Vladimir Putin has threatened to strike “decision-making centres” in Kyiv with Moscow’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Putin boasted Moscow’s production of advanced missile systems exceeds that of the Nato military alliance by 10 times, as he vowed to respond to the use of Western missiles by Ukraine.
Russian attacks have not so far struck government buildings in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv is heavily protected by air defences, but Putin says Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile is incapable of being intercepted.
“At present, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff are selecting targets to hit on Ukrainian territory,” Putin told the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Kazakhstan.
“These could be military facilities, defence and industrial enterprises, or decision-making centres in Kyiv.”
It comes as Russia’s “massive” aerial attack on energy infrastructure across Ukraine left at least one million people 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 across the country.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used cruise missiles with cluster munitions in Thursday’s attack, calling it a “vile escalation”.
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
- Putin says Russia could strike 'decision-making centres' in Kyiv
- 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
Putin praises Trump, questions whether he is safe after assassination attempts
03:16
Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump as an experienced and intelligent politician and questioned whether he was safe after attempts on his life.
Speaking to reporters after a summit in Kazakhstan, Mr Putin said he had also been shocked by how Mr Trump’s family and children had been criticised by political opponents during the US election campaign.
“In my opinion, he is not safe now,” Mr Putin said. “Unfortunately, in the history of the United States, various incidents have happened. I think he [Trump] is intelligent and I hope he’s cautious and understands this,” he said.
Russia downs 30 Ukrainian drones in Rostov region
03:04
Arpan Rai
Russian air defences downed 30 Ukrainian drones in the southern Rostov region early this morning, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said.
Some private homes in two villages had sustained some damage, but there were no casualties, Mr Slyusar said on his Telegram channel.
Analysis: Tulsi Gabbard’s history with Russia is even more concerning than you think
03:00
Jabed Ahmed
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy grid with missile attacks?
02:00
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine imposes first wartime tax hikes to fight Russian invasion
01:02
Jabed Ahmed
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed into law Ukraine's first wartime tax increases as the war against Russia reaches its 34th month.
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenkko said that the bill was vital to ensure smooth funding for the Ukrainian defence sector next year. The changes will take effect from 1 December, he said.
The government is raising the war tax for residents to 5% from 1.5% paid currently on personal income and is introducing the war tax for tens of thousands of individual entrepreneurs and small businesses.
It also increases some rental payments, taxes commercial banks' profits at 50%, and raises taxes on the profits of other financial institutions to 25%.
The tax increases would help raise about 140 billion hryvnias (£2.8 billion) in additional revenues next year to fund Ukraine's defence efforts at a critical juncture of the war as Kyiv is battling with a much bigger and better-equipped enemy.
Russia kills five Ukrainian prisoners of war, prosecutor general says
Thursday 28 November 2024 23:57
Jabed Ahmed
Russian forces have killed five Ukrainian prisoners of war in Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
In a statement on Facebook, the prosecutor general said an investigation has been launched after Russian forces shot five out of six captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Investigators also received a video of the moment the shooting was recorded, the prosecutor said.
Russia and Ukraine return children to families after mediation by Qatar
Thursday 28 November 2024 22:58
Jabed Ahmed
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to return to each other a total of nine children to be reunited with family members, according to a senior Russian official.
The transfers were agreed following mediation by Qatar, which has brokered several similar deals since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.
Russia’s commissioner for children, Maria Lvova-Belova, said on Thursday that six boys and one girl, aged six to 16, were being returned to relatives in Ukraine.
Ms Lvova-Belova said on Wednesday that Qatari mediation had also enabled the repatriation of two young Russian boys, aged seven and nine, from Ukraine.
Ukraine says about 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians since the war began, calling the abductions a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide.
Moscow says it has protected vulnerable children from the war zone.
New NATO chief Rutte says alliance ‘needs to go further’ in support for Ukraine
Thursday 28 November 2024 22:27
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine urged to lower army conscription age in fight against Russia
Thursday 28 November 2024 21:57
Jabed Ahmed
Putin says Ukrainian infrastructure attack was revenge for Kyiv's strikes on Russia
Thursday 28 November 2024 21:28
Jabed Ahmed
President Vladimir Putin has said that a massive Russian overnight attack on Ukrainian infrastructure was a response to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian regions using longer-range Western missiles.
Russia had unleashed its second big attack on Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure this month on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. This cut power to more than 1 million people in the west, south, and centre of the country.
Speaking in Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin told members of a security alliance made up of ex-Soviet states:
“Tonight we conducted a comprehensive strike using 90 missiles of similar classes and 100 drones. Seventeen targets were hit.
“These are military facilities, defence industry facilities and their support systems. Let me repeat once again: these strikes on our part also took place in response to the ongoing strikes (by Ukraine) on Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles. As I have already said many times, there will always be a response from our side.”
A Ukrainian video game set in Chernobyl is the target of a Russian misinformation operation
Thursday 28 November 2024 20:57
Jabed Ahmed
Polish company denies that it broke the law in sending Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine
Thursday 28 November 2024 20:28
Jabed Ahmed
A Polish company has strongly denied any laws were broken when it sent Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine.
Switzerland’s government said last week it was barring exports to Polish military hardware supplier UMO after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of Swiss-made small-calibre ammunition ended up in Ukraine.
The issue is sensitive because Swiss laws on neutrality and the export of war material ban the export or re-export of Swiss-owned or Swiss-made military hardware to countries in conflict.
Poland, in contrast, is one of neighbouring Ukraine‘s staunchest allies and has sought to help Kyiv defend itself against Russia’s invasion with arms supplies.
UMO, which specializes in hardware for the military and police, said it purchased ammunition in 2023 from a Swiss ammunition provider, SwissP Defence, and later exported the ammunition to Ukraine “in accordance with the Polish law.”
It argued that it did not break Swiss law either, saying that “the Swiss government handed over control of the goods to Polish law.”
Putin says Russia could strike 'decision-making centres' in Kyiv
Thursday 28 November 2024 19:57
Jabed Ahmed
Russia is selecting targets in Ukraine that could include “decision-making centres” in Kyiv in response to Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons, President Vladimir Putin has said.
Russian attacks have not so far struck government buildings in the Ukrainian capital. Air defences heavily protect Kyiv, but Putin says Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which it fired for the first time at a Ukrainian city last week, is incapable of being intercepted.
“Of course, we will respond to the ongoing strikes on Russian territory with long-range Western-made missiles, as has already been said, including by possibly continuing to test the Oreshnik in combat conditions, as was done on November 21,” Putin told a meeting of a security alliance of ex-Soviet countries in Kazakhstan.
“At present, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff are selecting targets to hit on Ukrainian territory. These could be military facilities, defence and industrial enterprises, or decision-making centres in Kyiv,” he said.
Pictured: Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire at energy infrastructure facility
Thursday 28 November 2024 19:28
Jabed Ahmed
Russian court sentences defence lawyer to seven years in prison over Ukraine war comments
Thursday 28 November 2024 18:59
Jabed Ahmed
A Russian court sentenced a defence lawyer who has represented critics of Moscow’s war in Ukraine to seven years in prison on Thursday under two statutes, spreading false information about the Russian army and “inciting hatred”, the court said.
Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence for Dmitry Talantov, 63, who plead not guilty, after he wrote Facebook posts which condemned the actions of Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia had called on Wednesday for Talantov’s acquittal.
“Talantov must be released immediately and exonerated of all criminal responsibility, as acts such as expressing a non-violent opinion or peaceful dissent against the war are protected by international human rights law,” Mariana Katzarova said.
Russia’s attack comes at critical juncture of war
Thursday 28 November 2024 18:29
Jabed Ahmed
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.
Russia attacked Ukraine's Naftogaz facilities in the morning, company says
Thursday 28 November 2024 18:00
Jabed Ahmed
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.
France declines to say whether it would arrest Putin under ICC warrant
Thursday 28 November 2024 17:44
Jabed Ahmed
France, which is under pressure over its stance on an international arrest warrant issued for Israel's prime minister, declined to say whether it would be prepared to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin under a similar warrant.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last week for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence chief and a Hamas military leader for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.
All European Union member states, including France, are signatories to the ICC's founding treaty but France said on Wednesday it believed Netanyahu had immunity to actions by the ICC as Israel has not signed up to the court statutes.
The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant against Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, although Russia is not a signatory to the ICC's founding treaty.
French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said on Thursday that France's legal position was essentially the same on the arrest warrants issued for Putin and Netanyahu.
Ukraine urges global response to Putin threats to attack Kyiv government sites
Thursday 28 November 2024 17:23
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine has urged the international community to react to Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to strike government targets in Kyiv, accusing him of "blackmail" intended to test the incoming Trump administration.
Putin had said Russia could use its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile to attack "decision-making centres" in Kyiv in response to Ukraine's firing of Western missiles at Russian territory.
"We expect those countries that have urged everyone to avert the expansion of the war to react to the statements voiced by Putin today," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.
Tykhyi described Putin's rhetoric as "blackmail" aimed at discouraging Kyiv's partners and testing US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to seek a swift end to the conflict without specifying how.
UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia for nearly three years, court told
Thursday 28 November 2024 17:02
Jabed Ahmed
A “sophisticated” UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia for nearly three years, a court has heard.
Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, allegedly carried out surveillance on individuals and places of interest to Russia.
The spying activities allegedly included locations in London, Vienna, Valencia, Montenegro and Stuttgart, jurors have heard.
Read the full report from our crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin below:
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy grid with missile attacks?
Thursday 28 November 2024 16:43
Jabed Ahmed
Putin says Russia would use all weapons at its disposal if Ukraine got nuclear weapons
Thursday 28 November 2024 16:14
Jabed Ahmed
President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would use all weapons at its disposal against Ukraine if Kyiv were to acquire nuclear arms.
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.
"If the country which we are essentially at war with now becomes a nuclear power, what do we do? In this case, we will use all, I want to emphasize this, precisely all means of destruction available to Russia. Everything: we will not allow it. We'll be watching their every move", Putin said during a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan.
"If officially someone were to transfer something, then that would mean a violation of all the non-proliferation commitments they have made," Putin said.
Putin also said it was practically impossible for Ukraine to produce a nuclear weapon, but that it might be able to make some kind of "dirty bomb", a conventional bomb laced with radioactive material in order to spread contamination. In that case, Russia would respond appropriately, he said.
Russia has repeatedly said, without providing evidence, that Ukraine might use such a device.
Putin says damage from U.S.-made ATACMS strikes on Russia was minimal
Thursday 28 November 2024 15:51
Jabed Ahmed
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia suffered only minimal damage from Ukrainian strikes on its territory using longer-range US-made ATACMS.
Putin was speaking in Astana, Kazakhstan, following a summit with leaders of a security alliance of ex-Soviet countries.
Presidential aide says Ukraine ready to host second peace summit soon
Thursday 28 November 2024 15:31
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine is ready to host a second global summit aimed at ending Russia's invasion in the "nearest future", the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Thursday, local media outlets reported.
Ukraine held its first "peace summit" in Switzerland in June, bringing together over 90 countries to draft a resolution based on Ukraine's proposed conditions to end the war.
However Russia was not invited to that summit and dismissed its deliberations as meaningless without Moscow's participation. It has also said it would not take part in any follow-up summit organised by Ukraine.
"Thanks to active work with our partners, a joint peace framework has already been developed, which will become the basis for the Second Peace Summit, and Ukraine is ready to hold it in the near future," Yermak told a conference, according to Ukrainian media.
China also stayed away from the June summit, while other major non-Western powers including India, Saudi Arabia and Mexico withheld their signatures from the summit communique, underlining the diplomatic challenge Kyiv faces in marshalling broader global support for its cause beyond its Western allies.
Germany offers re-deployment of Patriot air defence missiles to Poland
Thursday 28 November 2024 15:09
Jabed Ahmed
Germany has offered to re-deploy Patriot air defence missiles to NATO ally Poland at the start of the new year, the German defence ministry has said.
The units could be deployed for up to six months, the ministry said in a statement.
"With this we will protect a logistical hub in Poland which is of central importance for the delivery of materials to Ukraine," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.
From January to November 2022, Germany had already deployed 300 troops together with three Patriot units to Poland.
They were based in the town Zamosc, about 50 km (31 miles) from the Ukrainian border, to protect the southern town and its crucial railway link to Ukraine.
The deployment was triggered by a stray Ukrainian missile that struck the Polish village of Przewodow in November 2022, in an incident that raised fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the border.
Starmer speaks to Zelensky amid Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid
Thursday 28 November 2024 14:48
Jabed Ahmed
Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, as his country’s civilians face bombardment by Russian forces.
On social media site X, Mr Zelensky said he had informed the Prime Minister about “yet another act of Russian air terror targeting Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, involving over 90 missiles and nearly 100 drones”.
He added: “I expressed gratitude for the UK’s unwavering support, including the commitment to provide at least £3 billion annually for Ukraine’s needs. We discussed advancing our defence co-operation and strengthening Ukraine’s long-range capabilities.
“We also discussed Ukraine’s potential participation in the upcoming JEF (Joint Expeditionary Force) Summit in Tallinn next month and agreed to expedite preparations for the historic Partnership Agreement marking 100 years of Ukraine–UK relations.”
ICYMI: Trump taps retired army general for Ukraine envoy role
Thursday 28 November 2024 14:26
Jabed Ahmed
Donald Trump has tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine, to serve as a special envoy for the conflict, the president-elect wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Kellogg, who was the chief of staff for the White House National Security Council during Trump's 2017-2021 term and national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence, will likely play a central role in attempting to resolve the conflict in his new position.
While there is currently no special envoy for the war in Ukraine, Trump had privately expressed interest in creating the position.
Ukraine air force reports 12 Russian strikes, most on energy facilities
Thursday 28 November 2024 14:04
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine's air force has said that Russia made 12 strikes on Ukrainian targets in an overnight aerial attack which mostly targeted fuel and energy infrastructure.
Russia fired a large number of missiles and drones which overwhelmed air defences in some places, the air force said.
It shot down 79 Russian missiles, it said earlier.
Russia kills five Ukrainian prisoners of war, prosecutor general says
Thursday 28 November 2024 13:41
Jabed Ahmed
Russian forces have killed five Ukrainian prisoners of war in Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
In a statement on Facebook, the prosecutor general said an investigation has been launched after Russian forces shot five out of six captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Investigators also received a video of the moment the shooting was recorded, the prosecutor said.
Russia and Ukraine return children to families after mediation by Qatar
Thursday 28 November 2024 13:23
Jabed Ahmed
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to return to each other a total of nine children to be reunited with family members, according to a senior Russian official.
The transfers were agreed following mediation by Qatar, which has brokered several similar deals since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.
Russia’s commissioner for children, Maria Lvova-Belova, said on Thursday that six boys and one girl, aged six to 16, were being returned to relatives in Ukraine.
Ms Lvova-Belova said on Wednesday that Qatari mediation had also enabled the repatriation of two young Russian boys, aged seven and nine, from Ukraine.
Ukraine says about 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians since the war began, calling the abductions a war crime that meets the U.N. treaty definition of genocide.
Moscow says it has protected vulnerable children from the war zone.
Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves among 15 cabinet ministers banned from entering Russia in new sanctions
Thursday 28 November 2024 13:04
Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report below:
Pictured: Russian overnight attacks on Odessa, Ukraine
Thursday 28 November 2024 12:48
Jabed Ahmed
A Ukrainian video game set in Chernobyl is the target of a Russian misinformation operation
Thursday 28 November 2024 12:29
Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report below:
Polish company denies that it broke the law in sending Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine
Thursday 28 November 2024 12:13
Jabed Ahmed
A Polish company has strongly denied any laws were broken when it sent Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine.
Switzerland’s government said last week it was barring exports to Polish military hardware supplier UMO after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of Swiss-made small-calibre ammunition ended up in Ukraine.
The issue is sensitive because Swiss laws on neutrality and the export of war material ban the export or re-export of Swiss-owned or Swiss-made military hardware to countries in conflict.
Poland, in contrast, is one of neighbouring Ukraine‘s staunchest allies and has sought to help Kyiv defend itself against Russia’s invasion with arms supplies.
UMO, which specializes in hardware for the military and police, said it purchased ammunition in 2023 from a Swiss ammunition provider, SwissP Defence, and later exported the ammunition to Ukraine “in accordance with the Polish law.”
It argued that it did not break Swiss law either, saying that “the Swiss government handed over control of the goods to Polish law.”
Putin says Ukrainian infrastructure attack was revenge for Kyiv's strikes on Russia
Thursday 28 November 2024 11:50
Jabed Ahmed
President Vladimir Putin has said that a massive Russian overnight attack on Ukrainian infrastructure was a response to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian regions using longer-range Western missiles.
Russia had unleashed its second big attack on Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure this month on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. This cut power to more than 1 million people in the west, south, and centre of the country.
Speaking in Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin told members of a security alliance made up of ex-Soviet states:
“Tonight we conducted a comprehensive strike using 90 missiles of similar classes and 100 drones. Seventeen targets were hit.
“These are military facilities, defence industry facilities and their support systems. Let me repeat once again: these strikes on our part also took place in response to the ongoing strikes (by Ukraine) on Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles. As I have already said many times, there will always be a response from our side.”
Putin says Russia could strike 'decision-making centres' in Kyiv
Thursday 28 November 2024 11:35
Jabed Ahmed
Russia is selecting targets in Ukraine that could include “decision-making centres” in Kyiv in response to Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons, President Vladimir Putin has said.
Russian attacks have not so far struck government buildings in the Ukrainian capital. Air defences heavily protect Kyiv, but Putin says Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which it fired for the first time at a Ukrainian city last week, is incapable of being intercepted.
“Of course, we will respond to the ongoing strikes on Russian territory with long-range Western-made missiles, as has already been said, including by possibly continuing to test the Oreshnik in combat conditions, as was done on November 21,” Putin told a meeting of a security alliance of ex-Soviet countries in Kazakhstan.
“At present, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff are selecting targets to hit on Ukrainian territory. These could be military facilities, defence and industrial enterprises, or decision-making centres in Kyiv,” he said.
Russian court sentences defence lawyer to seven years in prison over Ukraine war comments
Thursday 28 November 2024 10:59
Tara Cobham
A Russian court sentenced a defence lawyer who has represented critics of Moscow's war in Ukraine to seven years in prison on Thursday under two statutes, spreading false information about the Russian army and "inciting hatred", the court said.
Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence for Dmitry Talantov, 63, who plead not guilty, after he wrote Facebook posts which condemned the actions of Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia had called on Wednesday for Talantov's acquittal.
"Talantov must be released immediately and exonerated of all criminal responsibility, as acts such as expressing a non-violent opinion or peaceful dissent against the war are protected by international human rights law," Mariana Katzarova said.
In pictures: Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish fire at energy infrastructure facility
Thursday 28 November 2024 10:34
Tara Cobham
Russia’s attack comes at critical juncture of war
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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’
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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
Thursday 28 November 2024 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.”
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