai reports.

Ukraine beats back Russian attacks on frontline as rain slows down Putin’s troops

Russia will ‘struggle to redeploy’ to southern Ukraine, claims ISW

07:56 , Tom Watling

Russia will “struggle to redeploy” combative forces to respond to the ongoing Ukrainian operations in eastern Kherson Oblast, across the Dnipro River, without compromising their defences along what was formerly the main axis of the counteroffensive in western Zaporizhzhia, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Russian military bloggers have claimed that Ukrainian forces are now in the land corridor south of the Dnipro River, in the village of Krynky.

What were formerly small, special forces operations appear to have escalated into a larger scale attack in that region.

Russia’s own specialist VDV forces relocated from Kherson to Zaporizhzhia to fight off the Ukrainian march on Robotyne during the counteroffensive.

But Russia forces will now have to move back if the forces in Kherson prove insufficient. That feat will be difficult.

“Redeployments of considerable elements of the 7th VDV Division or other VDV formations and units in western Zaporizhia Oblast would likely disrupt Russian defensive operations there,” the ISW wrote.

This morning’s top stories from Ukraine

07:40 , Tom Watling

Below is a list of this morning’s top stories in and around Ukraine.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the war in Ukraine with his military top brass in the southern military command HQ in Rostov-on-Don. Putin was shown “new models of military equipment”. Rostov HQ is where Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged his coup in June.

• Two Russian high-speed landing craft in northwest Crimea were reportedly hit in the early hours this morning by Ukrainian drones. Local Telegram channel Crimean Wind posted a video of one of the explosions.

• Russian troops are intensifying their attacks on the key eastern town of Avdiivka, a senior Ukraine officer said on Thursday, while the country’s general staff reported its military repelled many Russian assaults in widely separated sectors of the front. Oleksandr Borodin, press officer for Ukraine’s third separate assault brigade, said Russian forces were launching major infantry attacks, while trying to keep equipment intact.

• Ukrainian forces shot down five of the six Shahed "kamikaze" drones and one of the two cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight, according to a statememt by the Air Force.

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine

07:29 , Tom Watling

Good morning.

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine.

Ukraine working to secure more air defence systems, Zelensky says

06:58 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine is working with all of its allies to secure air defence systems, Volodymyr Zelensky has said in his nightly address.

“We are trying to add strength to our sky shield virtually every week,” the Ukrainian president said.

“The more protected the Ukrainian sky, Ukrainian cities and villages are, the more opportunities our people will have for economic activity. For production, in particular, for defense production. No matter what happens in the world, Ukraine will have its own strength to defend its sovereignty.”

Watch: US presidential hopeful Ramaswamy appears to call Zelensky a ‘Nazi’

05:44 , Andy Gregory

Russian nuclear submarine test launches intercontinental ballistic missile, Moscow says

04:31 , AP

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

It came days after Vladimir Putin signed a bill revoking Russia’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban, in a move that Moscow claimed was needed to establish parity with the United States.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the Emperor 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 wasn’t immediately clear when the test launch occurred.

The Emperor Alexander III is one of the new Borei-class nuclear submarines that carry 16 Bulava missiles each and are intended to serve as the core naval component of the nation’s nuclear forces in the coming decades. According to the ministry, launching a ballistic missile is the final test for the vessel, after which a decision should be made on its induction into the fleet.

The Russian navy currently has three Borei-class submarines in service, one more is finishing tests and three others are under construction, the ministry said.

MEPs call for stronger oversight of EU sanctions scheme

03:22 , Andy Gregory

The European Parliament has called for stronger oversight and more effective efforts to limit Russia’s ability to bypass EU sanctions.

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the parliament voiced its alarm over “loopholes” in the EU’s sanctions regime, with MEPs concerned “about the lack of proper enforcement and attempts to undermine the effort to strategically weaken the Russian economic and industrial base”.

A statement on the European Parliament website said: “MEPs call on the EU and its member states to reinforce and centralise EU-level oversight of sanctions implementation and to develop a mechanism for circumvention prevention and monitoring.”

Ukraine drone pilots fear early advantage over Russia now lost

02:15 , Reuters

The soldiers piloting Ukraine’s fleet of small, cheap assault drones are voicing concerns that, despite pioneering their use, they are now being leapfrogged by their adversary as Moscow pumps money and resources into its drone sector.

The use of agile First Person View (FPV) drones in battle has been one of the most successful of the various low-cost strategies Ukraine has used to defend itself from Russia’s invasio. However, Moscow has also gradually mirrored and increased its use of these drones, which were originally made for racing by hobbyists and enthusiasts but are modified to carry explosives, to devastating effect.

Every week, both countries publish onboard camera footage from FPVs – which cost just hundreds of pounds – destroying enemy tanks and radar systems worth millions.

Speaking to Reuters in a field in Donetsk where they had come to perform a test flight, drone pilots from the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade fighting near Bakhmut warned Russia was gaining the upper hand through more organised supplies and greater spending.

“Their drones are always in the air, day and night. We can see they’ve implemented serial production of drones for reconnaissance, surveillance and for strikes,” said a 34-year-old drone platoon commander, who introduced himself by the callsign “Komrad”.

Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska visits Paris

01:13 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s first lady visited Paris on Thursday and met with her French counterpart Brigitte Macron, ahead of a Peace Forum on Friday.

Dozens of clashes between Ukraine and Russian troops, Kyiv military says

00:10 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has seen 55 combat engagements with Russia over the past 24 hours, Kyiv’s armed forces have claimed in a daily update.

Russia has launched 13 airstrikes on Ukrainian troops, Kyiv’s military said, accusing Moscow’s forces of causing civilian casualties and damaging private buildings.

It also claimed to have shot down a Russian cruise missile.

Analysis | Ukraine knows a long war could favour Putin

Thursday 9 November 2023 23:18 , Andy Gregory

Here is more analysis on fears of a “stalemate” from Askold Krushelnycky:

Ukraine knows that a long war could favour Vladimir Putin, who believes Kyiv’s western allies will become less supportive if they perceive a deadlocked conflict.

Russia does not care about the scale of its losses and also has a far larger arsenal of weapons and the manufacturing and economic potential to replenish lost supplies. As winter rolls in, and battlefield conditions become ever more difficult, the chance of significant movement reduces further.

Volodymyr Zelensky is clear that victory over Russia’s forces is the only objective, but that will mean making sure Western support does not flag – not least in the US, where the issue of funding for Ukraine is increasingly becoming a political football.

America’s NBC news channel said that US and European officials had broached a peace deal with Russia in “delicate” talks last month with the Ukrainian administration during a meeting of the 50-strong Contact Group of countries supporting Ukraine.

While Russia has plenty of problems over its invasion – many of them caused by the tenacity of Ukrainian forces – a stalemate on the frontline certainly has greater consequences for Ukraine.

What does Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan call for?

Thursday 9 November 2023 22:29 , Andy Gregory

A top Ukrainian official has told Reuters that a global peace summit aimed at setting in motion president Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan could finally take place in February. So what does the plan call for?

1. Radiation and nuclear safety, focusing on restoring safety around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

2. Food security, including protecting and ensuring Ukraine’s grain exports to the world’s poorest nations.

3. Energy security, with focus on price restrictions on Russian energy resources, as well as aiding Ukraine with restoring its devastated power infrastructure.

4. Release of all prisoners and deportees, including war prisoners and children deported to Russia.

5. Restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Russia reaffirming it according to the UN Charter.

6. Withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities, and restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.

7. Justice, including the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes.

8. Prevention of ecocide, and protection of the environment, with a focus on demining and restoring water treatment facilities.

9. Prevention of escalation of conflict, and building security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic space, including guarantees for Ukraine.

10. Confirmation of the war’s end, including a document signed by the involved parties.

Watch: Putin struggles to pronounce the name of Kazakh president

Thursday 9 November 2023 21:38 , Andy Gregory

Analysis | The current stalemate with Russia is hurting Kyiv

Thursday 9 November 2023 20:48 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his troops can still deliver results on the frontline and says that country has a battlefield plan for 2024, without revealing details.

“We have a plan. We have very concrete cities, very [concrete] directions where we go. I can’t share all the details but we have some slow steps forward on the south, also we have steps on the east,” he said. “And some, I think good steps ... near Kherson region. I am sure we’ll have success. It’s difficult.”

Ukrainian forces have been trying to establish a bridgehead on the eastern, Russian-occupied, bank of the vast Dnipro river in Kherson region. A rapid counteroffensive liberated the region west of the Dnipro and its capital, Kherson City, almost exactly a year ago.

The issue for Zelensky is that it is clear that there is little movement along a frontline that stretches for hundreds of miles.

Read Askold Krushelnycky’s full analysis here:

Analysis: Ukraine’s current frontline stalemate with Russia is hurting Kyiv

Global summit would ‘mark symbolic beginning of Ukraine’s peace formula’, says Zelensky aide

Thursday 9 November 2023 19:59 , Andy Gregory

A global peace summit for Ukraine – touted to take place in February, without Russia – will mark the symbolic beginning of Kyiv’s peace formula, a senior aide to president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

“The summit will definitely take place, as it will mark both the symbolic beginning of the practical implementation of the Ukrainian ‘peace formula’ and summarise all the results that have already been achieved on this track,” Mr Zelensky’s top diplomatic adviser, Ihor Zhovkva, told Reuters.

The 10-point plan includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops, protection of food and energy supplies, nuclear safety and the release of all prisoners.

Ukraine has sought for months to build up relations with governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But privately Western officials are reportedly concerned the war in Gaza will deal a setback to Ukraine’s push to broaden its support.

Mr Zhovkva acknowledged the events in the Middle East were affecting agenda priorities for countries in the region, but noted that last month’s talks in Malta were still attended by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

“We don’t need the summit for the sake of summit. We are talking about the widest possible involvement of the leaders of the Global South. Therefore, we must carefully consider the time and place of the Summit,” he said.

Global peace summit for Ukraine may happen in February, top Kyiv official says

Thursday 9 November 2023 19:23 , Andy Gregory

A global “peace summit” for Ukraine may now take place in February, a top Kyiv official has said, amid concerns in the West that the war in Gaza is making it harder to win over diplomatic support for Kyiv’s blueprint for peace.

Ukraine had aimed to hold a summit of world leaders this year as it tries to build a global coalition of support to endorse a 10-point “formula” for peace drafted by president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Kyiv has organised a series of talks attended by dozens of countries without Russia, most recently in Malta at the level of national security advisers, to work towards the summit.

Mr Zelensky’s top diplomatic adviser, Ihor Zhovkva, told Reuters that Ukraine would arrange a fourth meeting of national security advisers in late November or early December, adding: “And the Global Summit might take place in February 2024.”

Full report: Officials in Crimea say private clinics have stopped providing abortions

Thursday 9 November 2023 18:55 , Andy Gregory

Russian-installed health officials in Crimea have claimed that private clinics on the Moscow-annexed peninsula have “voluntarily” stopped providing abortions – meaning that the procedure is now only available in state-run medical facilities.

Dasha Litvinova has the full report:

Officials in Russia-annexed Crimea say private clinics have stopped providing abortions

Bulgarian parliament approves deal to buy 183 Stryker fighting vehicles

Thursday 9 November 2023 18:29 , Andy Gregory

Bulgaria’s parliament has approved the purchase of $1.5bn-worth of Stryker fighting vehicles from the US, as it seeks to modernise the country’s army and bring it in line with Nato standards following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nearly 135 deputies in the 240-seat parliament voted for the deal to buy 183 Stryker vehicles, which had been approved by the government in September, the BTA news agency reported.

A total of seven countries operate Stryker-based vehicles, including the US and Ukraine, which has received 189 of them since March.

EU to host G7 technical experts as it seeks to ban Russian diamonds

Thursday 9 November 2023 18:00 , Andy Gregory

The European Commission will host technical experts from the G7 in Brussels next week with the aim of hashing out a final plan for a ban on Russian-origin diamonds, sources have told Reuters.

The sources said the planned implementation date on 1 January was slipping as talks have slowed, but that the G7 was aiming to implement the ban starting in the first quarter of next year.

The Commission is expected to propose its 12th package of sanctions on Russia to member states next week – with a focus on cutting Moscow’s revenues from diamonds.

US ‘working closely with allies’ over sanctions on Russian energy project in Arctic

Thursday 9 November 2023 17:30 , Andy Gregory

Washington has said it is working closely with allies over sanctions on a Russian liquefied natural gas project in the Arctic as a January deadline looms for transactions with the plant to be wound down.

Joe Biden’s administration imposed sanctions last week on the Arctic LNG-2 project in Russia as part of its sanctions programme. The US Treasury Department has also issued a general license that authorises the wind down of transactions involving Arctic LNG-2.

Arctic LNG-2 would be Russia’s third large-scale LNG project and is designed to help Russia achieve a goal of gaining 20 per cent of the global LNG market by 2035, up from around 8 per cent currently. Novatek, Russia’s largest LNG producer, has a 60 per cent stake, and plans to start production by the year’s end.

Private clinics in Crimea ‘voluntarily’ stop providing abortions, Russian officials say

Thursday 9 November 2023 17:02 , Andy Gregory

Russian-installed health officials in Crimea have announced that private clinics on the annexed peninsula have “voluntarily” stopped providing abortions – which means the procedure is now only available in state-run medical facilities.

It comes amid a wider effort in Russia to restrict abortion – still legal and widely available – as the country takes an increasingly conservative turn under Vladimir Putin, who has forged a strong alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church and has put “traditional family values” at the forefront of his policies.

Authorities in several Russian regions have sought to convince private clinics to stop terminating pregnancies in recent months, and Russia’s Health Ministry is reported to be mulling a nationwide ban, alleging that private clinics frequently violate existing regulations restricting access to abortion.

Putin visits Kazakhstan amid efforts to cement ties with ex-Soviet neighbours

Thursday 9 November 2023 16:42 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin is visiting Kazakhstan as part of his efforts to cement ties with the ex-Soviet neighbour and major economic partner.

Speaking at the start of his talks with Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Mr Putin hailed “multi-faceted” ties between the countries and said they would determine new areas of “strategic” cooperation.

Oil-rich Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations have maintained a delicate balancing act, preserving strong economic ties with Moscow – while refusing to recognise its annexation of Ukrainian regions.

Mr Putin’s talks in Kazakhstan follow his trip last month to Kyrgyzstan for a summit of ex-Soviet nations and a visit to China.

Putin visits Kazakhstan, part of his efforts to cement ties with ex-Soviet neighbors

Watch: Ukraine conflict cannot be compared to Israel-Hamas war, says Zelensky

Thursday 9 November 2023 16:13 , Andy Gregory

US presidential hopeful walks back moment he appears to call Zelensky ‘Nazi’ at GOP debate

Thursday 9 November 2023 15:55 , Andy Gregory

Businessman and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appeared on Wednesday to call Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, a “Nazi” during the latest GOP presidential debate, my colleague Josh Marcus reports.

During a line of comments in which the Republican argued Ukraine is anti-democratic and undeserving of US aid, Mr Ramaswamy claimed, “It has celebrated a Nazi in its ranks – the comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky – doing it in their own ranks. That is not democratic.”

However, the entrepreneur’s campaign later walked back his comments – insisting that he was not calling Mr Zelensky a Nazi but that he stumbled over his words when he tried to comment about someone else.

His spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The New York Times that he was trying to make a reference to an incident from Canada in September.

After hearing a speech from Mr Zelensky, lawmakers there gave an ovation to 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a Nazi unit in WWII.

Ramaswamy walks back moment he calls Zelensky ‘Nazi’ at GOP debate

Germany vows to make its military ‘the backbone of collective European defence'

Thursday 9 November 2023 15:41 , Andy Gregory

Germany has vowed to strengthen its military to make it the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe, ahead of issuing new defence guidelines for the first time in more than a decade.

The document, due later today, will break down in more detail what exactly the “Zeitenwende” – the major shift of policy chancellor Olaf Scholz announced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – will mean for the workings of the Bundeswehr.

As a first step to bring the military back up to scratch after decades of attrition following the Cold War, Germany has set up a special €100bn fund to purchase modern weapons.

In an editorial for Tagesspiegel on Thursday, defence minister Boris Pistorius said Russia’s war meant Europe faced a renewed military threat that fundamentally altered the role of Germany and the Bundeswehr.

In response to this darkening of the security situation, Berlin aims to make the German military “the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe”, he noted.

Ukraine ‘confident’ it can overcome Hungarian opposition to EU bid

Thursday 9 November 2023 15:26 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine will be able to overcome Hungary’s political opposition to its bid to begin talks on membership with the European Union, Kyiv’s minister for European integration has said.

The European Commission this week recommended that the 27-member bloc formally start accession talks once Ukraine satisfies several remaining conditions, including boosting safeguards for national minorities.

But EU member Hungary has said it would not support Ukraine’s European integration unless Kyiv changes its laws on minorities, in particular regarding education. Budapest has clashed with Kyiv over what it says are curbs on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians to use their native tongue.

Ukraine’s Hungarian minority was adequately protected and Ukrainian and Hungarian officials were working together on legislative changes recommended by Brussels, Olga Stefanishyna, the minister overseeing Ukraine’s European integration, said at a news briefing in Kiev.

“Any country that makes a conscious political decision, first and foremost, to block the decision regarding Ukraine will find a reason,” she said. “Today, Hungary has made such a statement. We understand that there is a such a statement, but we also understand there is a dialogue with Budapest.”

The European Council will decide next month whether to begin membership talks with Ukraine, which will require unanimous support among all 27 states.

Ms Stefanishyna said bringing Hungary on side over the next month would be a challenge, but that she was “confident” Ukraine would succeed.

‘No alternative’ to handing frozen Russian assets to Ukraine in full, says Kyiv

Thursday 9 November 2023 15:09 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has told Western allies that giving it the interest accrued from frozen Russian assets would not be enough to compensate for damage sustained by the war – and that it hoped to receive the assets in full.

Kyiv estimates $400bn will be needed to rebuild the country, an amount it believes could double if compensation for the war’s victims is taken into account.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said last month the Commission was working on a proposal to pool some of the profits derived from frozen Russian state assets to help Ukraine and its post-war reconstruction.

She said the value of frozen Russian sovereign assets was around $223bn, noting the bloc had decided that Russia must pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Iryna Mudra, Ukraine’s deputy justice minister, told Reuters that Kyiv’s partners were considering introducing a tax on income or investment of frozen Russian assets, an idea she said Kyiv welcomed but saw as insufficient.

There was “no alternative”, she said, to the solution of confiscating the assets in full and handing them to Ukraine, noting that “such a decision requires political will, and therefore it is especially dangerous if additional initiatives are considered a successful solution to all problems”.

“Any alternatives, no matter how sincere and noble they are, generate insufficient funds and can be solely as an intermediate and fast enough option to collect several billions for the immediate needs of Ukraine’s reconstruction,” she said.

Ukraine will not compromise on licenses for lorry drivers fuelling Polish border protests

Thursday 9 November 2023 14:48 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has discussed Polish lorry drivers’ protests at the Ukrainian border with his Polish counterpart.

Kyiv’s infrastructure ministry said Ukraine will not compromise on licenses for Ukrainian drivers, one of the main demands of protesters.

Polish truckers blocked roads to three crossings with Ukraine on Monday, authorities said, to protest at what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Germany reaches five-year agreement to support industry in face of soaring energy costs

Thursday 9 November 2023 14:32 , Andy Gregory

The German government has reached a five-year agreement on a package of measures to support industry in the face of high electricity prices, as it steps up efforts to stop firms relocating to countries with lower production costs.

The relief will amount to up to €12bn next year alone, chancellor Olaf Scholz said, calling the package “very good news”, with the support to be financed by Germany’s debt brake.

The agreement, first reported by the Handelsblatt newspaper, comes after months of wrangling within the coalition over how to ensure German industry remains competitive after Russia curbed gas supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, sending energy prices soaring.

Russia claims EU promises to admit Ukraine are not ‘real'

Thursday 9 November 2023 14:14 , Andy Gregory

Russia does not believe that the European Union’s promises to admit Ukraine are “real”, the Kremlin has claimed.

“Most likely we are talking about a carrot that is tied in front of the cart,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a reporter.

It comes a day after the European Commission recommended that Ukraine be invited to begin talks to join the bloc as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it continues battling to repel Russian forces.

Full report: Russia ‘forcing Ukrainian POWs to fight against their homeland’ in possible war crime

Thursday 9 November 2023 14:01 , Andy Gregory

Russia is deploying Ukrainian prisoners of war to fight on its behalf against their own country, according to state media reports, in a move which experts have warned could amount to a war crime.

Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti aired a video purporting to show captured Ukrainian soldiers being voluntarily inducted into the Russian army. They were seen swearing allegiance to Russia, holding rifles and dressed in military fatigues. The authenticity of the report or videos aired by RIA Novosti could not be immediately confirmed.

Human Rights Watch said this could be a violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs). Captured soldiers are exempt from being exposed to combat or unhealthy and dangerous conditions regardless of coercion, according to the convention.

My colleague Arpan Rai has the full report:

Russia ‘forcing Ukrainian POWs to fight against their homeland’ in possible war crime

Russian cyber spies behind hack which disrupted Ukraine’s power grid, analysts say

Thursday 9 November 2023 13:45 , Andy Gregory

Russian cyber spies were behind a hack which disrupted part of Ukraine’s power grid in late 2022, in a rare and advanced form of cyberwarfare, a Google-owned US cybersecurity firm has said.

Ukraine’s SBU, the country’s main intelligence agency, confirmed in a statement to Reuters that Russian hackers had struck a facility near its frontline with Russia.

“This attack represents the latest evolution in Russia’s cyber physical attack capability, which has been increasingly visible since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said the report by the firm Mandiant, which did not identify the specific facility against which the attack had been carried out.

Last October, a massive wave of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine’s power network caused blackouts in many parts of the country, prompting Kyiv to halt power exports and leaving four regions temporarily without electricity.

The hacking group, known in cybersecurity research circles by the moniker “Sandworm”, was able to cause a power cut in an unidentified area of Ukraine by tripping circuit breakers at an electrical substation at the same time as the missile strike, the report said. The group then deployed data-wiping malware in a bid to cover their tracks, the report added.

Sandworm has been previously identified as a cyberwarfare unit of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency. “There have only been a handful of incidents similar to this, with the majority carried out by Sandworm,” Mandiant analyst Nathan Brubaker said.

Sandworm hackers rose to prominence in 2015 after a separate cyberattack against Ukraine’s power grid, which cut off power for around 255,000 people. The disruptive digital intrusion was widely considered to be one of the first known successful cyberattacks against a power network.

Russian long-range missile system losses could force Kremlin to ‘overextend’, UK says

Thursday 9 November 2023 13:29 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s successful targeting of Russian long-range missile systems last week could force the Kremlin to “overextend its military and strain its ability to retain baseline defences”, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has suggested.

The ministry said: “Following last week's reported losses of several Russian SA-21 long range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems, new analysis suggests that to maintain coverage over Ukraine, Russia will likely need to reallocate SAMs which are routinely protecting distant parts of Russia.

“Russia's premier long-range SAMs, such as SA-21, are capable of engaging targets at ranges of up to 400km. Positioned at strategically important locations, as well as along Russia’s borders, removing systems would almost certainly weaken Russia's air defence posture on its peripheries.

“The reallocation of strategic air defence assets would further demonstrate how the Ukraine conflict continues to overextend Russia’s military and strains its ability to retain baseline defences across its vast area.”

Ukraine warns ‘those with short memories’ that peace talks with Russia are a ‘trap’

Thursday 9 November 2023 13:14 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmitry Kuleba has warned that peace negotiations with Russia are a “trap” which would merely see Vladimir Putin “take a pause before an even larger aggression”.

He wrote on Twitter/X: “To those with short memories: Between 2014 and 2022, Ukraine held about 200 rounds of talks with Russia.

“During this period, 20 cease-fire agreements were reached, all of which were quickly violated by Russia. None of the 200 rounds of talks or the 20 ceasefires have prevented Putin from launching a brutal all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022.

“Those who argue that Ukraine should negotiate with Russia now are either uninformed or misled, or they side with Russia and want Putin to take a pause before an even larger aggression. We should not and will not fall into this trap.”

Ukraine can overcome Hungarian opposition to EU bid - minister

Thursday 9 November 2023 12:59 , Tom Watling

Ukraine will be able to overcome Hungary’s political opposition to its bid to begin talks on membership with the European Union, Kyiv’s minister for European integration said on Thursday.

The European Commission this week recommended that the 27-member bloc formally start accession talks once Ukraine satisfies several remaining conditions, including boosting safeguards for national minorities.

EU member Hungary has said it would not support Ukraine‘s European integration unless Kyiv changes its laws on minorities, in particular regarding education.

Budapest has clashed with Kyiv over what it says are curbs on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians to use their native tongue.

Ukraine‘s Hungarian minority was adequately protected and Ukrainian and Hungarian officials were working together on legislative changes recommended by Brussels, Olga Stefanishyna, the minister overseeing Ukraine‘s European integration, said at a news briefing in Kyiv.

“Any country that makes a conscious political decision, first and foremost, to block the decision regarding Ukraine will find a reason (to do so),” she said.

“Today, Hungary has made such a statement. We understand that there is a such a statement, but we also understand there is a dialogue with Budapest.”

The recommendation by the European Commission is an important milestone on Kyiv’s road to Western integration and a geo-political gambit for the EU as Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

Russian strikes kill 72-year-old, says Kyiv

Thursday 9 November 2023 12:25 , Tom Watling

Russian shelling in southern Ukraine has killed a 72-year-old man this morning and injured a further three, local officials have said.

Kherson Oblast governor Oleksandr Prokudin said shelling had killed the elderly man while he was on his balcony. He added that another 74-year-old man nearby injured his leg while a third resident received a “light contusion”.

Sharing a video of the destruction wrought by the shells, he said: “This is what Kherson’s Ship district looks like after regular Russian shelling.”

Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that the attack had damaged “four high-rise buildings, an educational institution and a church” (pictured below).

Some Ukraine drone pilots fear early advantage over Russia now lost

Thursday 9 November 2023 12:20 , Tom Watling

The soldiers piloting Ukraine’s fleet of small, cheap assault drones are voicing concerns that, despite pioneering their use, they are now being leapfrogged by their adversary as Moscow pumps money and resources into its drone sector.

The use of agile First Person View (FPV) drones in battle has been one of the most successful of the various low-cost strategies Ukraine has used to defend itself from a full-scale invasion by Russia, its much richer and more powerful neighbour.

However, Moscow has also gradually mirrored and increased its use of these drones, which were originally made for racing by hobbyists and enthusiasts but are modified to carry explosives, to devastating effect.

Every week, both countries publish onboard camera footage from FPVs, which cost several hundred dollars, flying towards and taking out enemy tanks and radar systems worth millions.

In a field in eastern Donetsk region where they had come to perform a test flight, drone pilots from the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade fighting near Bakhmut said Russia was gaining the upper hand through more organised supplies and greater spending.

“Their drones are always in the air, day and night. We can see they’ve implemented serial production of drones for reconnaissance, surveillance and for strikes,” said a 34-year-old drone platoon commander, who introduced himself by the callsign “Komrad”.

While it is hard to assess Russian numerical superiority in FPVs accurately - and the experiences of the unit near Bakhmut provides only a snapshot of what is happening - Komrad estimated it at around double what Ukraine had on his sector of the front.

“Drones are a game changer in this war. If we mess this up, things will be difficult,” he said.

Komrad says his crews can run as many as 40 strike missions a day - but the number is often much lower due to a lack of drones.

The senior sergeant of the brigade’s drone company, a 57-year-old former business executive with the callsign “Yizhak”, said sometimes a crew may have 10 identified targets but only two or three drones.

“So we can hit two or three, and we have to let seven go because we don’t have anything to hit them with.”

Alternative Black Sea export corridor is working despite attack

Thursday 9 November 2023 12:03 , Tom Watling

Ukraine‘s alternative Black Sea export corridor is working despite a recent Russian attack on a civilian vessel, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Thursday.

Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday a Russian missile damaged a Liberia-flagged civilian ship entering a Black Sea port in the Odesa region, killing one person and injuring four others. The vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China.

“#Ukrainian_Corridor: vessel traffic continues both to and from the ports of Big Odesa (region),” Kubrakov said on the X social media platform.

He said that six vessels with 231,000 tons of agricultural products on board had left ports within the Odesa region and were heading towards the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey.

“Five vessels are waiting to enter ports for loading. Traffic along the #Ukrainian_Corridor continued despite Russia’s systematic attacks on port infrastructure,” Kubrakov added.

After pulling out of a United Nation-brokered deal that guaranteed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Russia has been repeatedly attacking Ukrainian port infrastructure.

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine

Thursday 9 November 2023 11:36 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine.

Update on southern Ukraine missile strike - five killed

Thursday 9 November 2023 11:09 , Tom Watling

Five people were killed on Thursday in a missile strike by Ukraine‘s armed forces on the town of Skadovsk in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine‘s Kherson region, the TASS news agency reported, citing preliminary information.

The agency was quoting the Russian-installed Emergencies Ministry of the Kherson region, which Russia claims to have annexed along with three others since the start of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Kyiv holding back Putin’s forces in east while claiming ‘huge gains’ in Crimea

Thursday 9 November 2023 10:27 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian forces are “stoutly holding their defences” around the eastern city of Avdiivka as Russia attempts to encircle them, Kyiv’s southern commander has said.

Avdiivka has become the flashpoint of the frontline in the past month, though Russian forces have advanced only hundreds of metres at the expense of significant mechanical losses, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs).

General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, head of Ukraine’s southern group of forces, said troops around Avdiivka were “stoutly holding their defences”.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Anton Kotsukon said Russia has begun relying heavily on reconnaissance drones to target Ukrainian counterbattery elements that have been so effective in the past few weeks in destroying offensive equipment.

Russia forces pushed again on 8 November from the north and south west but appear to have made no material gains.

Meanwhile, Oleksiy Danilov, the Ukrainian secretary of the national security and defence council, said they continued to make “huge gains” in Crimea.

While the ground offensive has remained largely static, attacks on the peninsula of late have opened up a second front.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian long-range strikes on a Russian military drydock in Kerch, on the eastern coastline of Crimea, rendered a warship “inoperable for the foreseeable future”, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Russian building rumoured to contain officials destroyed in occupied Ukraine

Thursday 9 November 2023 10:04 , Tom Watling

A Russian building in occupied southern Ukraine has been destroyed this morning as rumours swirl that it hit while Kremlin-affiliated officials were inside.

A building in Skadovsk, on the Dzharylhats’ka Gulf south of Kherson, was destroyed around 7.15am GMT, according to local reports. Follow-up reports are now suggesting Russian officials were in the building.

A local Ukrainian outlet from nearby Mariupol wrote: “I hear there are interesting obituaries waiting for us.”

The Russian-appointed head of the region Vladimir Saldo confirmed eleven people had been hospitalised.

Russia ‘forcing Ukrainian POWs to fight against their homeland’ in possible war crime

Thursday 9 November 2023 09:37 , Tom Watling

Russia is deploying Ukrainian prisoners of war to fight on its behalf against their own country, according to state media reports.

The move has attracted concern from experts, who have argued it could amount to a war crime.

Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti aired a video purporting to show captured Ukrainian soldiers being voluntarily inducted into the Russian army. They were seen swearing allegiance to Russia, holding rifles and dressed in military fatigues. The authenticity of the report or videos aired by RIA Novosti could not be immediately confirmed.

Human Rights Watch said this could be a violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs). Captured soldiers are exempt from being exposed to combat or unhealthy and dangerous conditions regardless of coercion, according to the convention.

Russia ‘forcing Ukrainian POWs to fight against their homeland’ in possible war crime

Ukraine says Russian missile hits civilian vessel in Black Sea, kills one

Thursday 9 November 2023 09:16 , Tom Watling

A Russian missile damaged a Liberia-flagged civilian vessel entering a Black Sea port in Odesa region, killing one and injuring four people, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.

After pulling out of the U.N.-brokered deal that guaranteed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Russia has been repeatedly attacking Ukrainian port infrastructure.

"The missile hit the superstructure of a civilian vessel under the flag of Liberia, at the moment of its entry into the port," Ukraine's southern military command said on Telegram messenger.

It added that one person was killed, three crew members, citizens of the Philippines, and one port employee were injured.

The vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China, Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

Kubrakov added that Russia carried out 21 targeted attacks on port infrastructure after withdrawing from the deal.

"During this time, the terrorist country damaged more than 160 infrastructure facilities and 122 vehicles," he said on Facebook.

Yoruk Isik, head of the Bosphorus Observer consultancy, identified the vessel as Kmax Ruler, 92,000 dwt.

One killed and four injured after Russian missile hits civilian vessel in Black Sea

Thursday 9 November 2023 08:33 , Tom Watling

A Russian missile hit a civilian ship in a Black Sea port, killing at least one person and injuring four others, according to Ukraine’s officials.

A Ukrainian pilot on board was killed in the attack on the vessel in Odesa’s Pivdennyi port, said Yoruk Isik, head of the Bosphorus Observer consultancy. “A few” other crew members were either dead or injured, Mr Isik told Reuters.

Of those injured, three were crew members from the Philippines. The other injured individual was identified as a port employee.

The ship was loading iron ore in the port when it was hit, said Mr Isik. He identified the vessel as a Kmax Ruler 92,000 dwt – a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier.

Ukrainian infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China.

One killed and four injured after Russian missile hits civilian vessel in Black Sea

Russia carries out more than 100 attacks in 24 hours, killing one civilian

Thursday 9 November 2023 08:10 , Tom Watling

Russian attacks in four regions of Ukraine have damaged dozens of residential buildings and killed at least one civilian in the last 24 hours, local governors have said.

Oleg Sinegubov, governor of Kharkiv Oblast, northeast Ukraine, said one 48-year-old civilian had been killed in Izyum after more than three hours of Russian shelling in the area.

Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine, said Russia “carried out 85 attacks, firing 529 shells from mortars, artillery, ‘Grads’, tanks, UAVs and aviation”.

He said: “The Russian military targeted the residential quarters of the populated areas of the region; a cell tower and an unbreakable point in the Berislav district. Due to Russian aggression, 2 people were injured.”

Yuriy Malashko, governor of neighbouring Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said:  “14 reports were received about the destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure facilities. Civilians were not injured.”

He also issued an air raid warning this morning, though that has since finished.

EU recommends starting Ukraine’s accession to the bloc

Thursday 9 November 2023 07:36 , Tom Watling

The European Commission has recommended that the process of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union should begin, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has reported.

Mariia Mezentseva, a subcommittee head on the board for integration of Ukraine into the EU, said the commission had said the process should start despite Russia’s full-scale aggression.

“In mid-December, we have a meeting of the EU Council, which will bring together the leaders of 27 countries, who must confirm this intention with their unity,” the Verkhovna Rada wrote in a statement.

Watch: Ukraine-Russia conflict cannot be compared to Israel-Hamas war, says Zelensky

Thursday 9 November 2023 07:03 , Andy Gregory

King Charles wants refugees to ‘feel more welcome’ in Britain

Thursday 9 November 2023 06:01 , Andy Gregory

King Charles III discussed the need to make refugees “feel more welcome” in Britain at a humanitarian reception, Sir Michal Palin has said.

The Monty Python star, 80, spoke to the monarch on Wednesday evening at the Buckingham Palace event which recognised the United Kingdom’s contribution to humanitarian efforts across the world.

Charles and the Queen were introduced to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) chief executive Saleh Saeed at the soiree, met refugees who have made the UK their home, and spoke with broadcast journalists about their work covering global emergencies, including in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Balkan countries slip back in the queue, as Ukraine receives boost in EU membership quest

Thursday 9 November 2023 04:59 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia received positive news on Wednesday about their quests to join the European Union – but countries in the volatile Balkans region that have waited years longer to become members of the world’s biggest trading bloc appeared to slip back in the queue.

Lorne Cook has more in this report:

Ukraine gets good news about its EU membership quest as Balkans countries slip back in the queue

Video: War will spread to other Nato countries if Russia defeats Ukraine, Zelensky warns

Thursday 9 November 2023 03:56 , Andy Gregory

Full report: Russia suffers setbacks across Ukraine frontline as rains stall Putin’s ‘third wave’

Thursday 9 November 2023 02:51 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian officials said troops had repelled several Russian assaults in separate parts of the country as heavy rain spoiled Vladimir Putin’s plan to recapture the strategic city of Avdiivka for a third time, reports my colleague Arpan Rai.

The General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine said its troops beat back at least 15 attacks near Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine and 18 attacks near Maryinka further south, where heavy fighting has been concentrated for months.

It said nine attacks were repelled in and near Avdiivka, which has been subjected to intense fighting. Moscow looks to recapture the strategic city that is a crucial gateway to Donetsk, the primary communication hub within the occupied territories.

Moscow has already made two failed advances to recapture the industrial city that has been described as the “next Bakhmut”, which has seen some of the most intense fighting since the Russian invasion began last year.

Several days of rain on the battlefield, however, have stalled Mr Putin’s third major advance and ruled out any new Russian movements, Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration said.

Russia suffers setbacks across Ukraine frontline as rains stall Putin’s ‘third wave’

Vessel hit in Black Sea was supposed to carry iron ore to China, Ukraine minister claims

Thursday 9 November 2023 01:42 , Andy Gregory

A Liberian-flagged civilian vessel fatally struck by Russian missiles while entering the Black Sea port of Odesa was supposed to transport iron ore to China, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has claimed.

Traders said the name of the vessel was Kmax Ruler, and according to Ukrainian officials one person was killed and four injured in the attack.

Mr Kubrakov added that Russia carried out 21 targeted attack on port infrastructure after withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal earlier this year.

“During this time, the terrorist country damaged more than 160 infrastructure facilities and 122 vehicles,” he said.

New Russian naval corvette damaged in Ukraine cruise missile attack on Crimea base

Thursday 9 November 2023 00:37 , Andy Gregory

A newly built Russian naval corvette was “almost certainly damaged” after being struck in occupied Crimea, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in its intelligence update.

The Karakurt-class Askold warship was launched in 2021 and had not been yet commissioned into the Russian navy, the MoD said, citing Ukrainian and Russian sources. The Russian word “Karakurt” means “Black Widow spider”.

Russian officials claimed Ukrainian cruise missiles were aimed at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch on 4 November. The officials confirmed the attacks had struck one of its small warships. Askold is one of Russia’s Kalibr cruise missile carriers.

Arpan Rai has the full report:

New Russian naval corvette damaged in Ukraine cruise missile attack on Crimea base

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline as Russian forces ‘gradually deteriorating’

Wednesday 8 November 2023 23:46 , Andy Gregory

A Russian former military officer has suggested Vladimir Putin’s troops are weakening as he predicted the forces will be “even less capable of offensive operations than they are now” by spring 2024.

Imprisoned nationalist, Igor Girkin, said the current Ukrainian presence in the east bank of Kherson Oblast is likely to keep Russian forces busy during the winter, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

In a letter published by his wife, Mr Girkin also claimed that the situation for Russian forces was “gradually deteriorating” and that Russian forces were showcasing “growing weakness compared to Ukraine’s capabilities.”

My colleague Maryam Zakir-Hussain has more in this report containing maps of the current fighting hotspots:

Mapped: Tracking Ukraine’s frontline as Russian forces ‘gradually deteriorating’

Watch: Zelensky says Russian solders must 'go out' of Ukraine to end war

Wednesday 8 November 2023 22:34 , Andy Gregory