Russia’s “massive” attack on energy infrastructure across Ukraine has been condemned by Volodymyr Zelensky as a “vile escalation” as at least one million people have been left without power.
In Russia’s second big attack on Ukraine’s energy grid this month, damage to the energy and other critical infrastructure was reported by officials in Lviv, Volyn, Rivne and Khmelnytskyi regions in the west, the Mykolayiv and Kherson regions in the south, and Zhytomyr region in the centre.
The Ukrainian President said Russia used cruise missiles with cluster munitions in Thursday's attack, calling it a “vile escalation”.
The strike – the 11th major one on the Ukrainian energy system since March – reinforced fears of long power cuts during the winter months as temperatures across Ukraine hover around zero.
Russia had knocked out about half of Ukraine’s available generating capacity, damaged the distribution system and forced long blackouts.
“Energy infrastructure is once again targeted by the enemy’s massive strike,” Ukrainian energy minister Herman Halushchenko said on Facebook.
Ukrainian air defence shot down 79 out of 91 Russian missiles and downed 35 drones, the air force said.
It comes as a former Ukrainian foreign minister said Vladimir Putin will not accept a peace deal pushed by US president-elect Donald Trump, because the Russian president is “obsessed” with “crushing” Ukraine and exposing the weakness of the West.
Key Points
- Zelensky says Russia used cluster munitions to attack power sector and condemns ‘vile escalation’
- Russia mounts second big attack on energy sites this month leaving one million people without power
- Thousands without power as Russia mounts ‘massive’ missile attack on Ukraine
- Vladimir Putin ‘won’t accept Trump peace deal’ as he is ‘obsessed with crushing Ukraine’
- Ex-MI6 chief says we are in ‘actual war’ with Russia
- Trump’s Ukraine aid cut would be ‘death sentence’ for Kyiv’s military, says Russia
Russia’s attack comes at critical juncture of war
10:24
Tara Cobham
The war that broke out when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 is now at a critical juncture, with Russian ground forces advancing at their fastest pace so far this year in eastern Donetsk region.
Russia fired a new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile on Ukraine this month in response to the US and Britain allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons.
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not want peace. We must force him into peace through strength," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, reiterating Kyiv's call for more air defence and long-range capabilities from its Western allies.
Almost 200 missiles and drones launched at Ukraine by Russia, says Zelensky
10:08
Tara Cobham
Russia launched almost 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine in its latest attack on the countrys energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
In a post on X this morning, he said: “In total, approximately 100 strike drones and over 90 missiles of various types were launched.
“Several regions reported Kalibr missile strikes with cluster munitions, deliberately aimed at civilian infrastructure.
“The use of these cluster elements significantly complicates the work of our rescuers and power engineers in mitigating the damage, marking yet another vile escalation in Russia’s terrorist tactics.”
The Commander of the Air Force, along with the Ministers of Internal Affairs and Energy, provided reports regarding the aftermath of the latest Russian strike targeting our energy infrastructure. In total, approximately 100 strike drones and over 90 missiles of various types were… pic.twitter.com/gClYnks7or
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 28, 2024
Russia attacked Ukraine's Naftogaz facilities in the morning, company says
10:00
Tara Cobham
Ukraine's state oil and gas firm Naftogaz has said that Russian forces attacked its facilities in the morning missile strike, but it will not affect the company's work.
"Our employees and contracted services are dealing with the consequences of the damage," Naftogaz said on the Telegram messenger on Wednesday.
Russia mounts second big attack on energy sites this month leaving one million people without power
09:43
Tara Cobham
Russia unleashed its second big attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this month on Thursday, cutting power to more than 1 million people in the west, south, and center of the country, officials said.
Damage to the energy and other critical infrastructure was reported by officials in Lviv, Volyn, Rivne and Khmelnytskyi regions in the west, the Mykolayiv and Kherson regions in the south, and Zhytomyr region in the centre.
The attack reinforced fears of long power cuts during the winter months as temperatures across Ukraine hover around zero.
"Another Russian missile and drone barrage, targeting civilians and energy grid, causing power outages across Ukraine," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
Ukrainian officials said it was the 11th major strike on the Ukrainian energy system since March. Russia had knocked out about half of Ukraine's available generating capacity, damaged the distribution system and forced long blackouts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia used cruise missiles with cluster munitions in Thursday's attack, calling it a "despicable escalation".
Ukrainian air defence shot down 79 out of 91 Russian missiles and downed 35 drones, the air force said.
A source in the energy sector source said Ukraine disconnected several nuclear power units from the network amid the Russian attack. Ukraine relies on nuclear generation for more than 50 per cent of its electricity supplies.
The capital Kyiv was targeted but all missiles or drones were downed, officials said.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Thursday's attack. Russia denies targeting civilian targets.
Russia returns seven children to Ukraine after mediation by Qatar, state news agency reports
09:30
Tara Cobham
Russia returned seven children to Ukraine following mediation efforts by Qatar, the TASS state news agency reported on Thursday.
Qatar has acted as a mediator several times between Russia and Ukraine to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children since the start of the war.
Zelensky says Russia used cluster munitions to attack power sector and condemns ‘vile escalation’
09:18
Tara Cobham
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia used cruise missiles with cluster munitions to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Thursday, calling it a "vile escalation."
Zelenskiy reiterated his call to Kyiv's Western allies to provide more air defence and ensure timely deliveries, especially during critical winter months as Ukraine struggles to protect its energy infrastructure from the strikes.
Ukraine’s military says it downed 79 missiles and 35 drones during Russia’s attack
09:07
Tara Cobham
Ukraine's air force has said it shot down 79 out of 91 missiles launched by Russia during its attack targeting the country's energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian military shot down 35 drones and lost track of 62 out of 97 drones launched by Russia in the attack, it said on Thursday.
Ukraine disconnected several nuclear power units amid Russian attack, Ukraine source says
09:06
Tara Cobham
Ukraine disconnected several nuclear power units from the network amid Russian attacks on energy infrastructure on Thursday, a Ukrainian energy industry source told Reuters.
One million people without power in western Ukraine after Russian attack
08:13
Arpan Rai
At least one million people are without any power after Russian attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight across three western region, officials said.
The attacks cut power to 523,000 consumers in Lviv region, about 215,000 in Volyn region and over 280,000 in Rivne region, their governors reported on the Telegram channels.
This morning, another massive strike was carried out on Ukraine’s energy and civilian infrastructure. Emergency power outages have been introduced across all regions. At the moment, over a million people in Rivne, Volyn and Lviv regions are without electricity. 2 people were… pic.twitter.com/R1hmUPJaAs
— Гюндуз Мамедов/Gyunduz Mamedov (@MamedovGyunduz) November 28, 2024
Thousands without power as Russia mounts ‘massive’ missile attack on Ukraine
08:03
Arpan Rai
Russia hit Ukraine with a “massive” missile attack on energy infrastructure across several cities overnight, officials said. It represents Russia’s second big attack on the besieged country’s energy grid this month.
Officials confirmed massive blasts and power cuts across the country, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
“Energy infrastructure is once again targeted by the enemy’s massive strike,” Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook. Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo introduced emergency power cuts amid the attack, Mr Galushchenko said.
Ukraine’s top private power company DTEK said the power cuts impacted the capital as well as the Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.
During the overnight missile attack on the western Rivne region, governor Oleksandr Koval said 280,000 consumers experienced power cuts. He also reported interruptions in water supply without elaborating on damage.
The mayor of the western town of Lutsk reported power cuts after several strikes, adding that the services were working to connect water and heating infrastructure to alternative power sources.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a missile strike on the city damaged a business facility and windows in an apartment building.
The missile attack on the northeastern Sumy region targeted infrastructure, regional authorities said. Debris in Kyiv fell on the grounds of a business and dealt minor damage to several buildings and a truck, the Kyiv city military administration said.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, particularly during the winter months of the almost three-year-long war, which have triggered long power cuts for ordinary civilians.
Russia warns US against 'spiral of escalation' but says it will keep channels open
08:00
Andy Gregory
Russia has issued a warning to the United States to halt what it called a “spiral of escalation” over Ukraine – but said it would keep informing Washington about test missile launches in order to avoid “dangerous mistakes”.
Speaking just days after Russia lowered its doctrinal threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and launched what it described as a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukraine, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said: “The signal is very clear and obvious – stop.
“You should not do this any more, you mustn’t supply Kyiv with everything they want, don’t encourage them towards new military adventures, they are too dangerous,” Russian state media quoted Mr Ryabkov as saying.
“The current [US] administration must stop this spiral of escalation,” Mr Ryabkov added. “They simply must, otherwise the situation will become too dangerous for everyone, including the United States itself.”
Russia downs 25 Ukrainian drones overnight
07:02
Arpan Rai
Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 25 Ukrainian drones overnight over four regions, its defence ministry said this morning.
Of these, 14 drones were destroyed over the Krasnodar region, six over the Bryansk region, three over Moscow-annexed Crimea and two over the Rostov region, it said.
Krasnodar’s regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, wrote on Telegram that two districts in the southern Russian region were subjected to a “massive drone attack” overnight. One civilian was injured, he said.
A local Telegram channel published footage showing an object crashing into a building in the town of Slavyansk-na-Kubani, followed by a loud boom and fireball.
Analysis: Tulsi Gabbard’s history with Russia is even more concerning than you think
07:00
Andy Gregory
In the summer of 2015, three Syrian girls who had narrowly survived an airstrike some weeks earlier stood before Tulsi Gabbard with horrific burns all over their bodies.
Gabbard, then a US congresswoman on a visit to the Syria-Turkey border as part of her duties for the foreign affairs committee, had a question for them.
“How do you know it was Bashar al-Assad or Russia that bombed you, and not Isis?’” she asked, according to Mouaz Moustafa, a Syrian activist who was translating her conversation with the girls.
Richard Hall and Andrew Feinberg write:
Russian official claims Ukraine peace can only be agreed on Putin’s terms
06:36
Arpan Rai
A senior Russian official has said any peace deal on the war in Ukraine will have to be made on Vladimir Putin’s terms, the latest display of bravado from the Kremlin amid strong Russian territorial gains in the Donbas.
Peace in Ukraine can be negotiated if the United States and the West recognise that there are no alternatives to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s offer, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said today, according to the state-run RIA news agency.
Mr Putin’s offer is the only option to end the war, he said.
His remarks comes a day after Ukraine’s former foreign minister said Vladimir Putin will not accept a peace deal pushed by US president-elect Donald Trump, because the Russian president is “obsessed” with “crushing” Ukraine and exposing the weakness of the West.
Full story: Russia expels British diplomat after accusing him of spying
06:00
Andy Gregory
Russian authorities on Tuesday ordered a British diplomat to leave the country on allegations of spying as tensions soar over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the top domestic security and counterintelligence agency, said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the diplomat, identified as Edward Pryor Wilkes, had provided false personal data while seeking permission to enter the country.
The agency, known under its Russian acronym FSB, alleged that he has worked for British intelligence under diplomatic cover, replacing one of the six British diplomats who were expelled from Russia in August. The FSB alleged that Wilkes was involved in “intelligence and subversive activities that threatened the security of the Russian Federation.”
Read the full story here:
Russian cruise missiles hit power infrastructure across Ukraine
05:39
Arpan Rai
Russia has targeted energy infrastructure in several Ukrainian cities in a “massive” overnight attack using cruise missiles, Ukrainian officials said this morning.
Explosions were heard in the cities of Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, Kharkiv, Rivne and Lutsk this morning, Ukrainian news outlets Zerkalo Tyzhnya and Suspilne said.
“Energy infrastructure is once again targeted by the enemy’s massive strike,” Ukrainian energy minister Herman Halushchenko said on Facebook.
“The enemy continues to attack Kharkiv with missiles,” that city’s mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on the Telegram channel.Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper urged residents to stay in shelter in a separate message.
Residents try to repair shattered lives in Russian-held eastern Ukraine
05:00
Reuters
In the shattered Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, which Russian forces took in February this year, some of the few residents left said they were trying to rebuild their lives, though the scars of war – and the tears they provoke – remain.
Reuters footage, some of the first visuals by an international media organisation, showed destroyed buildings and vast amounts of rubble dusted with snow. Abandoned family pictures and clothes littered ruined apartments.
In a newly renovated apartment building in the city, Florida Troshina, a Russian-speaking Ukrainian, wept over the death of her daughter, killed just two days before Russian troops arrived.
Others told of the deprivations of living in a ruined city, which is known as Avdeyevka by Russian speakers.
"I just wanted to get out of the basement," Tatiana Golovina said in Russian, adding that she was pleased to be moving back above ground.
"It is hard there. There is no light, the lighting is bad, we have battery-powered lamps there - at least it is warm here," Golovina said.
Avdiivka, once a city of more than 37,000, was largely abandoned during the fighting though some residents endured the war and stayed.
"I think, starting from next year we will have the opportunity to approach in detail how and at what pace, what Avdiivka will look like in a post-military period, how it will be linked to the development of Donetsk," said Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of the surrounding Donetsk region.
Trump’s Ukraine aid cut would be ‘death sentence’ for Kyiv’s military, says Russia
04:59
Arpan Rai
Any decision by Donald Trump’s incoming administration to cut support for Ukraine would be a “death sentence” for the Ukrainian army, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador said.
“Even if we’re to lay to one side the prediction that Donald Trump will cut assistance to Ukraine, which for the Ukrainian army would essentially be a death sentence, it is becoming clearer that he and his team will, in any case, conduct an audit of the assistance provided to Kyiv,” said Dmitry Polyanskiy, the deputy UN envoy said, speaking at the UN security council.
Mr Polyanskiy said Volodymyr Zelensky was terrified of the return of Trump in January, and had reason to be so.
He also accused the outgoing Biden administration of trying through its increased support to Ukraine to create a “mess, both in Russia and with the new team in the White House.”
Ex-MI6 chief says we are in ‘actual war’ with Russia
04:35
Arpan Rai
Europe is no longer in a “pre-war situation” with Russia, but “an actual war”, the former head of MI6 said.
“I think we have to face up to the fact that the Russians think they’re in a state of war with us,” Sir Richard Dearlove told tonight’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge as he disagreed with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk’s remarks of Europe being in a pre-war era.
“Donald Tusk has referred to it as a pre-war situation. I think he’s wrong. I think it’s an actual war. We’ve seen already quite clearly some very aggressive moves on the part of the Russians in various European countries,” he told Sky News.
The UK should be on alert for possible acts of sabotage, he warned.
Trump picks longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
04:15
Arpan Rai
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Mr Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, and said “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!”
Mr Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February.
The 80 year-old retired Army lieutenant general has long been Mr Trump’s top adviser on defence issues, served as national security adviser to vice president Mike Pence, was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Mr Trump after Michael Flynn resigned.
As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Mr Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations.
Ukraine should lower fighting age to 18 against Russia, says US
04:02
Arpan Rai
Ukraine should consider lowering the age of military service for its soldiers to 18 from 25, a senior US administration official said.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said Ukraine was not mobilising or training enough new soldiers to replace those lost on the battlefield, according to Reuters. “The need right now is manpower,” he said.
“The Russians are in fact making progress, steady progress, in the east, and they are beginning to push back Ukrainian lines in Kursk... Mobilisation and more manpower could make a significant difference at this time as we look at the battlefield today.”
However, a source in president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said the country did not have what it needed to equip the troops it was mobilising now.
“Right now, with our current mobilisation efforts, we don’t have enough equipment, for example armoured vehicles, to support all the troops we are calling up,” the source said. “We cannot compensate for our partners’ delays in decision-making and supply chains with the lives of our soldiers and of the youngest of our guys.”
Kremlin aide says he doesn’t know of any contacts yet with Trump’s team
04:00
Andy Gregory
A senior Kremlin aide said on Tuesday he was not aware of any contacts yet between President Vladimir Putin's office and the team of US president-elect Donald Trump.
Putin has publicly congratulated Trump on defeating Kamala Harris in this month's election and has said he is willing to talk to him. Trump told NBC on 7 November he had not spoke with Putin since his election victory but "I think we'll speak".
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters: "There are no contacts going on with Trump's team yet, as far as I know."
Trump said repeatedly during his election campaign that he could bring a swift end to the Ukraine war, but without saying how. Putin said on 7 November that what Trump had said "deserves attention, at least".
Biden readies $725m arms aid package for Ukraine
03:09
Arpan Rai
The Biden administration is preparing a $725m weapons package for Ukraine, two US officials told Reuters yesterday, as the outgoing president seeks to bolster the government in Kyiv before leaving office in January.
According to an official familiar with the plan, the Biden administration plans to provide a variety of anti-tank weapons from US stocks to blunt Russia’s advancing troops, including land mines, drones, Stinger missiles and ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
Ukrainian drones hit Krasnodar in Russia in overnight attack
03:06
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian drones attacked two districts of Russia’s southern region of Krasnodar in the early hours of Thursday, its governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram.
At least one person has been wounded by the debris from a downed drone, he said.
Russia wants a long-term peace in Ukraine, Putin's spy chief says
03:00
Andy Gregory
Russia opposes simply freezing the conflict in Ukraine because Moscow needs a "solid and long-term peace" that resolves the core reasons for the crisis, President Vladimir Putin's foreign intelligence chief has claimed.
Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said that Russia had the initiative on the battlefield.
Naryshkin said Russia was categorically opposed to the "freezing of the conflict", adding that Russia wanted a long-term peace. Russia is open for talks, Naryshkin said.
Ukraine faces difficult winter
02:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine faces a difficult winter, with worries about the reliability of the electricity supply amid Russia’s attacks and how much US support it can count on next year after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
Russia has been hammering civilian areas of Ukraine with increasingly heavy drone, missile and glide bomb attacks since the middle of the year.
At the same time, Russia's army has largely held the battlefield initiative for the past year and has been pushing hard in the eastern Donetsk region where it is making significant tactical advances, according to Western military analysts.
Father of ex-British soldier captured by Russia fears son will be tortured after fighting for Ukraine
01:00
Andy Gregory
‘You cannot approve ICC when it goes against Putin and oppose it when it goes against Netanyahu,’ says Borrell
Wednesday 27 November 2024 23:59
Andy Gregory
Josep Borrell has said “you cannot approve the court when it goes against Putin and oppose it when it goes against Netanyahu”, referring to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The comments from the Vice President of the EU Commission comes after some countries rejected the court’s warrant for the Israeli prime minister’s arrest.
Watch: Ukrainian boxer Klitschko accuses Joe Rogan of pushing Russian propaganda
Wednesday 27 November 2024 23:11
Andy Gregory
Nato backs Ukraine after Russian ballistic missile launch
Wednesday 27 November 2024 22:35
Andy Gregory
Nato members reaffirmed their support for Ukraine during talks with the country’s officials yesterday, held in response to Russia’s launch of an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile.
“The chief of the defence intelligence of Ukraine and acting commander of the air force joined the meeting online and briefed the allies on the details of the attack and its possible consequences,” Nataliia Galibarenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Nato, said in a statement.
Ambassadors representing Nato’s 32 member countries were briefed by senior Ukrainian officials after Kyiv called a meeting of the Nato-Ukraine Council, a forum for cooperation.
“They emphasised to the partners that this outrageous attack was a blatant demonstration of force by Russia and a fruitless attempt to intimidate the allies,” she added.
Vladimir Putin said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new intermediate-range, hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the US and UK’s allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons.
Sixty British troops investigate mystery drones flying over US airbases in England
Wednesday 27 November 2024 22:02
Andy Gregory
Dozens of British soldiers have been drafted in to help the US find out who is responsible for flying more mystery drones over three air bases in England.
A small number of drones were spotted overnight flying over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, United States Air Force (USAF) confirmed on Tuesday.
Sources told the PA news agency around 60 troops have been deployed to help USAF in its investigation of the incident.
Exclusive: Starmer urged by his own MPs to accelerate European defence cooperation
Wednesday 27 November 2024 21:33
Andy Gregory
Sir Keir Starmer has been pressed by his own MPs to go faster in pursuing closer relations with Europe on defence and security, amid an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and fears for global security.
Calvin Bailey, who served in the RAF for 24 years and is now the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, called for “an acceleration of the government’s work to rebuild our partnerships on the continent” in order to promote security at home and abroad.
He told The Independent that the UK should prioritise cooperation with Europe in Labour’s Strategic Defence Review – a “root and branch review” of UK defence – launched by Sir Keir when he took office.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has more in this exclusive report:
Ukraine needs around 130,000 more troops, US official suggests
Wednesday 27 November 2024 20:55
via AP newswire
Joe Biden’s administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilisation laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18.
A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said on Wednesday that the outgoing US administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilisation age to 18 from the current age of 25 to help expand the pool of fighting age men available to Kyiv.
The White House has pushed more than $56bn in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months.
But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its manpower if it is going to stay in the fight with Russia.
The official said the Ukrainians believe they need about 160,000 additional troops, but the US administration believes they probably will need more.
ICYMI: Russia expels British diplomat for ‘spying’
Wednesday 27 November 2024 20:15
Andy Gregory
Russia has expelled a British diplomat for spying in an accusation denied by London as a fresh row erupts in the latest blow to relations between the two countries.
The Russian FSB security service named the diplomat, whose photo was splashed across TV news bulletins, as Edward Wilkes and alleged he had intentionally provided false information when he entered Russia – a claim disputed by the UK Foreign Office as “malicious and baseless”.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff. We will respond in due course.”
My colleague Tara Cobham has more in this report:
US urges Ukraine to lower fighting age to 18 to bolster ranks, official says
Wednesday 27 November 2024 19:43
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian officials should consider lowering the age for its soldiers to 18 years old, a senior US administration official has said.
In comments to Reuters, the US official warned that Ukraine is not mobilising or training enough new soldiers for its war with Russia.
Watch: Zelensky hits out at ‘insane neighbour’ claiming Putin is ‘searching world for weapons’
Wednesday 27 November 2024 19:09
Andy Gregory
Poland detains German citizen for exporting dual-use goods to Russia
Wednesday 27 November 2024 18:40
Andy Gregory
Poland has detained a German citizen and charged the suspect with brokering and exporting dual-use goods to Russia.
“The German citizen traded in specialist machines used in the technological industry, which – through his company – were illegally sent to Russian military plants involved in the production of weapons,” the Internal Security Agency said.
“The suspect pleaded guilty and filed a motion for voluntary submission to punishment.”
A German foreign office source said the embassy in Warsaw was in touch with Polish authorities and working urgently to get details.
European Union sanctions levied against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine include a ban on selling to Russia certain dual-use goods and technologies that have both civilian and military applications.
The Internal Security Agency statement did not specify the article of the criminal code under which the suspect was charged and it was not immediately clear what penalty he faces.
Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security, Swedish PM says
Wednesday 27 November 2024 17:59
Andy Gregory
Europe needs to take a greater responsibility for its own security, Swedish premier Ulf Kristersson has warned, as his nation joined numerous others in jointly vowing to bolster aid to Ukraine.
“That is preconditioned on us increasing our cooperation and continuing to support Ukraine, which is fighting for both its own and our security, over the long term,” he said in a statement issued shortly after the agreement was struck.
Nordic and Baltic states vow to take tougher stance on Russia
Wednesday 27 November 2024 17:22
Andy Gregory
The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Sweden have all committed to step up their support for Ukraine and invest in making more ammunition available for Kyiv.
“We are committed to strengthening our deterrence, and defence, including resilience, against conventional as well as hybrid attacks, and to expanding sanctions against Russia as well as against those who enable Russia’s aggression,” the nations’ leaders said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The leaders were meeting at the Swedish government’s country retreat in Harpsund, southwest of Stockholm, for talks covering transatlantic relations, regional security cooperation and a common policy on the war in Ukraine.
Aid from the Nordics, Baltics and Poland totals around €24bn, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker, second only to the United States in absolute terms.
Full report: Imprisoned Kremlin critic stands a second trial for opposing Ukraine war
Wednesday 27 November 2024 16:54
Andy Gregory
Imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Gorinov – the first known Russian jailed under a new wartime law effectively banning criticism of Moscow’s military – appeared in court on Wednesday for a second trial for opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine, an independent news site reported.
The new trial against Mr Gorinov, a 63-year-old former member of a Moscow municipal council who is suffering from a chronic lung condition, is the latest in the unrelenting crackdown against dissent that the Kremlin unleashed after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Dasha Litvinova has more in this report:
UK broadcaster Jeremy Kyle cuts off caller who defends Putin during live interview
Wednesday 27 November 2024 16:27
Andy Gregory
Nordics, Baltics and Poland to bolster support and increase ammunition to Ukraine
Wednesday 27 November 2024 15:59
Andy Gregory
The Nordic states, the three Baltic republics and Poland have said in a joint statement that they will step up their support for Ukraine and make more ammunition available to Kyiv in the coming months.
Trump eyes retired General Keith Kellogg for Ukraine envoy, sources say
Wednesday 27 November 2024 15:35
Andy Gregory
Donald Trump is considering retired lieutenant general Keith Kellogg, who has presented the US president-elect with a plan to end the war in Ukraine, to serve as a special envoy for the conflict, three sources with knowledge of the matter have told Reuters.
Mr Kellogg, who was the chief of staff for the White House National Security Council during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, would likely play a central role in attempting to resolve the conflict if he is selected.
Mr Kellogg’s plan for ending the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory, involves freezing the battle lines at their prevailing locations and forcing both Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June.
There is currently no special envoy for the conflict, but Trump is likely to create the position, said all the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
Richard Grenell – Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence, who has advocated for the creation of “autonomous zones” as a means of settling the conflict – is also in the running, Reuters reported on Friday. One of the sources with knowledge of Mr Kellogg’s potential appointment said Mr Grenell still appeared to be the frontrunner.
Russia expels two German journalists in tit-for-tat retaliation, ministry says
Wednesday 27 November 2024 15:11
Andy Gregory
Moscow claims to have revoked the accreditation of two journalists with German broadcaster ARD and ordered them to leave Russia – in what it described as a retaliation to German authorities’ move targeting two Russian state TV employees.
Maria Zakharova told a briefing in Moscow that it may issue accreditation to other ARD employees if German authorities allow journalists from Russia’s Channel One to work in Berlin.
Germany’s foreign ministry denied the federal government had shut Channel One’s office, as the Russian broadcaster has claimed.
“The federal government has not closed the office of this broadcaster,” a spokesperson said. “Russian journalists can report freely and unhindered in Germany.”
“I can only surmise that this has to do with questions of residence status,” but those are not dealt with by federal authorities in Germany and state authorities make their decisions independently, the spokesperson added
Channel One has been under European Union sanctions since December 2022 as tensions soared between Moscow and the West over Russia’s military action in Ukraine. The EU sanctions prevent it from broadcasting in Europe but don’t affect the presence of staff who work for it in Berlin.
Commenting on the decision to strip ARD employees in Moscow of their accreditation, Wagner said: “If this report is true, then we would, of course, condemn it in the strongest terms.”
Russia says it will respond if US places missiles in Japan
Wednesday 27 November 2024 14:51
Andy Gregory
Russia has said that a move by the United States to station missiles in Japan would threaten Russian security and prompt Moscow to retaliate.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday that Japan and the US aim to compile a joint military plan for a possible Taiwan emergency that includes deploying missiles.
It cited unnamed US and Japanese sources as saying that under the plan, Washington would deploy missile units to the Nansei Islands of Japan’s southwestern Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures, and to the Philippines.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Japan of escalating the situation around Taiwan to justify the expansion of military ties with Washington.
“We have repeatedly warned the Japanese side that if, as a result of such cooperation, American medium-range missiles appear on its territory, this will pose a real threat to the security of our country and we will be forced to take the necessary, adequate steps to strengthen our own defense capability,” she said.
Russia says it would be ‘insane’ for West to give Ukraine nuclear weapons
Wednesday 27 November 2024 14:50
Andy Gregory
The Russian foreign ministry has warned that an idea reportedly being floated in the West that the United States should give Ukraine nuclear weapons is “insane” and could bring the world to “the brink of catastrophe”.
The New York Times reported last week that some unidentified Western officials had suggested US president Joe Biden could give Ukraine nuclear weapons before he leaves office.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, said it was in the interests of all responsible governments to ensure that such a scenario, which she called “suicidal”, did not unfold.
“We regard this as insanity,” Ms Zakharova told reporters. “This is absolute insanity being foisted upon a certain part of the political establishment in Ukraine by Westerners.”
“Irresponsible actions” by Ukraine and its Western backers could bring the world to “the brink of catastrophe”, she warned.
Listen | Starmer denies UK at war after Ukraine fires British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia
Wednesday 27 November 2024 14:09
Andy Gregory
South Korea calls for joint response to North Korean threat
Wednesday 27 November 2024 13:49
Andy Gregory
South Korea’s president has called for a joint response to the threat posed by North Korea’s recent dispatch of more than 10,000 soldiers to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, as he met with a Kyiv delegation pushing Seoul to provide military aid.
During the meeting with the delegation led by defence minister Rustem Umerov, president Yoon Suk Yeol said he hoped that Seoul and Kiev will work out effective ways to cope with the security threat posed by the North Korean-Russian military cooperation, Mr Yoon’s office said.
The two nations agreed to continue to share information on the North Korean troops in Russia and North Korean-Russian weapons and technology transfers while closely coordinating with the United States, a statement said – but did not mention whether the possible supply of weapons was discussed.
Russia is still working to deploy Sarmat intercontinental missile, TASS says
Wednesday 27 November 2024 13:12
Reuters
Russia is continuing work to put its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile – part of its strategic nuclear arsenal – on combat duty, state news agency Tass has said.
The RS-28 Sarmat missile is designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe, but its development has been dogged by delays and testing setbacks.
In September, arms experts said Russia appeared to have suffered a catastrophic failure in the missile's latest test, leaving a deep crater at the launch silo.
Russian minister claims Oreshnik missile launch needed to make Moscow’s voice heard
Wednesday 27 November 2024 12:56
Andy Gregory
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that the use of the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine was needed to make Moscow’s voice heard.
State news agency RIA quoted Mr Ryabkov as saying that Russia did not believe that the time for negotiations with the West had passed, but that it now needed to use stronger methods in order to get its point heard clearly.