Latest updates: No traces of a ‘dirty bomb’ in Ukraine, says IAEA
Ukraine news from Nov 3: UN investigates three sites in Ukraine after Russia alleges Kyiv planning to use ‘dirty bomb’.
- The United Nations nuclear watchdog finds no sign of undeclared nuclear activity across three sites in Ukraine.
- Russian forces are “likely” to quit the west bank of the Dnipro River, the Moscow-installed head of occupied Kherson says, as city residents are urged to leave immediately.
- The United Nations nuclear watchdog finds no sign of undeclared nuclear activity across three sites in Ukraine.
- Russian forces are “likely” to quit the west bank of the Dnipro River, the Moscow-installed head of occupied Kherson says, as city residents are urged to leave immediately.
- Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the power grid by Russian shelling, leaving the site with just diesel generators, the state nuclear power company says.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Thursday, November 3:
Ukraine congratulates Netanyahu and calls for cooperation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu for winning Israel’s parliamentary elections.
“Ukraine and Israel share common values and challenges, which now require effective cooperation,” Zelenskyy tweeted but gave no details. Ukraine has repeatedly asked Israel to supply air defence systems.
Congratulations to @netanyahu on winning the elections. It’s always important to see real democracy in action. 🇺🇦 & 🇮🇱 share common values & challenges that now require effective cooperation. We hope to open a new page in cooperation with the new 🇮🇱 Government for 🇺🇦&🇮🇱 benefit!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 3, 2022
Putin orders one-time $3,100 payment for mobilised and contract soldiers
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a one-time payment of 195,000 roubles ($3,100) for contract soldiers and those who have been mobilised to fight in Ukraine, the Kremlin has said.
Last week, Moscow said the “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 reservists was over but conceded there had been problems. More than 2,000 people were arrested at protests amid public outcry over cases of men being called up despite medical exemptions or a lack of military experience.
In a decree published on the Kremlin website, Putin said the payment was designed “to provide additional measures of social support” to contract soldiers and those who had been called up. It did not give further details.
The minimum monthly wage on offer for contract soldiers is 160,000 roubles ($2,600), which is almost three times the national average.
Ukraine has the capability to retake Kherson: Pentagon
Ukrainian forces can retake the strategic southern city of Kherson from Russian troops, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has said, in what would be a major defeat for Moscow.
“On the issue of whether the Ukrainians can take the remaining territory on the west side of the Dnipro [Dnieper] River and in Kherson, I certainly believe that they have the capability to do that,” Austin told a news conference at the Pentagon.
“Most importantly, the Ukrainians believe they have the capability to do that. We have seen them engage in a very methodical but effective effort to take back their sovereign territory.”
Ukraine’s energy minister slams Russia ‘dirty bomb’ allegations
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Herry Fawcett sat down with the Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko to ask if he believed the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which stated that no undeclared nuclear activities were found in Ukraine, would have been enough to refute “dirty bomb” allegations made by Russia.
“I hope so because, I mean, for us it was obvious that it was another Russian fake, and, to prove it again, we asked the IAEA inspectors to come and verify this information. But of course, we were sure that it was only a fake,” said Halushchenko.
“I don’t know what it will be tomorrow, what other fake we could see tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. That is just a question of time I think.”
Sweden, Finland have not yet fulfilled obligations to enter NATO: Turkey FM
Sweden and Finland have not yet fulfilled all obligations under a deal clearing their bids to join NATO, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said, adding that no concrete steps have been taken yet.
His comment came as he was speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Istanbul who noted earlier that “it was time to welcome” the two Nordic countries in the defensive alliance to “prevent any misunderstanding or miscalculation in Moscow”.
Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum in June, resulting in NATO member Turkey lifting a veto of their applications to join the trans-Atlantic security alliance.
Turkey had opposed Finland and Sweden’s application accusing them of providing shelter to members of the PKK, a Kurdish armed group that Ankara, the European Union and the United States have designated as a terrorist group.
‘Do everything to bring victory closer’: Ukrainian PM
The Ukrainian parliament approved the 2023 draft budget with a record deficit of $38bn, a spending plan that Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said was intended to help bring victory against Russia closer.
“Do everything to bring victory closer,” Shmyhal said after the vote. “It was with this philosophy that we drafted this budget.”
Shymhal said earlier this week that it would be a “budget for victory”, setting aside more than one trillion hryvnias ($27.1bn) for the armed forces and national security.
UK to ban countries using its services to transport Russian oil
The UK seeks to prevent countries from using its services to transport Russian oil unless it is bought at or below a price cap.
“We’ve banned the import of Russian oil into the UK and are making good progress on phasing it out completely,” finance minister 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.”
The UK government said the ban, which will come into force on December 5, applies to UK services, including insurance, brokerage and shipping.
‘Today, we held another POWs swap’: Ukraine
Head of the office of the president of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, tweeted about the prisoner swap with Russia and said the Ukrainian government “will do everything necessary to help each one of them”.
“Today, we held another POWs swap. We managed to free and bring home 107 servicemen, including many WIAs. Ukraine government will do everything necessary to help each one of them,” he said.
Today we held another POWs swap. We managed to free and bring home 107 servicemen including many WIAs.
🇺🇦 government will do everything necessary to help each one of them. pic.twitter.com/t3VIsNlTMi— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) November 3, 2022
Bulgarian government to decide which weapons to send Ukraine
The Bulgarian government will have one month to decide which weapons to send in the form of military aid to Ukraine.
Currently, Bulgaria is one of the few European Union countries not sending military aid to Ukraine after the Russia-friendly socialist party, a coalition partner in the previous government, blocked the decision in May.
The caretaker Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters that Bulgaria could not afford to send its Soviet-made anti-aircraft missile systems or fighter jets, which Kyiv wants, because they could not be replaced quickly.
No evidence of ‘dirty bomb’ at three sites in Ukraine: IAEA
There are no indications of “undeclared nuclear activities” at three locations in Ukraine, a UN watchdog says after visiting the sites at Kyiv’s request to address “dirty bomb” allegations made by Russia.
“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 (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement.
After the findings were released, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called Russia the “world’s top liar”.
“IAEA has checked 3 Ukrainian facilities in focus of Russian disinfo and found no evidence of any ‘dirty bombs’. I thank 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,” he said.
IAEA has checked 3 Ukrainian facilities in focus of Russian disinfo and found no evidence of any ‘dirty bombs’. I thank @rafaelmgrossi for IAEA’s excellent and prompt cooperation which helped counter Russian falsehoods. Russia has confirmed its status of the world’s top liar.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) November 3, 2022
Moscow says Ukraine has released 107 Russian soldiers
Russia’s defence ministry says Ukraine has released 107 Russian service personnel in the latest exchange of prisoners of war between Kyiv and Moscow.
The soldiers will be taken to Moscow for medical treatment, the ministry said in a statement.
Russia is also expected to free 107 captured Ukrainian service personnel.
In September, Russia and Ukraine exchanged nearly 300 prisoners in the largest prisoner swap since the war began.
G7 will not allow Russia to ‘starve’ Ukraine
The Group of Seven (G7) wealthiest democracies will not allow Russia to inflict “starvation” on Ukrainians this winter due to the war, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said.
“We will not allow the brutality of this war to lead to masses of elderly people, children, young people and families dying in the coming winter months,” Baerbock said ahead of a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Germany.
UN chief urges Russia and Ukraine to extend grain deal
Ukraine has exported 10 million tonnes of grain since the United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal in July to resume shipments stalled by Russia’s war, UN chief Antonio Guterres said as he pushed Russia and Ukraine to extend the pact, which expires in two weeks.
“I appeal to all parties to concentrate efforts in two areas: first, renewal and full implementation of the Black Sea Initiative; second, removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser,” he told reporters.
Russian flag removed from administration building in Kherson
Russia’s flag has been removed from an administration building in Kherson, suggesting that its troops might be retreating from the southern Ukrainian city.
Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy head of Kherson, said earlier that troops would “likely” be leaving the west bank of the Dnipro River and moving to the east.
BBC monitoring journalist Francis Scarr posted a video recorded by pro-Kremlin war correspondent Alexander Kots, showing the now-empty flag pole.
War "reporter" Alexander Kots confirms that the Russian flag has been removed from the occupying authorities' administration in Kherson (although it's still flying over the naval academy opposite) pic.twitter.com/uY01hAgNNb
— Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) November 3, 2022
Switzerland rejects another appeal to supply ammunition to Ukraine
Switzerland has rejected another appeal from Germany to allow it to export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, saying the move would violate Swiss neutrality.
German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht wrote to the government in Bern last month asking for permission to supply 12,400 rounds of Swiss-made ammunition for Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, which Berlin has already provided to Kyiv to help in its war with Russia.
But the Swiss government said: “Under the principle of equal treatment in neutrality law, Switzerland cannot agree to a request for the transfer of war materiel of Swiss origin to Ukraine as long as the latter is involved in an international armed conflict.
“As the legal situation remains unchanged, approval of a transfer of Swiss war materiel by Germany to Ukraine is still not possible.”
A previous request was rejected in June for the same reason.
Russian forces ‘likely’ to retreat from western bank of Dnipro River
A Russian-installed official in Kherson says Russia’s armed forces will likely quit the western bank of the Dnipro River.
“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 Solovyov Live.
Stremousov urged civilians remaining in the city to leave immediately.
In recent weeks, Russia has evacuated thousands of people in what Kyiv calls forced deportations.
The city of Kherson is the only major Ukrainian city that Russian forces have captured intact.
Russia warns London of ‘dangerous consequences’
Russia summoned the UK’s ambassador and warned London of “dangerous consequences” after an attack on Moscow’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea at the weekend.
“Such confrontational actions of the English carry a threat of escalation of the situation and could lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Russia accused Britain of helping Ukraine attack its fleet on Saturday, causing minor damage to one of its ships.
Who controls what?
Here are four maps, which are updated daily, charting the war:
Russia and Ukraine to hand over 107 captured soldiers each
Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to a prisoner swap, handing over 107 captured fighters each.
Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed administrator of the Donetsk region, said on Telegram: “Today we are returning 107 of our fighters from Ukrainian dungeons. We are giving Ukraine the same number of prisoners, mostly VES soldiers, again.
“Of the total number of those released, 65 were from the Donetsk and Lugansk [Luhansk] People’s Republics. Soon they will be able to hug their loved ones.”
‘100 additional tanks’ from Belarus likely: British Ministry of Defence
According to the British Ministry of Defence, it is likely that Russia has recently received “at least 100 additional tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from Belarussian stocks.”
The daily defence update added that by mid-October, Russian armoured vehicle losses were up by 40 a day, “roughly equivalent to a battalion’s worth of equipment.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 03 November 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/f9ZFM3FBtu
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/O0yDkN0ycJ
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 3, 2022
The Russian delegation resumes work at the JCC
The Russian delegation resumed work at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) that runs the Black Sea grain deal operations in Istanbul.
The UN Secretariat at the centre said the delegation joined vessel inspections, adding that the inspection queue had been significantly reduced.
Currently, more than 120 ships are waiting to depart.
Russia temporarily suspended participation in the UN-brokered deal on Saturday after what it said was a drone attack on its Black Sea fleet.
It resumed participation in the deal on Wednesday.
No commitment to extending grain deal: Russia
The Kremlin says it has not committed to extending the Black Sea grain deal beyond its current expiry date of November 19.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia needed to assess how the deal was working before deciding on its future involvement.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also urged the United Nations to increase its efforts to ensure the West eases its restrictions that hinder Moscow’s agricultural and fertiliser exports.
Hungary to debate Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid
Hungary’s Parliament will decide when to schedule a debate on approving Finland and Sweden’s applications to join NATO, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a news conference.
Szijjarto said the government had done its job by submitting the relevant bill to parliament. Hungary and Turkey are the only members not to have ratified the applications.
Moscow calls on UN to ease Russian exports
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia has called on the United Nations to help fulfil part of the Black Sea grain deal that would ease its food exports.
Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Jordan a day after Russia said it would resume its participation in the deal after announcing on Saturday that it was pulling out due to a drone attack on its fleet.
Russia says it prevented Ukrainian ‘terrorist’ attack on Zaporizhzhia plant
A senior Russian official said Russia had prevented a Ukrainian attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Ukrainian forces “continue to shell the Zaporizhia 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 and Russia have accused each other of shelling the plant while denying the other side’s claims.