Power cuts have been announced across the country for Thursday. Volodymr Zelenskyy warns the Ukrainians against forced conscription in the occupied territories. Meanwhile, Russian occupiers are relocating thousands of Ukrainians from Cherson. what happened in the night
“The hysteria is getting bigger as Russia’s defeat approaches,” Zelenskyy commented on the declaration of martial law in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Russia is claiming these for itself in violation of international law. “For half a year Russia avoided the word war, punished its own people for it, and now it is itself declaring martial law in the occupied territories,” said Zelenskyy. In Russia, the war, which lasted almost eight months, is officially called a military special operation.
With the tightening, there is a growing danger that Russia will force Ukrainians to fight against their own compatriots. “Avoid that if at all possible!” Zelenskyy said. Anyone who can leave these areas should do so. Those who have been drafted should lay down their arms and try to desert to the Ukrainians. “The most important thing: save their lives and be sure to help others too!”
At a UN Security Council session, Russia denied the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine. Russian diplomat Dmitry Polyansky said in New York on Wednesday that Russia only uses Russian-made drones in Ukraine. “I would advise you not to underestimate the technological capabilities of the Russian drone industry,” he said. Reports of the use of Iranian drones are “baseless allegations and conspiracy theories”.
Polyansky warned the UN against investigating existing sanctions against Iran in Ukraine. There is no mandate for that. “So that would be totally unprofessional and political,” he said. If the UN Secretariat or UN Secretary-General António Guterres go ahead with the plan, “we’ll have to reconsider our cooperation with them, which hardly anyone is interested in doing.”
Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Sajid Irawani, also dismissed the “unsubstantiated claims” about drone deliveries to Russia. Tehran has so far abstained from voting on the Ukraine war and wants a “peaceful solution,” he assured.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have carried out six strikes by Russian surface-to-air missile systems in the south of the country. This was announced by the Operational Southern Command of Ukraine on October 19.
The attacks were aimed at Buk, Tor and Pantsir systems, it said. A total of six attacks were carried out in the south.
In the Cherson region, the Russian occupying forces fear a massive Ukrainian attack. According to its own statements, it has therefore already resettled 7,000 civilians from the region on the right side of the Dnipro River, as the head of administration Vladimir Saldo said. However, the Ukrainian army has made the bridges across the river impassable. The occupation administration called on people to go to the port of Kherson. Small steamers operated from there to the left bank during the day. “Each person is allowed to carry 50 kilos of luggage,” the information said. “Pets can be taken along.”
Another spokesman for the occupying forces in Kherson, Kirill Stremusov, said all Ukrainian attacks on Wednesday were repelled. The Ukrainian side has not had any information about the alleged major offensive for days.
Finland is to get a fence more than 130 kilometers long on the border with its large neighbor Russia. “It’s about making sure that the border is well controlled,” said Prime Minister Sanna Marin. “And that we can preventively influence the situations that could arise at the border.”
According to a proposal by the Finnish border guard, the fence should have a length of 130 to 260 kilometers. The border between the two states is more than 1,300 kilometers long. Border guards estimate the costs at “hundreds of millions of euros”. Construction is expected to take three to four years.
That will be important on Thursday
At a summit in Brussels, the heads of state and government of the European Union are looking for a way out of the energy crisis. Selenskyj is to be connected via video. He has announced that he will address his country’s current electricity shortage. Ukraine hopes that foreign partners will give it generators.
Because of the damage to the Ukrainian energy network by Russian shelling, the government in Kyiv has announced nationwide power cuts for Thursday. “This is a forced step. But we are all working together on this front,” Deputy Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko wrote on Telegram. Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time (6 a.m. to 9 p.m. CEST), citizens should consume as little electricity as possible.
In addition, the electricity in each area will be switched off for up to four hours at different times, said the utility Ukrenerho. People should charge their mobile phones and power banks by morning, have flashlights, batteries and water ready. The reason for the restrictions is a lack of power in the system. “We do not rule out that we will ask for your help more often when the cold sets in,” added the provider.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed with the government on Wednesday how best to deal with power outages. According to official figures, the Russian missile and drone attacks over the past ten days have damaged a third of the energy supply facilities.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has postponed a planned trip to Ukraine at short notice. According to dpa information, security reasons were decisive for this. Steinmeier wanted to be in the country attacked by Russia this Thursday and also want to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in Kyiv. Russia has been bombarding Ukraine and the capital Kyiv with drones for days. According to the information, the officially unannounced trip should be made up for in the near future. “Stern” and “Bild” also reported on the preliminary cancellation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of war in four recently annexed Ukrainian territories. He has already signed a corresponding decree, Putin said on Wednesday. This goes hand in hand with extended powers for the Russian occupation administrations in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Cherson and Zaporizhia regions.
In addition, residents can now be forced to work in the defense industry or prevented from traveling. According to the decree, it is now also officially possible to introduce military censorship or tap private telephone calls.
According to the Russian occupying power in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson, 7,000 civilians have already been resettled on territory safely controlled by Russia. According to Russian agency reports, the head of administration Vladimir Saldo said on Wednesday. The information could not be verified independently.
However, the Russian army fears a major attack by Ukraine to liberate the city of Kherson and the area on the north right bank of the Dnipro River. That is why civilians are to be resettled from there. This measure is facilitated by the state of war in the region declared by President Vladimir Putin. Russia has also annexed Kherson and considers the Ukrainian population there to be Russian citizens.
In recent weeks, however, the Ukrainian army has made bridges across the Dnipro impassable. The occupation administration called on people to go to the port of Kherson. Small steamers operated from there to the left bank during the day. “Each person is allowed to carry 50 kilos of luggage,” the information said. “Pets can be taken along.”
In preparation for the evacuation, the deputy chief of the Russian presidential office, Sergei Kiriyenko, and Crimean head of administration Sergei Aksjonov recently visited Cherson. Aksjonov announced this on Telegram. Another spokesman for the occupying forces in Kherson, Kirill Stremusov, said all Ukrainian attacks on Wednesday were repelled. For days there has been no information from the Ukrainian side about the allegedly planned major offensive.
The Ukrainian leadership around President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has discussed remedies for failures in the energy supply damaged by Russia. Work is in progress to provide mobile power sources for the critical infrastructure in large cities, towns and villages, the President said in Kyiv on Wednesday.
“We are preparing for different scenarios and their impact. Ukraine will defend whatever the enemy plans or does,” Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook. The country is also relying on the help of foreign partners when procuring generators, the President’s Office said.
At the beginning of winter, the Russian army deliberately tried to switch off the power and heat supply to the Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, around a third of the power plants have been destroyed as a result of increased attacks since the beginning of last week. Experts try to eliminate the damage as best as possible.
In the capital Kyiv, district heating is to be switched on again on Thursday, as Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced. The repair and rescue services have been increased by ten percent. Klitschko called on the citizens of the capital to save electricity. You should not use fan heaters or air conditioners.
The EU states accuse Iran of supporting the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and have therefore introduced new sanctions against the country. The punitive measures are intended to affect people and organizations responsible for the construction and delivery of Iranian drones to Russia, as several diplomats confirmed to the German Press Agency in Brussels on Wednesday.
The EU Parliament’s renowned Sakharov Prize goes to the Ukrainian people this year. “This award is for Ukrainians fighting on the ground. For those forced to flee. For those who have lost family and friends. For everyone who stands up and fights for what they believe in,” Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in Strasbourg on Wednesday. The prize was intended to recognize the efforts of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, elected officials and civil society, it said.
The Sakharov Prize has been awarded by the European Parliament since 1988 to a person or organization defending human rights and freedom of expression. Last year it went to the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and the Colombian Truth Commission were also nominated this year. The award will be presented in Strasbourg in December.
Also read: The Ukraine update in the evening – Zelenskyj fears forced recruitment in occupied territories
The war in Ukraine is at a turning point, says military expert Carlo Masala. Ukraine is now under a lot of pressure and Putin is using drones because missiles are too expensive, according to the politics professor. The Kremlin boss could now open a second front and then offer a ceasefire, says the expert in a “Stern” podcast.
Russia wants to ramp up production of its own aircraft as quickly as possible. The state-owned company Rostec makes it clear how many planes should be delivered by 2030.
Hardly anyone “reads” Vladimir Putin and the Russians as knowledgeably as the Russian writer Viktor Erofeev, who fled to Germany. Germany’s Chancellor should meet with him. And be prepared for some uncomfortable truths.
