Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine retakes more settlements in Kherson, Zelenskiy says; UN nuclear chief heads to Kyiv – live

Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Live feed Key events 10m ago Summary so far 21m ago Two killed in Zaporizhzhia missile attack, governor says 43m ago Russia wants secret UN vote on move to condemn ‘annexations’ 1h ago European leaders to meet in face of Russia’s war 1h ago Russian troops leave behind mass burial sites, evidence of torture 1h ago Russian troops retreat from Ukraine’s east and south 2h ago UN nuclear chief heads to Kyiv 2h ago Putin appears to admit severe losses, vows to ‘stabilise’ annexed regions Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature 10m ago 02. 05 EDT Summary so far Before I hand you over to my colleague Martin Belam here is a rundown of where things stand as of 9am in Ukraine . Two people have been killed after Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia was allegedly hit by Russian missiles in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Regional governor, Oleksandr Starukh, said one woman was confirmed to have died in the attack while another person died in an ambulance. “At least five people are under the rubble of buildings,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday morning. Starukh earlier alleged Russia “fired 7 rockets at high-rise buildings” while rescuers continue to pull people out from under the rubble.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has appeared to admit severe losses in Ukraine , conceding the severity of the Kremlin’s recent military reversals and insisting Russia would “stabilise” the situation in four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – it illegally claimed as its own territory last week. “We are working on the assumption that the situation in the new territories will stabilise,” Putin told Russian teachers during a televised video call on Wednesday. The UN nuclear agency chief is en route to Kyiv to discuss creating a security zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant , after Putin ordered his government to take it over.

“On our way to Kyiv for important meetings,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi wrote on Twitter, saying the need for a protection zone around the site was “more urgent than ever”. Grossi is also expected to visit Moscow in the coming days to discuss the situation at the plant. Ukraine’s forces are pushing their advance in the east and south, forcing Russian troops to retreat under pressure on both fronts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s military had made major, rapid advances against Russian forces in the past week, taking back dozens of towns in regions in the south and east that Russia has declared annexed. Military experts say Russia is at its weakest point, partly because of its decision not to mobilise earlier and partly because of massive losses of troops and equipment. Ukraine has extended its area of control in the Kherson region by six to 12 miles , according to its military’s southern command.

Zelenskiy confirmed the recapture of the villages of Novovoskresenske, Novohryhorivka and Petropavlivka, saying the settlements were “liberated from the sham referendum and stabilised,” in an address on Wednesday. Kherson region’s Moscow-appointed governor, Kirill Stremousov, said the withdrawal was a tactical “regrouping” to “deliver a retaliatory blow”. The extent of Russia’s retreat remains unclear.

Moscow’s forces have left behind smashed towns once under occupation and, in places, mass burial sites and evidence of torture chambers. In Lyman , which was retaken by Ukrainian forces on Sunday, more than 50 graves have been found, some marked with names, others with numbers, the Kyiv-based outlet Hromadske reported on Wednesday. The UN has warned Russia’s claimed annexation of Ukraine territory will only exacerbate human rights violations.

Christian Salazar Volkmann, said UN experts had documented “a range of violations of the rights to life, liberty and security” and warned the situation would only worsen as Russia pushes forward with the annexation of some Ukrainian regions. European leaders are set to meet in Prague on Thursday in the face of Russia’s war. Leaders from Ukraine , Britain and Turkey will join their EU counterparts in Prague on Thursday for a summit aimed at bringing the continent together in the face of Russia’s aggression.

The gathering has been billed by Brussels as a “platform for political coordination” for the disparate 44 nations attending. Attempts to play down retreats in Ukraine are no longer washing inside Russia with the latest military failures spilling on to local television screens. “Why do we advance metre by metre when they advance village by village?” Olga Skabeyeva, the country’s top state-TV host, asked a Russia-appointed official in Luhansk in a recent broadcast.

Pro-war military bloggers and journalists are also criticising the Kremlin and painting a bleak picture of deteriorating Russian morale. Russia is lobbying for a secret ballot instead of a public vote when the 193-member UN General Assembly next week considers whether to condemn Moscow’s move to annex four partially occupied regions in Ukraine . The car bombing that killed Darya Dugina , the daughter of prominent Russian political figure Alexander Dugin, was allegedly authorised by elements within the Ukrainian government , according to US intelligence sources who spoke with the New York Times and CNN.

The United States took no part in the attack, either by providing intelligence or other assistance, the officials said. A man rides past a damaged building in the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Updated at 02.

05 EDT 18m ago 01. 56 EDT Pjotr Sauer Attempts to play down retreats in Ukraine are no longer washing inside Russia with the latest military failures spilling on to Russian television screens. “Why do we advance metre by metre when they advance village by village?” Olga Skabeyeva, the country’s top state-TV host, asked a Russia-appointed official in Luhansk in a recent broadcast.

Pro-war military bloggers and journalists are also criticising the Kremlin and painting a bleak picture of deteriorating Russian morale. Roman Saponkov, a prominent war correspondent, described his despair over the pullback in Kherson on his Telegram channel: . css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.

5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;} Friends, I know you’re waiting for me to comment on the situation. But I really don’t know what to say to you. The retreat … is catastrophic.

” Aleksandr Kots, a pro-Kremlin journalist who travels with with the Russian army, added: “We do not have enough people … fatigue has set in … there is no longer any strength left to hold on to the territories won. ” Attempts to play down retreats in Ukraine no longer wash inside Russia Read more 21m ago 01. 54 EDT Two killed in Zaporizhzhia missile attack, governor says Two people have been killed after an alleged Russian missile attack hit Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Regional governor, Oleksandr Starukh, said one woman was confirmed to have died in the attack while another person died in an ambulance. “At least 5 people are under the rubble of buildings,” Starukh wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday morning. “Many people were saved.

Among them is a three-year-old girl, the child is in foster care. A rescue operation is underway at the scene. ” Starukh earlier alleged Russia “fired 7 rockets at high-rise buildings” while rescuers continue to pull people out from under the rubble.

28m ago 01. 46 EDT Bodies of Russian soldiers, shredded uniforms and burned out military vehicles litter parts of Lyman in Ukraine after it was liberated from Russian occupation. The city in Donetsk became the latest strategically important city Russian occupiers surrendered as the Kremlin faces heavy losses.

The gains by Ukraine come after Russia illegally claimed four territories as its own last week. 01:57 Burned out military vehicles and bodies of soldiers mark Russia’s retreat of Lyman – video 43m ago 01. 32 EDT Russia wants secret UN vote on move to condemn ‘annexations’ Russia is lobbying for a secret ballot instead of a public vote when the 193-member UN General Assembly next week considers whether to condemn Moscow’s move to annex four partially occupied regions in Ukraine .

Ukraine and its allies have denounced the votes in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as illegal and coercive. A western-drafted UN General Assembly resolution would condemn Russia’s “illegal so-called referenda” and the “attempted illegal annexation” of the areas where voting occurred. Meanwhile, the UN has warned Russia’s claimed annexation of Ukraine territory will only exacerbate human rights violations.

“Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned. ” – @antonioguterres https://t. co/goSa1YO3M4 pic.

twitter. com/L5PsFsnC0S — UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) October 5, 2022 Christian Salazar Volkmann, said UN experts had documented “a range of violations of the rights to life, liberty and security” and warned the situation would only worsen as Russia pushes forward with annexing the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The referendums have been dismissed as a “sham” by the west.

“With the purported annexation. . .

the Russian Federation has taken steps which deepen rather than resolve the conflict, and exacerbate the human rights violations associated with it,” Salazar Volkmann said. 1h ago 01. 17 EDT European leaders to meet in face of Russia’s war Leaders from Ukraine , Britain and Turkey will join their EU counterparts in Prague on Thursday for a summit aimed at bringing the continent together in the face of Russia’s aggression.

The gathering has been billed by Brussels as a “platform for political coordination” for the disparate 44 nations attending. Those set to meet also include the leaders of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will connect via video link from Kyiv as his prime minister will stand in for him at the talks, according to AFP.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss is set to tell fellow leaders: . css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1. 5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;} Europe is facing its biggest crisis since the Second World War.

And we have faced it together with unity and resolve. We must continue to stand firm – to ensure that Ukraine wins this war, but also to deal with the strategic challenges that it has exposed. ” Despite the rhetoric there are expected to be few concrete results from the summit.

EU officials expect to agree to hold a follow-up gathering of the community in six months’ time in a country outside the bloc, with Britain and Moldova both offering to host. 1h ago 01. 04 EDT Unconfirmed reports of shelling in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia has damaged or destroyed several residential buildings overnight leaving some residents trapped under rubble, according to the region’s governor.

“As a result of the enemy attacks, fires broke out in the city,” Oleksandr Starukh wrote on the Telegram messaging app early on Thursday morning. “There are possible casualties. Rescuers are already pulling people out from under the rubble.

” Starukh later alleged Russia “fired 7 rockets at high-rise buildings” and said the number of victims is still being clarified. #Russian invaders shelled #Zaporizhzhia this morning. The number of casualties is not known yet.

pic. twitter. com/u7RfJ197oY — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 6, 2022 ⚡️Governor: Russian forces strike Zaporizhzhia with 7 missiles.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported that Russian forces targeted a number of high-rises in the city early on Oct. 6. — The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 6, 2022 Updated at 01.

09 EDT 1h ago 00. 58 EDT Russian troops leave behind mass burial sites, evidence of torture Isobel Koshiw As Russian troops have retreated, they have left behind smashed towns once under occupation and, in places, mass burial sites and evidence of torture chambers. The Guardian’s Isobel Koshiw brings us this dispatch from Kyiv.

In the town of Lyman , which was retaken by Ukrainian forces on Sunday, more than 50 graves have been found, some marked with names, others with numbers, the Kyiv-based outlet Hromadske reported on Wednesday . The Russians forced Ukrainians they suspected of collaborating to collect bodies and bury them. One boy, who was detained by the Russians and forced to bury bodies, told Hromadske that some of the bodies were left lying on the street for a long time.

A local resident wheels her bicycle after receiving humanitarian aid in the recently liberated town of Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters More evidence of tortured and extrajudicial killings has been discovered in Kharkiv region. Two civilians corpses aged 30-35 were found in a grave in the village of Novoplatonivka, Kharkiv region, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The left hand of one man was handcuffed to the right hand of the second man. Investigators said one of the skulls was fractured and the other had suffered a gun shot wound to the head. Kharkiv prosecutors and police said 250-350 Russian special forces were stationed near the grave.

They said their initial suspicion is that the men were killed by Russian special forces. In Pisky-Radkivskyi, another village in Kharkiv region, Ukraine authorities said they found another torture chamber. Serhii Bolvinov, chief investigator for Kharkiv region said: “Neighbours constantly heard screams from here.

Investigators found a terrible torture chamber in the village. “Police have been made aware of the torture of burying people alive and the use of a gas mask with a smouldering rag. ” Updated at 00.

59 EDT 1h ago 00. 45 EDT Russian troops retreat from Ukraine’s east and south Ukraine’s forces are pushing their advance in the east and south, forcing Russian troops to retreat under pressure on both fronts. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s military had made major, rapid advances against Russian forces in the past week, taking back dozens of towns in regions in the south and east that Russia has declared annexed.

Military experts say Russia is at its weakest point, partly because of its decision not to mobilise earlier and partly because of massive losses of troops and equipment. #UAarmy ’s autumn offensive, day by day. While the “russian parliament” is intoxicated from the futile attempts at annexation, our soldiers continue moving forward.

This is the best answer to any and all “referenda”, “decrees”, “treaties” and pathetic speeches. pic. twitter.

com/qLCBu0Vdns — Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) October 5, 2022 In the Kherson region , Ukraine has extended its area of control by six to 12 miles, according to its military’s southern command. Zelenskiy confirmed the recapture of the villages of Novovoskresenske, Novohryhorivka and Petropavlivka, saying the settlements were “liberated from the sham referendum and stabilised” during a Wednesday evening address. Kherson region’s Moscow-appointed governor, Kirill Stremousov, said Russia’s withdrawal was a tactical “regrouping” to “deliver a retaliatory blow”.

The extent of Russia’s retreat remains unclear for now. Ukraine’s minister of defence, Oleksii Reznikov, said his soldiers “continue moving forward” in its autumn offensive. “While the ‘Russian parliament’ is intoxicated from the futile attempts at annexation, our soldiers continue moving forward,” he said in a Twitter post on Thursday.

“This is the best answer to any and all ‘referenda’, ‘decrees’, ‘treaties’ and pathetic speeches. ” 2h ago 00. 36 EDT UN nuclear chief heads to Kyiv The UN nuclear agency chief will shortly arrive in Kyiv to discuss creating a security zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant , after Putin ordered his government to take it over.

“On our way to Kyiv for important meetings,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi wrote on Twitter, saying the need for a protection zone around the site was “more urgent than ever”. Putin earlier signed a decree ordering the Russian government to take control of Europe’s largest atomic plant and make it “federal property”. On our way to Kyiv for important meetings.

The need for a Nuclear Safety and Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) around #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is now more urgent than ever. pic. twitter.

com/XFetpJ65ai — Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) October 5, 2022 Grossi is also expected to visit Moscow in the coming days to discuss safety at the plant, Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported. The IAEA said it had learned of plans to restart one reactor at the plant, where all six reactors have been shut down for weeks. 2h ago 00.

23 EDT Putin appears to admit severe losses, vows to ‘stabilise’ annexed regions Isobel Koshiw The Russian president, Vladimir Putin , has appeared to concede the severity of the Kremlin’s recent military reversals in Ukraine, insisting Russia will “stabilise” the situation in the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk , Luhansk , Kherson and Zaporizhzhia it illegally claimed as its own territory last week. Putin told Russian teachers during a televised video call on Wednesday: . css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.

5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;} We are working on the assumption that the situation in the new territories will stabilise. ” Russian President Vladimir Putin appears in a video conference outside Moscow on 5 October where he vows to ‘stabilise’ the situation in the four annexed regions of Ukraine. Photograph: SPUTNIK/Reuters His comments appear to indirectly acknowledge the challenges Moscow faces to assert its control.

When later asked by journalists whether there was a contradiction between Russia’s annexation rhetoric and the reality on the ground, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was none. . css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.

5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;} There is no contradiction whatsoever. They will be with Russia forever and they will be returned. ” Putin appears to admit severe Russian losses in Ukraine Read more 2h ago 00.

09 EDT Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine . I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments for the next few hours. Ukraine’s forces are pushing their advance in the east and south, forcing Russian troops to retreat under pressure on both fronts.

In the Kherson region , president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s military has made major advances against Russian forces and recaptured the villages of Novovoskresenske, Novohryhorivka and Petropavlivka during a Wednesday evening address. The UN nuclear agency chief , Rafael Grossi, will shortly arrive in Kyiv to discuss creating a security zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant , after Putin ordered his government to take it over. Here are all the major developments you may have missed: The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has appeared to admit severe losses in Ukraine , conceding the severity of the Kremlin’s recent military reversals and insisting Russia would “stabilise” the situation in four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – it illegally claimed as its own territory last week.

“We are working on the assumption that the situation in the new territories will stabilise,” Putin told Russian teachers during a televised video call on Wednesday. The UN nuclear agency chief is en route to Kyiv to discuss creating a security zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant , after Putin ordered his government to take it over. “On our way to Kyiv for important meetings,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi wrote on Twitter, saying the need for a protection zone around the site was “more urgent than ever”.

Grossi is also expected to visit Moscow in the coming days to discuss the situation at the plant. The IAEA said it had learned of plans to restart one reactor at the plant, where all six reactors have been shut down for weeks. Ukraine’s forces are pushing their advance in the east and south, forcing Russian troops to retreat under pressure on both fronts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s military had made major, rapid advances against Russian forces in the past week, taking back dozens of towns in regions in the south and east that Russia has declared annexed. Military experts say Russia is at its weakest point, partly because of its decision not to mobilise earlier and partly because of massive losses of troops and equipment. Ukraine has extended its area of control in the Kherson region by six to 12 miles , according to its military’s southern command.

Zelenskiy confirmed the recapture of the villages of Novovoskresenske, Novohryhorivka and Petropavlivka, saying the settlements were “liberated from the sham referendum and stabilised,” in an address on Wednesday. Kherson region’s Moscow-appointed governor, Kirill Stremousov, said the withdrawal was a tactical “regrouping” to “deliver a retaliatory blow”. The extent of Russia’s retreat remains unclear.

Moscow’s forces have left behind smashed towns once under occupation and, in places, mass burial sites and evidence of torture chambers. In Lyman , which was retaken by Ukrainian forces on Sunday, more than 50 graves have been found, some marked with names, others with numbers, the Kyiv-based outlet Hromadske reported on Wednesday. The UN has warned Russia’s claimed annexation of Ukraine territory will only exacerbate human rights violations.

Christian Salazar Volkmann, said UN experts had documented “a range of violations of the rights to life, liberty and security” and warned the situation would only worsen as Russia pushes forward with the annexation of some Ukrainian regions. Attempts to play down retreats in Ukraine are no longer washing inside Russia with the latest military failures spilling on to local television screens. “Why do we advance metre by metre when they advance village by village?” Olga Skabeyeva, the country’s top state-TV host, asked a Russia-appointed official in Luhansk in a recent broadcast.

Pro-war military bloggers and journalists are also criticising the Kremlin and painting a bleak picture of deteriorating Russian morale. Roman Saponkov, a prominent war correspondent, described his despair over the pullback in Kherson on his Telegram channel: “I really don’t know what to say to you. The retreat … is catastrophic.

” Poland says it has asked to have US nuclear weapons based on its territory , amid growing fears that Putin could resort to using nuclear arms in Ukraine. The request from the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, is widely seen as symbolic and appears to be the latest example of nuclear signalling to deter Putin. The White House, however, said it had not received such a request.

The car bombing that killed Darya Dugina , the daughter of prominent Russian political figure Alexander Dugin, was allegedly authorised by elements within the Ukrainian government , according to US intelligence sources who spoke with the New York Times and CNN. The United States took no part in the attack, either by providing intelligence or other assistance, the officials said. A SpaceX rocket carrying Russian cosmonaut, Anna Kikina, the only female cosmonaut in service, soared into orbit from Florida on Wednesday.

The International Space Station crew comprising Kikina, two Americans and a Japanese astronaut flew together in a demonstration of US-Russian teamwork in space despite Ukraine war tensions. People wait in line for food and medical aide in the town of Lyman in Donetsk region on 5 October. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images Topics Ukraine Ukraine war live Russia Europe Vladimir Putin Reuse this content.