The Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on Feb. 24 continues, with casualties rising on each side.
Ukrainian forces are mounting a robust counteroffensive towards Russian troops, reclaiming territory misplaced when Moscow launched its invasion.
Ukraine has managed to resist the Russian onslaught with the assistance of Western navy assist, however President Volodymyr Zelenskyy usually calls on the world to do extra. For all our protection, go to our Ukraine warfare web page.
Learn our in-depth protection:
Central Asia appears past Russia’s orbit to safe its future
Reducing Ukraine assist now will solely worsen disaster: U.N. refugee chief
ASEAN talks lay naked deep divisions on South China Sea, Ukraine
U.S. accuses North Korea of sending ammunition to Russia
Ukraine warfare will make China assume twice about invading Taiwan
Notice: Nikkei Asia selected March 5 to droop its reporting from Russia till additional data turns into obtainable relating to the scope of the revised felony code. Entries embody materials from wire companies and different sources.
Listed here are the newest developments:
Friday, Nov. 18 (Tokyo time)
5:30 p.m. Investigators have discovered traces of explosives on the web site of the broken Nord Stream pipelines, confirming that sabotage had taken place, a Swedish prosecutor says. Swedish and Danish authorities are investigating 4 holes within the Nord Stream 1 and a pair of pipelines, which hyperlink Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea and have change into a flashpoint within the Ukraine disaster. “Evaluation that has now been carried out exhibits traces of explosives on a number of of the objects that had been recovered,” the Swedish Prosecution Authority mentioned in an announcement.
12:30 p.m. Thailand goals to redefine success because it hosts the Asia Pacific Financial Cooperation summit that opened Friday, with members going through an uphill battle to achieve consensus over the financial fallout from the warfare in Ukraine. In a 12 months marked by walkouts and never a single joint assertion from previous ministerial conferences, Thailand appears to make its mark by enshrining sustainability into APEC’s commerce and funding agenda.
8:30 a.m. Russian missiles and shells hit Ukrainian positions in a number of areas, and there was no let up in heavy combating in Donetsk within the east, the Ukrainian navy mentioned on Thursday night time as Moscow’s occupying forces appeared extra energetic. Ukraine’s power infrastructure was underneath persistent assault by Russian missiles and drones from the capital Kyiv within the north to Dnipro in central Ukraine and Odesa within the south, the navy mentioned in an announcement. Ukrainian forces prior to now 24 hours downed two cruise missiles, 5 air-launched missiles and 5 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, it mentioned.
5:45 a.m. As Russian navy strikes proceed to hit Ukraine’s infrastructure, the European Fee says new emergency assist is on the way in which to assist the nation put together for winter.
Greater than 1,800 tonnes of provides might be delivered by means of the European Civil Safety Mechanism. The brand new bundle — contributed by Belgium, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Luxembourg and Sweden — contains power provides, shelter gadgets and firefighting tools.
“The destruction of Ukraine’s power infrastructure is reaching a essential level,” says Janez Lenarcic, the European commissioner for disaster administration, in a information launch. “On the eve of winter, individuals are being minimize off electrical energy and heating. The important thing precedence of our humanitarian operations right now is to scale up winterization help.”
The newest spherical of Russian missile assaults on Ukraine hit civilian infrastructure within the east and south, together with Naftogaz gasoline manufacturing amenities, Ukrainian navy officers and the corporate say.
2:00 a.m. A courtroom within the Netherlands has convicted two former Russian intelligence brokers and a Ukrainian separatist chief of homicide for his or her function in taking pictures down Malaysia Airways flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. Learn extra.
The three males have been sentenced to life in jail. The air catastrophe killed all 298 passengers and crew on the business flight certain for Kuala Lumpur.
Russia’s international ministry says in an announcement that the Dutch courtroom was underneath strain to “impose a politically motivated end result.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the “masterminds” behind the downing of MH17 should even be held to account.
Thursday, Nov. 17
6:10 p.m. U.N. Secretary Common Antonio Guterres says he welcomes an settlement by all events to increase the Black Sea grain deal to facilitate Ukraine’s agricultural exports from its southern Black Sea ports. The settlement, initially reached in July, created a protected sea transit hall and was designed to alleviate world meals shortages by permitting exports to renew from three ports in Ukraine, a significant producer of grains and oilseeds. “I welcome the settlement by all events to proceed the Black Sea grain initiative to facilitate the protected navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine,” Guterres mentioned.
2:30 p.m. Investigators in Ukraine’s just lately liberated southern Kherson area have uncovered 63 our bodies with indicators of torture, Ukraine’s inside minister was quoted as saying early on Thursday. “We should perceive that the search has solely simply began so many extra dungeons and burial locations might be uncovered,” Interfax Ukraine information company quoted Denys Monastyrsky as telling nationwide tv. Monastyrsky mentioned regulation enforcement had uncovered 436 cases of warfare crimes throughout Russia’s occupation. Eleven locations of detention had been found, together with 4 the place torture had been practiced.
7:00 a.m. A missile that crashed inside Poland was in all probability a stray fired by Ukraine’s air defenses and never a Russian strike, Poland and navy alliance NATO say, easing worldwide fears that the warfare might spill throughout the border. However, NATO’s chief mentioned Russia, not Ukraine, was nonetheless responsible for beginning the warfare within the first place with its February invasion and launching scores of missiles on Tuesday that triggered Ukrainian defenses. “This isn’t Ukraine’s fault,” NATO Secretary-Common Jens Stoltenberg instructed reporters in Brussels. “Russia bears final duty because it continues its unlawful warfare towards Ukraine.”
5:32 a.m. The highest U.S. navy officer downplays the possibilities of a swift victory by Ukraine, regardless of main positive factors made by its forces in areas like Kherson.
“The likelihood of a Ukrainian navy victory — outlined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine to incorporate what they declare as Crimea — the likelihood of that taking place anytime quickly just isn’t excessive, militarily,” U.S. Military Common Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, tells reporters on the Pentagon.
The U.S. will assist Ukraine defend itself for so long as it takes, he says.
Wednesday, Nov. 16
8:05 p.m. U.S. President Joe Biden instructed G-7 and NATO leaders earlier that the explosion in Poland that killed two individuals was attributable to a Ukrainian air-defense missile, a NATO supply confirmed to Nikkei Asia. Learn extra.
An emergency assembly was convened in Bali on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, after Poland and Ukraine had mentioned it was seemingly a Russian-made missile. Russia shortly denied its missiles struck Poland.
6:52 p.m. Pope Francis has condemned the newest wave of missile assaults on Ukraine and referred to as for a ceasefire to avert the danger of an escalation of the battle. He was talking at his weekly Common Viewers as NATO allies had been investigating unconfirmed stories that an explosion in a Polish village close to the border with Ukraine was attributable to stray Russian missiles. He didn’t point out the incident.
“I discovered with ache and concern of a recent and even fiercer missile assault on Ukraine, which brought on deaths and harm to a lot civilian infrastructure,” Francis mentioned in Italian. “Allow us to pray in order that the Lord converts the hearts of those that nonetheless wager on warfare and make the need for peace prevail in martyred Ukraine in an effort to keep away from escalation and to open the trail to a ceasefire and dialogue,” he mentioned.
6:11 p.m. A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blames Russia for any “incidents with missiles.” Mykhailo Podolyak made his feedback in a written assertion after U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned a missile that killed two individuals in Poland was in all probability not fired from Russia.
“In my view, it’s crucial to stick to just one logic. The warfare was began and is being waged by Russia. Russia massively assaults Ukraine with cruise missiles. Russia has turned the japanese a part of the European continent into an unpredictable battlefield,” Podolyak mentioned. “Intent, technique of execution, dangers, escalation — all that is solely Russia. And there will be no different rationalization for any incidents with missiles.”
3:09 p.m. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he believes the U.N.-brokered grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine might be prolonged past its Nov. 19 deadline, including that Ankara is making efforts to delay it by a 12 months. Talking at a information convention on the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Erdogan mentioned talks about extending the deal had been ongoing, including that the deal was necessary for the world.
10:02 a.m. International leaders who had been gathering for the G-20 assembly in Bali, Indonesia, went into an emergency assembly on Wednesday after two individuals in Poland had been killed in explosions that Ukraine and Polish authorities mentioned had been attributable to Russian-made missiles. The assembly was convened by U.S. President Joe Biden, the White Home mentioned, after two individuals had been killed in an explosion in Przewodow, a village in japanese Poland close to the border with Ukraine. Leaders from the US, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Japan, Spain, Italy, France and the U.Ok. had been collaborating within the assembly.
9:21 a.m. NATO member Poland mentioned {that a} Russian-made rocket killed two individuals in japanese Poland close to Ukraine, and it summoned Russia’s ambassador to Warsaw for a proof after Moscow denied it was accountable.
5:40 a.m. Poland’s authorities has convened an emergency safety after two individuals had been reportedly killed by a missile strike close to the border with Ukraine. Native media stories say a Russian missile is suspected within the deaths close to the village of Przewodow. Learn extra.
2:30 a.m. A defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mentioned Ukrainians are working to revive electrical energy to areas struck by a wave of Russian assaults.
“We are going to restore the whole lot, we are going to survive,” he says in a video posted on Telegram.
The U.S. has condemned the assaults, with President Joe Biden’s nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan saying in an announcement: “It isn’t misplaced on us that, as world leaders meet on the G-20 in Bali to debate the problems of great significance to the lives and livelihoods of individuals around the globe, Russia once more threatens these lives and destroys Ukraine’s essential infrastructure.”
Russia’s TASS cites Ukrainian media stories of explosions in Kyiv and the Kyiv area however doesn’t describe them as Russian assaults. On the Group of 20 leaders summit in Bali, Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov says: “If anybody is refusing to barter, it’s Ukraine.”
2:05 a.m. Protesters shouting “you might be criminals, warfare criminals” interrupt an occasion hosted by the Russian delegation on the COP27 United Nations local weather change convention.
12:30 a.m. China praises Russia for reiterating its place {that a} nuclear warfare can’t be fought, crediting Moscow for a “rational and accountable” angle, Chinese language information company Xinhua stories.
The remark comes at a gathering between Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese language counterpart Wang Yi throughout the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia. China says the 2 sides mentioned the Asia-Pacific, the Korean Peninsula and the Iranian nuclear challenge. Beijing says it’ll proceed to play a constructive function in selling peace talks in Ukraine.
Tuesday, Nov. 15
11:57 p.m. Russian missiles strike power amenities and cities throughout Ukraine together with Kyiv, Lviv within the west, Kharkiv within the northeast and Odesa within the south. Kyiv’s mayor says about half of the capital lacks electrical energy and that two residential buildings had been hit in a central space of the town.
The wave of missile strikes comes as Western leaders on the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia search settlement on an announcement condemning Russia’s invasion following a video handle by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
6:35 p.m. Leaders from the Group of 20 main economies plan to induce peaceable decision of conflicts and condemn the usage of nuclear weapons, in a mirrored image of worldwide anxiousness over Russia’s warfare on Ukraine.
“The use or risk of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” the leaders will say, in accordance with a draft last summit declaration seen by Nikkei Asia. “The peaceable decision of conflicts, efforts to deal with crises, in addition to diplomacy and dialogue, are very important. In the present day’s period should not be of warfare.” The communique is about to be formally adopted by G-20 leaders on Wednesday. The textual content might change earlier than then because of additional talks on its content material.
5:20 p.m. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges a return to diplomacy to finish the Russia-Ukraine warfare, reiterating the South Asian nation’s name for peace within the ongoing battle.
“I’ve repeatedly mentioned that we’ve to discover a strategy to return to the trail of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine,” Modi mentioned in his opening remarks on the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. India has not condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, however Modi instructed Russian President Vladimir Putin in September that “right now’s period just isn’t an period of warfare.”
2:30 p.m. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations that now could be the time to cease Russia’s warfare in his nation underneath a peace plan he has proposed. He spoke through video to leaders of the G-20 nations who’ve gathered for a summit on the Indonesian island of Bali. Zelenskyy mentioned the warfare needs to be ended “justly and on the idea of the U.N. Constitution and worldwide regulation.” He referred to as for restoring “radiation security” with regard to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant and introducing worth restrictions on Russian power sources.
9:30 a.m. Kyiv welcomes reported Chinese language feedback criticizing threats to make use of nuclear weapons as world leaders gathered in Indonesia to participate in Tuesday’s G-20 assembly, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine within the highlight. U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese language President Xi Jinping “underscored their opposition to the use or risk of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” the White Home mentioned in a readout of a gathering in Indonesia between the 2 leaders. A readout of the Biden-Xi assembly on China’s international ministry web site made no use of the phrase “nuclear” however mentioned: “Conflicts and wars produce no winner … confrontation between main nations should be averted.”
7:52 a.m. The United Nations Common Meeting has authorised a decision recognizing that Russia should be answerable for making reparations to Ukraine.
The nonbinding decision, supported by 94 of the meeting’s 193 members, says Russia “should bear the authorized penalties of all of its internationally wrongful acts, together with making reparation for the harm, together with any harm, attributable to such acts.” Fourteen nations voted towards the decision, together with Russia, China and Iran, whereas 73 abstained, together with Brazil, India and South Africa. Not all member states voted.
Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, instructed the Common Meeting earlier than the vote that the provisions of the decision are “legally null and void” as he urged nations to vote towards it. “The West is making an attempt to attract out and worsen the battle and plans to make use of Russian cash for it,” Nebenzia mentioned.
1:35 a.m. U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping “reiterated their settlement {that a} nuclear warfare ought to by no means be fought and may by no means be received and underscored their opposition to the use or risk of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” in accordance with a White Home readout of their assembly in Bali.
However the Xinhua report on the assembly doesn’t point out any dialogue of nuclear weapons on the talks. Learn extra concerning the Biden-Xi summit right here.
12:45 a.m. Russia approves the participation of Japan’s Sakhalin Oil and Fuel Growth Co. (SODECO) and India’s ONGC Videsh within the new Russian operator of the Sakhalin-1 mission, Interfax stories, citing directions issued by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Japan’s Ministry of Financial system, Commerce and Trade is a stakeholder in Tokyo-based SODECO, together with different buyers together with Itochu, Japan Petroleum Exploration and Marubeni. The Japanese authorities had sought to stay concerned within the Russian oil and gasoline mission following operator ExxonMobil’s departure.
Exxon introduced its withdrawal from Sakhalin-1 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree on Oct. 7, transferring the mission to a brand new firm. Overseas buyers had been instructed to determine inside one month whether or not they would proceed to take part within the enterprise.
Monday, Nov. 14
6:30 p.m. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the newly recaptured southern metropolis of Kherson, the most important prize but received by Ukrainian forces, the place he has accused Russian forces of committing warfare crimes earlier than they fled final week. “We’re transferring ahead,” he mentioned in an handle to Ukrainian troops, thanking NATO and different allies for his or her persevering with help within the warfare towards Russia. “We’re prepared for peace, peace for all our nation.”
11:30 a.m. The U.S. will impose new sanctions on a transnational community of people and firms working to acquire navy applied sciences for Russia’s warfare effort in Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells reporters in Bali. She added that the sanctions would goal 14 people and 28 entities, together with monetary facilitators however declined to offer additional particulars. “That is a part of our bigger effort to disrupt Russia’s warfare effort and deny tools it wants by means of sanctions and export controls,” Yellen mentioned.
5:00 a.m. “Investigators have already documented greater than 400 Russian warfare crimes. Our bodies of useless civilians and servicemen have been discovered,” in areas of Kherson free of Russian occupation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in his nightly video handle.
2:30 a.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, emphasizing their deepening political, commerce and financial cooperation, the Kremlin says with out elaborating on when the telephone name passed off. Neither had been Iranian arms provides to Moscow talked about. “Numerous topical points on their bilateral agenda had been mentioned, with the emphasis on additional enhancing cooperation within the political, commerce and financial fields, together with the transport and logistics sector,” the Kremlin mentioned.
For earlier updates, click on right here.