Kyiv announces the recovery of 88 towns from Russian forces in the Kherson region

Washington assures Russia of the need to keep the lines of communication open during the war in Ukraine

Composite image showing US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.

AFP archives

Yesterday, the United States of America stressed the importance and necessity of keeping the lines of communication open during the war in Ukraine. with China.

In detail, a Pentagon statement said that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone yesterday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, and stressed the importance of keeping the lines of communication open during the war in Ukraine.

The Pentagon did not provide additional details about the phone conversation, but the Russian Defense Ministry said earlier that the two men discussed "several current issues related to international security, including the situation in Ukraine."

"The Russian Defense Minister had a telephone conversation with his American counterpart, in the second conversation between the two men since the beginning of the war in Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement.

"Several major issues related to international security, including the situation in Ukraine" were discussed during the conversation, the ministry added.

The last conversation between Shoigu and Austin since the beginning of the conflict dates back to May 13, days before the phone conversation between Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov and his American counterpart Mark Milley on May 19.

On the ground, the Ukrainian authorities reported that the Russian bombardment yesterday targeted the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhia.

"88 towns have been restored in the Kherson region," an advisor to Ukrainian President Kirillo Tymoshenko said, via the Telegram app.

On October 13, the Kyiv authorities announced that they had recaptured 75 towns and villages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of "mining the dam and the facilities of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station."

“Russia is deliberately preparing for a large-scale catastrophe,” Zelensky said. “If the dam bursts, more than 80 towns, including Kherson, will be flooded.

This, he said, could destroy the water supply of much of southern Ukraine, and affect the cooling of the reactors of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is at risk due to its being bombed.

In Moscow, the official in the Russian Civil Chamber, Alexander Malevich, confirmed yesterday that a journalist was killed and 10 others were wounded in a night bombing operation that targeted a bridge in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, where evacuations are taking place in light of the progress of Kyiv forces.

"There are 10 wounded and dead among the journalists," Alexander Malevich said.

Earlier yesterday, Moscow accused Kyiv of killing four people in the bombing of the Antonovsky bridge over the Dnieper River, as the Ukrainian army rushed to deny targeting civilians.

"We are not bombing basic infrastructure, we are not bombing peaceful towns and local residents," his spokeswoman, Natalia Guminiuk, said.

Pro-Russian forces urged civilians to move to the left bank of the Dnieper River, while Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack in the Kherson region.

Yesterday, the Kremlin sidestepped a question whether President Vladimir Putin had ordered Russian forces to withdraw from Kherson.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred the question to the Defense Ministry.

"This question is related to the implementation of the special military operation, and I suggest that you direct the question to the Ministry of Defense," Peskov said at a press conference, when asked directly whether Putin issued an order to withdraw.

In Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced yesterday, after a summit of 27 countries, that the European Union will provide Ukraine with monthly economic aid worth 1.5 billion euros over the next year.

On the second day of their summit in the Belgian capital, European Union leaders discussed support for Ukraine and relations with China, after an agreement that required a major effort to put a ceiling on gas prices.

Leaders tasked the European Commission and EU energy ministers with detailing how to cap excessive price peaks during a trading day for short-term gas contracts.

"What happened yesterday is that we listened to each other," Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo said.

It is not about obstructing the other, but rather that some countries have legitimate concerns.”

Germany has faced mounting pressure to soften its opposition, over fears that lower gas prices could jeopardize supply security or increase consumption.

After 10 hours of talks, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz admitted that capping price volatility “is logical, of course.”

The bloc's leaders did not support measures that would directly affect consumer prices in the short term.

The bloc's relations with China will also be discussed, with a focus on whether Beijing is seen as an adversary, competitor or partner, on geopolitical issues, trade or combating climate change.

On the other hand, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees intends to help the displaced and people residing in Ukraine in homes severely damaged by the war, to get through the cold winter months in good health.

"We have reconstructed 390 public buildings in Ukraine, so that there are now 109,000 places to sleep," said Deputy Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements.

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