Putin ‘fearing for life’ after Kherson retreat, says Kyiv aide – live

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has met a Russian delegation in Istanbul to debate security on the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant in Ukraine after it was rocked by extra shelling over the weekend, the watchdog mentioned.

“IAEA Director General @rafaelmgrossi met a Russian delegation led by Rosatom DG Alexey Likhachev in Istanbul today, for consultations on operational aspects related to safety at #Zaporizhzhya NPP in Ukraine & on urgently establishing a nuclear safety & security protection zone,” the IAEA tweeted.

In an announcement cited by Russian news companies, Rosatom – Russia‘s state-run nuclear energy agency – said the meeting in Istanbul focused on “ensuring the safety of the plant”.

“The prompt response of the IAEA to the massive shelling of the station on 20 November this year was noted. The parties agreed to continue cooperation,” it said.

President Vladimir Putin has been left fearing for his life following his eviscertating defeat in Kherson which noticed Ukrainian troops wrestle again management of the important thing metropolis from Russian occupation, a Kyiv official claims.

Kherson, a Black Sea port metropolis positioned within the Ukrainian area of the identical identify, was surrendered to Kyiv final week. It dealt a significant blow to the Russian offensive and to assist from Moscow, together with state broadcasters, having been the primary and solely regional capital captured by Mr Putin’s forces.

“[Putin] is very afraid because there is no forgiveness in Russia for tsars who lose wars,” Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of employees, advised The Times.

“He is fighting for his life now. If he loses the war, at least in the minds of the Russians, it means the end. The end of him as a political figure. And possibly in the physical sense.”

More now from the alleged Russian missile assault on a maternity ward at a hospital in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia, the place rescue operations are underway.

It was earlier reported by regional governor Oleksandr Starukh {that a} new child child was killed within the strike. Images present that at the very least one physician has been rescued from the rubble.

Britain will furnish Ukraine with three former Sea King helicopters, the BBC studies

The broadcaster mentioned the primary of the three UK-made anti-submarine warfare helicopters, styled on the twin-engined American Sikorsky S-61 chopper, has already arrived in Ukraine.

An estimated 85,410 Russian soliders have been killed since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Kyiv figures show.

This would bring the total number of Moscow personnel losses up by 410 troops from Tuesday.

The data shared by the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot be independently verified.

A Russian overseas ministery official has characterised Ukraine as “godless”, “wild” and “immoral” for its raid on an outdated Orthodox Christian Monastery in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s SBU safety service and police raided the 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra advanced – or Kyiv Monastery of the Caves – early on Tuesday as a part of operations to counter suspected “subversive activities by Russian special services,” the SBU mentioned.

The web site is a Ukrainian cultural treasure and the headquarters of the Russian-backed wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that falls beneath the Moscow Patriarchate.

This morning, overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned there was no justification for the raid and in contrast the “Kyiv regime” to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine whose identify is usually related in Russian with immoral mayhem, chaos and revelry.

“This is just some kind of total godless Bacchanalia. There is no justification or explanation for this. And there cannot be,” Ms Zakharova advised Sputnik radio.

“This is another part of the absolutely immoral and wild actions of the Kyiv regime.”

A Russian missile struck a maternity ward within the early hours of Wednesday morning within the metropolis of Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia, the area’s governor has mentioned.

A new child child was killed within the assault, Oleksandr Starukh added.

“Grief fills our hearts,” he mentioned.

Mr Staruk shared a sequence of pictures of the destruction by way of the Kyiv Independent:

Russia is able to improve its fertiliser exports, the TASS news company has cited president Vladimir Putin as saying.

Moscow is pushing for the West to ease sanctions which it says complicate Russia’s skill to ship fertilisers and agricultural merchandise around the globe, and which Moscow says are aggravating a world meals disaster.

The British defence ministry says Russia has doubtless almost exhausted its present inventory of Iranian drones and can most likely search resupply.

No drone strikes have been publicly reported since round 17 November, it mentioned.

“Since September, Russia has likely launched hundreds of Iranian-manufactured uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukraine.

These have been a mixture of one way attack (OWA) UAVs and more traditional reusable armed systems,” the MoD mentioned in its newest intelligence replace in the present day.

It added that the Russian forces have largely used these weapons towards tactical army targets and the Ukrainian electrical energy grid.

“However, recently Russian commanders likely also wanted Iranian-sourced UAVs to prioritise medical facilities as targets of opportunity, and strike them with guided munitions if identified,” the ministry mentioned.

The ministry mentioned that it’s doubtless that Russia conceived the UAV marketing campaign to “make up for its severe shortage of cruise missiles, but the approach has had limited success.”

Most UAVs launched have been neutralised by Ukraine, it added.

“No OWA UAVs strikes have been publicly reported since around 17 November 2022. Russia has likely very nearly exhausted its current stock, but will probably seek resupply.”

Russia can most likely procure UAVs from abroad extra quickly than it may possibly manufacture new cruise missiles domestically, the MoD claimed.