Many injured / Power restored in Kherson / In Kiev, 120,000 without power / Putin-Lukasenko split

Update 15:40 In Kyiv, 130,000 people are still without electricity

At least 130,000 residents in Kyiv are still without power after attacks by Russian forces caused massive blackouts in all parts of the country. This was reported by Kyiv Independent. However, by 9:30 am today, water supply was fully restored in all parts of the capital.

Update 15:20 Media: Kremlin expects 100,000 Russian soldiers killed by spring

The Kremlin plans to stabilize the Ukrainian front during the winter and then resume the offensive in the spring, knowing it will cause heavy losses among Russian soldiers, which could reach 100,000. This is what the independent website iStories writes, citing a source from the Russian FSB services and civil servants in Moscow, as reported by Meduza. “In the spring of next year, the number of dead and wounded soldiers may be about 100,000. But this does not scare anyone: they may be replaced by those conscripted for compulsory military service,” the FSB source reported.

A General Staff source cited an estimate of 100,000 dead and wounded Russians, according to which the fall would be mainly among those mobilized in September. By the spring of 2023, the Ministry of Defense plans to send 120,000 troops to Ukraine. For this reason, the source notes, Putin has not officially withdrawn the mobilization order.

Update 15:00 Belgian Prime Minister Kiev, other military and humanitarian aid

Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croix arrives in Kiev, his first visit since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “After the heavy bombardment of the last few days, we are on the side of the people of Ukraine. More than ever. Belgium is sending new humanitarian and military aid,” he said in a tweet. According to the media, he promised 37.4 million euros in additional funding.

Update 14:45 Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croix arrived in Kiev on Saturday in his first visit since Russia launched the invasion.

He wrote on Twitter: “Ahead of cold winter months, Belgium offers new humanitarian and military aid.”

Update 14:30 Russian attack on regional capital Dnipro injures at least six people In Dnipropetrovsk region, reports Valentin Reznichenko, said Russia struck a residential area on Saturday, partially destroying seven houses and setting it on fire.

According to Reznichenko, a woman was hospitalized in critical condition following the attack, Kyiv Independent reported.

Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov reported the attack at midday, saying infrastructure was not damaged but some power outages were possible.

Update 14:00 Finnish Economy Minister: We will send the first batch of energy equipment to Ukraine

After Russia’s massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure earlier this week, Lindila said he had opened talks with Finnish energy companies to “coordinate efforts to support Ukrainians,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.

“Finnish companies are sending aid for energy equipment to Ukraine. Yesterday we asked the companies for equipment donations, and today the companies responded to this request in detail and positively. This action will be started immediately, and the government of Ukraine has been informed about this,” Lindila wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Update 13:20 The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration said on Saturday that Russia would respond to the Soviet-era famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in the winter of 1932-1933.

“Russians will pay all victims of the Holodomor and answer for the crimes now,” Andriy Yermak wrote in Telegram, using the tragedy’s Ukrainian name, which translates as “death by starvation.”

UPDATE 12:00 Electricity has been restored in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, which was liberated from Russian occupation earlier this month, a senior presidential adviser said on Saturday, Reuters News.

“First we supply electricity to the city’s critical infrastructure, then immediately supply electricity to household consumers,” Kyrilo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The city was without electricity, central heating and running water when Ukrainian forces recaptured it on November 11.

Update 11:00 British MoD: Russia running out of missiles and launching some without nuclear warheads

Update 10:00 The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentin Resnichenko, says Russian troops dropped nearly 60 bombs on Nikopol and surrounding villages in the south of the country on the night of November 26.

Reznichenko said there were no casualties, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Update 9:20 Polish president, conclusions on missile that killed two

Update 8:30 Ukraine in the dark: Six million homes still without electricity

“This evening, the blackout continues in most regions and in Kyiv,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech.

He added that the number of affected families has halved compared to Wednesday. But millions of people are left without electricity, water or heat as they settle in for the winter.

According to the president, Kiev and the surrounding areas were the most affected by the attacks. He said many residents in the city were without power for “20 or even 30 hours.” Other affected regions are Odesa, Lviv, Vinnytsia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Zelensky called for energy conservation.

Despite the attacks, Prime Minister Denis Schmihal said all of the country’s critical infrastructure, including water utilities, heat generation plants, hospitals and emergency services, had been reconnected. But ordinary people continue to face planned blackouts in every region of Ukraine, he said.

Update 7:23 Russian bombing continues

Russia attacked Kramatorsk

A 71-year-old man was injured when Russian troops attacked Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko announced.

The attack also destroyed a medical facility and damaged three high-rise buildings, Honcharenko added.

Residents begin to evacuate Kherson

Voluntary evacuations for residents of the recently liberated city of Kherson are underway, with 100 people traveling on the first train, the Ukrainian government announced.

Ukraine’s Reunification Ministry said the train was heading to the western city of Khmelnytskyi. Residents who “took advantage of the free evacuation” included 26 children, seven patients who were immobilized in hospital beds and six people with reduced mobility, he said in a statement.

Officials in Kherson are urging residents to leave the city, which is still without power, before temperatures drop further. Kherson has been under renewed bombardment since Russian troops were forced to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River.

According to city officials, evacuees will be provided with financial assistance, shelter and humanitarian assistance.

The West is trying to control the price of Russian oil

Ukraine’s allies want to put a price cap on Russian oil. But there’s a problem: They can’t accept a number that puts pressure on the Kremlin.

The biggest Western economies agreed earlier this year to cap the price of Russia’s most valuable export and promised to implement the details by early December. The move is aimed at reducing pressure on President Vladimir Putin’s coffers without adding pressure to the global economy by further reducing energy supplies.

A delicate balance: Media reports from a meeting of European diplomats this week indicated that Russian oil could be capped at $65 to $70 a barrel. However, this range is controversial as it is close to the current market price.

This would mean a limited supply disruption, but would affect Russia to a lesser extent.

Setting lower prices would be bad for Moscow, but could exacerbate the global energy crisis — especially if Russia retaliates. If it cuts production, fuel prices will rise at a time when countries like the US, Germany and Japan are keen to keep inflation under control.

Putin said Thursday that Western plans to introduce oil price ceilings would have “severe consequences” for energy markets.

Putin says all Russian soldiers are “equal”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that all soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine are “equal,” as Ukrainian activists and officials expressed concern that minorities are being disproportionately targeted for war recruitment.

“Everyone is equal, everyone helps each other and understands that their lives depend on this help and mutual support,” Putin said Friday, during a meeting with mothers of soldiers deployed to Ukraine.

Putin added that “Russian soldiers are born to fulfill their duty with dignity, and even more so from the Caucasus, Dagestan, the people have a special character.”