Ukraine forces in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, October 2022 (AP)

Friday’s Coverage: Iran Sanctioned Over Drone Supply for Russia’s Attacks

Source: CNN

UPDATE 1640 GMT:

Russian men, mobilized from Krasnodar in the south of the country, say they have been “thrown out like dogs” in the fields of Ukraine.

The men complain they have no information, no orders, no radio, no ammunition, and no medicine, and live in holes dug with their bare hands.

UPDATE 1633 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has confirmed that Russia fired 36 missiles in a “massive attack” on Saturday.

He bolstered the Ukrainian military’s statement that most had been downed by air defense.

To all energy workers and services that are currently working at the sites of impact and restoring our infrastructure. You are our heroes!

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba added:

UPDATE 1627 GMT:

Russian proxy authorities in Kherson in southern Ukraine are pointing to an imminent Ukrainian operation to liberate the city.

All civilians of Kherson must immediately leave the city. Civilians of Kherson and all departments and ministries of civil administration must cross today to the left (east) bank of the Dnipro.

UPDATE 1201 GMT:

A Russian missile attack has damaged energy facilities in western Ukraine.

Power grid operator Ukrenergo said, “The scale of damage is comparable or may exceed the consequences of the [Russian] attack on October 10-12.”

Repair crews are working, but restrictions on consumption are in place across much of Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko says several Russian missiles were shot down by air defenses on Saturday morning.

The air alert continues. Stay in shelters, take care of your safety.
Save electricity and understand the limitations of its supply. Let’s stand together!

The Ukraine Air Force said it downed 18 of 33 cruise missiles fired from the air and sea.

However, power has been knocked out for 1.5 million people, according to MP Kira Rudik.

Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba, wrote on Telegram about the area’s third air alert of the day: “The danger has not passed. The air alert continues. I ask everyone to stay in shelters and keep calm!”

UPDATE 0616 GMT:

A Russian official on State TV unwittingly exposes Iran’s lie over its supply of drones for Moscow’s attacks across Ukraine.

UPDATE 0608 GMT:

The UN has confirmed 6,322 slain Ukrainian civilians, with 9,634 injured, since the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s invasion on February 24.

Addressing the UN Security Council on Friday, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said at least 397 children are among those killed.

DiCarlo noted that the actual casualty figures are likely far higher.

She noted Russia’s recent missile and drone strikes with concern, saying at least 38 Ukrainian civilians were killed and at least 117 between October 10 and October 18.

Combined with soaring gas and coal prices, the deprivation caused by these attacks threatens to expose millions of civilians to extreme hardship and even life-endangering conditions this winter.

DiCarlo concluded, “There are reasonable grounds to conclude that war crimes and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been committed in Ukraine.”

ORIGINAL ENTRY: The Ukrainian military says Russian forces are preparing to withdraw from the western Kherson region in southern Ukraine, one of the first areas seized in Vladimir Putin’s February 24 invasion.

The Southern Operational Command said on Friday that the occupiers are “quite actively” transferring ammunition, military equipment, and some units from the Dnipro River’s west bank to the east bank via ferries. Videos and pictures appeared to confirm the movement.

The Command asserted that the Russian military has deployed 2,000 newly-mobilized men on the frontline, while continuing to shell Ukrainian positions to cover the withdrawal of better-trained, better-equipped units.

UK military intelligence notes that Russian forces, reinforcing crossing points over the Dnipro River, have completed a barge bridge alongside the damaged Antonovskiy Bridge.

Although the use of heavy barge bridges was almost certainly included in Soviet-era planning for operations in Europe, it is likely this is the first time the Russian military have needed to utilise this type of bridge for decades.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal, referring the question to Russia’s Defense Ministry.

Ukraine began to turn the tide of the conflict in Kherson this summer, striking Russian positions in the region and in Crimea to erode Moscow’s fighting capability. Targets includes bases — including one attack knocking out half of the warplanes of Russia’s Black Sea fleet — headquarters, bridges, ammunition depots, and supply and logistic centers.

A counter-offensive from late August has been gradually liberating territory. Russian forces north and west of the Dnieper River, including in Kherson city, are at risk of being cut off from units to the south and east.

Moscow and Russian proxy officials said this week that they are moving 60,000 residents out of the area.

Blowing Up a Dam

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Thursday night that Russian forces intend to hold back the Ukrainian advance by destroying the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. He said the Russians have mined the structure, threatening a 400-km (268-mile) Soviet-built canal network.

In the event of the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam, the North Crimean canal will simply disappear.

Such an attack on the Kakhovka HPP will mean exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction.

The destruction of the damage could flood 80 Ukrainian cities, displace hundreds of thousands of people, and further damaged Ukraine’s electricity supply, already reduced by Russian missile and drone strikes. The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant relies on the water from the Nova Kakhovka reservoir to cool its facilities.

The President appealed for international intervention, “Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack.”