Russia is abadoning Kherson to Ukraian forces….
Russian new stratergy seems to be to destroy the Ukraine energy grid to make Ukrainans tire of the conflict…
Iran sends more techical help to the Russian’s drone operation which has rained down on Ukraine cities…
The European Union will begin training Ukraine soliders under a 2 year program….
NATO countries and the US are already training Ukraine soliders….
Some Republicans in the US Congress want a cut back in aid to the Ukraine….
Some do NOT….
Here’s what we know:
Moscow-backed authorities forecast moving up to 60,000 civilians from the occupied southern region, which analysts say could be a prelude to Russia’s military withdrawal from the city of Kherson.
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Russian-backed authorities in Kherson say they have relocated 15,000 civilians.
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Zelensky warns Russia plans to blow up a major dam in a ‘false flag’ attack, flooding southern Ukraine.
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A plea to Ukrainians: Charge phones and forgo microwaves amid an energy squeeze.
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Russian errors prompted the deployment of Iranian drone personnel to Ukraine, a U.S. official says.
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Ukraine has an opportunity to capitalize on Russian weakness, U.S. intelligence says.
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The E.U. and U.K. place sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with drones.
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On the ground: Bloodied Ukrainian soldiers get field medicine in Bakhmut, on the eastern front line.
The warning came as Russian proxy officials said they are working to resettle around 50,000 civilians from Kherson in what analysts said could be a precursor to a withdrawal from the region.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Key developments
- Zelensky said “Russian terrorists” had mined the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, one of the country’s largest power facilities, in preparation for a “false flag” attack. He did not provide evidence of the Russian plot but told European Council leaders it could lead to flooding in 80 settlements, including Kherson, and destroy much of southern Ukraine’s water supply. In recent days, Moscow proxy officials have claimed that Ukraine was planning to blow up the dam to flood Kherson and have removed thousands of people from the city. Ukraine blew up a damearly in the war as part of its efforts to defend Kyiv.
- Ukraine’s electricity grid operator Ukrenergo warned residents Thursday to charge their phones, flashlights and other key appliances in preparation for outages, even as the country braces for colder weather.
- Putin’s declaration of martial law took effect at midnight in four Ukrainian territories he illegally annexed last month. The move “speaks to his desperation,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” In the interview, which aired Thursday, Blinken added that Putin has shown “no interest” in “meaningful diplomacy” over the war in Ukraine, but he noted that Zelensky has “also said he’s not going to negotiate with Vladimir Putin, only with the next Russian president.”
- Iranian military personnel in Crimea are assisting Russia in its drone attacks against Ukraine, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “The information we have is that the Iranians have put trainers and tech support in Crimea, but it’s the Russians who are doing the piloting,” he said. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the U.S. government had examined the wreckage of the Iranian-made drones in Ukraine to better understand how they operate.
Battleground updates
- Russia may be preparing for a withdrawal from Kherson, the first major settlement it took in the invasion, according to the British Defense Ministry and the Institute for the Study of War think tank. Proxy officials there said they are resettling around 50,000 civilians from Kherson and have warned of a major Ukrainian offensive in the region, which analysts said were probably attempts to set the conditions for a full retreat across the Dnieper River.
- 300 Russian strikes over the past week have hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a TV appearance Thursday, the news outlet Ukrainian Pravda reported. An energy facility in the Dnipropetrovsk region suffered “serious destruction” in an attack early Thursday, according to regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko, but there were no casualties.
- Zelensky urged men in Russian-occupied territories to try to avoid recruitment by forces loyal to Moscow and encouraged them to flee to Ukrainian-controlled regions. If people are forcibly conscripted and “cannot do this … at the first opportunity try to lay down your arms and come to Ukrainian positions,” he said in his nightly address Wednesday…..