Ten people have been injured in Kharkiv, as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched one of the largest overnight drones attacks on Ukraine of the war.
Ukraine’s military said its air defences shot down 71 of 145 drones launched by Russia – in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Odesa, Kherson and other regions – and lost track of a further 71 drones likely due to active electronic warfare.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said an attack on the northeastern city injured 10 people, caused a fire on one of the city’s central streets and damaged civilian infrastructure and cars.
The latest drone attack would be on par with an overnight assault earlier this month described by Kyiv as Russia’s largest of the war so far by Kyiv, which also saw Russia use 145 drones to attack Ukraine, a significant number of which were decoys and others Iranian-made Shahed attack drones.
Ukraine, meanwhile, said it attacked an oil depot in Russia’s western Kaluga region, along with targets in Bryansk and Kursk.
It came as Russian state media reported that a British man fighting with the Ukrainian army had been captured in Kursk.
Key Points
-
Russia launches one of largest overnight drone attacks of Ukraine war
-
Ten people injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv, authorities say
-
Russian forces capture British man fighting with Ukraine – reports
-
Father of ‘ex-British soldier’ captured in Russia fears son will be tortured
-
UK warns of ‘hidden cyber war’ being waged by Russia against Nato
Russia’s army bigger than two years ago but quality has decreased, says top Nato official
11:46 , Andy Gregory
Russia’s land forces are now larger than when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but their quality has decreased, a top Nato military official has said.
“The quality of those forces has gone down,” Nato’s highest-ranking military officer Admiral Rob Bauer said, pointing to the state of the force’s equipment and the level of training of its soldiers.
“At the moment, the Russians are not the same threat as in February 2022, so we have a bit of time to prepare ourselves,” he said, adding that this meant ramping up investments into the defence industry.
Pictures show aftermath of Kharkiv missile attack
11:27 , Andy Gregory
Photographs have emerged showing the aftermath of a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv, as at least 10 people were injured.
Kremlin claims it ‘is not familiar’ with shock Romanian presidential frontrunner’s views on Russia
11:12 , Andy Gregory
The Kremlin has claimed not to be particularly familiar with the views on Russia of Calin Georgescu, the far-right Romanian presidential candidate who has emerged as the shock winner in the first round of the country’s elections.
The success of Mr Georgescu, a little-known independent candidate who has claimed that Romania’s best chance lies with “Russian wisdom” and who won 22.9 per cent of the first round vote, has surprised both pollsters and commentators alike.
Given his anti-Nato stance, one political commentator told Reuters that Russian meddling could not be ruled out. “Based on Georgescu’s stance towards Ukraine and the discrepancy between opinion surveys and the actual result, we cannot rule [that] out,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, a political scientist at Babes-Bolyai University.
But asked on Monday for the Kremlin’s take on Mr Georgescu and his electoral prospects ahead of the second round of voting on 8 December, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “I would not make any predictions yet.
“We probably cannot say that we are that familiar with the world view of this candidate as far as relations with our country are concerned. For now, we understand very clearly the current leadership of Romania, which is not a friendly country to us. We will of course watch how the electoral processes develop and who wins.”
Ukraine says it struck oil depot in Russia’s western Kaluga region
10:32 , Andy Gregory
The Ukrainian military has said it had struck an oil depot overnight in a reported drone attack in Russia’s western Kaluga region, whose capital lies just 100 miles southwest of Moscow.
The military also said it had struck “a number of important targets” overnight in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, which are adjacent to Ukraine.
Unverified footage appearing to show the aftermath was shared online, including by a Ukrainian ministerial adviser.
Romania in shock after far-right populist enters presidential election’s runoff with most votes
10:21 , Andy Gregory
Romania’s political landscape is reeling after an obscure far-right populist secured the first round in its presidential election, beating the incumbent prime minister and threatening Romania’s pro-Ukraine stance.
Calin Georgescu, a hard-right critic of Nato who ran independently, will face off against reformist Elena Lasconi in a runoff in two weeks, after securing 22.95 per cent of the vote to her 19.17 per cent.
Ms Lasconi beat incument premier Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, marking the first time in Romania’s 35-year post-communist history for the party not to have a candidate in the second round of a presidential race.
Romania in shock after far-right populist enters presidential election’s runoff with most votes
Ukraine’s air force says it downed 71 drones during mass overnight attack by Russia
09:48 , Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s air force claims to have shot down 71 out of 145 drones launched by Russia overnight, in what would mark one of the largest such attacks of the war so far.
The air force said that it had lost track of 71 more drones likely due to active electronic warfare, with one drone heading towards Belarus.
The latest attack would be on a par with a drone attack earlier this month described as Russia’s largest of the war so far by Kyiv, which also saw Russia use 145 drones to attack Ukraine, a significant number of which will be decoys and others Iranian-made Shahed attack drones.
Kremlin says Trump’s team talks of peace unlike Biden administration
09:23 , Andy Gregory
The Kremlin has said that US president-elect Donald Trump’s circle speaks of peace in Ukraine, while the current Biden Administration – which supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion – does not.
Repeating rhetoric regularly deployed by Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on Monday that Vladimir Putin had repeatedly said that Moscow was ready for dialogue over Ukraine.
Mr Trump is “very concerned” about an escalation in fighting between Russia and Ukraine, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told Fox News on Sunday, saying the war must be brought “to a responsible end”.
At least 10 people injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv, mayor says
08:59 , Andy Gregory
At least 10 people have been injured in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv, its mayor has said.
The Kharkiv regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said the attack caused a fire on one of the city’s central streets and damaged civilian infrastructure and cars.
Child injured in Russian overnight attacks on energy infrastructure and industrial facilities
08:27 , Andy Gregory
Russian forces have launch overnight attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region and on industrial facilities in Zaporizhzhia, authorities have said.
Mykolaiv governor Vitaliy Kim said there had been no casualties and engineers had restored power to most of the consumers facing power cuts after air defence’s downed two drones over the region.
Russia also launched “tens of drones” to attack Zaporizhzhia overnight, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on national television.
The attack injured one child and dealt damage to multiple industrial facilities and a residential block.
Air defences also repelled a drone attack on the Ukrainian capital and the surrounding region overnight. Authorities reported no casualties or significant damage in the attack’s aftermath.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Russia has used around 460 drones and over 20 missiles to attack Ukraine in the past week.
Russia removes commander in Ukraine ‘for misleading reports’
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia has removed a senior general in Ukraine for giving misleading reports about the progress of the war as defence minister Andrei Belousov tries to clear out poor commanders, pro-Russian war bloggers and state media said.
Ahead of winter, Russian forces advanced at the fastest rate in Ukraine since the start of the 2022 invasion, though progress was much slower in some areas – particularly around Siversk in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Russian media cited unidentified sources as saying that Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the Southern Grouping, had been removed from his command, though there was no official confirmation.
“Only the lazy did not write about the problems there: overall, it took the system about two months to react properly,” Rybar, a pro-Russian blogger said on Telegram.
“Anashkin, was removed from office for false reports in the Seversk direction,” Rybar added.
Tulsi Gabbard’s history with Russia is even more concerning than you think
07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Even before Gabbard left the Democratic Party, ingratiated herself with Donald Trump and secured his nomination to become director of National Intelligence, she was known as a prolific peddler of Russian propaganda.
In almost every foreign conflict in which Russia had a hand, Gabbard backed Moscow and railed against the US. Her past promotion of Kremlin propaganda has provoked significant opposition on both sides of the aisle to her nomination.
Her journey from anti-war Democrat to Moscow-friendly Maga warrior began in Syria.
The devastating conflict was sparked by pro-democracy uprisings in 2011, which were brutally crushed by the Assad regime. It descended into a complex web of factions that drew extremist Islamists from around the world and global powers into the fray.
Richard Hall and Andrew Feinberg write.
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
07:00 , Alexander Butler
New AI lab for British spies to counter Russian cyber warfare
06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
British spies will seek to counter the threat of Russian cyber warfare with a new laboratory for artificial intelligence, a minister will announce.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will say the UK and its Nato allies are “watching” Moscow and combatting its attacks both publicly and “behind the scenes” in his speech today.
In an apparent reference to the lead-up to the Second World War, he will warn that Britain “learned long ago” to not appease dictators and that Mr Putin “will not be successful” in attempting to weaken backing for Ukraine.
Mr McFadden, whose brief includes national security, will also announce a new Laboratory for AI Security Research (LAISR) aimed at helping the UK stay ahead in “the new AI arms race”.
The centre will bring together GCHQ, Oxford University, the National Cyber Security Centre, the Alan Turing Institute and numerous Government departments, and be backed by an initial £8.22m in state funding.
Russia says it downed Ukrainian missiles over Kursk
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia says its air defence systems destroyed seven Ukrainian missiles and drones overnight over the border Kursk region.
A pro-Russian military analyst Roman Alyokhin, who serves as an adviser to the governor of the region, said on Telegram that “Kursk was subjected to a massive attack by foreign-made missiles” overnight.
War with Russia won’t end quickly, says ex-Ukrainian minister
05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that Mocow’s war with Kyiv will not end quickly even after US president-elect Donald Trump takes office next year.
“I do not expect any quick ending of the war,” Mr Kuleba told CNN.
“What I know for certain is that first: [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy will not leave under pressure,” he said. “Second, Ukraine will not agree to any quick solution. And third, most importantly, I would like to remind everyone that the key to peace lies in Moscow not in Kyiv.”
The Ukrainian president earlier this month said the war will end “faster” when Mr Trump takes over as US president.
Mr Trump had claimed repeatedly that the Ukraine-Russia war would not have started if he had been president and would settle the war in one day.
Father of ‘ex-British soldier’ captured in Russia fears son will be tortured
05:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The father of an alleged former British soldier has expressed his “complete shock” to hear his son had been captured by Russian troops.
“A mercenary from Great Britain, who called himself James Scott Rhys Anderson, was captured. He is now giving evidence,” a Russian source told RIA news agency.
Scott Anderson, father of the captured man, told the Daily Mail: “I’m hoping he’ll be used as a bargaining chip but my son told me they torture their prisoners and I’m so frightened he’ll be tortured.
“We spoke on WhatsApp almost every day until he went on his most recent operation. He was acting as a signalman. James last came home only a month and a half ago.
“He said his Ukrainian commander had made a promise that he’d contact me if he was ever killed or captured.”
Watch: Putin says Russia tested new intermediate range missile in strike on Ukraine
05:00 , Alexander Butler
Trump’s pick for security advisor calls for end to war
04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump’s top security advisor has called for an end to the escalation of the war between Ukraine and Russia, urging both nations to come to the negotiating table.
“We need to bring this to a responsible end. We need to restore deterrence, restore peace, and get ahead of this escalation ladder, rather than responding to it,” said Mike Waltz, the president-elect’s pick for national security adviser.
“President Trump has been very clear about the need to end this conflict,” he told Fox News yesterday.
“We need to be discussing who’s at that table, whether it’s an agreement, an armistice, how to get both sides to the table and then what’s the framework of a deal?”
Watch: Footage appears to show Russia’s ICBM launch hitting Ukraine
04:00 , Alexander Butler
Russian forces capture British man fighting with Ukraine – reports
03:15 , Namita Singh
Russian forces captured a British mercenary fighting with the Ukrainian army in Russia’s Kursk region, which is still partially controlled by Kyiv forces, a security source told Russia’s RIA state news agency.
“A mercenary from Great Britain, who called himself James Scott Rhys Anderson, was captured. He is now giving evidence,” the Russian source told RIA in remarks published on Sunday.
In a video posted on unofficial pro-war Russian Telegram channels on Sunday, a young bearded man wearing military clothing with what appears to be his hands tied in the back, says in English that his name is James Scott Rhys Anderson and that he formerly served in the British Army.
Report:
Former British soldier ‘fighting for Ukraine is captured by Russian forces’
It’s not yet World War Three – but ‘World War Z’ has begun
03:00 , Alexander Butler
It’s not yet World War Three – but ‘World War Z’ has begun
Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
02:00 , Alexander Butler
Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
What is an intercontinental ballistic missile and how many does Russia have?
01:00 , Alexander Butler
What is an intercontinental ballistic missile and how many does Russia have?
Nato countries are in a ‘hidden cyber war’ with Russia, minister says
00:01 , Alexander Butler
Nato countries are in a ‘hidden cyber war’ with Russia, says Liz Kendall
Threat of world war is ‘serious and real’ Poland says as Putin steps up threats against West
Sunday 24 November 2024 23:00 , Alexander Butler
World war threat is serious and real, warns Poland
Revealed: How Donald Trump’s alleged assassin tapped up UK-trained Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine
Sunday 24 November 2024 22:00 , Alexander Butler
Revealed: How Trump’s alleged assassin tapped up UK-trained commandos for Ukraine
What do we know about Putin’s ‘experimental’ ballistic missile?
Sunday 24 November 2024 21:00 , Alexander Butler
What do we know about Putin’s ‘experimental’ ballistic missile?
What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile?
Sunday 24 November 2024 20:00 , Alexander Butler
What is the Storm Shadow missile? Ukraine hits Russia with British weapon
This is no time to surrender to Putin’s rockets – still less his words
Sunday 24 November 2024 19:00 , Alexander Butler
This is no time to surrender to Putin’s rockets – still less his words
‘Elite’ Russian units becoming ‘obsolete’ due to Putin’s strategy in Ukraine, war analysts say
Sunday 24 November 2024 16:59 , Alexander Butler
Once ‘elite’ Russian units becoming ‘obsolete’ due to Putin’s war strategy in Ukraine
Pictured: Russian hypersonic ballistic missile debris
Sunday 24 November 2024 16:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine studies debris from new Russian ballistic missile
Sunday 24 November 2024 15:19 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian investigators are studying the debris of a new Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile that was fired at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, the first time such a powerful weapon has been used in the war.
Reuters was among a small group of reporters given access to the wreckage of the missile on Sunday. Reporters were asked not disclose the exact location of the site for security reasons.
The scorched and crumbled pieces of debris were laid out in a hanger at a facility which conducts weapons forensics.
Ukrainian experts study such debris to gain insight into Russian military supply chains, production and how to develop counter-measures.
Russia launches hundreds of deadly glide bombs, Kyiv says
Sunday 24 November 2024 13:47 , Alexander Butler
Over the past week, Russia has launched over 800 KAB-guided aerial bombs, nearly 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“The air raid siren has sounded almost daily across Ukraine this week. Only last night, our air defence forces managed to shoot down about 50 attack drones,” Zelensky said.
“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state. But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us,” he said.
Russia removes commander in Ukraine for misleading reports, war bloggers say
Sunday 24 November 2024 11:30 , Alexander Butler
Russia has removed a senior general in Ukraine for giving misleading reports about the progress of the war as Defence Minister Andrei Belousov tries to clear out poor commanders, pro-Russian war bloggers and Russian media said.
Ahead of winter, Russian forces advanced at the fastest rate in Ukraine since the start of the 2022 invasion, though progress was much slower in some areas – particularly around Siversk in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Russian media cited unidentified sources as saying that Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the Southern Grouping, had been removed from his command, though there was no official confirmation.
Russian war bloggers have long complained about the command of the operation around Siversk where they said poorly supported Russian units were thrown into deadly battles for little apparent tactical gain.
