Live blog: Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying 'civilian ships'

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Ukraine's army has accused Russia of the large-scale destruction of civilian vessels moored on the banks of the Dnipro River in the occupied southern region of Kherson, which Kiev's forces are trying to capture.

The Ukrainian General Staff's spokesperson said in a statement that the fuel from the destroyed vessels had leaked into the river's delta and also accused Moscow's forces of appropriating the vessels' engines and other equipment.

The Ukrainian General Staff gave no explanation for Moscow's actions. There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defence Ministry.

Kherson's pro-Russia admin says no power supply after 'sabotage'

The Russian-backed administration in Ukraine's Kherson region has said that a number of settlements, including Kherson city had lost water and power supplies after what it said was an act of "sabotage".

In a statement on Telegram, the Russian-supported Kherson administration said that electricity and water supplies were "temporarily absent" after what it said was a "terrorist attack" damaged three power lines in the region.

It said that the attack had been organised by Ukraine, though it provided no evidence. Battlefield accounts have not been verified from either side.

Ukrainian, EU leaders discuss aid, grain deal, sanctions against Iran

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a phone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss financial assistance to Ukraine, the grain deal and strengthening sanctions against Iran.

“Discussed macro-financial aid to Ukraine for the current year & 2023 with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Noted the importance of continuing the grain initiative for world food security. Discussed increasing sanctions & opposing actions of Iran, which supports aggression,” Zelenskyy said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, von der Leyen announced that the EU will propose a financial support package for Ukraine for 2023, without specifying a specific date.

In Russian-held Donetsk, freed POWs return to tearful reunions

Fighters affiliated with the Russian-backed administration of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region have arrived in the town of Amvrosiivka after being freed in a prisoner swap with the Ukrainian military.

The fighters were freed during a prisoner exchange on November 3, with the two sides in the eight-month-old conflict releasing 107 captives each.

Prisoner exchanges have been a regular occurrence during the conflict, with both military personnel and high-ranking politicians released in the swaps.

Rocket strikes kill people

Russian strikes have killed two more people in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.

One person was killed during rocket strikes targeting Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

“At night, the enemy made two rocket attacks on the regional center. One of the rockets hit the grounds of a private enterprise. As a result of the attack, one person died,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said on Telegram.

Tymoshenko further noted that a fire broke out in an area of 800 square meters due to the blast. 

The official said another rocket fell on private property without hurting anyone, though resulting in two cars being damaged.

Another strike on Ukraine's Donetsk region on Saturday killed one civilian and injured three others, Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.

Kiev prepares for a winter with no heat, water or power

The mayor of Ukraine's capital Kiev is warning residents that they must prepare for the worst this winter if Russia keeps striking the country's energy infrastructure - and that means having no electricity, water or heat in the freezing cold cannot be ruled out.

“We are doing everything to avoid this. But let’s be frank, our enemies are doing everything for the city to be without heat, without electricity, without water supply, in general, so we all die. And the future of the country and the future of each of us depends on how prepared we are for different situations," Mayor Vitali Klitschko told state media.

Ukraine warns of Russian 'brutality' in eastern region

Russian forces are stepping up their strikes in a fiercely contested region of eastern Ukraine, worsening the already tough conditions for residents and the defending army following Moscow's illegal annexation and declaration of martial law in Donetsk province, Ukrainian authorities said.

The attacks have almost completely destroyed the power plants that serve the city of Bakhmut and the nearby town of Soledar, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the region's Ukrainian governor, said. 

“The destruction is daily, if not hourly,” Kyrylenko said in a state television interview.

Ukrainian shelling damages Russian-held Nova Kakhovka dam

Ukraine's Russian-held Nova Kakhovka dam has been damaged in shelling by Ukrainian forces, Russian news agencies reported, citing emergency services.

Russian state-owned news agency TASS quoted a representative of the emergency services as saying that a rocket launched by a US-made HIMARS missile system had hit the dam's lock and caused damaged. 

The official quoted said it was an "attempt to create the conditions for a humanitarian catastrophe" by breaching the dam. 

The reports provided no evidence to support the allegation, which could not be immediately verified by Reuters.

Gazpom says shipments to Europe stable at 42.6 mcm

Russia's Gazprom has said it will ship 42.6 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine, in line with the recent trend.

US official: Ukraine fatigue 'a real thing'

The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine's leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, the Washington Post has reported.

The paper quoted unnamed people familiar with the discussions as saying that the request by American officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, but a calculated attempt to ensure Kiev maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a conflict for many years to come.

It said the discussions illustrated the complexity of the Biden administration's position on Ukraine, as US officials publicly vow to support Kiev with massive sums of aid "for as long as it takes".

For live updates from Saturday (November 5), click here