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

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'

• Volodymyr Zelensky certain of battlefield success

• 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’

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

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

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

16:13 , Andy Gregory

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

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'

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

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

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

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

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'

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

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

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

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’

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

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

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

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

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

11:36 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine.

Update on southern Ukraine missile strike - five killed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

07:03 , Andy Gregory

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

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

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

03:56 , Andy Gregory

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

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

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

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

New US infrastructure advisor to Ukraine unveiled

Wednesday 8 November 2023 21:43 , Andy Gregory

US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced a new American infrastructure adviser for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv.

Robert Mariner, who has performed engineering work for the US Air Force and Navy, will serve as transportation advisor to Ukraine, following a similar role at the US Embassy in Afghanistan.

“Transportation is critically important to Ukraine’s ability to import goods and to export Ukrainian products,” Mr Buttigieg told reporters in Kyiv, where he met with president Volodymyr Zelensky, adding there was also “a lot of interest here in the future of the aviation sector, which we discussed”.

Mr Buttigieg, who met with Ukrainian officials to discuss the country’s economic recovery and the impact of the war on its supply chains, particularly port and rail infrastructure, said Ukraine had asked that a US infrastructure advisor be named.

The adviser “will be in Kyiv to provide technical assistance on project delivery as part of the country’s rebuilding efforts,” Buttigieg said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

Russia sending Ukrainian prisoners of war to fight on front lines, report claims

Wednesday 8 November 2023 20:37 , Andy Gregory

Russia is sending Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front lines of their homeland to fight on Moscow’s side, a Russian state news agency has claimed.

News agency RIA Novosti claimed the soldiers swore allegiance to Russia when they joined a battalion which entered service last month, named after medieval nobleman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, seen as a national hero in Russia for bringing parts of Ukraine under Moscow’s control in the 15th century.

Footage published by the news agency purported to show the Ukrainians swearing allegiance to Russia, holding rifles and dressed in military fatigues.

Experts told the Associated Press that such actions would be an apparent violation of the Geneva Conventions relating to the treatment of prisoners of war, which forbids them from being exposed to combat or from working in unhealthy or dangerous conditions.

“Russian authorities might claim they are recruiting them on a voluntary basis but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a prisoner of war’s decision could be taken truly voluntarily, given the situation of coercive custody,” said Yulia Gorbunova, senior researcher on Ukraine at Human Rights Watch.

Nick Reynolds, of the Royal United Services Institute, added that “the entire scenario is laced with the potential for coercion”, noting that a prisoner of war does not have “a huge amount of agency” and is in a “very difficult situation”.

Top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

Wednesday 8 November 2023 19:57 , Andy Gregory

A senior Chinese military official has held talks in Moscow today, praising strong ties between the two countries in a visit which underlined their growing cooperation.

General Zhang Youxia, China’s second-ranking military official, said that relations between Russia and China are “at the highest level in the new epoch.”

Russia and China “invariably support each other on issues of fundamental interest and key concerns”, General Youxia said.

You can read more in this report:

A top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

US has gone through 96% of funds allocated for Ukraine

Wednesday 8 November 2023 19:29 , Andy Gregory

The United States has gone through 96 per cent of the funds that it allocated for Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said

The US believes that Ukraine can win back its territory, Mr Kirby told reporters, but acknowledged that progress had been slow.

Ukraine takes credit for death of Luhansk official in car-bombing

Wednesday 8 November 2023 19:04 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine’s intelligence agency has taken credit for a car bombing that killed a member of the Russia-backed authority in the illegally annexed Luhansk region.

Mikhail Filiponenko was a member of the local legislature and previously served as police chief, and sided with Russian-backed separatists in 2014.

Taking credit for his death, the main intelligence directorate of Ukraine’s ministry of defence accused Filiponenko of having organised and participated in the torture of prisoners of war and civilians.

It said that the killing was a warning that “traitors to Ukraine and collaborators with terrorist Russia in temporarily occupied territories ... will receive just retribution. The hunt continues.”

Slovakia rejects military aid deal for Ukraine

Wednesday 8 November 2023 18:46 , Andy Gregory

As pledged by incoming prime minister Robert Fico, Slovakia’s new government has rejected a previously drafted plan to donate rockets and ammunition to Ukraine.

The aid package included surface-to-air defence system rockets, more than 5,000 pieces of 125mm cannon ammunition and 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition, according to the deal that had been put forward by the Nato country’s caretaker government before it handed over power last month.

But Fico’s government rejected the package at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to the government’s website, having run an electio campaign criticising Western military support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, and backing calls for peace talks.

The country had been a staunch backer of Ukraine, and a previous centre-right government supplied military equipment including fighting vehicles as well as an S-300 air defence system and MiG-29 jets.

One dead and four injured as Russian missile hits civilian vessel near Odesa, Ukraine claims

Wednesday 8 November 2023 18:25 , Andy Gregory

A Russian missile has damaged a civilian vessel entering the Black Sea port of Odesa, killing one and injuring four people, the Ukrainian military has claimed.

“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 and one port employee were injured.

Zelensky jokes that dogs should run the world

Wednesday 8 November 2023 18:07 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has joked that dogs run the world instead of humans.

Speaking to Reuters while promoting a 10-point peace plan, the Ukrainian president was asked what still made him laugh – and said that his dogs provide much-needed relief when he spends time with his wife and children, and are “always funny”.

“Sometimes I’m ... looking at all these wars or looking at all the crisis, Middle East crisis. It’s not only Ukraine, everywhere in Africa and the Middle East,” Mr Zelensky said.

“Sometimes I’m looking at this and think that the best way [is] if this planet will be the planet of dogs,” he said, adding with a smile: “Sometimes I don’t understand people, really.”

Zelensky ‘sure’ of battlefield success and aiming for ‘results this year’

Wednesday 8 November 2023 17:31 , Andy Gregory

Asked about the slow pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive this year, Volodymr Zelensky told Reuters: “We have some slow steps forward on the south of our country, also we have steps on the east. And some, I think, good steps near Kherson region.

“I am sure that we’ll have success. It’s difficult.”

He added: “We’ll try to show the result this year. We don’t need to surprise everybody in the world, we need this for ourselves.”

Ukraine takes step towards EU membership as European Commission backs talks to begin

Wednesday 8 November 2023 17:28 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has praised the European Commission’s recommendation that Kyiv should begin formal EU membership negotiations as a “historic step”.

In an important milestone, the Commission said the talks should formally be launched once Kyiv satisfies remaining conditions related to reining in corruption, adopting a law on lobbying in line with EU standards and strengthening national minority safeguards.

“This is a strong and historic step that paves the way to a stronger EU with Ukraine as its member,” Mr Zelensky said, vowing to press on with the necessary reforms.

The 27 national EU leaders are next due to decide mid-December on whether to accept the Commission’s recommendation. Any such decision requires unanimity of the bloc’s 27 members, with Hungary seen as the main potential obstacle.

Gabriela Baczynska and Marine Strauss have the full report:

Ukraine moves step closer to EU membership as European Commission backs talks

EU countries to debate of 12th package of Russia sanctions next week - officials

Wednesday 8 November 2023 17:14 , Andy Gregory

European Union countries will start debating next week a proposal for a 12th package of sanctions on Russia that will focus on a ban on Russian diamonds, EU diplomats and an EU official told Reuters.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, EU countries have already applied 11 packages of sanctions against Moscow to diminish the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war. The measures span across sectors and include some 1,800 individuals and entities.

But so far, the EU has not sanctioned Russian state-owned diamond miner Alrosa, even though major western jewellers are already boycotting stones coming from Russia.

The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell told the Financial Times on Wednesday that the bloc received the go-ahead for diamonds from the G7 - the United States, Canada, Britain, Japan, France Germany and Italy - at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan.

EU diplomats said the 27-nation bloc had been waiting for a G7 green light to move ahead with the diamond ban. An EU official said the current timing for a European Commission proposal for the package, that would then be debated by the EU’s 27 governments, was “early next week”.

“The plan is that the Commission adopts the package in the coming days. Then it’ll be for Council to adopt,” one EU official told Reuters, adding the discussions among governments would start next week.

Ukraine has a plan to continue fighting Russia next year, Zelensky says

Wednesday 8 November 2023 16:54 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has a plan to continue fighting against Russian forces despite the difficulty of its ongoing counteroffensive, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Speaking to Reuters in New York, the Ukrainian leader said: “Nobody believed at the beginning of this war that we can manage and destroy the Russian army. We did it. Now there are some difficulties.”

Asked how much land he believes Ukraine can claim back over the next year, Mr Zelensky drew supportive laughter as he said: “First of all, we haven’t finished this year.”

Pointing to past successes in Kherson, he added: “We will try to show the results this year, and for us it’s very important because we lose people each day. It’s not because of some movie, some show. We don’t need to surprise everybody in the world. We need for ourselves to try not to lose each day, because we are losing people.

He added: “We have a plan for the next year but I will not share it.”

A top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

Wednesday 8 November 2023 16:30 , Matt Mathers

A senior Chinese military official held talks in Moscow Wednesday, praising strong ties between the countries during a visit that underlined growing cooperation between them.

Gen. Zhang Youxia, China’s second-ranking military official and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that relations between Russia and China are “at the highest level in the new epoch.” He said they “invariably support each other on issues of fundamental interest and key concerns.”

Full report:

A top Chinese military official visits Moscow for talks on expanding ties

Britain targets Russian gold, oil sectors in new sanctions

Wednesday 8 November 2023 16:00 , Matt Mathers

Britain on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 29 individuals and entities in Russia’s gold and oil sectors, as it targets the Kremlin’s finances supporting the war in Ukraine.

Britain sanctioned two of Russia’s largest gold producers, Nord Gold Plc and Highland Gold Mining Ltd. Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) also issued an alert to financial institutions, warning them about Russian attempts to use gold to evade sanctions.

The two companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Those sanctioned also include a United Arab Emirates-based network which Britain said was responsible for channelling more than $300 million in gold revenues to Russia, as well as businessmen Vladislav Sviblov and Konstantin Strukov.

"Today’s sanctions will hit those who have provided succour to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin by helping him to lessen the impact of our sanctions on Russian gold and oil, two critical sources of revenue for the Russian war machine," British foreign secretary James Cleverly said.

Prosecutors demand 8 year sentence for Russian artist who staged anti-war supermarket protest

Wednesday 8 November 2023 15:41 , Matt Mathers

A female Russian artist who staged a protest against Moscow’s war in Ukraine by replacing supermarket price tags with trenchant calls to stop the conflict is facing eight years in a penal colony after a court hearing on Wednesday.

Alexandra Skochilenko, 33, an artist and musician known to her friends as "Sasha", carried out the protest on March 31 last year, replacing price tags in a supermarket in Russia’s second city with five pieces of paper urging an end to the war, which Moscow calls "a special military operation."

Alexander Gladyshev, a state prosecutor, on Wednesday asked a judge in St Petersburg to jail her for eight years and ban her from using the Internet for three years, according to a statement from St Petersburg’s courts.

Ukraine hails ‘historic’ step after EU recommends joining bloc

Wednesday 8 November 2023 15:20 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky praised as a "historic step" a recommendation by the European Union executive on Wednesday to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it fights to repel Russia’s war.

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 against a large-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

The Commission said the talks should formally be launched once Kyiv satisfies remaining conditions related to reining in corruption, adopting a law on lobbying in line with EU standards and strengthening national minority safeguards.

"This is a strong and historic step that paves the way to a stronger EU with Ukraine as its member," Zelensky said on social media, vowing to press on with the necessary reforms.

Ukraine spy agency says it killed Russia-installed lawmaker with car bomb

Wednesday 8 November 2023 15:15 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s military spy agency claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Russia-backed lawmaker with a car bomb in the occupied eastern city of Luhansk on Wednesday, an operation it said it conducted with local resistance forces.

Mikhail Filiponenko, a lawmaker in a Russia-installed local assembly, had been active in Luhansk’s pro-Russian separatist movement since 2014. He had served as one of the top commanders in the army of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic.

The agency said Filiponenko was eliminated in an early morning explosion. He died at the site, it added on Telegram messenger.

It accused him of organising dungeons for civilians and prisoners of war in Luhansk region.

"Filiponenko himself brutally tortured people," agency said, giving no details.

Ukraine backs move to use military taxes to fund weapons

Wednesday 8 November 2023 14:55 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s parliament approved a law on Wednesday to allow funds raised from income tax paid by military personnel to be used to fund arms purchases and production, the finance ministry said.

The tax, which previously went into local coffers rather than the central budget, would raise about 96 billion hryvnias ($2.7 billion). The funds would be used to buy drones, implement new technology and boost the domestic defence industry, finance minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

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

Wednesday 8 November 2023 14:11 , Matt Mathers

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”.

Full report:

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

Moldova and Georga also get positive news on EU accession

Wednesday 8 November 2023 13:30 , Matt Mathers

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.

In a series of reports, the EU’s executive branch recommended that war-ravaged Ukraine should be permitted to open membership talks, once it’s addressed some shortfalls.

Full report:

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

Ukraine formally recommended to join EU

Wednesday 8 November 2023 12:48 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has been formally recommended to join the EU. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen urged the EU’s 27 member states to open accession talks.

“Ukraine continues to face tremendous hardships and tragedies provoked by Russia’s war of aggression,” she said on Wednesday.

“And yet the Ukrainians are deeply reforming their country even as they are fighting a war that is existential for them.” Her recommendation must be given political sign off by the bloc’s members before any talks can take place.

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

Wednesday 8 November 2023 12:00 , Matt Mathers

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).

This map shows the key points of fighting in Ukraine. Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:

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

Russian railways targeted by anti war activists

Wednesday 8 November 2023 10:04 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s railway network continues to come under attack from anti-war activists, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said in a statement: “Seventeen months after the first incidents were reported, sabotage of Russian railways by anti-war activists continues to represent a significant challenge for the Russian authorities.

“Research by independent Russian media outlet Mediazona suggests that, as of October 2023, 76 cases of railway sabotage had reached court since the invasion. At least 137 people, with the vast majority aged under 24, had been prosecuted.

“Since early 2023, notices have been stencilled on key pieces of railway infrastructure pointing out that, under the Russian Criminal Code, sabotage can be punished with up to life imprisonment.

“Russia’s military logistics, including supplying the war in Ukraine, remain reliant on the country’s 33,000km of railway line.

“With virtually all methods of overt dissent banned in Russia, sabotage continues to appeal to a minority of young people as a method of protest against the ‘Special Military Operation’”.

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

Wednesday 8 November 2023 09:14 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian troops have repelled several Russian assaults in the past 24 hours in separate parts of the country as heavy rain has spoiled Vladimir Putin’s plan to recapture the strategic city of Avdiivka for a third time, officials said.

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.

Arpan Rai has the full report:

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

Kremlin warns of ‘nuclear and biological weapons’ risk

Wednesday 8 November 2023 08:36 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin has issued another warning over the risk of “nuclear, chemical and biological weapons” being used amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Nikolai Patrushev, the Russian security council secretary and a close ally of Putin, hit out at what he described as the “destructive” policies of the US and its allies, that were increasing the risk that nuclear, chemical or biological weapons would be used, Reuters reports.

“The natural consequence of the United States’ destructive policies is the deterioration in the global security,” the state news agency Tass reported him as saying.

“The risk that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons will be used is increasing. The international arms control regime has been undermined.”

Russia’s ‘third wave’ bogged down in sodden land

Wednesday 8 November 2023 08:28 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday its troops had repelled Russian assaults in widely separated sectors of the war and braced for a fresh attempt to capture the key frontline eastern town of Avdiivka.

Russia is engaged in a slow-moving campaign in eastern areas of the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line after failing in its bid to march on Kyiv in the conflict’s early days. Ukraine has registered only limited progress in a counteroffensive launched in the east and south in June.

Ukraine’s General Staff, in its evening report, said its forces had beaten back 15 attacks near Kupiansk in the northeast and 18 attacks near Maryinka further south, where battles have raged for months.

Nine attacks were repelled in and near Avdiivka, where Moscow launched the latest of several drives in mid-October.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration, said several days of rain had for the moment ruled out any new Russian advance - what he described as the “third wave”.

“We’ve had nearly a week of heavy rain,” he told the public broadcaster Suspilne. “The terrain is too difficult and equipment cannot move.”

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

Wednesday 8 November 2023 08:07 , Matt Mathers

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”.

Arpa Rai reports:

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

NATO allies condemn Russia’s withdrawal from CFE treaty, will suspend its operation

Wednesday 8 November 2023 07:45 , Matt Mathers

NATO allies condemned a decision by Russia on Tuesday to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, a key post-Cold War agreement, and said they would suspend its operation in response.

Russia formally withdrew from the security treaty, which limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the United States for undermining post-Cold War security with the enlargement of the NATO military alliance.

"Allies condemn Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and its war of aggression against Ukraine which is contrary to the Treaty’s objectives," NATO said in a statement.

The Russian move was its latest action that systematically undermined Euro-Atlantic security, it said.

UK and Poland sign £4bn air defence system deal

Wednesday 8 November 2023 07:18 , Matt Mathers

The UK and Poland defence industries have signed a deal worth £4bn to continue the next stage of Poland’s future air defence programme.

UK firm MBDA has signed a sub-contract with Polish defence company PGZ, in a programme that will provide Polish forces with an enhanced ground-based air defence system capable of launching missiles to engage air threats.

This includes cruise missiles and fighter jets, at ranges of more than 40 kilometres. The deal will create more than 1,000 Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles – Extended Range (CAMM-ER) and over 100 iLaunchers.

Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, said: “This is another crucial step forward for our historic defence ties with Poland, supplying next generation air defence capabilities to act as a clear deterrent to our adversaries.

“We continue to fully back our thriving UK defence industry, and this landmark export deal is yet another example of the huge potential our collective defence sectors boast.”

The Ministry of Defence says the deal “will bolster European security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Chris Allam, managing director of MBDA UK,  said: “The scale and ambition of NAREW is truly impressive – building a Polish air defence shield using our CAMM family missiles and iLaunchers that will protect the entirety of Poland’s skies.

“The transfer of technology in NAREW will be transformative for Poland’s sovereign complex weapons capabilities, and we are deeply proud of the trust placed in us by Poland and excited for the future of our partnership with PGZ.”

‘No way’ for US to stay in key post-Cold War agreement

Wednesday 8 November 2023 07:00 , Athena Stavrou

There was no way for the US to stay in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, a key post-Cold War agreement, after Russia pulled out, White house national security spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

“I don’t know how we can justify not pulling out” of the treaty after Russia did, Kirby said.

He said the U.S. will meet all Article Five commitments to NATO allies, which could force changes.

Earlier, Nato announced the formal suspension of the treaty in the wake of Russia withdrawing from the deal.

Zelensky rules out elections next year

Wednesday 8 November 2023 06:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out holding a presidential vote in the spring and urged his countrymen to avoid political divides, saying they must concentrate all resources on fighting Russia.

Mr Zelensky, who was elected for a five-year term in March 2019, had previously avoided definitive statements on the question. His associates had said he was pondering various possibilities.

“Now, in wartime, when there are so many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to throw the topic of elections into society in a light-hearted and playful way,” he said, adding that “the waves of any politically divisive things must stop”.

“We must realise that now is the time of defence, the time of the battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine,” he said.

“I believe that now is not the right time for elections.”

G7 support for Ukraine will not be affected by Middle East conflict, Japan says

Wednesday 8 November 2023 05:00 , Athena Stavrou

G7 support for Ukraine will not be affected by the intensifying Middle East conflict, Japan said as the group’s foreign ministers prepared to hold virtual talks with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo.

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – as well as the European Union will meet in Tokyo today and tomorrow to discuss issues including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza crisis.

“Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies,” Japan’s foreign minister, Yōko Kamikawa, said.

Putin faces ‘tough choice’ between Iran and Israel if he is to preserve his regime, expert says

Wednesday 8 November 2023 04:00 , Athena Stavrou

Vladimir Putin will soon have to make the “tough choice” of siding with either Iran or Israel as he faces the twin challenge of protecting his regime and continuing with his invasion of Ukraine, an expert said.

Moscow’s continuing war in Ukraine will test its relationship with both Iran and Israel, according to Kimberly Kagan, the president for the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin faces ‘tough choice’ as Ukraine war threatens Russia-Israel relations

Zelensky cancels Israel visit over leaked plans

Wednesday 8 November 2023 03:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky cancelled a planned visit to Israel today after news of his apparent trip was leaked to Israeli media over the weekend, according to reports.

Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel cited diplomatic sources as saying the Ukrainian president was still due to visit the country, but no date had been set.

“If President Zelensky comes, he will be welcomed with open arms,” an Israeli official was reported as saying. A Ukrainian diplomat previously told The Times that Mr Zelenskyy was “very disappointed” by the leak.