Ukrainian President Zelensky urges European unity. Russian reservists suffered heavy losses

Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Friday with the mothers of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, telling them that he and his country shared their pain.

Sitting with the group of women around a table with tea and cake, Putin said he understood that nothing could replace the loss of his son.

“I would like you to know that I personally and the entire country’s leadership share your pain,” he said in a recorded television clip seen by Reuters.

“We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son – especially for a mother. We share this pain.”

The clip did not immediately show the mothers’ response to Putin’s comments.

Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been sent to fight in Ukraine this year, including some 300,000 reservists who were called up in September in a “partial” mobilization.

Karen Gilchrist

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said at least 77 civilians have died and millions have drowned in extreme suffering since Russia began bombing Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in October.

Volker Türk said in a statement, according to Reuters, that “millions are drowning in extreme suffering and appalling living conditions as a result of these strikes.”

He added, “If we take this in aggregate, this raises serious problems under international humanitarian law, which requires a tangible and direct military advantage for each target that is targeted.”

Türk also noted that early analysis of videos purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian prisoners of war indicated that they were “most likely real”.

Karen Gilchrist

Russian forces continued their bombardment of the southern city of Kherson, killing seven people and wounding at least 21 others in the latest round of strikes, according to one of the officials.

Shelling from Russian positions across the Dnieper River has become a regular occurrence since the city’s liberation from Russian occupation two weeks earlier.

Kherson region governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said a residential area came under Russian artillery and anti-aircraft fire around 5pm local time Thursday, causing a high-rise building to catch fire. He said the children’s playground was bombed.

Karen Gilchrist

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Europeans on Friday to remain united in the face of Russia’s war.

Speaking via video link to a conference in Lithuania, Zelensky described the mission as the first in the region.

“There is no division or division among the Europeans and we have to maintain this. This is our number one task this year,” he said.

Karen Gilchrist

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russian reservists, two months after they were mobilized by Putin, had “likely” suffered heavy losses after being asked to dig trenches in eastern Ukraine.

“The Kremlin is likely concerned that a growing number of families of reservists are willing to risk arrest by protesting the conditions under which their relatives are serving,” she said in her daily update on Friday.

Prominent supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin are increasingly using “genocide rhetoric” when discussing and demonizing Ukrainians, analysts note, with some pro-war commentators encouraging the concept of “liquidating” the modern state of Ukraine.

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The head of the Kyiv regional government confirmed that nearly 70% of the regional government is still without electricity.

Oleksiy Kuleba also said that the death toll from recent Russian airstrikes has risen to seven, According to an NBC News translation.

Missiles rained down on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities Wednesday, less than 24 hours after officials said a newborn baby had become one of the youngest casualties of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.

Amanda Macias

Ukraine’s government says investigators have found 50 separate mass grave sites in the recently liberated Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.

“In the liberated territories of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, 50 possible burial sites have been examined,” the government wrote on messaging app TelegramAccording to an NBC News translation.

“The search teams have identified the bodies of about 200 victims,” ​​the letter added.

The Kremlin has previously denied allegations that its forces used mass graves in heavily occupied areas.

Amanda Macias

The organization supervising the export of Ukrainian crops said that there are 79 ships backlog waiting to be loaded with goods.

The UN-led Joint Coordination Center also said that about 110 loaded ships are awaiting inspection in Turkish territorial waters.

The Black Sea Grain InitiativeA deal brokered in July between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw three major Ukrainian ports reopen.

Since the agreement was signed, more than 490 ships carrying 11.8 million metric tons of grain and other food products have left for destinations around the world.

Kyiv has previously blamed Moscow for suspending inspections and delaying ship movements.

Amanda Macias