Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Vitaliy Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, said about two-thirds of homes in Ukraine’s war-weary capital were without heating. Klitschko added that about half of the houses in Kyiv have electricity but are experiencing waves of blackouts. A day before, the head of the Kyiv regional government said that about 70% of the regional government is without power. Oleksiy Kuleba also said the death toll from recent Russian airstrikes has risen to seven, according to a translation by NBC News. Rockets rained down on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after officials said a newborn became one of the youngest casualties of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. — Amanda Macias
NATO secretary general to urge allies to do more for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on August 17, 2022. Francois Walschaerts | AFP | Getty Images NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said next week at a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers he would urge the partners to contribute more to the defense of Ukraine. “Yes, we all pay a price for Russia’s war against Ukraine. But the price we pay is in money. While the price the Ukrainians pay is in blood. And if we let Putin win, all of us will pay a much higher price. for many years to come,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “So NATO will continue to stand by Ukraine as long as necessary. We will not back down,” Stoltenberg added. Stoltenberg said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, as well as the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland, will attend the NATO ministerial meeting in Bucharest. — Amanda Macias
‘We share your pain’: Putin meets mothers of Russian soldiers
President Vladimir Putin met on Friday with the mothers of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, telling them he and his country share their pain. Sitting with the group of women around a table with tea and cake, Putin said he understands that nothing can replace the loss of a son. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of Russian servicemen involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict ahead of Mother’s Day at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, November 25, 2022. Alexander Shcherbak | Sputnik | Reuters “I would like you to know that I personally, and the entire leadership of the country, share your pain,” he said, according to taped television footage seen by Reuters. “We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son — especially for a mother. We share that pain,” he added. The video did not immediately show the mothers’ response to Putin’s comments. Hundreds of thousands of Russian troops have been sent to fight in Ukraine this year, including about 300,000 reservists who were called up in September in a “partial” mobilization. — Karen Gilchrist
Russian strikes put millions in hardship, says UN rights chief
Members of the public queue for food next to an image of graffiti artist Banksy on a wall of a damaged building on November 22, 2022 in Khorenka, Ukraine. Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images At least 77 civilians have been killed and millions plunged into extreme hardship since Russia began pounding Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in October, the UN human rights chief said. “Millions are being plunged into extreme hardship and horrible living conditions by these strikes,” Volker Turk said in a statement, according to Reuters. “Overall, this raises serious problems under international humanitarian law, which requires a specific and immediate military advantage for any object attacked,” he added. Turk also noted that an early analysis of videos purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian prisoners of war showed they were “highly likely to be authentic”. — Karen Gilchrist
Russia intensifies its shelling in Kherson
A man looks at the smoke rising from a Russian attack on the Kherson shipyards on November 24, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine. Chris McGrath | Getty Images Russian forces have expanded their shelling of the southern city of Kherson, killing seven people and wounding at least 21 others in the latest round of raids, an official said. Shelling from Russian positions across the Dnieper River has become a regular occurrence since the city was liberated from Russian occupation two weeks ago. The governor of Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanusevic, said a residential area was hit by Russian artillery and anti-aircraft fire at around 5pm local time on Thursday, causing a fire in a multi-storey building. A playground was also hit, he said. — Karen Gilchrist
Ukraine’s Zelensky calls on Europeans to stay united
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on September 16, 2022. Valentyn Ogirenko Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged Europeans to remain united in the face of Russia’s war. Speaking via video link at a conference in Lithuania, Zelenskyy described the project as the region’s number one mission. “There is no division, there is no schism between Europeans and we have to preserve that. This is our number one mission this year,” he said. — Karen Gilchrist
Russian reserves suffer heavy losses, UK says
The UK Ministry of Defense said Russian reservists, two months after being mobilized by Putin, are “very likely” to have suffered heavy casualties after being asked to dig trenches in eastern Ukraine. “The Kremlin will likely be concerned that a growing number of reservist families are willing to be arrested to protest the conditions in which their relatives are serving,” he said in his daily briefing on Friday.
Putin supporters increasingly use ‘genocidal rhetoric’
Prominent supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin are increasingly using “genocidal rhetoric” when discussing and demonizing Ukrainians, analysts note, with some pro-war commentators cheering the notion of “cleansing” the modern state of Ukraine. Read the full story here. Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen in Red Square as he addresses a rally and concert marking the annexation of four Ukrainian regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia — in central Moscow on September 30, 2022. Alexander Nemenov Afp | Getty Images
About 70% of Kiev remains without power due to Russian shelling, Ukraine says
Local residents walk near a fallen electricity pylon and an apartment building destroyed during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 25, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko Reuters The head of the Kyiv regional government reiterated that about 70% of the regional government remains without electricity. Oleksiy Kuleba also said the death toll from recent Russian airstrikes has risen to seven, according to a translation by NBC News. Rockets rained down on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after officials said a newborn became one of the youngest casualties of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. — Amanda Macias
50 mass graves found in recently liberated Ukrainian cities, Kiev says
This photo taken on September 25, 2022, shows empty graves after bodies were exhumed in the mass grave created during the Russian occupation of Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yasuyoshi Chiba | Afp | Getty Images The Ukrainian government said investigators found 50 separate sites of mass graves in the recently liberated regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson. “In the liberated territories of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, 50 possible burial sites have been examined,” the government wrote on the Telegram messaging app, according to a translation by NBC News. “Research teams have identified the bodies of approximately 200 victims,” the message added. The Kremlin has previously denied allegations that its forces used mass graves in areas that were once heavily occupied. — Amanda Macias
Backlog of 79 ships waiting to transport crops from Ukraine
Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the coast of Istanbul on November 2, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Chris McGrath | Getty Images The agency that oversees Ukrainian crop exports said there is a backlog of 79 ships waiting to be loaded with cargo. The UN-led Joint Coordination Center also said about 110 cargo ships were waiting for inspection in Turkish territorial waters. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered in July between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw the opening of three key Ukrainian ports. Since the signing of the agreement, more than 490 ships carrying 11.8 million metric tons of grain and other food products have departed for destinations around the world. Kyiv has previously accused Moscow of suspending inspections and delaying ship movements. — Amanda Macias
