In its daily briefing, the UK Ministry of Defense said troops were being deployed with “little or no training”. This is partly due to a lack of ammunition and facilities and partly to the fact that many experienced officers and trainers are fighting in Ukraine with many probably already dead, the Ministry of Defense added. He said: The Russian Armed Forces had already been expanded by providing training for the approximately 300,000 troops required for their “partial mobilization,” announced on September 21, 2022. These issues will be exacerbated by the additional regular autumn annual recruitment cycle, announced on 30 September 2022 and commencing on 1 November 2022, which is normally expected to attract an additional 120,000 people. Newly mobilized conscripts likely have little or no training. Experienced officers and trainers have been deployed to fight in Ukraine and some have likely been killed in the conflict. Russian forces conduct training in Belarus due to a lack of training personnel, ammunition and facilities in Russia. Deploying forces with little or no training provides little additional offensive combat capability. Updated at 07:59 GMT Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature At least 112,000 Russians have immigrated to Georgia this year, according to border crossing statistics. Reuters reported that the first major wave of 43,000 arrived after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and President Vladimir Putin moved to quell opposition to the war at home, according to the Georgian government. The second wave came after Putin announced national mobilization in late September. Georgia’s economic boom has confounded many experts who saw a dire fallout from the war for the former Soviet republic, whose economic fortunes are closely tied to its biggest neighbor through exports and tourists. Dimitar Bogov, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Chief Economist for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, said: Despite all the expectations we had … that this war in Ukraine would have significant negative effects on the Georgian economy, so far we do not see these risks materializing. On the contrary, we see the Georgian economy growing quite well this year – double digits. But the stellar growth isn’t benefiting everyone, with the arrival of tens of thousands of Russians – many cashed-in tech professionals – driving up prices and squeezing some Georgians out of parts of the economy like the rental market and education. Business leaders also worry that the country could face a hard landing if the war ends and Russians return home. The Georgian side of the Verkhni Lars checkpoint between Georgia and Russia, about 200 kilometers from Tbilisi, in late September as Russian authorities recognized an influx of cars trying to cross from Russia into Georgia. Photo: Vano Shlamov/AFP/Getty Images Updated at 07:57 GMT

Russia struggling to train 300,000 conscripts as experienced officers and trainers already killed, UK says

The 300,000 troops drafted in by Putin as part of the mobilization provide “some additional offensive combat capability” as the Russian military struggles to train them, British intelligence said. In its daily briefing, the UK Ministry of Defense said troops were being deployed with “little or no training”. This is partly due to a lack of ammunition and facilities and partly to the fact that many experienced officers and trainers are fighting in Ukraine with many probably already dead, the Ministry of Defense added. He said: The Russian Armed Forces had already been expanded by providing training for the approximately 300,000 troops required for their “partial mobilization,” announced on September 21, 2022. These issues will be exacerbated by the additional regular autumn annual recruitment cycle, announced on 30 September 2022 and commencing on 1 November 2022, which is normally expected to attract an additional 120,000 people. Newly mobilized conscripts likely have little or no training. Experienced officers and trainers have been deployed to fight in Ukraine and some have likely been killed in the conflict. Russian forces conduct training in Belarus due to a lack of training personnel, ammunition and facilities in Russia. Deploying forces with little or no training provides little additional offensive combat capability. Updated at 07:59 GMT Ukrainian forces using armored weapons fired on Russian targets near the key eastern city of Bakhmut on Friday as fighting continued in an area Moscow is trying hard to capture. Reuters reported that Russian forces have repeatedly launched attacks on Bakhmut and nearby Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region, but have been repulsed with what Kyiv says are heavy casualties. “Last week there was very intense fighting… there are a lot of them [Russians]and people and equipment,” said a soldier who gave his name only as Moriak, the Ukrainian word for sailor. Reuters reporters saw a captured Russian T-80 tank and a self-propelled 2S23 Nona SVK mortar, now controlled by Ukrainian crews, firing at targets outside Bakhmut. Ukraine’s military says both were seized in March and took months to redeploy. The eight-wheeled Nona – piloted by Moriak – has a 120mm mortar capable of firing a maximum of 10 rounds per minute. They left us this gift, and it is high, very high [precision]and now it works against them, it helps us to drive them away. Bakhmut has been a major target for Russia’s armed forces in a slow advance through the Donetsk region since Russia captured the industrial cities of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk in June and July. Ukrainian forces fire from a self-propelled howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Updated at 08.02 GMT

Washington accuses Moscow of trying to “freeze” Ukraine into submission

The United States has accused Russia of wanting to “freeze” Ukraine into submission as it has failed to win on the battlefield. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure with missiles and explosive drones, while Kiev’s forces have advanced against Moscow’s troops in the east and south of the country. Agence France-Presse also reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia’s campaign against Ukraine’s energy grid had left about 4.5 million people without power. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday after the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Germany: President Putin seems to have decided that if he cannot take Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze it into submission. Antony Blinken after the G7 summit in Muenster, Germany. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images Top diplomats from the world’s richest nations agreed on a structure to funnel aid to Ukraine to replace infrastructure targeted by Russia after two days of talks in the German city of Muenster. The US is also considering options to deal with the damage. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday to confirm US support for Ukraine. Sullivan told a news conference in Kyiv that Ukraine has a “critical need for air defense at this critical time.” The Pentagon announced it will fund the refurbishment of T-72 tanks and Hawk surface-to-air missiles as part of a $400 million security assistance package for Ukraine, bringing total security assistance to more than $18.2 billion since the February invasion.

Summary

Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here’s a rundown of the latest developments as it’s just past 9am in the capital, Kyiv.

Vladimir Putin said civilians still living in the Russian-annexed Kherson province should be “evacuated” from the conflict zone, amid speculation that Russian forces may be preparing to leave the west bank of the Dnipro River. The Russian president’s comments came amid growing speculation that Moscow would seek to hold on to the city of Kherson itself – the largest urban area under Russian occupation – at all costs. A 24-hour curfew was imposed in the city of Kherson, which is part of the Ukrainian province annexed by Russia in September. NATO has released footage of its latest nuclear drill in northwest Europe, with the majority of its drills taking place at least 1,000km from Russia’s border, over Belgium, the North Sea and the UK. Russia wants the West to ease restrictions on state agricultural lender Rosselkhozbank to facilitate Russian grain exports, according to four sources familiar with the request. Xi Jinping and Olaf Solz condemned Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, with both leaders expressing their desire to end the conflict. The Chinese president stressed the need for greater cooperation between China and Germany in “times of change and turmoil”, while the German chancellor said Moscow risked “crossing the line” if it used nuclear weapons, in what was his first meeting with Xi. The US announced $400 million in additional security aid to Ukraine, including the Czech Republic’s refurbishment of T-72 tanks and Hawk air defense missiles that could be used against Russian drones and cruise missiles. The package brought US military aid to Kyiv to more than $18.2 billion since Russia’s February invasion. American talk show host David Letterman traveled to Kyiv to interview Volodymyr Zelensky. Netflix made the announcement on Twitter, saying the Ukrainian president will appear in a…