Closing summary
It’s approaching 9pm in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and here’s a summary of today’s developments as Ukrainians in Kherson city are celebrating after the arrival of Ukrainian soldiers to recapture the city.
Jubilant crowds have been seen welcoming soldiers in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, after progress made by the armed forces in recent days continued. Ukrainian forces have liberated 41 settlements as they advanced through the south, the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in his Thursday evening address.
A Ukrainian flag has been raised in Svobody Square, near the headquarters for the regional administration for the first time since the city fell to Russia on 2 March. Another is being flown outside the city’s national police headquarters.
A Ukrainian defence ministry spokesperson has told the BBC that Ukraine’s forces are almost in full control of Kherson.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that it was a “historic” day for the country. In a statement on his Telegram page, he said that people in Kherson never gave up hope on Ukraine, adding: “Hope for Ukraine is always justified – and Ukraine always returns its own.”
More than 30,000 Russian service personnel have been withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. The defence ministry said that its evacuation had been completed by 5am Moscow time on Friday.
The ministry said there was no military hardware or soldiers left on the western side of the river.
Vladimir Putin’s press spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied the Russian withdrawal from Kherson was humiliating for the Kremlin, when he spoke to reporters on Friday morning. Peskov said there were no regrets about the city in southern Ukraine being annexed by Russia at a lavish ceremony in late September.
However, reports have emerged of some Russian troops being left behind in Ukraine and changing into civilian clothes. The ministry of defence’s intelligence unit has urged Russian soldiers to surrender.
The Antonivskiy Bridge, the only nearby road crossing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro River, has been blown up.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general is investigating three bodies that were found in Kherson region, who it’s suspected were victims of war crimes.
Seven people were killed in a Russian missile attack on a five-storey block of flats in Mykolaiv that took place early on Friday morning. Emergency service crews have been working to try to find any survivors.
Russian attacks on electricity facilities are having a disproportionate effect on civilians in Ukraine, having an indiscriminate impact on critical functions such as healthcare and heating, according to the latest evaluation by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Ukraine is building a wall at its northern border with neighbour Belarus, a key ally of Putin. The concrete wall is already 3km long.
Forty-five Ukrainian soldiers have been freed in a prisoner exchange with Russia and the bodies of two killed Ukrainian soldiers have also been repatriated, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office has said.
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that his organisation had started training civilians in Russian regions bordering Ukraine to form a militia and build fortifications.
The United Nations has been holding talks with Russian officials about the agreement to export grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
That’s all for today. Thank you for following along. We will be back tomorrow.
There is significant new damage caused to the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, after Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson, according to aerial images.
In a statement reported by Reuters, satellite imagery company Maxar said: “Satellite images this morning … reveal significant new damage to several bridges and the Nova Kakhovka dam in the aftermath of the Russian retreat from Kherson across the Dnipro River.”
It follows news earlier on Friday that the Antonivskiy Bridge had been blown up, cutting a link between the two sides of the river. The Russian forces have fled to the west side, allowing Ukrainian forces to retake Kherson city.
Updated
It’s not just in Kherson that people are celebrating today’s events, there are also people gathering in Kyiv to mark the return of the southern Ukrainian city into Ukrainian hands.
Zelenskiy: 'Kherson never gave up on Ukraine'
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has released a statement on his official Telegram account after his troops retook Kherson on Friday.
Zelenskiy said it was a “historic day” and that the people in the southern city “never lost hope”.
He said: “They never gave up on Ukraine. Hope for Ukraine is always justified – and Ukraine always returns its own.”
The president previously shared a video of people celebrating around a fire in Kherson as darkness descended.
The full statement reads:
Today is a historic day. We are returning Kherson. As of now, our defenders are on the approaches to the city. But special units are already in the city.
The people of Kherson were waiting. They never gave up on Ukraine. Hope for Ukraine is always justified – and Ukraine always returns its own.
And even when the city is not yet completely cleansed of the enemy’s presence, the people of Kherson themselves are already removing Russian symbols from the streets and buildings and any traces of the occupiers’ stay in Kherson.
It was the same in all other cities liberated by our defenders. It will be the same in those cities that are still waiting for our return.
Ukraine will come to all its people.
And I thank every soldier and every unit of the defence forces who are making this offensive operation in the south possible now.
Absolutely everyone – from privates to generals.
The armed forces, intelligence, SBU, National Guard – all who brought today’s day closer for Kherson oblast.
Updated
Celebrations are continuing into the night in Kherson, with videos showing parties in the streets and people chanting “ZSU”, the initials of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Mood in evening Kherson 🇺🇦🍉😽#Ukraine #Kherson pic.twitter.com/kk5OdeRWRp
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 11, 2022
Ukraine’s prosector general’s office has said three bodies found during a search in the Kherson region are being investigated to see whether they were victims of war crimes.
Soldiers found the bodies in a cellar in Berislav, north along the Dnipro River from Kherson, where they discovered they had fractured skulls.
The prosecutor said that investigations are under way to see whether they are linked to war crimes.
Updated
Here’s some of the videos that have been published today on social media showing overjoyed people in Kherson celebrating the departure of Russian troops and arrival of Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine is building a wall at its border with Belarus, a key ally of Russia, from where Vladimir Putin launched part of his invasion in February.
The concrete wall will be reinforced with barbed wire, a ditch and an embankment to fortify its border with Belarus, the Kyiv Independent is reporting.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president’s office, said the wall already spans 3km and construction is also taking place in Ukraine’s Rivne and Zhytomyr oblasts.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s approaching 6pm in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and here’s a summary of today’s developments on a day where Ukrainian troops have entered the centre of Kherson city for the first time since it was captured by Russia on 2 March.
Jubilant crowds have been seen welcoming soldiers in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, after progress made by the armed forces in recent days continued. Ukrainian forces have liberated 41 settlements as they advanced through the south, the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in his Thursday evening address.
A Ukrainian flag has been raised in Svobody Square, near the headquarters for the regional administration. Another is being flown outside the city’s national police headquarters.
A Ukrainian defence ministry spokesperson has told the BBC that Ukraine’s forces are almost in full control of Kherson.
More than 30,000 Russian service personnel have been withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. The defence ministry said that its evacuation had been completed by 5am Moscow time on Friday.
The ministry said there was no military hardware or soldiers left on the western side of the river.
Vladimir Putin’s press spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied the Russian withdrawal from Kherson was humiliating for the Kremlin, when he spoke to reporters on Friday morning. Peskov said there were no regrets about the city in southern Ukraine being annexed by Russia at a lavish ceremony in late September.
However, reports have emerged of some Russian troops being left behind in Ukraine and changing into civilian clothes. The ministry of defence’s intelligence unit has urged Russian soldiers to surrender.
The Antonivskiy Bridge, the only nearby road crossing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro River, has been blown up.
Seven people were killed in a Russian missile attack on a five-storey block of flats in Mykolaiv that took place early on Friday morning. Emergency service crews have been working to try to find any survivors.
Russian attacks on electricity facilities are having a disproportionate effect on civilians in Ukraine, having an indiscriminate impact on critical functions such as healthcare and heating, according to the latest evaluation by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Forty-five Ukrainian soldiers have been freed in a prisoner exchange with Russia and the bodies of two killed Ukrainian soldiers have also been repatriated, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office has said.
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that his organisation had started training civilians in Russian regions bordering Ukraine to form a militia and build fortifications.
The United Nations has been holding talks with Russian officials about the agreement to export grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
Updated
This comes from my colleague, The Guardian’s foreign correspondent, Luke Harding who is in Mylove, in Kherson province.
Amid jubilation at the liberation of Kherson, there was no let-up in the war with Russian forces. The Ukrainian army pounded retreating soldiers as they sought to cross to the left bank of the Dnipro River.
An armoured column of 40 Ukrainian vehicles including several T-72 tanks trundled past the village of Mylove in Kherson province, liberated on Thursday. It headed in the direction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant – a key crossing point – and the still-occupied right-bank city of Nova Kakhovka.
From Mylove, the Russians were a mere 8km away. They controlled territory visible just across the river: radio masts and houses beneath a line of trees. Black smoke billowed on the horizon.
There were booms every few minutes and a sequence of rapid whooshes from outgoing Ukrainian grad missiles. The Russians fired back, though less frequently, from artillery positions over the water. “You get used to it,” villager Serhiy Demcuk said, after another percussive explosion. “No you don’t,” his wife Alesia disagreed. “It’s terrible,” she said.
The Ukrainian advance has been slowed by the fact the fleeing Russians blew up bridges and other strategic objects. Ukrainian vehicles were forced to take a long detour across sunflower fields and agricultural land after the crossing over a tributary was destroyed. There has been no time to install pontoon bridges.
A major clean-up operation was taking place on Friday, with Ukrainian military police going house to house, checking documents. They were hunting for local collaborators and for Russians who got left behind and may have disguised themselves as civilians.
The Kremlin’s shambolic retreat from Kherson has been a major military disaster. The new frontline positions are extremely close, however, with both sides able to target each other using multiple-launch rocket systems and even tank rounds.
Ukraine’s general staff will be keen to knock out Russian military bases as soon as possible, to prevent the Kherson from being pulverised and turned into another Mariupol.
Kyiv also faces another strategic dilemma: does it try to cross the Dnipro River and keep going, or open a new front south of Zaporizhzhia and towards the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol?
Updated
The British government has ordered some documents to be kept secret by an inquiry into the death of a woman killed by the Novichok nerve agent following the 2018 attempted murder of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, the inquiry heard on Friday.
Dawn Sturgess died from exposure to Novichok in July 2018 after her partner found a counterfeit perfume bottle that British police believe had been used by Russian intelligence operatives to smuggle the poison into the country.
Skripal, who sold Russian secrets to Britain, and his daughter Yulia had been found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury four months earlier.
They and a police officer who went to Skripal’s house were left critically ill in hospital from exposure to the military-grade nerve agent, but later recovered.
While British police have charged three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, in absentia over the attack on Skripal and his daughter, no formal case has been brought against them over the death of Sturgess, 44.
An inquest into her death has been replaced by a public inquiry to allow it to consider highly confidential information from the police and the security services.
Updated
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has sent a greeting to Poland on that country’s Independence Day, expressing gratitude in a video message for Polish help since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
“Ukrainians will remember how you welcomed us, how you help us. Your country is our sister,” Zelenskiy said.
Poles have rallied to Ukraine’s cause, and Poland has welcomed large numbers of refugees. But there are also lingering tensions over a Polish-Ukrainian ethnic conflict in which 100,000 Poles were killed by Ukrainians during the second world war.
Some Polish far-right groups try to keep those tensions alive. One large poster in a yearly Independence Day march organised by Polish nationalist groups read “Stop the Ukrainization of Poland.”
Updated
More footage of cheering crowds greeting Ukrainian forces in the centre of Kherson continues to make its way to social media.
Here’s a clip that has just been posted by Pjotr Sauer, a Guardian reporter covering Russia and Ukraine:
Centre of Kherson right now pic.twitter.com/ufOhdGhNoW
— Pjotr Sauer (@PjotrSauer) November 11, 2022
Forty-five Ukrainian soldiers have been freed in a prisoner exchange with Russia and the bodies of two killed Ukrainian soldiers have also been repatriated, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office has said.
The official, Andriy Yermak, gave no details of the Russians freed in the swap, Reuters reported. But he published a video of a group of soldiers sitting in the back of a vehicle who were told “Welcome to Ukraine” and then cheered “Glory to Ukraine!”
Yermak also tweeted other video footage and photos, including this one
Another POWs swap. We managed to free 45 AFU soldiers and get back to Ukraine bodies of two fallen defenders.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) November 11, 2022
Thanks to the Coordinating Staff on the Treatment of Prisoners of War. We are going on. Our people will return home. pic.twitter.com/CDAnahRqwo
The prisoner exchange was the latest in a series since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
A Ukrainian defence ministry spokesperson has told the BBC that Ukraine’s forces are almost in full control of the southern city of Kherson.
More than 30,000 Russian service personnal have been withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, Russia’s defence ministry has said in a statement released through the Interfax news agency.
The Ukrainian military intelligence body, the GUR, has appealed to Russian troops who have been left behind in Kherson after the withdrawal to give themselves up.
Ukraine’s ministry of defence said the city was returning to Ukrainian control, and urged any remaining Russian soldiers to give themselves up.
There are reports that some soldiers may have been left behind during the order to pull out. Some have changed into civilian clothing but there are fears that they may still be armed.
In a statement posted on its social media channels, the defence intelligence of Ukraine said: “In case of voluntary captivity, Ukraine guarantees you survival and safety. We comply with the Geneva conventions, guarantee prisoners of war food, medical care and the possibility of your exchange for soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces held captive in the Russian Federation.
“It is safe to surrender to captivity after prior discussing the conditions of surrender with authorised representatives of the Ukrainian command by calling the hotline of the state project of Ukraine ‘I want to live.’”
It has provided telephone numbers, or told soldiers to approach Ukrainian military with their guns hung over their shoulder, with a white flag or cloth and shout “I surrender”.
Updated
Footage shows Ukrainian troops in central Kherson
Social media footage appears to show Ukrainian troops arriving in the centre of Kherson, as some have been seen yards away from Svobody Square, where the country’s flag was raised by partisans on Friday.
The soldiers are being greeted with delight by crowds who had waited to welcome them.
The Ukrainian army has now reached the centre of the city of Kherson, greeted by cheering crowds of civilians.🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3bg6Tej42b
— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) November 11, 2022
Updated
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that his organisation had started training civilians in Russian regions bordering Ukraine to form a militia and build fortifications.
“Wagner is helping and will keep helping the population in border areas to learn how to build engineering structures, to train and to organise a militia,” Prigozhin was quoted as saying by the press service of his company Concord.
He said “a huge number of people are already ready to defend their land”.
Prigozhin said Wagner’s main aim was to start building fortifications and training schools in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, which have come under fire regularly in recent months in attacks blamed by Moscow on the Ukrainian army.
“If you want peace, prepare for war,” he said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP), insisting that every Russian had the right to defend their homeland as they see fit.
Prigozhin in September disclosed for the first time that he founded the Wagner group in 2014 to fight in Ukraine and acknowledged its presence in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
This came after he and the Kremlin had long denied the group existed. Serving as a mercenary remains illegal for Russians.
Updated
Seven people are now thought to have died in the Russian attack on a high-rise building in Mykolaiv in the early hours of Friday morning.
Vitaliy Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, posted in a statement on Telegram: “Unfortunately, there are already seven dead in the five-storey building.”
Updated
The Ukrainian flag continues to be raised over official buildings in Kherson.
This video shows soldiers putting it back up outside the headquarters of the Ukrainian national police in the city.
The Ukrainian flag was hung over the building of the National Police of the #Kherson region. pic.twitter.com/C1B1TBTsvF
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 11, 2022
The United Nations has been holding talks with Russian officials about the agreement to export grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths and Rebeca Grynspan, head of UN trade and development agency UNCTAD, were meeting a delegation from Moscow, led by the Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Vershinin, Agence France-Presse reports.
One of the deals is due to expire in eight days.
“It is hoped that the discussions will advance progress made in facilitating the unimpeded export of food and fertilisers originating from the Russian Federation to the global markets,” said a UN spokesperson, Alessandra Vellucci.
Two agreements brokered by the United Nations and Turkey were signed on 22 July – to allow the export of Ukrainian grain blocked by Russia’s war in the country, and the export of Russian food and fertilisers despite western sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.
The 120-day Black Sea Grain Initiative runs out on 19 November, and the United Nations is seeking to renew the agreements for one year. Moscow, however, has not yet said whether it will agree to that.
Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain producers and the Russian invasion had blocked 20m tonnes of grain in its ports until the safe passage deal was agreed.
Until Thursday, 10.2m tonnes of grains and other foodstuffs had been exported from Ukraine under the deal, relieving some fears over a deepening global food security crisis.
Updated
Putin's press spokesperson denies Kherson withdrawal is 'humiliating'
Vladimir Putin’s press spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied the Russian withdrawal from Kherson was humiliating for the Kremlin, when he spoke to reporters on Friday morning.
Peskov said there were no regrets about the city in southern Ukraine being annexed by Russia at a lavish ceremony in late September.
The Kremlin said it had finished pulling back its troops from Kherson, abandoning the only regional capital its forces had captured in nearly nine months of fighting.
He insisted the city was still part of Russia, Agency France Presse (AFP) reports. “This is a subject of the Russian Federation. There are no changes in this and there cannot be changes,” Peskov told reporters.
Asked whether Russia regretted annexing Kherson, Peskov said the Kremlin had “no regrets” about the move.
The BBC’s Will Vernon, the broadcaster’s senior journalist at its Moscow bureau, was one of those to ask Peskov questions.
BBC: So you don’t think it’s a humiliation for the President?
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) November 11, 2022
Peskov: No
BBC: Is there regret in the Kremlin that you held such a ceremony, just a few weeks ago, on [annexing] Kherson?
Peskov: No
Updated
More photos here of people waiting to welcome Ukrainian troops into central Kherson earlier on Friday.
The Ukrainian flag was raised in the city centre earlier on Friday by partisans as soldiers advanced to retake the city, amid a Russian retreat.
❗️#Kherson right now. pic.twitter.com/e7Elxhxbbp
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 11, 2022
Ukrainian army arrives in centre of Kherson city
Ukraine’s armed forces were reported to have reached the centre of Kherson city as Russia’s retreat from the key strategic city appeared to have descended into chaotic scenes.
Amid reports of wounded Russian soldiers being abandoned or taken prisoner, Ukrainian shelling of troop crossings across the Dnipro River, one Russian soldiers told of some units being told to escape any way they can.
Pictures posted on social media from Kherson on Friday morning were said to show Ukrainian infantry being greeted by residents in the Korabelnyi district of the city with the city’s Garrison pub visible in the background.
A member of the Kherson regional council told Reuters that almost all of the city was under control of Ukrainian armed forces.
Residents were being advised to stay at home while searches continued for Russian troops still in the city, and that some drowned in the Dnipro river while trying to escape.
Updated
Social media posts appear to show Ukrainian troops in Kherson city
Ukrainian soldiers appear to have entered Kherson city, according to reports on social media.
One photograph taken of people welcoming soldiers has been geolocated to near a pub in the west of the city.
It shows that Ukrainian forces are continuing to make their way into the centre of the southern Ukrainian city.
😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 11, 2022
(46.6463361, 32.5681818) pic.twitter.com/DB705KgtXj
Updated
People across the UK will fall silent on Friday to mark Armistice Day – as Britain’s foreign minister condemned Russia for bringing back war to Europe.
Poignant services will be held nationwide for the anniversary of the end of the first world war, and a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am to remember those who have died in military conflicts.
The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, will attend a remembrance service hosted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris.
Cleverly said:
Since 1918 we have marked Armistice Day and paid tribute to the brave men and women who have served to give us peace. Yet as we salute our troops this year, this peace has been shattered by a Russian aggressor.
As we honour the war dead of the past, we also remember Ukraine’s fight for freedom today. The UK stands steadfast with our friends and allies in defence of freedom and democracy in Ukraine and I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with an historic ally in Paris today.
Russia defence ministry claims Kherson withdrawal complete
Russia’s defence ministry has claimed it has completed the withdrawal of troops from the western bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, the Tass news agency reported.
In its daily briefing cited by Russian news agencies, the ministry said all Russian forces and equipment had been transferred to the left, or eastern, bank of the Dnipro.
It said the withdrawal was completed by 5am Moscow time (2am GMT) on Friday morning.
Russia ordered the withdrawal on Wednesday after it said it attempts to maintain its position and supply troops were “futile” in the face of a mounting Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The ministry also said on Friday there was not a single piece of military hardware or soldier left on the western side of the river, which includes the regional capital, Kherson, and that it had not suffered any loss of personnel or equipment during the withdrawal.
Updated
The Russian military’s retreat from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson has been handled so badly that it appears likely to enable Ukrainian forces to rout their enemy, according to Dr Mike Martin, a senior war studies fellow at King’s College London and former British army officer.
Russia had to announce the retreat because it was pulling out of territory that it had previously annexed but it seems like not all Russian troops were informed of the move to withdraw, he said on Twitter.
“And, as we know, retreating is the hardest military manoeuvre to carry out. Much harder if you announce it beforehand. So now we have the situation where Russian troops are jamming the crossing by points and getting shelled by the Ukrainians.”
Updated
An unidentified Russian soldier who posted an account of the retreat from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson described one unit throwing away its uniforms while heaping blame on those in Russia rationalising the retreat.
Russian fighter who was previously in Kherson, "13th", is in panic mode, saying... just watch for yourself. pic.twitter.com/yHFRRDIZnU
— Dmitri (@wartranslated) November 10, 2022
“Hey everyone, guys, I’m alive,” the soldier says, his face visibly tired against the backdrop of a night sky.
“What can I say? Everything I’ve been saying has happened. Those trying to find justification for this, comparing it with Borodino [the bloody battle during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia] or anything else can, you can tell them to go fuck themselves. Those who think everything will be fine next, tell them to go fuck themselves.
“They are digging fortifications in Crimea and in one unit, which I won’t name, the last order was to change into civilian clothing and fuck off anyway you want.”
Updated
Ukrainian flag raised in Kherson amid chaotic Russian retreat
Russia’s retreat from the key strategic city of Kherson appeared to have descended into chaotic scenes amid reports of wounded soldiers being abandoned, Ukrainian shelling of troop crossings across the Dnipro River, and some Russian units being told to escape any way they can.
An estimated 20,000 Russian troops had been stationed on the west side of the Dnipro in and around Kherson city.
Images also emerged showing a large Ukrainian flag had been hung up in Kherson city centre overnight, possibly by partisans who have been active in the city, as residents largely stayed indoors and some Russian reports suggested Ukrainian special forces had entered the city.
First images of Ukrainian flags raised in the centre of Kherson. According to local telegram channels, this is the work of the partisans pic.twitter.com/cCOYUBMw9N
— Pjotr Sauer (@PjotrSauer) November 11, 2022
With Ukrainian estimates suggesting that half of those soldiers had been withdrawn across the river by Thursday evening, footage posted on Russian social media channels suggested panic in some units as they scrambled to escape.
Russia announced on Wednesday it would withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro that includes Kherson city, the only regional capital Moscow has captured since invading Ukraine in February.
Updated
The Antonivskiy Bridge, the only nearby road crossing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro River, has collapsed, Ukraine’s public broadcaster quoted local residents as saying on Friday.
The Suspilne broadcaster published a photograph showing whole sections of the bridge missing. The next road crossing across the Dnipro is more than 70km (43 miles) from Kherson city.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the bridge’s collapse. Russia announced on Wednesday it was retreating from the west bank of the Dnipro to the other side.
Updated
The US has encouraged Ukraine to use the Russian withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson as a platform to restart negotiations as leaders meet for G20 talks next week, the Times (£) reports.
Mark Milley, the top US general, said the G20 meeting was a “window of opportunity” for leaders to discuss how to bring an end to the fighting.
Vladimir Putin will not attend the gathering of leaders from the G20 nations in Bali next week, Indonesian and Russian officials confirmed on Thursday, ending weeks of speculation about a possible confrontation with the US president, Joe Biden.
Russia’s president will be represented by his veteran foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, officials said.
Updated
Environmental damage in Ukraine from the eight-month-old war with Russia is mounting, with experts warning of long-term consequences for the country.
The warnings come as Russia’s attacks on fuel depots have released toxins into the air and groundwater, threatening biodiversity, climate stability and the health of the population.
The Associated Press spoke to Rick Steiner, a US environmental scientist who advised Lebanon’s government on environmental issues stemming from a monthlong war in 2006 between that country and Israel.
“In addition to combat casualties, war is also hell on people’s health, physically and mentally,” he said.
AP also reported on how Olga Lehan’s home near the Irpin River was flooded when Ukraine destroyed a dam to prevent Russian forces from storming the capital, Kyiv just days into the war.
Weeks later, the water from her tap turned brown from pollution.
“It was not safe to drink,” she said of the tap water in her village of Demydiv, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of Kyiv on the tributary of the Dnieper River.
Visibly upset as she walked through her house, the 71-year-old pointed to where the high water in March had made her kitchen mouldy, seeped into her well and ruined her garden.
Updated
The absence of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in connection with announcements about his forces’ retreat from key areas of Ukraine is being discussed by commentators.
The distance has been deliberate, writes New York Times national correspondent Neil MacFarquhar, who adds:
With each new pronounced setback in Ukraine, however, it is getting harder for Mr. Putin to separate himself from the whiff of failure, which is gradually eroding his image as a decisive, indomitable leader.
Prof Mark Galeotti, an expert on modern Russia, meanwhile suggests that, in apparently ceding power to wiser generals, Putin is learning from his mistakes.
Updated
Russian soldiers have been abandoning wounded comrades as they make a retreat from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Nikolai, a Ukrainian soldier fighting in the region, told the newspaper:
There is a withdrawal of Russian troops to more fortified positions. But there were still populated points where we saw battles.
They withdraw because they suffer losses, very heavy losses. What’s more, they don’t even take the bodies of their soldiers and leave the wounded behind.
Updated
The US will buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, a US official has said, in a deal the two governments have been working on for some time.
The agreement, reported by the Associated Press (AP) news agency, comes as Ukrainian leaders press for more weapons and aid to take advantage of a counteroffensive that is pushing Russian forces out of some areas they had taken over earlier in the war.
It relieves concerns within the US military, where there have been worries that persistent transfers of the Pentagon’s howitzer ammunition to Ukraine are eating into their stockpiles.
Russian attacks have 'disproportionate' impact on civilians - UK MoD
Russian attacks on electricity facilities are having a disproportionate effect on civilians in Ukraine, having an indiscriminate impact on critical functions such as healthcare and heating, according to the latest evaluation by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
“The continued prioritisation of critical national infrastructure over military targets implies Russian intent to strike at civilian morale,” it adds.
The update said Russia had attacked Ukraine with a campaign of strikes since 10 October, targeting electric power infrastructure. This has come in waves, the most recent of which was on 31 October, which involved targeting a hydroelectric dam facilities for the first time.
Recoverability varies and the continued attacks will almost certainly have consequences for interlinked water and heating systems that will be felt most significantly by the civilian population during winter, as demand increases.
This is Ben Quinn in London picking up the blog now for the next few hours.
Updated
Iran and Russia are finding common ground through the Syrian and Ukraine wars, the Guardian’s Middle East correspondent, Martin Chulov, reports.
When a Russian plane arrived in Iran with €140m in cash and a booty of captured western weapons, in exchange for Iranian drones, it marked a new phase in a seven-year alliance between two unlikely bedfellows.
The delivery of cash and weapons was reportedly made in August, after Russia received its first deliveries of drones to support its war in Ukraine. It was Iran’s first known contribution to the Russian offensive in Europe. But the bond between the two countries had been forged on another continent ravaged by war, the Middle East.
Read the full story below:
Updated
Ukrainian officials are reporting an overnight Russian attack on a high-rise building in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
The city’s mayor, Alexander Senkevich, said a residential quarter of the city was shelled, leaving two dead and two wounded.
“Destruction from the fifth to the first floor. So far, two dead and two injured are known. The emergency services continue the search and rescue operation,” he said.
❗️У Миколаєві російська армія вдарила ракетою по багатоповерхівці
— Громадське радіо (@HromadskeRadio) November 11, 2022
Є загиблі та поранені.
Деталі: https://t.co/SmckSX7VVK pic.twitter.com/JE9a72ggMH
Updated
US to send $400m more in military aid to Ukraine
The US will send $400m more in military aid to Ukraine, officials announced on Thursday.
According to the Pentagon, the aid package will contain large amounts of ammunition and, for the first time, four highly mobile Avenger air defence systems.
I have directed another $400 million worth of arms and equipment from @DeptofDefense inventories to Ukraine. This is our 25th drawdown since August 2021. As Ukraine’s defenders push back Russia’s forces, the United States stands #UnitedWithUkraine.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 11, 2022
This increased air defence will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
The US will also buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, an official added.
Today we announced additional Ukraine 🇺🇦 security assistance worth up to $400M w/ a mix of critical battlefield capabilities to help Ukraine defend their homeland. Alongside our int’l Allies & partners, we stand united in our unwavering support of Ukraine’s self-defense. pic.twitter.com/9MdKapi98I
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 10, 2022
Updated
Russian withdrawal from Kherson city will take one week, Ukraine says
Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has said it will take at least one week for Russia to pull out of Kherson city.
Russia still has 40,000 troops in the region and intelligence showed its forces remained in and around the city, Reznikov said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.
It’s not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, [it will take] one week.”
He added that intelligence showed Russia’s forces remained inside the city, around the city and on the west bank of the Dnipro.
Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, estimated more than half the Russian forces that had been stationed on the right bank of the city were still there – a force that had previously been put at 20,000.
Ukraine closes in on Kherson, reclaims dozens of towns
Ukraine says its forces have reclaimed dozens of landmine-littered towns and villages abandoned by Russian troops in southern Ukraine as they close in on the outskirts of strategic capital city of Kherson.
In his Thursday evening address, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that “dozens of Ukrainian flags have already returned to their rightful place”.
Today we have good news from the south,” the Ukrainian president said. “Forty-one settlements were liberated.”
Ukraine claimed it had liberated the key town of Snihurivka, about 20 miles (32km) north of Kherson. Images also emerged of Ukrainian soldiers with a Ukrainian flag in Kyslivka, a village just outside Klapaya and about nine miles (15km) from Kherson’s city centre.
The large pocket around the city once held by Russian forces also appeared to be shrinking. Video posted by Russian soldiers retreating across the Dnipro appeared to confirm that at least some troops had already withdrawn.
Kyiv has said it is wary of rushing in and claiming victory, warning it may be a trap by the Kremlin.
Ukraine’s army chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed pulling out of the city, but said Kyiv’s forces have advanced 36.5km (22.7 miles) and retaken 41 villages and towns since 1 October in the region.
That included 12 settlements on Wednesday alone.
Updated
Summary and welcome
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 as they unfold over the next few hours.
Ukraine says its forces have reclaimed dozens of landmine-littered towns and villages abandoned by Russian troops in southern Ukraine as they close in on the outskirts of strategic capital city of Kherson.
However, Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said it would take at least one week for Russia to pull out of Kherson city and Moscow still has 40,000 troops in the region.
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If you have just joined us, here are all the latest developments:
Ukrainian forces are closing in on the outskirts of the southern city of Kherson after Russia’s announcement its forces have begun retreating. Ukraine claimed it had liberated the key town of Snihurivka, about 20 miles (32km) north of Kherson. Images also emerged of Ukrainian soldiers with a Ukrainian flag in Kyslivka, a village just outside Klapaya and about nine miles (15km) from Kherson’s city centre.
The Russian defence ministry confirmed its withdrawal in the region was under way. “The Russian troop units are manoeuvring to a prepared position on the left bank of the Dnipro River in strict accordance with the approved plan.”
Ukrainian troops continued their advance on Kherson from the north, east and west, as the large pocket around the city once held by Russian forces appeared to be shrinking. Video posted by Russian soldiers retreating across the Dnipro appeared to confirm that at least some troops had already withdrawn.
Ukraine’s defence minister said Russians will take at least a week to leave Kherson city and Moscow still had a contingent of 40,000 troops in the Kherson region. “It’s not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, (it will take) one week,” Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters. He added that intelligence showed Russia’s forces remained inside the city, around the city and on the west bank of the Dnipro. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, estimated more than half the Russian forces that had been stationed on the right bank of the city were still there – a force that had previously been put at 20,000.
Kyiv has said it is wary of rushing in and claiming victory, warning it may be a trap by the Kremlin. Ukraine’s army chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed pulling out of the city, but Kyiv’s forces have advanced 36.5km (22.7 miles) and retaken 41 villages and towns since 1 October in the region. That included 12 settlements on Wednesday alone.
There were unconfirmed reports of explosions from shelling around the Nova Kakhovka dam late on Thursday. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that the 30-metre high hydroelectric facility could be targeted by the Russians.
Ukrainian forces have liberated 41 settlements as they advanced through the south, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his Thursday evening address. Ukraine is working on ridding areas retaken from Russian forces of thousands of unexploded landmines and ordnance that has been left behind.
America’s top general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimates that Russia’s military had seen more than 100,000 of its soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine, adding that Kyiv’s armed forces has “probably” suffered a similar level of casualties. Mark Milley’s remarks offer the highest US estimate of casualties to date.
The UK government has frozen more than £18bn of assets belonging to oligarchs and other Russians under the new sanctions regime. Sanctions have been imposed on 1,271 people – including the former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and the “Nickel King” Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s second richest person – according to a report published on Thursday.
The US will send $400m more in military aid to Ukraine, officials announced on Thursday. According to the Pentagon, the aid package will contain large amounts of ammunition and, for the first time, four highly mobile Avenger air defence systems. “This increased air defence will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. The US will also buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, an official added.
