Live blog: Russia admits Ukrainian troops on occupied bank of Dnipro river

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

1720 GMT — Russia said for the first time that some Ukrainian troops had established positions on the Moscow-held side of the Dnipro river, the vast waterway that splits the frontline in southern Ukraine.

A sustained Ukrainian breakthrough across the river would mark a significant tactical success for Kiev, whose wider counteroffensive has so far failed to turn the tide of the 21-month war.

"Small groups" of Ukrainian soldiers were stretched along the eastern bank of the Dnipro river, and had been "blocked" in the tiny village of Krynky, the Moscow-backed head of Ukraine's Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said in a post on Telegram.

But he insisted they were facing a "fiery hell" from Russian artillery, rockets and drones, and were suffering heavy losses.

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1755 GMT— Ukrainian group says more than 30,000 troops died

A Ukrainian civic group said it has confirmed the deaths of nearly 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers since Russia's February 2022 military campaign by using open sources, and puts the total toll at more than 30,000.

Kiev treats its losses as a state secret and officials say disclosing the figure could harm its war effort. A report in August by the New York Times, citing anonymous US officials, put the Ukrainian death toll at close to 70,000.

Writing in the Ukrainian journal Tyzhden, historian Yaroslav Tynchenko and volunteer Herman Shapovalenko said Shapovalenko's Book of Memory project had confirmed 24,500 combat and non-combat deaths using open sources.

The real figure was likely higher, they added, noting that many of the 15,000 troops listed as missing were likely dead.

Reuters could not independently verify the figures.

1750 GMT— Russia says Ukrainian NATO membership is unacceptable in any form

Russia said that Ukrainian accession to the NATO military alliance was unacceptable to Russia, whether in part or in any other form.

"Whether in parts or in any form, Ukraine's accession to NATO is unacceptable for Russia," Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, told reporters.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former NATO secretary general, has put forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but stripped of the territories controlled by Russia, the Guardian newspaper reported.

1745 GMT — EU proposes ban on Russian diamond imports in new sanctions

The EU's executive has proposed banning the import of Russian diamonds and liquefied petroleum gases in a new round of sanctions over the war in Ukraine, according to a document seen by AFP.

The package of sanctions - which needs to be approved unanimously by European Union countries - also includes measures aimed at preventing Russia from circumventing an oil price cap.

1740 GMT — Russian economy expands for second quarter running

Russia's economy grew for a second consecutive quarter despite high inflation and Western sanctions that have weakened the rouble, official data showed.

The economy expanded by 5.5 percent year-on-year in the third quarter after contracting in the same period last year, according to the federal statistics agency.

The Russian economy shrank in 2022 but it started to grow again in the second quarter of this year on an annual basis, ending a streak of four straight quarters of contraction.

Officials have forecast the economy to rebound in 2023, with the central bank expecting growth of between 2.2 percent and 2.7 percent for the full year.

Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said last week annual growth should come in at three percent.

Russia was hit by unprecedented Western sanctions in the wake of its military campaign in Ukraine.

1730 GMT— EU moves closer to imposing a new set of sanctions on Russia

The European Union's executive said it proposed to the member states a new package of sanctions targeting the Kremlin and its associates, seeking to tighten previous measures approved since the February 2022 war in Ukraine as well as adding dozens of economic operators.

The proposal sets in motion final talks between the 27 member states to reach the necessary unanimity on the issue and officials have said they hope to have the 12th package operational by the end of the year.

Even though Wednesday's statement did not go into details, preparatory talks centred on imposing export restrictions on Russia's lucrative diamond industry.

"The proposals for listings include actors from the Russian military, defence and IT sectors, as well as other important economic operators," the EU Commission statement said. It said that the latest package would target more than 120 individuals and entities.

1030 GMT — Ukraine presses Russian forces along Dnipro River

Ukrainian troops are trying to push back Russian forces along the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region, the military has said, calling for operational "silence" along what it described as a "fairly fluid" front line.

"Along the front line, which runs along the Dnipro... The pushback from our side is taking place on a line from 3 to 8 km (2-5 miles) along the entire bank from the water's edge," Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the southern military command, said.

"For now, we will ask for informational silence ... which would allow us to report later on great successes," she said in televised comments.

Russia, on the other hand, said for the first time that "small groups" of Ukrainian troops had established positions on the Russian-held side of the Dnipro River.

1041 GMT — Marsh, Lloyd's launch Ukraine war risk ship insurance to cut grain costs

Insurance broker Marsh, Lloyd's of London insurers and Ukrainian state banks have launched a programme to cut the cost of claims for damage to ships and crew transporting grain through the Black Sea corridor, Marsh has said.

Kiev launched a "humanitarian corridor" in August for ships bound for Africa and Asia to circumvent a de facto blockade in the Black Sea after Russia quit a United Nations-brokered deal that had guaranteed Kiev's seaborne exports during the war.

Lloyd's of London insurers will underwrite the programme, which provides $50 million of hull war risk cover and $50 million of protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance for every voyage.

0910 GMT — Pope urges faithful to pray every day for peace in Ukraine, MidEast

Pope Francis has called on the faithful to pray regularly for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan and all other war-torn places.

"Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for peace, in a special way for martyred Ukraine, it is suffering a lot. And then the Holy Land, Palestine and Israel, and let's not forget Sudan," Francis said during his weekly audience in St Peter's Square.

"Let us think (about) all places where there is war, there are many wars. Let us pray for peace, every day someone should take some time to pray for peace," he added.

0730 GMT — One killed in Russian missile strike on east Ukraine town: Kiev

At least one person was killed in an overnight Russian missile strike that hit an apartment building in eastern Ukraine, authorities have said.

Five others, including a child, were rescued but at least one person is believed to be trapped under the rubble, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

The attack on the town of Selydove, northwest of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, heavily damaged a four-storey building, Klymenko said.

0059 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy says fighting in Avdiivka 'very intense'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the defence of the shattered eastern city of Avdiivka was key to Kiev's war plans, with heavy Russian losses there likely to undermine Moscow's conduct of the broader conflict.

Zelenskyy, in his new video address, said Russian assaults in the eastern Donetsk region, including Avdiivka, had been "very intense."

"Russia is already losing men and equipment near Avdiivka faster and on a larger scale than, for example, near Bakhmut," he said, referring to months of heavy fighting that culminated in Russian forces capturing the eastern town of Bakhmut in May.

Official Russian accounts of fighting in the east made no mention of Avdiivka, though prominent Russian war blogger Rybar said there had been "some headway" in positions around the town.

For our live updates from Tuesday (November 14), click here.