Russia-Ukraine latest updates: Kherson residents told to leave

Skiing’s governing body (FIS) has said Russian and Belarusian athletes will continue to be barred from its competitions in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

In March, the FIS had banned athletes from Russia and Belarus until the end of the 2021-22 season but that suspension has now been extended to the next campaign.

“The FIS Council decided, with due regard to the integrity of FIS competitions and for the safety of all participants … to continue its policy to not allow Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes, to participate in all FIS competitions,” it said in a statement.

The FIS said the decision was in line with recommendations made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Some parts of Ukraine are reducing electricity use by up to 20 percent, national energy operator Ukrenergo told AFP on Saturday, with authorities calling on residents to save power in the wake of Russian strikes on energy facilities.

“We are grateful to both people, who have reduced their consumption at home, and to businesses, who are doing the same in their offices and workplaces,” Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said in written comments to AFP.

“We see savings in different regions and on different days the level of voluntary consumption reduction ranges from five to 20 percent on average.”

Spain has said it would send 14 fighter jets to Bulgaria and Romania to bolster NATO’s eastern flank as the defence alliance strengthens its deterrence capacity amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Madrid will send six Eurofighter jets and 130 soldiers to Bulgaria between mid-November and early December to train local forces, the Spanish defence ministry said in a statement.

It added that the country will further deploy eight F18M fighter jets and 130 air force personnel sent to Romania between December and March 2023 as part of NATO’s “reaction and deterrence” strategy.

The country has already sent 12 fighter jets to eastern NATO members Bulgaria, Lithuania and Estonia since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour in February.

Tens of thousands of protesters in six German cities gathered to demand a more just distribution of government funds to deal with rising energy prices and living costs amid the war in Ukraine, as well as a faster transition away from fossil fuels.

Protesters marched in Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hannover, Stuttgart, Dresden and Frankfurt am Main, holding signs bearing slogans on everything from lowering inflation to switching off nuclear power and more energy price subsidies for the poor.

About 24,000 people participated, according to Greenpeace, one of the organisers. Police said about 1,800 protesters gathered in Berlin.

Germany’s parliament on Friday approved the government’s 200 billion euros ($195bn) rescue package which aims to protect companies and households from the effect of soaring energy prices.

Tehran has warned Western countries against “provocative approaches” after they urged a UN inquiry into Iranian drones allegedly being used in Russia.

In a letter to the United Nations a day earlier, France, Britain and Germany called for an “impartial” investigation into the matter, after the EU and the UK slapped new sanctions on Tehran this week. The White House also said Iranian “military personnel” were on the ground in Russia-annexed Crimea, assisting Russia with drone strikes in Ukraine.

Iran has denied supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, and Moscow has accused the West of seeking to put “pressure” on Tehran with the allegations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the current provocative approaches of the European Union and the United Kingdom to be part of a targeted political scenario,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

Two civilians were killed following strikes on Russia’s southern Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.

“There are two dead among civilians,” Gladkov said on social media following shelling on “civilian infrastructure” in the town of Shebekino, where nearly 15,000 people were left without electricity.

President Zelenskyy has said Russia carried out a “massive attack” on Ukraine overnight.

The statement followed reported strikes on energy infrastructure that resulted in power outages across the country.

“The aggressor continues to terrorise our country. At night, the enemy launched a massive attack: 36 rockets, most of which were shot down … These are vile strikes on critical objects. Typical tactics of terrorists,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

More than a million households in Ukraine have been left without electricity following Russian strikes on energy facilities across the country, according to the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidency.

“As of now, 672,000 subscribers have been disconnected in Khmelnytskyi region, 188,400 in Mykolaiv region, 102,000 in Volyn region, 242,000 in Cherkasy region, 174,790 in Rivne region, 61,913 in Kirovograd region and 10,500 in Odessa region,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on social media.

Several regions across the country reported strikes on energy facilities in a barrage of overnight attacks.

Russian occupation authorities in the Ukrainian city of Kherson have told civilians that they should leave immediately as Ukraine’s forces advance in an effort to retake the city.

Thousands of civilians have already been leaving for days across the Dnieper River after warnings of a looming Ukrainian offensive.

“Due to the tense situation at the front, the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the left [east] bank of the Dnipro!” said a statement posted on Telegram.

“Take care of the safety of your family and friends! Do not forget documents, money, valuables and clothes.”