Live blog: Dozens killed, injured by Russian shelling in Kherson

Friday, November 25, 2022

Russian shelling of Ukraine's Kherson kills 15 and injures 35

Russian shelling on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson killed 15 civilians, said an official in the recently recaptured city.

"Today, 15 Kherson city residents were killed and 35 injured, including one child, as a result of enemy shelling," Galyna Lugova said on social media. 

"Several private houses and high-rise buildings were damaged" in the attacks," she added.

Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants reconnected to grid

Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants have been reconnected to the national power grid after completely losing off-site power earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.

The facilities were all disconnected from the grid on Wednesday for the first time in Ukrainian history after the latest wave of Russian air raids on vital infrastructure.

In a statement, the IAEA nuclear watchdog said Ukraine had informed it that its Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyy plants had been reconnected. Ukraine reconnected its vast Zaporizhzhia plant on Thursday, Kiev said earlier.

Putin meets mothers of servicemen fighting in Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin has met mothers of Russian soldiers fighting on the front line and warned them that the media, including the internet, is full of “fakes”.

In a pre-recorded meeting broadcast on state television, Putin said, “I would like you to know that, that I personally, and the whole leadership of the country – we share your pain.

“We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son – especially for a mother.”

He promised he would not forget the incomparable suffering of mothers who had lost sons in the nearly 10-month-old conflict.

Russian strikes plunge millions into hardship: UN

The UN human rights chief says Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine since October killed at least 77 civilians and plunged millions into extreme hardship.

“Millions are being plunged into extreme hardship and appalling conditions of life by these strikes,” said Volker Turk in a statement.

“Taken as a whole, this raises serious problems under international humanitarian law, which requires a concrete and direct military advantage for each object attacked.”

In the same statement, the UN’s preliminary analysis of videos showing Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian prisoners of war indicated they were “highly likely to be authentic”.

NATO to help Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’

NATO is determined to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia for “as long as it takes” and will help the country transform its armed forces to Western standards, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg urged countries to keep providing air defence systems and other weapons to Ukraine, as NATO does not supply weapons.

But the NATO chief put no pressure on Ukraine to enter peace talks with Russia. “Most wars end with negotiations,” he said.

“But what happens at the negotiating table depends on what happens on the battlefield. Therefore, the best way to increase the chances for a peaceful solution is to support Ukraine.”

Half of Kiev residents still without power after Russian strikes

Nearly half of Kiev residents were still without electricity, the Ukrainian capital's mayor has said, two days after Russian strikes battered the country's already struggling energy grid.

"A third of houses in Kiev already have heating and specialists continue to restore it. Half of consumers are still without electricity," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"During the day, energy companies plan to reconnect electricity for all consumers on an alternating basis," he wrote on Telegram, as temperatures approached freezing.

NATO: Decision to send air defence units to Ukraine lies with individual nations

The decision whether to send Patriot air defence units to Ukraine lies with the specific nations, NATO's chief has said when asked about Polish demands for Germany to pass on Patriot units to Kiev.

Berlin offered Warsaw the Patriot system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week. But Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak later asked Germany to send the fire units to Ukraine instead.

Responding to a question whether NATO risked becoming a party to the conflict by sending Patriot units to Ukraine, Stoltenberg noted that allies already had delivered advanced weapons to Kiev without sending NATO personnel along. 

Zelenskyy calls on Europe to set low price for Russia's oil

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Europeans to remain united against Russia's war and to severely limit the price for Russian oil.

"There is no split, there is no schism among Europeans and we have to preserve this. This is our mission number one this year," Zelenskyy said in an address via a live video link to a conference in Lithuania.

European Union governments remained split on Thursday over what level to cap Russian oil prices at to curb Moscow's ability to pay for the war, and Zelenskyy called on the EU leaders to settle on the lowest proposal of $30, put forward by the Baltic countries and Poland.

"The price cuts are very important. We hear about (proposals to set the cap per barrel at) $60 or $70. Such words sound more like a concession (to Russia)", Zelenskyy said.

UK to pledge further winter support on Ukraine 

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly will pledge millions of pounds in further support for Kiev during a visit to Ukraine to ensure the country has the practical help it needs through the winter, his office has said.

Cleverly, who is set to meet President  Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the trip, also condemned Russia for its "brutal attacks" on civilians, hospitals and energy infrastructure.

A statement from his office issued early on Friday said Cleverly had travelled to Ukraine, which this week suffered the most devastating Russian air strikes on its energy infrastructure so far in the months-long war.

"The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine," said Cleverly, as he set out three million pounds to help rebuild vital infrastructure and committed another five million for Black Sea initiative to ship Ukrainian grain to countries at risk of famine.

For live updates from Thursday (November 24), click here