Russia-Ukraine war - live: Putin calls conflict a tragedy despite invading and claims he’s open to peace talks
Vladimir Putin has spoken at a G20 virtual summit today, repeating the propagandistic line that Russia remains open to peace talks in Ukraine and calling the “special military operation” a “tragedy” despite ordering the invasion.
“Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy,” Putin said. “And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy. By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine.”
The Russian leader said the invasion was necessary to overcome what he called a “coup”.
During his brief speech, which was roughly 17 minutes long, it appeared that only a handful of countries tuned in to hear him speak, including Spain, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea and the hosts India. China and the US had declined to attend, according to a report in Bloomberg.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in. Images from the frontline in Donbas, as well as in Kyiv, show that snow has already begun to fall.
Key Points
Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations with Ukraine, says Putin
Ukrainian army pushing Russian forces back at Dnipro river
Putin Scales back attacks on Avdiivka
Ukraine’s defence
10:03 , Chris Stevenson
Ukraine’s military says it is inflicting major losses on Russian troops as Vladimir Putin’s forces seek to try and encircle the key strategic city of Avdiivka in the east.
Russia has been trying to advance in the area for weeks, with the army saying that Ukrainian troops have repelled more than 30 attacks in the last 24 hours.
Yale historian says west can help Ukraine break stalemate
10:15 , Lydia Patrick
A historian urges western countries to continue their aid to Ukraine so they can overcome their ‘deadlock’.
Timothy Snyder insisted Ukraine had not reached a stalemate since the west could ‘drop five more queens on the board’, in conversation with the Guardian.
It comes as Kyiv’s top military commander said the Ukrainian counteroffensive was stalling in an interview with the Economist in November.
Professor Snyder told the Guardian: “I hate the stalemate analogy because war is not a game of chess,.
“In chess, there are only so many pieces on the board, and the reason why you get into stalemate is that your pieces get into a certain arrangement.”
Russia carry out deadly attack on Ukrainian hospital
09:45 , Lydia Patrick
At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the country’s emergency services.
Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.
He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.
Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.
Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital
Mapped - Current battlefields and frontlines
09:14 , Lydia Patrick
Here are today's control-of-terrain maps of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine from @TheStudyofWar and @criticalthreats.
Interactive map, updated daily: https://t.co/hwgxTnU2Tr
Archive of time-lapse maps, updated monthly: https://t.co/IT6FiqwgGO pic.twitter.com/4AiUJj4f0v— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) November 22, 2023
Putin ally adopted Ukrainian child, claim BBC
08:38 , Lydia Patrick
A 10-month-old who was taken from a Kherson children home has been linked to Vladmir Putin’s political ally.
Sirgey Mirnov, aged 70 and leafer of a Russian Political party has been named on the adoption record of a two-year-old who was taken in 2022 by his current wife, found the BBC.
The girl who was orginally named Margarita and 47 other children were taken from the care home when the city was under Russian occupation last year.
A BBC investigation has attempted to trace the missing and to identify a ‘mysterious woman in lilac’ who claimed to be “the head of children’s affairs from Moscow.”
The ‘smiley baby’ was discharged from hospital where she was being treated for bronchitis and returned to the home- where she was then taken, report the BBC.
Some weeks later more children were taken from the home, the BBC believes almost all the children remain in Russian hands, just one child, three-year-old Viktor Puzik has returned.
Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital
08:16 , Andy Gregory
At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the country’s emergency services.
Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.
He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.
Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.
My colleague Arpan Rai reports:
Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital
Sweden’s Nato bid unlikely to be ratified by summit next week, sources say
07:52 , Andy Gregory
Turkey has informed Nato that ratification of Sweden’s membership bid will not be completed in time to allow the country’s accession ceremony at a meeting of alliance foreign ministers next week, two sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
Last week, the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden’s Nato membership bid in order to hold further talks on the subject.
One source said the commission will likely resume its debate on the matter on Tuesday or Wednesday, when Nato foreign ministers will meet in Brussels – a gathering that some had hoped would mark Sweden’s accession.
Finland considering shutting entire Russian border
07:00 , Alexander Butler
Finland’s foreign minister has revealed they are considering closing some of the four remaining crossing points - or even the entire border - with Russia.
More than 600 people without valid travel documents to the EU have come to Finland via Russia so far this month, prompting Helsinki to shut several crossings.
Russia claims Ukraine attacked a group of journalists
05:01 , Alexander Butler
Moscow has claimed a group of Russian journalists have come under attack from Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the incident happened in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially under Russian occupation.
Russia annexed the region, illegally, in September last year.
03:01 , Alexander Butler
The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has now written to European Council President Charles Michel arguing EU leaders should not endorse the European Commission’s recommendation that Ukraine be allowed to join the bloc.
“The European Council is not in a position to… agree on the future of the enlargement process unless a consensus on our future strategy towards Ukraine is found,” he said.
01:00 , Alexander Butler
After more than a thousand of its workers went to fight Russia’s invasion, a coal mining enterprise in eastern Ukraine suffered a huge staff shortage. Its answer was to allow women to work underground for the first time in its history.
Over a hundred took up the offer. “I took this job because the war started and there were no other jobs,” 22-year-old Krystyna said.
For five months, she has worked as a technician 1,542 feet below ground, servicing the small electric trains that haul workers more than 2.5 miles from the lift shaft where they descend to the seams of coal.
‘It’s like Covid’: Zelensky says Putin has made ‘five or six’ attempts on his life
00:01 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that at least “five or six” Russian attempts to assassinate him have been foiled by his security services.
The wartime leader, speaking from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, said the volume of attempts had turned him almost numb to the danger. He compared the later attempts to catching the Covid-19 infection.
“The first one is very interesting, when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid,” he said in a new interview.
‘It’s like Covid’: Zelensky says Putin has made ‘five or six’ attempts on his life
Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing Russian solider nearly 2.5 miles away’
Wednesday 22 November 2023 23:00 , Alexander Butler
A Ukrainian sniper claims to have broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier almost 2.5 miles away, with a custom rifle called ‘Lord of the Horizon’, Holly Evans reports.
The previous record was held by a Canadian special operations sniper at a distance of 2.2 miles in Iraq in 2017.
In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: “The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.
“He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.
“SBU snipers are changing the rules of world sniping, demonstrating the ability to work effectively at fantastic distances.”
Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing soldier nearly 2.5 miles away’
Estonia accuses Russia of helping migrants to its border
Wednesday 22 November 2023 21:00 , Tom Watling
Estonia‘s interior minister accused Russia on Wednesday of being involved in “a hybrid attack operation” to bring migrants to its border, aiming to undermine security and unsettle the Baltic state’s population.
A total of 75 migrants, largely from Somalia and Syria, have attempted to enter Estonia from Russia through the Narva crossing point since Thursday, Estonia‘s public broadcaster ERR reported. None have asked for an asylum and all were turned back, the interior ministry said.
Estonia has made preparations to close border crossings if “the migration pressure from Russia escalates”, and to deal with migrants if they try to enter outside official crossings, Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets told Reuters through a spokesperson.
“Unfortunately, there are many signs that Russian border officials and possibly other agencies are involved”, said the minister.
“Quite frankly, (the) ongoing migration pressure on Europe’s eastern border is a hybrid attack operation”, he added.
Russian officials were not immediately available to comment.
Estonia‘s neighbour Finland said on Tuesday Russian authorities were likely directly involved in more than 500 asylum seekers, mostly from Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Iraq, arriving in a sudden surge from Russia over the past two weeks.
On Monday, the Kremlin denied Russia was deliberately pushing illegal migrants towards the Finnish border and said Russian border guards were carrying out their duties in line with the rules.
10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia
Wednesday 22 November 2023 20:00 , Tom Watling
It happens every November, when the cold descends on Kyiv. The change in weather always makes Dmytro Riznychenko think back, and he is overwhelmed by his emotions.
“This is where it truly began,” Riznychenko said, walking through central Kyiv’s Independence Square recently, reflecting on the uprising that unleashed a decade of momentous change for Ukraine, eventually leading to the current war with Russia.
“Ten years of war and struggle,” the 41-year-old psychologist continued, wearily and reluctantly. “And it seems like the blood has only just begun to flow, truly. I regret nothing. But, God, it’s just so tiresome.”
10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia
Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN
Wednesday 22 November 2023 19:00 , Tom Watling
Ukraine may not be able to meet domestic and export demand for wheat in the years to come if Russia’s attacks on its export routes and facilities continue, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
“If attacks on food infrastructure and the blockage of sea export routes continue, it will dramatically impact the agricultural production outlook over years to come, and may, in a worst-case scenario, lead to wheat production being unable to meet domestic and export demand,” said the WFP’s Ukraine director Matthew Hollingworth on Tuesday.
Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN
Germany's defense minister unveils more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion
Wednesday 22 November 2023 18:00 , Tom Watling
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius vowed Tuesday to keep supporting Ukraine’s efforts to win its war against Russia, pledging further military aid worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
The new support is to include further Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems as well as anti-tank mines and 155-millimeter artillery shells, German news agency dpa reported.
“We are talking about 20,000 additional shells,” Pistorius said at a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, in Kyiv, according to dpa.
Germany's defense minister unveils more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion
Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House
Wednesday 22 November 2023 17:00 , Tom Watling
The White House said on Tuesday it was concerned that Iran might be providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine.
Moscow is already receiving Iran’s help with Shahed drones, guided aerial bombs, and artillery ammunition and may be gearing up “to go a step further in its support for Russia”, said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Moscow has received hundreds of Shahed drones that the Russian military used against Ukraine’s energy facilities and other key infrastructure.
Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House
Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic Avdiivka town after heavy Russian losses
Wednesday 22 November 2023 16:30 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyiv’s military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.
Mr Putin is pouring in fewer troops and equipment in an attempt to seize the battered but strategic Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia.
“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.
Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic town after heavy Russian losses
Lithuanian military support package arrives in Ukraine
Wednesday 22 November 2023 16:03 , Tom Watling
A Lithuanian military support package has arrived in Ukraine, a ministry of defence statement has shown.
You can read the specifics of the package below.
🇺🇦One more new package of military support from Lithuania has reached Ukraine today
🇱🇹@LTU_Army delivered 3 million units of 7.62×51 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable pic.twitter.com/IkA508EMFL— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) November 22, 2023
Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine
Wednesday 22 November 2023 15:16 , Tom Watling
Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine as the first snowfall of the winter covers parts of the country.
Russia has shipped grain to Africa free of charge, Putin tells G20
Wednesday 22 November 2023 14:40 , Tom Watling
Russia has sent the first vessels carrying grain to Africa free of charge, President Vladimir Putin told an online gathering of the Group of 20 leading economies on Wednesday.
Russia pulled out of a United Nations-backed deal in July that had allowed safe passage for Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, but Moscow has since pledged to help developing countries that rely on Russian and Ukrainian grain exports.
In his comments to the G20 meeting, Putin also said a large share of global economic activity was shifting to Asia and Africa, and he called for a bigger role for developing nations in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Putin says Russia stands for ‘mutually-beneficial cooperation in the world’
Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:36 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin said Russia “stands for restoring the spirit of open and mutually beneficial cooperation in the world”.
Putin finishes addressing the G20
Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:34 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin has finished addressing the G20 virtual summit.
We will continue to post the most newsworthy bits of his speech as they are translated.
Russia says relations with US risk breaking at any moment
Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:30 , Tom Watling
The fabric of relations between Russia and the US is extremely thin and risks being torn at any moment, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
Zakharova told reporters at her weekly briefing that Washington’s actions could lead to “unpredictable consequences”.
Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations with Ukraine, says Putin
Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:28 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin has said Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations on Ukraine.
“The situation in Ukraine cannot but shock, but the coup in Ukraine and the extermination of the civilian population there and in Palestine is not shocking,” he said, according to state media.
Putin pictured addresses a virtual G20 summit
Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:25 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin has been pictured addressing the virtual G20 summit.
It appears only a handful of countries have tuned in to hear him speak, inlcuding India, Spain Indonesia, and Korea.
Ukraine troops face ‘difficult defence’ in east as bitter cold sets in, admits Zelensky
Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:16 , Tom Watling
Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in, but forces in the south are still conducting offensive actions, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
Russian troops launched offensives on different sections of the front line in Ukraine's east this autumn, trying to advance on the devastated town of Avdiivka and in the northeast between the towns of Lyman and Kupiansk.
"Difficult weather, difficult defence on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka fronts. Offensive actions in the south," Zelenskiy said on Telegram messenger.
Snow and freezing temperatures that stood at about minus 5 degrees Celsius during the day on Wednesday and were expected to drop lower may further complicate operations on the battleground, where fighting is moving to an attritional phase.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine. Kyiv launched a counteroffensive to retake occupied territory this summer, but has not forced a major breakthrough.
Since mid-October, Avdiivka, where the front line has changed little since the first war erupted in 2014 between Kyiv and Russian-backed militants, faced waves of attacks followed by temporary lulls, according to the Ukrainian military.
After one such lull the day before, the head of the "Tavria" military command said on Wednesday that Russian troops had "dramatically increased" the number of assaults and airstrikes.
"Our defenders are steadfastly holding the defence in the Avdiivka direction," Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Telegram. Ukrainian forces continued the offensive on the southeastern Melitopol front, he added.
In their morning readout on the battlefield, the General Staff said troops were also holding onto the bridgeheads secured on the eastern side of the River Dnipro that was occupied by Russian forces in the early days of their invasion.
Vladimir Putin begins G20 speech
Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:54 , Tom Watling
Vladimir Putin has just begun speaking at the G20 virtual summit, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Kremlin declines to comment on US suggestion that Russia may get ballistic missiles from Iran
Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:40 , Tom Watling
The Kremlin declined on Wednesday to comment on a suggestion by White House spokesman John Kirby that Iran may be considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.
"We are developing relations with Iran, including in the field of military-technical cooperation, but we do not comment on this information," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a regular news briefing.
Kirby said the United States would monitor the situation between Iran and Russia, and take appropriate action as needed.
Iran has been a key military support for Russia, supplying the Kremlin with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones that have been used to target critical Ukrainian infrastructure.
Putin scales back attack on Ukraine town after heavy Russian losses
Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:20 , Athena Stavrou
Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyiv’s military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.
“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.
Read more...
Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic town after heavy Russian losses
Ukraine’s coal mines turn to women for first time ever
Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:53 , Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian coal mines have allowed women to work underground for the first time in history to solve wartime staff shortages.
Krystyna, 22, is one of the 100 women who took up the offer.
She has worked as a technician 470 metres below ground for five months. She took the job after overcoming her fear of leaving her four-year-old son, Denys, at home with her mother.
Her hometown of Pavlohrad is 100 km (62 miles) from the front, but is often hit by Russian missiles.
“I took this job because the war started and there were no other jobs,” she said candidly.
Her beloved older brother worked in the same mine. He joined the army two weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion, Krystyna said, adding that she worries greatly about him.
She added: “Our boys were taken to the front, and now we need to support them: there is no-one else to work in the mine now.”
Putin to give Russian view on world situation at G20 virtual summit today
Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:41 , Athena Stavrou
The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin will set out Russia’s view of what it sees as the “deeply unstable world situation” when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit.
Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the “first event in a long time” including both Putin and Western leaders.
According to the state RIA news agency, the G20 virtual summit will be held on Wednesday.
Separately, RIA reported that Putin will also take part via video link in a discussion on Tuesday about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a summit of the BRICS bloc of nations.
Russia says three Ukrainian drones destroyed over Crimea
Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:40 , Athena Stavrou
Russian anti-aircraft units destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula, the Russian defence ministry said.
“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with aircraft-type UAVs on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was prevented,” the defence ministry said.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine says it will not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory. Russia says Crimea is now part of Russia.
“Three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the territory of the Republic of Crimea by air defences,” the ministry added.
Kremlin declines to comment on US suggestion that Russia may get ballistic missiles from Iran
Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:00 , Athena Stavrou
The Kremlin has declined to comment on a suggestion by White House spokesman John Kirby that Iran may be considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.
“We are developing relations with Iran, including in the field of military-technical cooperation, but we do not comment on this information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a regular news briefing.
Kirby said the United States would monitor the situation between Iran and Russia, and take appropriate action as needed.
Ukraine downs all 14 Russian drones launched overnight
Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:20 , Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian air defences shot down all 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces in an overnight attack, the air force said on Wednesday.
The air force said in a statement the attack on Ukraine’s central, southeastern, and western regions lasted from 8pm on Tuesday until 3am on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The air force also said that the Russian military launched an X-22 missile in Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast but the missile failed to reach its target, falling into a field.
Bad weather hampers fighting, ISW say
Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:39 , Athena Stavrou
Ukrainian and Russian forces have continued to conduct offensive operations in eastern and southern Ukraine despite rainy and snowy weather conditions, a war monitoring think tank said.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian Kherson Oblast Military Administration Advisor Serhiy Khlan stated on Monday that the Russian shelling of the west (right) bank of Kherson Oblast had decreased due to poor weather conditions.
Ukrainian 14th Mechanized Brigade Spokesperson Nadiya Zamryha also said on Tuesday that Russian forces continue to conduct assaults in the Kupyansk direction despite the snow and frost.
Zamryha added that the number of Russian attacks will likely decrease due to weather conditions but that Russian forces will not stop offensive operations completely.
Putin Scales back attacks on Avdiivka
Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:32 , Athena Stavrou
Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyiv’s military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.
Mr Putin is pouring in fewer troops and equipment in an attempt to seize the battered but strategic Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia.
“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.
Avdiivka, that has a vast coking plant, has seen fierce fighting and is now down to just 1,500 residents compared to its pre-war population of about 32,000.
“The invaders are not abandoning their plans to surround Avdiivka. Eight attacks were repelled today,” the spokesperson said.
Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic Avdiivka town after heavy Russian losses
Wednesday 22 November 2023 07:54 , Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyiv’s military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet, reports my colleague Arpan Rai.
Mr Putin is pouring in fewer troops and equipment in an attempt to seize the battered but strategic Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia.
“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.
Avdiivka, that has a vast coking plant, has seen fierce fighting and is now down to just 1,500 residents compared to its pre-war population of about 32,000.
“The invaders are not abandoning their plans to surround Avdiivka. Eight attacks were repelled today,” the spokesperson said.
Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic town after heavy Russian losses
Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing Russian soldier nearly 2.5 miles away’
Wednesday 22 November 2023 07:00 , Holly Evans
A Ukrainian sniper claims to have broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier almost 2.5 miles away, with a custom rifle called ‘Lord of the Horizon’.
The previous record was held by a Canadian special operations sniper at a distance of 2.2 miles in Iraq in 2017.
In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: “The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.
Read the full article here
Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing soldier nearly 2.5 miles away’
Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money
Wednesday 22 November 2023 06:00 , Holly Evans
Poland is set to receive more than 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in EU funds after the European Commission gave a positive assessment Tuesday of the country’s revised recovery plan that includes green reforms and investments.
The 5.1 billion euros pre-financing is part of the bloc’s REPowerEU program aimed at helping the 27 EU nations recover from the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and reduce their dependance to Russian fossil fuels.
The announcement came a month after an election in Poland secured a parliamentary majority to pro-EU parties aligned with Donald Tusk.
Read more here
Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money after commission approves recovery plan
Russia claims Ukraine attacked a group of journalists
Wednesday 22 November 2023 21:04 , Alexander Butler
Moscow has claimed a group of Russian journalists have come under attack from Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the incident happened in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially under Russian occupation.
Russia annexed the region, illegally, in September last year.
Queen commends journalists ‘risking their lives’ in the Middle East and Ukraine
Wednesday 22 November 2023 05:00 , Holly Evans
The Queen has commended journalists “risking their lives” reporting from the Middle East and Ukraine, as she celebrated the 135th anniversary of the Foreign Press Association (FPA) at its annual awards ceremony.
Camilla was made an honorary member of the FPA at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane hotel in Piccadilly, west London, “following in the footsteps” of the King, who has also received honorary life membership.
The FPA in London is the oldest and largest association of foreign correspondents in the world, founded in 1888 by foreign journalists who came to London to cover the case of Jack the Ripper.
Read more here
Queen commends journalists ‘risking their lives’ in the Middle East and Ukraine
Ukrainians who fled their country for Israel find themselves yet again living with war
Wednesday 22 November 2023 04:00 , Holly Evans
Tatyana Prima thought she’d left the bombs behind when she fled Ukraine more than a year and a half ago, after Russia decimated her city, Mariupol. The 38-year-old escaped with her injured husband and young daughter, bringing the family to safety in southern Israel.
The calm she was slowly regaining shattered again on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants invaded.
“All these sounds of war that we hear now, they sometimes work as a trigger that brings back memories of what we’ve gone through in Mariupol,” she said. “It’s hard feeling like that you’re the one responsible for your child, the one who wants what’s best for them, and in some way like you’ve failed them.”
Read more here
Ukrainians who fled their country for Israel find themselves yet again living with war
Hungary threatens to block Ukraine from joining the EU
Wednesday 22 November 2023 21:01 , Alexander Butler
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has written to European Council President Charles Michel arguing EU leaders should not endorse the European Commission’s recommendation that Ukraine be allowed to join the bloc.
Leaders are set to meet next month to hammer out a deal over supporting Ukraine.
“The European Council is not in a position to… agree on the future of the enlargement process unless a consensus on our future strategy towards Ukraine is found,” he said.
Zelensky thanks world’s media for fostering support for Ukraine
Wednesday 22 November 2023 03:00 , Holly Evans
President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the important role of the world’s media in fostering international support for Ukraine, as he met representatives of Fox News and The Sun, including Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch.
He met Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall and The Sun journalist Jerome Starkey in his Kyiv office and thanked them for “comprehensive coverage” of the war, including shining light on “Russian atrocities” despite personal risks, the president’s official website said in a statement.
He also told The Sun how he has survived at least five assassination attempts by Russian President Vladimir Putin, likening his reaction to the attempts as “just like Covid”.
Read more here
Zelensky thanks world’s media for fostering support for Ukraine
10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia
Wednesday 22 November 2023 02:00 , Holly Evans
It happens every November, when the cold descends on Kyiv. The change in weather always makes Dmytro Riznychenko think back, and he is overwhelmed by his emotions.
“This is where it truly began,” Riznychenko said, walking through central Kyiv’s Independence Square recently, reflecting on the uprising that unleashed a decade of momentous change for Ukraine, eventually leading to the current war with Russia.
“Ten years of war and struggle,” the 41-year-old psychologist continued, wearily and reluctantly. “And it seems like the blood has only just begun to flow, truly. I regret nothing. But, God, it’s just so tiresome.”
Read the full article here
10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia
Germany's defense minister unveils more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion
Wednesday 22 November 2023 01:00 , Holly Evans
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius vowed Tuesday to keep supporting Ukraine’s efforts to win its war against Russia, pledging further military aid worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
The new support is to include further Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems as well as anti-tank mines and 155-millimeter artillery shells, German news agency dpa reported.
“We are talking about 20,000 additional shells,” Pistorius said at a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, in Kyiv, according to dpa.
Read more here
Germany's defense minister unveils more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion
Ukrainian troops beat back Russian attacks near Bakhmut as Putin’s forces make desperate push
Tuesday 21 November 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton
Russian forces in Ukraine’s eastern theatre of war are stepping up their assault around Bakhmut and have switched from defensive to offensive lines of attack, Kyiv’s military officials said.
The attacks are focused on Klishchiivka, a village on higher elevation about 9km away from Bakhmut, said Volodymyr Fityo, a spokesperson for Ukrainian ground forces.
Klishchiivka was recaptured from Russian forces by Ukraine in September in counteroffensive operations. Bakhmut had been taken by Russian troops in May and has faced some of the most violent fighting between the two countries.
Ukrainian troops beat back attacks near Bakhmut as Putin’s forces make desperate push
