– This Thursday officially marks the 9th month of war in Ukraine, since the start of the offensive led by Russia on February 24, 2022.
– Faced with new Russian offensives in Ukraine, kyiv’s allies denounce war crimes.
-After a vote recognizing Russia as a promoter of terrorism, the website of the European Parliament was targeted by a cyberattack. A “pro-Kremlin” group claimed responsibility for the hacking.
– Washington increases its financial aid to Ukraine.
11:14 a.m. UT. Moscow accuses kyiv of bombing Ukraine.
The Russian army denies having carried out strikes on kyiv on Wednesday, November 23. Moscow claims damage in Ukrainian capital was caused by anti-aircraft missiles”Ukrainians and foreigners“.
“No strike was carried out on kyiv. All the damage in the city reported by the kyiv regime is the consequence of the fallout of foreign and Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles, installed in residential areas of the Ukrainian capital“said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
11:09 GMT. Meeting with a Ukrainian sniper.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the two camps have been clashing. Russian and Ukrainian troops have snipers among their ranks. Meeting with one of them, who is part of the kyiv army. The story of Grégory Fontana.
10:20 UT. Millions of Ukrainian civilians still without electricity.
Nine months to the day after the start of the Russian invasion, millions of Ukrainians are spending the day without electricity and in the cold. The authorities hope for an improvement in the situation before the return of the night.
In kyiv, the capital which is currently experiencing temperatures around 0°C, around 70% of the population remained without power this Thursday morning.
If there are no new strikes, we will be able to significantly reduce the lack (of electricity) in the energy system by the end of the day.
Guerman Galuchchenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy.
10:00 UT. Russia has distributed more than 80,000 passports in the annexed regions, according to Moscow.
Russia announced Thursday that it has distributed Russian passports to more than 80,000 inhabitants of four areas of Ukraine that it claims to have attached to its territory, annexations not recognized by the international community.
“Since the four regions were added to the Russian Federation, and in accordance with the law, more than 80,000 people have received passports as citizens of the Russian Federation“, said the Russian Interior Ministry, quoted by local news agencies.
09:30 GMT. Ukrainian nuclear power plants back on the grid.
The three nuclear power plants under Kyiv’s control have been reconnected. They must in the evening again supply homes without power, but also the water distribution systems.
These are the Khmelnytsky and Rivne power stations (west) and the Pivdennooukrainsk power station (south). On Wednesday, November 23, they were disconnected by the automatic protection system following Russian strikes that hit a number of Ukrainian electrical installations.
07:00 GMT. Gradual return of electricity to certain regions in Ukraine.
Across the country, “the situation is generally difficult“, says the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Galushtenko. According to his information, in some regions, “electricity supply has already increased”he assured, noting that “critical infrastructure across the country” could have been reconnected.
06:17 GMT. Russian athletes deprived of cross-country skiing World Cup.
The Cross-Country Skiing World Cup resumes from Friday to Sunday in Ruka, Finland. One of the two great nations of this sport, Russia, is deprived of competition due to the war in Ukraine.
Excluded since March, Russian and Belarusian skiers will not be able to return to the international circuit at the start of winter, as confirmed by the Council of the International Ski Federation (FIS) at the end of October.
The FIS thus follows the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee like the majority of sports bodies. But in cross-country skiing more than elsewhere, the loss of talent is immense.
03:30 GMT. France denounces a “manifest violation of international humanitarian law“at the UN.
French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas Rivière called the Russian strikes “manifest violation of international humanitarian law“and reaffirmed France’s support for Ukraine during this Security Council.
03h00 TU. “Russia is waging a cowardly war of terror against civilians”.
“Unable to win a fair fight with the Ukrainian military, Russia is waging a cowardly war of terror against civilians“, for his part denounced the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba. “Russian terror will fail. Ukraine will win”.
Unable to win a fair fight with the Ukrainian military, Russia is waging a cowardly war of terror against civilians.Dmytro Kouleba, head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
02:00 GMT. Ukrainian cities spend the night without electricity.
Infrastructure had been affected by Russian bombardments. On Wednesday, the water supply had been “suspended throughout Kyiv“because of the bombardments. Work in the evening made it possible to restore power to the right bank of kyiv, according to the regional authorities.
01:00 GMT. The website of the European Parliament targeted by a cyberattack.
On the diplomatic front, the European Parliament on Wednesday described Russia as “state promoter of terrorism“, in a vote almost nine months to the day after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This vote was quickly welcomed by President Zelensky for whom “Russia must be isolated at all levels and held accountable in order to end its terrorist policy“.
00:45 GMT. A cyberattack led by a “pro Kremlin” group targets the website of the European Parliament.
The European Parliament announced that its website had been the target of a cyberattack claimed by a “pro-Kremlin group“. The spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, for her part proposed to describe the European Parliament as “promoter of idiocy“.
00:30 GMT. kyiv and Moscow exchange prisoners.
Despite still violent fighting, particularly in the east, Moscow and kyiv continue to exchange prisoners of war. “Un other exchange took place today with kyiv according to the formula 35 for 35“said a senior leader of the Russian occupation authority, Denis Pushilin, on Wednesday.
The released Ukrainian prisoners are “22 national guards, eight border guards, four navy soldiers, one guy from the armed forces” and also a civilian “leg amputated”, said the chief of staff of the Ukrainian presidency, Andriï Yermak.
00:00. The United States releases new financial assistance for Ukraine.
Washington announces $400 million in new military aid to Ukraine for additional weapons, ammunition and air defense equipment. The UK has sent a first Sea King helicopter to Ukraine and plans to provide two more.