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Here are some of the latest images coming out of Ukraine from the newswires:
Destroyed Russian military vehicles outside St Michael’s golden-domed monastery on a foggy morning in Kyiv. Photograph: Thomas Peter/ReutersUkrainian flags at a memorial site commemorating fallen soldiers in Independence Square in Kyiv. Photograph: Thomas Peter/ReutersA clergyman walks near St Michael’s golden-domed monastery in Kyiv. Photograph: Thomas Peter/ReutersRussia is using its spy network, state-run media and social media to undermine public trust in elections around the world, according to a US intelligence report that has been shared with about 100 countries.
“Russia is focused on carrying out operations to degrade public confidence in election integrity,” said the report released on Friday, citing findings from the US intelligence community.
“This is a global phenomenon. Our information indicates that senior Russian government officials, including in the Kremlin, see value in this type of influence operation and perceive it to be effective.”
The assessment, which was sent in a cable to the embassies of about 100 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia engaged in a “concerted effort” between 2020 and 2022 to undermine public confidence in at least 11 elections across nine democracies, including the United States, the report said.
An additional 17 democracies were targeted through “less pronounced” methods involving Russian messaging and social media activity that sought to amplify domestic narratives related to election integrity, it added.
You can read the full story here:
At night, Russia struck Kryvyi Rih with missiles and drones, Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, posted on Telegram.
There was damage to an industrial infrastructure facility, but no deaths or injuries have been reported.
In its latest intelligence update, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has commented on Vladimir Putin’s announcement on 18 October that Russia would begin conducting fighter patrols in the eastern Black Sea using the MiG-31I interceptor aircraft armed with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, the MoD wrote:
His justification referred to the recent uplift in the US’ maritime presence in the eastern Mediterranean, with the intent of holding these vessels at risk using a weapon system with a published range of up to 2000km…
The specific mention of the Kinzhal missile and its capabilities by Putin was almost certainly for strategic messaging purposes, to demonstrate that Russia remains able to produce and operate newly developed weapons, despite the ongoing Ukrainian conflict.
The Kinzhal effectively remains in operational testing, with its performance in Ukraine to date being poor.
It remains highly capable on paper, able to fly at hypersonic speeds and evade modern air defence systems, although there almost certainly needs to be significant improvement in how Russia uses it to achieve this potential.
Opening summaryHello and welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Below is a summary of the latest developments:
The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council chief, Charles Michel, met Joe Biden at the White House on Friday as the EU sought reassurance of continued US support for Ukraine to repel Russia’s invading forces amid the instability of the Israel-Hamas war.
The United States is by far the biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine.
“These conflicts show democracies must stand together,” Von der Leyen told reporters as the three leaders presented a united front.
Biden – who on Thursday drew a direct link between the two conflicts as he urged Americans to back a $106bn aid package for Ukraine and Israel – said the EU and US “stood together”.
“We stood together to support the brave people of Ukraine in the face of [the Russian president, Vladimir] Putin’s aggression,” Biden said. “We’re standing together now to support Israel in the wake of Hamas’s appalling terrorist attack.”
Other developments include:
The White House asked Congress on Friday to approve a $106bn (£87bn) package of emergency aid to Israel and Ukraine, as well as to the southern US border. The request includes $61.4bn for Ukraine, $44.4bn of which is to provide defence department equipment for the country. For Israel, the Biden administration is asking for $14.3bn. In addition, the package includes $9.15bn for the US state department to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.
A United Nations commission of inquiry found additional evidence that Russian forces had committed “indiscriminate attacks” and war crimes in Ukraine, including rape and the deportation of children to Russia.
The security service of Ukraine has sent an indictment to the court against the former abbot of the Ukrainian Orthodox monastery Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Authorities charged Metropolitan Pavel with the violation of the equality of citizens, and justification, recognition as legitimate or denial of the armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine. It comes a day after Ukraine’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to advance legislation seen as effectively banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its ties to Moscow, despite the church’s insistence it is fully independent and supportive of Ukraine’s fight against Russian invaders.
Ukraine has recovered 14 archaeological items allegedly stolen by a Russian man, from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The return of the artefacts is a small victory amid the widespread destruction and pillaging of historical sites and treasures that has accompanied the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have estimated total losses as being in the hundreds of millions of euros, and the ministry of culture reports that the number of buildings of cultural value damaged or destroyed has reached at least 623. After Ukrainian forces liberated the city of Kherson, authorities discovered 16,000 items missing from the art museum.
A Ukrainian strike on Russian helicopters and air defence equipment this week could prompt Moscow to once again move its operating bases and command and control nodes further from the frontline, the UK defence ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing.
A Russian-American journalist has been detained in Russia on charges of violating its foreign agents law, reportedly due to her coverage of Russia’s military mobilisation for its invasion of Ukraine. Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor with Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty’s (RFE-RL) Tatar-Bashkir service, was detained on Wednesday.
European leaders are frustrated about the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, in Beijing this week. “As it has been repeatedly shown, Putin does not meet European leaders with the aim of achieving peace in Ukraine,” said Petr Pavel, the president of the Czech Republic. “Peace can be achieved without any negotiations on his part simply by ceasing attacks and withdrawing his troops from Ukrainian territory.”
Ukraine claimed to make a small incremental gain of 400 metres to the south-west of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region. Military spokesperson Oleksandr Stupun said the southern advance was still difficult because of Russian minefields and heavily fortified defences.
Nato is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea after recent damage to undersea infrastructure. “The increased measures include additional surveillance and reconnaissance flights. A fleet of four Nato minehunters is also being dispatched to the area,” Nato said in a statement.