Russia and Ukraine prepare for battle in Kherson; Zelenskyy warns of new wave of refugees: Updates
Ukrainian forces continued to target the illegally annexed southern Kherson region Friday after bombarding a key river crossing on Thursday.
Both Russia and Ukraine appear to be preparing for major battle over Kherson, the largest and first Ukrainian city that Russia captured during the invasion. The city is a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries, major river and sea port.
Ukraine has targeted resupply routes along the Dnieper River while Russia has sent as many as 2,000 draftees to the region. Russian-installed officials were also attempting to evacuate tens of thousands of residents.
Ukrainian forces carried out a strike on a bridge over the Dnieper River on Thursday, which serves critical purposes like crossings, drinking water, and power generation. Russian officials said four people were killed and 13 others were injured in the strike, but Ukraine rebuked the claim that civilians were killed.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin placed four regions, including Kherson, under Russian martial law, giving Russian regional governors emergency powers that open the door for sweeping new restrictions.
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Other developments:
►If former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to power in next month’s elections, he said he will “look into” whether Israel will supply weapons to Ukraine and expects he may be asked to mediate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
►Ukraine exhumed 146 bodies, including 111 civilians and 35 military personnel, at the Lyman cemetery in the Donetsk region, the National Police of Ukraine said Thursday. The mass grave is the largest discovered after Russian troops retreated from the eastern Ukrainian city.
►Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks late Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be "much softer and more open to negotiations" to end the war than in the past. Erdogan also said he is optimistic about the possible extension of a United Nations-brokered deal to allow the shipment of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to world markets in order to combat a global food crisis.
►Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a 56-year-old career military man, is the new face of Russian war after he was put in charge of forces this month. Surovikin was previously involved in the bombing of civilians in Russia's campaign in Syria and in the deaths of three protesters in Moscow after the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.
Zelenskyy warns of refugee crisis amid Russian attack on energy system
In a video address to the European Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's continued attacks on civilian energy infrastructure ahead of colder months would drive more Ukrainians to flee to other parts of Europe.
"The current Russian leadership has ordered to turn the energy system itself into a battlefield," he said. "The consequences of this are very dangerous, again for all of us in Europe."
Ukrainians are meanwhile preparing for rolling blackouts starting this week amid Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system.
PREVIOUSLY: Russia may be planning retreat from Kherson, analysts say
US seeking drone defense for Ukraine
The Pentagon is looking at how to help Ukraine defend itself against the Iranian drones Russia is using to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure, White House spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.
“I can't tell you today what that's going to look like, when we're going to be able to move additional air defense capabilities to Ukraine,” he said. “But I can assure you that (the Defense Department) is well aware of the threat and is working hard to see what they can do to help the Ukrainians deal with the threat.”
That includes working with allies with air defense capabilities that might be able to help, Kirby added.
Although Russia and Iran deny it, Kirby said Russia has received dozens of drones from Iran and will likely get more. Iran has also put a “relatively small numbers” of trainers and tech support in Crimea to show Russians how to use them, he said.
“Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground, and through the provision of weapons that are impacting civilians, and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” he said. “But the bottom line is, we don’t believe it’s going to change the course of the war.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.