Disgraced Russian commander takes three week holiday

• US ‘increasingly concerned’ Russia will use nuclear weapons

• Google and Apple services 'aiding Russian military against Ukraine'

• Potential nuclear strike is just talk, but here's what Russia could do next

• Putin U-turns and rejoins deal allowing grain to leave Ukraine

• Listen to the latest episode of our daily Ukraine podcast

One of Russia's top military commanders, Major-General Alexander Lapin, will be taking a three-week holiday, following heavy criticism over the performance of his troops in Ukraine, according to Russian media.

Maj Gen Lapin has been the subject of rare public criticism by two close and increasingly vocal allies of President Vladimir Putin: Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military group, who have both sent units to Ukraine to bolster the efforts of the regular army.

Mr Kadyrov said a month ago, after Russian forces were driven out of the strategic logistics hub of Lyman in eastern Ukraine, that Maj Gen Lapin should be stripped of his medals and sent to the front with a gun to wash away his shame with blood.

Now, both regional news agency Ura.ru and Russian newspaper Kommersant have reported that Major-General Alexander Linkov will step in to lead the Central Military District - one of five military districts in the country.

Russia has made sweeping changes to its military leadership in the last two months as Ukrainian forces have reclaimed thousands of square miles in the north-east, east and south from Russian occupation.

It is not yet known where the Major-General might be going on holiday.

05:40 PM

Evening summary

It has been another busy day in the Ukraine conflict. These are the biggest takeaways.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not take part in the G20 summit in Indonesia if Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin attends.

• Russia looks likely to abandon Kherson in what would be another humiliating retreat.

• US personnel are inspecting stocks of American-supplied military equipment in Ukraine as part of efforts to keep track of gear provided to Kyiv's forces, the Pentagon said.

• Russia summons British ambassador  and warns UK over 'unpredictable and dangerous consequences.'

• The UN nuclear watchdog said it had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv's request, in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a "dirty bomb".

05:17 PM

Ukraine war makes fossil fuel finance pledge tricky says Italy

The energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine is creating difficulties with a commitment the Italian government made last year to stop funding overseas fossil fuel projects, the country's climate change envoy said on Thursday.

At last year's United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow, 20 countries including Italy, the United States and Germany pledged to stop public funding for overseas fossil fuel projects by the end of 2022.

"The decision taken in Glasgow has delicate elements also because it was taken before ... the war in Ukraine, which put the energy sector under a lot of stress. This has created difficulties implementing that decision," Italy's Special Envoy for Climate Change Alessandro Modiano said.

The Ukraine war has left Europe short of gas and scrambling to diversify its energy supplies away from Moscow. Geopolitical tensions have caused heightened volatility on energy markets.

05:05 PM

Ukraine will not attend G20 summit if Putin does

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country will  not participate in the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia if Russian President Vladimir Putin also attends.

"If the leader of the Russian Federation was to take part in it, Ukraine would not be participating," Zelensky told a press conference with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Kyiv. Putin is yet to say if he will attend.

04:48 PM

Moldova imports gas from Slovakia for first time

Moldova has imported natural gas from Slovakia, for the first time obtaining volumes pumped from west to east, a senior member of the government said on Thursday.

The comments by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu demonstrated Moldova's ability to source gas from places other than Russia as it faces growing supply problems.

The small ex-Soviet state is reliant on Russian natural gas supplied by Gazprom and is grappling with a 40pc cut in Russian deliveries that has hurt its ability to supply enough electricity to its 2.5 million population.

Spinu said Moldovan company Energocom had bought five million cubic metres of gas in Budnice in Slovakia and lauded it as a step towards greater energy independence.

"What at first glance should have destroyed us has instead made us stronger," he wrote on the Telegram messing app. "By acting in solidarity and making economies, we will get through this winter and come out of it with our heads held high, even stronger, and energy-independent."

04:33 PM

Britain to ban services helping transport Russian oil

Britain is seeking to prevent countries from using its services to transport Russian oil unless it is bought at or below a price cap set by Western governments as part of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The government said today that the ban, which will come into force from December 5, applies to UK services including insurance, brokerage and shipping.

"We've banned the import of Russian oil into the UK and are making good progress on phasing it out completely," chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in a statement. "This new measure continues to turn the screws on Putin's war machine, making it even tougher for him to profiteer from his illegal war."

04:17 PM

Zelensky speaks with US Senators

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been speaking with US Senators about the situation on the front line and the need for military and humanitarian aid.

04:03 PM

Putin facing pressure over Kherson

Pressure is increasing on Vladimir Putin following the apparent decision to withdraw from Kherson, Western officials have said.

"In Kherson, it is likely that most echelons of command have now withdrawn across the river leaving demoralised and leaderless men to face Ukrainian assaults. At least some reservists are arriving in theatre without weapons," one official said.

Officials said the Russians were also running "critically short" of munitions - including artillery shells with additional supplies even being sought from North Korea.

"Without the guns and rocket launchers being fired everything else is grinding to a halt," one official said.

03:45 PM

Bulgarian parliament approves sending military aid to Ukraine

Bulgaria's parliament has signed off on sending military aid to Ukraine, after a previous decision to refrain from directly supplying arms to the war-torn country following Russia's invasion.

Lawmakers gave the interim government one month to draw up a proposal of how much of its Soviet-era military equipment it could possibly dispatch.

Bulgaria, once a signatory to a defence pact with the USSR, still flies a small number of Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter jets that Ukraine has been pressing to receive as its pilots know how to fly them.

The Balkan country also has S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles, but Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov earlier this week said his country could not afford to part with them.

Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union, but still has close historical, cultural and economic ties with Moscow.

Public opinion in the Balkan country remains deeply divided, with a section of the population supporting Moscow's invasion.

A total of 175 lawmakers voted in favour of the decision to ship over military aid earlier today, while 49 were against and one abstained.

03:27 PM

US personnel tracking American-supplied gear in Ukraine

US personnel are inspecting stocks of American-supplied military equipment in Ukraine as part of efforts to keep track of gear provided to Kyiv's forces, the Pentagon has said.

The United States has committed nearly $18 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country in February, and Washington wants to make sure it is not misused.

"A small team comprised of US Embassy Kyiv - Office of the Defence Attache personnel have conducted multiple inspections of US security assistance deliveries within the last couple months at locations in Ukraine," spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement.

"These locations are not near the frontlines of Russia's war against Ukraine," Ryder said, adding that the "inspections are not reactive - we have no evidence of widespread diversion of US security assistance in Ukraine."

03:10 PM

Germany urges western Balkan leaders to resolve conflicts

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday told leaders of six Balkan countries that aspire to join the European Union that "it is high time to overcome regional conflicts" and stand together as Russia wages war in Ukraine.

Leaders from Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania signed agreements on easing regional travel arrangements and on mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications at a meeting with Scholz and the EU's top officials in Berlin. And the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, announced a 1 billion-euro ($988 million) energy support package for the region.

Mr Scholz highlighted the need to deliver on the countries' longstanding desire to join the EU, which he said "is in our interest."

But, with tension brewing again between Serbia and Kosovo this week, he said that the nations themselves need to overcome problems that have slowed their path to the EU and pointed to "a sense of urgency."

"Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine forces us to stand together to preserve Europe's freedom and security," Mr Scholz said. "It is high time to overcome regional conflicts that have continued for far too long _ conflicts that divide you and hold your countries back on your European path."

02:59 PM

Instagram page of Ukraine's top soldier 'hacked'

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi's Instagram account has apparently been hacked.

The profile picture shows Putin riding a bear and wearing aviators, with the Russian flag in the background.

A link appears on the page which directs users to the Telegram account of "Joker DNR". DNR is the acronym for the Moscow-backed separatist group, the Donetsk People's Republic.

A photo of a soldier in clown make-up also appears on the page which has more han 51,000 followers.

02:46 PM

Russia confirmed as 'top liar' with no evidence to support dirty bomb claims

Ukraine's foreign minister has said Russia has been confirmed as the "world's top liar" after the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it had checked three Ukrainian facilities and found no evidence of any "dirty bombs".

Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "I thank (IAEA chief) Rafael Grossi for IAEA’s excellent and prompt cooperation which helped counter Russian falsehoods. Russia has confirmed its status of the world’s top liar."

02:32 PM

No evidence of dirty bomb, UN nuclear watchdog says

The UN nuclear watchdog said it had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv's request, in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a "dirty bomb".

"Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement, adding that environmental samples taken would be analyzed.

01:41 PM

G7 won't allow 'lots of' Ukrainians to starve to death or freeze this winter

The G7 of the world's richest democracies will together kick off winter aid for Ukraine in the face of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure that have caused blackouts and cuts to water supply, Germany has said.

"We will not allow lots of people - the elderly, children, teenagers, families - to die from hunger or cold over the upcoming winter months due to the brutal tactics of the Russian president," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters in the western German town of Münster where she is hosting her G7 counterparts.

01:38 PM

Eight Russian trucks crash near Melitopol, reports

12:36 PM

Moscow warns UK over 'unpredictable and dangerous consequences'

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had delivered a protest to the British ambassador after summoning her over the alleged involvement of British specialists in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea last weekend.

"The demarche stressed that such confrontational actions by the British threatened to escalate the situation and could lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences," the ministry said in a statement.

12:35 PM

Moscow's Kherson official says troops 'likely' abandoning west side of Dnipro

A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's southern Kherson region said on Thursday that Russia's armed forces were likely to quit the western bank of the Dnipro river, from where Moscow has been evacuating citizens in recent weeks.

"Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left (eastern) bank," Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, said in an interview with a pro-Kremlin online media outlet.

The city of Kherson, the only major Ukrainian city that Russian forces have captured intact, is located on the western bank of the Dnipro.

11:52 AM

Kherson residents cheer as they pass abandoned Russian checkpoint

Kherson bus passengers cheer as they pass an abandoned Russian military checkpoint, in a video posted on social media.

The Mayor of Oleshky said residents have been reporting abandoned checkpoints in Chornobayivka, Stepanivka, and Bilozerka.

Fewer military personnel had also been seen in  the southern region's capital, Kherson city.

11:32 AM

In pictures: Britain's ambassador heckled in Moscow

11:19 AM

214 prisoners to be swapped today

Moscow and Kyiv are set to hand over 107 captured fighters apiece today, a Moscow-installed official said.

Denis Pushilin, adminstrator of occupied parts of Donetsk region, announced the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides on his Telegram channel. 

11:10 AM

Ukraine fire a Soviet era howitzer on Russian positions near Kherson

11:01 AM

Living with power cuts as the nights draw in

Ukrainians make do amid power cuts across the country.

President Volodomyr Zelensky has said 40 per cent of the country's energy facilities have been lost to Russian airstrikes.

10:18 AM

Moscow 'not committed' to vital grains deal, bombs Ukrainian energy sites

Moscow said it was not committed to the vital Black Sea exports deal as Ukraine announced it had lost 40 per cent of its energy facilities following overnight Russian airstrikes in steelmaking Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

The Kremlin today said it was not committed to staying in the grain deal, which has freed Ukraine's grain shipments from a Russian blockade of its Black Sea ports, beyond its current expiry date of November 19.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "Before making a decision on an extension, we will need to give an overall assessment of the effectiveness of the deal."

09:22 AM

Moscow calls on UN to help it fulfill its part of the Black Sea grain deal

Moscow had called on the UN to help fulfill part of the Black Sea grain deal that would ease Russia's own food exports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Jordan, one day after Russia said it would resume its participation in the initiative, u-turning on its decision, taken last weekend, to suspend its role in the deal.

09:03 AM

Moscow claims to have thwarted Ukraine attacks on nuclear plant

A senior Russian official has said its forces had prevented a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces "continue to shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with Western weapons which could lead to a global catastrophe", Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said.

Patrushev said that Russian special services had prevented what he said was a "terrorist attack" on the plant.

Ukraine's state nuclear company said on Thursday that Russian shelling had damaged high voltage lines at the plant.

Repeated shelling of the plant has raised the possibility of a grave accident just 300 miles from the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has repeatedly expressed concerns over the shelling of the plant, has made urgent calls for the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant.

08:49 AM

Zaporizhzhia being connected to Russian grid, Kyiv official claims

Russia is connecting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to its power grid as it continues to cripple Ukraine's energy infrastructure, a Kyiv official has said.

The Ukrainian nuclear energy company Energoatom said the last remaining high voltage lines connecting Europe's largest nuclear facility to the Ukrainian grid were damaged by Russian shelling on Wednesday, and Moscow now wants to connect the plant to the Russian grid.

The facility in southern Ukraine has 15 days' worth of fuel to run the generators, it added, and although the six reactors are shut down, they still need a constant supply of electricity to keep the nuclear fuel inside cool and prevent disaster.

"Yesterday ... the Zaporizhzhia NPP's (nuclear power plant's) last two high-voltage lines connecting it to Ukrainian power system were damaged. At 11:04 p.m., the station went into full blackout mode. All 20 diesel generators were switched on," it said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

"In the near future, they (Russia) will try to repair and connect the communication lines of the ZNPP in the direction of temporarily occupied Crimea and Donbas," said Energoatom, whose staff still operate the plant despite its occupation by Russian forces.

08:29 AM

Train services back up in Kharkiv

Train services between the northeastern cities of Kharkiv and Kupyansk are set to resume today after repairs to tracks damaged by Russian shelling.

A test journey to the village of Osynovo, which was recaptured from Russia in September, was successfully carried out.

08:10 AM

Destruction at Donestsk cave monastery, Ukrainian soldier shows shells

07:52 AM

Anti-semitism spreads across Russia following invasion

An EU report has said disinformation and hatred against Jews has "flourished" online throughout Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"The coronavirus pandemic and Russia's aggression against Ukraine further fuelled" anti-Semitism, which "remains a serious problem in our societies," said Michael O'Flaherty, director of the Vienna-based Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).

A working group meeting in June had already highlighted "the risks of fake narratives" and disinformation stoking up anti-Semitism, as Russia justified its war by misusing "terms such as 'Nazi' and 'genocide'" to describe the government in Ukraine.

In its annual report, which was compiled this July, the FRA said that "Jewish communities across Europe" have been "profoundly affected" by online hate and disinformation in the context of the Russian invasion and the outbreak.

The bloc's rights agency reiterated that "recording of anti-Semitic incidents remains poor across Europe," with data collection and classification varying in each country.

07:50 AM

Seven ships leave Ukrainian ports day after Russia resumes exports deal

Seven ships carrying agricultural products have left Ukrainian Black Sea ports, a day after the resumption of a grain deal aimed at delivering Ukrainian food to foreign markets, the infrastructure ministry said.

The vessels were loaded with 290,000 tonnes of food products and were headed towards European and Asian countries, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating.

Russia had said it would resume its participation in a deal freeing up grain exports from Ukraine – reversing a decision that world leaders warned would increase hunger globally.

07:42 AM

British ambassador at Russian foreign ministry after Crimea drone attack

The British ambassador was met with posters saying "Britain is a terrorist country" as she arrived at the Russian foreign ministry this morning.

Deborah Bronnert was summoned to discuss Moscow's claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

07:35 AM

One-eyed Englishman hailed a hero for evacuating Ukrainians

Despite losing his eye on one of his rescue missions, Dave Young, a 56-year-old from Birkenhead, Merseyside, continues his daily drives into battle zones to evacuate Ukrainians.

He was designing lamps in Kyiv when the Russian invasion began and started working with a collective of volunteer Ukrainian drivers for the local charity HelpPeople.

Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, yesterday thanked him for his heroism as he went on to help vulnerable residents caught up in the conflict alone.

07:12 AM

Russian troops dub combat vehicles 'aluminium cans', MoD says

Russian soldiers are calling their ageing combat vehicles "aluminium cans" and have acquired at least 100 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from Belarus, British intelligence says.

Moscow lost more than 40 armoured vehicles per day to Kyiv attacks in mid-October, a MoD briefing said, adding: "Armoured units and artillery are central to Russia’s way of war; the force in Ukraine is now struggling partially due to difficulties in sourcing both artillery ammunition and sufficient serviceable replacement armoured vehicles."

06:02 AM

Zaporizhzia nuclear plant disconnected from grid

Ukraine's Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged the remaining high-voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukraine nuclear firm Energoatom said this morning.

The power plant has 15 days' worth of fuel to run the generators, Energoatom said.

The plant's blocks 5 and 6 are being switched into cold state.

05:41 AM

G7 to discuss Ukraine support

Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich democracies will discuss how best to coordinate further support for Ukraine when they meet on Thursday in Germany following recent Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have caused widespread power cuts.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate the two-day meeting of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with his G7 counterparts in the western German city of Muenster, although China's increasingly assertive role in the world and protests in Iran will also be high on the agenda.

"This G7 ministerial is, for us, coming at an important time," a senior State Department official said, noting that the group "has been a vital coordinating mechanism" for policy approaches on the most pressing issues.

EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Tuesday during a visit to Kyiv that the European Union, together with partners, was exploring ways to increase help for Ukraine's energy sector.

Ukraine needed specific equipment and tools to repair damage to its energy infrastructure, she said. Foreign companies should be urged to prioritise the transfer of energy equipment to Ukraine.

04:13 AM

Important to stand up to 'crazy Russian aggression'

After Russia said it would resume its participation in a deal freeing up grain exports from Ukraine – reversing a decision that world leaders warned would increase hunger globally – Ukraine's President said it was important to stand up to "crazy Russian aggression".

The defence ministry justified the resumption by saying it had received guarantees from Ukraine that it would not use the Black Sea grain corridor for military operations against Russia: "The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement."

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, said it was important to stand up to "crazy Russian aggression that destabilises international trade".

"After eight months of Russia's so-called special operation, the Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

"This is truly a remarkable statement. It shows just what a failure the Russian aggression has been and just how strong we all are when we maintain our unity."

03:00 AM

Lavrov accuses Western media of trying to stir Gulf tensions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told his Iranian counterpart that Western media had launched a campaign that could trigger escalation in the Gulf, his ministry said.

In a telephone call with Hossein Amirabdollahian, Lavrov commented on "the harmfulness of the information campaign that has been launched by Western media".

Lavrov told Mr Amirabdollahian that such actions could result in a dangerous escalation of tension in the strategically important region, the ministry said.

Washington expressed concern this week about unspecified threats from Iran against Saudi Arabia and said it would not hesitate to respond if necessary.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia had shared intelligence with the US warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom.

"The report published in the Wall Street Journal about planning attacks against one of the countries in the region is baseless," Iran's Mission to the UN said.

Iran "reiterates its policy of peaceful neighbourliness with its neighbours based on mutual respect and consistent with international principles and rules".

02:11 AM

UN rejects Russian call for biological weapons probe

The Security Council has rejected a resolution drafted by Russia calling for an investigation into its accusations of Washington's involvement in the alleged development of biological weapons in Ukraine.

Russia had officially requested a UN investigation into the accusations, which it has regularly made since the start of its war in Ukraine.

The resolution it put to the vote on Wednesday received two votes in favour (Russia and China), three against (the UK, France and the US, which have veto power) and the 10 non-permanent members of the Council all abstained.

The text provided for the "establishment of a commission composed of all members of the Security Council to investigate the allegations against the United States and Ukraine" regarding their obligations under the convention that prohibits the development, production and use of biological weapons.

Deputy Russian ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy regretted the outcome of the vote, saying: "Western countries demonstrated in every way that the law does not apply to them."

"This is a usual colonial mentality that we're used to and we're not even surprised by it," he added, promising to return to this issue at the review conference of the Biological Weapons Convention, from November 28 to December 16 in Geneva.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield responded: "The US voted against this resolution because it is based on disinformation, dishonesty, bad faith and a total lack of respect" for the Security Council.

This resolution is "a milestone for Russia's deception and lies" and "no one is buying it except China", she said.

The US and Ukraine had already flatly rejected Russia's accusations last week, with the Americans calling them "pure fabrications".

02:07 AM

Today's top stories

• The United States has said it is "increasingly concerned" after it emerged senior Russian military officials discussed when and how to use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine

• Google and Apple must switch off services that are underpinning the Russian military in their war on Ukraine, according to a report by an expert group set up by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president

• Russian generals have discussed how and when they might use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, according to US officials

• Russia has rejoined a deal to get grain shipments out of Ukraine, in an embarrassing about-turn for Moscow after ships left Black Sea ports despite Russian threats

• Russia has claimed that the world is on the brink of nuclear conflict, accusing the West of provocation