Thousands without power after Russian strikes on energy hubs, says Ukraine Thousands of people living near the frontlines in Ukraine have been left without power after Russian strikes on energy facilities, the Ukrainian government has said. The country’s energy ministry said in a statement that recent shelling in the southern city of Kherson had left more than 28,000 people without power. It added that 3,000 people had been without electricity in the last day alone. It said damage to an overhead line in the eastern Donetsk region had completely cut off the city of Kostyantynivka, and that 122 settlements were still without power. It also said a building in Kharkiv owned by a private energy supplier had been hit, cutting off another 17,600 people. Last winter, systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russia left millions without light or heating. Temperatures in Ukraine in the winter months routinely drop well below freezing. President Zelenskiy said this week that western support had allowed Ukraine to improve its air defences, though added that the country did not yet have “100% protection”. Closing summary We’re wrapping up our coverage of the war in Ukraine for the day. In case you missed anything, here’s a quick round-up of all the latest developments. Ukraine has said it has carried out “successful actions” on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. It comes after both Ukraine and Russia acknowledged earlier this week that Ukraine had established positions on the eastern side of the river, which marks part of the frontline in south-east Ukraine. Celebrating the development, President Zelenskiy published pictures showing Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern bank of the river. “Left bank of Kherson. Our warriors. Thank you for your strength and for moving forward! Glory to each and everyone who is returning freedom and justice to Ukraine!” he said. Thousands of people living near the frontlines in southern and eastern Ukraine have been left without power after Russian strikes on energy facilities, the Ukrainian government has said. Last winter, systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russia left millions without light or heating. Zelenskiy said this week that western support had allowed Ukraine to improve its air defences ahead of the coming winter months. At least nine people were killed in Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to local officials. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, said shelling on Thursday had targeted residential areas, shopping districts, and administrative buildings. Another two people were killed in the eastern region of Donetsk, according to the acting head of its military administration. Russian casualties since the start of the war now stand at 316,760, according to the Ukrainian military. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said he has “no doubt” Vladimir Putin will still be Russian president after the election in March. Putin has not yet announced his intention to run but is widely expected to stand for another six-year term. Asked what the next president should be like in an interview with student journalists, Peskov said: “The same.” A total of 4.4m tonnes of cargo, including 3.2m tons of grain, has been shipped via Ukraine’s new Black Sea shipping corridor since it was established in August, according to a report by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. A UN-brokered deal that had allowed Ukrainian exports to pass through the Black Sea fell through in July after Russia withdrew, prompting Ukraine to announce a “humanitarian corridor” hugging the sea’s western coast. The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, followed his trip to Ukraine on Thursday with a visit to neighbouring Moldova. Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, posted a photo of her and Cameron together to social media and said the two had met on Thursday night to discuss “Black Sea security, bilateral cooperation and our united stance against corruption”. The Dutch government has announced that it has earmarked an additional €2bn in military aid for Ukraine in 2024. It is part of a wider package that includes an initial €102m (£89m) for reconstruction and humanitarian aid that will be increased during the year if needed. Finland’s government has announced a new package of defence equipment for Ukraine worth €100m (£88m). It said the package would be the 20th provided by Finland since the start of the war and would bring the value of all support given to €1.5bn (£1.3bn). The country’s defence minister, Antti Häkkänen, said in a statement that further details on the package’s contents and the delivery schedule would not be disclosed for security reasons. “What is at stake in Ukraine’s defence struggle is the security environment outlook on Europe and Finland,” he said. “Together with our allies, we remain unwavering in our commitment to support Ukrainians.” The Kremlin has said Finland is making a “big mistake” by erecting barriers along its border with Russia. Finnish authorities plan to put up barriers at four of the country’s nine border crossings with Russia at midnight local time (10pm GMT) on Friday. Helsinki has accused Moscow of deliberately funnelling migrants and asylum seekers to the crossings in retaliation for Finland’s increased defence cooperation with the US. Finland’s Border Guard said 300 asylum seekers – mostly from Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and Syria – had arrived this week, almost 100 of them by midday on Friday alone. The four crossings being closed – Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala, all at the southern end of the border – are usually the busiest points of travel between the two countries. “[One can] only express deep regret that the Finnish authorities have taken the path of destroying bilateral relations,” Russian state news agency Tass quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying when asked about the issue on Friday. “Russia has never in modern history threatened Finland. We had no reason for any confrontation. Now they have chosen this path. “From our point of view, this is a big mistake.” A total of 4.4m tons of cargo, including 3.2m tons of grain, has been shipped via Ukraine’s new Black Sea shipping corridor since it was established in August, according to a report by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. A UN-brokered deal that had allowed Ukrainian exports to pass through the Black Sea fell through in July after Russia withdrew, prompting Ukraine to announce a “humanitarian corridor” hugging the sea’s western coast. Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine’s deputy minister for renovation and infrastructure, was quoted as saying that 151 ships have so far passed through the corridor. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain producers, and grain exports account for a significant portion of its economy. Construction is underway on two heavily-fortified underground schools that will allow children in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv to return safely to in-person classes. The region, home to about 2.5 million people, shares a border with Russia and has been the target of frequent shelling since the start of the war, forcing schools to hold their lessons remotely. Chief regional architect Anton Korotkovskykh told Reuters that the schools being built will be able to accommodate up to 500 people and withstand direct hits. He added that 817 educational facilities in the region had been damaged or destroyed since the invasion, and that more underground sites are planned by the end of next year. Serhiy Petrulyanis, whose company is building one of the schools, said they would be equipped with ventilation, plumbing, and heating systems. “That is, people will be able to remain here more than just one day,” he said. Thousands without power after Russian strikes on energy hubs, says Ukraine Thousands of people living near the frontlines in Ukraine have been left without power after Russian strikes on energy facilities, the Ukrainian government has said. The country’s energy ministry said in a statement that recent shelling in the southern city of Kherson had left more than 28,000 people without power. It added that 3,000 people had been without electricity in the last day alone. It said damage to an overhead line in the eastern Donetsk region had completely cut off the city of Kostyantynivka, and that 122 settlements were still without power. It also said a building in Kharkiv owned by a private energy supplier had been hit, cutting off another 17,600 people. Last winter, systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russia left millions without light or heating. Temperatures in Ukraine in the winter months routinely drop well below freezing. President Zelenskiy said this week that western support had allowed Ukraine to improve its air defences, though added that the country did not yet have “100% protection”. Zelenskiy salutes "strength" of soldiers reaching Dnipro River’s east bank Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has published pictures of Ukrainian troops on the left bank of the Dnipro River on his Telegram account. He hailed his soldiers for their strength and “for moving forward”. He wrote: “Left bank of Kherson. Our warriors. Thank you for your strength and for moving forward! Glory to each and everyone who is returning freedom and justice to Ukraine!” Earlier on Friday, the Ukraine marine corps said in a statement on social media that it had conducted a series of successful operations on the left bank of the Dnipro River, along the Kherson front. Ukraine is hoping to establish positions on the eastern side of the river which could allow it to push on further towards Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Dutch government to provide €2bn in military aid for Ukraine in 2024 The Dutch government has earmarked an additional €2bn in military aid for Ukraine in 2024, in what the country’s defence minister, Kajsa Ollongren, said was a sign of unwavering support for Kyiv’s war against Russia. It is part of a wider package the Netherlands will provide to Ukraine next year that includes an initial €102m (£89m) for reconstruction and humanitarian aid that will be increased during the year if needed. The latest package takes the total amount of Dutch support for Ukraine during the conflict to around €7.5bn, Ollongren said. “This will safeguard our support for Ukraine and ensure continuity, which is critical for Ukraine,” Ollongren told Reuters. There is due to be a general election in the Netherlands on 22 November that will change the composition of the ruling government coalition. Support will be provided based on Kyiv’s needs, Ollongren said, and may include advanced drone capabilities. Air defence, ammunition and air force support will remain a priority after the Dutch, Danish and other Nato allies established an F-16 training centre for Ukrainian pilots. Ukrainian troops have conducted a series of successful operations on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, the country’s military said on Friday. The claim comes after official acknowledgment from Russia and Ukraine earlier this week that Ukraine had established positions on the eastern side of the river, which marks the frontline for a stretch of territory in south-east Ukraine. “The defence forces of Ukraine conducted a series of successful operations on the left bank of the Dnipro River, along the Kherson front,” the Ukraine marine corps said in a statement on social media. Ukraine liberated Kherson and areas around the city on the western bank of the river a year ago, after Russia executed a humiliating withdrawal weeks after Vladimir Putin had declared the region to be part of Russia. Ukraine had hoped to push forward and retake more territory over the summer and autumn but Kyiv’s much-trailed counteroffensive has struggled, after Russia constructed formidable minefields and other defences along the frontline. The news of the troops on the eastern bank of the Dnipro provides some good news for Kyiv at a time when Russia is on the offensive along other parts of the front. The Ukrainian hope is that establishing positions on the eastern side of the river could allow it to push on further towards Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Read Shaun’s full story at the link below. The Hungarian government has released a set of questions it has called a “national survey” for an informal survey it will send to voters on a number of issues including migration, LGBTQ+ rights and support for Ukraine, including a proposal to block further European Union assistance to Kyiv unless the bloc releases frozen funds to Hungary. As Associated Press reports, one question asks whether Hungary should block an EU plan to provide a four-year, €50bn aid package for Ukraine unless the bloc unfreezes billions in assistance to Hungary that it has held up over concerns that the government of Viktor Orbán has failed to uphold the rule of law and human rights standards. “They are asking Hungary for additional support [for Ukraine] even as our country has not received the EU funds due to it,” says one segment of the survey. “We should not pay more to support Ukraine until we have received the money we are owed,” one possible answer says. Hungary’s national consultation surveys, conducted numerous times by Orbán’s right-wing populist government since it took power in 2010, have been widely criticised as propaganda tools. Orbán’s government says the surveys strengthen its bargaining position on the European level by demonstrating a national consensus on political issues. The surveys are sent by mail to every Hungarian of voting age, but bear no legally binding relevance. Away from the war in Ukraine, the Russian justice ministry has filed a lawsuit with the nation’s supreme court to outlaw the LGBTQ+ “international public movement” as extremist, the Associated Press reports. The ministry said authorities have identified “signs and manifestations of extremist nature” in “the activities of the LGBT movement active” in Russia, including “incitement of social and religious discord”. Russia’s supreme court has scheduled a hearing to consider the lawsuit on 30 November, the ministry said. It wasn’t immediately clear what exactly the label would entail for LGBTQ+ people in Russia if the supreme court sides with the justice ministry. But the move in itself represents the latest, and most drastic, step in the decade-long crackdown on gay rights in Russia unleashed under Vladimir Putin. Two killed in Donetsk Two people have been killed and three have been wounded in the east Ukrainian region of Donetsk, the acting head of its military administration has said. In a post on Telegram, Ihor Moroz said two people had been killed in the city of Selydove, while two of the injuries had occurred in the town of Antonivka and another had occurred in Toretsk. “Russia kills civilians!” Moroz said.