Live blog: Ukrainian army chief aide killed in explosion — military

Monday, November 6, 2023

1930 GMT — Close adviser to army commander killed in explosion in Ukraine

A close adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, General Valery Zaluzhny, has been killed in an explosion, the military official said on Telegram.

"Under tragic circumstances, my assistant and close friend, Major Gennadiy Chastiakov, was killed... on his birthday," Zaluzhny wrote, saying that an "unknown explosive device detonated in one of his gifts."

Chastiakov leaves a wife and four children, he said.

Zaluzhny added that since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Chastiakov had been "fully devoting his life to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the fight against Russian aggression."

An investigation has been launched, he said.

More updates 👇

1836 GMT — Polish truckers block Ukraine border crossings over loss of business

Polish truckers blocked roads to three border crossings with Ukraine, authorities said, to protest against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors during Russia's war on Ukraine.

Truckers from Ukraine have been exempt from seeking permits to cross the Polish border since Russia's full-scale offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, and firms from Russia and Belarus have been setting up Polish entities, the Polish truckers say.

Their demands include reimposing restrictions on the number of Ukraine-registered trucks entering Poland and a ban on transport companies with capital from outside the European Union, among others.

Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov confirmed that the Polish blockades were in place and said Kiev believed the action "harms the interests and economies of both countries" and hindered farm exports.

1423 GMT — Ukraine seeks to bring cooperation with South Africa to ‘qualitatively new level’

Ukraine said that it seeks to bring cooperation with South Africa to a “qualitatively new level.”

“In the development of the renaissance of Ukrainian-African relations, Ukraine seeks to bring cooperation with the Republic of South Africa to a qualitatively new level,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during a meeting with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor in Pretoria, according to a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement said that Kuleba informed Pandor of the current situation on the front line with Moscow and the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The minister (Kuleba) invited the South African side to participate in the Global Peace Summit, the holding of which is currently being worked out by Ukraine and partners,” the statement said, adding that he also gave an invitation to join the “Grain from Ukraine" food program.

1312 GMT — Ukrainian brigade says 19 killed in Russian missile strike last week

A Ukrainian military brigade said 19 of its soldiers were killed last week in a Russian air strike that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "a tragedy that could have been avoided".

Ukrainian media reported that the soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony on Friday in the frontline Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine.

A statement issued by the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade on Monday provided the death toll but gave few other details.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations said it was investigating a decision by the military command to organise an event for Rocket and Artillery Day in a village close to the front line in Zaporizhzhia, but did not say what the event was.

1036 GMT — Crimean doctor producing 'buggy automobiles' for Ukraine's army

A Crimean doctor living in Ukraine's capital Kiev has been producing buggy-style automobiles for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“Before the war started, I was thinking of opening a clinic in Kiev, but now I produce 'buggy' type vehicles for the army,” Musa, who did not give his real name for security reasons, told Anadolu Agency in an interview.

Musa said he named the vehicle "Dracarys," adding that he is helping the Ukrainian army in order to return to his region of birth.

0946 GMT — Ukraine thwarts Russian attacks on Avdiivka, Robotyne

Kiev said that Russia's armed forces had mounted several "unsuccessful" attacks across the frontlines in the south and east of Ukraine over the last week.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has made any significant territorial gains for almost a year, and Kiev's top army commander said last week the war had ground to a stalemate.

But fighting has remained intense, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy losses on the other.

Ukraine said 400 individual "combat clashes" took place over the last seven days, and that Russia was continuing its offensive on Avdiivka - an industrial town in the eastern region of Donetsk that Russia has been trying to surround and capture for months.

Kovalyov also reported Russian attacks near the village of Robotyne, which Ukraine regained control of earlier this year, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

0930 GMT — French company Cybergun signs $38M Ukraine weapons contract

French company Cybergun has signed a contract worth 36 million euros ($38.7 million) to supply Ukraine with various weapons, including hand grenades and assault rifles, it said.

Ukraine has been pressing its allies to maintain support for the country in its war with Russia as Kiev's troops face battle fatigue and the United States juggles priorities between its support for Israel's attacks on Gaza and the provision of military aid for Kiev.

0851 GMT — Eight injured in Russian air strikes on Ukraine’s Odessa city

At least eight people have been injured in Russian airstrikes on the city of Odessa in southwestern Ukraine.

“As a result of the night Russian attack on Odessa, eight local residents were injured. Three with minor injuries received the necessary help on the spot, (and) five were hospitalized,” Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

0750 GMT — Ukraine says Russia attacked overnight with missiles, 22 drones

Ukraine has said that Russian forces had launched four missiles and nearly a dozen attack drones from occupied regions of the country in the south overnight.

Fears are building in Ukraine that Moscow will launch systematic attacks on energy facilities like last winter, leaving millions with disrupted heating and lighting.

"Fifteen Shaheds and one Kh-59 air-guided missile were shot down," the Ukrainian air force said, referring to the Iranian-designed unmanned aerial vehicle.

0658 GMT — Ukraine launches investigation after strike on brigade in Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kiev launched an investigation into a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian brigade in the country's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces on Saturday said several soldiers from its 128th Mountain Assault Brigade were killed or injured in the strike the day before.

"My condolences to all the families and loved ones of the fallen soldiers! It is a tragedy that could have been avoided," Zelenskyy said during a video address late Sunday. He said he was informed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov of the measures taken to clarify all the circumstances in regards to what happened, who was specifically involved, and what orders were given.

0537 GMT — Five injured in Russian strikes on Odessa: Ukraine

Russian drone attacks on Odessa left at least five people injured, set trucks with grain on fire and damaged one of the city's principal art galleries, Ukrainian officials in the Black Sea port said.

"On November 6, the Odesa National Art Museum turns 124 years old," Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region, of which the Odessa city is the administrative centre, said on the Telegram messaging app. "On the eve of November 6, the Russians 'congratulated' our architectural monument with a missile that hit nearby."

The walls of the building were damaged, some windows and glass were broken, he said.

0424 GMT — Russia, Ukraine give conflicting Zaporizhzhia frontline accounts

Russia and Ukraine gave clashing accounts over the weekend about what is going on along the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, with Moscow saying it has stopped Kiev's counter-offensive and Ukraine's army saying it keeps pressing on.

Ukraine has retaken a few small villages in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region since the start of its counter-offensive in June, but progress has been small and the vast frontline in the country's east and south has changed little over the past year.

"The enemy has been stopped and their counter-offensive, which has been so hyped, has been completely halted," Yevgeny Balitsky, the top Moscow-backed official in the Zaporizhzhia region, told the Russian state news agency.

0400 GMT — EU weighs advancing Ukraine's membership bid as war with Russia drags on

The European Union executive is expected to recommend taking Ukraine one step closer to becoming a member of the bloc this week, according to EU officials, a coveted prize for Kiev as weariness creeps in nearly two years after Russia's military action.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's Brussels-based executive will publish a report on Wednesday assessing progress achieved towards membership by EU hopefuls.

On a visit to Kiev on Saturday, she praised Ukraine for making headway. The report and recommendation will inform a key decision in December by a summit of the EU's national leaders on whether to start formal membership negotiations with Kiev.

For our live updates from Sunday (November 5), click here.