War, latest news. Terror alert in Moscow; museum evacuated

Moscow has accused the Ukrainian armed forces of violating the humanitarian ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump in Oleshky one day before it was due to expire tomorrow, by striking a civilian car with a drone and injuring the two occupants, a man and a woman. “According to local authorities, in Oleshky, at the Nechaevsky junction, whilst a civilian car was leaving the town heading towards the village of Radensk to buy food, it was attacked by a Ukrainian drone”, writes Russian Special Envoy Rodion Miroshnik on his Telegram channel, tasked with documenting the “crimes” of the Kyiv authorities. “The injured were taken to the Oleshky district hospital,” adds Miroshnik.

Three Russian military aircraft carrying civilians evacuated from the Ukrainian town of Oleshky – which is occupied by Moscow’s forces in the southern region of Kherson – landed this morning in Gomel, Belarus, from where the evacuees will continue their journey to territories controlled by Kyiv. This has been reported by local media and the Russian Ministry of Defence, which stated that the civilians were transferred from the Russian city of Anapa, on the Black Sea, accompanied by the Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets. This is the first humanitarian operation of its kind since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, made possible by the US-brokered local ceasefire, which came into force on Tuesday and is set to last until tomorrow. According to available information, over 200 residents are reported to have chosen to travel to territories under Ukrainian control, whilst several dozen are said to have opted for areas occupied by Russia.

A man and a woman were killed in an attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces kamikaze drone that crashed into a private home in the village of Klimovo, in the Russian region of Bryansk. Five other people were injured. This was reported by Governor Egor Kovalchuk, as quoted by Russian news agencies. “The enemy attacked a house in the village of Klimovo with a kamikaze drone. Unfortunately, a 30-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man lost their lives. Our deepest condolences go to their families and friends. Five civilians were injured: four women and one man,” Kovalchuk wrote on the Max platform, adding that 29 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed in the Bryansk region over the past 24 hours.

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, may travel to Moscow if he wishes to meet the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. This was stated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, during a press conference in Atlanta, as reported by Interfax. “President Putin has stated on many occasions that, despite everything that has happened over the last six years of Zelensky’s presidency, he is still willing to meet him. He said this after Zelensky had requested a face-to-face meeting. President Putin has said that, if Zelensky wishes to meet him, he is welcome to come to Moscow,” said Lavrov. The Russian foreign minister added that Moscow “will guarantee his safety, which cannot be guaranteed in Kyiv”, should the Ukrainian president decide to travel to the Russian capital. According to Lavrov, whoever requests a meeting must accept the other party’s conditions: “That is standard practice in diplomacy and in real life,” he noted.

The Russian Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, and the Ukrainian Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, have established a constructive dialogue, which is important for human rights-related activities. This was stated by the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.

“They have established a good dialogue. That is significant. They are gradually beginning to build trust in one another. This is a positive development for work in the field of human rights,” Peskov told the newspaper Vedomosti, as reported by Russian news agencies.

At least one person has been killed and two others injured in the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which was targeted overnight by at least 20 Russian drones, according to the region’s military governor, Oleksandr Hanzha. In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, at least three people were injured in raids that damaged civilian buildings, according to the mayor of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Ihor Terekhov. Overall, Ukrainian air defences claim to have intercepted and neutralised 105 Russian drones overnight, starting at 6.30 pm yesterday, out of a total of 134 launched against Ukrainian territory, at least 72 of which were jet-powered Shahed drones. Drone impacts were recorded in 20 locations, whilst debris from the downed drones fell at 10 different sites. This is reported by Ukrinform.

Ukrainian air defence forces have neutralised 105 of the 134 drones launched by Russian invading forces against Ukraine since the evening of 30 October. According to a report by Ukrinform, the Ukrainian Air Force Command announced this on Telegram

Late on Friday evening, the Russian armed forces attacked a power station in Kyiv. Parts of three districts in the capital were left without electricity, and there were also problems with the city’s water supply. Mayor Vitaly Klitschko announced this on social media. “Electrical engineers are already at work at the damaged sites to repair the equipment as soon as possible and restore power to the residents of Kyiv,” he added.

The United States has approved the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, munitions that are of vital importance for defence against the escalation of Russian air strikes. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that it could take “several years” for the deliveries to arrive. The US State Department has stated that the advanced PAC-3 interceptor missiles will cost $2.1 billion (£1.6 billion) and will be “fully funded” by Kyiv’s allies in Europe and Canada. On Friday evening, Zelensky reiterated his appeal to the US to speed up the delivery of the Patriot systems, the only weapon effective against Russia.