For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

The latest developments in Russia's war on Ukraine. All times EST.

8:42 p.m.: Russia said Wednesday it had seized east Ukrainian settlements near the embattled town of Bakhmut that Moscow has been trying to capture since this summer, Agence France-Presse reported.

"In the Donetsk area, after offensive actions, Russian troops fully liberated the settlements of Bilogorivka and Pershe Travnya," the defence ministry said a briefing.

Later on Wednesday, the army announced it also seized Andriivka, also to the south.

In another part of the Donetsk region, this time near the city of Avdiivka on the frontline since 2014, Russians seized the small settlement of Vodiane.

If verified, the small gains come as Russian forces have thrown all their might in the battle for Bakhmut.

Once known for its vineyards and cavernous salt mines, Bakhmut has been dubbed "the meat grinder" because of the brutal trench warfare, artillery duels and frontal assaults around the city.

Russian mercenaries, prison conscripts and newly mobilized troops are believed to be fighting for Moscow in the area.

The Institute for the Study of War said that "Russian forces made marginal gains around Bakhmut on November 29, but Russian forces remain unlikely to have advanced at the tempo that Russian sources claimed."

7:38 p.m.: A Zambian student who had been serving a prison sentence in Russia and died fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine had been employed by Russian mercenary group Wagner, its leader said, according to The Associated Press.

Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin said on the Russian social media app VKontake on Tuesday that the student, 23 year-old Lemekhane Nyireda, "died a hero."

Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo said earlier this month that Russian officials had informed the Zambian government of the death of Nyireda, who was a government-sponsored student before he was sentenced in Russia for unspecified crimes in April 2020.

He said the Zambian Embassy in the Russian capital of Moscow had established that Nyirenda died September 22 and that his remains were transported to the Russian border town of Rostov ahead of repatriation to Zambia.

Before his prison sentence, Nyirenda was studying nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. He was serving his prison sentence of about nine years at a prison on the outskirts of Moscow, according to the Zambian government.

6:47 p.m.: Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officials found weapons and Russian cash on Wednesday after searching properties in around Kyiv linked to a pro-Russian former politician, the agency said, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the SBU said its searches of homes and offices belonging to Yevhen Murray, who it said was "hiding from justice abroad," and his associates were part of a criminal investigation into treason.

Murayev's political party and a television channel under his control were seen as vehicles for Kremlin interests in Ukraine before Moscow's February 24 invasion. The party, Nashi, was banned after Russian forces swept into Ukraine.

He had promoted views that aligned with Russian narratives on Ukraine, including that the 2014 Maidan protests in Kyiv were a Western-backed coup and the Kremlin-fueled war in eastern Ukraine that followed was an internal conflict.

Weeks before Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine this year, Britain's foreign ministry said Russia was considering installing Murayev to lead a new puppet government, a claim denied by him and Moscow.

5:59 p.m.: Germany and Norway want to start a NATO-led alliance to protect critical underwater infrastructure, their leaders said on November 30, weeks after explosions hit two key gas pipelines in the fallout from the war in Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

"We are in the process of asking the NATO secretary-general to set up a coordination office for the protection of underwater infrastructure," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a press conference in Berlin.

"We take the protection of our critical infrastructure very seriously, and nobody should believe that attacks will remain without consequences," he said.

5:07 p.m.: Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officials found weapons and Russian cash on Wednesday after searching properties in around Kyiv linked to a pro-Russian former politician, Reuters reported, quoting the agency.

In a statement, the SBU said its searches of homes and offices belonging to Yevhen Murayev, who it said was "hiding from justice abroad," and his associates were part of a criminal investigation into treason.

Murayev's political party and a television channel under his control were seen as vehicles for Kremlin interests in Ukraine before Moscow's February 24 invasion. The party, Nashi, was banned after Russian forces swept into Ukraine.

4:20 p.m.: People in Moscow were asked about the impact of Russia's "special military operation" on Ukraine - the Kremlin's wording for the invasion of its western neighbor. When questioned about what was gained or lost, some saw the attack as a "win," while others expressed unhappiness about the results. Some were reluctant to speak openly, but little sympathy was expressed about the suffering of Ukraine itself. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has this report.

3:19 p.m.: The official Vatican website was taken offline on Wednesday following an apparent hacking attack, the Holy See said, according to Reuters.

"Technical investigations are ongoing due to abnormal attempts to access the site," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said, without giving any further information.

The suspected hack came a day after Moscow criticized Pope Francis's latest condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with a Jesuit magazine, the pope had singled out troops from Chechnya and other ethnic minorities in Russia for their particular "cruelty" during the war.

2:30 p.m.:

Zelenskiy said that only after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO sees the damage could he tell Ukraine how to end the war.https://t.co/LjnANHr4cZ

2:10 p.m.: The Russian invasion of Ukraine shows that authoritarian regimes are not reliable trade partners and future supply chains should run through countries like Canada that are concerned about carbon emissions and human rights, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Trudeau recently returned from an official trip to the G20 and other summits in Asia, where he pitched Canada as a dependable global supplier of critical minerals and energy. Canada also launched an Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday meant to counter Chinese power in the region.

"What we're focused on now is very much ensuring that our economies - our open, free economies - don't rely on authoritarian leaders like (Russian President) Vladimir Putin," Trudeau said in an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference, which is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday.

1:45 p.m.: After Ukrainian troops retook large parts of the Kherson region from Russian forces, officials began the work of investigating military and civilian deaths and removing mines and booby traps from the area. Current Time, a co-production of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and VOA, has this report.

1:25 p.m.: Russia said its forces had edged forward in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday and Kyiv said Moscow was "planning something" in the south, while NATO sought to shore up other countries that fear destabilization from Moscow, Reuters reported.

Ukraine's General Staff said earlier that its troops had repelled six Russian attacks in 24 hours in the eastern Donbas region, while Russian artillery had relentlessly shelled across the Dnipro River, including at Kherson city, in the south.

Winter weather has hampered fighting on the ground, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told citizens to expect a major Russian barrage this week on Ukraine's stricken electricity infrastructure, which Moscow has pounded roughly weekly since early October.

"These are President (Vladimir) Putin's new targets. He's hitting them hard," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after NATO talks in Bucharest.

1:05 p.m.: The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released a report noting that winter conditions will worsen the humanitarian outlook for Ukraine's civilians affected by the war.

The onset of winter conditions brings new dimensions to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.Continuing attacks on energy infrastructure and damage to homes leave millions at risk of deadly temperatures that can drop to below -20 degrees.➡️More: https://t.co/xI8kcpHEVf pic.twitter.com/gUpc1UKS0q

12:20 p.m.: Ukraine's state emergency service said on Wednesday nine people had been killed in fires in the past 24 hours as people broke safety rules trying to heat their homes following Russian attacks on power facilities, Reuters reported.

The number of fires has risen, it said, with Ukrainians increasingly resorting to using emergency generators, candles and gas cylinders in their homes because of power outages.

"Only in the last day there were 131 fires in Ukraine, 106 of them in the residential sector. Nine people died, eight were injured," it said in statement.

11:55 a.m.: Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said in an interview published on Wednesday that he discussed nuclear issues and Ukraine in a meeting earlier this month with United States Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, Reuters reported.

The two men met in Turkey on November 14 in the highest-level face-to-face contact between the two sides since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Russia has not previously commented on what was discussed, saying the subject matter was sensitive. Washington has said Burns delivered a warning about the consequences of any Russian use of nuclear weapons.

11:35 a.m.:

⚡️Russian forces shell border settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy oblasts nearly 40 times on the morning of Nov. 30.According to Ukraine's Operational Command North, no casualties were reported in the areas.

11:15 a.m.: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin had focused his "fire and ire" on Ukraine's civilian population and warned that Russia's recent strategy of targeting vital infrastructure would fail to divide Ukraine's supporters, Reuters reported.

"Heat, water, electricity...these are President Putin's new targets. He's hitting them hard. This brutalization of Ukraine's people is barbaric," Blinken told a news conference in Bucharest following a two-day NATO summit.

Blinken accused Putin of trying to divide the Western coalition and to force it to abandon Ukraine by freezing and starving Ukrainians and driving up energy costs not across Europe but around the world.

"This strategy has not, and will not, work. We will continue to prove him wrong. That's what I heard loudly and clearly from every country here in Bucharest," Blinken added.

10:50 a.m.:

Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said Moldova's neutrality does not entail self-isolation, demilitarization, or indifference toward world affairs.https://t.co/wzQXtOPH2T

10:20 a.m.: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Wednesday in Bucharest, Romania, on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting, according to spokesman Ned Price.

"The Secretary reiterated to Foreign Minister Kuleba the United States' enduring commitment to Ukraine's defense and deterrence capabilities, especially the provision of air defense options to combat Russia's escalating missile strikes against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine." Price said.

"The two also discussed outcomes of meetings - including with G7-plus partners - on Ukraine's immediate energy infrastructure needs, as well as building long-term energy security and resilience in Ukraine," he added.

The Strategic Concept, adopted at the Madrid Summit, is @NATO's blueprint for meeting the challenges of a new security reality. We're working with partners around the world to counter Russian malign influence and empower governments and civil society to build resilient societies. pic.twitter.com/5qK0aZN9r5

10:10 a.m.: Ukraine on Wednesday ramped up security at its embassies abroad after Spanish police and government said an employee at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was injured opening a letter bomb, Reuters reported.

The staff member suffered light injuries and went to hospital under his own steam, police said in a statement.

Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba has ordered all Ukrainian embassies abroad to "urgently" strengthen their security, according to a statement from Ukraine's foreign ministry.

9:50 a.m.:

Ukraine has rolled out hundreds of "Points of Invincibility" - a defiant name for makeshift centers around the country where beleaguered citizens can warm up, charge their phones, get some food, and entertain themselves. pic.twitter.com/0UxWUcY3ZA

9:30 a.m.: Ukraine's SBU security service conducted a fresh search of a monastery in the west of the country on Wednesday in what it said was an operation to counter suspected "subversive activities by Russian special services," Reuters reported.

The search, in the Mukachevo diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Transcarpathia, was the latest in a series of raids conducted in the past week as Russia's war in Ukraine entered its tenth month.

The historically Russian-backed wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced a formal severing of ties with Moscow in May, but is still mistrusted by many Ukrainians and frequently accused of secret co-operation with Russia.

In the latest search, the SBU said it had inspected the territory and premises of the monastery in the Mukachevo diocese to identify prohibited items and carried out checks on people persons "regarding their involvement in illegal activities to the detriment of the state sovereignty of Ukraine."

It did not say what was uncovered or whether anyone had been detained.

9:20 a.m.:

⚡️SBU conducts raid at Moscow Patriarchate monastery in Zakarpattia Oblast. pic.twitter.com/zj5KsOyCgQ

9:05 a.m.: Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevics says Ukraine should be allowed to strike military sites inside Russia as it fends off attacks on its critical infrastructure, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

"We should allow Ukrainians to use weapons to target missile sites or airfields from where those operations are being launched," Rinkevics said on November 29 in an interview while attending the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest.

NATO allies, including the United States, have held back on sending weapons that can strike Russia.

8:45 a.m.:

The Odesa city council also voted on November 30 to remove a monument of 18th-century Russian military commander Aleksandr Suvorov.https://t.co/ycWuW6J1da

8:30 a.m.: NATO turned its attention on Wednesday to three countries shaken by Russia's invasion of Ukraine - Bosnia, Georgia and Moldova - as the military alliance struggles to extend its security umbrella across Europe, The Associated Press reported.

At talks in Romania, the foreign ministers of the three countries met with their NATO counterparts to discuss ways that the world's biggest security organization might be able to help, as the war in Ukraine exposes them to political, energy and territorial uncertainty.

While the cause of the problems facing Bosnia, Georgia, and Moldova is clear, their needs and the way that NATO might be able to help them are not. No straightforward proposals about what might be done were offered by NATO ministers as they arrived at the Palace of the Parliament in the capital Bucharest.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said the meeting is aimed at ensuring "more safety and security on the European continent," and "is a signal ... on how important it is to create stability not only for NATO countries itself, but also beyond.

8:10 a.m.:

Ukraine's foreign minister says top NATO diplomats have given him a number of new commitments on arming his nation, but declined to say whether that includes Patriot missile batteries. https://t.co/nrCvfhKutS

7:55 a.m.: Ukrainian forces have repelled more Russian military attacks in the east as Moscow pounded civilian settlements in central and southern Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported, quoting military and regional officials.

On the front line, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Wednesday its forces had repelled six Russian attacks in the past 24 hours in Donetsk and the adjacent Luhansk region. Five people were killed in the eastern Donetsk region in shelling over the past day, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram.

The military said Russian troops continue to attack in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka directions employing tank and artillery fire. Russian air strikes were carried out near Avdiyivka, it added.

In the central Zaporizhzhya region, Russian rockets hit a gas distribution point, according to regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh. No one was injured in the attack, he wrote.

Meanwhile, Russian forces relentlessly shelled the right bank of the Dnieper River and Kherson city further south.

In Kyiv and its surroundings, millions of people struggled to heat their homes amid dropping temperatures and snowing. A power company official wrote on Facebook that 985,500 people in Kyiv were without power, and another electricity provider said the city would have emergency power cuts on Wednesday.

7:40 a.m.:

⚡️Ukrenergo: Ukraine faces 27% electricity shortage as of 11 a.m. on Nov. 30.According to Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo, the country's energy system generation capacity is gradually increasing, which will make it possible to reduce the deficit slightly.

7:25 a.m.: Britain will Wednesday agree a digital trade deal with Ukraine, whose economy has been ravaged by Russia's invasion, Agence France-Presse reported.

U.K. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will meet in London to unveil the deal, the government said in a statement.

The accord will guarantee access to the U.K.'s financial services industry, helping reconstruction efforts and establishing closer cooperation on cybersecurity and emerging technology.

"Trading digitally is particularly important in the current conflict, where damage to Ukrainian infrastructure and warfare makes it much harder to trade physically," the statement added. "Digital tools and technologies will help Ukrainians access everyday vital goods and services during the war."

The agreement comes after London slashed tariffs on all Ukrainian goods to zero under a free trade deal with the war-torn nation.

7:05 a.m.:

Since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russian authorities have prosecuted dozens of Crimean Tatars on various charges that rights organizations have called trumped-up.https://t.co/D5pPalPBCw

6:50 a.m.: The European Commission on Wednesday proposed confiscating Russian assets that have been frozen to punish Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine, exploring legal options with the EU's partners to compensate Kyiv for damage to the country, Reuters reported.

"We have blocked 300 billion euros of the Russian Central Bank reserves and we have frozen 19 billion euros of Russian oligarchs' money," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU's executive said in a statement.

She said that in the short term the EU and its partners could manage the funds and invest them. The proceeds would go to Ukraine that would ultimately compensate for damages caused to the country.

"We will work on an international agreement with our partners to make this possible. And together, we can find legal ways to get to it," she said.

6:35 a.m.:

[LIVE] 🔴 🎥 Watch #NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg's press conference following the Foreign Ministers meeting in #Bucharest 🇷🇴 #ForMin https://t.co/PoYBID49OS

6:05 a.m.: Moscow said on Wednesday it had promoted the chief engineer of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to become its head, filling a position vacant since October when Kyiv says the plant's boss was abducted by Russian authorities, Reuters reported.

The nuclear power plant, Europe's biggest, has been occupied by Russian forces since March. It has not been producing electricity since September but is still run by its Ukrainian staff to keep it safe. Moscow said in October it was putting the plant under control of Russia's nuclear authorities, a move Kyiv says is illegal.

Russian nuclear agency Rosenergoatom announced that chief engineer Yuriy Chernichuk would become plant director. Ukraine says the plant's boss, Ihor Murashov, was abducted by Russian forces on his way from the plant in October.

Murashov was later released after Russian state television broadcast a video in which he was shown confessing to "communicating with Ukrainian intelligence." The IAEA U.N. watchdog said he was allowed to join his family in Ukrainian-held territory.

"The new director of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and first deputy general director of the Zaporizhzhia power plant operating company is Yuriy Chernichuk," Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom's CEO, said, praising him as a "courageous" successor.

Chernichuk could not be reached for comment.

Ukraine's state-run nuclear power operator Energoatom said in May that Russia had forbidden Chernichuk from leaving the city of Enerhodar, where the plant is based, holding him and other staff as "hostages."

The six-reactor plant has since come under repeated shelling, drawing condemnation from the IAEA, which has called for a safety zone around it, a proposal so far resisted by Moscow.

Russia and Ukraine each blame the other for the shelling at the plant, located on a Russian-held bank of the Dnipro River across from Ukrainian-held territory. Kyiv also accuses Moscow of hiding military equipment at the plant, which Russia denies.

5:15 a.m.: Russia's defense minister said on Wednesday that Moscow will pay special attention to construction of infrastructure related to its nuclear forces in 2023, Reuters reported citing state media.

"When preparing the list of major construction facilities for 2023, special attention will be paid to construction in the interests of the strategic nuclear forces," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by RIA news agency as saying.

Interfax quoted him as saying that facilities were being built to accommodate new missile systems.

4:30 a.m.: Russian and Chinese warplanes conducted joint patrols over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing Russian state media which quoted the defense ministry.

The defense ministry said the aircraft acted in accordance with international law and did not violate the airspace of other countries, according to the RIA news agency.

4:05 a.m.: Around 450,000 tons of Ukrainian grain are being transported via Poland monthly, over 50% more than in the middle of the year, Reuters reported Wednesday quoting Poland's infrastructure minister, as Warsaw helps its neighbor to increase its food exports.

Ukraine is one of the world's leading grain and oilseed exporters and a Russian blockade of its ports after Moscow invaded the country in February drove a quest for alternative routes.

After an almost six-month blockade, three Ukrainian Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

But Russian support for the pact has wavered in recent weeks to the extent Moscow temporarily withdrew at the end of October, raising questions about the long-term future of the deal that was extended for 120 days in the middle of November.

"Within the so-called solidarity lanes about 452 thousand tons of (Ukrainian) grains are currently transported through the territory of Poland, over 50% more than in the middle of the year," Andrzej Adamczyk said.

"Compared to October last year, the increase in grain transport in the same period of 2022 is over 16 times," he added.

3:25 a.m.: The European Union will try to set up a specialized court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said on Wednesday.

"We are ready to start working with the international community to get the broadest international support possible for this specialized court," Von Der Leyen said.

Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation," has denied targeting civilians.

The G-7 agreed on Tuesday to set up a network to coordinate investigations into war crimes as part of a push to prosecute suspected atrocities in Ukraine.

Russia must pay for its horrific crimes. We will work with the ICC and help set up a specialised court to try Russia's crimes.With our partners, we will make sure that Russia pays for the devastation it caused, with the frozen funds of oligarchs and assets of its central bank pic.twitter.com/RL4Z0dfVE9

3 a.m.: The upper chamber of Russia's parliament approved the resignation of Alexei Kudrin as head of the Audit Chamber on Wednesday, paving the way for him to take up a potential role at Russian technology giant Yandex.

Kudrin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin throughout his career, becomes the highest profile government official to leave a post since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February.

2:45 a.m.: European Union leaders are pushing to quickly establish an investment program to ramp up production in the bloc's defense industry in light of the war in Ukraine, according to a draft of conclusions for a December 15-16 summit.

"The European Council ... calls on the Commission to rapidly present a proposal for a European Defence Investment Programme to reinforce the capacity and resilience of the European defense technology and industrial sector, including small and medium enterprises," said the draft, seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

The document is likely to be adjusted before the summit.

EU leaders will also push the bloc's executive commission and the European Defense Agency to intensify efforts to identify military gaps and coordinate joint defense procurement, in particular to replenish their stocks of materiel, which have been depleted in support of Ukraine.

The EU has long urged member states to join forces on arms purchases instead of driving up prices by competing against each other or striking deals individually with suppliers outside the bloc.

Countries have been reluctant to do so, but the Ukraine war - which Russia calls a "special operation" - and the rate of Western arms deliveries to Kyiv have added a fresh sense of urgency.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said this month that the EU and its member states have provided arms and military equipment worth at least 8 billion euros to Ukraine so far.

At their summit in Brussels, EU leaders will also call for speedier implementation of infrastructure work meant to facilitate swift military movement across Europe, according to the draft document.

The construction and modernization of infrastructure such as roads and bridges are part of the EU's "Military Mobility" project, which also aims to simplify and standardize procedures for military personnel and equipment as they cross borders by road, rail, sea or air.

Military experts have long complained that derelict or missing infrastructure and red tape are hampering the swift movement of personnel and equipment that would be crucial if NATO allies had to send reinforcements to eastern Europe in the case of a conflict.

2:35 a.m.:

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the 30-member alliance would hold talks with Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, countries "facing pressure from Russia."https://t.co/YuRMmk8iRe

2:30 a.m.: Europe should increase its presence in the western Balkans to limit the influence of Russia, Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday ahead of the second day of NATO meetings in Bucharest.

"The stability in western Balkans is important for peace. We need to stop the Russians in the western Balkans, we need more Europe," Tajani said.

"We need to protect all the countries in the western Balkans and close to Ukraine because it is important in this moment to work together, Unity is important and it's a strong message to Russia."

2 a.m.:

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 30 November 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/fgQp2pB2Il🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/tgBYUJUISr

1:10 a.m.: Sweden and Finland have made good progress towards an agreement with Turkey on the Nordic countries' admission to NATO, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstrom said on Wednesday.

"We had a very good bilateral yesterday between Sweden, Finland and Turkey and I felt after this meeting that there is progress. We are moving forward," Billstrom told reporters on arrival for the second day of a NATO foreign ministers meeting.

1 a.m.: A large oil storage tank was on fire early on Wednesday in Russia's Bryansk region, Reuters reported, quoting a local governor.

The tank was located in the Surazh district in the north of the region. Bryansk region borders with Ukraine's northeast.

"Fire and rescue teams are on the site," Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on the Telegram messaging app. The fire had spread across 1,800 square meters (19,000 square feet), Bogomaz said.

There were no reports of casualties, he added. He did not mention a potential cause for the fire.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reports.

Earlier in the night, the governor of Russia's Kursk region - to Bryansk's south and also bordering Ukraine - said Ukrainian forces had struck a power plant, causing some electricity outages.

12:45 a.m.: Ukraine said it had received a multiple rocket launcher system from France adding to the arsenal of long-range artillery credited with changing dynamics on the battlefield against Russia, Agence France-Presse reported Tuesday.

The French-provided LRU is the fourth variety of sophisticated rocket-launcher system (MLRS), after HIMARS, M270 and MARS II - to be supplied to Ukraine to help Kyiv battle Russia's invasion. It has a range of around 70 kilometers.

Two weeks ago, French Army Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the delivery of two French LRU to Ukraine in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche. Lecornu said France would also send two batteries of Crotale air defense systems and was "looking into a request from Ukraine for radars that are crucial to detect strikes upstream." France is also planning to take 2,000 out of the 15,000 soldiers the EU promised to train.

12:30 a.m.: Estonia began putting into circulation 2 million two-euro coins with a special design dedicated to Ukraine and will be selling special editions to raise money for the country, Agence France-Presse reported.

"The two-euro coin dedicated to Ukraine will from today start to reach people throughout Estonia and elsewhere in Europe through shops," Estonia central bank governor Madis Muller said in a statement. The coin was designed by Daria Titova, a Ukrainian refugee studying art in Estonia, and depicts a woman holding a bird next to a stalk of wheat and the popular Ukrainian slogan "Glory to Ukraine."

The central bank released special coin cards with the design in July, but this is the first time the coin is being minted for general use. The governor said that $362,000 in proceeds from sales of the coin cards since this summer had been donated to Ukraine.

12: 15 a.m.: U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that securing funding for Ukraine and COVID-19 are his priorities before Republicans take control of the House of Representatives early next year, Reuters reported.

Biden held talks with Democratic and Republican leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate on what can be done in the remaining weeks when Democrats still control both chambers. Republicans won a narrow majority in the House in the November 8 midterm elections and will take over in January, complicating Biden's agenda for the next two years. Biden's Democrats retained control of the Senate.

He said funding more military assistance for Ukraine, an objective that House Republicans have talked about stalling when they take over in January, is a priority as well as funding measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is in her waning weeks as speaker, told reporters after the meeting that Democrats may have to approve a government spending plan through Sept. 30 that mainly freezes spending at the current level. This would be aimed at not letting the budget become subject to attempts by Republicans to cut it.

12:05 a.m.: A court in Moscow opened the trial of a prominent Russian opposition figure who faces charges stemming from his criticism of the Kremlin's action in Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

Ilya Yashin, one of the few Kremlin critics to have remained in the country amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent, has been in custody since his arrest in July. He was charged with spreading false information about the military, a new offense added to the country's criminal law after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine. Yashin faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The charges against Yashin relate to a YouTube livestream video in which he talked about Ukrainians being killed in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Speaking Tuesday during his trial at Moscow's Meshchansky District Court, Yashin argued that his case has been fabricated and "has all the markings of illegal political persecution." He noted that in the video he cited Russian official sources along with Ukrainian statements to give his audience an objective view.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

上一篇：voacorr 2022-11-30 Islamic State Says Leader Abu Al-Hassan Al-Qurayshi Killed in Battle

下一篇：voacorr 2022-11-30 Nigerian President_ Ukraine War Funneling Arms, Fighters into Lake Chad Basin