UNITED NATIONS 鈥� The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine says the 鈥渉umanitarian catastrophe鈥� in the country has new dimensions.
That includes dealing with the acute needs of people as winter approaches, getting to newly accessible areas in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions and dealing with people traumatized by the war.
Denise Brown said Thursday that many Ukrainians displaced by the war are in 鈥渃ollective centers鈥� like universities, training centers and former orphanages that aren鈥檛 well equipped for winter.
Brown says helping people in newly accessible areas in Kharkiv and Kherson is 鈥渆xtremely complicated鈥� because of land mines and other remnants of war.
She says the trauma of people who spent months mainly in bunkers and underground is acute and must also be dealt with long-term.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
鈥� Ukraine鈥檚 utilities threatened by Russia in
鈥� EU leaders head into on energy crisis
鈥� US busts network providing
鈥� helicopter purchase deal
鈥� Pence warns of
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
KYIV, Ukraine 鈥� The Ukrainian army general staff says there is a heightened chance that Russian forces could launch an attack from Belarus to cut off supply routes for Western weapons and military equipment.
Oleksei Hromov, a deputy chief of the general staff鈥檚 main operational department, said Thursday that Russia was deploying aircraft and troops to air bases and military infrastructure facilities in Belarus.
鈥淭his time, the direction of the offensive may be changed to the west of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border to cut the main logistical arteries of the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine from partner countries,鈥� Hromov said.
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BRUSSELS 鈥� The European Union has imposed sanctions on Shahed Aviation Industries in Iran and three Iranian armed forces generals for undermining Ukraine鈥檚 territorial integrity by helping supply drones to Russia for use in the war.
Russia is believed to have sent waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones over Ukraine to strike power plants and other key infrastructure.
In response, the EU imposed an asset freeze on the company, as well as an asset freeze and travel ban on the three officers who are also suspected of links to Iran鈥檚 drone program.
EU headquarters said in a statement that Thursday鈥檚 move 鈥渋s a signal of the EU鈥檚 resolve to respond swiftly and decisively to Iran鈥檚 actions supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine. The EU condemns the delivery of Iranian drones to Russia and their deadly deployment in the war of aggression against Ukraine.鈥�
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TEHRAN, Iran 鈥� Iran has rejected claims that it was sending missiles and drones to Russia for Russian forces to use in the invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Twitter Thursday that he has spoken on the phone with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the issue.
Amirabdollahian describes the claim Iran was sending missiles and drones to Russia as 鈥渂aseless.鈥� He adds that 鈥渨e have defense cooperation with Russia, but without a doubt, sending weapons and drones against Ukraine is not our policy.鈥�
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KYIV, Ukraine 鈥� More than 3,000 people have called a Ukrainian hotline for Russians who wish to surrender rather than fight, organizers say.
The line dubbed 鈥淚 want to live鈥� was launched in mid-September by the Ukrainian military authorities along with a Telegram chatbot. The idea was born after Ukraine recaptured areas in the Kharkiv region from Russia and wanted to give Russians a chance to give themselves up.
鈥淲e had the cases of Russians calling us when they weren鈥檛 drafted yet,鈥� project spokesperson Vitalii Matvienko told the Associated Press. 鈥淣ow there are more calls from recently drafted soldiers.鈥�
Matvienko said operators have received calls from men in tears, lost because they didn鈥檛 want to participate in the war and feared being drafted. The number of calls rises every time there is a Ukrainian counteroffensive somewhere, he said.
Matvienko said Russia has blocked the project website but hasn鈥檛 managed to stop the word from spreading.
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KYIV, Ukraine 鈥� Ukraine has launched a power-saving campaign following Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
Starting Thursday, Ukrainians are being asked to reduce power usage from 7 a.m.-11 a.m..
Rolling blackouts may also occur as the country tries to response to an increasing number of repairs needed to power stations and other facilities damaged by Russian shelling.
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KYIV, Ukraine 鈥� Ukrainian authorities say at least three civilians were killed and 14 wounded overnight in shelling across the country.
The Russian military overnight fired drones and missiles at eight regions in the southeastern part of the country, the president's office said.
The attack on southcentral city of Kryvyi Rih damaged an energy facility and a plant, leaving the city without electricity.
鈥淣ow every illuminated business sign, billboard or washing machine can lead to serious emergency shutdowns,鈥� regional Gov. Valentin Reznichenko said.
The city is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy鈥檚 hometown and an industrial center.
Fighting continued in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions that were recently illegally annexed by Russia.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark 鈥� Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St酶re said Thursday that Russia's war in Ukraine has 鈥渆ntered an even more serious phase,鈥� and that the security political situation in Europe has become more tense after Nord Stream gas pipelines were damaged in the Baltic Sea.
鈥淚t has moved closer to us in Norway,鈥� Gahr St酶re and added that 鈥渘uclear weapons must never be used. A nuclear war can't be won and mustn't be fought. The Russian regime also knows that.鈥�
Gahr St酶re said that when a neighbor threatens to use nuclear weapons, it naturally creates fear. And should there be radioactive fallout in Norway, 鈥渨e have good nuclear preparedness.鈥�
NATO-member Norway鈥檚 has a nearly 200-kilometer (around 125-mile) border with Russia in the Arctic.
Gahr St酶re told a news conference that there was no direct military threat to Norway.
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KYIV, Ukraine 鈥� Russian forces have hit anew industrial and energy facilities in central Ukraine, pressing with attacks on infrastructure.
Russia has declared its intention to increase its targeting of Ukraine鈥檚 power, water and other vital infrastructure in its latest phase of the nearly 8-month-old war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Moscow鈥檚 forces have destroyed 30% of the country鈥檚 power stations since Oct. 10.
The latest attacks overnight this night in Kryvyi Rih region, Dnipropetrovsk region, inflicting damage, according to regional administrator Valentyn Reznichenko.
He gave no other details.
Russian forces also struck a school in Zaporizhzhia region early on Thursday, the deputy head of the president鈥檚 office Kyrylo Tymoshenko on Telegram.
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BRUSSELS 鈥� European Union leaders head into a two-day summit with opposing views if and how the bloc could impose a gas price cap to contain the energy crisis caused by Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine and its strategy to choke off gas supplies to the bloc.
The need for rock-solid EU unity in confronting Russia will be underscored by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is set to address the 27 national leaders by video conference from Kyiv asking for continued help to get his nation through the winter.
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BERLIN 鈥� Chancellor Olaf Scholz is underlining Germany鈥檚 concerns about the idea of a cap on natural gas prices, which many other European Union nations are prepared to embrace.
Scholz told Germany's Parliament before an EU summit starting later Thursday that 鈥渁 politically set price cap always carries the risk that producers then sell their gas elsewhere 鈥� and we Europeans ultimately don鈥檛 get more gas, but less.鈥�
He said the EU must consult closely with other gas consumers, such as Japan and South Korea, so that they don鈥檛 compete with each other; and that it鈥檚 important to talk with gas producers about 鈥渁n appropriate price.鈥�
Scholz added: 鈥淚 am convinced that countries such as the U.S., Canada or Norway, which stand by Ukraine in solidarity together with us, have an interest in energy in Europe not becoming unaffordable.鈥�
The German leader said that the best answer to short energy supplies is to expand renewable energy quickly. But he said that in order to replace Russian gas, 鈥渨e must also work with countries where there is a possibility to develop new gas fields,鈥� within countries鈥� commitments under the Paris climate accord.
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BERLIN 鈥� Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany will train a brigade of up to 5,000 Ukrainian troops as part of a European Union training mission approved earlier this week.
The EU on Monday approved the mission, which will run for two years initially. Its immediate aim is to train about 15,000 troops, chiefly in Poland and Germany, and it鈥檚 hoped that the mission will be up and running by mid-November.
Scholz told lawmakers in Berlin on Thursday that one of the headquarters will be in Germany and 鈥渂y spring, we will train a complete brigade with up to 5,000 soldiers.鈥�
He said that 鈥渨ith this, we are underlining are readiness to participate in the long-term building of strong Ukrainian armed forces, hand in hand with our partners.鈥�
Scholz also says 鈥渟corched-earth鈥� tactics won鈥檛 help Russia win its war in Ukraine and stressed that 鈥渄eliberate attacks on the civilian population are war crimes.鈥�
"They only strengthen the determination and staying power of Ukraine and its partners,鈥� said Scholz. 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 bomb and missile terror is ultimately an act of desperation, just like the mobilization of Russian men for the war.鈥�
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