Boris Johnson supports Christmas appeal to send medical supplies to Ukraine
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Vladimir Putin’s forces have turned Ukraine’s day of commemoration for a Soviet-era famine which killed millions into a “day of terror”, president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
On the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, he was joined by other European leaders in Kyiv in warning that hunger “must never again be used as a weapon” – as shells hit civilian homes in central Ukraine, people fled newly-liberated Kherson, and Kyiv continued to reel from Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Accusing the Kremlin of reviving the “genocidal” tactics of Josef Stalin, as restrictions on electricity use remained in place across 15 parts of the country, Mr Zelensky said: “Once they wanted to destroy us with hunger, now with darkness and cold. We cannot be broken.”
As analysts suggested that troops were “bogged down” by poor weather conditions, the British Ministry of Defence claimed that Russia was unlikely to muster enough “quality forces” to achieve a breakthrough in a key Donetsk battleground it may be seeking to use as a launching point for a “future major advance north”.
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Rishi Sunak vows to maintain military aid to Ukraine
British prime minister Rishi Sunak plans to promise today to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year, and to confront international competitors “not with grand rhetoric but with robust pragmatism”.
“Under my leadership we won’t choose the status quo. We will do things differently,” Mr Sunak said in an extract released of his first major foreign policy speech, which he plans to deliver today in London’s financial district.
Mr Sunak said his priorities would be “freedom, openness and the rule of law.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 November 2022 04:01
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UK confirms supply of missiles to Ukraine despite Russia’s warnings
The British defence ministry yesterday confirmed supplying war-torn Ukraine with modern laser-guided Brimstone 2 missiles, rejecting Moscow’s repeated warnings.
In a clip shared on Twitter, the ministry said: “As part of its aid package, the UK has provided Brimstone 2 missiles, a precision-guided missile, to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
“This aid has played a crucial role in stalling Russian advancements,” the ministry claimed.
It shared a video showing a pallet of the high-precision missile being delivered from the Royal Air Force Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire to an undisclosed airfield.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 November 2022 03:33
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Ukraine buries two-day-old baby Serhiyko killed by shelling
Family members held the last rites yesterday for a two-day-old baby killed in a Russian attack on a hospital in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine earlier this week.
Photos shared by the Ukrainian defence ministry showed the small casket belonging to the infant being buried by his family members.
“Serhiyko. The youngest victim of Russian terrorism. The baby lived for only two days,” the Ukrainian defence ministry said on Twitter.
It added: “For each of our children, for each of our babies, our soldiers will fight their hardest on the battlefield. But no matter how strong our rage is, we will never become like you, Russians.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 November 2022 03:26
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Nearly 32,000 civilian targets damaged by Russian shelling
Incessant shelling by the Russians in Ukraine has damaged nearly 32,000 civilian properties and more than 700 critical infrastructure facilities, according to Ukrainian officials.
“As one would expect of terrorists, they (Russians) target civilian properties. To date, about 32,000 such properties have been damaged by Russian missiles and shells. These are primarily civilians’ private houses or apartment buildings,” said Yevhenii Yenin, the first deputy minister of Internal Affairs.
He added: “Only 3 per cent of recorded attacks have been on military facilities.
“As of now, more than 700 critical infrastructure facilities – airfields, bridges, oil depots, electricity substations, etc – have been hit by the Russian soldiers.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar28 November 2022 03:25
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Ukrainian official says Russian attacks on energy amount to ‘genocide’
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin told the BBC in an interview that Russia’s attacks on the energy grid in Ukraine amounts to ‘genocide’.
People in Ukraine are facing energy shortages amid the freezing cold weather.
Energy usage restrictions have been applied in 14 regions across Ukraine as well as the capital Kyiv.
Genocide, as well as killing, refers to harming members of a group, including forcibly transferring children to other places.
So far, 11,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia.
Lucy Skoulding27 November 2022 19:26
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Protest in front of NATO HQ for Ukraine
A protest in support of Ukraine took place outside NATO’s headquarters in Brussells, Belgium as NATO is set to reconvene on Tuesday.
One protester thanked NATO members for help already given to Ukraine but said more air defence systems are needed.
Jana Brovdiy, member of the Promote Ukraine Association, told Al Jazeera: “Ukrainians have shown that they are able to destroy a lot of these missiles, but we still don’t have enough this air defence systems.
“And as a result, the energy infrastructure, people, civilians are without electricity, without light, without energy, without heating.
“So we really need more air defence systems, to protect our civilians and to survive the winter.”
Lucy Skoulding27 November 2022 18:31
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Ukraine only has enough power for 80% electricity needs
Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy strategy for the seventh time since the start of the war.
Ukraine currently only has enough power to meet 80 per cent of its electricity needs.
The Kyiv Independent tweeted: “Electricity deficit at 20% in Ukraine after latest Russian attack.
“Days after Russia’s seventh attack against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, state grid operator Ukrenergo said that electricity producers cover almost 80% of consumption needs.”
Lucy Skoulding27 November 2022 17:39
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Pace of war in Ukraine slowed by extreme weather
Deteriorating weather conditions have caused the pace of the war in Ukraine to slow down in the last few weeks according to expert analysis.
The Institute of the Study of War (ISW) predicts the pace will pick up again the coming weeks though as temperatures will continue to drop and this will cause the ground to freeze over.
The ISW tweeted: “The overall pace of #Russian and #Ukrainian operations along the frontline has slowed in recent days due to deteriorating weather conditions but is likely to increase starting in the next few weeks as temperatures drop and the ground freezes.”
According to BBC Weather it is currently -1C in Kyiv, where it is around 6.40 pm local time. Light snow is expected this evening.
Lucy Skoulding27 November 2022 16:40
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Signs Russian forces might leave nuclear power plant
An expert has said there are signs Russian troops might leave the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast of the country, was seized by Russian forces in March this year.
But Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on national television: “One gets the impression they’re packing their bags and stealing everything they can.”
Lucy Skoulding27 November 2022 16:22
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Ministry of Defence confirms it’s supplied missiles to Ukraine
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) says it has provided Ukraine with Brimstone 2 missiles as part of its aid package.
A tweet from the MOD account earlier today read: “As part of its aid package, the UK has provided Brimstone 2 missiles, a precision-guided missile, to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“This aid has played a crucial role in stalling Russian advancements.”
Alongside it, the MOD shared a video explaining that a Brimstone 2 missile is a precision-guided missile originally designed for use for air-to-ground stikes.
Lucy Skoulding27 November 2022 15:49