For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.
The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EDT.
9:22 p.m.: Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, spoke at the Halifax Security Forum during a discussion of resilience.
8:12 p.m.: Speaking with Irish students via a video conference, President Zelenskyy said that a number of African countries changed their attitude and started supporting Ukraine against Russia after the Russian Federation blocked the export of grain from Black Sea ports.
"African countries saw how Russia completely disgracefully blocked the Black Sea. It blocked the supply of grain - wheat, corn - from Ukraine to the African continent... And when countries began to see it, when the societies of some countries began to feel it, they began to open their eyes," said Zelenskyy.
7:30 p.m.: In a video conversation with Irish students, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the world should continue pressure Russia as long as Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said international pressure on Russia, particularly sanctions, should be not only maintained, but also intensified. “Russia continues to destroy international relations and people's lives and pretends that it is fighting against this destabilization together with everyone," said the Ukrainian president.
6:44 p.m.: A report by RFE/RL and VOA shows Kherson residents describing how they heard screams and sounds of machine guns coming out of an alleged torture facility during the Russia occupation in Kherson.
6 p.m.: A top Ukrainian human rights investigator on Thursday released a video of what he said was an underground torture chamber used by Russian forces in the recently liberated Kherson region, including a small room in which he said up to 25 people detained at a time.
Dmytro Lubinets, the parliament's human rights commissioner, shared the video on social media after Ukraine's interior minister said investigators had discovered 63 bodies bearing signs of torture after Russian forces left last week.
In the video, Lubinets speaks from a series of bare underground rooms -- with grimy walls and floors -- that he says were used for detentions, interrogations and torture. Electric shocks were used to secure confessions, he said.
A Ukrainian man who did not want to give his name, said he was kept there and tortured for 24 days. He described how the Russians tied him to a chair and subjected him to electric shocks till he passed out. He said once he regained consciousness, and after a short break, they would resume the torture.
Reuters was unable to verify the allegations made by Lubinets and others in the video. Russia denies its troops target civilians or have committed atrocities.
5:10 p.m.: An imprisoned Russian opposition activist who was honored by a human rights advocacy group dedicated his award to the thousands of people who have been arrested or detained in Russia for protesting President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine,The Associated Press reported.
UN Watch, a Geneva-based organization that promotes human rights and tries to ensure that the United Nations does, too, gave Vladimir Kara-Murza its highest human rights award. The Morris Abram award commemorates the group’s founder — a civil rights advocate, diplomat and delegate to the United Nations.
Kara-Murza’s wife, Yevgeniya, accepted the award on his behalf during a ceremony late Thursday and read a letter from her husband that hailed the journalists, lawyers, artists, priests, politicians, military officers and others “who have refused to say silent in front of this atrocity, even at the cost of personal freedom.”
“Since February, over 19,000 people were detained by police across Russia for anti-war protests,” the letter said. “I want to dedicate this award to all of them.”
4 p.m.: The Conflict Observatory released a report Friday documenting extrajudicial detentions and enforced disappearances carried out by Russian occupying forces in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
“The report details demographic patterns of the people detained or disappeared, the widespread allegations of abuse–including torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment–and the implications of these allegations in international humanitarian and human rights law,” the Conflict Observatory said, noting that it worked with the The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab to document the allegations.
The Conflict Observatory is a program that independently compiles and documents evidence to support investigations of those responsible for abuses, according to the State Department, which supports its work.
“Russia must halt these operations and withdraw its forces to end a needless war that it cannot and will not win – no matter how despicable and desperate its tactics,” the State Department said in a statement Friday.
3:10 p.m.: Thousands of workers at a Russian-owned oil refinery in Sicily protested Friday against the threat of closure as Europe imposes a full embargo on Russian oil starting next month, The Associated Press reported.
Workers demanded action from Italy’s new economic development minister, Alfonso Urso, who was meeting in Rome with union leaders and others to find a solution for the refinery that employs 3,500 people directly and indirectly supports another 6,500 jobs.
“Russian ships will stop on Dec. 5, given the embargo that the previous government decided,” union spokesman Luciano Spataro said in Sicily. “We hope that the new government will find a solution to avoid this catastrophe.’’
Urso told reporters in Rome that another meeting on the plant’s future would be held before mid-December.
2:30 p.m.:
2:10 p.m.: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy talked on the phone and congratulated each other for the extension of a U.N.-brokered grains deal, Erdogan's office said, according to Reuters.
Erdogan told Zelenskyy that both the grains deal and the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine were positive experiences, and that the "extension of this understanding to the negotiation table" would benefit all parties.
2:00 p.m.:
1:50 p.m.: Eighty countries including the United States, Britain and France signed a declaration in Dublin on Friday pledging to refrain from urban bombing, the first time states have agreed to curb the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, Reuters reported.
The international agreement is the product of more than three years of negotiation and is intended to address the devastating impact of attacks on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure.
"Today's Political Declaration sets out actions to be taken in military operations to strengthen the protection of civilians," Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said in a statement.
"Its implementation will change how militaries operate in populated areas, including a commitment around restricting or refraining from the use of explosive weapons, when their use may be expected to cause harm to civilians or civilian objects."
Russia has been bombing Ukrainian infrastructure in the course of its nine-month-old invasion of its neighbor, causing nationwide blackouts that have forced Ukraine to ration energy use as winter approaches.
The declaration was not endorsed by major military powers Russia, China and Israel, or by India. The pact is a political commitment but not legally binding and there are no sanctions if states fail to implement it.
1:35 p.m.:
12:50 p.m.: Blackouts are hitting Ukraine's small businesses and wider economy hard, Reuters reported Friday.
Oleksii Revutskyi rolls his eyes when talking about the challenges Ukrainian businesses have faced lately.
"Two years of quarantine, a year of war - bring on the aliens already," said Revutskyi, head of technology at a stylish co-working space in Kyiv that could soon find itself reliant on power generators if Russian air strikes continue.
Having endured a pandemic and then the economic crunch that followed Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, Ukrainian businesses are struggling to adapt to widespread blackouts that have become a feature of daily life.
12:10 p.m.:
11:50 a.m.: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says almost half of the country's energy infrastructure has been disabled by Russian strikes, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
"Almost half of our energy system is out of order," Shmyhal said on Friday, noting that, on November 15 alone, about 100 Russian rockets rained down on Ukrainian cities with energy facilities being the main targets.
After the attacks, about 10 million Ukrainians were left without electricity in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Lviv and other cities, officials said. The Kremlin says the attacks are the result of the "unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to enter into negotiations" with Russia.
11:25 a.m.:
11:05 a.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed a proposal to create a Turkish "gas hub" during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Friday, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Putin first floated the proposal to establish a gas base in Turkey in October as a means to redirect supplies from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines and export them on to the European market, an idea backed by Erdogan.
The Kremlin said the two sides also discussed the agreed 120-day prolongation of the Black Sea grain deal that Ankara helped broker to ensure the safe passage of grain exports from blockaded Ukrainian ports. "Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the importance of a comprehensive and complete implementation of this 'package' agreement," the Kremlin said.
10:40 a.m.: The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said that a high proportion of Ukrainian farmers have been negatively affected by the war, with reduced production and lost income causing hardship.
10:20 a.m.: Russia's defense ministry said on Friday that Ukraine had executed more than 10 Russian prisoners of war, accusing Kyiv of carrying out war crimes that Moscow said the West ignores, Reuters reported.
The ministry cited video circulating on Russian social media which it said showed the execution of Russian prisoners of war. Reuters was unable to immediately verify either the video or the defense ministry's claim.
"This brutal murder of Russian servicemen is neither the first, nor the only war crime," the defense ministry said.
There was no immediate response from Kyiv to Moscow's claims. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of war crimes, claims that Russia has denied.
10:00 a.m.:
9:55 a.m.: Two men killed by a missile that hit a southeastern Polish village will be buried this weekend, a priest said on Friday, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, residents are struggling to come to terms with an incident that raised fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the border.
Residents of Przewodow have been shaken by the explosion that cost the two men their lives and brought the most deadly conflict in Europe since World War Two to their doorsteps.
"I knew (both of the deceased) very well," local priest Bogdan Wazny told Reuters. "One lived near here in this old housing estate, and the other in the neighbouring village, which is 3.5 kilometers from the church...They were very kind people."
Wazny said the first funeral would be on Saturday at 1200 local time. It would be led by a bishop from the city of Zamosc.
"At this first funeral there will be a military presence, so an orchestra, probably some guests from ministries, or at least representatives of the highest state authorities," he said.
The second funeral will take place on Sunday without a military presence, Wazny said.
9:25 a.m.:
9:10 a.m.: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says Moscow is hopeful a deal can be made with Washington to exchange prisoners, including convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who currently is serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
"The Americans are showing some external activity. We are working professionally through a special channel designed for this," Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow on Friday. "Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result."
Relations between Moscow and Washington are at a low not seen since the last century, with tensions sent over the top by the Kremlin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
A possible prisoner swap is expected to also include women's basketball star Brittney Griner, who was recently sentenced to nine years behind bars in Russia after being convicted on drug charges, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of espionage charges that he denies.
Ryabkov said Moscow also was ready for high-level talks with Washington regarding "strategic stability," which includes the New START treaty.
8:50 a.m.: European Union trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis visited Kyiv on Friday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal on E.U. support for Ukraine.
8:30 a.m.: Despite the hardship experienced by civilians in Ukraine, a small sign of a return to normality was news that the first train from the capital Kyiv to Kherson would be departing Friday night, The Associated Press reported.
Ukraine’s state rail network Ukrzaliznytsia said around 200 passengers will travel on the train – the first in nine months.
Dubbed the “Train to Victoryk,” the train’s carriages were painted in eclectic designs by Ukrainian artists and the tickets were sold as part of a “Tickets to Victory” charity project.
8:10 a.m.: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had a phone conversation with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday, according to a statement from his office.
“They discussed the future of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and ways to improve its impact in the Least Developed Countries,” the statement said.
8:05 a.m.: A U.N. senior official on Friday voiced optimism that Russia and Ukraine would agree on terms to resume exports of Russian ammonia via a pipeline to the Black Sea, Reuters reported.
A deal aimed at easing global food shortages by helping Ukraine export its agricultural products from Black Sea ports was extended for four months on Thursday, but ammonia exports via the pipeline were not part of the renewal.
"There are elements of that agreement (on ammonia) that have to happen between the two countries," said Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). "We have reason to believe that there is interest for that to happen."
"We are optimistic that this is being discussed and that it could happen," she added, without giving further details.
7:45 a.m.:
7:30 a.m.: Ukraine’s electricity grid operator warned of hours-long power outages Friday as Russia zeroed in on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with renewed artillery and missile attacks that have interrupted supply to as much as 40% of the population at the onset of winter, The Associated Press reported.
Grid operator Ukrenergo said outages could last for several hours with colder temperatures putting additional pressure on energy networks.
You always need to prepare for the worst, we understand that the enemy wants to destroy our power system in general, to cause long outages,” Ukrenergo’s chief executive Volodymyr Kudrytskyi told Ukrainian state television Friday. “We need to prepare for possible long outages, but at the moment we are introducing schedules that are planned and will do everything to ensure that the outages are not very long.”
Kudrytskyi added that the power situation at critical facilities such as hospitals and schools has been stabilized.
7:15 a.m.:
6:50 a.m.: Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine in several locations, The Associated Press reported Friday.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, overnight shelling and missile strikes targeted “critical infrastructure” and damaged energy equipment, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. Eight people including energy company crews and police officers were injured trying to clear up the debris, he said.
Russian forces unleashed the breadth of their arsenal to attack Ukraine’s southeast employing drones, rockets, heavy artillery and warplanes resulting in the death of at least six civilians and the wounding of an equal number in the past 24 hours, the office of the president reported.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, part of which remains under Russian control, artillery pounded ten towns and villages. The death toll from a rocket attack on a residential building in the city of Vilniansk Thursday climbed to nine people, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko posted on Telegram.
In Nikopol, located across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, 40 Russian missiles damaged several high-rise buildings, private houses, outbuildings and a power line.
In the wake of its humiliating retreat from the southern city of Kherson, Moscow intensified its assault on the eastern Donetsk region where Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday its forces took control of the village of Opytne and repelled a Ukrainian counteroffensive to reclaim the settlements of Solodke, Volodymyrivka and Pavlivka.
The city of Bakhmut, a key target of Moscow’s attempt to seize the whole of Donetsk and score a demonstrable victory after a string of battlefield setbacks, remains the scene of heavy fighting, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
6:20 a.m.:
6:05 a.m.: Investigators have found traces of explosives at the site of the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines, confirming sabotage had taken place, Reuters reported, quoting a Swedish prosecutor Friday.
Swedish and Danish authorities are investigating four holes in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines which link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea and have become a flashpoint in the Ukraine crisis as gas supplies in Europe run short.
Denmark last month said a preliminary investigation had shown that the leaks were caused by powerful explosions.
"Analysis that has now been carried out shows traces of explosives on several of the objects that were recovered," the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement, adding that the findings establish the incident as "gross sabotage."
It said the continued probe would determine whether it would be possible to identify those responsible.
5:45 a.m.: In Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors approved a resolution calling, among other things, for Russia to withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia plant, Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest, The Associated Press reported Friday.
British ambassador Corinne Kitsell tweeted that 24 countries voted for and two against the resolution, which was led by Canada and Finland, on Thursday evening. Russian ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov identified the two countries that voted against as Russia and China, and said seven states abstained.
5:30 a.m.:
5:14 a.m.: The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said in its latest Ukraine assessment that Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and southwest of Donetsk City.
Ukrainian troops continued targeting Russian military assets and concentration areas on the east bank of Kherson Oblast and in the rear areas of Zaporizhia Oblast.
Russian authorities, the assessment noted, continue to face discontented mobilized personnel and low morale on the front lines.
4:07 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry said Russian troops have constructed new trench systems near the border of Crimea, as well as near the Siversky-Donets River between Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. Some locations suggest Russia is making preparations in case of further Ukrainian breakthroughs.
3:30 a.m.:
2:55 a.m.: The first snow of the season fell on Kyiv on Thursday, The Associated Press reported, and the freezing weather warns of the trouble Ukraine faces if Russia continues to hit its gas and power plants.
Russia on Tuesday unleashed a nationwide barrage of more than 100 missiles and drones that knocked out power to 10 million people in Ukraine — strikes described by Ukraine’s energy minister as the biggest assault yet on the country's battered power grid in nearly nine months of war, The Associated Press reported.
1:36 a.m.: French President Emmanuel Macron addressed business leaders of Asian countries to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.
"This war is also your problem, because it will create a lot of destabilisation," Macron said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok.
12:02 a.m.: Ukraine's troubles are affecting some U.S. food prices. The average cost for a dozen Grade A eggs in the U.S. is $2.28, more than double the price from 2021, The Associated Press reported.
Part of that price hike is due to avian flu, but part of it's also due to the war in Ukraine, AP reported. Ukraine is normally a major corn exporter, and corn and soybean meal are used for chicken feed. Losing Ukrainian corn pushes up the price of American eggs, avian flu or no avian flu.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
