Live blog: Ukraine extends martial law, general mobilisation till February

Thursday, November 9, 2023

1717 GMT — Ukraine extends martial law, general mobilisation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed two bills into law, extending martial law and general mobilisation in the country for an additional three months.

The bills' status were updated on the online portal of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, which said they were returned with Zelenskyy’s signature.

Lawmakers had adopted both bills a day earlier, with 329 votes in favour of extending martial, while 322 were cast supporting the extension of general mobilisation, both until February next year.

Martial law was first declared by Zelenskyy immediately after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, 2022, and has been extended several times since then.

More updates 👇

1443 GMT -- Ukraine wants frozen Russian assets for war damage, not just interest

Ukraine has told Western allies giving it the interest accrued from frozen Russian assets would not be enough to compensate for damage sustained by the war and that it hoped to receive the assets in full.

Kiev estimates $400B will be needed to rebuild the country devastated by Russia’s full-scale military offensive in February 2022, an amount it believes could double if compensation for the war’s victims is taken into account.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month the Commission was working on a proposal to pool some of the profits derived from frozen Russian state assets to help Ukraine and its post-war reconstruction.

She said the value of frozen Russian sovereign assets was around $223B, noting the bloc had decided that Russia must pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

1333 GMT — Kremlin does not believe EU promises to admit Ukraine are genuine

Russia does not believe that the European Union’s promises to admit Ukraine are "real", Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.

"Most likely we are talking about a carrot that is tied in front of the cart," Peskov said in comments to Kremlin reporter Pavel Zarubin.

The European Commission on Wednesday recommended that Ukraine be invited to begin talks to join the bloc as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it continues battling to repel Russian forces.

1056 GMT — Ukraine says alternative Black Sea export corridor is working despite attack

Ukraine's alternative Black Sea export corridor is working despite a recent Russian attack on a civilian vessel, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has said.

He said on X social media platform that 91 vessels had exported 3.3 million metric tons of agricultural and metal products since the corridor started operating in August.

1018 GMT — Five people killed in Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-controlled town: TASS

Five people have been killed in a missile strike by Ukraine's armed forces on the town of Skadovsk in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Kherson region, the TASS news agency reported, citing preliminary information.

The agency was quoting the Russian-installed Emergencies Ministry of the Kherson region, which Russia claims to have annexed along with three others since the start of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

0936 GMT — Ukraine says calls for talks with Russia 'uninformed or misled'

Ukraine has criticised calls for Kiev to hold negotiations with Russia, following reports its allies were pushing for talks in the wake of an underwhelming Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Twenty-one months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the sprawling frontline is largely static in the wake of major offensives by both Ukrainian and Russian forces.

"Those who argue that Ukraine should negotiate with Russia now are either uninformed or misled," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on social media.

"Or they side with Russia and want (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to take a pause before an even larger aggression," he added.

0830 GMT — One dead after Russian missile hits Liberia-flagged ship in Odessa

A Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian port of Odessa has hit a Liberian-flagged freighter, killing a port worker and injuring three citizens of the Philippines, who are crew members on the ship, Ukraine's armed forces said.

Thursday's report did not give the name of the ship or the country of its owners, but Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the ship was to carry iron ore to China. The extent of the damage was not immediately reported.

Another port worker was injured in the attack along with the one killed.

2233 GMT — Ukraine war part of 'Western fight for global dominance': Russian official

The war in Ukraine is part of the Western fight for global dominance, Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev has said, pointing to the full, extensive support provided by the West to Kiev.

He said that despite the unprecedented assistance, Ukraine has had no success on the battlefield and resorts to "terrorist attacks," including the killing of Russian citizens and striking critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants (NPPs).

According to the security official, three Russian NPPs were repeatedly attacked over the past year — Leningrad, Kalinin and Kursk.

For our live updates from Wednesday (November 8), click here.