Russia says mobilised 300,000 reservists after Ukraine losses CHINA WELCOMES RUSSIAN GOVT’S WILLINGNESS TO HOLD DIALOGUE OVER CONFLICT

Moscow’s forces have vowed to turn Kherson into a ‘fortress’ faced with Ukraine’s advancing troops in the region

Agencies

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday that 300,000 reservists have been called up, with Moscow fighting to turn the tide after defeats in Ukraine have left the key southern city of Kherson in Kyiv’s sights.

The announcement of the draft’s completion came as Moscow’s proxies said they had finished a pull-out of civilians from Kherson, which Ukrainian forces were pushing to recapture as winter closes in.

The city, which had a population of around 288,000 people before the fighting, was one of the first to fall to Moscow’s troops in the early days of the February offensive and retaking it would mark a major milestone for Kyiv.

Faced with military losses, President Vladimir Putin announced a military call-up of reservists in September, seeking to mobilise 300,000 people amid fighting in Ukraine.

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin on Friday in a televised meeting that the call-up - which saw Russian men dashing for the borders to avoid the fighting - had hit its target.

According to Shoigu, 82,000 recruits were already in Ukraine with 41,000 of them deployed to military units.

After making major gains in Ukraine’s east and south, Kyiv’s forces were preparing for a fierce battle to retake the main city in the southern Kherson region.

Moscow’s forces have vowed to turn Kherson into a “fortress” faced with Ukraine’s advancing troops in the region that the Kremlin claims to have annexed.

Kherson evacuation

Since mid-October the occupation authorities have urged Kherson residents to cross to the left bank of the Dnipro River, deeper into Moscow-controlled territory and closer to regions of southern Russia.

By Friday, the movement of residents - which Kyiv has compared to Soviet-like “deportations” - was complete.

Ukraine, Iran hold talks Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday and that he had demanded that Tehran stop sending weapons to Russia.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Iran of sending ‘kamikaze’ drones to Russia which have then been used to devastating effect by Russian forces in strikes targeting Ukrainian infrastructure.

Iran denies the charge. “I demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” Kuleba said.

New US military aid

The US will provide a new $275mn military assistance package including Himars precision rocket launchers for Ukraine to help it battle Russia’s invasion, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

BEIJING: Russia has told China that it is willing to hold dialogue and return to negotiations with Ukraine and the US over the ongoing war in the eastern European country, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

Moscow expressed its willingness to hold dialogue with Kyiv and Washington over the situation in Ukraine during a phone call between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday.

“It is hoped that all parties concerned will increase diplomatic efforts and promote the easing and even settlement of the situation as soon as possible through negotiations and other political channels,” the spokesperson said while quoting from the conversation between the two ministers, adding Beijing welcomes Moscow’s decision to negotiate.

The two ministers also discussed the “issue of not allowing the use of weapons of mass destruction”, spokesperson Wang said.

AP A helicopter gunship of the Russian air force fires rockets at a target in Ukraine, on Friday.