Ukraine-Russia war live: Zelensky warns Ukrainians to prepare for ‘winter onslaught’ from Putin’s forces

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Ukrainians on Sunday to prepare for new waves of Russian attacks on infrastructure as winter approached and said troops were anticipating an onslaught in the eastern theatre of the war.

Zelensky issued his warning during his nightly video address a day after Russian forces carried out their first missile attack on the capital, Kyiv in some seven weeks.

“We are almost half way through November and must be prepared for the fact that the enemy may increase the number of drone or missile strikes on our infrastructure,” Zelensky said.

Last winter about 10 months into Russia’s invasion of neighbour Ukraine, Russia made waves of attacks on power stations and other plants inked to the energy network, prompting rolling blackouts in widely separated regions.

It comes as Putin’s forces have ramped up their offensive as they push to regain territory near Bakhmut, the head of Ukraine‘s ground forces wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian troops had recaptured the heights over Bakhmut and made some advances to the city’s west, north and south since Kyiv launched its summer counteroffensive.

Key Points

• Zelensky warns Ukrainians to prepare for ‘winter onslaught’ from Russia

• Russia intensifies attacks in Avdiivka

• Strong explosions’ in Kyiv as Ukrainian capital comes under attack

• Two Russian landing boats filled with armoured vehicles destroyed

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

• Volodymyr Zelensky says he is certain of battlefield success

Germany’s aid to Ukrain to be ‘massively expanded'

12:36 , Athena Stavrou

Germany’s aid for Ukraine will be “massively expanded” next year, the foreign minister has said.

It comes as Kyiv heads into its second winter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Germany has become one of Ukraine‘s top military suppliers since the war started in February 2022, sending hardware including tanks, armoured personnel carriers, air defence systems and Patriot missile systems.

Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said as she arrived at a meeting with European Union counterparts that as Europe grapples with the war between Israel and Hamas, it is still important to “face the geopolitical challenge here”.

She said that will include helping Ukraine through the coming winter months and “our support will be massively expanded for next year”.

Over the weekend, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition wants to increase Germany’s military aid for 2024 from the 4 billion euros (£3.5 billion) initially planned to 8 billion euros (£7 billion).

It said parliament’s budget committee will need to sign off on the plan later this week.

Kremlin says report on Nord Stream attack is ‘alarming'

12:04 , Athena Stavrou

The Kremlin said on Monday that a Washington Post article reporting that a Ukrainian military officer coordinated the attack on Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines was “alarming”.

The report also said that Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy was not aware of it.

No one has taken responsibility for the September 2022 blasts, which occurred off the Danish island of Bornholm and ruptured three out of four lines of the system that delivers Russian gas to Europe.

The Washington Post reported that Roman Chervinsky, a senior Ukrainian military officer with deep ties to Ukraine‘s intelligence services, was the coordinator of the attack and cited unidentified people familiar with the operation as saying President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was kept out of the loop.

“Traces of Ukraine in this sabotage, this terrorist act, are increasingly appearing in reports, investigations and media reports,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“It says that President Zelenskiy may not have been aware of such actions by his subordinates from the security agencies. This is a very alarming signal not only for us, but also for the countries of the collective West,” Peskov said.

“If the Kyiv regime is no longer in control of the situation in its own country, then this is alarming and should also be taken into account.”

Russia may announce March 2024 presidential election date

11:35 , Athena Stavrou

Russia’s parliament may announce on Dec. 13 that next year’s presidential election has been preliminarily scheduled for March 17, the state news agency RIA reported on Monday, citing a source in parliament.

President Vladimir Putin has already decided to run in the election, Reuters reported last week, citing six sources, a move that will keep him in power until at least 2030 as he seeks to steer Russia through its most uncertain period in decades.

Cameron mentions Ukraine in first statement as UK foreign minister

10:53 , Athena Stavrou

Former British leader David Cameron was named as the country’s new foreign secretary on Monday in a surprise appointment made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he reshuffled his top team.

In a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Cameron said the ongoing war in Ukraine was part of a “daunting set of international challenges”.

He wrote: “The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted.

“We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.

“At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard.”

Russian state in ‘direct control’ of Wagner troops

10:23 , Athena Stavrou

The Russian state is now exercising “more direct control” of Wagner Group troops, the British Ministiry of Defence said.

In an intelligence update the Defence Ministry said “large elements” of the Wagner Group had likely been assimilated into the command structure of Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardiya) and resumed active recruitment.

It comes several months after the plane crash that killed Prigozhin – the mercenary leader who had challenged his regime and launched a military coup by marching onto Moscow in a dramatic threat to the Kremlin not seen in decades.

The intelligence update went on to say the Wagner arm in question is likely led by Pavel Prigozhin, son of the late Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin.

They added other groups of Wagner fighters have highly likely joined another Russian PMC, Redut, which according to a Radio Free Europe investigation now has 7,000 personnel in total.

Kremlin declines to comment on state news agencies’ withdrawl of reports

09:28 , Athena Stavrou

The Kremlin on Monday declined to comment on state news agencies’ withdrawal of reports on the regrouping of Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

Two Russian state news agencies published alerts on Monday saying Moscow was moving troops to “more favourable positions” east of the Dnipro River, only to withdraw the information minutes later.

Russian state media withdraw alerts on troop 'regrouping' in southern Ukraine

09:05 , Athena Stavrou

Two Russian state news agencies published alerts on Monday saying Moscow was moving troops to “more favourable positions” east of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, only to withdraw the information minutes later.

The highly unusual incident suggested disarray in Russia’s military establishment and state media over how to report the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine.

The RBC news outlet quoted the defence ministry as saying: “The sending of a false report about the ‘regrouping’ of troops in the Dnieper (Dnipro) region, allegedly on behalf of the press centre of the Russian Ministry of Defence, is a provocation.”

Russia moves some troops to ‘more favourable positions’ east of Dnipro River

08:16 , Athena Stavrou

Russia is moving its Dnepr group of forces to “more favourable positions” east of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, state news agency RIA cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Monday.

Russia’s military said on Friday that its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to forge a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Dnipro and on nearby islands.

Reuters could not independently verify the military reports

Blast kills 3 Russian officers in occupied town, Ukraine says

07:38 , Athena Stavrou

At least three Russian officers were killed in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol in a blast Ukraine‘s intelligence said on Sunday was an “act of revenge” by local resistance groups.

Melitopol is a town in southwestern Ukraine that has become a hub for Russian forces since they captured it in March last year.

The blast allegedly occurred during a meeting of Russian officers on Saturday.

“This act of revenge, carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement, took place in the (post) offices seized by the Russians,” the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s intelligence department said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters could not independently verify the Ukrainian intelligence claim. Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately responded to Reuters’ request to comment.

The Ukraine intelligence statement said the Saturday meeting was attended by Russian National Guard and FSB intelligence service officers.

“As a result of the explosion at least three National Guard officers were killed at the headquarters,” the statement said. “Information of other enemy losses is being clarified.”

Ukrainian forces reportedly advance in western Zaporizhia Oblast

07:00 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian forces reportedly advanced in western Zaporizhia Oblast on Saturday, according to a US war think tank.

The Institute for the Study of War said this comes as Ukrainian forces continue their counteroffensive operations in the area of southern Ukraine.

In pictures: Ukrainian forces battle in Avdiivka as Russia increases attacks on key city

06:00 , Tara Cobham

Recap: Husband of US journalist detained in Russia appeals for release

05:00 , Tara Cobham

This wasn’t how Pavel Butorin expected to celebrate his anniversary this week, with his wife of 21 years in a Russian prison and barely any communication available.

Russian-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva — who works as an editor for U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe — has been detained in Russia for almost a month and charged with failing to self-register as a “foreign agent.”

“Alsu should be celebrating this anniversary with me and our children at home, not in a Russian prison,” Butorin told The Associated Press in an interview in Prague on Friday. “We want her back. Alsu must be released as soon as possible,” he said, visibly shaken.

Karel Janicek reports:

'We want her back,' husband of US journalist detained in Russia appeals for her immediate release

Finnish Border Guard reports spike in asylum seekers from Russia

04:00 , Tara Cobham

The Finnish Border Guard has reported a spike in asylum seekers arriving at the country’s southeastern border from Russia.

In a statement on Sunday, it said 91 people have arrived at the border crossing points without required travel documents since the beginning of August, which is a higher number than usual, having travelled from a third country via Russia.

It said this represents a change, as Russian authorities have previously not allowed travel from Russia to Finnish border crossing points if the passenger did not have the required travel documents.

In its assessment, the Finnish Border Guard said: “This is a phenomenon of illegal migration. International crime is probably also linked to the phenomenon. The number of illegal border crossings at the land border (areas outside of border crossing points) has not changed.”

Two Ukrainian women ‘save almost £1,000 from pensions to buy drones'

03:00 , Tara Cobham

Two Ukrainian women saved money from their pensions to buy drones for their country’s forces, according to the Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

Liudmyla Skubriieva, from Rozhniativ, and her relative Halyna Hil, from Kyiv, together saved the equivalent of almost £1,000 to send two kamikaze drones to the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss”, Anton Gerashchenko said on the social media platform X, alongside a photo of the pair.

Germany set to double Ukraine military aid, according to source

02:00 , Tara Cobham

German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed in principle to double the country's military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion), a political source in Berlin said on Sunday.

If approved by parliament, where Scholz's parties hold a majority, the boost would lift Germany's defence spending to 2.1% of its gross domestic product target, beyond the 2% pledged by all North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, the source added.

Lawmakers from Scholz's Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green party agreed on the increase in negotiations over the proposed 2024 federal budget ahead of a formal meeting of the budget committee of the Bundestag - or lower house of parliament - on Thursday, Nov. 16, the source said.

Bloomberg News first reported on the news on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.

A spokesperson for Germany's Ministry of Defence said the Bundestag committee has not finished negotiations and declined to comment further.

Defence minister Boris Pistorius, interviewed by broadcaster ARD, referred to the planned doubling of military aid to Ukraine.

"It is a strong signal to Ukraine that we will not leave them in the lurch," he said, adding the move, if agreed, would mean the annual budget allocation would be enough to last the whole year.

Recap: Ukraine destroys Russian landing boats in ‘significant loss’ for Putin

01:00 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine on Friday said its naval drones had destroyed two small Russian landing boats in Crimea, in an embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian military intelligence said two amphibious Russian ships loaded with armoured vehicles had been hit by naval drones overnight.

One of the boats was identified as an Akula class vessel, while the other landing vessel was a Serna class.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

Ukraine destroys Russian landing boats in ‘significant loss’ for Putin

Recap: Watch Russia test intercontinental ballistic missiles from new submarine

00:00 , Tara Cobham

Russia increases attacks on key city Avdiivka in attempt to gain ground

Sunday 12 November 2023 23:00 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces have also increased attacks on the key frontline city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to gain ground, Ukrainian military officials said Sunday.

Ukraine's General Staff said that Russian troops were also continuing their weekslong push to encircle Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold south of Bakhmut and a key target since the beginning of the war. It's considered the gateway to parts of the eastern Donetsk region under Kyiv's control. The General Staff said Russia's air force was playing a key part in the latest assault.

Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who leads Ukrainian troops fighting in and near Avdiivka, said Sunday that the attacking Russian forces were ramping up airstrikes, particularly those using guided bombs. He wrote on Telegram that Russian troops had launched 30 airstrikes and 712 artillery barrages at the city and surrounding areas over the previous day, and clashed almost 50 times with Ukrainian units.

Zelensky warns Ukrainians to prepare for ‘winter onslaught’ from Russia

Sunday 12 November 2023 22:05 , Joe Middleton

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Ukrainians on Sunday to prepare for new waves of Russian attacks on infrastructure as winter approached and said troops were anticipating an onslaught in the eastern theatre of the war.

A military spokesman said Russian attacks on the shattered eastern town of Avdiivka had eased in the past day, but were likely to intensify in the coming days.

And Ukrainian military intelligence said an explosion killed at least three Russian servicemen in the Russian-occupied southern town of Melitopol, which it described as an “act of revenge” by resistance groups.

Zelenskiy issued his warning during his nightly video address a day after Russian forces carried out their first missile attack on the capital, Kyiv in some seven weeks.

“We are almost half way through November and must be prepared for the fact that the enemy may increase the number of drone or missile strikes on our infrastructure,” Zelenskiy said. “Russia is preparing for Ukraine. And here, in Ukraine, all attention should be focused on defence, on responding to terrorists on everything that Ukraine can do to get through the winter and improve our soldiers’ capabilities.”

Last winter about 10 months into Russia’s invasion of neighbour Ukraine, Russia made waves of attacks on power stations and other plants inked to the energy network, prompting rolling blackouts in widely separated regions.

Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Saturday that Ukraine would have enough energy resources to get through the winter, but added: “The question is how much future attacks can affect supplies.”

Russia ramps up attacks on key city Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine

Sunday 12 November 2023 22:00 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces have ramped up attacks in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to gain ground near key frontline city Bakhmut, Ukrainian military officials said Sunday.

Moscow's troops have begun a push to regain territory near Bakhmut, the eastern mining city that was the site of the war's bloodiest battle before falling into Russian hands in May, the head of Ukraine's ground forces wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian troops had recaptured the heights over Bakhmut and made some advances west, north and south of the city since Kyiv launched its summer counteroffensive.

"Toward Bakhmut, the Russians have become more active and are trying to recapture previously lost positions. ... Enemy attacks are being repelled," Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote in a Telegram update on Sunday afternoon.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Sunday that Russian forces over the previous day repelled five Ukrainian attacks near Klischiivka and Kurdyumivka, two small settlements lying south of Bakhmut. Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov made the claim at the latest of regular press briefings.

Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive has so far resulted in only incremental gains and heavy losses, with Ukrainian troops struggling to punch through Russian lines in the south. Meanwhile, Moscow's forces have attempted to press forward in the northeast, likely with a view to distract Kyiv and minimize the number of troops Ukraine is able to send to key southern and eastern battles.

Recap: Watch Zelensky’s warning ‘the war will go to other Nato countries’ if Russia wins

Sunday 12 November 2023 21:00 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces advance near Avdiivka, says think tank

Sunday 12 November 2023 20:00 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces have recently advanced near Avdiivka, according to a US war think tank.

The Institute for the Study of War said Vladimir Putin’s forces temporarily intensified offensive operations in the area over the course of Friday and Saturday.

It said this is “likely to consolidate recent gains in the area”.

In pictures: Ukrainian forces continue to fight to retake Bakhmut

Sunday 12 November 2023 19:00 , Tara Cobham

Blast kills three Russian officers in occupied town, says Ukrainian intelligence

Sunday 12 November 2023 18:00 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine's intelligence directorate said on Sunday that an explosion in the Russian-occupied town of Melitopol killed at least three Russian servicemen in an attack it described as an "act of revenge" by local underground groups.

The blast occurred during a meeting on Saturday of Russian officers in the town, a hub of Russian forces in the south, the directorate within the defence ministry said in a statement.

"This act of revenge, carried out by representatives of the local resistance, took place in the New Post offices seized by the Russians," it said.

There was no mention of the incident from Russian officials. Reuters was unable to verify the Ukrainian statement.

The intelligence statement said the meeting on Saturday at the local military headquarters was attended by Russian National Guard and FSB intelligence service officers.

"As a result of the explosion at least three National Guard officers were killed at the headquarters," the statement said. "Information of other enemy losses is being clarified."

The statement said police converged on the area and a burned-out car was later seen being towed through the town.

Biden’s reelection pitch when it comes to Ukraine

Sunday 12 November 2023 17:00 , Tara Cobham

US President Joe Biden is facing two wars on two continents, and the fallout from each conflict will shape a second term even if the fighting ends before that.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for almost two years, and Israel and Hamas began their latest clash about a month ago. Biden wants to send military support to Ukraine and Israel, something that he describes as "vital" to U.S. national security interests.

"History has taught us when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction," he said in a recent Oval Office address.

His plans will require challenging congressional negotiations. Some Republicans are resisting more assistance for Ukraine after Congress has already approved $113 billion in security, economic and humanitarian resistance.

Both conflicts will likely require years of U.S. involvement. For example, Biden is looking for a new opportunity to push for a two-state solution in the Middle East, creating an independent Palestinian country alongside Israel.

Senior Ukrainian officer coordinated Nord Stream attack

Sunday 12 November 2023 16:05 , Lydia Patrick

A Ukrainian military officer coordinated last year’s attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing anonymous sources in Ukraine and Europe.

No one has taken responsibility for the September 2022 blasts, which occurred off the Danish island of Bornholm and ruptured three out of four lines of the system that delivers Russian gas to Europe.

Washington and NATO called it an act of sabotage, while Moscow said it was an act of international terrorism.

Roman Chervinsky, a former intelligence official who served in the Ukrainian military’s special forces, managed a six-person team but did not plan the attack, the Post reported. He denied involvement.

A spokesperson for Ukraine‘s military told Reuters he had “no information” about the claim. The Ukrainian foreign ministry and Kyiv’s domestic security service, the SBU, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

His commanding officer at the time, Maj. Gen. Viktor Hanushchak, told Ukrainian media earlier this year that senior military leadership had signed off on the plot to lure the Russian pilot.

Russian troops continue effort to encircle Avdiivka

Sunday 12 November 2023 13:30 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine‘s General Staff said that Russian troops were also continuing their weekslong push to encircle Avdiivka, an Ukrainian stronghold south of Bakhmut and a key target since the beginning of the war.

It’s considered the gateway to parts of the eastern Donetsk region under Kyiv’s control.

The General Staff said the air force was playing a key part in the latest Russian assault.Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who leads Ukrainian troops fighting in and near Avdiivka, said Sunday that the attacking Russian forces were ramping up airstrikes, particularly those using guided bombs. He wrote on Telegram that Russian troops over the previous day had launched 30 airstrikes and 712 artillery barrages at the city and surrounding areas, and clashed almost 50 times with Ukrainian units.

Russia ramps up attacks on key cities in eastern Ukraine

Sunday 12 November 2023 12:35 , Lydia Patrick

Moscow’s troops have begun a push to regain territory near Bakhmut, the eastern mining city that was the site of the war’s bloodiest battle before falling into Russian hands in May, the head of Ukraine‘s ground forces wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian troops had recaptured the heights over Bakhmut and made some advances to the city’s west, north and south since Kyiv launched its summer counteroffensive.

“Toward Bakhmut, the Russians have become more active and are trying to recapture previously lost positions. ... Enemy attacks are being repelled,” Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote in a Telegram update on Sunday afternoon.

Ukraine‘s long-awaited counteroffensive has so far resulted in only incremental gains and heavy losses, with Ukrainian troops struggling to punch through Russian lines in the south. Meanwhile, Moscow’s forces have attempted to press forward in the northeast, likely with a view to distract Kyiv and minimize the number of troops it is able to send to key southern and eastern battles.

The Ukrainian ground forces’ spokesperson similarly reported that Russian troops had “switched from defense to active defense” near Bakhmut, “putting pressure” on Ukrainian troops south of the city. Vladimir Fityo made the remarks on Ukrainian TV, adding that Russian troops were searching for weak points in Ukrainian defenses and ramping up artillery strikes on Ukrainian positions.

Germany set to double Ukraine military aid under Scholz plan

Sunday 12 November 2023 12:05 , Lydia Patrick

German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition has agreed in principle to double the country’s military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion), a political source in Berlin said.

If approved by parliament, where Scholz’s parties hold a majority, the boost would lift Germany’s defence spending to 2.1% of its gross domestic product target, beyond the 2% pledged by all North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, the source added.

Lawmakers of Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green party agreed on the increase in negotiations over the proposed 2024 federal budget ahead of a formal meeting of the budget committee of the Bundestag - or lower house of parliament - on Thursday, Nov. 16, the source said.

A spokesperson for Germany’s Ministry of Defence said the Bundestag committee has not finished negotiations and declined to comment further.

Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper also said the committee is due to approve the additional 4 billion euros.

“Doubling the military spending is both the right thing to do and important,” it quoted member of parliament Andreas Schwarz, who acts as an SPD military budget official, as saying.

“With the move we will underscore our promise to Ukraine with the necessary funds. The fact that we will also be able to fulfil our NATO obligation is a great success of the ... coalition,” he was reported as saying.

A European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros ($21.4 billion) on military aid for Ukraine is meeting with resistance from EU countries, diplomats said this week.

'We want her back,' husband of US journalist detained in Russia appeals for her immediate release

Sunday 12 November 2023 11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

This wasn’t how Pavel Butorin expected to celebrate his anniversary this week, with his wife of 21 years in a Russian prison and barely any communication available.

Russian-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva — who works as an editor for U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe — has been detained in Russia for almost a month and charged with failing to self-register as a “foreign agent.”

“Alsu should be celebrating this anniversary with me and our children at home, not in a Russian prison,” Butorin told The Associated Press in an interview in Prague on Friday. “We want her back. Alsu must be released as soon as possible,” he said, visibly shaken.

'We want her back,' husband of US journalist detained in Russia appeals for her immediate release

Putin drafting Wagner Group mercenaries into national guard, UK says

Sunday 12 November 2023 10:57 , Lydia Patrick

Large elements of the Wagner Group mercenary group are likely serving in Russia’s National Guard, says the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

Rosgvardiya’s national guard is thought to be led by Pavel Prigozhin, the son of the late Yevgeny Prigozhin - the Wagner leader who died in a plane crash in August of this year soon after the rebel group captured Rostov-on-Don.

Other Wagner fighters are likely to have joined Redut, another Private Military Company, which have a total of 7,000 personnel, say the Ministry of Defence.

Wagner group fighters also joined Chechen Akhmat special forces and 170 former Wagner fighters had already joined Akhmat, according to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The UK government describes the Wagner mercenary group as a terrorist organisation.

Hungary's Orbán says negotiations on Ukraine's future EU membership should not move forward

Sunday 12 November 2023 10:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hungary’s prime minister said Friday he does not support moving forward on negotiations on Ukraine‘s future membership in the European Union, signaling again that his country could pose a major roadblock to Kyiv‘s ambitions to join the bloc.

EU leaders are to decide in mid-December whether Ukraine should be formally invited to begin talks to join the 27-member union, with Hungary seen as a potential obstacle. Unanimity among all member states is required to admit a new country into the bloc, giving Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, a powerful veto.

The EU’s executive branch on Wednesday recommended that Ukraine should be permitted to open membership talks once it has addressed some shortfalls. But in an interview with state radio on Friday, Orbán said the embattled country is nowhere near gaining membership in the world’s largest trading bloc.

Hungary's Orbán says negotiations on Ukraine's future EU membership should not move forward

Somber bugles and bells mark Armistice Day around the globe as wars drown out peace messages

Sunday 12 November 2023 09:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

With somber bugles and bells from Australia to western Europe’s battlefields of World War I, people around the globe on Saturday remembered the slaughter and losses just over a century ago that was supposed to be “the war to end all wars.”

Yet the rumble of tanks and the screeching of incoming fire from Ukraine to Gaza pierced the solemnity of the occasion and the notion that humankind could somehow circumvent violence to settle its worst differences.

“This time last year, our thoughts were focused on Ukraine. Today, our minds are full with the terrible images emerging from Israel and Gaza. These are just two of the more than 100 armed conflicts in the world today,” said Benoit Mottrie, the head of the Last Post Association in western Belgium’s Ypres, where some of the fiercest and deadliest World War I battles were fought.

Somber bugles and bells mark Armistice Day around the globe as wars drown out peace messages

Two Russian landing boats filled with armoured vehicles destroyed by Ukraine in ‘significant loss’ for Putin

Sunday 12 November 2023 08:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine on Friday said its naval drones had destroyed two small Russian landing boats in Crimea, in an embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian military intelligence said two amphibious Russian ships loaded with armoured vehicles had been hit by naval drones overnight.

One of the boats was identified as an Akula class vessel, while the other landing vessel was a Serna class.

“The results of intelligence conducted on 10 November 2023 near Vuzka Bay in temporarily occupied Crimea show that after an attack by naval drones, two small Russian landing ships have been destroyed,” a Ukraine military report said.

Ukraine destroys Russian landing boats in ‘significant loss’ for Putin

What the Republican candidates have said on the war in Ukraine

Sunday 12 November 2023 07:00 , Tara Cobham

As President Joe Biden likes to remind anyone who will listen, “This is not your grandfather’s Republican Party”.

That has never been more evident than when examining the way the 2024 Republican presidential candidates approach the topic of Ukraine.

Support for Ukraine is dividing the GOP field. Several candidates believe the US should continue to support the war effort – a stance that adheres to more traditional Republican foreign policy beliefs.

Gustaf Kilander and Ariana Baio report:

What are the Republican candidates’ views on the war in Ukraine

Recap: EU’s 20 billion euro plan for Ukraine military aid hits resistance

Sunday 12 November 2023 06:00 , Tara Cobham

A European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros ($21.4 billion) on military aid for Ukraine is meeting resistance from EU countries and may not survive in its current form, diplomats have said.

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, proposed in July that the bloc create a fund with up to 5 billion euros a year over four years as part of broader Western security commitments to bolster Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion.

But as EU defence ministers prepare to discuss the plan in Brussels on Tuesday, diplomats say multiple countries - including EU heavyweight Germany - have voiced reservations about committing such large sums years in advance.

The EU and its members have been among the biggest donors of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, providing arms and equipment worth some 25 billion euros, according to the bloc's diplomatic service.

Borrell's proposal was an effort to put support on a longer-term footing, by creating a cash pot for Ukraine aid inside a bigger fund, the European Peace Facility, used to reimburse EU members for military assistance to other countries.

"I'm not going to declare it dead at this point yet. But of course, improvements can always be made," a senior EU diplomat said on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Germany has had a lot of questions ... and rightfully so. We're talking about a lot of money."

Ukraine’s current frontline stalemate with Russia is hurting Kyiv

Sunday 12 November 2023 05:00 , Askold Krushelnycky

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

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

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

Read more here:

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

Recap: Watch Zelensky saying Russian soldiers must ‘go out’ of Ukraine to end war

Sunday 12 November 2023 04:00 , Tara Cobham

Polish President warns of threat of Russian imperialism on Independence Day holiday

Sunday 12 November 2023 03:00 , Tara Cobham

The Polish President warned that Russian imperialism once again threatens not just Ukraine but the wider region as Poland celebrated its Independence Day holiday.

Thousands of people walked through Warsaw on Saturday in a march organized by nationalist groups, 105 years after the nation regained its statehood at the end of World War I.

Participants carried Poland's white-and-red flag and some burned flares as they marched along a route leading from the city center to the National Stadium.

President Andrzej Duda delivered a speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where he warned: "Russian imperialism will go further: it will want to seize more nations, taking away their freedom and their states.”

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent Poland a message on X, formerly Twitter, telling Poles: "May your independence be invincible and eternal."

While many patriotic events take place across the nation of 38 million each year, the yearly Independence March has come to dominate news coverage because it has sometimes been marred by xenophobic slogans and violence.

This year’s event was attended by some 40,000 and passed off peacefully, the Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, said.

Russian forces preparing for ‘large-scale’ winter strike, says think tank

Sunday 12 November 2023 02:00 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces have been launching “significantly smaller and less frequent” drone strikes against Ukraine over the past month compared to previous months ahead of an anticipated “large-scale” winter strike, according to a US war think tank.

The Institute for the Study of War added that Vladimir Putin’s forces “continue to struggle with low morale and poor discipline”.

Ukrainian border guard filmed reuniting with young daughter after months

Sunday 12 November 2023 01:00 , Tara Cobham

A Ukrainian border guard has been captured hugging his daughter as the two reunited having spent months apart as a result of the war.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence posted the touching footage on social media of Stanislav and his child Mia embracing after the pair were separated for five months.

Orbán says negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership shouldn't move forward

Sunday 12 November 2023 00:00 , Tara Cobham

Hungary’s prime minister said Friday he does not support moving forward on negotiations on Ukraine‘s future membership in the European Union, signaling again that his country could pose a major roadblock to Kyiv‘s ambitions to join the bloc.

EU leaders are to decide in mid-December whether Ukraine should be formally invited to begin talks to join the 27-member union, with Hungary seen as a potential obstacle. Unanimity among all member states is required to admit a new country into the bloc, giving Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, a powerful veto.

The EU’s executive branch on Wednesday recommended that Ukraine should be permitted to open membership talks once it has addressed some shortfalls. But in an interview with state radio on Friday, Orbán said the embattled country is nowhere near gaining membership in the world’s largest trading bloc.

Justin Spike reports:

Hungary's Orbán says negotiations on Ukraine's future EU membership should not move forward

Freight cars carrying cargo in Russia‘s Ryazan region were derailed by ‘improvised explosive device'

Saturday 11 November 2023 23:34 , Joe Middleton

Freight cars carrying cargo in Russia‘s Ryazan region were derailed Saturday morning by an improvised explosive device, Russian law enforcement said.

Nineteen carriages traveling from the town of Rybnoye were thrown from the tracks and 15 were damaged, investigators wrote in a statement on social media. They said they would be opening a criminal investigation on terrorism charges.

Both the train driver and assistant train driver received medical attention at the scene.

Russian officials have previously blamed pro-Ukrainian saboteurs for several attacks on the country’s railway system since Moscow invaded the country in February 2022, although no group has claimed responsibility for the damage. Kyiv has not commented on Saturday’s attacks.

Recap: Watch Ramaswamy appearing to call Ukraine’s Zelensky a ‘Nazi’

Saturday 11 November 2023 23:00 , Tara Cobham

Husband of US journalist detained in Russia appeals for immediate release

Saturday 11 November 2023 22:00 , Tara Cobham

This wasn’t how Pavel Butorin expected to celebrate his anniversary this week, with his wife of 21 years in a Russian prison and barely any communication available.

Russian-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva — who works as an editor for U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe — has been detained in Russia for almost a month and charged with failing to self-register as a “foreign agent.”

“Alsu should be celebrating this anniversary with me and our children at home, not in a Russian prison,” Butorin told The Associated Press in an interview in Prague on Friday. “We want her back. Alsu must be released as soon as possible,” he said, visibly shaken.

Karel Janicek reports:

Kherson is ‘symbol of heroism and hope’, says Zelenskyy on liberation anniversary

Saturday 11 November 2023 21:00 , Tara Cobham

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described Kherson as a “symbol of heroism and hope” on the day the city marks one year since Ukraine retook it from occupying Russian forces.

The Ukrainian President posted on X: “Kherson is a symbol of heroism and hope. It is a city of our people who have not bowed down to the enemy and inspired all of us and the entire world with their resistance.”

In pictures: Russia’s overnight strike on Kyiv

Saturday 11 November 2023 20:00 , Tara Cobham

One year after liberation, Ukrainians in Kherson hold on to hope amid constant shelling

Saturday 11 November 2023 19:00 , Tara Cobham

One year since Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying Russian forces, residents have grown accustomed to hearing outgoing fire from the left bank of the Dnieper river, where Russian troops are positioned. They know that familiar crackle means they have seven seconds to find a shelter, or a sturdy wall to hide behind.

Their lives are mostly limited to the comfort of home and the necessity of the supermarket. Many shops are still shuttered. Municipal workers wear bullet-proof vests and wait to be dispatched to sweep up the rubble from yet another impact.

Between lulls of artillery fire coming from the river, which marks the contact line between battling armies in the Kherson region, Ukrainians venture out to buy food, bicycle down grassy residential lanes or convene in the few restaurants that dare to remain open.

Marking the anniversary of Russia's defeat on 11 November is a bittersweet occasion, many residents say, as Ukraine's counteroffensive grinds on without producing the spectacular gains many had hoped for. But those who stay are steadfast in their belief that one day normal life will return.

"When you have lived under occupation, you know what freedom means," said Grigori Malov, who owns one out of three restaurants still operating in the city. "It's why we have a special attitude toward the continued shelling. We can withstand it because we know how it could be worse."

The flight of Russian troops from Kherson under prolonged Ukrainian assault a year ago was one of Ukraine's biggest successes in the war and was seen as an inflection point. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy triumphantly walked the streets of the newly liberated city back then, hailing Russia's withdrawal as the "beginning of the end of the war." Many hoped it would serve as a springboard for more advances into occupied territory.

Today, both sides are locked in a stalemated battle of attrition.

Armistice Day marked around globe as wars drown out peace messages

Saturday 11 November 2023 18:00 , Tara Cobham

With somber bugles and bells from Australia to western Europe’s battlefields of World War I, people around the globe on Saturday remembered the slaughter and losses just over a century ago that was supposed to be “the war to end all wars.”

Yet the rumble of tanks and the screeching of incoming fire from Ukraine to Gaza pierced the solemnity of the occasion and the notion that humankind could somehow circumvent violence to settle its worst differences.

“This time last year, our thoughts were focused on Ukraine. Today, our minds are full with the terrible images emerging from Israel and Gaza. These are just two of the more than 100 armed conflicts in the world today,” said Benoit Mottrie, the head of the Last Post Association in western Belgium’s Ypres, where some of the fiercest and deadliest World War I battles were fought.

Raf Casert and Marta Fiorin report:

Somber bugles and bells mark Armistice Day around the globe as wars drown out peace messages

Recap: Watch footage Ukraine releases of damaged Russian ship in Crimea

Saturday 11 November 2023 17:00 , Tara Cobham