Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges European unity; Russian reservists suffer heavy losses

President Vladimir Putin met with the mothers of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine on Friday and said he and his country shared their grief.

Sitting around a table with a group of women with tea and cake, Putin said he realized that nothing could replace the loss of his son.

“I want you personally and the entire leadership of the country to know that we share your grief,” he said, according to television footage seen by Reuters.

“We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son – especially for a mother. We share this grief,” he added.

The mother’s response to Putin’s words was not immediately shown in the clip.

Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been sent to the war in Ukraine this year, including about 300,000 reservists who were called up for “partial” mobilization in September.

– Karen Gilchrist

At least 77 civilians have been killed and millions have been left in dire straits since Russia began striking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in October, according to the UN human rights office.

“Millions of people are facing extreme hardship and terrible living conditions with these strikes,” Volker Turk said, according to Reuters.

“In general, this raises serious problems under international humanitarian law, which requires a specific and direct military priority for each object of attack,” he added.

Turk also noted that initial analysis of videos showing Ukrainian soldiers killing Russian prisoners showed that they were “likely to be authentic.”

– Karen Gilchrist

Russian troops continued shelling the southern city of Kherson, killing seven people and wounding 21 others in the latest strike, an official said.

Shelling from Russian positions across the Dnieper River has become a regular occurrence since the city was liberated from Russian occupation two weeks ago.

The governor of Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanushevich, said on Thursday at around 17:00 local time, an apartment building was set on fire by Russian artillery and anti-aircraft fire, and one residence was hit by bullets. According to him, the children’s playground was also damaged.

– Karen Gilchrist

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Europeans to unite against Russia’s war.

Speaking via video link to a conference in Lithuania, Zelensky described the task as the region’s first mission.

“There is no division, no division among Europeans, and we have to preserve that. That is our No. 1 mission this year,” he said.

– Karen Gilchrist

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russian reservists could suffer heavy casualties after being asked to dig trenches in eastern Ukraine two months after being mobilized by Putin.

“The Kremlin may be concerned that a growing number of reservists’ families are willing to challenge the conditions under which their relatives are serving and risk arrest,” said Friday’s update.

Prominent supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin are increasingly using “genocidal rhetoric” to discuss and denigrate Ukrainians, analysts say, while some pro-war analysts are supporting the concept of “annihilating” the modern Ukrainian state.

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The head of the regional government of Kyiv reiterated that approximately 70% of the regional government remains without electricity.

According to a translation by NBC News, Alexei Kuleba also said that the death toll from the latest Russian airstrikes has reached seven.

Missiles rained down on Kiev and several other Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a newborn baby claimed to be one of the youngest casualties of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.

– Amanda Macias

The Ukrainian government announced that investigators had found 50 separate mass graves in the recently liberated Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.

“Approximately 50 burial sites in the liberated areas of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions have been investigated,” the government wrote on the Telegram messaging app, according to a translation by NBC News.

“Search teams have identified the bodies of about 200 victims,” ​​the statement added.

The Kremlin has previously denied claims that its forces used mass graves in once heavily occupied territories.

– Amanda Macias

The organization that controls the export of Ukrainian crops said that 79 ships are waiting to load cargo.

The UN-led Joint Coordination Center also said it is awaiting inspection of about 110 cargo ships in Turkish territorial waters.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July, eased Russia’s naval blockade and reopened Ukraine’s three main ports.

Since the signing of the agreement, more than 490 ships carrying 11.8 million tons of grain and other food products have left for destinations around the world.

Kyiv has previously accused Moscow of suspending inspections and delaying the movement of ships.

– Amanda Macias