Nearly half of Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure has been damaged
According to the government, Russian missile strikes have crippled about half of Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, and authorities in the capital Kyiv have warned that the city could see a “total shutdown” of the power grid as winter approaches.
Conflict
Hundreds of individuals were jailed or went missing in the Kherson region of Ukraine while it was under Russian control, and scores may have been tortured, according to a report sponsored by the US State Department and authored by Yale University scholars. Russia has denied any wrongdoing by its armed forces.
According to the Russian defense ministry, Ukraine executed more than ten Russian prisoners of war. There was no quick response from the Ukrainian government, which has vowed to examine any allegations of mistreatment by its forces.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Ukrainian forces have repelled around 100 strikes in the eastern Donetsk region over the previous twenty-four hours, with no letup in the combat.
The Ukrainian military reported that Russian soldiers had fired artillery on the eastern towns of Bakhmut, Soledar, and Bilohorivka. Additionally, Russian fire has struck regions near Avdiivka and in the southern Ukrainian territory of Zaporizhia.
The battlefield reports were not readily verifiable by Reuters.
Diplomacy
Toys are placed beside the cross in Rozsypne, Donetsk area, Ukraine, in commemoration of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crash. March 9, 2020. — Reuters
Toys are placed beside the cross in Rozsypne, Donetsk area, Ukraine, on March 9, 2020, to honor the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 accident. — Reuters
Russia stated that it sought to secure a prisoner swap with the United States in order to release convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, sometimes known as the “Merchant of Death”, in an exchange that would likely involve American basketball star Brittney Griner.
Russia is open to more high-level discussions with the United States, a top diplomat said on Friday, but a summit between President Vladimir Putin and US Vice President Joe Biden is still “out of the question,” according to the Kremlin.
Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who faces multiple criminal accusations, was released from house arrest on Friday and vowed to participate in rallies against the current pro-Western leader of the ex-Soviet state, which is sandwiched between EU member Romania and Ukraine.
Economy
In central Kherson, Ukraine, a youngster waves a national flag as he celebrates Russia’s retreat from Kherson. November 13, 2022.— Reuters
In central Kherson, Ukraine, a youngster waves a national flag as he celebrates Russia’s retreat from the city. November 13, 2022.— Reuters
A senior UN official applauded the four-month extension of an agreement aimed at alleviating global food shortages by assisting Ukraine in exporting its agricultural products from Black Sea ports, but noted that more work remained.
The Kremlin announced on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the possibility of establishing a “gas hub” in Turkey during a phone chat.
Russia’s energy exports to China have surged in value by 64% and in volume by 10% this year, as Moscow reroutes shipments through “friendly” nations, according to Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Quote
“There is no lull in the fighting in the Donetsk region; the combat has not subsided. There has been no respite “Zelenskiy declared in his nightly video address.
Approximately 100 Russian strikes have been repelled in Donetsk region over the past 24 hours.