A Ukrainian soldier sits on a vehicle with a multiple rocket launcher outside Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Follow for all the latest Russia-Ukraine war updates. Photograph: Bülent Kılıç/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier sits on a vehicle with a multiple rocket launcher outside Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Follow for all the latest Russia-Ukraine war updates. Photograph: Bülent Kılıç/AFP/Getty ImagesShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Live feedZelenskiy labels Putin U-turn on Ukraine grain deal a ‘failure of Russian aggression’Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has hailed Russia’s turnaround in rejoining the UN-backed grain export deal, just days after the Kremlin threatened to pull out, as a “significant diplomatic outcome” for Ukraine and the “whole world”.
“Implementation of the grain export initiative will continue,” Zelenskiy said in his Wednesday evening address.
Russia initially said it would abandon the brokered deal that allowed exports of grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea, following a dramatic drone attack on its warships in the port of Sevastopol. Russia’s defence ministry said it was satisfied it had received “sufficient” guarantees from Kyiv that it would not use the maritime corridor to carry out attacks.
“We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that nothing like this would happen again, that the humanitarian corridors would not be used militarily,” Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said during a video meeting with his coordination council on Wednesday.
However, Zelenskiy said the Kremlin’s call for guarantees showed “the failure of the Russian aggression”, noting: “Russian blackmail has led nowhere”.
After eight months of war “the Kremlin is saying that they demanded security guarantees from Ukraine”, he said. “Two hundred and fifty two days ago Russia demanded security guarantees from the United States of America.
“These are really striking changes. This shows both the failure of Russian aggression and how strong you and I are when we remain united.”
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IAEA: no sign of ‘undeclared nuclear activities’ at three Ukrainian sites inspected after ‘dirty bomb’ accusationThe UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv’s request, in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a “dirty bomb”.
“Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations,” Reuters reports the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement, adding that environmental samples taken would be analysed.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia knew “about an incident with a so-called ‘dirty bomb’ being prepared”, and that Russia knew “where, generally, it was being prepared”.
he gave no evidence of the alleged plot, which included the possibility of the device being loaded on to a Tochka-U or other tactical missile, detonated and then “blamed on Russia”. Kyiv has strongly denied the accusations.
The Russian state-owned RIA Novosti news agency is reporting that 107 Russian soldiers have been returned from captivity in Ukraine. It quotes the Russian defence ministry saying:
On 3 November, as a result of the negotiation process, 107 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime, who were in mortal danger in captivity.
RIA reports that the ministry added that the soldiers will be taken to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation, and provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance.
Russia’s foreign ministry has issued a statement in which it has detailed the demarche given to the British ambassador in Moscow this morning. Deborah Bronnert was greeted by a small anti-British protest when she was summoned to Russia’s foreign ministry this morning. The statement in part says:
A strong protest in connection with the British military specialists’ active participation in training and providing supplies to the units of the Ukrainian special operations forces, including with the goal of conducting acts of sabotage at sea, were expressed to the Ambassador. Concrete facts of that kind of activities by London were provided.
The demarche emphasised that such confrontational actions by the British pose the threat of an escalation and can lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences.
It was pointed out that such hostile provocations were unacceptable and a demand was put forward to stop them immediately. Should these acts of aggression that are fraught with direct implication in the conflict continue, the responsibility for their harmful consequences and the mounting tensions in relations between our countries will lie entirely with the British side.
The statement goes on to criticise agreements between London and Kyiv to train navy personnel, lists specific joint training exercises that it claims took place in waters off the Ukraine coast, and alleges “We have information that the British Navy has also transferred a certain number of unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine.
British ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert leaves the Russian foreign affairs ministry in Moscow this morning. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/APToday so far There has been suspicious movement in Kherson that may have some eager to celebrate what appears to be signs of a Russian retreat, but has others urging caution. The Russian flag has been removed from the Kherson regional administration building, located in the west bank area of the city where Ukrainian forces made significant advances a few weeks ago. Russian authorities who have been consistently forcibly relocating civilians in the region, claiming that it’s for their safety as Ukrainian forces move closer, are now purportedly halting the relocations. But Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Command, is urging caution, saying that Russia’s unusual manoeuvres in Kherson might be a trap to lure in Ukrainian forces.
Russian attacks in the Donetsk oblast and Kharkiv oblast have killed at least five civilians in the past day, officials said.
The armed forces of Ukraine are estimating that about 730 Russian soldiers were killed yesterday alone, bringing the total to 68,900 personnel lost so far in the invasion of Ukraine.
Switzerland has committed to providing $106m for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure recovery.
The White House has accused North Korea of covertly shipping a “significant number” of artillery shells to Russia in support of its invasion of Ukraine amid mounting evidence of shortages for key weapons systems.
Olena Zelenska, the wife of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said she hoped that Elon Musk’s tweet about a peace deal to end the war with Russia was a “chance mistake”. “He supported Ukraine from the very first day and that’s why Ukrainians really admired him,” Zelenska told the Guardian in an interview at the Web Summit in Lisbon. “So it was extremely sensitive for us to read the tweet. Let’s be honest, even the smartest person can’t say the smartest things 24 hours a day. There are mistakes. And we hope it was a chance mistake.”
Here are some of the latest images we have been sent over the newswires from the war in Ukraine and beyond.
A view of a damaged building due to shelling on Kievsky districts of Donetsk, Ukraine on November 03, 2022. The shelling began at 10:03 from the village of Orlovka, six shells of 155 mm caliber NATO standard were fired at the indicated areas. Under fire was the area of the store “Izumrud” near the city administration. Three people were wounded in the bus during the shelling. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesA destroyed kindergarten is pictured in Stepnohirsk situated close to the front line, Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine. Photograph: Future Publishing/Ukrinform/Getty ImagesUkrainian National Guard soldiers repair captured Russian armoured personnel carrier (APC) outskirts Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Photograph: Andrii Marienko/APMunicipal workers repair damage due to shelling in the Kievsky district of Donetsk, Ukraine on November 03, 2022. The shelling began at 10:03 from the village of Orlovka, six shells of 155 mm caliber NATO standard were fired at the indicated areas. Under fire was the area of the store “Izumrud” near the city administration. Three people were wounded in the bus during the shelling. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesUS accuses North Korea of covertly supplying artillery shells to RussiaThe White House has accused North Korea of covertly shipping a “significant number” of artillery shells to Russia in support of its invasion of Ukraine amid mounting evidence of shortages for key weapons systems.
US National security council spokesperson John Kirby said the US believed North Korea “is covertly supplying” the ammunition to Russia and “trying to make it appear as though they are being sent to countries in the Middle East or north Africa”.
Kirby declined to provide a specific estimate on the quantity of ammunition being sent to bolster the Russian effort.
He said North Korea “is covertly supplying” the ammunition to Russia, adding, “We’re still monitoring this to determine whether the shipments are actually received.”
Kirby said the North Korean shipments are “not going to change the course of the war,” citing western efforts to resupply the Ukrainian military.
Olena Zelenska, the wife of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said she hoped that Elon Musk’s tweet about a peace deal to end the war with Russia was a “chance mistake”.
Last month, Musk drew the ire of Ukrainians when he suggested in a tweet that a Ukraine-Russia peace deal should include formally annexing Crimea to Russia and holding UN-supervised elections in four Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine.
Musk later denied a report that he had spoken to Vladimir Putin before floating the plan that he had presented as a Twitter poll.
“He supported Ukraine from the very first day and that’s why Ukrainians really admired him,” Zelenska told the Guardian in an interview at the Web Summit in Lisbon. “So it was extremely sensitive for us to read the tweet. Let’s be honest, even the smartest person can’t say the smartest things 24 hours a day. There are mistakes. And we hope it was a chance mistake.”
Read more here:
The goings-on in Kherson – the removal of Russian flags, the forced relocation of civilians, then the purported halted relocation of civilians – have been raising eyebrows among Ukrainian forces.
While some may be eager to celebrate what appears to be signs of a Russian retreat, others are urging caution.
Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Command, urges caution and says Russia’s unusual maneuvers in Kherson might be a trap to lure in Ukrainian forces. t.co/AEqC8dqNSV
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) November 3, 2022 Russian authorities in Kherson have been relocating civilians in the region, claiming that it’s for their safety as Ukrainian forces move closer. One week after Russian authorities relocated 70,000 civilians from the right bank of the Dnieper River to the left bank, Russian authorities said they were moving 70,000 civilians from the left bank to be “temporarily resettled deep into the Kherson region, as well as to other regions of the Russian Federation”. The reason, they said, was “possible damage to the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station”.
Now they’re saying the relocation is over.
Moscow-installed officials say the Kherson “evacuation” is over. The Russian flag on the regional building’s gone & both sides accuse each other of planning to flood the area.
Things seem to be coming to a head, but no one will believe a Russian retreat until they see it.
— James Waterhouse (@JamWaterhouse) November 3, 2022 Reminder: the act of an occupying force relocating civilians from a territory that the force has occupied is a violation of the Geneva conventions, whatever the purported reason behind it. There have also been reports of Russian forces relocating Ukrainian and Ukrainian children to Russian territories, with no discussion of eventual return. For this reason, media organisations such as the Kyiv Independent have been outspoken about not calling these relocations “evacuations”, as the Russian proxy government is calling them.
The armed forces of Ukraine are estimating that about 730 Russian soldiers were killed yesterday alone, bringing the total to 68,900 personnel lost so far in the invasion of Ukraine.
Знову понад 700 окупантів та багато техніки…
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 03.11 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 03.11 were approximately pic.twitter.com/Um3k0WfvOk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) November 3, 2022 Russian forces kill four in Donetsk oblast, one in Kharkiv oblastRussian attacks in the Donetsk oblast and Kharkiv oblast have killed at least five civilians in the past day, officials said.
In Donetsk, Russian forces killed three civilians in Bakhmut and one in Avdiivka, two strategically placed towns in Ukraine’s industrial heartland of Donbas, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk oblast. Bakhmut in particular has been hit hard in the past few weeks.
At least five people in the region were injured, Kyrylenko said. Russian shelling also damaged power grids in Kurakhovo and two private houses in Zoryanye. There was intense shelling during the night on the outskirts of the Toretsk and Svitlodar communities and in the Soledar community, and six private houses were damaged in Rozdolivka.
In the Kharkiv oblast, Russian shelling on the city of Kupiansk killed an 82-year-old woman, said Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of Kharkiv oblast. In addition to Kupiansk, Russian forces shelled Vovchansk, the village of Dvorichna and other settlements of Kupiansk, as well as Kharkiv city and Chuguyiv district, damaging residential buildings and public buildings.
Three Russian missiles struck Kharkiv city, damaging an economic building and a trolley bus. There were no casualties from the missile strikes, Syniehubov said.
Switzerland has committed to providing $106m for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure recovery.
⚡️ Switzerland to provide $106 million for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure recovery.
Switzerland’s Federal Council has adopted the Winter Aid Action Plan to lighten the impact of the coming winter on Ukrainians.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 3, 2022 The initiative implies supplying Ukraine with almost $106 million in aid to fund the urgent rehabilitation of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The country will supply Ukraine with generators, pumps, and water treatment installations.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 3, 2022
Isobel Koshiw
The Russian flag has been removed from the Kherson regional administration building, located in the west bank area of the city where Ukrainian forces made significant advances a few weeks ago. Russian forces moved their regional headquarters across the Dnieper River to the left bank are of Kherson city, according to Ukraine’s Centre of National Resistance under Ukraine’s ministry of defence.
Russians are still holding their positions along their second line of defence, according to both sides. Russia has been moving residents out of occupied Kherson, claiming that Ukraine is planning to intentionally flood the region by hitting a dam in the Dnieper. Ukraine says Russia is planning to stage a false flag attack and flood the region itself.
Summary of the day so far … The Russian delegation resumed work at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) that runs the Black Sea grain deal operations in Istanbul and joined vessel inspections on Thursday, the UN secretariat at the centre said. It said the queue for inspections has been significantly reduced, with more than 120 ships waiting to move, mainly those planning an inbound voyage.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had said on Wednesday that Moscow would rejoin the grain export deal brokered by the UN and Turkey with Ukraine, but that it reserved the right to withdraw if necessary. “We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that nothing like this would happen again, that the humanitarian corridors would not be used militarily,” Putin said during a video meeting with his coordination council on Wednesday.
Russia on Thursday urged the UN, which sponsored the deal, to help fulfil the parts of the deal intended to ease Russia’s food and fertiliser exports. “We still do not see any results regarding a second aspect: the removal of obstacles to the export of Russian fertilisers and grain,” the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told a news conference in Amman, Jordan. Russian agricultural exports do not fall explicitly under sanctions imposed since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, but Moscow says they are badly hindered by the restrictions imposed on its financial, logistics and insurance sectors.
A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said that, contrary to Russian claims, Ukraine had made no new commitments beyond the terms originally signed in July.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, welcomed Moscow’s humiliating U-turn and hailed “a significant diplomatic result for our country and the whole world”. He said in his Wednesday evening address: “Implementation of the grain export initiative continues. The Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine. This shows both the failure of the Russian aggression and how strong we are when we remain united.”
Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo said Russian missile attacks hit energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk late on Wednesday, further complicating the work of the energy system.
Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, described “a tense night of massive attacks” but said on Thursday morning there were no known casualties.
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged the remaining high-voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, according to the Ukrainian nuclear firm Energoatom.
There are unverified images circulating on social media that appear to show that the Russian flag has been taken down from the city council building in the occupied city of Kherson. One of the Russian-imposed leaders of the occupying authorities, Kirill Stremousov, posted to Telegram encouraging further civilian “evacuations” from the city – a move that has been described by Kyiv as forced deportations.
A small anti-British protest in Moscow greeted the British ambassador Deborah Bronnert after she was summoned by Russia’s foreign ministry. Bronnert was summoned to discuss Moscow’s claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea, claims that have been dismissed out of hand by the British government.
Hungary’s parliament will decide on when to schedule a debate on the ratification of Finland’s and Sweden’s applications to join Nato, its foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, told a press conference this morning.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. Vivian Ho will be with you shortly.
Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo has confirmed that Russian missile attacks hit energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk late on Wednesday, further complicating the work of repairing the energy system, Reuters reports. Zaporizhzhia is one of the regions that Russia has claimed to annex, despite not fully occupying the territory there.
The Russian delegation resumed work at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) that runs the Black Sea grain deal operations in Istanbul and joined vessel inspections on Thursday, the UN secretariat at the centre said.
Reuters report it said the queue for inspections has been significantly reduced, with currently over 120 ships waiting to move, mainly those planning an inbound voyage.
Zante, a cargo vessel carrying Ukrainian grain, transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul yesterday. Photograph: Ümit Bektaş/ReutersThere are unverified images circulating on social media which appear to show that the Russian flag has been taken down from the city council building in the occupied city of Kherson.
One of the Russian-imposed leaders of the occupying authorities, Kirill Stremousov, posted to Telegram a short while ago encouraging further civilian “evacuations” from the city – a move that has been described by Kyiv as forced deportations. He wrote:
The remaining residents of Kherson put themselves in danger. The Nazis, with the help of American weapons, do not stop shelling the peaceful infrastructure of the city.
Residents of Kherson may continue to evacuate from the right-bank part of the Kherson region. The movement of civilian vehicles from the right to the left bank of the Dnipro will continue and will be carried out in the same way as before – through Rechport. You can go to the left bank of the Dnipro from there by water transport, as well as cross by private car by barge.
The temporary cessation of transport communication will not affect the provision of the right bank of the Kherson region with food and essential goods. The supply of Kherson and settlements of the region will be carried out as before.
Patrick Revell, a reporter for US news network ABC, says that in a video posted by Stremousov, he appeared to suggest that Russian forces may be staging a pullback across the river away from the city.
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