news

Ukraine's Nuclear Plants Reconnected to Power Grid; NATO Chief Calls on Members to Give More Aid

Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images

This is CNBC's live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates. 

Ukrainian soldiers are seen in a tank as the U.K. defense ministry says Russian reservists have likely suffered heavy casualties.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers are seen in a tank as the U.K. defense ministry says Russian reservists have likely suffered heavy casualties.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called on Europe to stay united in the face of Russia's ongoing war, calling it "mission number one" for the region this year.

"There is no split, there is no schism among Europeans and we have to preserve this," he said via video link to a conference in Lithuania.

The comments come as the U.K. defense ministry said it was "highly likely" that Russian reservists had suffered heavy casualties in Ukraine, two months after they were mobilized to fight by President Vladimir Putin.

"The Kremlin will likely be concerned that an increasing number of reservists' families are prepared to risk arrest by protesting against the conditions their relatives are serving under," it said in its daily update Friday.

Meantime, around 70% of Kyiv's regional government remains without electricity, the head of the regional government said.

More than 11.9 million metric tons of agricultural goods have left Ukrainian ports, UN says

A combine harvester of Continental Farmers Group agricultural company harvests wheat on August 4, 2022 in the Ternopil region of Ukraine. 
Alexey Furman | Getty Images
A combine harvester of Continental Farmers Group agricultural company harvests wheat on August 4, 2022 in the Ternopil region of Ukraine. 

The organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine said that more than 11.9 million metric tons of goods have left the country since ports reopened.

Before Moscow's full-scale invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor, Ukraine and Russia accounted for almost a quarter of global grain exports, until those shipments came to a severe halt for nearly six months.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and reopened three key Ukrainian ports.

The deal between the signatories is set to expire in about four months.

— Amanda Macias

Two vessels to depart Ukraine carrying 33,165 metric tons of agricultural products

Islam Yakut | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
An aerial view of Barbados flagged "Fulmar S" named empty grain ship as Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations (UN) of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) conduct inspection on vessel in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 05, 2022.

The organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine said that it has approved two vessels to leave the besieged country.

The vessels are carrying a total of 33,165 metric tons of soybeans and are expected to depart for Spain and Turkey.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, eased Russia's naval blockade and reopened three key Ukrainian ports. The deal between the signatories though is set to expire in about four months.

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine's four operational nuclear power plant sites have been reconnected to national grid, IAEA says

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi during his briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, October13, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi during his briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, October13, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said that Ukraine's four operational nuclear power plant sites all have access to the national grid following a complete loss of off-site power earlier in the week.

Grossi also said the IAEA completed a week-long nuclear safety and security expert mission to Chornobyl.

"The mission will help pave the way for upgrades and improvements of the plant's nuclear security systems. The IAEA experts also gained a better understanding of the plant's safety and security needs and provided advice and guidance on radiation monitoring," Grossi wrote in a statement.

The IAEA continues its presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

— Amanda Macias

British foreign minister plans to visit Ukraine and meet with Zelenskyy

U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that 1.7 million British citizens live in the Indo-Pacific region.
Pacific Press | Lightrocket | Getty Images
U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that 1.7 million British citizens live in the Indo-Pacific region.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced that he plans to visit Ukraine and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He will also meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Cleverly has previously pledged additional aid to support critical Ukrainian infrastructure destroyed by Russian shelling as the harsh winter months approach.

— Amanda Macias

Two-thirds of homes in Kyiv are without heat, Ukrainian mayor says

Oleg Bistrov, a Ukrainian salesman of a company that sells construction paint, works in the warehouse with a headlight during a power outage in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 21, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Oleg Bistrov, a Ukrainian salesman of a company that sells construction paint, works in the warehouse with a headlight during a power outage in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 21, 2022.

Vitaliy Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said that about two-thirds of homes in Ukraine's war-weary capital city are without heat. Klitschko added that about half of the homes in Kyiv have power but are experiencing waves of blackouts.

A day before, the head of Kyiv's regional government said that about 70% of the regional government is without electricity.

Oleksiy Kuleba also said that the death toll from recent Russian airstrikes rose to seven, according to an NBC News translation.

Rockets rained down on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after officials said a newborn became one of the youngest victims of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war.

— Amanda Macias

NATO secretary general will urge allies to contribute more for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on August 17 August 2022.
Francois Walschaerts | AFP | Getty Images
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on August 17 August 2022.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that next week at the alliance's foreign ministers meeting he will urge partners to contribute more to the defense of Ukraine.

"Yes, we are all paying a price for Russia's war against Ukraine. But the price we pay is in money. While the price Ukrainians pay is in blood. And if we let Putin win, all of us will pay a much higher price, for many years to come," Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO's headquarters in Brussels.

"So NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down," Stoltenberg added.

Stoltenberg said that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, as well as the foreign ministers from Sweden and Finland, will attend the NATO ministerial in Bucharest.

— Amanda Macias

'We share your pain': Putin meets with mothers of Russian soldiers

President Vladimir Putin met on Friday with the mothers of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, telling them that he and his country shared their pain.

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

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of Russian servicemen participating in Russia-Ukraine conflict, ahead of Mother's Day at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia November 25, 2022. 
Alexander Shcherbak | Sputnik | Reuters
Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of Russian servicemen participating in Russia-Ukraine conflict, ahead of Mother's Day at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia November 25, 2022. 

"I would like you to know that, that I personally, and the whole leadership of the country, we share your pain," he said, according to a recorded television clip seen by Reuters.

"We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son — especially for a mother. We share this pain," he added.

The clip did not immediately show the mothers' response to Putin's comments.

Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been sent to fight in Ukraine this year, including around 300,000 reservists who were called up in September in a "partial" mobilization.

— Karen Gilchrist

Russian strikes throw millions into hardship, UN rights boss says

Members of public queue for food beside a picture by graffiti artist Banksy on a the wall of a destroyed building on November 22, 2022 in Horenka, Ukraine.
Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images
Members of public queue for food beside a picture by graffiti artist Banksy on a the wall of a destroyed building on November 22, 2022 in Horenka, Ukraine.

At least 77 civilians have died and millions have been plunged into extreme hardship since Russia started pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure in October, the U.N. human rights chief said.

"Millions are being plunged into extreme hardship and appalling conditions of life by these strikes," said Volker Turk in a statement, according to Reuters.

"Taken as a whole, this raises serious problems under international humanitarian law, which requires a concrete and direct military advantage for each object attacked," he added.

Turk also noted that an early analysis of videos purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian prisoners of war indicated they were "highly likely to be authentic."

— Karen Gilchrist

Russia steps up shelling on Kherson

A man looks at smoke rising from a Russian strike in the Kherson ship yards on November 24, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine.
Chris Mcgrath | Getty Images
A man looks at smoke rising from a Russian strike in the Kherson ship yards on November 24, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine.

Russian forces extended their shelling of the southern city of Kherson, killing seven people and injuring at least 21 more in the latest round of strikes, according to one official.

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 the Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanushevych, said a residential area was hit by Russian artillery and antiaircraft fire around 5 p.m. local time Thursday, causing a high-rise building to set on fire. A children's playground was also hit, he said.

— Karen Gilchrist

Ukraine's Zelenskyy calls on Europeans to remain united

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 16, 2022. 
Valentyn Ogirenko | Reuters
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 16, 2022. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged Europeans to stay united in the face of Russia's war.

Speaking via video link to a conference in Lithuania, Zelenskyy described the task as the region's number one mission.

"There is no split, there is no schism among Europeans and we have to preserve this. This is our mission number one this year," he said.

— Karen Gilchrist

Russian reservists experiencing heavy casualties, UK says

The U.K. defense ministry said Russian reservists, two months after being mobilized by Putin, have "highly likely" experienced heavy casualties after being asked dig trenches in the east of Ukraine.

"The Kremlin will likely be concerned that an increasing number of reservists' families are prepared to risk arrest by protesting against the conditions their relatives are serving under," it said in its daily update Friday.

Supporters of Putin using increasingly 'genocidal rhetoric'

Prominent supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin are using increasingly "genocidal rhetoric" when discussing and demonizing Ukrainians, analysts note, with some pro-war commentators cheering the concept of the "liquidation" of the modern state of Ukraine.

Read the full story here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — in central Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022.
Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — in central Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022.

About 70% of Kyiv remains without power due to Russian shelling, Ukraine says

Local residents walk near a fallen electricity pylon and an apartment building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 25, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters
Local residents walk near a fallen electricity pylon and an apartment building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 25, 2022.

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

Oleksiy Kuleba also said that the death toll from recent Russian airstrikes rose to seven, according to an NBC News translation.

Rockets rained down on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after officials said a newborn became one of the youngest victims of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war.

— Amanda Macias

50 mass grave sites found in recently liberated Ukrainian cities, Kyiv says

This photograph taken on September 25, 2022, shows empty graves after exhumation of bodies in the mass grave created during the Russian's occupation in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Yasuyoshi Chiba | Afp | Getty Images
This photograph taken on September 25, 2022, shows empty graves after exhumation of bodies in the mass grave created during the Russian's occupation in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government said investigators found 50 separate locations of mass graves in the recently liberated areas of Mykolaiv and Kherson.

"In the liberated territories of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, 50 locations of probable burials have been examined," the government wrote on the Telegram messaging app, according to an NBC News translation.

"Search teams identified the bodies of about 200 victims," the message added.

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

— Amanda Macias

Backlog of 79 ships waiting to transport crops from Ukraine

Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Chris Mcgrath | Getty Images
Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The organization overseeing the export of Ukrainian crops said there is a backlog of 79 vessels waiting to be loaded with cargo.

The U.N.-led Joint Coordination Center also said that about 110 loaded vessels are waiting for inspection in Turkish territorial waters.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations, eased Russia's naval blockade and saw the reopening of three key Ukrainian ports.

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

Kyiv has previously blamed Moscow for holding up inspections and delaying vessel movements.

— Amanda Macias

Read CNBC's previous live coverage here:

Majority of Kyiv region is without power; Ukraine says 50 mass grave sites found in liberated cities

Copyright CNBC
Contact Us