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Zelenskiy reports heavy fighting in Bakhmut
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy updated the battlefield in his final national address on Wednesday afternoon. As for Donetsk region, Bakhmut districts and other hot spots. A very tough conflict is going on there, every measure counts.” Zelensky also noted that Russian forces carried out a “brutal, absolutely deliberate attack” in Kurakhove, also in the Donetsk region. According to reports, the strike killed ten people. Today [Wednesday] the Russian army carried out a very brutal, absolutely deliberate strike on Kurakhevo. Exactly to citizens. To ordinary people. In the market, elevator, gas station, bus station, apartment building. The list of the dead so far includes ten people, there are many injured.”
US denounces ‘loose talk’ on nuclear weapons
The US has denounced “loose talk” on nuclear weapons after Russian President Vladimir Putin reflected on the growing risks of nuclear war, but said Moscow would not strike first. Putin hinted that “such a threat is growing” during a meeting in the Kremlin on Wednesday, but assured that “Russia will in no case use them first.” Asked about Putin’s comments, US State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to comment directly, but said: We believe that any casual talk of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible.” Price said nuclear powers around the world since the Cold War, including China, India, the United States and Russia itself, have been clear that “a nuclear war is something that should never be fought and cannot be never to be won.” We believe that any other rhetoric — whether it’s about nuclear rattling or even increasing the range of use of tactical nuclear weapons — is something that is irresponsible,” Price said. It is dangerous and goes against the spirit of this declaration which has been at the core of the nuclear non-proliferation regime since the Cold War.” US officials have expressed fears that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it feels defeated on the battlefield and could create a fictitious story to justify its actions.
Putin says the threat of nuclear war is growing
Putin devoted some of his remarks Wednesday to questions about the possibility of nuclear war, which he said is growing more so because of the conflict with the West. This threat is growing, I cannot deny it,” Putin said in response to a question, adding that Russia would not use these weapons first. We are not crazy, we know what nuclear weapons are. We have these means, and they are more advanced and more modern than those of any other nuclear country. As of today, this is an obvious fact. We’re not going to swing these weapons like a razor, running around the world, but of course we’re acting with the understanding that they exist.”
Putin: War could be ‘long-term process’
Andrew Roth Vladimir Putin admitted Russia’s war in Ukraine could turn into a “long-term process” as he tried to fend off an invasion in which Russian troops were forced to retreat and even air bases deep inside Russia were attacked. ‘It’s a long process’: Putin discusses escalation in Ukraine – video Speaking to Human Rights Council staff on Wednesday, Putin asserted that Russia would not use nuclear weapons first in any conflict, denied that Russian troops were deserting the battlefield en masse and claimed that there would be no need to mobilize more troops. , a process that has caused considerable unrest in Russia. As for the slow process of the special military operation, then, of course, it can be a long-term process,” Putin said. But then you mentioned that new areas had appeared. This is such an important result for Russia… The Sea of Azov has become an internal Russian sea. Even Peter I had fought for access to the Sea of Azov.”
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported “very heavy” fighting in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where Russian troops continue to pound the eastern Donetsk region. The US on Wednesday denounced “loose talk” on nuclear weapons after Russian President Vladimir Putin reflected on the growing risks of nuclear war but said Moscow would not strike first. For any updates or comments you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out via email or Twitter. If you’ve just joined us, here’s all the latest:
Russian shelling has killed 10 people and wounded many others in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kurakhov, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has warned of an “apocalyptic” scenario for the city this winter if Russian airstrikes on infrastructure continue. Russia fired more than 1,000 rockets and missiles at Ukraine’s power grid, Interfax Ukraine news agency reported. President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s war in Ukraine could turn into a “long-term process”. Speaking to staff members of the human rights council on Wednesday, Putin sought to defend an invasion in which Russian troops were forced to retreat and even air bases deep inside Russia were attacked. Putin also claimed that Russia would not use nuclear weapons first in any conflict and denied that Russian troops are deserting the battlefield en masse. He argued that the Russian military would not need to mobilize more troops, a process that has caused significant unrest in Russia. The risk of nuclear weapons being used in the conflict in Ukraine has decreased thanks to international pressure on Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published Thursday. “One thing has changed for now: Russia has stopped threatening to use nuclear weapons. In response to the international community that drew a red line,” Solz said in the interview with German media group Funke. Talks between Russia and the United States to secure a high-profile prisoner swap are making only sporadic progress, a top Russian diplomat said in comments published Thursday. The two countries are considering ways to carry out an exchange so that imprisoned Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan can be released. Moscow has said it would like convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout to be included in any deal. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia is trying to “freeze” fighting in Ukraine over the winter to prepare its forces for a new offensive early next year. Stoltenberg urged NATO allies to continue sending weapons to Kyiv over the winter, adding that the conditions for a peaceful settlement of the war “do not exist now.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said 31 “suspicious packages” had been sent to Ukrainian missions in 15 countries. Last week, Ukraine says its embassies and advisers across Europe received “blood-stained” packages, some with animal eyes, in what Kyiv described as a “campaign of terror and intimidation”. A road accident in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine has left 16 dead and several injured, according to an official and Russian-backed state media. The accident involving a minibus and a truck, the passengers of which were soldiers, occurred between Torez and Shakhtarsk, emergency services told Russian state news agency Tass. Ukraine’s culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, called on the country’s Western allies to boycott Russian culture. Writing in the Guardian, Tkachenko argues that stopping performances of the music of Tchaikovsky and other Russian composers until the end of the war would mean “ceasing the performance of his works until Russia stops its bloody invasion”. The European Commission has proposed a ninth package of sanctions on Russia, including adding nearly 200 additional individuals and entities to the sanctions list. In a statement, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of “deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure” and continuing to “bring death and destruction to Ukraine.” The US has made clear to Ukraine its “concerns” about any escalation of war with Russia, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. Kirby said the principle behind the war in Ukraine was the principle of sovereignty and “unlike the Russians, we respect Ukrainian sovereignty.” Kirby’s comments came after Kyiv appeared to launch a pre-emptive strike on bombers at two Russian air bases far from the front lines earlier this week. The Kremlin said a US military aid spending bill providing $800 million to Ukraine passed by lawmakers on Tuesday was a “challenge to our country.” The National Defense Tax Act of 2023, or NDAA, authorizes additional spending for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a $500 million increase over President Joe Biden’s request earlier this year. Britain has ordered “many thousands” of NLAW anti-tank weapons to replace the 7,000 donated to Ukraine last year. Ben Wallace, the UK defense secretary, said the NLAWs played a “crucial role” in repelling the Russian invasion, but Labor complained the deal took almost 10 months to sign and replacements will take three years to make. . BP should donate its “wartime profits” to Russia to help rebuild Ukraine or ministers should impose a special windfall tax on the oil company to force it to do so, British MPs have told parliament. The British oil company has a 19.75% stake in Rosneft, one of the Kremlin’s most important oil assets, and signaled its intention to pull out of Russia nine months ago, after Russia invaded…
