NU.nl regularly provides an overview of the situation in Ukraine. By this time: Ukraine reports that at least 437 children have been killed since the start of the war. That number could go up. In a few days the war will have lasted nine months. And besides, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised with a visit to Kiev. He made some promises to his Ukrainian colleague.
The war is approaching nine months and Ukraine says more than 437 children have died as a result of the war. More than 800 children were injured.
The authorities stress that these are not definitive data and that these numbers will increase. Information is still being monitored from combat areas, liberated areas and areas still occupied by Russian forces.
The United Nations says at least 16,295 civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion.
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Get a regular overview of events
“Ukraine can be the boss in Crimea again this year”
Ukrainian forces could regain control of Russian-occupied Crimea by the end of this year.
This is what Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrilov expects. In an interview with Sky News he said he believes the war with Russia will end in the spring.
The deputy defense minister says Ukraine will never stop fighting until victory is finally achieved. He also considers the possibility of a Russian nuclear attack. “Such a step would be a tragedy. God only knows what scenario would bring such a thing to everyone, but it is not a threat that will stop us from continuing our fight.”
Havrilov reiterated the widely used message that Ukraine only wants peace talks “Russian troops have shown willingness to leave any part of Ukrainian territory”. This also applies to Crimea and the Donetsk Basin, which have been occupied by the Russians for years.
Surprise visit of the British prime minister to Kiev
New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised with a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Saturday. He spoke there with his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelensky.
Since the early days of the war, Ukraine and the UK have been the strongest allies, Zelensky says. With his message, he posted a video of his meeting with Sunak. The head of the British government has promised that Britain will continue to support the Ukrainians in their fight against the Russians.
Sunak has promised, among other things, a £50m package of defense equipment, such as weapons to shoot down fighter jets and technology to disable drones.
Zelensky was very grateful and tweeted: “With friends like you by our side, we are confident in our victory.”
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Zelensky doesn’t want a short truce with Russia
Zelensky doesn’t like to hold a short truce with Russia. He says the war will only get worse.
“Russia is now looking for a short respite, a pause to recuperate. One could call this the end of the war, but such a delay will only exacerbate the situation.”
“A true, lasting and just peace can only be the result of a complete cessation of Russian aggression,” Zelensky added.
General Mark Milley, the top US military officer, has suggested in recent weeks that Kiev could use battlefield victories to launch peace talks with Moscow.
0:31Burying one of the Polish missile victims
One of the Polish victims of last week’s waved missiles was buried on Saturday. The man is called a war hero because he sheltered many Ukrainian refugees.
Like the other fatal victim, the man was a grain worker in the Polish border area with Ukraine. Two rockets hit the village of Przewodów on Tuesday. It is not yet clear whether the missiles are Russian or Ukrainian-made. Research should prove it.
Many mines in Ukraine
Nearly a third of the whole of Ukraine is said to be littered with mines. So say the Ukrainian authorities. This affects all areas that Ukraine now has control over.
Emergency services are engaged in demining an area of 8000 m2 in the liberated parts of Kherson and Mykolaiv.
Since 2014, mines have been used extensively in the eastern Donbass region. But since the Russian army entered the country in February this year, that area has reportedly increased tenfold.
The explosives are now located in an area that is four times the size of the Netherlands. It will certainly take months before all infrastructure is free of mines.
Another railway link with Kherson regained
More than a week after the Russians withdrew from the city of Kherson, Ukrainian Railways has restored the railway connection. On Friday evening, an overnight train went from Kiev to the city at the mouth of the Dnipro River.
Kherson quickly fell to the Russians after the war began in February and was the only major city to be taken. Under pressure from Ukrainian attacks from the north, the Russian forces decided on 9 November to abandon the city and retreat to the south bank of the wide river. Kherson is on the north bank.
Russian troops reinforce the lines, but away from the front
Russian troops in occupied Ukraine are reinforcing their lines, but some of them are far from the front line. The fortifications are up to 60 kilometers behind the current front line, British intelligence reports.
The Russians are apparently considering further major breakthroughs by the Ukrainian military, the British say.
The invading Russian forces are making all sorts of adjustments after their forced withdrawal from the western part of the Kherson region. Defenses are now being strengthened in the Crimea peninsula and in a river between the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, strongholds of pro-Russian rebels.
Russia confirms to strengthen its positions in Crimea, which borders Kherson, conquered in 2014. It is a question of guaranteeing the safety of all the inhabitants of Crimea.
First snow in Ukraine, Russia attacks gas production
The first snow of autumn has fallen in Ukraine, while Russia is trying to disrupt the production of Ukrainian gas with new missile attacks. According to the governor of Kiev, in the coming period in the capital it can be very cold, up to -10 degrees.
Russia has been bombing Ukraine regularly with missiles in recent days. Shells hit Kiev and missile factories across the country on Thursday. Civilian targets would also be hit. Much of Ukraine suffers from power outages due to rocket attacks.
