Ukraine war - latest: Kyiv vows to ‘hit back harder’ if Putin attacks Kakhovka dam
Moscow has resorted to the plot because “nuclear blackmail did not work”, the office of President Zelensky claims
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Ukraine has vowed it will “not succumb to peace by coercion” while threatening to hit back even harder if Putin blows up a hydroelectric dam in the Russian-occupied Kherson region.
Russia is reportedly planning to destroy the Kakhovka plant, an act that would result in a “catastrophe on a grand scale”, President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, tweeted that Moscow has resorted to the plot because “nuclear blackmail did not work”.
President Zelensky claims the Kremlin has planted mines at the frontline dam, which risks wiping out a 400km-long (250 miles) canal network.
“Russia is preparing [to attack] at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. According to our information, the aggregates and dam of the Kakhovka HPP were mined by Russian terrorists.
“If the dam is destroyed… the North Crimean canal will simply disappear.”
Ukraine authorities attempt to track down thousands of ‘social orphans’
Russia aims new legal action at two prominent dissenters
Iranian troops ‘directly engaged on the ground’ in Ukraine, White House says- Britain readies sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with ‘kamikaze’ drones
RFK grandson Conor Kennedy reveals he secretly fought on frontline in Ukraine
RFK grandson Conor Kennedy reveals he secretly fought on frontline in Ukraine
Conor Kennedy, grandson of Robert F Kennedy, has revealed on Instagram that he secretly fought in Ukraine earlier this year against the Russian invasion.
The 28-year-old said he was “moved” to enlist, despite having no military experience, and joined the Ukrainian International Legion.
My colleague Oliver O’Connell reports:
RFK grandson Conor Kennedy reveals he secretly fought on frontline in Ukraine
‘I was also willing to die there. So they soon agreed to send me to the northeastern front’
US - Iranian troops ‘directly engaged on the ground’ in Criema
The White House has said Iranian troops are "directly engaged on the ground" in Crimea supporting Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's power stations and other key infrastructure.
The US administration claimed it has troubling evidence of Tehran's deepening role assisting Russia as it exacts suffering on Ukrainian civilians just as the cold weather sets in.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Iran has sent a "relatively small number" of personnel to Crimea, a part of Ukraine unilaterally annexed by Russia in contravention of international law in 2014, to assist Russian troops in launching Iranian-made drones against Ukraine.
Full report:
Iranian troops ‘directly engaged on the ground’ in Ukraine, White House says
‘We'll continue to impose and vigorously enforce sanctions on those who aid Iran support for Russia's war against Ukraine’
How does Ukraine’s estimate of Russian losses compare?
Ukraine is claiming Russia has lost 66,750 soldiers so far in the war - more than 10,000 higher than its estimate a month ago.
Its also thousands higher than US casualties in the Vietnam war, which spanned for two decades.
My colleage Arpan Rai took a look at what Ukraine’s Russian death toll claims meant earlier this week:
Putin has lost more troops in Ukraine than US did in whole of Vietnam war – report
Ukraine says more than 65,000 Russian soldiers killed in war so far, around 7,000 more than US fatalities in Vietnam conflict spanning 20 years
Ukraine updates tally of Russian losses
The Ukrainian army has updated its assessment of Russian losses in the war.
It claimed the Russian army has lost 66,750 troops so far - up by 100.
Four killed in shelling in Russia-controlled Kherson, says official
Four people were killed when Ukrainian rocket artillery struck a ferry crossing in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Kherson late on Thursday, a Moscow-appointed deputy regional governor Kirill Stremousov said on Friday.
Reuters reported that 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.
RFK grandson Conor Kennedy reveals he secretly fought on frontline in Ukraine
Conor Kennedy, grandson of Robert F Kennedy, has revealed on Instagram that he secretly fought in Ukraine earlier this year against the Russian invasion.
The 28-year-old said he was “moved” to enlist, despite having no military experience, and joined the Ukrainian International Legion.
Kennedy, who once briefly dated Taylor Swift, did not disclose when he fought nor how long he was in Ukraine.
Read the full story here:
RFK grandson Conor Kennedy reveals he secretly fought on frontline in Ukraine
‘I was also willing to die there. So they soon agreed to send me to the northeastern front’
Russian, Ukrainian troops gird for major battle in Kherson
Russian and Ukrainian troops appeared yesterday to be girding for a major battle over the strategic southern industrial port city of Kherson, in a region which Russian President Vladimir Putin has illegally annexed and subjected to martial law, the Associated Press reported.
It said that 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.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said that Ukrainian forces mounted 15 attacks on Russian military strongholds in the Kherson region. For its part, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman said the Kremlin’s forces repelled Ukrainian attempts to advance with tanks on the Kherson villages of Sukhanove, Nova Kamianka and Chervonyi Yar.
Wallace: ‘Malfunction’ led Russian fighter jet to release missile near UK plane
The Defence Secretary has revealed that a Russian fighter jet recently “released a missile” in the vicinity of an RAF aircraft over the Black Sea.
Ben Wallace told the Commons the incident occurred in “international airspace over the Black Sea” on September 29.
He added that an “unarmed RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint” – a spy plane – was “interacted with” by two Russian SU-27s, one of which “released a missile in the vicinity of the RAF Rivet Joint beyond visual range”.
Read the full story here:
Wallace: ‘Malfunction’ led Russian fighter jet to release missile near UK plane
The SU-27 ‘released a missile’ near an RAF aircraft over the Black Sea last month, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed on Thursday.
Iranian troops ‘directly engaged on the ground’ in Ukraine, White House says
Iranian troops are “directly engaged on the ground” in Crimea supporting Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilian population, the White House has said.
Read the full story by Andrew Fienberg here:
Iranian troops ‘directly engaged on the ground’ in Ukraine, White House says
‘We'll continue to impose and vigorously enforce sanctions on those who aid Iran support for Russia's war against Ukraine’
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