Russian missile attacks leave 10 million Ukrainians without power, Zelenskyy says
Vehicles drive along a street with St. Sophia Cathedral in the background, as the city is plunged into near darkness following a military strike that partially brought down the power infrastructure, in Kyiv on Oct. 31, 2022.
Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
Russian missile strikes on critical energy infrastructure around Ukraine have left some 10 million people in the country without power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Currently, more than 10 million Ukrainians are without electricity,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address, detailing that regions of Kyiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, and Sumy were most severely affected.
Kyiv has for several weeks been urging Ukraine’s residents to conserve their energy use as power plants around Kyiv operate at a fraction of their normal capacity amid Russian attacks. Engineers have been working round the clock to repair power facilities, which have become key targets of Russian strikes. The attacks on urban areas follow humiliating losses for Moscow as Ukrainian forces launched successful counter-offensives to retake regions previously under Russian occupation.
— Natasha Turak
Nord Stream blast was ‘gross sabotage,’ Swedish prosecutor says
BORNHOLM, DENMARK – SEPTEMBER 27: Danish Defense shows the gas leaking at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark on September 27, 2022.
Danish Defence/ | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist, who is heading the investigation into the September explosion that damaged Germany’s Nord Stream pipeline, called the blast “gross sabotage” and said that remnants of explosives were identified.
“During the crime scene investigations that were carried out on site in the Baltic Sea, extensive seizures were made, and the area has been carefully documented,” Ljungqvist said in a statement. “The incident is gross sabotage,” the heading of the statement read.
“Analysis that has now been carried out shows traces of explosives on several of the foreign objects that were found. Advanced analysis work continues in order to be able to draw firmer conclusions about the incident.”
The statement added that work continues on the preliminary investigation, which “is very complex and comprehensive.” It does not name potential suspects, and said that no further information can be provided at this time.
— Natasha Turak
Diplomats make last push for Ukraine crisis at APEC meeting
After ASEAN and G-20 meetings, the possible spillover of the war in Ukraine into Europe’s eastern flank looms large over the two-day APEC summit.
The meeting of world leaders in the Thai capital of Bangkok may be the last chance in a recent flurry of diplomatic efforts in the region to try and find consensus to forge a path toward peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
“How do we help bring all the parties in the conflict here to the table and try to find a solution? We need to get to that point as soon as we can,” Kasemsit Pathosak, executive director of the APEC CEO Summit told CNBC.
Attendees for the group’s first in-person summit in four years include Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Major stakeholders like U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin won’t be there.
— Lee Ying Shan, Sri Jegarajah
U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley and Swedish counterpart discuss NATO membership at Pentagon
U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Army General Mark Milley speaks during a news briefing after participating a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, November 16, 2022.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley met with his Swedish counterpart at the Pentagon.
Milley discussed the NATO accessions process and regional security concerns with Swedish Supreme Commander Gen. Micael Bydén, according o a Pentagon readout of the meeting.
In May, Sweden and Finland began the formal process of applying to NATO. All 30 members of the alliance have to ratify the countries’ entry into the group. In August, U.S. President Joe Biden signed ratification documents following a 95-1 Senate vote to bring Finland and Sweden into NATO.
— Amanda Macias