Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of conducting “mass forced displacement” in several Ukrainian regions “occupied” by the Russian military, including Kherson and Zaporizhia, according to a statement by Ukraine’s foreign ministry. Follow the latest developments in the war in Ukraine every hour.
7:38 p.m.: Kyiv denounces “the expulsion of citizens” in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions
Ukraine “strongly condemns” the “expulsions” of residents of the Zaporizhia regions, and in particular Kherson, where Russia is conducting “mass forced expulsions,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
“The Russian occupation administration has started the mass forced expulsion of residents” from the Kherson region, more specifically from Skadovsk and Kakhovka, to Crimea or Russia, the ministry said in a statement.
“Similar trips are also being conducted by Russia in the Zaporizhia, Lugansk and Donetsk regions and Crimea,” the ministry added.
6:01 p.m .: UN reports “important progress” on Russian fertilizer exports
Negotiations to unblock Russian fertilizer exports have made “significant progress,” said one of the UN’s top negotiators, while acknowledging “that there is still a long way to go” before all obstacles are removed.
This fertilizer agreement was concluded simultaneously with the agreement signed between Russia and Ukraine in the war under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey, which allowed the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports. The latter expires on November 19, but Rebeca Grynspan, a senior UN official involved in the negotiations, said she “hopes” for an extension.
5:31 p.m .: Ukraine will not attend the G20 summit if Putin does, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine will not attend the G20 summit in Indonesia scheduled for mid-November if the Russian president attends, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with his Greek counterpart Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
“My personal position and that of Ukraine is that if the leader of the Russian Federation participates, Ukraine will not participate,” said the President of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has not yet indicated whether or not he has decided to go physically to the summit scheduled for Bali.
5:20 p.m.: The United States guarantees the traceability of the military equipment they ship to Ukraine
The United States regularly inspects stocks of military equipment shipped to Ukraine to ensure their traceability, the Pentagon assured.
“A small team consisting of members of the Defense Office of the US Embassy in Kyiv has conducted multiple inspections of US security aid shipments at multiple locations in Ukraine over the past few months,” said Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon door spokesman. in a press release.
“These sites are not near the front lines of the Russian offensive against Ukraine,” he said, adding that the inspections were not conducted “in response” to anything.
“We have no evidence of a general diversion” of this American aid, Pat Ryder pointed out.
4:36 p.m.: Russia and Ukraine exchange 214 prisoners
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 214 prisoners of war, or 107 on each side, authorities on both sides reported. Among them are 74 fighters on the Ukrainian side who were holed up at the Azovstal factory in Mariupol from April to May until they were defeated by Russian forces.
“We managed to exchange seriously injured and bedridden Azovstal (fighters),” Secretary General of the Ukrainian Presidency Andrii Yermak told Telegram. “There are people with amputated limbs and (those) who can no longer feel certain parts of their face, others with infected wounds,” he added. A total of “107 soldiers were released: six officers and 101 enlisted men and non-commissioned officers” of whom “many were injured in March” during the fighting.
“Today we are retrieving 107 of our fighters from Ukrainian prisons,” of whom “65 are from Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics,” one of the main leaders of the pro-Russian separatists, Denis Pushilin, told Telegram.
3:33 p.m .: The IAEA has so far found “no signs of undeclared nuclear activity” in Ukraine, says its boss
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had at the time found “no signs of undeclared nuclear activity” at three sites inspected at Kyiv’s request, which Moscow accused of containing evidence of the preparation of a “dirty bomb.” “ to have deleted.
“Our technical and scientific assessment of the results that we have received to date has found no evidence of nuclear activity or undeclared material at these three locations,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement.
3:06 p.m .: The UN chief announced that 10 million tons of Ukrainian grain had been exported
Ukrainian food exports have reached 10 million tons thanks to the Black Sea Initiative, the UN Secretary-General welcomed and called for the extension of this grain deal that “reduces the risk of hunger in the world”.
“The Black Sea Initiative for (Ukrainian) grain exports makes a difference. And I’m pleased to announce that today the initiative has reached a new milestone,” Antonio Guterres told reporters. “To date, 10 million tons of grain and other foodstuffs have been exported through the Black Sea Corridor.”
2:49 p.m .: G7 wants to prevent Russia from “starving out” Ukrainians this winter, says Annalena Baerbock
The G7 countries want to prevent Russia from “starving” and “freezing” Ukrainians this winter, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
“We will not allow the brutality of this war to lead to the mass deaths of old people and children, young people or families in the coming winter months,” said the minister at the opening of a meeting of diplomatic leaders of the G7 federal government in Münster, in western Germany.
1:55 p.m .: Switzerland prohibits Germany from sending Swiss ammunition to Ukraine
Switzerland has banned Germany from sending Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine for the anti-aircraft tanks that Berlin plans to deliver to Kyiv.
“In the name of the neutrality law and Swiss war material legislation, there is still no reason to respond positively to Germany’s request to send Swiss war material to Ukraine,” said Economics Minister Guy Parmelin in a letter to Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht.
1:36 p.m .: Microsoft is helping Ukraine with $ 100 million
Microsoft will provide Ukraine with an additional $100 million in technology support through 2023 to help protect the country, Microsoft Vice President Brad Smith said at a news conference in Lisbon.
Ukraine will be able to use Microsoft’s cloud and AI services, as well as its data centers across Europe, he explained at the Web Summit, a high mass of tech in Europe, where he was invited, alongside the Deputy Ukrainian to speak to Prime Minister Mykhaïlo Fedorov.
The total aid that the American giant has provided to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion thus amounts to $400 million.
1:01 p.m .: After the attacks on Russian ships, Moscow warns London
When the British ambassador was summoned to Moscow, the Russian authorities said that “such hostile actions by the United Kingdom could lead to an escalation of the situation, which could have unpredictable and dangerous consequences,” Russian diplomacy said in a statement.
Britain has been accused by the Kremlin of being behind a drone attack carried out on its fleet in Crimea with the backing of Ukraine on Saturday. London denies any involvement.
12:19 p.m.: 107 soldiers released from separatist camp, says pro-Russian leader
“Today we are retrieving 107 of our fighters from Ukrainian prisons,” of whom “65 are from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics,” Denis Pushilin, separatist leader of the Donetsk region in occupied Donbass, told Telegram.
11:26 am: UN confirms normalization of Ukrainian grain exports
The UN delegation at the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul, which is responsible for overseeing the international agreement on Ukrainian grain, confirmed the resumption of traffic and ship inspections with the Russian delegation.
At noon, “seven cargo ships carrying a total of 290,102 tons of grain and agricultural products are transiting the Black Sea Humanitarian Corridor under Ukraine’s Grain Initiative,” the JCC said in a statement.
The JCC also announces that the Russian delegation, which suspended it on Saturday, has resumed “work and joint inspections” of ships with Ukrainian, Turkish and UN inspectors.
11:03 am: The Kremlin remains evasive on extending the grain deal
Russia’s recent decision to return to the deal, from which it briefly withdrew, “does not mean” it intends to extend it beyond November 19, its current deadline, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned. “An assessment must be made before deciding to proceed.”
10:15 a.m.: The British ambassador is summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry
Britain has been accused by the Kremlin of being behind a drone attack carried out on its fleet in Crimea with the backing of Ukraine on Saturday. Ambassador Deborah Bronnert was received for about thirty minutes, according to Portal.
9.52 a.m .: G7 foreign ministers in Germany to support Ukraine
G7 diplomatic leaders are meeting in Munster to coordinate international support for Ukraine, particularly for rebuilding energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.
8:49 a.m.: The Russians are trying to strengthen their positions in Kherson
Our correspondent in Ukraine, Gulliver Cragg, provides an update on the military situation in the Kherson region, where intense fighting is ongoing as Ukrainians attempt to approach the city.
03:32 © AFP
8:33 a.m.: Cargo ships loaded with grain leave Ukrainian ports
Uncertainty remains about their number: the Turkish Ministry of Defense speaks of six ships, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure of seven, which will use the secure humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea after the agreement is resumed.
6:37 a.m.: Zaporizhia nuclear power plant disconnected from the power grid
Russian bombardments have damaged the high-voltage power lines that are still in operation. The nuclear plant now relies on diesel-powered generators, said public group Energoatom, which clarified it had 15 days of fuel reserves to run them.
With AFP and Portal