15 Hours Ago
Ukrainian prime minister says Ukraine has saved enough energy resources to prepare for upcoming winter seasonA woman rides a bicycle past a damaged building in the town of Kupiansk on Nov. 3, 2022, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Dimitar Dilkoff | Afp | Getty Images
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine has enough accumulated energy resources to get through the colder season.
"A relatively mild fall and the saving of energy resources allow for more gas to be pumped in than is withdrawn from gas storages," he said, according to an NBC News translation.
He added that Ukraine has approximately 14.6 billion cubic meters of gas in its reserves.
â€" Amanda Macias
15 Hours Ago
Ukrainian official calls for more weapons amid counteroffensives against RussiansThe secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council called for more "modern air defense, aircraft, tanks and long-range missiles."
"Russian missiles must be destroyed before launch in the air, on land and at sea," Oleksiy Danilov wrote on Twitter.
â€" Amanda Macias
16 Hours Ago
U.S. announces $25 million in winter assistance for UkraineNew US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks after meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations on February 25, 2021 in New York City.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced $25 million for assistance for Ukraine during an unannounced trip to Kyiv.
"With winter fast approaching, we understand the importance of helping Ukraine keep homes warm and the power on," the U.S. Mission to the U.N. wrote in a statement.
"Russia's missile and drone attacks have threatened to leave far too much of Ukraine without power and water. As temperatures plummet, Russia is attempting to turn this dark situation dire. We cannot allow that to happen," she added.
The assistance will address shelter needs, water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
Since Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has committed more than $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance.
â€" Amanda Macias
17 Hours Ago
Zelenskyy says world needs peace for effective climate policy at COP27 summit"The morning is difficult. We are dealing with terrorists. Dozens of missiles, Iranian 'Shahids'," Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram official account, referencing the Iranian-made Shahid drones increasingly used by Russian forces.
Ukrinform | Future Publishing | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the end of conflicts in order to have joint and effective actions to respond to the climate crisis, in a virtual address to the U.N. climate summit COP27.
"We must stop those who, with their insane and illegal war, are destroying the world's ability to work united for a common goal," Zelenskyy said in a pre-recorded video message.
"There can be no effective climate policy without peace on earth because in fact nations are thinking only about how to protect themselves here and now from the threats created in particular by the Russian aggression," he added.
Zelenskyy also raised the potential danger of a nuclear accident due to shelling at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
"Who will care, for example, about the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere if part of Europe or the Middle East and possibly Northern Africa, God forbid, are covered by a radiation cloud after an accident in Zaporizhzhia?" Zelenskyy asked.
â€" Amanda Macias
17 Hours Ago
U.S. ambassador to the UN says Ukrainians have asked if midterm elections will impact security assistance for KyivNew US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks after meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations on February 25, 2021 in New York City.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters in Kyiv that Ukrainian officials have asked if the U.S. midterm elections "will have any impact on our support."
"I've said to Ukrainians, and I'll say here, we've seen bipartisan support for Ukraine, the U.S. president is committed to continuing to work with the Congress to ensure that that support continues," Thomas-Greenfield said.
"We have been strongly behind them since the beginning of this war and we will continue to stand with them. We continue to have discussions with them on their needs," she added, during a press engagement on an unannounced trip to Ukraine.
She said that she discussed the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reiterated that U.S. support is "ironclad and unwavering."
â€" Amanda Macias
18 Hours Ago
U.S. ambassador to the UN meets with Zelenskyy in unannounced trip to UkraineLinda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (L), and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Reuters
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an unannounced trip to Kyiv.
Thomas-Greenfield also met with members of Zelenskyy's office to discuss additional U.S. security assistance.
"She reiterated that the United States is steadfast in its support for Ukraine and is prepared to stand with Ukraine as long as it takes," wrote her spokesperson Nate Evans. The two also discussed international efforts to minimize the impact of Russia's aggression on global food security, including through sustaining and expanding the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Thomas-Greenfield also said that the U.S. would support the collection and preservation of evidence of Russian war crimes.
â€" Amanda Macias
19 Hours Ago
Getty Trust announces partnership and $1 million commitment to Ukrainian cultural heritage preservationA Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.
Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images
The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, or ALIPH, announced a $1 million commitment by the J. Paul Getty Trust to support the protection of Ukraine's cultural heritage.
The grant is part of ALIPH's Ukrainian Action Plan, which has so far committed $3 million to support projects to protect museums, libraries, archives, and historic sites and assist the heritage professionals caring for them.
Since Russia's late February invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has verified damage to 204 Ukrainian sites, including places of worship, museums, historic buildings, cultural centers, monuments and libraries. "The ongoing need to protect cultural heritage in Ukraine has become even more urgent in recent weeks, as attacks in the region are increasing and the onset of winter is creating additional risks," wrote Valéry Freland, executive director of ALIPH, in a release. "This new funding will help cultural heritage professionals face the many challenges ahead."
â€" Amanda Macias
20 Hours Ago
Evacuate or freeze? Kyiv braces for worst case of a winter without powerA local resident Olena Kushnir stands in front of ammunition boxes near her destroyed house, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Nova Husarivka, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 15, 2022.
Gleb Garanich | Reuters
Millions are already without power in Ukraine's capital, and with further Russian attacks on energy infrastructure feared, Kyiv is bracing for the prospect of a winter without electricity, gas and water.
That has left officials and residents to confront a scenario in which civilians may be forced to consider leaving their homes to flee the freezing cold.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko appealed to the city's 3 million residents to be prepared for a worst-case scenario, including making arrangements that would allow them to relocate and stay with friends or relatives elsewhere if it comes to it.
"We are doing everything to avoid this. But let's be frank, our enemies are doing everything for the city to be without heat, without electricity, without water supply, in general, so we all die," he told state media during a telethon.
"The future of the country and the future of each of us depends on how prepared we are for different situations," he added.
During winter, Kyiv sees temperatures plunge below the freezing point, making the potential for power outages in the coming months particularly alarming.
Read more on NBC News.
21 Hours Ago
U.S. ambassador to the UN arrives in Kyiv in unannounced tripU.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield arrived in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders and to "reiterate the United States' unwavering support."
Thomas-Greenfield was welcomed by U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink before holding meetings with humanitarian organizations, Ukrainian officials and civilians impacted by Russia's war.
"Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will also discuss the global food insecurity crisis exacerbated by Russia's invasion and will underscore the critical need for an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative into the coming year," the U.S. Mission to the United Nations wrote in a statement.
"She will observe efforts to document and preserve evidence of atrocities committed by Russian forces and will hear first-hand accounts of survivors," the statement added.
â€" Amanda Macias
22 Hours Ago
Russian ruble climbs to one-month high vs dollarA digital sign displays exchange rates in the window of a currency exchange bureau in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Andrey Rudakov | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Russian rouble firmed to its strongest in just over a month on Tuesday, gaining a foothold past 61 to the dollar and clinging on to large gains made in the previous session, thanks in part to still-high oil prices.
By mid-afternoon London time, the ruble was 0.2% stronger against the dollar at 60.87, earlier clipping its strongest point since Oct. 7 of 60.6825.
It had gained 0.1% to trade at 60.84 versus the euro and had firmed 0.6% against the yuan to 8.37.
The ruble is the world's best-performing currency this year, supported by capital controls and an initial collapse in imports as a result of Western sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, and scores of foreign companies pausing operations in the country.
Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina on Tuesday said there was no immediate need to further soften capital controls.
â€" Reuters
23 Hours Ago
Civilian infrastructure under attack in Kherson region, police sayWorkers clean debris off of the street in front of a destroyed storage complex in the recently recaptured village of Archangelske in Kherson, Ukraine on 26 Oct. 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Russia launched missile strikes on civilian infrastructure in recently liberated areas of the southern region of Kherson, according to the local police force.
"The Russian army continues to launch missile strikes on the civilian infrastructure of the Kherson region, including on power lines, educational and preschool institutions," the regional police force in Kherson said on Facebook Tuesday.
Recently de-occupied settlements of the Beryslav district close to the front line have been shelled with private houses, solar power plants, and agricultural machinery attacked, the police said. People have been killed and injured in the attacks but the police did not give further details.
The police said a school had been hit in one village and that in other villages "there is not a single shop, pharmacy or café not damaged by enemy shelling, with people's houses being unsuitable to live in."
CNBC was unable to verify the information in the police report.
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Tue, Nov 8 20226:15 AM EST
Zelenskyy to take part in next week's G-20 summit, public broadcaster saysUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses nation on April 09, 2022. Hours after Ukraine announced the capture of fugitive and longtime Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk, the country's president has offered to turn the former media mogul over to Russia in exchange for Ukrainian civilians currently being held captive.
Ukrainian Presidency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will take part in a summit of the Group of 20 major economies next week, most likely attending virtually, his spokesperson told the Suspilne public broadcaster on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy had said last week he would not take part if President Vladimir Putin attended the Nov. 15-16 summit in Indonesia. Serhiy Nykyforov, the spokesperson, did not say whether Zelenskiy had changed his position.
â€" Reuters
Tue, Nov 8 20225:48 AM EST
Belarus and Russia are forming joint forces in Belarus, Ukraine saysRussian President Vladimir Putin listens to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Region, Russia April 12, 2022.
Mikhail Klimentyev | Sputnik | Reuters
Belarus continues to support Russia's invasion, according to Ukraine's armed forces, which said Tuesday that the two allies are forming joint military groups.
"The Republic of Belarus continues to support the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, providing the Russian Federation with infrastructure, territory and airspace," The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in an update on Facebook Tuesday.
"The formation of Russiaâ€"Belarus group of troops is underway in the territory of Belarus. There is still a threat of enemy airstrikes from the territory and airspace of Belarus," it added.
The formation of troops is not totally unsurprising with Belarus supporting its ally Russia in its invasion of Ukraine in a variety of ways. A month ago, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near Ukraine in response to what he claimed was a threat from Kyiv and its Western allies.
In its general military update, Ukraine said that Russia had launched 9 missile strikes, 37 airstrikes and more than 100 MLRS attacks over the past day. It said more than 25 settlements within the regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv had been hit.
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Tue, Nov 8 20225:40 AM EST
Ukraine imposes emergency power shutdowns as it struggles to cope with demandUkraine's national energy company has imposed further restrictions on power use in the country as the country's damaged power networks struggle to meet demand as the cold sets in.
National Energy Company Ukrenergo said on Telegram Tuesday that "emergency shutdowns" have been applied in the city of Kyiv, as well as in the surrounding region, and the Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltava regions.
"Additional restrictions on consumption are necessary because, due to falling temperatures, consumption of electricity increases, which leads to an increase in the load on equipment and a shortage of electricity in the power system," it said.
A worker examines damage as he repairs power line equipment destroyed after a missile strike on a power plant, in an undisclosed location of Ukraine, on Oct. 27, 2022.
Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
Ukraine's energy network is under immense pressure following daily Russian assaults on the country's energy infrastructure, particularly with the use of drones to attack facilities like substations. That has meant that energy company repair teams have been working round the clock to restore power to a number of regions.
Ukrenergo's CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said yesterday that the regions of Kyiv and Kharkiv were experiencing the most difficulties with emergency shutdowns being imposed as well as scheduled shutdowns
"The key task of Ukrenergo today is to repair the trunk networks in the central and northern regions so that the necessary amounts of power from power plants from other regions can be transferred there," he said yesterday.
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Tue, Nov 8 20224:43 AM EST
North Korea denies arms dealing with RussiaNorth Korea has denied doing any arms deals with Russia and said it had no plans to do so, a rebuff that came after the U.S. said it believed North Korea was providing Russia with artillery shells for the war in Ukraine.
"Recently, the U.S. is persistently spreading a groundless 'rumor of arms dealings' between the DPRK [North Korea] and Russia in a bid to make it a fait accompli at any cost," a defense ministry spokesperson said in a statement reported by state media agency KCNA.
"We once again make clear that we have never had 'arms dealings with Russia and that we have no plan to do so in the future," the spokesperson added, saying North Korea regards such moves "as part of its hostile attempt to tarnish the image of the DPRK in the international arena."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, Thursday, April 25, 2019.
Alexander Zemlianichenko | Pool | AP
White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said last week that the U.S. had information suggesting that North Korea was supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells and was trying to disguise the shipments by sending them through the Middle East and Africa.
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Tue, Nov 8 20224:02 AM EST
Russia is fortifying occupied areas to try to stall future Ukrainian advances, UK saysRussia has started constructing defensive structures around the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense.
Two plants are producing concrete pyramidal anti-tank structures, known as "dragon's teeth," for this purpose, it said in an intelligence update Tuesday.
"Dragon's teeth have likely been installed between Mariupol and Nikolske village; and from northern Mariupol to Staryi Krym village," the ministry said. Mariupol is a key part of Russia's "land bridge" from Russia to Crimea, a key logistics line of communication, and was heavily fought over in the early months of the war.
Russian troops eventually occupied the whole of the city following a siege of a Ukrainian stronghold in the city's Azovstal steel works.
A Russian soldier walks amid the rubble in Mariupol's eastern side where fierce fighting between Russia/pro-Russia forces and Ukraine on March 15, 2022.
Maximilian Clarke | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Dragon's teeth have additionally been sent for the preparation of defensive fortifications in occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the ministry noted.
"Russia is fortifying its lines throughout areas of occupation. On 19 October 2022, Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed the construction of a fortified 'Wagner Line' of defences in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast," it said.
"This activity suggests Russia is making a significant effort to prepare defences in depth behind their current front line, likely to forestall any rapid Ukrainian advances in the event of breakthroughs."
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Tue, Nov 8 20223:06 AM EST
Sullivan confirms U.S. has been in talks with Kremlin officials over nuclear threatJake Sullivan, White House national security advisor, in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 2022. Sullivan met with Oscar Stenstrom, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister of Sweden, to discuss the security situation in Europe in view of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Monday that lines of communication between the U.S. and Russia remain open, confirming a report that the U.S. has held talks with the Kremlin recently in a bid to dial down tensions around the potential use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Speaking at an event at the Economic Club of New York on Monday, Sullivan did not say he had been engaged himself in direct talks but noted he had said repeatedly that "we have channels to communicate with the Russian Federation at senior levels," Reuters reported.
The comment came after the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Sullivan had held undisclosed talks with top Russian officials in a bid to de-escalate tensions over the possible use of nuclear weapons. Concerns have risen in recent months that Russia could resort to using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine in a bid to gain the upper hand in the war, and to defend four regions it illegally annexed in September.
The WSJ newspaper cited U.S. and other Western officials as saying that Sullivan held confidential conversations recently with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev that were not disclosed publicly.
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Tue, Nov 8 20223:02 AM EST
Ukrainian forces pushing Russians back gradually, Zelenskyy saysUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's armed forces are advancing in parts of the country.
"In general, along the front, our forces are in a state of active defense - in some parts of the east and south, we are gradually pushing back the enemy. We are gradually moving forward," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Monday.
He said the Donetsk part of the eastern Donbas "remains the epicenter of the greatest madness of the occupiers" and that Russian soldiers were dying "by the hundreds" every day.
A view of damage after shelling on Nov. 5, 2022, in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Zelenskyy said that Russian forces had struck more than 50 settlements on Monday, including those in the regions of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk. He said Ukraine had been boosted by the delivery of more air defense systems after NASAMS and Aspide missile systems from Kyiv's allies arrived in Ukraine yesterday.
Ukraine has asked for more air defenses as it faces an escalation of drone and missile attacks by Russia, targeting its energy infrastructure.
"As of today, we can say that the recent escalation of Russian missile and drone terror has only resulted in the world responding â€" responding with new aid to Ukraine. We will do everything so that as many countries as possible join this aid," Zelenskyy said.
â€" Holly Ellyatt
Mon, Nov 7 20227:11 PM EST
Backlog of 77 ships waiting to transport agricultural goods from UkraineShips, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Chris Mcgrath | Getty Images
The organization overseeing the export of Ukrainian agriculture products said there is a backlog of 77 vessels waiting to be loaded with cargo.
The Joint Coordination Center also said that about 15 loaded vessels are waiting for inspection in Turkish territorial waters.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and saw the reopening of three key Ukrainian ports. Since the deal with signed, more than 10 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs have left for destinations around the world.
Kyiv has previously blamed Moscow for holding up inspections and delaying vessel movements.
â€" Amanda Macias
Mon, Nov 7 20225:15 PM EST
Biden has 'no intention' on meeting with Putin on sidelines of the G-20Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference after trilateral meeting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Sochi, Russia October 31, 2022.
Sergey Bobylev | Sputnik | via Reuters
The White House said the Biden administration doesn't plan to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the upcoming G-20 summit.
"He has no intention of meeting with President Putin," White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre told reporters during a daily press briefing when asked if there were preparations for a bilateral.
She added that Ukraine should also be able to attend the G-20 meetings in Indonesia regardless if Putin attends.
"We've been very clear about how we see that invite," Jean Pierre added.
â€" Amanda Macias
Mon, Nov 7 20224:22 PM EST
White House says Russian influence in U.S. elections is "well known and well documented"Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, September 23, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin's claims that Russia interfered, and continues to interfere, in U.S. elections weren't suprising.
"These comments do not tell us anything new or surprising, as we all know," Jean-Pierre said in a press briefing. "It's well known and well documented in the public domain that entities associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin have sought to influence elections around the world, including the United States."
According to Jean-Pierre, Prigozhin "is a known bad actor who has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom, and also the European Union."
"We also know that part of Russia's efforts includes promoting narratives aimed at undermining democracy and sowing division and discord. It's not surprising that Russia would be highlighting their attempted efforts and fabricate ... a story about their successes on the eve of an election," she said in light of Tuesday's consequential midterm elections.
Prigozhin is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department offered a $10 million reward for information about Prigozhin and other Russian entities and persons that knowingly interfered in U.S. elections.
â€" Rocio Fabbro
Mon, Nov 7 202212:59 PM EST
Ukraine suffers power outages amid intense attacks from Russia's militaryA cafe without electricity in western Ukrainian city of Lviv, after three Russian missiles fired targeted energy infrastructure on Oct. 11, 2022. Lviv's mayor said that one-third of homes were without power.
Yuriy Dyachyshyn | Afp | Getty Images
Ukraine's state electricity operator announced blackouts in Kyiv and seven other regions of the country in the aftermath of Russia's devastating strikes on energy infrastructure.
The move comes as Russian forces continue to pound Ukrainian cities and villages with missiles and drones, inflicting damage on power plants, water supplies and other civilian targets, in a grinding war that is nearing its nine-month mark.
Ukrenergo, the sole operator of Ukraine's high-voltage transmission lines, initially said in an online statement that scheduled blackouts will take place in the capital and the greater Kyiv region, as well as several regions around it â€" Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Poltava and Kharkiv.
Later in the day, however, the company released an update saying that scheduled outages for a specific number of hours aren't enough and instead there will be emergency outages, which could last an indefinite amount of time.
Ukraine has been grappling with power outages and the disruption of water supplies since Russia started unleashing massive barrages of missile and drone strikes on the country's energy infrastructure last month.
â€" Associated Press
Tue, Nov 8 20221:23 AM EST
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