The Russian army confirmed today that the situation on the ground in Ukraine is "tense" for its forces in the face of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, especially in the city of Kherson, where the evacuation of the population is being prepared, after several large losses in the east and south of the country.
"The situation in the zone of the special military operation can be characterized as tense. The enemy does not give up its attempts to attack the positions of the Russian troops," General Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed as the new commander of the "special military operation" ten days ago, told the Russian public television Russia 24 " in Ukraine.
He said that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to break through the Russian defense to collect all the reserves for a counter-offensive. According to him, NATO is asking the Ukrainian forces for offensive operations in the Kherson direction, regardless of the casualties in the armed forces and among the civilian population.
According to General Surovikin, the situation is very difficult due to the Ukrainian attacks on the "social, economic and industrial infrastructure", especially in Kherson, the capital of the region of the same name, which was occupied by Russia in the spring and annexed in September.
"The Russian army will, first of all, ensure the safe evacuation of the population from Kherson, where Ukrainian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure pose a direct threat to the lives of residents," Surovikin said.
Strikes by Ukrainian forces lead to disruptions in the supply of electricity, water, and food to Kherson, Surovikin said and emphasized that this is a direct threat to the lives of residents.
Further action around the city of Kherson itself will depend on the military situation, said the Russian general and indicated that it is necessary to preserve the lives of the civilian population and Russian soldiers as much as possible.
"We do not rule out making very difficult decisions," he said.
Ukrainian authorities today condemned the "inactivity" of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help Ukrainian soldiers in the hands of the Russians, whom the organization has not yet been able to visit.
"Unfortunately, with every exchange we notice that the inaction of the ICRC has led to the fact that our prisoners of war and civilian hostages are tortured daily by starvation and electric shocks," said Ukrainian human rights officer Dmytro Lubinets.
Russia and Ukraine have conducted multiple prisoner exchanges since the war began in late February.
NATO will deliver air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days to help the country defend itself against drones, including those from Iran, that Russia uses to target vital infrastructure, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today.
Speaking at a security conference in Berlin, he said the response to the latest Russian strikes is to increase aid to Ukraine and supply it with even more air defense systems, Reuters reports.
Ukraine said massive drone strikes destroyed nearly a third of its power plants over the past week, as Russia stepped up its attacks on infrastructure far from the front line after suffering a series of military setbacks from Ukrainian troops, the British agency said. Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran had promised to supply missiles as well as more drones to Russia, whose military efforts in Ukraine have been hampered by Western sanctions.
"No nation should support Russia's illegal war against Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.
In Ukraine, more than 1.100 places are still without electricity after Russian attacks on infrastructure, the Ukrainian emergency service announced today.
"Currently, 1.162 places are still without electricity," said Oleksander Horundzi, the spokesman for the service.
He said that since October 7, around 4.000 settlements have been left without electricity after the strike.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that 30 percent of the electrical installations in the country were disabled in the Russian attacks last week.
He said in a tweet today that the strikes caused massive power outages across the country.
Russian missiles have been targeting the Ukrainian electricity grid since October 10.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba suggested today to President Volodymyr Zelensky to break off diplomatic relations with Iran, accused of supplying Moscow with drones that it uses in its attacks in Ukraine.
"Given the numerous destruction of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, the dead and wounded among the Ukrainian population, caused by Iranian drones ... I propose to the president to cut off diplomatic relations with Iran," Kuleba said in a video posted on Facebook.
According to Kuleba, Tehran delivered Iranian drones to Russia "while telling Ukraine that it is against the war and does not support either side."
In recent days, Kiev has repeatedly condemned Russia's use of Iranian-made kamikaze drones Shahed 136 in attacks on civilian energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
Kuleba also said that reports are emerging that Iran may continue to supply weapons to Russia, following media reports of Iran's imminent delivery of surface-to-surface missiles to Moscow.
He said that Iran's actions are "evil and deceitful", that Ukraine will not tolerate it and that Tehran bears full responsibility for the destruction of relations with Ukraine.
Kuleba, however, promised to drop his proposal if Iran stops supplying Russia with weapons.
The Kremlin today criticized the international investigation into the leak of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines for the transport of Russian gas to Europe, saying it was "rigged" to accuse Moscow of being the source of the sabotage.
"According to what we hear from statements made in Germany, France or Denmark, this investigation is organized to blame Russia, which is absurd," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He said that "Russia would not blow up its own gas pipeline".
Russia has accused Western countries of being behind the explosions that caused the gas pipelines to leak.
Moscow has repeatedly asked to be associated with the investigation carried out by Western countries, and at the same time opened its own investigation into the explosions.
Russian investigators are "doing their job," Peskov said.
Two people were killed in a Russian missile attack on an energy supply facility in Kiev, the prosecutor's office of the Ukrainian capital announced, as reported by Reuters.
According to preliminary information, it is stated that another person was wounded in the attack.
The Kremlin has denied that Russian forces used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of using Iran's Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones, which explode on impact, in attacks on Kiev. Several images posted on social media show delta-wing drones, similar to the Iranian model, used in Monday's attack on the Ukrainian capital.
Asked whether Russia used Iranian drones in the campaign in Ukraine, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information about their use.
"Russian equipment with Russian nomenclature is used," he said. "All further questions should be directed to the Ministry of Defense."
The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In principle, Russia supports the establishment of an operational and physical nuclear safety zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), but rejects the demilitarization of that facility, said the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Vorontsov.
He reminded that after the visit to the power plant, IAEA General Director Rafael Grossi proposed the establishment of a protective zone for operational and physical security around NE Zaporozhye.
"In principle, we support it, but it is necessary to agree on the parameters of that zone," Vorontsov said at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, agencies report.
Vorontsov said that Russia completely rules out the so-called demilitarization of NE Zaporozhye because, in his opinion, this would lead to a decrease in the degree of its protection and an increase in the risk of terrorist acts.
"The facility is extremely important and cannot remain unprotected even for a minute. The units of the Russian National Guard will continue to protect the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant," said Vorontsov.
He stated that Russia will continue working with the IAEA on NE Zaporozhye.
"It is also important to ensure that as long as the negotiations continue and regardless of their outcome, the attacks on the facility will be completely stopped," Vorontsov pointed out.
In three Russian attacks today, electrical installations in Kiev were hit, the Ukrainian presidency announced.
"According to the first data, there were three attacks on electrical installations" in the east of Kyiv, the official of the presidency Kyrylo Tymoshenko announced on the social network.
The Russian army announced yesterday that airstrikes hit all targets in Ukraine: infrastructure in three areas - Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy, and that a power outage was caused.
The Reuters agency published photos of the city of Mykolaiv after today's attack by Russian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of terrorizing and killing civilians after today's airstrikes on Ukrainian cities, reports Reuters.
He said one person was killed in a rocket attack on an apartment building in the southern city of Mykolaiv, but gave no other details about the casualties.
"Ukraine is under fire from the occupiers. They continue to do what they do best – terrorize and kill civilians," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
"The terrorist state will not change anything for itself with such actions. It will only confirm its destructive and murderous essence, for which it will certainly be held accountable."
The city of Zhytomyr in northern Ukraine was left without water and electricity after Russian airstrikes on Tuesday morning, Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlin said, according to Reuters.
"There is currently no electricity or water in the city. Hospitals are on backup (power)," Suhomlin wrote on Facebook.
Zhytomyr had a population of 260.000 before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Belarusian opposition media Nexta published videos of destroyed settlements after this morning's attacks by Russian forces in Mykolaiv.
Ukraine's state nuclear energy company has accused Russia of "kidnapping" two senior members of the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine.
"The head of information technology of the power plant Oleg Kostyukov and the assistant director of the power plant Oleg Oshek were kidnapped on Monday," wrote Energoatom on Telegram.
He added that nothing is currently known about their whereabouts or condition.
Russian forces have launched a new wave of drone attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned and stated that some of the drones were shot down.
In his video address, Zelenski did not say where the attacks took place, Reuters reported.
Russian forces launched attacks on a number of Ukrainian cities on Monday, when at least four people were killed in an apartment building in Kiev.
A Russian missile hit a residential building in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv (Nikolayevo), in one of three explosions heard there in the early hours of the morning, Reuters reported.
The missile completely destroyed a wing of a building in the center of the city, leaving a massive crater. One person was killed in the explosions, adds Reuters.
A municipal official identified the missile as an S300.
Air raid sirens were sounded this morning in Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv (Nikolayiv) and Kyiv regions of Ukraine, Novaya Gazeta Evropa reported.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its 237th day. Look at what happened yesterday in Eastern Europe HERE.
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