The previously secretive private military group Wagner on Friday opened its first official headquarters in Russia in the city of Saint Petersburg, according to AFP.
AFP reports:
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who recently confirmed he founded the group whose fighters have been deployed to Ukraine as well as countries in Latin America and Africa, last week announced the opening of the office on his company Concord’s social media page.
The shiny glass-fronted multistorey building topped with a big white “Wagner” sign opened on Friday.
People in camouflage clothing were wandering in the grey corridors of the building, looking at an exhibit displaying drones.
“The mission of the PMC Wagner Center is to provide a comfortable environment for generating new ideas to improve Russia’s defence capability,” Prigozhin said in his statement.
Last month Prigozhin put an end to years of rumours when he acknowledged he founded the group.
For years, the Wagner group has been suspected of playing a role in realising Moscow’s overseas ambitions, with the Kremlin denying any links.
The force - and its leader - have taken an increasingly prominent role in the Ukraine offensive.
Summary
A 24-hour curfew has been imposed in Kherson city, which makes up part of the Ukrainian region which Russia annexed in September.
The western military alliance has released footage of its latest nuclear exercise over northwestern Europe, with the majority of its exercises being held at least 1,000km from Russia’s borders, over Belgium, the North Sea and the UK.
Russia wants the west to ease restrictions on state agriculture lender Rosselkhozbank to facilitate Russian grain exports, according to four sources familiar with the request.
Putin has warned that civilians still living in the Ukrainian province of Kherson, which Russia declared it had annexed in September, must be “evacuated” from the conflict zone, amid suggestions that Russian forces may be preparing to abandon the west bank of the Dnipro river.
The US talk show host David Letterman has travelled to Kyiv to interview Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president. Netflix revealed the news on Twitter, adding that the president will appear in an upcoming episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
Ukraine’s state postal service has issued a commemorative wartime stamp dedicated to the strike on the Crimean Bridge last month, which sparked celebrations across the country.
Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki discussed the situation in Belarus and agreed the need to keep sending a strong message to Russia that intimidation would not work, according to a statement by the prime minister’s office.
Helen Sullivan and Samantha Lock have written a round-up of the developments from this week, which you can read below:
The US secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said that G7 countries were focusing more of its security support on helping Ukraine protect against Russia’s attacks on its energy grid, according to Reuters.
“The G7 agreed to create a new coordination group to help prepare, restore and defend Ukraine’s energy grid – the very grid that President Putin has brutalized,” Blinken said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Group of Seven countries is focusing more of its security support on helping Ukraine protect against Russia’s attacks on its energy grid.
He said after a two-day meeting in the western German town of Muenster:
The G7 agreed to create a new coordination group to help prepare, restore and defend Ukraine’s energy grid - the very grid that President Putin has brutalised.
Ukraine has sufficient gas supplies for this winter when planned imports are taken into account, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said, as the country prepares for further Russian strikes targeting its energy systems.
Reuters reported Shmyhals’ comments, which were made at a cabinet meeting. He said Ukraine now had 14.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas in its underground storages.
Referring to October-April, when Ukraine switches on centrally supplied heating in homes, he said:
Taking into account expected deliveries from abroad, this amount is sufficient for the heating season.
Ukraine faces a perilous winter as Russia fires missiles and loitering munitions at its power, water and heating infrastructure. Winters in Ukraine are usually very cold, with temperatures often plunging well below zero Celsius.
The Russian defence ministry has released images which show Kherson residents crossing the Dnipro river after Putin warned that civilians still living in the Ukrainian province, which Russia declared in September it had annexed, must be “evacuated” from the conflict zone.
Here’s a video with the footage:
For Comment is Free, Jonathan Steele has argued that the danger of a quick slide into all-out nuclear war between Russia and the US is less, but in other ways the risk we face is more alarming.
Putin’s comment leaves us facing the bleakest of scenarios. We now have no prospect of unilateral Russian retreat. It comes on top of the grim reality that there is no basis for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since Putin made the stupid mistake in September of annexing four Ukrainian provinces, thereby undermining any chance of mutual concessions and an agreed pull-back, since the Russian parliament now considers the regions part of Russia.
You can read the full report here:
24-hour curfew imposed in Kherson city
The Russian-installed deputy governor of Ukraine’s Kherson region has announced that a 24 hour curfew has been imposed in Kherson city.
Kirill Stremousov, in a video message posted on Telegram said that the curfew was necessary “in order to defend our city of Kherson” from what he referred to as “terrorist attacks”.
Stremousov repeated earlier calls for civilians to leave Kherson city, saying that columns of Ukrainian vehicles had been spotted on areas of the frontline and that an attack was possible.
Russia declared that it had annexed the region in September , making it the largest Ukrainian city under Moscow’s control. In response, Ukrainian forces have long-trailed a counteroffensive to take back control.
Updated
The western military alliance has released footage of its latest nuclear exercise over northwestern Europe, with the majority of its exercises being held at least 1,000km from Russia’s borders, over Belgium, the North Sea and the UK.
The practice operation involved around 60 aircraft, including fighter jets, surveillance and refuelling planes.
In a video, it said it was a “routine, recurring training activity and it is not linked to any current world events”.
NATO said the aim was to “preserve peace, deter aggression, and prevent coercion”.
NATO has been exercising nuclear deterrence capabilities over north-western Europe. Exercise "Steadfast Noon" was a routine, recurring training activity and it is not linked to any current world events. No live weapons were used. #DeterandDefend @NATO_AIRCOM pic.twitter.com/UsByDZQxlA
— SHAPE_NATO Allied Command Operations (@SHAPE_NATO) November 3, 2022
Updated
Russia wants the west to ease restrictions on state agriculture lender Rosselkhozbank to facilitate Russian grain exports, according to four sources familiar with the request, made during talks to extend a deal on food shipments from Ukraine, according to an exclusive Reuters report.
Reuters reports:
Moscow suspended its participation in the secure Black Sea grain corridor in late October but rejoined after four days, easing fears of further disruptions to grain exports from key supplier Ukraine at a time of rampant global food inflation.
President Vladimir Putin has reserved Russia’s right to halt the United Nations-brokered agreement again, while U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is pushing Moscow to agree to extend the pact beyond its scheduled expiry on Nov. 19.
Russia has not detailed its demands publicly beyond calls to unblock Russian fertiliser stuck in European ports and warehouses and resume exports of ammonia, an important ingredient in fertiliser, through a Russia-Ukraine pipeline.
The four sources, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, said Russia was asking Western countries to allow state lender Rosselkhozbank to restore its relations with correspondent banks despite Western sanctions.
This would allow the bank, which has not had a major role in the international grain trade so far, to process payments for Russian grain and other foodstuffs, two of the sources added. Before the latest sanctions, such payments were handled by international banks and subsidiaries of other Russian banks in Switzerland.
The sources did not say what response, if any, Russia had got to its proposals.
Russia has said the sanctions imposed after the start of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine make it hard for Russian grain and fertiliser traders to process payments and access vessels, insurance and ports, even though food is exempt.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry and Rosselkhozbank did not reply to a request for comment.
The U.N. has said it “remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer”. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Russian proposal.
A U.N. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said facilitation of payments for Russian food and fertilizer through Rosselkhozbank is being discussed with the European Union and other parties. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Updated
Vladimir Putin has warned that civilians still living in the Ukrainian province of Kherson, which Russia declared it had annexed in September, must be “evacuated” from the conflict zone, amid suggestions that Russian forces may be preparing to abandon the west bank of the Dnipro river.
The Russian president made the comments during a meeting with pro-Kremlin activists, underlining mounting speculation that Russia would attempt to hold the city of Kherson itself, the largest urban area under Russian occupation, at any cost.
“Now, of course, those who live in Kherson should be removed from the zone of the most dangerous actions, because the civilian population should not suffer,” he said.
You can read Peter Beaumont’s full report here:
Updated
A group of diplomats which make up part of G7 have released a statement saying they will stand “firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes”.
The ministers said: “We condemn Russia’s recent escalation, including its attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, in particular energy and water facilities, across Ukraine using missiles and Iranian drones”.
G7 countries had gathered in Muenster, the German city, this week with Russia’s invasion on its agenda.
The ministers also discussed Ukraine’s needs as it heads into the winter - particularly the need to support the repair and restoration of energy and water infrastructures.
Updated
Updated
Regarding the British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s meeting with the Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki , you can read the full statement released by Downing Street below.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Discussing the situation in Belarus, the Prime Minister said the UK was keeping a close watch on developments and stood by Poland in the face of continued Russian aggression.
“As part of deterrence efforts across the eastern flank, the UK was increasing the capability of its forces, and had increased activity with the Joint Expeditionary Force in the Baltic region”, the PM added.
“Both agreed on the need to send a continued strong signal to Putin that intimidation would not work.”
The US talk show host David Letterman has travelled to Kyiv to interview Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president.
Netflix revealed the news on Twitter, adding that the president will appear in an upcoming episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
David Letterman recently traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine to interview President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an upcoming episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
— Netflix (@netflix) November 3, 2022
The standalone special will premiere later this year. pic.twitter.com/M8GlLE5vtT
Updated
Luke Harding has interviewed Melinda Simmons, the UK’s current ambassador in Ukraine.
“This week Moscow accused the UK of masterminding a raid on the occupied Crimean port of Sevastopol, in which three Russian naval boats were damaged, and blowing up the NordSteam gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. Simmons says she does not spend time thinking about “nonsense”, even if the idea of the UK as an all-powerful bogeyman is a little bit “flattering”.
Why did Putin invade? Simmons says he set out his reasons in a “jaw-dropping” essay last year in which he argued Ukraine was not a country. “It was his manifesto for taking back what he thought had been wrongly given away,” she says.”
You can read the full interview below:
Updated
Vladimir Putin reportedly says "most dangerous actions" happening in Kherson as he calls for people to leave
Vladimir Putin said on Friday that civilians in the Ukrainian region of Kherson must be removed from the conflict zone, state-owned news agency RIA reported.
Russia illegally annexed the region from Ukraine in September and Ukrainian forces have since launched a counteroffensive to take back control.
Quoting a meeting Putin had with pro-Kremlin activists, RIA reports the Russian president said: “Now, of course, those who live in Kherson should be removed from the zone of the most dangerous actions, because the civilian population should not suffer”.
Russian-installed officials in Kherson region have pleaded for civilians to leave the region’s west, where Ukrainian forces have retaken ground in recent weeks.
On Thursday, Kherson’s Russian-appointed deputy governor Kirill Stremousov issued several video appeals for civilians to leave the part of the province on the west bank of the Dnipro river.
He said that Russian forces would likelygive up the west bank of the Dnipro to Ukraine.
Updated
Ukraine’s state postal service has issued a commemorative wartime stamp dedicated to the strike on the Crimean Bridge last month, which sparked celebrations across the country.
Its release has been timed to coincide with Russia’s Unity Day on 4 November.
The Crimean Bridge was built to connect Russia to the territory it illegally annexed in 2014, and symbolised the country’s eternal control over the peninsula and its regional impunity. President Vladimir Putin was there to open it.
For Ukrainians, the bridge was a reminder of Russia’s occupation and their inability to act against Russia, then widely considered the world’s third most powerful army.
Designed by the Ukrainian artist Yuriy Shapoval, the stamp shows the bridge behind clouds of dark grey smoke. In the forefront is the famous scene from the Titanic, where Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet stand on the bow of the ship a reference to Russia’s claims that the bridge was unsinkable.
Read more of Isobel Koshiw’s report here:
Updated
On Friday, Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki discussed the situation in Belarus and agreed the need to keep sending a strong message to Russia that intimidation would not work, according to a statement by the prime minister’s office.
The statement said that Sunak told Morawiecki on a call: “As part of deterrence efforts across the eastern flank, the UK was increasing the capability of its forces, and had increased activity with the Joint Expeditionary Force in the Baltic region.”
“Both agreed on the need to send a continued strong signal to Putin that intimidation would not work.”
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
G7 foreign ministers have agreed on the need for a coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and defend its critical energy and water infrastructure, a senior US state department official has said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that grain sent under the Black Sea export deal should go to poor African countries for free. “In my phone call with Vladimir Putin, he said ‘Let’s send this grain to countries such as Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan for free’ – and we agreed,” Erdogan said in a speech to businesspeople in Istanbul.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting China, and while there has urged Putin to extend the Black Sea grain deal when it expires on 19 November.
Dmitry Medvedev, long-term ally of Vladimir Putin, current deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, and previously both president and prime minister of Russia, has issued a broadside this morning claiming that Russia’s war has “a sacred purpose” and that “the goal is to stop the supreme ruler of hell, no matter what name he uses – Satan, Lucifer or Iblis.”
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has said 450,000 residents in the Ukrainian capital are without electricity on Friday morning. “This is one and a half times more than in previous days,” he said, adding the power system is overloaded.
The UN nuclear watchdog, said on Thursday, it had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv’s request, in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a “dirty bomb”. “Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement, adding that environmental samples taken would be analysed.
In southern Ukraine, a Russian-installed occupation official said on Wednesday that Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River, signalling a huge retreat that, if confirmed, could be a major turning point in the war. “Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left [eastern] bank,” said Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, in an interview with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet.
Ukraine said it was wary that Moscow could be setting a trap by feigning a pull-out from the Kherson region and maintained its forces were still fighting in the area. Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said it could be a Russian trap. “This could be a manifestation of a particular provocation, in order to create the impression that the settlements are abandoned, that it is safe to enter them, while they are preparing for street battles,” she said in televised comments.
Due to low morale and reluctance to fight, Russian forces have probably started deploying units threatening to shoot their own retreating soldiers, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. An intelligence report released early this morning described these Russian units as “barrier troops” or “blocking units” used to compel offensives.
Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv, has said that yesterday in Izium a 69-year-old man was blown up by a mine and hospitalised with moderate injuries. In a message on Telegram, he said that in the last day Ukrainian forces had neutralised “471 explosive objects” in the region.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, this week. I will be back on Monday.
Updated
G7 foreign ministers have agreed on the need for a coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and defend its critical energy and water infrastructure, a senior US state department official has told Reuters.
“That’s something that will be a core focus of this group in the days and weeks ahead,” the official, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity, said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that grain sent under the Black Sea export deal should go to poor African countries for free.
Erdoğan made the comment after Moscow resumed on Wednesday its participation in the UN-brokered grain deal.
“In my phone call with Vladimir Putin, he said ‘Let’s send this grain to countries such as Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan for free’ – and we agreed,” Erdogan said in a speech to businesspeople in Istanbul.
Earlier this week, Putin said even if Russia withdrew from the deal again, it would substitute the entire volume of grain destined for the “poorest countries” for free from its own stocks.
Russia has previously been critical that some grain from Ukraine exported under the deal had been going to commercial destinations, whereas the deal had been billed as aiding nations that might face starvation if grain was not exported. The deal is set to expire on 19 November.
Updated
The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell has also spoken about relations between Europe, China and Russia today, at a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Germany.
“It is clear that China is … becoming much more assertive, much more on a self-reliant course,” EU foreign policy chief Borrell told reporters.
“We want to reduce our dependence, we want to address our vulnerabilities, to strengthen our resilience,” he added. “But for the time being, many member states have a strong economic relationship with China and I don’t think we can put China and Russia on the same level.”
Reuters reports that German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to China has faced criticism in some quarters as risking appearing to be a stamp of approval for China’s leader Xi Jinping and a sign Germany will continue to prioritise its economic relations with Beijing over broader security and strategic considerations.
Updated
German chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting China, and while he is there, Reuters has reported that he has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to extend the Black Sea grain deal when it expires at the end of November.
Updated
Russian-imposed authorities in Kherson say that one person was killed and two were injured in Ukrainian shelling on the occupied region.
The Russian state-owned RIA Novosti quoted the ministry of health saying “Early this morning, Ukrainian nationalists launched rocket attacks on residential buildings in the village of Zabaryne. As a result of the shelling, unfortunately, one civilian was killed, two received mine-explosive injuries.”
Kherson is one of the regions of Ukraine that the Russian Federation claims to have annexed. The claims have not been independently verified.
Clea Skopeliti has spoken to Olena, who describes the impact on her family while living with airstrikes and power cuts in Irpin, Ukraine:
Two weeks ago, my son and I packed his nuclear attack backpack, after our school asked us to prepare one. It contains underwear, one set of clothes, a small toy, a power bank, water and snacks. We went to the store and he picked them himself: candy, biscuits, nuts, dried sausages. He is very serious about not eating from his emergency backpack, saying it should be kept untouched. I said the school has prepared, but he said he must get ready and have more water in case.
I signed an agreement for him to be given potassium iodide if an explosion happens while he’s at school. The kids would have to stay there in a shelter until the government says it’s safe to get your kid back home. It’s very logical, but it [would be] dreadfully scary to stay home, taping all the windows and ventilation, knowing your kid is at school and will need to shelter there for some time.
We’re lucky to have our school in Irpin – one was burned down and several partly destroyed. Most schools are online because they don’t have enough shelters, and there are problems with electricity and heating. It’s really hard for the kids [at home] when there is no internet. Some parents have to go to work and leave their children at home with no mobile connection.
Read more here: ‘Work, shop, cook, hug, kiss’: life under Russian missiles
Updated
Here are some of the latest images we have been sent over the newswires of the war in Ukraine.
Updated
Oleksandr Starukh, Ukraine’s governor of Zaporizhzhia, has posted to Telegram that last night Russian S-300 missiles struck populated areas.
As a result of the impact of one of the rockets, he said, “a gas pipe was damaged in an open area, a fire broke out, which was extinguished by our rescuers”.
He reported no casualties from the incident, which has not been independently verified. Zaporizhzhia is one of the regions of occupied Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex.
Updated
Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the governor of Sumy, reports that nobody was injured overnight in his region, which is to the north-east of Ukraine and borders Kharkiv and Russia. In a message on Telegram, he reported there was damage to agricultural land and buildings from shelling overnight.
Updated
Dmitry Medvedev, long-term ally of Vladimir Putin, current deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, and previously both president and prime minister of Russia, has issued a broadside this morning about why he says Russia is fighting the war, and who they are fighting against.
He initially sets out a case for the reclamation of what he claims are historic Russian lands, saying:
Russia is a huge and rich country. We do not need foreign territories, we have everything in abundance. But there is our land, which is sacred to us, on which our ancestors lived and on which our people live today. And which we will not give to anyone.
He says they are fighting against “a bunch of crazy Nazi drug addicts, people drugged and intimidated by them, and a large pack of barking dogs from the western kennel” and that therefore “we have acquired sacred power”.
He finishes:
We have the opportunity to send all enemies to the fiery Gehenna, but this is not our task. We listen to the words of the creator in our hearts and obey them. These words give us a sacred purpose. The goal is to stop the supreme ruler of hell, no matter what name he uses – Satan, Lucifer or Iblis. For his goal is death. Our goal is life. His weapon is an intricate lie. And our weapons are truth. That is why our cause is right. That is why victory will be ours! Happy holidays!
Updated
Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv, has said that yesterday in Izium a 69-year-old man was blown up by a mine and hospitalised with moderate injuries. In a message on Telegram, he said that in the last day Ukrainian forces had neutralised “471 explosive objects” in the region.
Synyehubov also said there were strikes in his region overnight, but that no casualties have been reported.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London.
Updated
Nine Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones were shot down last night, according to the Ukrainian military.
“Our air defence forces shot down 3 ‘Shahed-136’ UAVs,” the latest report from Ukraine’s general staff of the armed forces reads.
Updated
Zelenskiy hails UN nuclear watchdog findings
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, hailed the UN nuclear watchdog’s conclusion, calling it “quite obvious” in his latest national address.
We have invited the IAEA to check, we have given them full freedom of action at the relevant facilities, and we have clear and irrefutable evidence that no one in Ukraine has created or is creating any dirty bombs,” he said.
The only thing that is dirty in our region now is the heads of those in Moscow who, unfortunately, seized control of the Russian state and are terrorising Ukraine and the whole world.”
Updated
UN nuclear watchdog finds no sign of 'dirty bomb' activity in Ukraine
The UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed it found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity after inspecting three sites at Ukraine’s request in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a “dirty bomb”.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of planning to use such a bomb – a conventional explosive device laced with radioactive material – and said institutes linked to the nuclear industry were involved in preparations, without presenting evidence. Ukraine’s government denies the accusation.
In a statement released late on Thursday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said:
Over the past few days, the inspectors were able to carry out all activities that the IAEA had planned to conduct and were given unfettered access to the locations.
Based on the evaluation of the results available to date and the information provided by Ukraine, the agency did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at the locations.”
The IAEA said in October it would inspect two locations in Ukraine after a request by Kyiv. On Monday, it said those inspections had begun and on Thursday it said they had been completed at three locations rather than two, all of which had been mentioned by Russia.
The IAEA named the locations as the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Kody, and Production Association Pivdennyi Machine-Building Plant in Dnipro.
Updated
Russia probably threatening to shoot retreating soldiers, says UK MoD
Due to low morale and reluctance to fight, Russian forces have probably started deploying units threatening to shoot their own retreating soldiers, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
An intelligence report released early this morning described these Russian units as “barrier troops” or “blocking units” used to compel offensives. The report reads:
Recently, Russian generals likely wanted their commanders to use weapons against deserters, including possibly authorising shooting to kill such defaulters after a warning had been given. Generals also likely wanted to maintain defensive positions to the death.
The tactic of shooting deserters likely attests to the low quality, low morale and indiscipline of Russian forces.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 04 November 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 4, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/CWHuZrKery
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/bYLF2ONZOR
Updated
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, has said 450,000 residents in the Ukrainian capital are without electricity this morning.
“This is one and a half times more than in previous days,” he said in a Telegram update, adding the power system is overloaded.
“Save electricity as much as possible,” he added.
Updated
4.5m Ukrainians without power, Zelenskiy says
Russian attacks in the past few weeks on Ukrainian energy and water supplies have hit civilians hard as winter approaches.
As of Thursday night, 4.5 million Ukrainians in the capital, Kyiv, and 10 other regions were temporarily without power, the latest outages caused by Russian attacks, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector and energy facilities “do not stop for a single day”, Zelenskiy said.
There is damage to energy facilities in different areas across the country – this is the volume of electricity generation and transportation for millions of people.
Only as of this evening, about 4.5 million consumers have been temporarily disconnected from consumption under emergency and stabilisation schedules.”
Zelenskiy said that to “endure Russian energy terror” is Ukraine’s “national task”.
The very fact that Russia resorted to terror against the energy industry shows the weakness of the enemy. They cannot defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, and that is why they are trying to break our people in this way – to humiliate Ukrainians, to strike at the morale of our people, at the resistance of our people. I believe that Russia will not succeed.”
Temperatures can fall far below freezing in winter, now just weeks away.
Updated
A further 107 Ukrainian service personnel were freed from Russian captivity in a prisoner of war swap on Thursday.
“Many of them were wounded, and very seriously,” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in his latest national address.
Today we held another POWs swap. We managed to free and bring home 107 servicemen including many WIAs.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) November 3, 2022
🇺🇦 government will do everything necessary to help each one of them. pic.twitter.com/t3VIsNlTMi
Updated
Ukraine fears Russia is setting trap by feigning pullout in Kherson
In Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, a Russian-installed occupation official said Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnieper River, signalling a huge retreat that, if confirmed, would be a major turning point in the war.
“Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left [eastern] bank,” said Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, in an interview with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet.
Previously, Russia had denied its forces were planning to withdraw from the area.
Ukraine said it was wary that Moscow could be setting a trap by feigning a pullout from the Kherson region and maintained its forces were still fighting in the area.
Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said it could be a Russian trap.
This could be a manifestation of a particular provocation, in order to create the impression that the settlements are abandoned, that it is safe to enter them, while they are preparing for street battles,” she said in televised comments.
We continue fighting, also in the Kherson direction, despite the fact that the enemy is trying to convince us that they are leaving the settlements and creating the effect of a total evacuation.”
Updated
Ukraine's forces can retake Kherson, US defence secretary says
US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, said he believes that Ukrainian forces are able to retake Kherson, calling their work “methodical” and “effective”.
In remarks made during a conference on Thursday with South Korea’s defence minister Lee Jong-sup, Austin said:
On the issue of whether or not the Ukrainians can take the remaining territory on the west side of the Dnieper River in Kherson, I certainly believe that they have the capability to do that. Most importantly, the Ukrainians believe that they have the capability to do that.
We’ve seen them engage in a very methodical but effective effort to take back their sovereign territory. I think you’ll see them continue to press until they secure the territory on the west side of the river. So to answer your question, I do think they have the capability.”
A western official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said some Russian military commanders had rebased across the river to the east.
We would assess that in Kherson, it’s likely that most echelons of command have withdrawn now across the river to the east, leaving pretty demoralised and often in some cases leaderless troops to face off Ukrainians on the other side,” the official said.
Russia has fought for months to hang on to the pocket of land it holds on the west bank at the mouth of the Dnipro River that bisects Ukraine.
Ukraine has attacked the main river crossings for months, making it difficult for Russia to supply its force on the west bank. Ukrainian troops have been advancing along the river since the start of October, although their advance slowed in recent days.
However, battlefield reports are conflicting.
Ukrainian troops on the front line last week, visited by Reuters, said they saw no evidence Russian forces were withdrawing and believed they were in fact reinforcing.
Michael Kofman, a US expert on the Russian military who has just returned from the Ukrainian side of the Kherson front, said Moscow’s intentions were unclear.
“The situation in Kherson is clear as mud,” tweeted Kofman, director of Russia studies at the Centre for Naval Analyses.
Updated
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.
US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, said he believes that Ukrainian forces are able to retake Kherson, calling their work “methodical” and “effective”.
As of Thursday night, 4.5 million Ukrainians in the capital Kyiv and ten other regions were temporarily without power, the latest outages caused by Russian attacks, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address.
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If you have just joined us, here are all the latest developments:
The UN nuclear watchdog said it had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv’s request, in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a “dirty bomb”. “Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement, adding that environmental samples taken would be analysed.
In southern Ukraine, a Russian-installed occupation official said Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnieper River, signalling a huge retreat that, if confirmed, would be a major turning point in the war. “Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left [eastern] bank,” said Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, in an interview with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet.
Ukraine said it was wary that Moscow could be setting a trap by feigning a pull-out from the Kherson region and maintained its forces were still fighting in the area. Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said it could be a Russian trap. “This could be a manifestation of a particular provocation, in order to create the impression that the settlements are abandoned, that it is safe to enter them, while they are preparing for street battles,” she said in televised comments. “We continue fighting, also in the Kherson direction, despite the fact that the enemy is trying to convince us that they are leaving the settlements and creating the effect of a total evacuation.”
US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, said he believes that Ukrainian forces are able to retake Kherson, calling their work “methodical” and “effective”.
Ukraine has described the forced relocation of its citizens in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as “deportations” and “war crimes”. Russian authorities in Kherson have been relocating civilians, claiming it is for their safety as Ukrainian forces move closer. One week after Russian authorities relocated 70,000 civilians from the right bank of the Dnieper River to the left bank, Russian authorities said they were moving 70,000 civilians from the left bank to be “temporarily resettled deep into the Kherson region, as well as to other regions of the Russian Federation,” citing “possible damage to the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station”.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has again been disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukraine nuclear firm Energoatom said. The plant, in Russian hands but operated by Ukrainian workers, has 15 days’ worth of fuel to run the generators, Energoatom said.
The Russian ambassador to the UK has claimed UK special forces were involved in a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow’s Black Sea fleet. Andrei Kelin told Sky News: “We perfectly know about [the] participation of British specialists in [the] training, preparation and execution of violence against the Russian infrastructure and the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. We know that it has been done.” Kelin added: “This is a warning actually that Britain is too deep in this conflict. It means the situation is becoming more and more dangerous.”
Another 107 Ukrainian service personnel were freed from Russian captivity in a prisoner of war swap, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed. “Many of them were wounded, and very seriously,” he said in his latest national address.
Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered a one-time payment of 195,000 roubles (£2,800) for contract soldiers and those who have been mobilised to fight in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Last week Moscow said the “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 reservists was over but conceded there had been problems
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has confirmed that he will not attend the G20 summit taking place in two weeks in Bali if Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation will be participating in the conference.
US embassy officials in Russia visited jailed basketball star Brittney Griner on Thursday. The White House said officials were continuing to work toward a prisoner swap offer with Russia for the release of Griner – but elaborated no further on what that meant, or how soon that could take place.
