For free real-time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our breaking news emails

Sign up for free breaking news emails

Iran has confirmed for the first time that it has supplied Russia with drones. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian admitted on Saturday that the country had provided Putin with the equipment, despite earlier denials. “We gave a limited number of drones to Russia months before the war in Ukraine,” Amirabdollahian told reporters after a meeting in Tehran. He added that Iran “remained committed to ending the conflict.” It comes as the US Defense Department announced it is sending Ukraine $400 million in additional military aid as the war with Russia continues to rage. “With Russia’s relentless and brutal air attacks on vital Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities are critical,” the Pentagon said in a statement. And Russia has claimed it will publish “proof” that British specialist troops were involved in a drone strike last weekend on Russia’s Black Sea fleet. The UK government had previously dismissed it as “false claims on an epic scale”. A UK government spokesman said the Russian claims were an attempt to “distract attention” from Moscow’s illegal invasion.

Basic points

Show latest update 1667646092

‘We have nowhere to go’: Pensioners barely survive on Ukraine’s frontline

The sonic crash of a shell landing nearby sends Luda’s pet dog running into the makeshift shed a neighbor built from scraps of broken cupboards to keep them warm. But people in this front-line town in northeastern Ukraine are staring numbly at the sky in preparation for the next blow. Things are like this most days: they are surrounded by bombed out buildings. Another louder blast breaks in the winter wind. The night bombardment has begun. Olha cooks food – given to her by charities – on a barbecue in a makeshift cabin they built as their frontline town has no gas or electricity (Bel Tru) Sam Rkaina5 November 2022 11:01 1667643881

Russia ‘struggles to provide military training to new recruits’

Russia is likely struggling to provide military training for new recruits after the recent mobilization, the UK Ministry of Defense has claimed. In its daily Twitter update, the Foreign Ministry said: “The Russian Armed Forces have already been stretched by providing training for the approximately 300,000 troops required for their ‘partial mobilization’ announced on 21 September. “These issues will be exacerbated by the additional regular autumn recruitment round, announced on 30 September and commencing on 1 November, which is normally expected to attract an additional 120,000 people. “Newly mobilized conscripts likely have little or no training.” Sam Rkaina5 November 2022 10:24 1667638165

Iran admits for the first time that it supplied Russia with drones

Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that his country supplied Russia with drones, insisting the transfer took place before Moscow’s war on Ukraine that saw Iranian drones bomb Kyiv. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian’s comments come after months of mixed messages from Iran about the weapons shipment as Russia sends drones to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets. “We gave a limited number of drones to Russia months before the war in Ukraine,” Amirabdollahian told reporters after a meeting in Tehran. Iranian officials have previously denied arming Russia in its war against Ukraine. Just earlier this week, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, called the allegations “totally baseless” and reiterated Iran’s position of neutrality in the war. The US and its Western allies on the Security Council have called on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to investigate whether Russia has used Iranian drones to attack civilians in Ukraine. Sam Rkaina5 November 2022 08:49 1667636101

Despite the war in Ukraine, Georgia is booming

As war engulfs Europe, a small nation wedged under Russia enjoys an unexpected economic boom. Georgia is set to become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies this year after a dramatic influx of more than 100,000 Russians since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s mobilization drive to round up war recruits. As much of the world heads into recession, this country of 3.7 million people bordering the Black Sea is expected to post a robust 10% increase in economic output for 2022 amid a consumption-driven boom, according to international organizations . That would see the modest $19 billion economy, known in the region for its mountains, forests and wine valleys, outpace supercharged emerging markets such as Vietnam and oil exporters such as Kuwait buoyed by high crude prices . “Economically, Georgia is doing very well,” Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, CEO of the country’s biggest bank TBC, told Reuters in an interview at its headquarters in Tbilisi. “There is some kind of explosion,” he added. “All industries are doing very well from SMEs to corporates. I can’t think of any industry that has problems this year.” At least 112,000 Russians have immigrated to Georgia this year, according to border crossing statistics. A first major wave of 43,000 arrived after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and Putin moved to quell opposition to the war at home, according to the Georgian government, while a second wave comes after Putin announced national mobilization in end of September. Georgia’s economic boom – whether short-lived or not – has confounded many experts who saw dire consequences from the war for the former Soviet republic, whose economic fortunes are closely tied to those of its larger neighbor through exports and tourists. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), for example, predicted in March that the conflict in Ukraine would deal a significant blow to the Georgian economy. Similarly, the World Bank predicted in April that the country’s growth for 2022 would fall to 2.5% from an initial 5.5%. “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,” said Dimitar Bogov, the EBRD’s chief economist for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. . “On the contrary, we see the Georgian economy growing quite well this year, in double digits.” (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Sam Rkaina5 November 2022 08:15 1667634338

Vladimir Putin’s hands may indicate health problems, says former British army chief

Lord Richard Dunnatt, former chief of the army general staff, suggested that the appearance of the Russian president’s hands could mean he is receiving injections. “Astute observers are now noticing that his arms look quite black on top, which is a sign that injections are being given when other parts of the body cannot be injected,” Lord Dannatt said.

Vladimir Putin’s hands may indicate health problems, says former British army chief

Vladimir Putin’s hands could indicate he has health problems, a former British army chief has said. Lord Richard Dunnatt, former chief of the army general staff, suggested that the appearance of the Russian president’s hands could mean he is receiving injections. “Astute observers are now noticing that his arms look quite black on top, which is a sign that injections are being given when other parts of the body cannot be injected,” Lord Dannatt said. The theory comes months after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied that Putin was being treated for blood cancer. Subscribe to our newsletters. Maroosha Muzaffar5 November 2022 07:45 1667632538

ICYMI: Over 700 dolphins may have died in Black Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, report says

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put the entire Black Sea basin under “tremendous threat”, according to a report that said more than 700 dolphins and porpoises have died in the area since the conflict began. The report, recently published by ACCOBAMS – or the Agreement for the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Contiguous Atlantic Area – warns that military activity in the region is affecting marine life forms in the area, including cetaceans such as dolphins and porpoises. Read Vishwam Sankaran’s full story here: Maroosha Muzaffar5 November 2022 07:15 1667630738

Russia and China Block Plans for Antarctic Sea Defense

Russia and China have again blocked plans backed by the European Union, the United States and 23 other nations to protect three vast swaths of ocean around Antarctica from most fishing. Read the full Associated Press story here: Maroosha Muzaffar5 November 2022 06:45 1667629238

Smart: UK won’t be swayed by Kremlin ‘distraction’ tactics on Ukraine

Britain will not be diverted from supporting Ukraine by Russia’s efforts to “distract” attention from its failed invasion, Foreign Secretary James Cleverley has said. On Thursday, the UK’s ambassador to Moscow, Deborah Bronnert, was summoned to the Foreign Office over the UK’s alleged involvement in a drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet over the weekend. In London, Andrey Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the UK, claimed that British “specialists” had been involved in the “training, preparation and execution” of the raid, warning that the UK had been “drawn too deeply” into the conflict. Read the full story here: Maroosha Muzaffar5 November 2022 06:20 1667628038

Liz Cheney Takes Marjorie Taylor Green on Russia: ‘Stand with Putin Against Freedom and America’

On Thursday night, Ms Green was joined by former President Donald Trump as the MAGA Republican couple took the stage in Sioux City to support Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and US Senator Chuck Grassley in next year’s midterm elections week. Read the full story…