Here's a summary of the latest developments...
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of delaying the passage of more than 150 ships scheduled to carry grain exports through the Black Sea. In a video address, he said that Russia’s actions mean that Ukraine has delivered three million tonnes less grain than planned.
The UK, France and Germany have called for a UN investigation into accusations that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine. If found to be true, the allegations would be in breach of UN security council resolution (UNSCR) 2231. A letter, seen by Reuters, was circulated to UN security council members by the three countries, known as the E3.
The Pentagon also published a readout of the US defence secretary’s call with the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. US secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin III pledged “unwavering US commitment” to supporting Ukraine against Russia.
The Pentagon also confirmed a call between the US defence secretary and the Russian defence minister. They said that Austin “emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication” with Sergey Shoygu.
Russia has hit at least half of Ukraine’s thermal generation capacity since 10 October, Ukraine has said. Energy minister Herman Halushchenko said 30-40% of overall national power infrastructure had been hit but that not all stricken power units have stopped working completely.
Russia’s defence ministry said there was a telephone conversation between the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin. A statement said: “Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed.”
Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine will need Europe’s support “for as long as it takes”. The president of the EU Commission made the comments at the European Council in Brussels.
A Russian-appointed official in occupied Kherson has denied allegations by Kyiv that Russia has started mining a hydroelectric dam in the region. Citing state-owned news agency RIA, Reuters reported that Kirill Stremousov denied suggestions by the Ukrainian president that Russia is planning to blow up Kakhovska HPP and that claims that it had started mining the dam were “false”.
The office of Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed it will “not succumb to peace by coercion” – threatening to hit back harder if Russia destroys a hydroelectric dam in Kherson. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, claimed that Russia has resorted to destroying the Kakhovska HPP because “nuclear blackmail did not work”.
Russia claims it has destroyed a depot with foreign-made Ukrainian military equipment in the Kherson region, reports Reuters. The agency was not able to immediately verify the report.
That’s it from me for today. This blog is now closing. Thanks for reading.
Zelenskiy accuses Russia of delaying passage of more than 150 ships scheduled to carry grain
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of delaying the passage of more than 150 ships scheduled to carry grain exports through the Black Sea.
In a video address, he said that Russia’s actions mean that Ukraine has delivered 3m tonnes less grain than planned, reports Reuters.
Updated
Russia’s ministry of culture is planning to remove the names of cultural figures who have “disavowed” the country from its advertising materials, reports Meduza.
The Russian Ministry of Culture will remove the names of cultural figures who have “disavowed” Russia from its advertising materials. The ministry says it’s taking this step at the request of “Russian society.” https://t.co/3nme9AGDMk
— Meduza in English (@meduza_en) October 21, 2022
Updated
If Ukraine manages to take back Kherson from Russian occupation it could set the direction of the rest of the war, one expert has said.
John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, the military academy in New York, told the Hill:
Strategically, operationally and tactically, it’ll send a signal that Russia can’t hold ground in Ukraine, and the path to victory for Ukraine is pretty much assured. The timeline’s still in question, but the path to victory is pretty assured.
His comments came as Ukraine implemented a media blackout on its operations around Kherson this week, with some observers anticipating a major offensive in the coming days.
Updated
Ukraine has reportedly called on the UN and the EU to send observers to Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in Kherson.
Ukraine has accused Russia of planning to blow up the plant. Russia has denied the claims (see also 1.13pm).
#Ukraine calls on the #UN and the #EU to send observers to #Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. pic.twitter.com/1uXml9XDK1
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 21, 2022
The Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has claimed the US has effectively blocked Russia from taking part in a nuclear energy conference by not issuing them with entry visas.
Rosatom and Russia’s industrial safety watchdog, Rostekhnadzor, planned to attend the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ministerial conference in Washington 26-28 October, reports Reuters citing a Rosatom statement, but they have not yet received visas.
We consider this to be a show of disrespect on part of the United States towards the IAEA.
The American side has effectively blocked Russia’s participation in this international IAEA conference, which it undertook to hold in the United States.
Rosatom, created by Vladimir Putin in 2007, said its director general, Alexei Likhachev, would instead take part via video link.
Updated
The Pentagon has said that the US defence secretary’s call with the Russian defence minister (see also 3.18pm) has created “the best opportunity” for the two to connect.
It also said that the call, earlier today, was initiated by secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin III.
Reporter Nolan Peterson says food delivery services in Kyiv are delivering to bomb shelters:
During Kyiv’s most recent air raid alert (ended 20 min ago) I came across a Glovo food delivery guy waiting outside an apartment door w/an order in hand. He asked me where to find the building’s bomb shelter, then took the food down to the customers
— Nolan Peterson (@nolanwpeterson) October 21, 2022
Bomb shelter food delivery.
Updated
Spanish authorities have moved a luxury yacht linked to the under-sanctions head of Russian defence group Rostec, reports Reuters.
It came after the Barcelona shipyard where the multimillion dollar Valerie was birthed stopped receiving payments for its repairs, a transport ministry source told the news agency.
Spain ordered the ship to be “frozen”, which means it cannot be used or sold, in March, claiming it was acting on EU sanctions.
The yacht is reportedly connected to Sergei Chemezov, an ally of Vladimir Putin, who did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Updated
UK, France and Germany call for UN inquiry into Iranian drone accusations against Russia
The UK, France and Germany have called for a UN investigation into accusations that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine.
If true, the allegations would be in breach of UN security council resolution (UNSCR) 2231.
In a letter circulated to UN security council members, seen by Reuters, the group, known as the E3, wrote:
We would welcome an investigation by the UN Secretariat team responsible for monitoring the implementation of UNSCR 2231 and stand ready to support the work of the Secretariat in conducting its technical and impartial investigation.
Updated
US pledges 'unwavering commitment' to Ukraine in face of Russian aggression
The Pentagon also published a readout of the US defence secretary’s call with the Ukrainian defence minister (see also 3.18pm).
Pentagon press secretary air force brig gen, Pat Ryder, said:
Secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin III spoke with Ukrainian minister of defence Oleksii Reznikov to reiterate the unwavering US commitment to supporting Ukraine’s ability to counter Russia’s aggression.
Secretary Austin also underscored the international community’s continued support in building Ukraine’s enduring strength and safeguarding Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the future, as demonstrated by the security assistance commitments made by allies and partners at the most recent Ukraine defence contact group meeting on 12 October.
The two leaders pledged to remain in close contact.
Updated
US and Russia have agreed to maintain communication about Ukraine, says Pentagon
The Pentagon has confirmed that its defence secretary had a call with the Russian defence minister today (see also 2.12pm).
Pentagon press secretary air force brig gen, Pat Ryder, said:
On 21 October, secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin III spoke by phone with Russian minister of defence Sergey Shoygu. Secretary Austin emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing war against Ukraine.
Updated
Ukraine energy minister: Russia has hit at least half of Ukraine's thermal generation capacity
Russia has hit at least half of Ukraine’s thermal generation capacity since 10 October, but not all stricken power units have stopped working completely, Ukraine’s energy minister said on Friday.
Herman Halushchenko told Reuters in an interview that 30-40% of overall national power infrastructure had been hit in attacks that he depicted as intended to destroy Ukraine’s energy system – a goal that he said had not been achieved.
“It’s quite a lot of capacity. I can tell you that. At least half of thermal generation capacity, even more,” he said, when asked about the scale of the damage.
Russia stepped up its aerial attacks on Ukraine last week using missiles and drones to target Kyiv, other major cities and energy infrastructure.
“We see that they targeted a number of new (facilities), but also they shelled (facilities) which had been already shelled before to destroy them absolutely,” Halushchenko told the news agency.
He said that electricity imports could be one of the options Ukraine pursues to get through the crisis, and that the damage caused so far amounted to billions of dollars.
France will invite the leader of Moldova to Paris in November to express France’s solidarity for the country in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said at an EU meeting on Friday, Reuters reports.
Moldova borders Ukraine, but the strip of land nearest to Ukraine is the breakaway Moscow-backed region of Transnistria. There are fears that Russia’s military objectives in Ukraine include seizing the entire south coast of the country in order to build a land bridge to Transnistria.
Earlier this year, there were explosions in Transnistria, which the Russian-backed authorities there blamed on Ukraine.
You can find some background information from earlier this year here: Where is Transnistria and why is it being drawn into Ukraine war?
Updated
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has again criticised those in Europe calling for his country to come to some accommodation with Russia’s territorial ambitions. He has posted to Telegram to say:
We must speak frankly – there are still enough figures in Europe who call for “understanding” Russia and try to ignore the terrorist policy of states like Iran. There are such people in various spheres – in politics, business, in NGOs and in the media. Why is this possible? What leads to this?
One answer: lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge in the public majority.
Updated
Authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, one of the occupied areas of Ukraine that Russia has claimed to annex, have reported that a man has been killed in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk by shelling from Ukrainian armed forces. The claims have not been independently verified.
Updated
US and Russian defence ministers have telephone call, discuss Ukraine
Russia’s defence ministry has posted to Telegram to say that today a telephone conversation has taken place between the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin.
The statement says: “Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed.”
Russia has provided no further read-out of the call.
Updated
Ukraine will need EU's support for 'as long as it takes,' says Von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen has said Ukraine will need Europe’s support “for as long as it takes”.
Speaking at the European Council in Brussels, the president of the EU Commission said:
Ukraine needs our support for as long as it takes, starting with the needs for next year.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 21, 2022
We discussed how to meet Ukraine’s increasing needs, and tasked finance ministers to develop the appropriate mechanism.#EUCO
https://t.co/kAz6IIGCHP
Updated
In further Nato developments, Sweden’s new foreign minister has said that he expects Hungary and Turkey to vote soon on its membership bid.
Speaking at a meeting in Helsinki with Finland’s foreign minster, Tobias Billström said:
We see the development in Hungary as positive and we judge that there, as with Turkey, a ratification process will soon be concluded when parliament votes on these questions.
There is nothing that indicates we are not going to get a positive answer from the parliament in Budapest.
Updated
Finland’s foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, has said the country is still in regular contact with Turkey in relation to its Nato membership bid.
Haavisto said he had been in contact with his Turkish counterpart in the last week, reports Reuters.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, said earlier of Friday (see also 10.31am) that he would meet with the new prime minister of Sweden to discuss its Nato membership.
Updated
Vladimir Putin has been open for negotiations with Ukraine “from the very beginning”, the Kremlin has claimed, adding that “nothing has changed” in relation to that.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made the claim in response to comments by the Turkish president, reports AP.
It came after Recep Tayyip Erdogan (see also 10.31am) earlier said the Russian president seemed to be “much softer and more open to negotiations” than previously. “We are not without hope,” he said on the possibility of conflict-ending negotiations.
“If you remember, President Putin tried to initiate talks with both NATO and the United States even before the special military operation,” Peskov said, referring to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that started nearly eight months ago.
“Putin was open to negotiations when a document was almost agreed on between Russian and Ukrainian [negotiators]. So in that respect, nothing has changed. The position of the Ukrainian side has changed...Ukrainian law now prohibits any negotiations.”
The Ukrainian air force has called on allies to stop Iran selling ballistic missiles to Russia and suggested that the country could be participating in Moscow’s military action.
Yuriy Ihnat, an air force spokesperson, said Ukraine is shooting down 85% of the Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones fired by Russia but that they were less effective against missiles.
Russia has escalated attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and cities over the past 11 days using missiles and, according to Kyiv, Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones, reports Reuters. Tehran denies supplying such drones to Moscow and the Kremlin denies deploying Iranian drones on Ukraine.
“If we take the last two weeks and the results in taking down drones, our air defence is 85%-effective,” Ihnat said. “Now we’ve learned to recognise them and shoot them down more effectively.”
He added: “Ukraine currently doesn’t have effective air defence systems against ballistic missiles. Iran will likely supply those (to Russia), unless the world finds a way to stop it.”
Updated
Russian-appointed official in Kherson denies allegations of mining hydroelectric dam
A Russian-appointed official in occupied Kherson has denied allegations by Kyiv that Russia has started mining a hydroelectric dam in the region.
Citing state-owned news agency RIA, Reuters reported that Kirill Stremousov denied suggestions by the Ukrainian president that Russia is planning to blow up Kakhovska HPP and that claims that it had started mining the dam were “false”.
Ukraine threatens to 'hit back even harder' if Russia destroys Kherson's hydroelectric dam
The office of Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed it will “not succumb to peace by coercion” – threatening to hit back harder if Russia destroys a hydroelectric dam in Kherson.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, claimed that Russia has resorted to destroying the Kakhovska HPP because “nuclear blackmail did not work”.
Yermak tweeted:
Russian terrorists are agonizing. Nuclear blackmail did not work, now they are trying to scare everyone by blowing up the Kakhovska HPP. Their goal is to make us start negotiations on their terms. But they won't succeed. Ukraine will not succumb to peace by coercion.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) October 21, 2022
There is right response to blackmail. Harder sanctions, further de-occupation of our territories, more weapons, and an even tougher stance on each and every of Russia's crimes.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) October 21, 2022
They won't break us. We will hit back even harder.
It comes after Zelenskiy accused Russia of planning to destroy the dam (see also 6.16am).
Updated
Five weeks after Ukraine’s recapture of Izyum, reconstruction is already under way.
Video footage from AFP shows how construction workers are rapidly trying to rebuild the strategic eastern town and remove signs of Russian occupation.
VIDEO: Five weeks after the recapture of the strategic town of Izyum in eastern Ukraine, a new battle for reconstruction is taking place. An army of construction workers are busy rebuilding what is left of the infrastructure and deleting any sign of Russian occupation. pic.twitter.com/pUbMu77vRZ
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 21, 2022
Updated
Russia claims to have destroyed Ukrainian equipment depot in Kherson
Russia claims it has destroyed a depot with foreign-made Ukrainian military equipment in the Kherson region, reports Reuters.
The agency was not able to immediately verify the report.
The Kremlin has refused to answer a question over whether or not Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to withdraw from Kherson.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov referred the question to Russia’s defence ministry, reports Reuters.
Russian-installed officials are attempting to move tens of thousands of Kherson residents from the western side of the Dnipro River amid what it describes as a “tense” situation as Ukraine advances.
Commenting on the political upheaval in the UK following prime minister Liz Truss’s resignation, the Kremlin said it did not expect Britain to use “political wisdom” to choose its next leader.
Asked about the potential return of former prime minister Boris Johnson, Peskov said Russia did not want to interfere in other nation’s internal affairs but criticised the Conservatives’ “internal party process”.
For more on the UK, you can also follow the politics blog:
I’ll be looking after the Ukraine blog for the next few hours. Please get in touch with any tips or suggestions: miranda.bryant@guardian.co.uk
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
Six people have been injured on Friday morning in a Russian strike at “an object of industrial infrastructure” in the city of Kharkiv, according to a Telegram post by the regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov. A series of explosions have also been reported in Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, and no casualties were reported after strikes on the coast of the Kutsurub community in Mykolaiv region.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of planning to destroy a hydroelectric dam in the eastern Kherson region, where Ukrainian soldiers have been steadily advancing and Moscow-installed authorities have begun what they call “evacuations” of civilians. Late on Thursday, Zelenskiy accused Moscow of planting mines at a the dam in the Russian-occupied region, posing a threat to a 400km Soviet-built long canal network.
Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied southern Kherson region said on Friday that Ukrainian armed forces killed four people when they shelled the Antonivskiy Bridge over the Dnipro River.
The UK Ministry of Defence has claimed Russia orchestrated a distraction campaign by announcing that 70,000 Belarusian troops would be involved in a new Russian-Belarussian group of forces. It is unlikely that Russia has actually deployed a significant number of extra troops into Belarus and the announcement is probably an attempt to convince Ukraine to divert forces to guard the northern border, according to British intelligence.
A Russian court has ordered the arrest of the television journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, local media reports. Ovsyannikova was under house arrest and has already fled Russia, her lawyer said this week.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, has said he will meet Sweden’s new prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, to discuss Sweden’s bid to join Nato, which Turkey has opposed. Erdoğan also said he sees no obstacles to extending the UN-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports.
The European Union must remain united in its support for Ukraine and should start working on holding Russia legally accountable for its activities in the war, the Latvian prime minister, Krišjānis Kariņš, said on his way to the second day of an EU summit. His Estonian counterpart, Kaja Kallas, echoed his words, saying: “We definitely have to discuss the legal response to the crimes of aggression that have been committed in Ukraine. That can only be addressed by a separate tribunal.”
Iran deepened its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by providing technical support for Russian pilots flying Iranian-made drones to bomb civilian targets, the White House confirmed. The US national security council’s John Kirby said on Thursday that it was the US’s understanding that the Iranian advisers were in Crimea to provide training and maintenance – but not to actually pilot the drones – after Russian forces experienced difficulties in operating the unmanned flying bombs.
Iran’s foreign ministry advised its citizens on Friday to refrain from traveling to Ukraine and asked Iranians there to leave the country.
That is it, from me, Martin Belam for now. I will be back later. Miranda Bryant will be with you shortly.
Updated
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, has made two important statements: that he will meet with Sweden’s prime minister to discuss Nato membership, and that he sees no obstacles to extending the UN-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports.
On the issue of Sweden, Reuters report Erdoğan said Ulf Kristersson sided with the fight against terrorism.
“The new prime minister sides with the fight against terrorism and terrorists. He has statements such as ‘we should not be harbouring terrorism and terrorists’,” he said. “Of course, we will have tested their sincerity on this issue in the meeting that we will hold.”
Turkey has previously said its parliament will not approve Sweden and Finland’s Nato bids if they do not extradite people Ankara deems to be terrorists.
On the grain export deal, Erdoğan is quoted as saying: “There is no obstacle to extending the export deal. I saw this in the talks I held with Volodymyr Zelenskiy last night and also in the talks I held with Vladimir Putin.”
Erdoğan said that more than 8m tonnes of grains and other foods had been exported under the deal signed in July.
Updated
The Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, has echoed her Latvian counterpart’s words about needing a tribunal to deal with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to reporters as she attended an EU summit in Brussels, Reuters reports Kallas said:
We have agreed sanctions on Iran because they are participating in the war. We are going to discuss Iran today and we are going to discuss China and developments there. We definitely have to discuss the legal response to the crimes of aggression that have been committed in Ukraine. That can only be addressed by a separate tribunal.
Updated
Iran warns against travel to Ukraine and tells Iranians to leave country
Iran’s foreign ministry advised its citizens on Friday to refrain from travelling to Ukraine and asked Iranians there to leave the country.
“Due to the military escalation in Ukraine, all Iranians are strongly advised to refrain from traveling to Ukraine. Also, Iranians living in Ukraine are advised to leave the country for their own safety,” Reuters reports a ministry statement said.
The US has accused Iran of significantly deepening its involvement in Russia’s invasion by providing technical support for Russian pilots flying Iranian-made drones to bomb civilian targets.
Updated
Ukrainian regional governors are again urging residents to take care with electricity consumption. Oleksiy Kuleba, governor of Kyiv, said: “Once again I emphasise the importance of the total economy regime. Thanks to this, we will be able to avoid shutdowns in the future.”
Viacheslav Chaus, the Chernihiv governor, has said that “due to a sharp increase in the level of electricity consumption”, the region has “a temporary controlled restriction of electricity consumption”.
Updated
The European Union must remain united in its support for Ukraine and should start working on holding Russia legally accountable for its activities in the war, the Latvian prime minister, Krišjānis Kariņš, said on his way to the second day of an EU summit.
“Russia’s war is becoming ever more brutal, now blatantly aimed not only at the Ukrainian military but at Ukrainian citizens and their civilian infrastructure,” Reuters reports Kariņš said on his way to a meeting of EU leaders.
“To figure out how to properly hold Russia also legally accountable for the atrocities that they are committing in Ukraine today,” he said, adding that sanctions against Belarus should also be increased.
Updated
Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied southern Kherson region said on Friday that Ukrainian armed forces killed four people when they shelled the Antonivskiy Bridge over the Dnipro River.
“Four people were killed,” one of the leaders of the Russian-installed authorities said. Kirill Stremousov posted to Telegram to say: “The city of Kherson, like a fortress, is preparing for its defence.”
Pro-Russian forces in occupied Kherson have said they aim to transport up to 60,000 residents away from the city for what they claim is safety reasons, a move that Ukrainian authorities have dismissed as a “propaganda show”.
RIA Novosti, the state-owned Russian news agency, quotes Stremousov saying: “Shooting at a peaceful civilian crossing with fragmentation shells is not just blasphemy. This once again says that the Nazis demand victims.” He said that about 10 civilian vehicles were destroyed in the attack.
Ekaterina Gubareva, the Russian-imposed deputy governor of the region, told RIA that two employees of the Kherson TV and radio company Tavria were killed.
None of the claims have been independently verified.
Updated
The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, has reported that it has been a relatively quiet night in the capital, Kyiv, with just one air raid siren before 9am.
Only one air raid siren before 0900 today. Kyiv residents, completely unintimidated, continue going about their day.
— Melinda Simmons (@MelSimmonsFCDO) October 21, 2022
Updated
Oleksandr Starukh, Ukraine’s governor of Zaporizhzhia, has posted to say that three people have been injured in attacks on the city this morning. He reports:
The enemy attacked the city with S-300 missiles. A residential building and infrastructure facilities were destroyed. According to preliminary information, there are three wounded.
As a result of the attack, the gas system was damaged in a residential high-rise building, there was a fire, and a wall was destroyed. Specialised services are already working.
The occupier also targeted a school in one of Zaporizhzhia’s districts. The roof of the school was damaged and the windows were broken. There were also hits on infrastructure facilities and open areas.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Six people have been injured this morning in a Russian strike at “an object of industrial infrastructure” in the city of Kharkiv, according to a Telegram post by the regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov.
Vitaliy Kim, governor of Mykolaiv, has no casualties to report in his daily update, although he has posted to Telegram to say that at 6.50am this morning the “coast of the Kutsurub community” was struck.
Zaporizhzhia hit by missile attack - reports
A series of explosions have also been reported in Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional state administration, said in a telegram post Russia was attacking the regional centre with missiles on Friday morning and urged residents to seek shelter.
Zaporizhzhia now pic.twitter.com/brxc2d73xA
— ТРУХА⚡️English (@TpyxaNews) October 21, 2022
Updated
Russian court orders arrest of journalist Marina Ovsyannikova
A Russian court has ordered the arrest of television journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, local media reports.
Ovsyannikova was under house arrest for flashing a sign on air saying the Kremlin was lying about the Ukraine war.
She has already fled Russia, her lawyer said this week, after refusing to observe house arrest measures to which she had been subjected.
Interfax news agency quoted court officials as saying:
With regard to Ovsyannikova, the court ordered her held in custody for one month and 29 days, imposed from the moment the accused is extradited to the Russian Federation or from the moment of her arrest in the Russian Federation.”
Russian-Belarussian force deployment is distraction tactic: UK MoD
The UK Ministry of Defence has claimed Russia orchestrated a distraction campaign by announcing that 70,000 Belarusian troops would be involved in a new Russian-Belarussian group of forces.
It is unlikely that Russia has actually deployed a significant number of extra troops into Belarus and the announcement is likely an attempt to convince Ukraine to divert forces to guard the northern border, according to British intelligence.
The full report, published on Friday morning, reads:
On 14 October, Belarussian president Aleksandr Lukashenko said that 70,000 Belarusian troops and up to 15,000 Russians would be involved in a new Russian-Belarussian Group of Forces.
On 15 October, the Belarussian authorities released a video claiming to show the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus. However, to date it is unlikely that Russia has actually deployed a significant number of extra troops into Belarus.
Russia is unlikely to be able to generate combat-ready formations of the claimed size: its forces are committed in Ukraine. The Belarussian military highly likely maintains minimal capability to undertake complex operations.
The announcement is likely an attempt to demonstrate Russian-Belarussian solidarity and to convince Ukraine to divert forces to guard the northern border.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 21 October 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 21, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/X8IXxY7DrA
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/vGVhbKLVkB
Following reports of a series of explosions in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv, the city’s mayor has said an administrative and production building in the region was hit early this morning.
Kharkiv mayor, Igor Terekhov, said the “arrivals” had struck causing destruction but was unsure whether there were any victims in a telegram post around 8.30am on Friday.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has spoken to Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid and discussed in detail Kyiv’s request for air and missile defence systems and technology.
I spoke to Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid and informed him on unspeakable suffering, loss of life, and destruction caused by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones.
We discussed in detail Ukraine’s request for Israel to provide air and missile defence systems and technology.”
I spoke to Israeli Prime Minister @YairLapid and informed him on unspeakable suffering, loss of life, and destruction caused by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones. We discussed in detail Ukraine’s request for Israel to provide air and missile defense systems and technology.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 20, 2022
Though it has condemned the Russian invasion, Israel has said it would not supply Kyiv with weapons. It has limited its Ukraine assistance to humanitarian relief, citing a desire for continued cooperation with Moscow over war-ravaged neighbour Syria and to ensure the wellbeing of Russia’s Jews.
Most recently Israel offered to help Ukrainians develop air attack alerts for civilians.
Lapid’s office said the Israeli leader reiterated to Kuleba Israel’s support for Ukraine and expressed his “deep concern” about the military connection between Iran and Russia.
Explosions reported in Kharkiv
A series of explosions have been reported in Ukraine’s north-eastern city of Kharkiv.
Kharkiv mayor, Igor Terekhov, reported that numerous explosions were heard in the city early on Friday morning.
A series of explosions in Kharkiv. Be extremely careful,” he said in a Telegram post.
Updated
Russia plans to destroy hydroelectric plant, Zelenskiy warns
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of planning to destroy a hydroelectric dam in the eastern Kherson region, where Ukrainian soldiers have been steadily advancing and Moscow-installed authorities have begun what they call ‘evacuations’ of civilians.
Late on Thursday Zelenskiy accused Moscow of planting mines at a the dam in the Russian-occupied region, posing a threat to a 400km Soviet-built long canal network.
Zelenskiy said in his latest address:
Russia is preparing [to attack] at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. According to our information, the aggregates and dam of the Kakhovka HPP were mined by Russian terrorists.”
“If the dam is destroyed … the North Crimean canal will simply disappear,” and this would be “a catastrophe on a grand scale”, the Ukraine leader added.
With this terrorist attack, they can destroy, among other things, even the possibility of supplying water from the Dnipro River to Crimea. In the event of the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam, the North Crimean canal will simply disappear.”
Such an attack on the Kakhovka HPP “will mean exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction” Zelenskiy added.
“Russia is preparing a man-made catastrophe,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Podolyak said Russia was mining the dam and transformers at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant to flood the lower Dnipro River where Russian forces are under threat from a Ukrainian offensive.
The goal, he said, would be to halt the Ukrainian advance and protect Russia’s troops.
Iran ‘directly engaged’ in the war, US says
Iran has significantly deepened its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by providing technical support for Russian pilots flying Iranian-made drones to bomb civilian targets, the White House has confirmed.
The national security council lead spokesperson, John Kirby, said on Thursday that it was the US’s understanding that the Iranian advisers were in Crimea to provide training and maintenance – but not to actually pilot the drones – after Russian forces experienced difficulties in operating the unmanned flying bombs.
Kirby said:
We can confirm that Russian military personnel based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs and using them to conduct kinetic strikes across Ukraine, including in strikes against Kyiv in recent days.
The information we have is that the Iranians have put trainers and tech support in Crimea, but it’s the Russians who are doing the piloting.
Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground and through the provision of weapons … that are killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. These are systems that the Russian armed forces are not familiar using and these are organically manufactured Iranian UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]. The Russians just don’t have anything in their inventory.”
“There were operator and system failures early on. Either they weren’t being piloted appropriately and properly and were failing to reach targets or the systems themselves were suffering failures and not performing to the standards that apparently the customers expected,” Kirby added. “So the Iranians decided to move in some trainers and some technical support to help the Russians use them with better lethality.”
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours.
Iranian drone experts and advisors are believed to be helping Russia on the ground in Crimea and by providing technical support for Russian pilots flying Iranian-made drones to bomb civilian targets, the White House has said.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of planning to destroy a hydroelectric dam in the eastern Kherson region, where Ukrainian soldiers have been steadily advancing and Moscow-installed authorities have begun what they call ‘evacuations’ of civilians.
Here are all the latest lines you may have missed:
Iran has significantly deepened its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by providing technical support for Russian pilots flying Iranian-made drones to bomb civilian targets, the White House confirmed. The US national security council’s John Kirby said on Thursday that it was the US’s understanding that the Iranian advisers were in Crimea to provide training and maintenance – but not to actually pilot the drones – after Russian forces experienced difficulties in operating the unmanned flying bombs.
The UK is implementing new sanctions on three Iranian individuals and a business responsible for supplying Russia with drones used to bombard Ukraine. By supplying these drones Iran is “actively warmongering, profiting off Russia’s abhorrent attacks on Ukrainian citizens, and adding to the suffering of the people and the destruction of critical infrastructure”, a foreign office statement said. The assets of all four have been frozen and the individuals are also subject to travel bans.
Prior to the UK’s announcement, the EU agreed sanctions against the same business and three individuals. Tehran denies supplying the drones to Moscow, while the Kremlin said the west is seeking to put “pressure” on Iran with accusations that Moscow is using drones made in the country.
Moscow-backed self-appointed officials in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region have begun moving civilians into Russian territory, citing fears of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Russian-installed head of the key southern city, Vladimir Saldo, spoke of plans to move up to 60,000 people across the Dnipro River. Images of people using boats to flee the city were broadcast by Russian state TV. Authorities said about 15,000 people have now been “evacuated”.
Ukrainian officials described Russia’s announcements as “a propaganda show” and told people not to comply with the evacuation request. A number have reported receiving mass text messages warning the city would be shelled and informing them that buses would be leaving from the port from 7am on Thursday. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, described Russian announcements as “a propaganda show” as Kyiv said the population transfers amounted to “deportations”.
Russia’s recent admission that a “difficult situation has emerged” in the Kherson region is highly unusual and likely indicates that authorities are considering a major withdrawal of their forces from the area west of the Dnipro River, British intelligence has said.
Ukraine began restricting electricity supplies across the country starting from 7am on Thursday in response to Russia’s strikes against its energy infrastructure. A barrage of more than 300 attacks have destroyed a third of all power plants across the country, President Zelenskiy said. Ukrainians will now need to prepare for “rolling blackouts” and people will have to conserve energy, the deputy head of the president’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, warned.
A Russian air strike that hit a major thermal power station in the city of Burshtyn in western Ukraine on Wednesday has caused “quite serious” damage, the region’s governor said on Thursday.
A Russian aircraft released a missile near a British plane patrolling in international airspace over the Black Sea on 29 September, the UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, revealed. He told the House of Commons that the Russians blamed the incident on a “technical malfunction”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that Putin was using energy and hunger as weapons but has failed to break the west’s unity and will not achieve his war aims through scorched earth tactics. “We will not let Moscow’s latest escalation go unanswered. Scorched earth tactics will not help Russia win the war. They will only strengthen the unity and resolve of Ukraine and its partners,” Scholz told the German parliament.
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Nato allies will act if Sweden or Finland come under pressure from Russia or another adversary before they become full members of the alliance, Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday.
