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Russian forces continue to barrage Ukraine in multiple parts of the country — from the capital city Kyiv in the north to Odesa in the south — and target the country’s energy facilities.

Amid freezing temperatures, about 10 million people have been left without power and heat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday in his nightly video address.

The Ukrainian president said people are experiencing blackouts and outages in 18 regions, as well as in Kyiv, and he added that utility workers are doing “everything to restore electricity.”

The chief executive of state utility operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, said on Ukrainian state television, “We need to prepare for possible long outages, but at the moment we are introducing schedules that are planned and will do everything to ensure that the outages are not very long.”

The capital also is facing “a huge deficit in electricity” according to the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, who told The Associated Press that about 2 million people, half the city’s population, are plunged into darkness periodically as authorities try to restore the city’s power grid.

A United Nations agency said it feared a humanitarian crisis this winter if the power outages continued.

Russia’s defense ministry said its strikes in Ukraine on Thursday were aimed at military and energy infrastructure, Russian news agencies reported.

Reuters reports that in its daily briefing, the defense ministry said that it used long-range weapons to hit defense and industrial targets, including “missile manufacturing facilities.”

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with the executive vice president of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis. The president thanked him for the EU’s planned financial assistance program of 18 billion euros in 2023. He expressed hope Ukraine will be able to receive the first tranche as early as January.

“Ukraine’s ability to continue to withstand Russia’s aggression, the ability of our budget to withstand financial challenges, the energy crisis caused by the war is extremely important,” said Zelenskyy.

Ukraine reports shelling, missiles nationwide

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, overnight shelling and missile strikes targeted “critical infrastructure” and damaged energy equipment, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. Eight people, including energy company crews and police officers, were injured while trying to clear some of the debris, he said.

Russian forces employed drones, rockets, heavy artillery and warplanes in Ukraine’s southeast, resulting in the death of at least six civilians and wounding an equal number in the past 24 hours, the office of the president reported.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, part of which remains under Russian control, heavy fire targeted 10 towns and villages. The death toll from a rocket attack Thursday on a residential building in the city of Vilniansk climbed to nine people, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, posted on Telegram.

In Nikopol, located across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, 40 Russian missiles damaged several high-rise buildings, private houses, and a power line.

In the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Russia was using troops pulled from Kherson to unleash heavy attacks. The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired artillery on the towns of Bakhmut and nearby Soledar, among others. 

They were also shelling Balakliya in the Kharkiv region and Nikopol, a city on the opposite bank of the Kakhovka reservoir from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, the statement said. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports. 

In Luch, a village that sits on the border between the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, months of Russian shelling have turned the locality into a virtual ghost town. Before February 24, about 1,000 people lived in the village. Now, there are only 38 who remain.

Luch has been shelled from the side of the Russian-occupied Kherson region almost every day since the start of the war. No buildings remain intact in the village at present.   

“It’s tough. We are constantly hiding; we can’t figure out what side the missiles are coming from,” said Galyna, a resident of the village. “We had such a lovely village, and now there’s nothing left. Everything is in ruins.”

Yelyzaveta Krotyk contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse, Reuters and The Associated Press. 
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Russia said on Friday it hoped to clinch a prisoner swap with the United States to return convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” in an exchange that would likely include U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner.

Amid the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Russia and the United States are exploring a deal that could see imprisoned Americans including Griner return to the United States in exchange for Bout.

“I want to hope that the prospect not only remains but is being strengthened, and that the moment will come when we will get a concrete agreement,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Interfax.

“The Americans are showing some external activity, we are working professionally through a special channel designed for this,” Ryabkov said. “Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result.”

For the two former Cold War foes, now grappling with the gravest confrontation since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the exchange would mark one of the more extraordinary prisoner swaps in their history.

The distinctly upbeat remarks from Ryabkov, the foreign ministry’s point man for the Americas and arms control, contrast with previous statements from Moscow which have cautioned Washington against trying to engage in megaphone diplomacy over the prisoner swap.

The possible swap includes Griner, facing nine years behind bars in Russia after being convicted on drug charges, and Paul Whelan who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of espionage charges that he denies.

Bout for Griner

Variously dubbed “the merchant of death” and “the sanctions buster” for his ability to get around arms embargoes, Bout was one of the world’s most wanted men prior to his 2008 arrest on multiple charges related to arms trafficking.

For almost two decades, Bout was one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, selling weaponry to rogue states, rebel groups and murderous warlords in Africa, Asia and South America.

But in 2008, Bout was snared in an elaborate U.S. sting.

Bout was caught on camera agreeing to sell undercover U.S. agents posing as representatives of Colombia’s leftist FARC guerrillas 100 surface-to-air missiles, which they would use to kill U.S. troops. Shortly afterwards, he was arrested by Thai police.

Bout was tried on the charges related to FARC, which he denied, and in 2012 was convicted and sentenced by a court in Manhattan to 25 years in prison, the minimum sentence possible.

Ever since, the Russian state has been keen to get him back.

Griner has been transferred to a penal colony in the Mordovia region, southeast of Moscow, her lawyers said on Thursday, confirming a Reuters report.

At her trial, Griner – who played basketball for a Russian team in the U.S. off-season – said she had used cannabis for relief from sports injuries but had not meant to break the law. She told the court she made an honest mistake by packing the cartridges in her luggage.
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Ukrainian officials reported fresh missile strikes Thursday in multiple parts of the country, with targets including gas facilities.

The focus of the strikes, by drones as well as missiles, continues to be energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian military said in statement, adding that the attacks stretched from Kyiv to Odesa in the south.

Ukraine says it has shot down two cruise missiles, five air-launched missiles and five Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, according to Reuters, which said it could not independently verify battlefield reports.

As the first snow fell in Kyiv, officials said utility workers were trying to restore power nationwide after a barrage of Russian airstrikes earlier this week.

About 10 million people were without power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday evening in his nightly video report.

A United Nations agency said it feared a humanitarian crisis this winter if the power outages continued.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted Thursday morning that he was speaking by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as Russia carried out “another massive missile attack on Ukraine.”

Kuleba said he thanked the United States for providing military aid, and he stressed the need for speeding up deliveries of air defense systems.

He cited the success of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System that Ukrainian forces began using earlier this month. Kuleba also said he is convinced the time has come for Ukraine to receive the more advanced U.S. Patriot air defense system.

In the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Russia was using troops pulled from Kherson to unleash heavy fighting. The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired artillery on the towns of Bakhmut and nearby Soledar, among others.

They were also shelling Balakliya in the Kharkiv region and Nikopol, a city on the opposite bank of the Kakhovka reservoir from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, the statement said. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Also in the Zaporizhzhia area, a Russian strike hit a residential building, killing at least seven people overnight. Rescuers combed the rubble Thursday, searching for any other victims, according to The Associated Press.

In Luch, a village that sits on the border between the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, the effects of Russian shelling foretell the damage other cities, towns and villages are suffering.

Before Feb. 24, about 1,000 people lived in the village. Now there are only 38.

Luch has been shelled from the side of the Russian-occupied Kherson region almost every day since the start of the war. Today, no buildings remain intact in the village.

“It’s tough. We are constantly hiding; we can’t figure out what side the missiles are coming from,” said Galyna, a resident of the village. “We had such a lovely village, and now there’s nothing left. Everything is in ruins.”

Yelyzaveta Krotyk contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse, Reuters and The Associated Press.
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Under rainy skies on Thursday afternoon, Ukrainian-controlled Kherson’s central square was bustling with humanitarian aid distribution and displays of patriotic celebration tinged with uncertainty about the future.

Last week, Russia pulled its troops out of a pocket on the west bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, which included Kherson, the only regional capital it had captured since the February invasion.

Ukrainian officials say Russians destroyed the city’s critical infrastructure before leaving. There is no running water, electricity or central heating.

Hundreds of people stood in line for humanitarian assistance but said they had no idea what they might receive. A few people said they had been waiting for hours.

“It’s not that we’re hungry. We lost our jobs because of the occupation,” said Olga Meshcherikova, who was queuing with her husband Ihor, 48, now an unemployed builder.

Ihor, indicating the east bank of the Dnipro, said nothing was over yet.

“On that bank of the river, the forces are gathering; on this side, they are gathering. We’re in the middle — I’m afraid we’ll end up like Mariupol,” he said.

The port city of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, suffered major damage before falling to Russian forces in May.

At one end of the damp central square, a man played the Ukrainian anthem on the accordion as bystanders sang along. At the other end, a man strummed popular Ukrainian rock songs.

Children and teenagers gathered around a kneeling soldier as he signed flags draped around their shoulders.

Moscow illegally declared Kherson to be Russian after a September referendum denounced by Ukraine and its allies as a sham. A billboard advertising the vote was still standing, but someone had scrubbed out the word “Russia.”

Women, children and soldiers posed for photographs on a central marble plinth.

Anya Vostoboinik, 62, a one-legged woman in a wheelchair, clutched a pack of disposable diapers she had been given.

She said the Russian occupiers had arrested her son, a former soldier named Oleksii, 28, three months ago and never released him.

“Where is he now? I don’t know. I would go to the end of the world to find out. If I could just find out where he is. He’s my only son. He was always nearby. Now … ,” she said, before tearing up, unable to go on.

Svetlana Libus, 61, who was wrapped up warm with her tiny dog poking its head out of her coat, said she needed her hormonal medicine as she was recovering from thyroid cancer but could not find it anywhere in Kherson.

She said humanitarian aid included only basic medicines and insulin, but not what she needed.
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Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 by a Russian-made missile fired from a field in eastern Ukraine, the Dutch court handling the trial of four suspects in the downing of the plane said on Thursday.

“The court is of the opinion that MH17 was brought down by the firing of a BUK missile from a farm field near Pervomaisk, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members,” presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said.

The court’s ruling convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist in absentia and sentenced them to life imprisonment. One Russian was acquitted because of a lack of evidence.

“The court calls the proven charges so severe that it holds that only the highest possible prison sentence would be appropriate,” Steenhuis said.

The verdict comes more than eight years after the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was blown out of the sky over Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew members. The midair explosion and crash on July 17, 2014, happened amid a conflict between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces.

Steenhuis said the court believed Russia had overall control at the time of the separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. The crash scattered wreckage and bodies over farmland and fields of sunflowers.

“From half May 2014, Russia had so-called overall control over the People’s Republic of Donetsk,” Steenhuis said, referring to the region where the passenger flight was show down.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak told Reuters the ruling sent a strong signal that “every war crime committed by the Russians will be documented, investigated, and brought to a conclusion no matter how much time it takes.”

The court is still reading its ruling in the case of four men with links to Russia accused of mass murder for their alleged roles in the downing of the flight.

Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the downing of MH17. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on November 17 it would “examine” the opinion of the Dutch court.

In a briefing on Moscow, Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechaev told reporters: “We will study this decision because in all these issues, every nuance matters. After studying the legal document, we will probably then be ready to offer a comment.” 

Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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As the Kremlin escalates its war on Ukraine and tightens its clampdown on any domestic opposition to the invasion, the world of Russian arts and culture, historically opposed to violence and war, descends into pessimism. Marcus Harton narrates this report from VOA’s Moscow bureau.
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When Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the country’s journalists found themselves on the front lines.

The dedication of Ukrainian journalists to keep reporting under such trying times is being recognized Thursday, when Sevgil Musaieva, editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, is honored with an International Press Freedom Award.

Known for its investigative reporting into corruption, Ukrainska Pravda since the war has pivoted to coverage of Russia’s invasion.

In announcing its award to Musaieva, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists cited her leadership that assisted Ukrainska Pravda journalists in “providing critical, reliable coverage despite the dangers of war.”

En route to New York to collect her award, Musaieva spoke with VOA’s Eastern Europe bureau chief, Myroslava Gongadze, in Warsaw, Poland, about how the war has changed her media outlet’s approach, and more widely on Ukrainian journalists’ commitment to media freedom. Gongadze is the widow of Ukrainska Pravda’s founder, Georgiy Gongadze, who founded the publication in 2000 and was kidnapped and killed in retaliation for his reporting that same year.

Musaieva is one of three International Press Freedom Awardees. The CPJ in 2022 is also recognizing jailed Vietnamese blogger Pham Doan Trang, Iraqi Kurdish reporter Niyaz Abdullah, and independent Cuban journalist and Washington Post columnist Abraham Jiménez Enoa, who is in exile in Spain.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: What does this prestigious media freedom award mean for you and for Ukrainian journalists?

Musaieva: It’s recognition of all journalists who cover this terrible war. And it’s also recognition of my colleagues, journalists of Ukrainska Pravda and of independent journalism, [which is] one of the greatest achievements of our country in the past 30 years of independence.

VOA: How has the war affected your work in terms of coverage and in terms of the difficulties that you incurred during this time?

Musaieva: Of course [our work] has changed dramatically. Before this war, we focused more on domestic issues. We covered politics, corruption, we did a lot of investigations into high level officials.

[That focus] has changed dramatically, because 90% of our coverage now is about war and coverage from the front line.

Even when we publish political stories, some of [that reporting] irritates people because they think it’s not a good time for such coverage.

But still, we do our best not only to cover this war but also to cover misconduct of high officials even in time of war.

VOA: Ukrainska Pravda is one of the top publications in Ukraine and famous for its investigative journalism. How will that work during and after the war, now that Ukrainian officials are used to not being challenged by journalists?

Musaieva: A lot of investigative projects in Ukraine focus more on war crimes. Our team also publishes a lot of stories about Russian oligarchs and the yachts and jets. We covered a story about [Chechen leader] Ramzan Kadyrov’s villa in Dubai.

But now we have decided that we have to move forward with our investigation department [and] domestic politics.

For example, we published an investigation about misconduct by a high-level official in [the Ukrainian city of] Dnipro.

It will be even more terrible after the war. We will [likely find] that a lot of misconduct and corruption took place.

VOA: How is the role of journalism changing during the war?

Musaieva: I went to territories that were under Russian occupation and met a lot of people. They told me the hardest part during the occupation was not being without electricity, without food or water. The main challenge was being out of news all the time.

In the first days of the invasion, I received a call from one of my colleagues in Mariupol. It was February 28 and he was crying because he believed that Kyiv had surrendered.

Russia spread that information in Mariupol when it occupied the city.

What Russia did first was it blocked all Ukrainian websites, it blocked all Ukrainian information, and even prosecuted people who still read Ukrainian news.

But at the same time, I think [Ukrainian] authorities changed the understanding of media during the war. They think they can use us as they want. And I think it’s a big mistake.

I understand a lot of restrictions during war — for example, not to publish the place after a missile attack, and some restrictions in the beginning of September, before the counteroffensive.

But some of the restrictions can be a manipulation to not cover sensitive topics for the Ukrainian government.

But journalism will fight back.

VOA: What kind of challenges will affect the future of media and journalism in Ukraine?

Musaieva: The main one is emotional pressure. The second is financial pressure. The business model of Ukrainska Pravda was destroyed by this war, and now we are dependent on donors and from our readers.

But I hope something will change in the near future.

There is this definition, “the fog of war.” Everyone is so focused on the war, you can miss important events or stories.

So those challenges will be important for Ukrainian journalists as well.

And of course, I think that we will probably face censorship efforts, unfortunately, because it’s war and because officials say that during the war you can’t tell the whole truth and they want to control the informational field.

But I strongly believe that Ukrainian journalists will fight back because we’ve experienced [censorship] before and [because] one of the main values of the Ukrainian democratic state is freedom of speech.

VOA: You’re a young journalist and a Crimean Tatar who has been through a lot during the history of Ukraine: the revolution, censorship during Viktor Yanukovich’s presidency, and now war. How are you personally holding up?

Musaieva: It’s difficult of course, when I see people in the occupied territories and when I see among this Ukrainian army a lot of former journalists, former artists. I understand that I don’t have time for self-reflection.

What gives me hope? I have a dream that Ukraine will be free and my native Crimea will be free. And I will see the Black Sea together with my children and my husband. This one picture gives me hope.

I have this connection with this country, with my native Crimea. And I understand that we will be free. And we pay, every single day, a huge price for this freedom and for democracy. But at the same time, it gives me hope.
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Qatar’s Supreme Committee said it has apologized after a Danish film crew was threatened by security staff live on air as they broadcast in the capital Doha ahead of the World Cup.

TV2 reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was speaking as part of a live broadcast when he was approached by security staff that had appeared on a golf buggy next to the newly-opened Chedi Hotel at Katara Cultural Village.

In the footage, which went viral on social media, Tantholdt is seen remonstrating with the security officials, displaying his accreditation before accusing them of declaring they want to break the camera equipment.

A statement from the Supreme Committee said the Danish broadcast crew were “mistakenly interrupted” during a live broadcast.

“Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity.

“Tournament organizers have since spoken to the journalist and issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament.”

Tantholdt was also caught on camera asking: “You invited the whole world here. Why can’t we film?”

The decision to award Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup has been marred by controversy — including allegations of corruption and human rights violations — since it was first announced 12 years ago. How the host country treats visitors is being heavily scrutinized.

Watch VOA’s related special project video:

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy was set up by the Qatar government to plan and prepare for the World Cup.

The tournament gets under way on Sunday as Qatar take on Ecuador in the tournament opener.
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The top U.S. general on Wednesday said Ukraine’s chances of any near-term, outright military victory were not high, cautioning that Russia still had significant combat power inside Ukraine despite suffering battlefield setbacks since its invasion in February.

Ukraine has vowed to keep the pressure on Russian forces until it reclaims control of all occupied territory. Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces recaptured the strategic southern city of Kherson, stoking optimism about Kyiv’s broader military prospects heading into winter.

Still, U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged caution.

“The probability of a Ukrainian military victory — defined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine to include what they claim as Crimea — the probability of that happening anytime soon is not high, militarily,” Milley told a news conference at the Pentagon.

“There may be a political solution where, politically, the Russians withdraw. That’s possible,” he said, adding that Russia “right now is on its back.”

Milley added that the United States would support Ukraine in defending itself for as long as it takes, comments echoed by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the same event.

Milley and Austin addressed reporters after a virtual meeting between dozens of defense ministers supporting Ukraine’s military with billions of dollars in military hardware as well as training, advising and intelligence support.

“Ukraine will continue to endure. Ukraine is not going to back down,” Milley said, adding that Ukraine was free, “and they want to remain free.”

Attacks on power grid

Milley accused Russia of “imposing a campaign of terror” on Ukraine with its attacks on cities and energy plants.

“The deliberate targeting of the civilian power grid, causing excessive collateral damage, and unnecessary suffering on the civilian population is a war crime,” Milley said.

The Pentagon has stressed the importance of military-to-military communication with Moscow during the nine-month war. Austin and Milley both spoke with their Russian counterparts last month after Moscow accused Ukraine of planning a “dirty bomb” attack.

But Milley acknowledged unsuccessful attempts to reach his Russian counterpart on Tuesday after a deadly missile strike in Poland raised concerns about spillover of the war into NATO territory. Ukraine is not a member of the trans-Atlantic defense alliance but aspires to join.

NATO leaders said on Wednesday that the missile that hit Poland was probably a stray fired by Ukraine’s air defenses and not a Russian strike.

Austin said Ukraine knows that it would be a mistake to allow Russia to refit and rearm its troops.

“They have to continue to keep the pressure on the Russians going forward and I think (a) winter fight favors the Ukrainians,” Austin said.
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