‘Russia preparing for fresh missile strikes’
KYIV: Ukraine said on Monday that Russia was preparing for a fresh wave of missile attacks on its energy grid that have plunged swathes of the country into the cold and dark.
The warning came as foreign ministers from several European countries, including Natohopefuls Finland and Sweden, arrived in Kyiv for unannounced visits in a show of support.
A Ukraine military spokesman said a Russian warship capable of firing cruise missiles had recently deployed to the Black Sea with Kalibr-type missiles on board.
“This indicates that preparations were underway,” said spokeswoman Natalia Gumeniuk. “It’s quite likely that the beginning of the week will be marked by such an attack,” she added.
With temperatures dipping below zero, Russian attacks have left Ukraine’s energy grid teetering on the brink of collapse and have disrupted power and water supplies to millions over recent weeks.
Kremlin denies Russia planning to quit N-plant
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine is still under Russian control and will remain so, the Kremlin said on Monday, after a Ukrainian official suggested Russian forces were preparing to leave.
The head of Ukraine’s staterun nuclear energy company said on Sunday there were signs that Russian forces might be preparing to vacate Europe’s biggest nuclear plant, which they seized in March, soon after invading Ukraine.
The Kremlin dismissed the statement.
“There’s no need to look for signs where there are none and cannot be any,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing on Monday.
Russia says postponing arms talks with US
Russia announced on Monday that it was postponing highly anticipated arms control talks with the United States, scheduled to take place in Egypt.
“The session of the bilateral coordinating committee on the Russian-American START Treaty, previously scheduled to take place in Cairo between November 29 and December 6, will not take place on the dates indicated,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told state-run news agency TASS.