Kherson

Russian and Ukrainian troops appear to be girding for a major battle over the strategic southern industrial port city of Kherson.

Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, asked journalists before a TV interview not to ask him where the drones came from, unaware that he was live on air. —Ukrainian authorities said missile and drone strikes started fires in the southern city of Mykolaiv, with four drones hitting a school. —The Ukrainian army's general staff reported a heightened chance that Russian forces could attack from Belarus to cut supply routes for Western weapons and military equipment. In another sign of Russia’s wavering mobilization, Ukrainian authorities said more than 3,000 Russians have called a hotline for soldiers who don’t want to take part in the war and are asking to surrender. Reports of sabotage and assassinations of Russian-installed officials in Kherson have surfaced for months, in what appeared to be one of the most active Ukrainian resistance movements in occupied territory. In Kryvyi Rih, Russian strikes damaged a power plant and another energy facility, cutting electricity to the central Ukraine city of about 600,000 residents.

Vladimir Saldo, who was appointed head of the southern coastal region by Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier said evacuation accelerated due to the threat ...

[Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have made advances, while Moscow called up more reservists and made four Ukrainian regions, including Kherson, part of Russian territory following "sham" referendums. Russia started its "a special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian and Ukrainian troops appeared Thursday to be girding for a major battle over the strategic southern industrial port city of ...

Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, asked journalists before a TV interview not to ask him where the drones came from, unaware that he was live on air. —Ukrainian authorities said missile and drone strikes started fires in the southern city of Mykolaiv, with four drones hitting a school. —The Ukrainian army’s general staff reported a heightened chance that Russian forces could attack from Belarus to cut supply routes for Western weapons and military equipment. In another sign of Russia’s wavering mobilization, Ukrainian authorities said more than 3,000 Russians have called a hotline for soldiers who don’t want to take part in the war and are asking to surrender. In Kryvyi Rih, Russian strikes damaged a power plant and another energy facility, cutting electricity to the central Ukraine city of about 600,000 residents. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said Thursday that Ukrainian forces mounted 15 attacks on Russian military strongholds in the Kherson region.

Fighting and evacuations were reported in the Kherson region as Moscow tried to pound the invaded country into submission.

Russian TV showed him lying under a net on a field, wearing goggles and ear protection, and shooting a rifle. He said on Russian TV that if the facilities were destroyed, a critical canal providing water to annexed Crimea would be cut off. It is a prime target for both sides because of its key industries and major river port.

Defense analysts say the evacuation of civilians from the occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine could be setting the scene for another Russian ...

It insisted that Russian troops had "completely" restored the frontline of defense in the entire direction. Residents were told to leave Kherson after Russian-installed officials warned them that Ukraine is preparing to launch a large-scale offensive. There are now concerns that Russia has plans to cover a retreat with a false-flag attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, up river from Kherson city, with the ISW think tank noting that "the Russian military may believe that breaching the dam could cover their retreat from the right bank of the Dnipro River and prevent or delay Ukrainian advances across the river." Tensions centered on Kherson on Thursday with Russia's defense ministry claiming that Ukraine's armed forces "had tried to break through the defense of the Russian troops" by "wedging into the defence" of Russian units near Sukhanovo in the Kherson region. As Russian authorities continue a mass evacuation of civilians from occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine, defense analysts believe that the movement of people is setting the scene for Moscow to withdraw its troops from a significant part of the region. - Up to 60,000 civilians are expected to be evacuated in the next few days from the part of the Kherson region on the west bank of the Dnipro River.

Up to 2000 mobilized Russians have arrived in the temporarily captured territory of Kherson region to replenish losses and reinforce units on the front line ...

At the same time, the occupation authorities issued an order to prepare evacuation of the so-called "banking institutions", evacuation lists of brought Russian medical workers and teachers were prepared. The enemy shells the Ukrainian positions along the contact line and conducts aerial reconnaissance. At the same time, the enemy does not stop trying to conduct offensive actions in Bakhmut and Avdiivka direction.

Civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled Kherson region of Ukraine arrive in Dzhankoi, in the north Crimea, on October 20.

In response, security forces moved in and beat some of the students while threatening to arrest them. Her lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, said on October 17 that his client "had to leave Russia and is under the protection of a European state at the moment." This applies to residents of all regions of the country. Irgashev was a lawyer for the Commission 44 group, which was created in November last year in GBAO to facilitate a dialogue between regional authorities and anti-government protesters. A 12-count indictment was unsealed on October 19 in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging the two men along with three other Russian nationals -- Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, Timofei Telegin, and Sergei Tulyakov. A swastika that was discovered on October 17 at the entrance area of the shelter was also being investigated. President Joe Biden had sought a return to the deal to provide international monitoring of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions against Tehran. Zelenskiy said Ukrainian workers have been thrown out of the facility, leaving Russians in control. The city is an important objective for both sides because of its key industries and a major port on the Dnieper River. [Live Briefing](https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-crisis-crosshairs-live-briefing/31668477.html) gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. Officials said 15,000 residents of an expected 60,000 had been relocated from the city and surrounding areas as of October 20. Russian soldiers on the western bank, where the city of Kherson is located, are reportedly close to being cut off from supply lines and reinforcements.

Tens of thousands of civilians and Russian-appointed officials are being moved out of Ukraine's southern Kherson region ahead of a Ukrainian offensive, ...

Kherson was the first major city to fall to Russian forces when they invaded Ukraine in February. "It is a fairly primitive tactic, taking into account that the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] do not shell cities," Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian officials said last week that 400 sq km (155 sq miles) of territory had been regained in less than a week. "In the past two days, more than 5,000 people have left Kherson," he was quoted as saying. In early September, the UN said there were already credible accusations of forced deportation of Ukrainian children from other Russian-occupied areas. "There are plenty of them here; they are dressed as civilians.

MOSCOW and KYIV – Russia-backed authorities began an evacuation of civilians from the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson Wednesday — in a sign that ...

Sergei Surovikin told Russian state media that the situation in Kherson "very difficult" and refused to rule out "the hardest decisions." He offered residents to relocate "in any part of Russia," saying the Russian government would provide housing vouchers. "As is well-known, the regime in Kyiv has refused to recognize the will of the people. In his first interview since being appointed to lead Russia's armed forces in Ukraine Oct. That is our priority," "We are trying to resolve difficult large-scaled challenges on providing security to Russia and protecting the future of Russia, defending our people." The provision gives authorities broad new powers — including the right to restricted movement around the country, search and seizure, and detention of individuals in prison for up to one month without charges or trial. to try to intimidate them into capitulating. [set a goal](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/general-dmitriy-marchenko-otvoyuem-krym-herson-1660059368.html) to liberate Kherson by the winter. He said the battle for Kherson would "soon begin" and Russia's forces would "fight to the end" not to surrender the area. Earlier in October, Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region pushed the Russian line back by 20 miles, according to the "Vladimir Putin finds himself in an incredibly difficult position," Biden told reporters at the White House.

The Russian-installed leaders in Ukraine's Kherson region on Wednesday began massively ramping up the relocation of up to 60000 people amid warnings over ...

Seventh months later, the Kremlin considers the Kherson region to be part of Russia, after claiming to annex it last month. (In addition to Crimea, Russian-backed forces have controlled Donetsk and Luhansk cities since 2014.) It’s the second-biggest population center that Russia has captured after Mariupol. “We are strongly advising to leave the right bank area.” Ukraine’s government had shut that canal down in 2014, when Russia illegally annexed the peninsula. Russia’s ability to resupply its troops in Kherson has been severely hampered by frequent Ukrainian missile and artillery strikes on Russian-controlled bridges crossing the Dnipro. In September, the UN Security Council also said Russia’s forcible deportation of 2.5 million people from Ukraine – including 38,000 children – constitutes human rights violations. Residents in the city of Kherson began to receive text messages on Wednesday morning from the pro-Russian administration. Those who have different political views or are affiliated with the Ukrainian government or media disappear into a gray area. There will be buses from 7:00, from Rechport [River port] to the Left Bank.” It is difficult to say what decision they will make.” The other regions are Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. There will be shelling of residential areas by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The situation is "very difficult," the newly appointed commander of Russia's invading forces said.

He's known for his brutality and was nicknamed " [General Armageddon](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/12/sergei-surovikin-russia-ukraine-war/)" while serving as an air force general in Syria. Ministry of Defense said in an "Our further plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson itself will depend on the emerging military-tactical situation. [military has launched](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/10/kyiv-ukraine-explosions-russian-invasion)a series of [deadly strikes](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/17/kyiv-ukraine-explosions-drone-strikes)on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities using missiles and [Iranian "kamikaze" drones](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/17/kyiv-ukraine-explosions-drone-strikes), which Ukraine's President [Volodymyr Zelensky said](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/18/russian-attack-ukraine-power-outages)have destroyed 30% of the country's power stations and caused widespread blackouts. Sergei Surovikin told the state-owned Rossiya 24 television news channel, per a [the Kherson region](https://www.axios.com/2022/08/29/ukraine-launches-kherson-counteroffensive) would be moved due to [Ukrainian forces advancing](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/06/ukraine-counteroffensives-kherson-kharkiv-map).

Statements from Russian officials in recent days signal that Putin's troops are preparing to surrender in Kherson.

[ Kherson](https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-moral-high-amid-kherson-offensive-russia-disarray-general-1752189) direction, the situation is not easy," said Surovikin in his first televised interview since he was named this month to command Russia's invasion forces. We will act consciously, in a timely manner, without ruling out difficult decisions," Surovikin said. Saldo urged residents not to listen to "alarmists," claiming that "the Kherson region remains under the reliable protection of the Russian army." Saldo's deputy, Kirill Stremousov, said that "the battle for Kherson will begin very soon" as he asked residents to "leave the area of the brutal fighting to come if possible." Vladimir Saldo, head of the Russian-installed administration of the Kherson region, announced the "organized transfer" of civilians in four districts from the west bank to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River. "The situation in the area of the 'Special Military Operation' can be described as tense."

A senior Ukrainian official accused Russia of organising a "propaganda show" in occupied after Russian-installed officials said they were preparing to ...

"Propaganda will not work." "The Russians are trying to scare the people of Kherson with fake newsletters about the shelling of the city by our army, and also arrange a propaganda show with evacuation," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, also accused Russia of trying to scare Kherson residents with what he described as fake newsletters about Ukrainian shelling of the city in southern Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has declared martial law in the four provinces of Ukraine where Russia controls territory after Russian officials warned of a Ukrainian ...

“As we approach winter in Ukraine, with their successes on the battleground against Russian forces, and in light of Putin’s recent actions, it was important to meet face to face with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and others from the US Administration to discuss our shared security concerns,” they said. US defence officials said this week they had been given no official Russian notification of a plan to start Russia’s annual nuclear training exercise, codenamed Grom. Occupation officials have warned of a coming Ukrainian counteroffensive in the area. “We are not going to surrender the city,” he said in a nationally televised interview on Wednesday. Ben Wallace, the UK defence secretary, rushed to Washington at short notice on Tuesday for urgent consultations, prompting conjecture he was having discussions about nuclear threats made by Russia. The law also limits the freedom to move in and out of the eight provinces. I do not exclude the adoption of the most difficult decisions.” “Let the Russian army fulfil its task.” Do not allow the evil empire to hide behind you, your parents, your children,” he said in a post on his Telegram channel. Russian television footage showed hundreds of people gathered at the port on Wednesday morning waiting to be removed. “Reality can hurt if you live in a fictional fantasy world,” wrote Mykhailo Podolyak. “People of Kherson, I urge you to ignore everything the occupiers tell you or demand from you.

DNIPRO, Ukraine—Russian-backed authorities began moving Ukrainian civilians out of the captured city of Kherson on Wednesday and Moscow declared martial law ...

But the claims of evacuation and an impending attack were part of a Russian disinformation campaign to lay the groundwork for an armed provocation that Moscow ...

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Pro-Russian officials are leaving the southern Ukrainian city ahead of an anticipated offensive by Kyiv's troops.

The decree gives authorities power to impose curfews, travel and residence restrictions, military censorship and more. It was the first major city to fall to Russian forces and its recapture would be a major gain for Ukraine. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry for comment. The transfer of civilians by an occupying power from occupied territory is considered a war crime. [Russia's military commander](https://www.newsweek.com/kherson-russian-general-prepares-surrender-sergei-surovikin-1753043) for Ukraine operations, [General Sergei Surovikin](https://www.newsweek.com/kherson-ukraine-partially-emptied-after-russian-general-sergei-surovikin-details-tense-situation-1752944), said the Russian army would ensure "the safe evacuation of the population" and that Ukrainian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure "create a direct threat to the lives of residents." Kherson is the capital of the region of the same name and is on the western bank of the river, as are Ukrainian troops.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is empowering military officials in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the four Ukrainian regions he illegally ...

[Russia-Ukraine war](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-russia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_7). [Subscribe to our channel](https://t.me/washingtonpost?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_8) for updates and exclusive video. [support the Ukrainian people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/how-to-help-ukraine/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_5) as well as [what people around the world have been donating](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/03/donate-ukraine-money-crypto/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_6). Military officials will take direct responsibility for civilian government functions in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Putin said at a meeting of his security council. [live coverage](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/19/russia-ukraine-putin-martial-law-live-updates/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_1). [here’s some of their most powerful work](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/03/scenes-ruin-resilience-100-days-war-ukraine/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_4).

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the imposition of martial law in the southern region of Kherson and three other annexed areas on Wednesday.

“The partial mobilization hasn’t changed the broader dynamic and is quite unpopular in Russia, so Moscow may be forced to make some ‘difficult’ decisions, including abandoning Kherson or laying the groundwork for such a decision if necessary.” “I think they will want to do the same in Kherson.” Ukraine has been laying the ground for a counteroffensive there for months, striking key bridges and military infrastructure, while also advancing in the east. It is the only regional center that Russia has controlled since the start of the war. Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst. “Difficult decisions could not be ruled out,” he added in a rare interview with Russian state television not long after he was Putin announced he was imposing martial law in Kherson and the three other annexed areas at a meeting of his Security Council on Wednesday. The rare admission follows weeks of harsh criticism of Moscow’s military leadership by the country’s vocal pro-war faction, accusing officials of humiliating failures they then sought to cover up with domestic propaganda. “Our further plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson itself will depend on the emerging military tactical situation,” Gen. [Black Sea](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-launches-fresh-attack-russias-black-sea-fleet-headquarters-cri-rcna44053) and the neighboring Crimean Peninsula, and it has been critical in [cementing Moscow’s grasp](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-struggling-gain-new-ground-seeks-consolidate-control-occupied-u-rcna27240) on the area. [Kherson](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-kherson-siege-russia-invasion-putin-rcna18505) in [Ukraine](https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia-ukraine-news)’s south may be imminent after [weeks of pressure](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-problems-mount-ukraine-breakthrough-kherson-russia-military-rcna50408) from Kyiv’s troops to recapture territory Russia seized in the early days of the war and [annexed](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-annex-ukraines-donetsk-luhansk-kherson-zaporizhzhia-rcna50133) illegally just last month. [announcing martial law](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-declares-martial-law-annexed-ukrainian-regions-rcna52926) in four illegally annexed regions of Ukraine, [Russia](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/vladimir-putin) was launching a mass evacuation of civilians from one of the areas as its military signaled it might not be able to hold on much longer.

Pro-Kremlin officials were pulling out of the key southern Ukraine city of Kherson on Wednesday, as Kyiv's forces advanced on territory in Russian hands ...

The enemy is not abandoning its attempts to attack Russian troop positions," he told Rossiya 24. Russian forces also continue to occupy the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in a different section of the Dnipro River. Ukraine has re-captured large swathes of occupied territory in the east of the country in recent weeks. The city is located on the western bank of the Dnipro, the same side where Ukrainian troops have been moving forward in a counter-offensive that began in August. "The entire administration is already moving today," to the left bank of the Dnipro River, the region's Moscow-installed head Vladimir Saldo, said on Russian state television. Pro-Kremlin officials were pulling out of the key southern Ukraine city of Kherson on Wednesday, as Kyiv's forces advanced on territory in Russian hands since the war's earliest days.

Russia launched a mass evacuation of civilians in Kherson as Vladimir Putin's military faced a Ukrainian advance and he imposed martial law in the occupied ...

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Welcome to the Russia-Ukraine War Briefing, your guide to the latest news and analysis about the conflict. President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in ...

[Sign up here.](https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/russia-ukraine-war-briefing) [new sanctions on Iran for supplying drones](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/19/world/russia-ukraine-war-news/the-eu-agrees-to-place-sanctions-on-iran-for-supplying-russia-with-drones?smid=url-share)to Russia. These [photos](https://www.nytimes.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-photos.html?te=1&nl=russia-ukraine-war-briefing&emc=edit_ruwb_20221012)chronicle the ordeal of the war. [Iran has sent trainers](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/us/politics/iran-drones-russia-ukraine.html)to a Russian military base in Crimea to help with drones purchased from Tehran, according to U.S. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Track the invasion with [our maps](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/world/europe/ukraine-maps.html?name=styln-russia-ukraine®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&variant=show&is_new=false&te=1&nl=russia-ukraine-war-briefing&emc=edit_ruwb_20221012). Twenty-six percent favored negotiating to end it as soon as possible. [proposals for new measures to tackle the energy crisis](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/18/world/russia-ukraine-war-news/brussels-proposes-further-emergency-measures-to-address-europes-mounting-energy-crisis?smid=url-share). Some of these require a subscription. Since late August, Ukrainian troops have damaged bridges near the city, making it harder for Moscow to resupply its troops stationed there. Losing Kherson would be a devastating blow to Russia’s campaign. The pro-Kremlin leader in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said the relocations would protect civilians from a looming Ukrainian assault.

In a separate development, Russia's Vladimir Putin said he had signed a decree imposing martial law on four Ukrainian regions, including Kherson, which Moscow ...

He has announced that martial law will be enforced in the four areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia, which Moscow claims it has annexed. In audio of the meeting, Mr Berlusconi said Mr Putin had sent him 20 bottles of vodka for his birthday and a "very lovely letter". Kherson was the first city to fall when Russia invaded earlier this year. She was just 36. The local authority currently pays £350 a month for 12 months but that will now increase, with hosts receiving a £375 "thank you" bonus to cover the cost of living and an extra £100 a month for the second six months. In those regions close to the border with Ukraine, such as Belgorod, Bryansk, Krasnodar and Rostov regions, as well as in annexed Crimea, a "medium level of response" has been declared.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Wednesday introducing martial law in four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed in defiance of ...

It is difficult to say what decision they will make.” “The enemy is concentrating its forces, and at any moment may start launch the strikes at the civilian population of Kherson and the Kherson region. People will make their own decisions – to leave or stay. They also started handing out booklets about actions during evacuation. “People are indeed leaving. “Today they started mass sending SMS to people about the evacuation.

Dmytro Bahnenko secretly recorded his family's experience of occupation by Russian troops.

He told me that one of the men handed him a hand grenade, pulled out the pin and walked away. Another FSB officer told Vitaly to report with documentation so he and Maryna could be relocated to Crimea. I filmed ordinary people in Kherson openly showing their support for the Russians by wearing St George ribbons - emblematic of Russian military triumph. But the people of Kherson seemed anything but resigned to their fate. We dragged our mattresses into the corridor - away from the windows - and made up games to distract Ksusha. In an extraordinary film for BBC Eye, Dmytro chronicles the harsh reality of life under occupation, as food and medicines become scarce, people flee, and others begin to disappear. Dmytro Bahnenko, a journalist in Kherson, southern Ukraine, spent three months secretly recording his city's resistance to the Russian occupation. Over the weeks, he became increasingly distant from me and others who visited him. I quickly deleted all his messages to me, and waited nervously for news. There - at the kitchen table where we had eaten our breakfast as children - we discussed the war. The Russian forces, having taken Kherson, were now trying to advance on nearby Mykolaiv, and were shelling ferociously. Never did I think I would be filming an invasion of my home city - the only Ukrainian regional capital to have been captured.

Russian military leaders are hoping to "mitigate" fallout from failure in southern Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War said Wednesday night.

Putin declared martial law in Kherson on Wednesday, alongside four other regions of Ukraine that he claimed to have annexed for Russia this month. The think tank said evacuated Ukrainians could then be forced into the Russian Army, which would offset "the losses and failures" of Putin's partial mobilization. "Such an attack would also further the false Russian information operation portraying Ukraine as a terrorist state that deliberately targets civilians." Surovikin and Saldo have both preemptively claimed in recent days that the Ukrainian military is planning to launch an attack on the plant. [withdraw](https://www.newsweek.com/kherson-ukraine-partially-emptied-after-russian-general-sergei-surovikin-details-tense-situation-1752944) from the city of Kherson two or three days ago. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of Kherson, announced on the same day that the west bank of the Dnipro River was being [evacuated](https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-kherson-putin-dnieper-withdrawal-annexation-1753265) in anticipation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Ukraine's military tightened the noose around Russian forces occupying the southern city of Kherson on Thursday as the government ordered nationwide curbs ...

Bakhmut is the focus of Russia's slow advance through the Donetsk region. Leaders of the 27 member states will discuss options for more support to Ukraine, including energy equipment, helping restore power supply and long-term financing to rebuild. The pact could expire next month. Iran denies supplying them and the Kremlin has Polyanskiy said he was not optimistic about reaching agreement with Guterres and other U.N. In eastern Ukraine bordering Russia, Moscow's forces focused their main attempt to advance on the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, the Ukrainian military said. [raised the issue](/world/us-allies-discuss-iranian-drone-transfers-russia-un-us-state-department-2022-10-20/) of Iran's suspected transfer of drones to Russia at a meeting of the U.N. officials in negotiations to extend and expand a July 22 deal that led to the resumption of Ukraine Black Sea grain and fertilizer exports. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his staff if Guterres sends experts to Ukraine to inspect downed drones that Ukraine and the West assert were made in Iran. On Wednesday, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-backed administration in Kherson, wrote on Telegram that Ukraine had launched an offensive towards Novaya Kamianka and Berislav in the Kherson region. In Kherson, the only regional capital Russian forces have captured since their invasion eight months ago, the Russian-appointed administration began an evacuation of a city that controls the only land route to the Crimea peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014, and the mouth of the Dnipro river. Oct 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military tightened the noose around Russian forces occupying the southern city of Kherson on Thursday as the government ordered nationwide curbs on electricity use because of Russian missile and drone attacks on power plants.