Ukrainian forces’ recapture of the eastern town of Lyman, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday was “cleared” of Moscow’s troops, shows that Ukraine is able to push back against the Russian military, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday. Germany’s defence minister announced that Germany, Denmark and Norway would pay for 16 armoured howitzers to be delivered to Ukraine next year. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog. All times Paris time (GMT+2).
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10:21pm: Top Zelensky aide Yermak meets with US national security advisor Sullivan in Istanbul
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, in Istanbul on Sunday and pledged Washington's steadfast support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the White House said.
The two discussed the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and Ukraine's continued work with the United Nations to export food to the world," Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council, said in a statement.
3:31pm: NATO chief says Ukraine advance in Lyman shows it can push back Russian forces
Ukraine's capture of a city within territory of Russian President Vladimir Putin's declared annexation zone demonstrates that Ukrainians are making progress and able to push back against Russian forces, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday.
Stoltenberg said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that the best way to counter Russia's proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine is to continue supporting the government in Kyiv.
2:43pm: Germany, Denmark, Norway to deliver 16 howitzers to Ukraine
German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Sunday announced the delivery of 16 wheeled armoured howitzers produced in Slovakia to Ukraine next year.
The Zuzana systems would be produced in Slovakia and financed jointly with Denmark, Norway and Germany, the German minister told public broadcaster ARD after returning from her first trip to Ukraine since the start of the war there.
The Zuzana howitzer is the flagship product of the Slovak defence industry and the only heavy weapon system produced in the country, dpa reported. According to the manufacturer, it can fire all types of NATO 155 millimetre caliber ammunition.
The German ministry put the total value of the procurement at €92 million, with the three countries financing it equally.
1:31pm: Citizens of recently liberated villages fear for their survival as winter approaches
Lukyantsy, a village which lies just 8 kilometres from the Russian border, was occupied the very first day of the Russian invasion and liberated by the Ukrainian army on September 11. Several hundred of the village's residents have remained. They are surviving on humanitarian aid and as winter approaches, they are getting worried. FRANCE 24's Elena Volochine and Gulliver Cragg report.
12:28pm: Pope 'deplores' Ukraine annexations, calls for end to 'spiral of violence'
Pope Francis on Sunday deplored Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory and called on the Russian leader to stop the war and on Ukraine's president to be open to talks.
"I deeply deplore the grave situation that has arisen in recent days, with further actions contrary to the principles of international law. It increases the risk of nuclear escalation, giving rise to fears of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide," he said during the Sunday Angelus prayer.
He implored Russian President Vladimir Putin "to stop this spiral of violence and death" and on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to be open to serious proposals for peace".
He also urged the international community "to do everything possible to bring an end to the war, without allowing themselves to be drawn into dangerous escalations", and to support any efforts to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
12:20pm: Russia's Constitutional Court says Ukraine annexation treaties lawful
Russia's Constitutional court on Sunday recognised as lawful treaties signed by President Vladimir Putin to annex four Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine, according to court documents published online.
The court ruled to "recognise...as corresponding to the constitution of the Russian Federation" accords for Ukraine's Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia to become part of Russia.
12:02pm: Zelensky says Lyman now 'fully cleared' of Russian forces
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared the key eastern town of Lyman "fully cleared" of Russian forces on Sunday, a day after Moscow said its troops had decided to withdraw from their months-long stronghold in the north of the Donetsk region.
"As of 1230 (0930 GMT), Lyman is fully cleared," Zelensky said in a short video clip on his Telegram channel.
10:19am: ‘They are still firing’: Ukrainian forces defend eastern gains from counterattacks
Ukraine’s armed forces face a challenge in the country’s east: to defend their recent gains while continuing their counteroffensive. In the suburbs of the town of Kupyansk, an area where they only just regained control, Ukrainian forces are now moving their guns to new positions. Locals barely flinch anymore when they fire. But many are leaving – homes are in ruins and the town is far from safe. FRANCE 24’s Gwendoline Debono and Gulliver Cragg report.
9:31am: IAEA head Grossi seeks release of Ukrainian nuclear plant head
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog called for the release of the director-general of Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying his detention posed a threat to safety and security.
A Russian patrol detained Ihor Murashov on Friday, the state-owned company in charge of the plant said on Saturday, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said Russia had confirmed the move.
"IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed the hope that Mr Murashov will return to his family safely and promptly and will be able to resume his important functions at the plant," the agency tweeted late on Saturday.
The IAEA has been in contact with relevant authorities seeking clarifications on his temporary detention, which it said had a "very significant impact" on him and nuclear safety and security standards.
Grossi is expected to hold talks in Moscow and Kyiv next week on the creation of a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant, the IAEA said on Saturday.
9:18am: Ukraine's retaking of Lyman key for neighbouring Luhansk region, says governor
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Ukraine's Luhansk region, said that the retaking of Lyman in the neighbouring Donetsk region is one of the key factors for reclaiming lost territory in Luhansk.
"The liberation of this city in the Donetsk region is one of the key factors for the further de-occupation of the Luhansk region," Gaidai wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Luhansk and Donetsk provinces comprise Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, where heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has been going on for months.
8:58am: Ukraine celebrates recapturing key town
Ukrainian troops said they had retaken the key bastion of Lyman in occupied eastern Ukraine, a stinging defeat that prompted a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for the possible use of low-grade nuclear weapons.
The capture on Saturday came just a day after Putin proclaimed the annexation of nearly a fifth of Ukraine —including Donetsk, where Lyman is located — and placed the regions under Russia's nuclear umbrella. Kyiv and the West condemned the ornate ceremony as an illegitimate farce.
Ukrainian soldiers announced the capture in a video recorded outside the town council building in the centre of Lyman and posted on social media.
"Dear Ukrainians — today the armed forces of Ukraine ... liberated and took control of the settlement of Lyman, Donetsk region," one of the soldiers says. At the end of the video, a group of soldiers cheer and throw Russian flags down from the building's roof and raise a Ukrainian flag in their place.
Hours earlier, Russia's defence ministry had announced it was pulling troops out of the area "in connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement".
Lyman had fallen in May to Russian forces, which had used it as a logistics and transport hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region. Its capture is Ukraine's biggest battlefield gain since the lightning counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
