Summary of the day so farIt’s 6.15pm in Kyiv and here’s an update on Wednesday’s key developments in Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion.
Vladimir Putin said Russia has always been “ready for talks” to end the “tragedy” of war in Ukraine. Speaking at the G20 meeting, the Russian president gave his most pacific comments yet since invading Ukraine, but then blamed Kyiv for no peace talks.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s troops faced “difficult” defensive operations on parts of the eastern front, as bitter winter cold settles in. But the president added forces in the south were still conducting offensive actions.
The Russian foreign ministry said relations with the US were extremely thin and risked being torn at any moment. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters Washington’s actions could lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is threatening to block Ukraine’s candidacy for membership of the EU. European leaders will meet on 14 and 15 December to discuss Ukraine’s EU bid.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, said he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. He promised to do “everything in my power” to make a decision in December.
The EU has approved a further €1.5bn (£1.3bn) payment in macro financial assistance to Ukraine. It is the tenth payment made as part of an €18bn programme to keep the Ukrainian economy moving.
Russia’s defence ministry said a group of Russian journalists had come under drone attack from Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. It said one reporter received medical treatment but no one was life-threateningly injured.
Russia said on Wednesday it had protested to Finland after a damaged Russian tank was placed on display near the Finnish parliament. Finland is an EU and Nato member and shares a 1,340km border with Russia.
The Kremlin said there were “no revisions” to its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine. It followed local media reports of a Russian “satanist” killer who was released.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The US voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine. The national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said the development would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people.
The UN human rights office said more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It expects the real toll is significantly higher.
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A 17-year-old Russian was sentenced to six years in a juvenile penal colony for throwing Molotov cocktails at army recruitment offices on Wednesday, the latest ruling in Moscow’s crackdown against dissent over its invasion of Ukraine.
Yegor Balazeikin, then a student at a prestigious high school in Saint Petersburg specialising in social sciences, threw home-made Molotov cocktails, but they failed to ignite.
Balazeikin “has no regrets” over his actions, his mother said, but according to supporters, he has suffered worsening health conditions while in custody – including autoimmune hepatitis and liver fibrosis.
AFP has a reporter at the court in Saint Petersburg:
Balazeikin said he had targeted the enlistment buildings in Saint Petersburg and in his hometown of Kirovsk, 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Saint Petersburg, in protest at Russia’s offensive on Ukraine.
His uncle was killed a few months after volunteering to fight at the start of the conflict.
Moscow has taken a harsh line against public shows of dissent and opposition to its actions in Ukraine.
Russian courts have sentenced several individuals to multiple years in prison – also on “terrorism” charges – for attempted attacks on military and government buildings.
During the trial, Balazeikin admitted to throwing the Molotov cocktails, but said he did not agree with the classification of his actions as a “terrorist act”.
“I believe that if people en masse expressed their dissatisfaction – not necessarily in the way I did – it will lead to the end of this war and the saving of lives,” the independent Sota outlet quoted him as saying in court.
Russia lifted a temporary ban on diesel exports on Wednesday, saying the two-month restrictions had been successful in bringing down rising fuel prices on the domestic market, AFP reports.
Moscow suspended the export of diesel and gasoline products in September in a move that roiled global markets.
The energy ministry said it had taken the measures to boost supplies inside Russia and bring down rising prices that were hitting drivers and businesses across the country.
On Wednesday, it said it was removing the restrictions after prices had dropped and domestic reserves had grown 14 percent to 3.2 million tonnes during the two months when exports were curtailed.
It follows the lifting last month of restrictions on Russia’s seaborne diesel exports, which make up the majority, and last week’s removal of a suspension on gasoline exports.
Death toll from Russian strike on Ukrainian hospital rises to three peopleThe death toll from a Russian strike on a hospital has risen to three people, emergency services in Ukraine’s southern town of Selydove have said.
The strike on Tuesday damaged two hospital buildings – injuring at least eight people – and a coal mine – Reuters reports, citing local Ukrainian authorities.
After clearing rubble overnight, the state emergency service said on Telegram on Wednesday: “Another body was recovered from the rubble of the hospital building. In total, three people were killed in the missile strike.”
Moscow denies targeting civilians. But the United Nations says more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It expects the actual toll to be significantly higher.
Critical politician planning Russian presidential run summoned to prosecutor’s officeA Russian independent politician was summoned to a local prosecutor’s office after declaring her intention to run in next year’s presidential election and criticising the regime, AFP reports.
According to Freedom House, a democracy advocacy group, “the Kremlin manipulates elections and suppresses genuine dissent”.
AFP has the details on the story here:
President Vladimir Putin is set to extend his rule until at least 2030 in a nationwide vote next March – a contest rights groups say will be neither free nor fair.
After saying she would try to stand in the 2024 vote and criticising the current regime, prosecutors in Rzhev, a town 200 kilometres west of Moscow, called Ekaterina Duntsova, 40, in for questioning.
Officials said her post had “raised some questions, specifically about the wording of sections about war and peace, my opinion of the current government and what is happening in our country,” Duntsova told AFP in a video interview Wednesday.
In earlier social media posts, Duntsova said issues of “war and peace” affected every Russian, and said the country was “moving away from rights and freedoms, away from love and peace, away from a beautiful future.”
Any criticism of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is effectively illegal under sweeping censorship laws passed in the first days after Russia launched its military offensive.
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said he will support Ukraine as long as necessary in its fight against the Russian invasion.
At a summit in Berlin with the Italian rightwing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, Scholz said he had called on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to end the invasion of Ukraine during Wednesday’s G20 virtual meeting.
“I called on President Putin to end his attack on Ukraine and withdraw troops from Ukraine’s territory, so that this war can finally end,” he said.
Meloni told reporters: “It is simply enough for Russia to withdraw its troops from the invaded territory”.
Scholz also announced the construction of a new energy pipeline across the Alps. “We agree that we want to expand our energy cooperation in order to strengthen long-term supply, security and transformation,” he said.
Finland to close all but one remote border crossing with Russia amid asylum seeker rowFinland’s prime minister Petteri Orpo said the country will shut three border crossings – leaving just one open in its 1,340km border with Russia – after Helsinki accused the Kremlin of pushing hundreds of asylum seekers to the border in recent weeks.
Finland accuses Russia of facilitating organised illegal crossings. The border also marks the frontiers of Nato an the European Union. Estonia, another Nato and EU member, also says Russia is pushing asylum seekers to its border as a form of hybrid “warfare”.
Finland’s closures will begin at midnight on Friday. The Raja-Jooseppi crossing, in the far northern Lapland region, will remain open and asylum applications will be processed there, Reuters reports.
“The government has today decided to close more border posts,” Orpo told a press conference. “Raja-Jooseppi is the northernmost [crossing] and it requires a real effort to get there”.
Destitute and desparate people with few possessions – often from war torn countries like Syria, Yemen and Somalia – have become political footballs in a clash between Finland and Estonia against Russia at the borders of the western alliance.
Cars at the border between Russia and Finland at the Nuijamaa border check point in Lappeenranta, Finland, on November 14, 2023. Photograph: Lauri Heino/ShutterstockFollowing Finland, Estonia has accused Russia of pushing asylum seekers to its border crossings.
The countries share a 338.6km border, which is also the European Union and Nato border. Finland and Estonia say they have seen a surge in migrants arriving in the past two weeks and accuse Moscow of facilitating the arrivals.
The office of Estonia’s interior minister, Lauri Laanemets, told Reuters: “Unfortunately, there are many signs that Russian border officials and possibly other agencies are involved”. Laanemets added: “Quite frankly, [the] ongoing migration pressure on Europe’s eastern border is a hybrid attack operation”.
Estonia’s interior ministry said 75 people – largely from Somalia and Syria – attempted to enter from Russia since Thursday but said they were turned back.
Finland’s foreign minister on Wednesday told Reuters it demanded Russia stops sending people to the border, and said the country was considering closing all border crossings. The Kremlin denies pushing asylum seekers to the borders.
The issue has become a point of contention between the two EU and Nato members and Russia, as they tussle over the fates of asylum seekers from often war-torn countries who have few possessions and face hostility and destitution.
Finland’s foreign minister demanded Russia stops sending people to the border, claiming to have evidence the Russian border service is transporting asylum seekers to crossings – as tensions between the two countries continue to simmer.
The foreign minister, Elina Valtonen, told Reuters on Wednesday that one alternative is to close the entire 1,340km border it shares with Russia – which is also the border of Nato and the EU – if asylum seekers from its neighbour continue to arrive.
Valtonen said: “We have already taken measures to close border crossing points, and if need be, we will be doing further closings.”
Helsinki has shut several crossings and is considering closing some of the four remaining border points on its Russian frontier, Reuters reports. Moscow denies sending people to the border.
Around 600 people have arrived in the past few weeks, Finland told Reuters. The asylum seekers come from a wide range of nations including Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria, according to immigration authorities.
An announcement from Finland is expected at 5pm GMT. Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Russia would “of course” respond if Finland closes the remaining border posts.
It comes after Russia said on Wednesday it had protested to Finland after a damaged Russian tank was placed on display near the Finnish parliament.
The issue has become a point of contention between Finland and Estonia against Russia, as they tussle over the fates of asylum seekers from often war-torn countries who have few possessions and face hostility and destitution.
Finland’s minister for foreign affairs, Elina Valtonen. Photograph: Marina Takimoto/Zuma Press Wire/ShutterstockSummary of the day so farIt’s 6.15pm in Kyiv and here’s an update on Wednesday’s key developments in Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion.
Vladimir Putin said Russia has always been “ready for talks” to end the “tragedy” of war in Ukraine. Speaking at the G20 meeting, the Russian president gave his most pacific comments yet since invading Ukraine, but then blamed Kyiv for no peace talks.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s troops faced “difficult” defensive operations on parts of the eastern front, as bitter winter cold settles in. But the president added forces in the south were still conducting offensive actions.
The Russian foreign ministry said relations with the US were extremely thin and risked being torn at any moment. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters Washington’s actions could lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is threatening to block Ukraine’s candidacy for membership of the EU. European leaders will meet on 14 and 15 December to discuss Ukraine’s EU bid.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, said he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. He promised to do “everything in my power” to make a decision in December.
The EU has approved a further €1.5bn (£1.3bn) payment in macro financial assistance to Ukraine. It is the tenth payment made as part of an €18bn programme to keep the Ukrainian economy moving.
Russia’s defence ministry said a group of Russian journalists had come under drone attack from Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. It said one reporter received medical treatment but no one was life-threateningly injured.
Russia said on Wednesday it had protested to Finland after a damaged Russian tank was placed on display near the Finnish parliament. Finland is an EU and Nato member and shares a 1,340km border with Russia.
The Kremlin said there were “no revisions” to its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine. It followed local media reports of a Russian “satanist” killer who was released.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The US voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine. The national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said the development would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people.
The UN human rights office said more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It expects the real toll is significantly higher.
Electronic warfare in Ukraine is affecting air travel and unnerving pilots far from the battlefield, according to a report in the New York Times.
“Planes are losing satellite signals, flights have been diverted and pilots have received false location reports or inaccurate warnings that they were flying close to terrain, according to European Union safety regulators and an internal airline memo,” the piece says.
Here are further details:
Radio frequency interference – intended to disrupt the satellite signals used by rockets, drones and other weaponry – spiked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and has grown even more intense this fall in the Middle East. The interference can involve jamming satellite signals by drowning them out with noise, or spoofing them – mimicking real satellite signals to trick recipients with misleading information.
The radio interference has so far not proven to be dangerous. But aircraft systems have proved largely unable to detect GPS spoofing and correct for it, according to Opsgroup, an organization that monitors changes and risks in the aviation industry. One Embraer jet bound for Dubai nearly veered into Iranian airspace in September before the pilots figured out the plane was chasing a false signal.
“We only realized there was an issue because the autopilot started turning to the left and right, so it was obvious that something was wrong,” crew members reported to Opsgroup.
Airplanes can typically fly safely without satellite signals and large commercial aircraft have at least six alternative navigation systems, pilots said. Business jets such as Dassault Falcons, Gulfstreams and Bombardiers appear to be more susceptible to signal spoofing, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said.
The strain on aviation could be a harbinger of far-reaching economic and security problems as the weapons of electronic warfare proliferate.
A Ukraine International Airlines plane. Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/GettyLithuania said a new package of aid to Ukraine has arrived.
“Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable,” the Lithuanian ministry of national defence said on X/Twitter.
🇺🇦One more new package of military support from Lithuania has reached Ukraine today
🇱🇹@LTU_Army delivered 3 million units of 7.62×51 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable pic.twitter.com/IkA508EMFL
— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) November 22, 2023The post said: “3 million units of 7.62×51 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment” had arrived.
“Thank you for steadfast support!” Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence replied.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that a group of Russian journalists had come under attack from Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region, Reuters reports.
Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine, is one of four regions that Russia claims to have annexed since February 2022.
Russia said a Ukrainian drone struck a group of journalists, wounding a reporter from the Rossiya 24 state TV channel, AFP reports.
“As a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on a group of journalists, a correspondent of the Rossiya 24 TV channel, Boris Maksudov, was wounded by shrapnel,” Moscow’s defence ministry said. The injuries are not believed to be in a life-threatening, it said.