Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 289 of the invasion - The Guardian

US hoops prima Brittney Griner has been released successful a captive swap with Russia successful speech for erstwhile arms trader Viktor Bout and was heading backmost to the United States connected Thursday, ending what President Joe Biden called months of “hell” for her and her wife.

Russian forces person installed aggregate rocket launchers astatine Ukraine’s shut-down Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, Ukrainian officials claimed Thursday, raising fears Europe’s largest atomic powerfulness presumption could beryllium utilized arsenic a basal to occurrence connected Ukrainian territory, heightening radiation dangers.

US caput of authorities Antony Blinken said Thursday the United States is assured that Finland and Sweden volition beryllium approved soon for rank of Nato contempt ratification delays from members Turkey and Hungary. After gathering his Finnish and Swedish counterparts connected Thursday, Blinken said some countries had proved their bona fides to articulation the alliance, astir notably successful joining Nato to supply enactment to Ukraine to antagonistic Russia’s invasion.

Vladimir Putin has vowed to proceed attacking Ukrainian vigor systems contempt planetary disapproval of strikes that person near millions without energy and h2o astatine the commencement of winter. The Russian person presented the strikes arsenic a effect to the detonation connected Moscow’s span that connected Russia to annexed Crimea, arsenic good arsenic different attacks, accusing Kyiv of blowing up powerfulness lines adjacent the Kursk atomic powerfulness works and not supplying h2o to Donetsk successful eastbound Ukraine.

Russia is inactive acceptable connected seizing parts of eastbound and confederate Ukraine that Putin claimed arsenic his own, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. He added that the Crimean peninsula successful confederate Ukraine, which Russia annexed successful 2014, was susceptible to attacks by Ukrainian forces, aft officials determination said they had shot down a drone adjacent a cardinal naval base.

The United States is preparing to nonstop Ukraine a $275m subject assistance package offering caller capabilities to decision drones and fortify aerial defenses, according to a papers seen by Reuters connected Thursday and radical acquainted with the package.

Russian shelling of a municipality successful the Donetsk portion successful eastbound Ukraine has near 1 idiosyncratic dormant and 2 injured, according to the region’s governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko. At slightest 12 houses were destroyed by the shelling successful the municipality of Toretsk, he said successful a Telegram post.

About 10,000 Ukrainian work unit and astir the aforesaid fig of Ukrainian civilians are believed to beryllium being held successful Russian detention facilities, according to a Ukrainian official. Oleksandr Kononenko, who oversees quality rights successful the information and defence assemblage connected behalf of Ukraine’s parliament, said the civilians were being detained illegally arsenic prisoners of war due to the fact that of their alleged relation with the Ukrainian service oregon state.

Russian forces person fired much than 1,000 rockets and missiles astatine Ukraine’s powerfulness grid during the war. The grid is inactive moving contempt taking large damage, a elder authoritative said. Volodymyr Kudrytsky, the main enforcement of the grid relation Ukrenergo, also told a meeting arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development that his officials were scouring the satellite for the analyzable instrumentality needed for repairs.

Ukraine has introduced caller exigency powerfulness cuts arsenic it tries to repair vigor infrastructure damaged successful Russian airstrikes. The grid relation Ukrenergo said the situation was analyzable by the weather, with occidental regions facing frost, rain, snowfall and beardown winds that were causing wires to crystal over, but the astir hard concern was successful eastbound areas, wherever warring has been fiercest.

Russian troops are reportedly taking portion successful tactical exercises successful Belarus, according to the Russian defence ministry. Video clips posted by the ministry showed Russian soldiers successful snowfall cogwheel training adjacent tanks successful a wintertime landscape, firing weapons including artillery.

The EU plans to tighten up sanctions connected Russia’s subject and concern complex, pro-Kremlin media and Russian nationalist groups warring successful Ukraine, according to leaked papers. A full of 8 individuals are facing idiosyncratic sanctions, including Russian officials said to beryllium progressive successful the illegal transportation and adoption of Ukrainian children successful Russia, arsenic good arsenic the leaders of rightwing nationalist groups.

Pope Francis broke down and wept arsenic helium prayed for bid successful Ukraine during a accepted Christmas sojourn to the Spanish Steps successful Rome. Reuters reports that Francis had to halt speaking and was incapable to proceed for astir 30 seconds, and his caput trembled. He aboriginal tweeted that “peace is possible; disarmament is possible”