Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy cautioned that Russia was “planning new strikes” on his country, urging defense forces and citizens to be prepared to withstand a new week of strain on the power grid amid freezing temperatures.
POWER SUPPLY, CONFLICT
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* “We understand that the terrorists are planning new strikes. We know this for a fact,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Sunday. “And as long as they have missiles, they, unfortunately, will not calm down.”
* In Kyiv, snow fell and temperatures hovered around freezing on Sunday as millions in and around the Ukrainian capital struggled with disruptions to electricity supply and central heating caused by the waves of Russian air strikes.
* City authorities said workers were close to completing restoration of power, water and heat, but high consumption levels meant some blackouts had been imposed.
* Zelenskiy criticized Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, saying he had not done enough to help beleaguered residents. Klitschko, a former professional boxer, hit back, saying the criticism was out of place amid Russia’s military campaign.
* The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Russian troops had shelled a dozen villages in Donetsk in Ukraine’s east, including the main targets of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
* Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Russian forces had launched several failed attacks on the town of Soledar, near Bakhmut, and had taken heavy losses in a separate push towards Avdiivka.
* Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.
NUCLEAR PLANT
The head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy firm said There were signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which they seized in March.
MEMORIES OF FAMINE
* Ukraine has accused the Kremlin of reviving the “genocidal” tactics of Josef Stalin as Kyiv commemorated a Soviet-era famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in the winter of 1932-33.
GRAIN EXPORTS
* Exports of Ukraine’s grain will not reach 3 million tonnes in November as Russia tries to limit ship inspections at ports, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. In October, some 4.2 million tonnes of grain left Ukrainian ports, Kubrakov said on his Facebook page.
* Zelenskiy hosted a summit in Kyiv with allied nations on Saturday to launch a plan to export $150 million worth of grain to countries most vulnerable to famine and drought. (Compiled by Himani Sarkar)
