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President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of planting mines at a hydroelectric dam in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which is under the control of Moscow’s forces.
“According to our information, the aggregate and dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant were mined by Russian terrorists,” Mr Zelensky said in his daily address published on social networks.
“If the dam is destroyed… the North Crimean canal will simply disappear”, and this would be “a catastrophe on a grand scale”, he added.
Earlier on Thursday Mr Zelensky told the European Union that “Russia’s leadership has given the order to turn the energy system itself into a battlefield.”
Speaking via videolink he warned that would spur a new wave of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Europe.
“The consequences of this are very dangerous, again for all of us in Europe,” Mr Zelensky told EU leaders meeting in Brussels for a summit.
Follow the latest updates below.
08:58 AM
Three injured in Zaporizhzhia
Three people were injured in attacks in Zaporizhzhia this morning, Oleksandr Starukh, the city’s governor, has claimed.
He said:
“The enemy attacked the city with S-300 missiles. A residential building and infrastructure facilities were destroyed. According to preliminary information, there are three wounded.
“As a result of the attack, the gas system was damaged in a residential high-rise building, there was a fire, and a wall was destroyed. Specialised services are already working.
“The occupier also targeted a school in one of Zaporizhzhia’s districts. The roof of the school was damaged and the windows were broken. There were also hits on infrastructure facilities and open areas.”
08:33 AM
Kherson evacuees arrive in Russian-occupied Crimea
Ukraine is preparing to launch a counter-offensive Kherson to seize back the area from occupying forces.
Locals have been urged to leave the area before heavy fighting hits, with many of those who do flee are being bused by Moscow-installed authorities to Crimea.
08:11 AM
Russian-Belarussian force deployment is distraction tactic
Russia has created a distraction campaign by announcing that 70,000 Belarusian troops would be involved in a new Russian-Belarussian group of forces, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
British intelligence said that it is dubious that Russia has deployed a significant number of additional troops, adding that the announcement is probably an attempt to convince Ukraine to divert forces to guard the northern border.
Friday’s report reads:
On 14 October, Belarussian president Aleksandr Lukashenko said that 70,000 Belarusian troops and up to 15,000 Russians would be involved in a new Russian-Belarussian Group of Forces.
On 15 October, the Belarussian authorities released a video claiming to show the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus. However, to date it is unlikely that Russia has actually deployed a significant number of extra troops into Belarus.
Russia is unlikely to be able to generate combat-ready formations of the claimed size: its forces are committed in Ukraine. The Belarussian military highly likely maintains minimal capability to undertake complex operations.
The announcement is likely an attempt to demonstrate Russian-Belarussian solidarity and to convince Ukraine to divert forces to guard the northern border.”
07:45 AM
Four killed by shelling in Russia-controlled Kherson, claim Russia
Four people were killed when Ukrainian rocket artillery struck a ferry crossing in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Kherson late on Thursday, Moscow-appointed deputy regional governor Kirill Stremousov said on Friday.
Authorities in the region which Russia proclaimed as annexed last month said this week they planned to evacuate around 50,000-60,000 people over the next six days amid escalating pressure from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
07:26 AM
Russian court orders arrest of journalist Marina Ovsyannikova
A Russian court has ordered the arrest of journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, according to reports.
Ovsyannikova has been under house arrest for showing a sign on live TV saying that the government was lying about the Ukraine war.
She fled Russia earlier this year, her lawyer told reporters earlier this week, after declining to follow the house arrest measures imposed on her.
“With regard to Ovsyannikova, the court ordered her held in custody for one month and 29 days, imposed from the moment the accused is extradited to the Russian Federation or from the moment of her arrest in the Russian Federation,” the Interfax news agency quoted officials as saying.
07:01 AM
Blasts heard in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia
A series of blasts rocked the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia on Friday, authorities said, after Russian forces stepped up missile strikes on Ukraine in the past few weeks, targeting electric power facilities.
Missiles hit an industrial facility in Kharkiv on Friday, its mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said, adding that rescuers had yet to assess the damage and determine if there were casualties.
Separately, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Sinegubov said five people had been wounded.
The information on the Zaporizhzhia blasts was provided by regional governor Oleksandr Starukh. No further details were immediately available.
05:06 AM
Russian, Ukrainian troops gird for major battle in Kherson
Russian and Ukrainian troops appeared to be girding for a major battle over the strategic southern industrial port city of Kherson,.
Fighting and evacuations were reported in the Kherson region as Moscow tried to pound the invaded country into submission with more missile and drone attacks on critical infrastructure.
Putin declared martial law in the Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions on Wednesday in an attempt to assert Russian authority in the annexed areas as he faced battlefield setbacks, a troubled troop mobilisation, increasing criticism at home and abroad, and international sanctions.
The unsettled status of the illegally absorbed territory was especially visible in the Kherson region’s capital, where Russian military officials have replaced Kremlin-installed civilian leaders as part of martial law that took effect Thursday to defend against a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
03:54 AM
Iranian military personnel were on ground in Crimea , US says
The United States has determined that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea helping the Russian military operate drones provided by Tehran to conduct strikes across Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday.
“We can confirm that Russian military personnel based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs and using them to conduct kinetic strikes across Ukraine, including in strikes against Kyiv in recent days,” Mr Price said during a regular press briefing, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We assess that … Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations.”
03:36 AM
Biden slams Republicans for saying Ukraine funding could be restricted
President Joe Biden criticised rival Republicans for suggesting that US funding for Ukraine could be cut after congressional midterm elections next month.
“They said that if they win they’re not likely to fund, to continue to fund Ukraine,” Mr Biden said on Thursday while campaigning in Pennsylvania.
“These guys don’t get it. It’s a lot bigger than Ukraine. It’s Eastern Europe. It’s Nato. It’s really serious, serious consequential outcomes.
“They have no sense of American foreign policy.”
03:04 AM
Ukraine foreign minister as Israel PM about request for defence systems
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and discussed in detail Kyiv’s request for air and missile defence systems and technology.
“I informed him [about the] unspeakable suffering, loss of life, and destruction caused by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones,” he tweeted.
Though it has condemned the Russian invasion, Israel has said it would not supply Kyiv with weapons. It has limited its Ukraine assistance to humanitarian relief, citing a desire for continued cooperation with Moscow over war-ravaged neighbour Syria and to ensure the wellbeing of Russia’s Jews.