Ukraine live updates: Heavy losses reported among Russian mercenaries; Kherson comes under 'massive fire' - CNBC

Ukrainian archetypal woman Olena Zelenska said she met with the French archetypal woman Brigitte Macron successful Paris. Zelenska arrived successful France connected Sunday and leads a delegation that includes Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

"The First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, is 1 of those whom I person the grant to telephone a workfellow and friend. And, of course, a large person of Ukraine," Zelenska said connected her Telegram channel.

Zelenska besides wrote that she accompanied Macron to a schoolhouse successful Paris wherever Ukrainian children who fled the warfare successful Ukraine are studying.

— Amanda Macias

Since Russia invaded Ukraine connected Feb. 24, determination person been astatine slightest 715 attacks connected captious wellness services successful the country, the World Health Organization's Surveillance System for Attacks connected Health Care estimates.

The enactment reports that wellness attraction facilities were damaged 630 times, ambulances were targeted successful 91 cases and astatine slightest 174 attacks affected important aesculapian supplies. The radical besides estimated that attacks connected wellness services led to astatine slightest 100 deaths and 129 injuries.

The Kremlin has antecedently denied that it targets civilian infrastructure similar hospitals, schools and flat buildings.

— Amanda Macias

The enactment overseeing the export of cultivation products said 4 vessels carrying wheat and rootlike lipid near Ukrainian ports.

The ships are carrying corn, wheat, rootlike lipid and rapeseed and are destined for Spain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands.

The magnitude of atom and different foodstuffs exported nether the Black Sea Grain Initiative truthful acold exceeds 13.7 cardinal metric tons.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a woody brokered successful July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and saw 3 cardinal Ukrainian ports reopen.

The woody among the signatories is acceptable to expire successful astir 3 months.

— Amanda Macias

Nearly 8 cardinal Ukrainians have go refugees and moved to neighboring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine successful precocious February, the U.N. Refugee Agency estimates.

More than 4.8 cardinal of those radical person applied for impermanent nonmigratory presumption successful neighboring Western European countries, according to information collected by the agency.

"The escalation of struggle successful Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and demolition of civilian infrastructure, forcing radical to fly their homes seeking safety, extortion and assistance," the U.N. Refugee Agency wrote.

— Amanda Macias

The enactment overseeing the export of Ukrainian crops said that determination is simply a backlog of 82 vessels waiting to beryllium loaded with cargo.

The U.N.-led Joint Coordination Center besides said that 59 loaded vessels are waiting for inspection successful Turkish territorial waters.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a woody brokered successful July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and saw the reopening of 3 cardinal Ukrainian ports.

Since the woody was signed, much than 540 ships carrying 13.7 cardinal metric tons of atom and different nutrient products person near for destinations astir the world.

Kyiv has antecedently blamed Moscow for holding up inspections and delaying vas movements.

— Amanda Macias

At slightest 6,755 civilians person died and 10,607 person been injured successful Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbour connected Feb. 24, according to the United Nations.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the decease toll successful Ukraine is apt higher than that due to the fact that equipped struggle tin hold fatality reports.

Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the usage of explosive weapons with a wide interaction area, including shelling from dense artillery and aggregate motorboat rocket systems, arsenic good arsenic missiles and airstrikes, according to the organization.

— Amanda Macias

The West has tried to physique bridges with Russia since the extremity of the Cold War but immoderate spot that was established successful caller years has been destroyed, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

"NATO strived for decades to make a better, much constructive narration with Russia," helium told CNBC's Hadley Gamble.

"After the extremity of the Cold War we established institutions [like the] NATO-Russia Council, erstwhile I was premier curate of Norway I retrieve that President Putin attended NATO summits ... truthful this was a antithetic clip erstwhile we worked for a amended relationship. Russia has walked distant from each of this," helium said.

Stoltenberg said a level of spot that had been established during a rapprochement betwixt Western nations and Russia successful caller decades had been destroyed by Moscow's determination to invade Ukraine.

"Even if the warring ends, we volition not instrumentality to immoderate benignant of normal, friendly, narration with Russia. Trust has been destroyed," helium said. "I deliberation the warfare has had long-lasting consequences for the narration with Russia."

Read much connected the communicative here: Trust betwixt the West and Russia has been destroyed, NATO main says

Kherson city, successful the partially-liberated confederate portion of Kherson, is coming nether "massive fire," according to the caput of the determination subject medication there.

"Kherson is nether monolithic occurrence from the Russian occupiers," Yaroslav Yanushevych said connected Telegram Monday, saying Russians had attacked 2 neighborhoods successful the city. Five radical were known to person been wounded successful the attacks and 2 radical to person died, helium said.

"Emergency aesculapian assistance teams, unneurotic with the Red Cross, are heading to the Ostriv district. The fig of victims [there] is presently unknown," helium said. CNBC was incapable to verify the details wrong Yanushevych's post.

Yanushevych called connected civilians to enactment wrong sheltered areas if they perceive the sounds of explosions.

Ukraine called connected residents wrong Kherson to evacuate past period pursuing the withdrawal of Russian forces from the metropolis and the wider Kherson portion to the westbound slope of the Dnieper river, fixed that Russian forces person tended to heavy bombard the settlements from which they person retreated.

— Holly Ellyatt

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that "the clip present has come" for Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden and Finland's accession to the subject alliance.

Stoltenberg told CNBC helium was assured the 2 holdouts would articulation their chap 28 subordinate states successful ratifying soon. He would not supply a circumstantial timeline, though helium said that the organization's enactment for the prospective members was assured.

"It's inconceivable that if Finland and Sweden were attacked oregon came nether immoderate benignant of unit from Russia, that NATO would not react. So I'm not saying that it doesn't matter, the past 2 ratifications, but we are successful a wholly antithetic place," Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg added that with the 2 caller accessions, President Putin would get "the nonstop opposite" of what helium acceptable retired to execute with his penetration of Ukraine: an expanded NATO beingness on the Russian border.

— Karen Gilchrist

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stressed the request to guarantee that the weapons the confederation has already supplied to war-torn Ukraine tin beryllium deployed successful combat.

"I recognize this absorption connected caller systems, but ... [it's] arsenic important, if not adjacent much important to guarantee that the systems which are already delivered are moving arsenic they should be," helium said successful a CNBC interrogation with Hadley Gamble. "Because determination are a batch of systems which are present highly effective, erstwhile they work, successful Ukraine."

He said NATO had already provided Ukraine with limb systems specified arsenic artillery, conflict tanks and equipped vehicles and needed to support the proviso of instrumentality to Kyiv.

"We request to guarantee that determination is simply a dependable travel of ammunition, of spare parts and attraction capacity," Stoltenberg urged.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Ukraine's forces person reportedly destroyed 9 Russian bid posts and an further 17 areas wherever determination was a "build-up of manpower," 1 artillery clump and 2 ammunition depots successful the past 24 hours, according to an update from the General Staff of Ukraine's equipped forces.

In its latest subject update, Ukraine said it had repelled Russian attacks successful respective areas of Luhansk and Donetsk, wherever warring has been astatine its astir aggravated successful caller months.

It said Russian forces had launched 2 rocket strikes connected civilian infrastructure successful the concern metropolis of Kostiantynivka successful Donetsk arsenic good arsenic 11 airstrikes connected the positions of Ukrainian troops on the beforehand line, "as good arsenic much than 60 MLRS (multiple motorboat rocket system) attacks connected the civilian infrastructure of Kherson metropolis and the positions of Ukrainian troops."

"There is inactive a menace of rocket and UAV strikes connected the vigor strategy and captious infrastructure objects passim the territory of Ukraine," the General Staff warned.

It said Russian forces continued to interruption planetary humanitarian law, claiming it was utilizing the civilian colonisation arsenic quality shields. Russia claims Ukraine does the aforesaid thing.

The General Staff besides reported that Ukraine's aerial unit had launched 14 strikes connected areas wherever determination was, it said, a "concentration of force manpower, weapons and subject equipment, arsenic good arsenic aerial defence positions." CNBC was incapable to verify the accusation wrong the report.

— Holly Ellyatt

Starved of Big Macs since McDonald's closed its Russian restaurants successful March, Russians volition from adjacent twelvemonth beryllium treated to an alternate from the burger chain's successor - the "Big Hit".

Vkusno & tochka, oregon "Tasty & that's it", connected Monday said the Big Hit would beryllium disposable from February and a akin merchandise to the McDonald's Happy Meal would beryllium making a comeback arsenic "Kids' Combo."

McDonald's closed its Russian restaurants soon aft Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine successful February, yet selling to a section licensee, Alexander Govor, who unveiled the caller marque successful June.

CEO Oleg Paroev said Vkusno & tochka had present flooded each the proviso concatenation issues it had faced, and was increasing its stock successful a marketplace traditionally dominated by overseas chains. Since acquiring Russia's McDonald's restaurants, Govor has snapped up Finnish packaging institution Huhtamaki's Russian concern and a logistics firm, acceptable to beryllium renamed "Logistics & that's it".

On Monday, helium said Vkusno & tochka whitethorn effort to find a spouse to nutrient children's toys for the Kids' Combo, which are presently being launched with a escaped book, but that his M&A appetite had been satisfied for now. Vkusno & tochka and nutrient shaper Miratorg connected Monday said they had agreed to physique a mill successful 2023 to proviso the concatenation with chips and murphy wedges.

Some Vkusno & tochka restaurants had to instrumentality fries disconnected the paper earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile faced with a murphy shortage.

— Reuters

Hungary is blocking caller fiscal enactment for Ukraine arsenic the state attempts to wrestle escaped its ain EU funds, with nationalist person Viktor Orban erstwhile again ruffling feathers successful the bosom of Brussels.

The European Commission, the enforcement limb of the EU, successful November projected an 18 cardinal euro ($18.9 billion) bundle for the war-torn nation. The funds are expected to beryllium disbursed regularly passim 2023. But, Hungary was the lone federation among the 27 EU states to veto the plan.

Hungary Prime Minister Orban, often seen arsenic a scourge to EU authorities with once-warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, took to Twitter connected Tuesday. "Today's quality was each astir Hungary vetoing fiscal assistance to Ukraine. This is fake news. Hungary is acceptable to springiness fiscal assistance to Ukraine, connected a bilateral basis. No veto, nary blackmailing," helium said.

But Brussels disagrees. Some EU officials judge Budapest's ballot was an effort to unit done its ain EU funding. An EU official, adjacent to the ministers' talks and who did not privation to beryllium named owed to the sensitivity of the issue, told CNBC: "They [Hungary] volition contradict it, [but] they privation to make leverage and are taking 2 files nether hostage."

Read much connected the communicative here

A apical authoritative in Russia's Foreign Ministry said Monday that Moscow does not spot a "constructive approach" from Washington successful talks that person been held betwixt the 2 sides successful Istanbul successful the past fewer days.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin was quoted by Russian authorities quality bureau Tass arsenic saying that Istanbul is simply a convenient level for talks betwixt Russia and the U.S. but that talks person not been truthful fruitful.

"Istanbul is simply a convenient level for specified contacts. I tin accidental that immoderate contacts are useful, but, unfortunately, we bash not spot a constructive attack from the American broadside aimed astatine factual results," Vershinin told Russian journalists.

A gathering was held betwixt U.S. and Russian officials connected Friday, Reuters reported, to sermon method points of quality betwixt the countries, with discussions implicit the issuance of visas 1 of the talking points.

— Holly Ellyatt

The United States is prioritising efforts to boost Ukraine's aerial defences, President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart connected Sunday, arsenic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stepped up efforts to unafraid planetary assistance implicit the Russian penetration that is dragging into a 10th month.

Heavy warring successful the country's eastbound and southbound continued unabated, portion drone and rocket strikes connected cardinal powerfulness infrastructure, notably successful the Black Sea larboard metropolis of Odesa, kept galore Ukrainians successful the acold and dark.

There are nary bid talks and nary extremity successful show to the deadliest struggle successful Europe since World War Two, which Moscow describes arsenic a "special subject operation" and Ukraine and its allies telephone an unprovoked enactment of aggression.

"We are perpetually moving with partners," Zelenskyy said aft talking to Biden and the leaders of France and Turkey, adding that helium expects immoderate "important results" adjacent week from a bid of planetary events that volition tackle the concern successful Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz volition clasp connected Monday an online gathering with Group of Seven (G-7) leaders and the European Union overseas ministers will to effort to hold connected further sanctions connected Russia and Iran and connected further assistance oregon arms deliveries to Ukraine.

While Zelenskyy has held galore talks with Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan since Russian forces invaded successful precocious February, the accumulation of discussions successful conscionable 1 time is not a regular event.

— Reuters

Russia's evident warfare aims of "liberating" eastbound Ukraine and extending power implicit the confederate regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are apt to fail, Britain's Ministry of Defense stated Monday, with small gains expected implicit the winter.

"Russia is apt inactive aiming to widen power implicit each of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts [regions]. Russian subject planners apt inactive purpose to prioritise advancing deeper into Donetsk Oblast," the defence ministry said connected Twitter.

"However, Russia's strategy is presently improbable to execute its objectives: it is highly improbable that the Russian subject is presently capable to make an effectual striking unit susceptible of retaking these areas," the U.K. added.

"Russian crushed forces are improbable to marque operationally important advances wrong the adjacent respective months."

Russian statesmanlike spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rearticulated the main goals of the "special subject operation" (as Russia calls its penetration of Ukraine) past week, stating that these were to afloat inhabit the 4 regions of Ukraine that Russia declared it had annexed backmost successful September.

Peskov stated determination was "a batch of enactment ahead" to "liberate" these territories that were "occupied" by Ukrainian forces.

— Holly Ellyatt

Energy operators are moving to reconstruct the powerfulness proviso to the confederate larboard metropolis of Odesa aft its vigor web was targeted by Russian drones implicit the weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 1.5 cardinal radical were near without powerfulness aft Russia launched drones strikes connected the city. The president said Ukraine had managed to sprout down 10 of 15 Iranian drones utilized to people Odesa.

Zelenskyy said successful his nightly code Sunday that "restoration enactment continues successful the southbound of our state - we are doing everything to reconstruct the airy proviso to Odesa."

"As of this time, we managed to partially reconstruct the proviso successful Odesa and different cities and districts of the region. We are doing everything to execute the maximum imaginable aft the Russian hits," helium said.

He said the Odesa portion is inactive among the regions with the largest fig of vigor shutdowns, and that the concern remains "very difficult" successful Kyiv, the capital's surrounding region, arsenic good arsenic Lviv, Vinnytsia, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk, among others.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian mercenaries warring successful eastbound Ukraine suffered dense losses aft the edifice they were utilizing arsenic their office was deed by Ukrainian forces this weekend, according to an official.

There were "very significant" losses aft the impermanent location successful Kadiivka successful Luhansk was hit, the caput of the Luhansk Military Administration Serhiy Haidai said connected his Telegram relationship connected Sunday.

Haidai claimed the edifice was being utilized arsenic the office of the backstage subject force, the "Wagner Group," a state-sanctioned radical founded by an state of President Vladimir Putin.

Wagner soldiers, wide seen arsenic mercenaries, are warring alongside the regular Russian service successful Ukraine, peculiarly successful the eastbound of the country, wherever warring is aggravated arsenic Russian forces effort to inhabit much of the portion and Ukrainian forces effort to reclaim much territory.

Haidai said Russian forces are looking to mobilize each the men successful the portion and that property oregon wellness is nary obstruction to being forcibly mobilized. CNBC was incapable to instantly verify Haidai's claims.