Russia Ukraine latest news: Putin ‘forcing troops with chronic health problems into battle’

Alona Zahreba is a 15-year-old Ukrainian, living with her parents and her cat when the invasion by Russian forces happened in 2022.

Living in Mariupol, one of the areas in Ukraine that has seen the most fighting, Alona’s family had to try to escape in order to survive but just before leaving, her cat Peaches went missing.

With encouragement from producers Jim Lenz, Noah Berlow and John Chua, this is a short film about the rescue of her cat during the Russian invasion, exclusive to watch on Independent TV.

NATO is determined to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia for “as long as it takes” and will help the war-wracked country transform its armed forces into a modern army up to Western standards, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg vowed on Friday.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Romania next week, Stoltenberg urged countries that want to, either individually or in groups, to keep providing air defense systems and other weapons to Ukraine. NATO as an organization does not supply weapons.

“NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down,” the former Norwegian prime minister said. “Allies are providing unprecedented military support, and I expect foreign ministers will also agree to step up non-lethal support.”

Lorne Cook has the full report:

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called on Europeans to remain united against Russia’s war as he addressed a conference in Lithuania.

“There is no split, there is no schism among Europeans and we have to preserve this. This is our mission number one this year,” Zelensky said via a video link.

Many Russian troops are being compelled to serve in Ukraine with “serious” health problems, while those forced to build trenches under fire are likely to have suffered “particularly heavy casualties”, British defence experts believe.

A number of “common themes” are emerging in the experience of Moscow’s mobilised reservists, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), with their deployment often characterised by “inadequate” training and personal equipment.

An MoD defence intelligence update suggests the Kremlin will likely be concerned that an increasing number of families are prepared to risk arrest by protesting against the conditions their relatives face at war.

Most mobilised reservists have previously served, it says, with “numerous examples” suggesting it is highly probably they are not having their medical status “adequately reviewed”.

“Many are being compelled to serve with serious, chronic health conditions,” the update states.

Kherson on Thursday came under its heaviest bombardment since Ukrainian forces recaptured the southern city two weeks ago.

The barrage of missiles killed four people outside a coffee shop and a woman was also killed next to her house, witnesses said, speaking to Associated Press reporters.

Hospitals without power and water are also contending with the gruesome after-effects of intensifying Russian strikes.

They hit residential and commercial buildings on Thursday, setting some ablaze, blowing ash skyward and shattering glass across streets.

Nato has reaffirmed its support for Ukraine, which has made major gains in recent weeks around Kherson – a regional economic centre.

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, said the military alliance would “not back down” in its efforts to supply Kyiv with non-lethal aid.

“NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said.

“We will not back down,” he told reporters in Brussels on Friday ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting of the alliance in Bucharest next week.

Warmonger Vladimir Putin has insisted he has no regrets about unleashing his bloody conflict in Ukraine as he prepares to meet the mothers of soldiers whose lives he has put at risk on the front line.

Up to 100,000 Russian troops and reservists have been killed or wounded so far in the illegal war, which Mr Putin continues to say is a “special military operation” to end what he claims – without evidence – is genocide against ethnic Russians in the country.

The war in Ukraine has killed and wounded tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides, according to the United States, and the Russian invasion has triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis.

“On the eve of Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in Russia on the last Sunday of November, Vladimir Putin will meet with the mothers of servicemen participating in the special military operation,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Residents of Ukraine‘s bombed capital clutched empty bottles in search of water and crowded into cafés for power and warmth Thursday, switching defiantly into survival mode after new Russian missile strikes a day earlier plunged the city and much of the country into the dark.

In scenes hard to believe in a sophisticated city of 3 million, some Kyiv residents resorted to collecting rainwater from drainpipes, as repair teams labored to reconnect supplies.

Friends and family members exchanged messages to find out who had electricity and water back. Some had one but not the other. The previous day’s aerial onslaught on Ukraine‘s power grid left many with neither.

Cafés in Kyiv that by some small miracle had both quickly became oases of comfort on Thursday.Oleksiy Rashchupkin, a 39-year-old investment banker, awoke to find that water had been reconnected to his third-floor flat but power had not.

His freezer thawed in the blackout, leaving a puddle on his floor.

So he hopped into a cab and crossed the Dnieper River from left bank to right, to a café that he’d noticed had stayed open after previous Russian strikes.

Sure enough, it was serving hot drinks, hot food and the music and Wi-Fi were on.“I’m here because there is heating, coffee and light,” he said. “Here is life.”

James Cleverly has announced a package of “hands-on” support to help Ukraine through the winter while on a visit to the war-torn nation.

Mr Cleverly announced the practical support as Ukraine’s power grid and other critical infrastructure has been pounded by Russian strikes, causing blackouts and leaving millions without heat, power or water as temperatures plummet.

British foreign minister James Cleverly will pledge millions of pounds in further support for Kyiv during a visit to Ukraine to ensure the country has the practical help it needs through the winter, his office said.

Cleverly, who is set to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on the trip, also condemned Russia for its “brutal attacks” on civilians, hospitals and energy infrastructure.

A statement from his office issued early on Friday said Cleverly had travelled to Ukraine, which this week suffered the most devastating Russian air strikes on its energy infrastructure so far in the months-long war.

“The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine,” said Cleverly, as he set out 3 million pounds to help rebuild vital infrastructure and committed another 5 million for a Ukraine-led initiative to ship grain to countries at risk of famine.

“I’ve seen here first-hand how the UK’s efforts are helping brave citizens to resist and rebuild. Our support will continue for as long as it takes for this remarkable country to recover,” he added.

Cleverly’s trip to the European country comes just days after new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first visit to Kyiv during which he vowed to continue the firm support for Ukraine that Britain provided under his predecessors.