Former President Donald Trump’s tax returns have been a long-standing mystery to American voters. But now that House Democrats finally have access to six years of Trump’s taxes, speculation is growing about what could happen next. On one hand, there is mounting political pressure to share the information with the public, while on the other hand, Democrats are weighing the potential fallout if there’s not a treasure trove of financial entanglements as anticipated.
Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
(You can get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)
For the first time, US scientists have successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain, a source familiar with the project confirmed to CNN. The discovery would be a massive step in a decadeslong quest for a new form of clean energy that could eventually power your house and help end dependence on fossil fuels. Researchers have attempted for decades to recreate nuclear fusion – the result when two or more atoms are fused into one larger one – a process that generates a massive amount of energy as heat. Scientists across the globe have been inching toward the achievement, but ultimately, it was the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California that made the discovery. The US Department of Energy is expected to officially announce the breakthrough today.
About 15 million people in a dozen states are under winter weather alerts today as a massive coast-to-coast storm continues to head east. The storm system has already caused huge snowfalls in California and is on track to strengthen today, forecasts show. Meteorologists warn the storm will bring dangerous blizzard conditions in the Great Plains, icy weather in the upper Midwest, and severe storms along the Gulf Coast. Some areas inside the blizzard warnings could receive as much as 20 inches of snow, with winds strong enough to knock down tree limbs and cause power outages. Meanwhile, the southern end of the storm is expected to bring late-season tornadoes along with strong thunderstorms and large hail.
Winter storm crosses US
02:21
– Source:
CNN
President Joe Biden today will sign into law a bill passed last week by Congress that mandates federal recognition for same-sex and interracial marriages. The White House is planning to mark the occasion with a ceremony built to a scale that it believes is fitting for the moment, with one official saying it was planning to simply “go all out.” This comes a little more than 10 years after Biden shocked the country with an unexpected declaration in support of same-sex marriage for the first time in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Biden’s remarks in 2012 marked a stunning personal evolution for the then-vice president, who once as a senator had voted to block federal recognition of same-sex marriages and previously insisted that marriage should only take place between a man and a woman.
Lawmaker gets called out by her own nephew after tearful speech on House floor
02:12
– Source:
CNN
As the US approaches two years since its first Covid-19 vaccinations, a new study shows the vaccines have kept more than 18 million people out of the hospital and saved more than 3 million lives. Researchers from the Commonwealth Fund and Yale School of Public Health found that without Covid-19 vaccines, the nation would have had 1.5 times more infections, 3.8 times more hospitalizations and 4.1 times more deaths than it did between December 2020 and November 2022, according to the study. To date, Covid-19 has caused at least 99 million cases and more than 1 million deaths in the US, data from the CDC shows. The study estimates that the vaccinations were also a good financial bet, saving the US $1.15 trillion in medical costs.
More than 2,400 migrants crossed into the US near El Paso, Texas, daily over the weekend, a senior border official said, marking what he described as a “major surge in illegal crossings” in the region. Officials have been raising concerns that a wave of migrants will occur when the Trump-era border policy known as Title 42 ends on December 21. The Biden administration is asking Congress for more than $3 billion as it prepares for the end of the policy, according to a source familiar with the request. “The team has been working really hard to ensure we’re taking steps to manage the expiration of Title 42 and put in place a process that’s orderly and humane. And we believe in doing so, we can protect our security concerns,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. Since March 2020, border officials have turned away migrants at the US-Mexico border more than 2 million times.
World Cup semifinals begin today
The 2022 World Cup semifinals kick off today with a highly anticipated match between Argentina and Croatia at 2 pm ET. Argentina and its star player Lionel Messi are just two matches away from winning the country’s first World Cup since 1986 – and Messi’s first in the famous blue and white shirt. But make no mistake, Argentina will have its work cut out if it’s to reach the final. Join CNN’s coverage of the 2022 World Cup here.
BTS star Jin begins military service
The oldest member of the K-pop supergroup BTS began his mandatory military service in South Korea today. He even showed off his new buzzed haircut before heading inside the army training center.
Elon Musk booed off stage at a Dave Chappelle show
The billionaire was expecting a warm welcome from the crowd… instead, he was loudly booed for several minutes. Watch the video here.
King Charles III releases first Christmas card of his reign
‘Tis the season! The new royal Christmas card is quite elegant, in a beautifully understated way.
The strongest meteor shower of the year will happen tonight
Mark your calendars, stargazers. Here’s how to watch the stellar show.
Cher mourns the loss of her mother, Georgia Holt
Condolences are pouring in for the legendary singer who posted on social media, “Mom is gone,” alongside a sad-face emoji.
1 million +
That’s how many people are unable to access their crypto funds following the collapse of the failed exchange platform FTX. Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the company, was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday after US prosecutors filed criminal charges against him. Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged him with defrauding investors, saying he “orchestrated a years-long fraud” to conceal from FTX investors the diversion of customer funds to Alameda Research, his crypto trading firm. Bankman-Fried has denied accusations that he defrauded FTX’s customers.
“I plan to stay out of Arizona politics.”
– Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, on whether Democratic Party leaders should distance themselves from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s potential 2024 race if she runs for reelection in Arizona. After Sinema’s surprise decision to become an independent, Democratic leaders are trying to handle the politically fraught situation delicately because a misstep could have serious ramifications for their party. If Sinema runs for a second term but party leaders put their muscle behind a Democratic candidate instead, the electorate could splinter in the purple state and help Republicans win back a critical seat. Plus, backing a Democrat in the race could also risk alienating Sinema, whose decision to align with her former party essentially solidifies its 51-49 majority.
Heavy snow and ice for the North and severe storm threat for the South
02:52
– Source:
CNN
Check your local forecast here>>>
This ice cream doesn’t melt
Unlike your typical scoop of ice cream, this version is sticky, stretchy, and most importantly – doesn’t melt. (Click here to view)
UN nuclear watchdog to inspect Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The UN nuclear watchdog will conduct an assessment of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Monday after the site was shelled more than a dozen times over the weekend.
The blasts damaged buildings and equipment, though none had been “critical” for nuclear safety and security, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Its head, Rafael Grossi, said the forces behind the shelling were “playing with fire”, adding that “it must stop immediately”.
A statement published by the IAEA late on Sunday read:
Repeated shelling at the site of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) yesterday evening and this morning damaged buildings, systems and equipment, with some of the explosions occurring near the reactors.”
The agency said the plant was hit with “more than a dozen blasts within 40 minutes” though radiation levels at the site remained normal and there were no reports of casualties.
The ZNPP’s external power supplies, which have been knocked out several times during the conflict, were also not affected.
According to the IAEA experts, site management reported damage in several places, including a radioactive waste and storage building, cooling pond sprinkler systems, an electrical cable to one of the reactors, condensate storage tanks, and to a bridge between another reactor and its auxiliary buildings.
Rafael Grossi added:
Even though there was no direct impact on key nuclear safety and security systems at the plant, the shelling came dangerously close to them. We are talking metres, not kilometres. Whoever is shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, is taking huge risks and gambling with many people’s lives.”
The IAEA team of experts plan to conduct an assessment on Monday of the shelling impact on the site.
Key events
Summary
The time in Kyiv is 1pm. Here is a round-up of the day’s headlines so far:
The southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol was hit by Russian shelling overnight, according to city officials. The shelling reportedly hit a residential area injuring a 78-year-old man, the Kyiv Independent reports city governor, Valentyn Reznichenko, as saying.
The Kremlin said it was concerned by what it claimed was repeated Ukrainian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It called on global powers to ensure that Kyiv ceased attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power station. Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, was rocked by shelling on Sunday, drawing condemnation from the UN nuclear watchdog which said such attacks risked a major disaster.
The UN nuclear watchdog will conduct an assessment of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Monday after the site was shelled more than a dozen times over the weekend. The blasts damaged buildings and equipment, though none had been “critical” for nuclear safety and security, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Russia also said that it would bring to justice those responsible for the alleged execution of Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine and that it would do everything possible to draw attention to what it has claimed is a war crime. Russia has accused Ukrainian soldiers of executing more than 10 Russian prisoners of war, citing a video circulating on Russian social media. Ukraine denies the claims.
Russian forces launched almost 400 strikes on Sunday in Ukraine’s east as part of a campaign of artillery fire, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Sunday night address. “The fiercest battles, as before, are in the Donetsk region. Although there were fewer attacks today due to worsening weather, the amount of Russian shelling unfortunately remains extremely high,” Zelenskiy said.
Russian forces are constructing defensive positions partially staffed by poorly trained mobilised reservists around the Svatove sector in the Luhansk region in north-eastern Ukraine, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. With Russia’s south-western frontline now more readily defendable along the east bank of the Dnipro River, the Svatove sector is likely now a more vulnerable operational flank of the Russian force, the latest British intelligence report reads.
A new training centre for Ukrainian troops in the central Spanish city of Toledo will start operating at the end of November, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, told the Nato parliamentary assembly. Spanish police will also be deployed in Ukraine over the coming weeks to help investigate alleged Russian war crimes, Sanchez added.
A video purportedly showing the detention of two Russian servicemen who refused to fight against Ukraine has appeared across multiple Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels. The video shows two men – each dressed in military uniform – called to appear in front of their commander.
Italy’s government will ask parliament to pass a new law on military and civilian supplies to Ukraine throughout 2023, defence minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview. The Rome government can send aid to Ukraine without seeking parliamentary authorisation each time on the basis of a decree that expires at the end of the year.
Forty-five countries and institutions will meet in Paris on Monday to pledge millions of euros of aid for Moldova, as fears mount that it could be further destabilised by the conflict in Ukraine, according to a Reuters report. Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, has felt the effects of rising food and energy prices as well as an influx of thousands of refugees arriving in the country of about 2.5 million people.
Ukraine has exported almost 16.2m tonnes of grain so far in the 2022-23 season, down 31.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from the 23.8m tonnes exported by the same stage of the previous season, agriculture ministry data showed. The volume included almost 6.3m tonnes of wheat, 8.6m tonnes of corn and 1.3m tonnes of barley, Reuters reported.
Negotiating with Russia would be “capitulation”, a key adviser to the Ukrainian presidency has said. Mykhaylo Podolyak said attempts by the west to urge Ukraine to negotiate with Moscow were “bizarre” given a series of major military victories by Kyiv. He added it would mean that a country “that recovers its territories must capitulate to the country that is losing”. The comments come after recent US media reports that some senior officials were beginning to encourage Ukraine to consider talks.
The first Ukrainian supermarket has opened in Kherson since the city was liberated earlier this month. ATB, a 24/7 shop in the city, had queues of people outside on Sunday as it welcomed customers back. Kherson remains without electricity, running water or heating, but residents found some relief in being able to purchase Ukrainian pickled gherkins, dumplings, horseradish and other favourites.
France has sent another two air defence systems to Ukraine, along with two multiple rocket launchers, according to an interview given by a French defence minister.
Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of feeding disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa, where France has had military setbacks. In an interview with TV5 Monde on the sidelines of a conference of Francophone nations in Tunisia, the French president said there was a “predatory project” pushing disinformation into African countries, which was “a political project financed by Russia, sometimes others”.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. My colleague Léonie Chao-Fong will be along shortly to continue bringing you all the latest news from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy marked Ukraine’s annual Day of Dignity and Freedom on Monday by celebrating the sacrifices made by Ukrainian people since Russia’s invasion and saying his country would endure and prevail.
In a video address to the nation, Zelenskiy hailed the contributions made by Ukrainians – from soldiers, firefighters and medics to teachers giving online lessons, villagers cooking for the military, tailors sewing uniforms and farmers ploughing their fields despite the risk.
He hailed their defiance despite frequent missile strikes, widescale destruction, shortages and rolling blackouts as winter sets in, almost exactly nine months since Russia’s invasion, Reuters reported.
“We can be left without money. Without gasoline. Without hot water. Without light. But not without freedom,” Zelenskiy said in an address that he delivered standing in an ornate room in the presidential palace in the capital Kyiv.
The Kremlin also said that it would bring to justice those responsible for the alleged execution of Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine and that it would do everything possible to draw attention to what it has claimed is a war crime.
Russia has accused Ukrainian soldiers of executing more than 10 Russian prisoners of war, citing a video circulating on Russian social media.
“There is no doubt that Russia itself will be looking for the perpetrators of this crime. They must be found and punished,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European integration was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that Kyiv would investigate the video but that it was “very unlikely” it showed what Moscow claimed.
A spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office told Reuters it was looking into the footage and called for allegations to be investigated promptly and in full.
Russia claim Ukraine shelling nuclear plant, denied by Kyiv
The Kremlin has said it was concerned by what it claimed was repeated Ukrainian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It called on global powers to ensure that Kyiv ceased attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power station.
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, was rocked by shelling on Sunday, drawing condemnation from the UN nuclear watchdog which said such attacks risked a major disaster.
“This cannot but cause our concern,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We call on all countries of the world to use their influence so that the Ukrainian armed forces stop doing this.”
Ukraine says it was Russia that shelled the plant. Reuters was unable to independently verify which side was responsible.
A new training centre for Ukrainian troops in the central Spanish city of Toledo will start operating at the end of November, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, told the Nato parliamentary assembly.
Spanish police will also be deployed in Ukraine over the coming weeks to help investigate alleged Russian war crimes, Sanchez added.
Ukraine has exported almost 16.2m tonnes of grain so far in the 2022-23 season, down 31.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from the 23.8m tonnes exported by the same stage of the previous season, agriculture ministry data showed.
The volume included almost 6.3m tonnes of wheat, 8.6m tonnes of corn and 1.3m tonnes of barley, Reuters reported.
After an almost six-month blockade caused by the Russian invasion, three Ukrainian Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.
Ministry data showed that 3m tonnes of various grains were exported in the first 20 days of November, 29.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} less than in the same period of November 2021.
The government has said Ukraine could harvest between 50m and 52m tonnes of grain this year, down from a record 86m tonnes in 2021 because of the loss of land to Russian forces and lower yields.
Ukrainians living in the capital, Kyiv, are preparing for the “worst winter of their lives” with temperatures set to plummet and the nation’s power grid a target for Russian attacks.
Here is an extract from an Associated Press article today:
When the power is out, as it so often is, the high-rise apartment overlooking Ukraine’s war-torn capital feels like a deathtrap. No lights, no water, no way to cook food. And no elevator by which to escape from the 21st floor should a Russian missile strike. Even when electricity comes back, it’s never on for long.
“Russian strikes are plunging Ukraine into the Stone Age,” says Anastasia Pyrozhenko. In a recent 24-hour spell, her 26-story high-rise only had power for half an hour. She says the “military living conditions” have driven her and husband from their apartment.
“Our building is the highest in the area and is a great target for Russian missiles, so we left our apartment for our parents’ place and are preparing for the worst winter of our lives,” said the 25-year-old.
The situation in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other major cities has deteriorated drastically following the largest missile attack on the country’s power grid on Tuesday. Ukrainian state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo reported that 40{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of Ukrainians were experiencing difficulties, due to damage to at least 15 major energy hubs across the country.
Warning that electricity outages could last anywhere from several hours to several days, the network said that “resilience and courage are what we need this winter.”
Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, too, stressed the need to be ready and resilient in the face of a potential blackout: “Worst case scenario. Actually, I don’t like to talk about that, but I have to be prepared if we (do not) have electricity, blackout, no water, no heating, no services and no communication,” Klitschko told the AP on Friday.
Ukrainian soldiers fire an artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers fire an artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photograph: Libkos/AP
Italy’s government will ask parliament to pass a new law on military and civilian supplies to Ukraine throughout 2023, defence minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview.
The Rome government can send aid to Ukraine without seeking parliamentary authorisation each time on the basis of a decree that expires at the end of the year.
“The defence [ministry] will shortly propose to renew that same measure, extending it to all of 2023,” Crosetto told Il Foglio newspaper.
Crosetto said Italy would continue supplying arms, as it has done in the past, “in the times and ways that we will agree with our Atlantic allies and with Kyiv”.
Crosetto belongs to Brothers of Italy, the right wing party of Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who is a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
The southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol was hit by Russian shelling overnight, according to city officials.
The shelling reportedly hit a residential area injuring a 78-year-old man, the Kyiv Independent reports city governor, Valentyn Reznichenko, as saying.
Forty-five countries and institutions will meet in Paris on Monday to pledge millions of euros of aid for Moldova, as fears mount that it could be further destabilised by the conflict in Ukraine, according to a Reuters report.
Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, has felt the effects of rising food and energy prices as well as an influx of thousands of refugees arriving in the country of about 2.5 million people. Moldova is believed to have taken more refugees per head than any other country.
Largely dependent on Russia energy supplies, Moldova is facing more difficulties with winter arriving and Moscow cutting natural gas supplies by about 40{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, hurting its ability to supply enough electricity to its population.
“Moldova is directly impacted because it’s dependent on Russian energy supplies and is a country which has a part of its territory controlled by Russian soldiers so it’s especially vulnerable,” a French diplomat told reporters in a briefing.
Aid would be used to support Moldova’s budget and electricity supplies as well as the costs for hosting thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
Russia forming defensive positions around Svatove, Luhansk: UK MoD
Russian forces are constructing defensive positions partially staffed by poorly trained mobilised reservists around the Svatove sector in the Luhansk region in north-eastern Ukraine, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
With Russia’s south-western frontline now more readily defendable along the east bank of the Dnipro River, the Svatove sector is likely now a more vulnerable operational flank of the Russian force, the latest British intelligence report reads.
Russian leaders will highly likely see retaining control of Svatove as a political priority though their commanders are likely struggling with the military realities of maintaining a credible defence, while also attempting to resource offensive operations further south in Donetsk.
“Both Russian defensive and offensive capability continues to be hampered by severe shortages of munitions and skilled personnel,” the report adds.
A video purportedly showing the detention of two Russian servicemen who refused to fight against Ukraine has appeared across multiple Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels.
The video shows two men – each dressed in military uniform – called to appear in front of their commander.
According to Meduza, an independent Russian news outlet based abroad, who shared the video published by the Military Ombudsman Telegram channel on Sunday, the incident occurred in Russia’s Belgorod region. The outlet states:
The investigator informs the privates that on 16 November a criminal case was opened against them for failure to comply with the order (Part 2.1 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This article implies a punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of two to three years. The convoy then detains the soldiers.”
Human rights activists believe that this video was filmed “as a warning to others”.
Residents of Kherson waved Ukrainian flags to celebrate the arrival of the first train to arrive in the southern city since the start of the Russian invasion.
Images published over the newswires today show a train carrying passengers from Kyiv roll into Kherson on Saturday for the first time in more than eight months.
Residents wave flags and wait to receive the first train to arrive in Kherson since the start of the Russian invasion. Photograph: Svet Jacqueline/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
Karina, 14, hugs a Ukrainian soldier at the Kherson train station waiting for the arrival of a train from Kyiv. Photograph: Svet Jacqueline/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
The first train seen arriving in Kherson. Photograph: Svet Jacqueline/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
UN nuclear watchdog to inspect Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The UN nuclear watchdog will conduct an assessment of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Monday after the site was shelled more than a dozen times over the weekend.
The blasts damaged buildings and equipment, though none had been “critical” for nuclear safety and security, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Its head, Rafael Grossi, said the forces behind the shelling were “playing with fire”, adding that “it must stop immediately”.
A statement published by the IAEA late on Sunday read:
Repeated shelling at the site of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) yesterday evening and this morning damaged buildings, systems and equipment, with some of the explosions occurring near the reactors.”
The agency said the plant was hit with “more than a dozen blasts within 40 minutes” though radiation levels at the site remained normal and there were no reports of casualties.
The ZNPP’s external power supplies, which have been knocked out several times during the conflict, were also not affected.
According to the IAEA experts, site management reported damage in several places, including a radioactive waste and storage building, cooling pond sprinkler systems, an electrical cable to one of the reactors, condensate storage tanks, and to a bridge between another reactor and its auxiliary buildings.
Rafael Grossi added:
Even though there was no direct impact on key nuclear safety and security systems at the plant, the shelling came dangerously close to them. We are talking metres, not kilometres. Whoever is shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, is taking huge risks and gambling with many people’s lives.”
The IAEA team of experts plan to conduct an assessment on Monday of the shelling impact on the site.
Russia launches almost 400 strikes in Ukraine’s east, Zelenskiy says
Russian forces launched almost 400 strikes on Sunday in Ukraine’s east as part of a campaign of artillery fire, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Sunday night address.
The fiercest battles, as before, are in the Donetsk region. Although there are fewer attacks today due to the deterioration of the weather, the number of Russian shelling occasions remains, unfortunately, extremely high.
Luhansk region – little by little we are moving forward with battles. As of now, there have been almost 400 shelling occasions in the east since the beginning of the day.”
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Sunday, 20 November. Photograph: Libkos/AP
Russia has moved troops to reinforce positions in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions after withdrawing from the southern city of Kherson.
Referring to Ukrainian positions in the south, Zelenskiy said Kyiv’s forces “are holding the line, consistently and very calculatedly destroying the potential of the occupiers.”
Russia’s surge in missile strikes in Ukraine is partly designed to exhaust Kyiv’s supplies of air defences and achieve dominance of the skies, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours.
Russian forces launched almost 400 strikes on Sunday in Ukraine’s east as part of a campaign of artillery fire, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Sunday night address.
Away from the battlefield, the UN nuclear watchdog will conduct an assessment of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Monday after the site was shelled more than a dozen times over the weekend.
For any updates or feedback you wish to share, please feel free to get in touch via email or Twitter.
If you have just joined us, here are all the latest developments:
Russian forces launched almost 400 strikes on Sunday in Ukraine’s east as part of a campaign of artillery fire, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Sunday night address. “The fiercest battles, as before, are in the Donetsk region. Although there were fewer attacks today due to worsening weather, the amount of Russian shelling unfortunately remains extremely high,” Zelenskiy said. “In the Luhansk region, we are slowly moving forward while fighting. As of now, there have been almost 400 artillery attacks in the east since the start of the day.” Russia has moved troops to reinforce positions in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions after withdrawing from Kherson.
The UN nuclear watchdog will conduct an assessment of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Monday after the site was shelled more than a dozen times over the weekend. The blasts damaged buildings and equipment, though none had been “critical” for nuclear safety and security, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Its head, Rafael Grossi, said the forces behind the shelling were “playing with fire”, adding that “it must stop immediately”.
Germany has offered Poland the Patriot missile defence system to help it to secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed in the country last week, the defence minister, Christine Lambrecht, said. “We have offered Poland support in securing airspace – with our Eurofighters and with Patriot air defence systems,” Lambrecht told the Rheinische Post and General Anzeiger. Ground-based air defence systems such as Raytheon’s Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles.
Ukraine has denied its forces executed Russian prisoners of war, arguing its soldiers were defending themselves against Russians who feigned surrender. The Ukrainian parliament’s commissioner for human rights responded on Sunday to videos circulated on Russian social media this week purporting to show the bodies of Russian servicemen killed after surrendering to Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said “excerpts” of a video showed that Russians “using a staged capture … committed a war crime by opening fire on the Ukrainian armed forces”. This means the soldiers “cannot be considered prisoners of war”, he said. A UN spokesperson told AFP it was “aware of the videos” and was “looking into them”.
Negotiating with Russia would be “capitulation”, a key adviser to the Ukrainian presidency has said. Mykhaylo Podolyak said attempts by the west to urge Ukraine to negotiate with Moscow were “bizarre” given a series of major military victories by Kyiv. He added it would mean that a country “that recovers its territories must capitulate to the country that is losing”. The comments come after recent US media reports that some senior officials were beginning to encourage Ukraine to consider talks.
The first Ukrainian supermarket has opened in Kherson since the city was liberated earlier this month. ATB, a 24/7 shop in the city, had queues of people outside on Sunday as it welcomed customers back. Kherson remains without electricity, running water or heating, but residents found some relief in being able to purchase Ukrainian pickled gherkins, dumplings, horseradish and other favourites.
France has sent another two air defence systems to Ukraine, along with two multiple rocket launchers, according to an interview given by a French defence minister.
Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of feeding disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa, where France has had military setbacks. In an interview with TV5 Monde on the sidelines of a conference of Francophone nations in Tunisia, the French president said there was a “predatory project” pushing disinformation into African countries, which was “a political project financed by Russia, sometimes others”. Macron said: “A number of powers, who want to spread their influence in Africa, are doing this to hurt France, hurt its language, sow doubts, but above all pursue certain interests.”
Ukraine has encircled Russia’s forces around a bastion that is critical for Moscow at the eastern town of Lyman, in an operation that is still under way, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said on Saturday.
Russia’s forces at Lyman totalled about 5,000 to 5,500 soldiers, but the number of encircled troops may have fallen because of casualties and some soldiers trying to break out of the encirclement, said Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces, according to Reuters.
Cherevatyi said:
Lyman is important because it is the next step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas. It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk, and it is psychologically very important.
On Saturday, Luhansk’s governor, Serhiy Haidai, said via Telegram:
The occupiers trapped in Liman asked the Russian command to allow them to leave the city, but were refused.
He added: “The possibilities of delivering ammunition to the Russians to the surrounded city or a peaceful exit from the settlement are already blocked.”
Key events
Russia is trying to transfer the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the Russian energy firm Rosatam, says head of Ukraine’s atomic energy company
Speaking with BBC News on Saturday, Petro Kotin said “they are trying to make our personnel just to sign the accurate deals for the work at Rosatam”.
His remarks come after reports that the Ukrainian director-general of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ihor Murashov, had been detained by a Russian patrol on Friday afternoon.
Citing previous attempts, Kotin added:
We expect that they’re trying to make him accept this move from Russians to catch the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Rosatam.
Kotin also described Murashov as the main person responsible for the plant’s safety, which is currently operated by 7,000 people on site.
Here’s a video of Ukraine’s armed forces raising the nation’s flag before the entrance sign to the city of Lyman, where Ukraine said it encircled thousands of Russian troops earlier today.
Ukraine’s armed forces raising the blue and yellow flag above the #Lyman entrance sign on the outskirts of the city. “Stabilisation measures” are being carried out, eastern command says, amid reports that around 5000 Russian soldiers remain trapped inside pic.twitter.com/xWnp4YbkX7
The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said she shared key information on the damaged Nord Stream pipelines with Liz Truss at a meeting in Downing Street.
Following the meeting, outside No 10, Frederiksen told PA news:
Of course, it has been very important for me to underline that the Danish authorities have said that this this is not an accident. This is sabotage and it is critical infrastructure. So of course, this is a very serious situation.
Both Britain and Denmark have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, following Vladimir Putin’s annexation of four regions on Friday.
We talked most of all about the situation in Ukraine and the so-called referendums in Ukraine. As you know, Britain and Denmark are very supportive of Ukraine and we will continue to be so and to continue our work and our co-operation.
Liz Truss and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Downing Street. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has requested clarifications from Russian authorities following reports that the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been detained.
A spokesperson for the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, told Reuters:
We have contacted Russian authorities and are requesting clarifications.
Earlier, we reported that Ihor Murashov had been detained on his way from Europe’s largest nuclear plant to the town of Enerhodar at about 4pm on Friday.
Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine’s atomic energy company, said his detention “jeopardises the safety of operation of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant”.
Here are the latest photos from Ukraine and elsewhere:
A local walks on the destroyed bridge over the Donets river in Staryi Saltiv, east of Kharkiv. Photograph: Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty
More and more Ukrainian people are returning to their home country from Poland, or transiting through Poland from other countries. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty
Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on stage during a concert marking the declared annexation of the Russian-controlled territories of four Ukraine regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Photograph: Sputnik/Reuters
A man with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor. Photograph: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Children play at the Arch of Freedom of the Ukrainian people square in Kyiv. Photograph: Francisco Seco/AP
Summary
It’s 12pm in Ukraine, here’s the latest:
Ukraine has encircled Russia’s forces around a bastion that is critical for Moscow at the eastern town of Lyman, in an operation that is still under way. Russia’s forces at Lyman totalled about 5,000 to 5,500 soldiers, but the number of encircled troops may have fallen because of casualties and some soldiers trying to break out of the encirclement, according to a spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces.
The Ministry of Defence said Russia’s expansion strategy has resulted in “killing civilians it now claims are its own citizens”.The MoD said Russia is expending “strategically valuable military assets” in attempts to gain tactical advantage.
Ukraine’s president thanked his US counterpart, Joe Biden, on Saturday for signing an additional $12.35 bn (£11bn) in support for Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “This help is more important today than ever.”
The Ukrainian director-general of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been detained by a Russian patrol, according to Energoatom. The company said his detention on Friday “jeopardises the safety of operation of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.”
Turkey which has been at the centre of mediation between the west and Russia, rejected Russia’s annexation of Ukraine, calling the decision a “grave violation” of international law.
The World Bank said it will provide an additional US$530m in support to Ukraine, bringing the total aid by the bank to $13bn. The aid is supported by the UK ($500m) and Denmark ($30m).
Ukrainian forces close in on Lyman
Ukraine has encircled Russia’s forces around a bastion that is critical for Moscow at the eastern town of Lyman, in an operation that is still under way, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said on Saturday.
Russia’s forces at Lyman totalled about 5,000 to 5,500 soldiers, but the number of encircled troops may have fallen because of casualties and some soldiers trying to break out of the encirclement, said Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces, according to Reuters.
Cherevatyi said:
Lyman is important because it is the next step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas. It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk, and it is psychologically very important.
On Saturday, Luhansk’s governor, Serhiy Haidai, said via Telegram:
The occupiers trapped in Liman asked the Russian command to allow them to leave the city, but were refused.
He added: “The possibilities of delivering ammunition to the Russians to the surrounded city or a peaceful exit from the settlement are already blocked.”
Russia killing citizens it claims are its own, says UK
The Ministry of Defence said Russia’s expansion strategy has resulted in “killing civilians it now claims are its own citizens”.
The latest intelligence update,published on Saturday morning, comes after Putin signed annexation agreements across four occupied regions in Ukraine, marking the largest forcible takeover of territory in Europe since the second world war.
The MoD said Russia is expending “strategically valuable military assets” in attempts to gain tactical advantage. It added that Russia “almost certainly” struck a convoy outside the town of Zaporizhzhia on Friday, where local media reported 25 civilians had been killed, and more than 50 injured.
Ukraine’s president thanked his US counterpart, Joe Biden, on Saturday for signing an additional $12.35 bn (£11bn) in support for Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter:
The law provides the financing of defence programs, as well as powerful direct budget support to Ukraine. This help is more important today than ever.
Thank you @POTUS for signing into law $12.35 bln in supplemental support for 🇺🇦. The day before, the bill was backed by both houses of 🇺🇸 Congress. We appreciate this powerful act of solidarity of the 🇺🇸 people with 🇺🇦. And the bicameral and bipartisan support of our state. 1/2
Here are the latest photos from Ukraine and elsewhere:
People arrive in Poland from Ukraine after the annexation of 15{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of regions of Ukraine. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty
Destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv. Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP
Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen during the broadcast of a ceremony to declare the annexation of the Russian-controlled territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Photograph: Alexey Malgavko/Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy holds an application for ‘accelerated accession to Nato’ in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Ukrainians soldiers carry a wounded comrade across a damaged bridge over the Oskil River. Photograph: Scott Peterson/Getty
A pedestrian walks among bombed apartments in the town of Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region. Photograph: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty
Head of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant abducted, says Ukrainian state agency
The Ukrainian director-general of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was detained by a Russian patrol, according to Energoatom, the Ukrainian state agency in charge of the plant.
In a statement on Saturday, the company said Ihor Murashov had been detained on his way from Europe’s largest nuclear plant to the town of Enerhodar around 4pm on Friday, Reuters reports.
Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine’s atomic energy company, wrote on Telegram:
He was taken out of the car, and with his eyes blindfolded he was driven in an unknown direction.
With no immediate word on Murashov’s fate, Kotin added:
His detention by the Russians jeopardises the safety of operation of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) faced calls for a demilitarised zone around the plant last month from the United Nations after Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for shelling at the site that has damaged buildings and caused the disconnection of power lines.
Turkey has rejected Russia’s annexation of Ukraine on Saturday, calling the decision a “grave violation” of international law.
Turkey, which has been at the centre of mediation between the west and Russia, said it had not recognised Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, adding that it rejected Russia’s decision to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Reuters reports.
This decision, which constitutes a grave violation of the established principles of international law, cannot be accepted. We reiterate our support to the resolution of this war, the severity of which keeps growing, based on a just peace that will be reached through negotiations.
The World Bank has said it will provide an additional US$530m in support to Ukraine, bringing the total aid by the bank to $13bn. The aid is supported by the UK ($500m) and Denmark ($30m), the World Bank said.
Of the total aid of $13bn to Ukraine to date, $11bn had been fully disbursed, the bank added.
The World Bank’s most recent analysis put the total long-term cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine over the next three years at well over $100bn, said Arup Banerji, World Bank regional country director for eastern Europe.
Overnight, Ukrainian forces were reportedly on the doorstep of Lyman in Donetsk, which Moscow’s forces pummelled for weeks to capture this summer.
“Lyman is partially surrounded,” said Denis Pushilin, the pro-Moscow leader in Donetsk, adding later on social media that Russian forces were holding out “with the last of their strength”.
Reports have circulated online of the Ukrainians also reaching Kreminna, 30km further east of Lyman. Hopefully we’ll have more on Ukrainian troops’ advances as the day progresses.
Summary
Hello and thanks for joining today’s live coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine, brought to you by the Guardian. I’m Warren Murray here to get things started. Let’s begin with some of the most recent developments.
Russian forces were potentially on the verge of one of their worst defeats of the war after Ukrainian troops recaptured two villages close to the eastern Russian-occupied stronghold of Lyman.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, proclaimed the annexation of territory seized in his invasion in four regions amounting to 15{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of total Ukrainian territory while Kyiv said it would continue its fight to retake the illegally occupied land.
Before signing the documents which lay claim to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk – an act denounced as illegal by Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and the head of the United Nations – Putin delivered a 37-minute anti-western diatribe.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was formally applying for Ukraine to join the Nato military alliance, adding that Kyiv was ready for talks with Moscow but not while Putin remained president.
Russia vetoed a UN security council resolution introduced by the US and Albania condemning Moscow’s proclaimed annexations. Russia’s strategic partner China abstained from the vote, as well as India, which has historic defense ties with Russia despite a warming relationship with the United States.
The United States responded to the annexations by imposing more sanctions on Russia, targeting hundreds of people and companies, including those in Russia’s military-industrial complex and lawmakers.
At least 30 civilians were killed and almost 100 wounded in what Kyiv said was a cynical Russian missile strike on a convoy of civilian cars in southern Ukraine.
Putin, without providing evidence, blamed the US and its allies for blowing up pipelines under the Baltic Sea, raising the temperature in a crisis that has left Europe racing to secure its energy infrastructure and supplies.
Joe Biden, the US president, said “was a deliberate act of sabotage and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies”, adding that Washington and its allies would send divers to find out what happened.
The ruptures on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline system have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane recorded, the United Nations Environment Programme said.
The US and its allies would damage Russia’s troops and gear in Ukraine – as well as sink its Black Sea fleet – if Russian president Vladimir Putin utilizes nuclear weapons in theplace, former CIA director and retired four-star army general David Petraeus warned on Sunday.
Petraeus claimed that he experienced not spoken to nationwide security adviser Jake Sullivan on the probable US reaction to nuclear escalation from Russia, which administration officers have claimed has been frequently communicated to Moscow.
He told ABC Information: “Just to give you a hypothetical, we would respond by foremost a Nato – a collective – effort and hard work that would acquire out just about every Russian regular pressure that we can see and discover on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea and just about every ship in the Black Sea.”
The warning arrives times soon after Putin expressed sights that many have interpreted as a risk of a much larger war among Russia and the west.
Requested if the use of nuclear weapons by Russia in Ukraine would convey The united states and Nato into the war, Petraeus said that it would not be a circumstance triggering the alliance’s Write-up 5, which phone calls for a collective protection. That is simply because Ukraine is not component of Nato – nevertheless, a “US and Nato response” would be in order, Petraeus said.
Petraeus acknowledged that the chance that radiation would increase to Nato nations under the Report 5 umbrella could maybe be construed as an assault on a Nato member.
“Perhaps you can make that scenario,” he mentioned. “The other case is that this is so horrific that there has to be a reaction – it are not able to go unanswered.”
However, Petraeus extra, “You do not want to, once again, get into a nuclear escalation listed here. But you have to present that this are not able to be acknowledged in any way.”
Even so, with strain mounting on Putin just after Ukrainian gains in the east of the place under last week’s annexation declaration and resistance to mobilization attempts inside of Russia mounting, Petraeus mentioned Moscow’s leader was “desperate”.
“The battlefield fact he faces is, I think, irreversible,” he stated. “No quantity of shambolic mobilization, which is the only way to explain it no amount of annexation no amount of even veiled nuclear threats can actually get him out of this particular problem.
“At some stage there’s going to have to be recognition of that. At some stage there is heading to have to be some variety of commencing of negotiations, as [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy has explained, will be the best end.”
But, Petraeus warned, “It can however get even worse for Putin and for Russia. And even the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield will not adjust this at all.” Nonetheless, he additional, “You have to choose the menace very seriously.”
Senator Marco Rubio, the position Republican member of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee informed CNN that Putin was down to two alternatives: established defensive lines or withdraw and eliminate territory.
Rubio stated he considered it “quite possible” that Putin could strike distribution factors exactly where US and allied provides are coming into Ukraine, which include inside of Poland. The senator acknowledged the nuclear menace, but he mentioned most worries about “a Russian attack inside of Nato territory, for example, aiming at the airport in Poland or some other distribution point”.
“Nato will have to react to it,” he explained. “How it will reply, I think a large amount of it will rely on the nature of the assault and the scale and scope of it.”
But as a senator privy to Pentagon briefings, Rubio resisted getting drawn on no matter whether he’d observed proof that Russia is getting ready to use nuclear weapons towards Ukraine.
“Certainly, the hazard is possibly higher today than it was a thirty day period back,” Rubio claimed, predicting that Russia would possibly just take an intermediate action.
“He could strike a single of these logistical factors. And that logistical issue could not be inside of … Ukraine. To me, that is the spot that I emphasis on the most, for the reason that it has a tactical component to it. And I feel he almost certainly sights it as less escalatory. Nato may well not.”
