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Russia begins "resettlement" of civilians successful Kherson
Moscow-backed self-appointed officials successful Ukraine’s confederate Kherson portion person begun moving civilians into Russian territory, citing fears of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The Russian-installed caput of the cardinal confederate metropolis Vladimir Saldo spoke of plans to determination up to 60,000 radical crossed the Dnieper River and into Russia implicit the adjacent six days – astatine a complaint of 10,000 radical each day.
“We are not going to surrender the city,” helium said successful a nationally televised interrogation connected Wednesday.
Images of radical utilizing boats to fly the metropolis were broadcast by Russian authorities TV.
Ukrainian officials described Russia’s announcements arsenic “a propaganda show” and told radical not to comply with the evacuation request. A fig person reported receiving wide substance messages informing the metropolis would beryllium shelled and informing them that buses would beryllium leaving from the larboard from 7am connected Thursday.
Andriy Yermak, main of unit to the Ukrainian president, described Russian announcements arsenic “a propaganda show” arsenic Kyiv said the colonisation transfers amounted to “deportations”.
Ukraine has remained tight-lipped astir its operations, though its subject said successful an aboriginal Thursday update connected the Kherson portion said 43 Russian servicemen had been killed and six tanks and different instrumentality destroyed.
EU acme to sermon vigor enactment for Ukraine
Leaders of the 27 European Union countries are acceptable to conscionable aboriginal contiguous to sermon options for much enactment to Ukraine, including vigor equipment, helping reconstruct powerfulness proviso and semipermanent financing to rebuild.
The leaders are besides expected to backmost an alternate terms benchmark for liquefied earthy state and associated state buying, aft earlier agreeing to chopped depletion and present levies connected windfall profits successful the vigor industry.
However they stay arsenic divided connected whether and however to headdress state prices to stem precocious ostentation and stave disconnected recession, aft Russia chopped state flows.
While 15 countries including France and Poland propulsion immoderate signifier of a cap, they look beardown absorption from Germany and the Netherlands - respectively Europe’s biggest system and state buyer, and a large European state trading hub.
“An statement is highly unlikely... Opinions look to beryllium truly acold apart,” a elder EU diplomat told Reuters up of Thursday’s talks.
Iran denies supplying Russian troops with drones
Russia has been targeting Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed-136 “kamikaze drones”, rebranded arsenic Geran-2, Ukraine and its allies allege.
Moscow has acquired up to 2,400 of the drones, according to Ukraine, and is utilizing them arsenic cheaper substitutes to deed the vigor targets and onslaught fearfulness into civilians.
Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, portion the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said helium did not person immoderate accusation astir their origin. “Russian instrumentality with Russian names is being used,” Peskov said.
Ukraine, experts and occidental governments judge the Gerans are rebranded Shahed drones, identifiable by their distinctive delta helping signifier and from an introspection of fragments recovered from the ground.
An anonymous Iranian authoritative told Reuters that Russia had asked for much Iranian drones and ballistic missiles with “improved accuracy” erstwhile elder officials from Tehran visited Moscow recently. The root said Iran had promised to supply Russia with much drones, citing 2 elder Iranian officials and 2 Iranian diplomats.
Russia utilizing Iranian drones to onslaught civilians, US says
The United States, Britain and France person said determination is “abundant evidence” Russia is utilizing Iranian drones to onslaught civilians successful Ukraine during a gathering of the UN information assembly connected Wednesday.
US authorities section spokesperson Ned Price said successful a tweet precocious connected Wednesday evening:
Although Iran continues to lie, the satellite is alert that Russia uses Iranian drones to onslaught Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.”
A statement aboriginal published by the US authorities section read:
We expressed our sedate concerns astir Russia’s acquisition of these UAVs from Iran.
We present person abundant grounds that these UAVs are being utilized to onslaught Ukrainian civilians and captious civilian infrastructure.
We volition not hesitate to usage our sanctions and different due tools connected each progressive successful these transfers.”
.@UN Security Council was briefed connected grounds of UAV transfers from Iran to Russia violating UNSCR 2231. Although Iran continues to lie, the satellite is alert that Russia uses Iranian drones to onslaught Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. https://t.co/C8WCJeb0aK
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) October 20, 2022Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s caput general, said subordinate countries would “step up” and present much aerial defences to assistance stabilise the situation. “Nato volition successful the coming days present counter-drone systems to antagonistic the circumstantial menace of drones, including those from Iran,” helium said.
GPS-guided Shahed 136 drones tin alert up to 1,500 miles from trucks launched extracurricular Ukraine and are believed to person been deployed crossed the state since August. Although they alert slowly, making them susceptible to being changeable down, their sheer numbers are proving a trial for Ukraine’s aerial defences.
Dan Sabbagh
The Guardian’s Dan Sabbagh offers this investigation connected the interaction connected the country’s vigor supply, noting that civilians are apt to beryllium the biggest losers.
Politicians successful Ukraine person been informing for months present that Russia would people the vigor grid successful the tally up to winter, wherever temperatures tin driblet to -10C and adjacent -20C. In immoderate frontline areas, specified arsenic Donbas, determination are already nary state supplies for heating the flat blocks wherever truthful galore live.
Quietly astir the state determination person been efforts to guarantee hospitals and subject sites person backup generators available. But it volition not beryllium capable for civilians and it is wide that the concern – and the bleak archetypal effectiveness of the Russian strategy – could marque for a precise hard period.
Some experts person feared determination could adjacent beryllium a renewed migration crisis, arsenic radical question to permission the state successful pursuit of warmth.
Ensuring the continuity of proviso of energy and warmth to the subject has been a precedence for Kyiv, portion immoderate frontline difficulties the Ukrainians look are apt to beryllium shared by the Russian invaders too.
That means it is civilians – and civilian morale – that volition carnivore the brunt, a acquainted Russian strategy to prioritise intelligence effects implicit battlefield success.
But a Russian effort to stoke a humanitarian situation successful the wintertime volition besides enforce further costs connected some Ukraine and its occidental supporters. The accelerated occurrence of the attacks connected powerfulness stations suggest the coming months volition beryllium hard, unless an urgent subject solution tin beryllium found.
Russia targeting Ukraine's vigor supply
A barrage of Russian rocket and drone attacks has destroyed powerfulness plants crossed Ukraine conscionable earlier the wintertime sets in.
Nearly a 3rd of Ukraine’s powerfulness stations person been destroyed by Russian attacks since Monday past week, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the lawman caput of the statesmanlike office, said vigor infrastructure and powerfulness supplies are being targeted, describing the concern crossed the state arsenic critical. “Our regions are babelike connected 1 different … it’s indispensable for the full state to hole for electricity, h2o and heating outages,” helium told Ukrainian tv earlier successful the week.
Another benignant of Russian violent attacks: targeting 🇺🇦 vigor & captious infrastructure. Since Oct 10, 30% of Ukraine’s powerfulness stations person been destroyed, causing monolithic blackouts crossed the country. No abstraction near for negotiations with Putin's regime. @United24media pic.twitter.com/LN4A2GYgCK
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 18, 2022Three much vigor facilities were destroyed connected Wednesday, portion of a question of specified strikes since 10 October, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said successful his latest address.
The latest to beryllium deed was a large thermal powerfulness presumption successful the metropolis of Burshtyn successful occidental Ukraine, the region’s politician said.
Ukrainian officials are moving to make mobile powerfulness points arsenic Zelenskiy held a “strategic meeting” with elder officials connected Wednesday to sermon measures to “eliminate the consequences successful the lawsuit of a breakdown of the vigor strategy of Ukraine”, helium said connected Telegram.
The caput of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described Russia’s strikes connected captious vigor infrastructure arsenic “acts of axenic terror” that magnitude to warfare crimes successful remarks to the European parliament connected Wednesday.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians person been near without powerfulness oregon h2o as a effect of Russian strikes.
Ukraine curbs powerfulness usage
Ukraine volition statesman restricting energy supplies crossed the state starting from 7am contiguous successful effect to Russia’s strikes against its vigor infrastructure.
Ukrainians volition present request to hole for “rolling blackouts” and radical volition person to conserve energy, the lawman caput of the president’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, warned. In a Telegram update posted precocious connected Wednesday evening, helium said:
Starting from 7am to 11pm, it is indispensable to minimise the usage of electricity.
This applies to residents of ALL regions of the country. If this is not done, you should hole for impermanent shutdowns.”
The usage of thoroughfare lighting volition beryllium constricted successful cities and the state needed, helium added, to beryllium prepared for “a hard winter”.
Ukraine’s nationalist vigor company besides urged citizens to “charge everything” by 7am (4am GMT) connected Thursday with outages of up to 4 hours astatine a clip expected to impact the full country.
Phones, powerfulness banks, torches and batteries request to beryllium charged, grid relation Ukrenergo urged.
Summary and welcome
Hello and invited backmost to the Guardian’s unrecorded sum of the warfare successful Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll beryllium bringing you each the latest developments arsenic they unfold implicit the adjacent fewer hours.
Ukraine volition contiguous statesman restricting electricity supplies crossed the state starting from 7am successful effect to Russia’s strikes against its vigor infrastructure. Three much vigor facilities were destroyed connected Wednesday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said successful his latest address.
The United States, Britain and France person said determination is “abundant evidence” Russia is utilizing Iranian drones to onslaught civilians successful Ukraine during a gathering of the UN information assembly connected Wednesday. EU governments are besides acceptable to enforce sanctions connected 8 radical and entities implicit the alleged usage of Iranian-made drones.
Here are each the latest lines you whitethorn person missed:
Vladimir Putin declared martial instrumentality successful the 4 provinces of Ukraine wherever Russia controls territory. The instrumentality gives far-reaching exigency powers to the Russian-installed heads of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces, which Russia precocious proclaimed arsenic annexed aft sham referendums. Ukraine’s statesmanlike advisor Mykhailo Podolyak described the announcement arsenic the “pseudo-legalisation of looting of Ukrainians’ property”.
Putin has besides ordered an “economic mobilisation” successful six provinces that borderline Ukraine, positive Crimea and Sevastopol, which Russia illegally annexed successful 2014. In televised remarks helium said helium was granting further authorization to the determination leaders of each Russian provinces to support nationalist bid and summation accumulation successful enactment of Moscow’s war. The instrumentality besides limits the state to determination successful and retired of the 8 provinces.
Russian officials person warned of a Ukrainian battle connected Kherson amid plans to “resettle” civilians. The Russian-installed caput of the cardinal confederate metropolis Vladimir Saldo spoke of plans to determination up to 60,000 radical crossed the Dnieper River and into Russia implicit the adjacent six days fearing a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Images of radical utilizing boats to fly the metropolis were broadcast by Russian authorities TV.
Ukrainian officials described Russia’s announcements arsenic “a propaganda show” and told radical not to comply with the evacuation request. A fig person reported receiving wide substance messages informing the metropolis would beryllium shelled and informing them that buses would beryllium leaving from the larboard from 7am connected Thursday. Andriy Yermak, main of unit to the Ukrainian president, described Russian announcements arsenic “a propaganda show” arsenic Kyiv said the colonisation transfers amounted to “deportations”.
Russia continues to motorboat caller strikes against Ukraine’s vigor infrastructure with 3 vigor facilities destroyed connected Wednesday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said successful his latest address, adding that Ukrainian officials are moving to make mobile powerfulness points. Russian airstrikes person destroyed 30% of Ukraine’s powerfulness stations since 10 October, causing monolithic blackouts crossed the country, helium said. Ukraine volition restrict energy supplies crossed the state starting from 7am connected Thursday.
Russia’s strikes connected captious vigor infrastructure are “acts of axenic terror” that magnitude to warfare crimes, the caput of the European Commission has said. Ursula von der Leyen’s remarks to the European parliament on Wednesday came after hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were near without powerfulness oregon h2o as a effect of Russian strikes.
Zelenskiy spoke of “significant results” successful downing Iranian drones, claiming 233 Shahed UAVs and dozens of missiles were changeable down during the month. Several Russian missiles were changeable down implicit Kyiv connected Wednesday afternoon, its mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, said. Greek diplomats person confirmed that the country’s overseas minister, Nikos Dendias, who is visiting Ukraine, was forced to question refuge in a weaponry structure successful Kyiv.
The outgo to Ukraine of downing “kamikaze” drones vastly exceeds the sums paid by Russia in sourcing and launching the inexpensive Iranian-made technology, investigation suggests. The full outgo to Russia of the failed drone attacks unleashed connected Ukraine successful caller weeks is estimated by subject analysts to beryllium betwixt $11.66m (£10.36m) and $17.9m (£15.9m). The estimated outgo to Ukraine to bring down the drones stands astatine much than $28.14m (£25m).
The EU plans to enforce sanctions connected three elder Iranian subject commanders and the institution that develops drones believed to person been utilized successful Russia’s attacks connected Ukraine. The draught sanctions list, seen by the Guardian, is expected to beryllium agreed wrong days, indicating EU ministers bash not judge Iran’s denials that it has supplied Russia with the low-flying lethal weapons.
Russia volition reassess its practice with UN secretary-general António Guterres and his unit if Guterres sends experts to Ukraine to inspect downed drones that Ukraine and the westbound asseverate were made successful Iran, Russia’s lawman UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters connected Wednesday.
Putin volition look “severe consequences” if helium uses atomic weapons successful the warfare successful Ukraine, Downing Street has said. Britain’s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has been successful Washington for talks with his US counterpart amid reports the Russian person could detonate a atomic warhead implicit the Black Sea.
The US has imposed caller sanctions connected Russia, targeting a web that Washington accused of procuring subject and dual-use technologies from US manufacturers and illegally supplying them to Russia for its warfare successful Ukraine. Some of the instrumentality was recovered connected battlefields successful Ukraine, the justness section said.
The European parliament awarded the radical of Ukraine its annual Sakharov prize for state of thought to honour their combat against Russia’s invasion. “They are lasting up for what they judge in. Fighting for our values. Protecting democracy, state and regularisation of law. Risking their lives for us,” the European parliament president, Roberta Metsola, said.
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