It is the 273rd day of war in Ukraine. WHO raises the cold alarm for winter in Ukraine: “It will be dangerous for the lives of millions of people” said the regional director for Europe, denouncing the difficult situation in Ukrainian hospitals, “maternity wards have need incubators, blood banks need refrigerators, ICU beds need ventilators and everyone needs energy. Meanwhile, one person died and two others were injured in a Russian attack on people queuing for bread at a school in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region. Attacks on Kherson continue on the ground, and as the United States announces $4.5 billion in grants for direct budget support to the Kiev government, Ukrainian President Zelensky says there are at least 2,000 more cities that Ukraine needs to free from the Russian invaders.
The Kremlin denounces the searches of the historic Monastery of the Caves in Kiev by the Ukrainian intelligence and security services as “a military action against the Russian Orthodox Church”.
Gazprom is threatening to cut gas flows through Ukraine, the last Russian gas route to Europe, from Monday in response to Ukraine allegedly withholding some methane destined for Moldova.
Brimstone 2, the UK’s powerful gift to Ukraine that promises to complicate life for Russia
To know more
– Ukraine, general winter: Kremlin strategists enlist the cold to force the enemy to surrender
– War in Ukraine, holes in the sanctions in Moscow: exports to Russia are growing. The US in the field to plug the leaks
Updates hour by hour
00.16 – Zelensky: funds from people from over 90 countries for marine drone fleet
«People from 93 countries have joined the fundraiser to build a fleet of marine drones for Ukraine on the United24 platform». This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening speech. “Unity, as always, gives an excellent result,” he added.
00.06 – Sweden: couple arrested for illegal intelligence activity
A major police operation has arrested a couple suspected of ‘illegal intelligence activity’ involving Sweden and another, unspecified country. According to reports from Sveriges Radio, the Swedish public service radio, it would be a man and a woman in their sixties, born in Russia but of Swedish citizenship. Stockholm intelligence spokesman Gabriel Wernstedt said that “he cannot go into further details” but that the investigation would not be connected with other ongoing investigations. According to experts interviewed by Sveriges Radio, the couple’s activity could be linked to drone overflights to gather information. These latest arrests in Sweden add to a series of arrests made in recent months in Norway of Russian citizens accused of espionage. The two Scandinavian countries recently raised their alert level due to foreign intelligence activity.
23.40 – Zelensky: plan to deal with electricity blackouts
More than 4,000 “Points of Invincibility” have been set up in Ukraine, the work of which will be triggered in the event of a prolonged power outage in the event of new massive Russian attacks on infrastructure. This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the usual evening message. «If massive Russian raids occur again and if it is estimated that electricity supplies cannot be restored within a few hours – explained Zelensky – the work of the ‘Points of invincibility’ will be activated. There are all the basic services: electricity, mobile phone and Internet, heating, water, first aid kit. All absolutely free and for the whole day. Zelensky stressed that such points will work in all regional and district administrations, as well as in schools, state emergency service buildings and the like. Local authorities, the Ukrainian president specified, have the task of informing people about the presence of “Points of invincibility”. In government buildings, pharmacies, shops, post offices, there must be information about where a person can find support in the event of a long power outage.
Yesterday’s news and insights
Aboard Russian tank during open field battle: Hits Ukrainian base after missile misses
