The latest update from the Ministry of Defense (MoD) states: Recent independent Russian media reports have claimed that due to Russia’s problems in its war against Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is now sidelined in the Russian leadership, with operational commanders reporting directly to President Putin on the course of the war . . Russian officers and soldiers with first-hand experience of the war probably regularly ridicule Shoigu for his ineffective and unknown leadership as Russian progress has stalled. The update added that Shoigu probably “struggled” to overcome his reputation for not having much military experience. Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Ericsson said today that it will phase out business operations in Russia over the coming months. The company, which suspended its Russian operations indefinitely in April, said it has about 400 employees in Russia and will provide financial support to its affected employees, Reuters reports. Some Western companies are selling their Russian operations after announcing a suspension of operations in the weeks following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Dell Technologies Inc announced on Saturday that it has suspended all Russian operations after closing its offices in mid-August. Nokia’s Finnish rival had already announced its decision to pull out of Russia, affecting around 2,000 workers. The Finnish company did not respond to a request for comment on when the exit would be completed. The G7 today welcomed a trip by UN nuclear watchdogs to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and reiterated concerns about the safety of the plant under the control of the Russian armed forces. In a statement reported by Reuters, he said: We confirm that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the electricity it produces rightfully belong to Ukraine, and stress that Russia’s attempts to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian electricity grid would be unacceptable. As we reported earlier, a team from the UN nuclear watchdog said it was on its way to the plant seized by Russian troops in March but run by Ukrainian personnel and would arrive later this week. Updated at 09.29 BST “There were a lot of mines around [the pitch]”, says the former captain of the second team of Obolon Kyiv. “Even now we’re still afraid to kick the ball over the fence.” Kostja Kovalenko describes the reality of life in the team’s training ahead of their first game in Ukraine’s second division, as the Guardian visits the outskirts of Bucha, a war-torn suburb of the capital. Rockets and airstrikes: how Ukrainian football rises from the ruins – video Reuters reports that in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russian forces shelled military and civilian infrastructure near Bakhmut, Shumy, Yakovlivka, Zaytsevo and Kodema, the Ukrainian military said early today. Russian strikes killed eight civilians in Donetsk province on Sunday, its governor, Pavlo Kirilenko, said. Russia denies targeting civilians. Updated at 08.51 BST Isobel Koshiw Isobel Koshiw for us from Kyiv: Ukrainians are likely to experience the coldest winter in decades, its gas chief said, as thermostats in Soviet-era central heating systems are set to turn on and off later. Yurii Vitrenko, head of state gas company Naftogaz, said indoor temperatures would settle between 17 and 18C, about four degrees below normal, and advised people to stock up on blankets and warm clothes for when outside temperatures drop and beyond the winter average of -10C. The “heating period”, the period when the central heating is on, will come later and end earlier, Vitrenko said. The goal depends on Ukraine’s international allies giving it the funds it needs to import 4 billion cubic meters worth of natural gas, and that they don’t play wildcards – such as Russia destroying gas infrastructure or further reducing natural gas supplies gas in Europe. Read more: Ukraine braces for cold winter amid uncertainty over supplies Updated at 08.52 BST European Union defense and foreign ministers will meet in Prague this week to discuss options for creating a military training mission for Ukrainian forces and also consider calls by some members to ban Russian tourists from the bloc, Reuters reports. The bloc’s foreign policy and security chief, Josep Borrell, has given few details about his plans so far, saying only that such a military training program would not be based in Ukraine but in neighboring countries. In meetings on Monday and Tuesday this week, officials will also discuss a proposed visa ban for Russians. The Czechs, who currently hold the EU’s rotating presidency, are pushing for an EU-wide visa ban for Russian tourists, an idea mainly supported by the Baltic states. But Germany, some other member states and Borrell reject such a move, arguing it could breach EU rules and cut off escape routes for Russian dissidents. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which share a border with Russia, may act alone to block tourists if the EU does not agree to a ban on the entire Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West earlier this month to impose a blanket travel ban on Russians, prompting an angry rebuke from Moscow. Updated at 08.53 BST New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has admitted the body of a New Zealand soldier who died defending Ukraine may never be repatriated. Lance Corporal Dominic Abelen, 28, was on unpaid leave when he traveled to Ukraine to fight against defense force rules and without telling his family. Foreign Minister Nanaya Mahuta stressed that New Zealand was treating Abelen’s case as a civilian, not a soldier, although there are calls for Abelen’s remains to be brought home. Ardern said questions about how to treat Abelen were secondary to the practices during a series of radio and media appearances on Monday morning. The issue is whether or not we will have that possibility (to gain access to Ukraine) … it is a war zone. We don’t have people on the ground. We do not have consular support on site. It is very difficult for us to do much at this time. That doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t seek as much information as possible and try to understand the circumstances.” Ardern refused to answer questions on the matter, including where Abelen died, where his body is, whether they know where the body is and whether it is in Russian hands. Local media reports that Abelen died while trying to retake a series of trenches in the eastern Donbas region. Ardern said Abelen’s family was being kept informed, saying they “have as much information as we do”. Russian forces are “rebuilding” Mariupol’s theater to cover up war crimes, according to an adviser to the city’s mayor. Petr Andriushchenko said Moscow forces are rebuilding the theater under the guise of rebuilding for “historical value.” The occupiers are hiding their own war crime… They are in a hurry to eliminate all traces and evidence through “reconstruction”. Under the guise of “historical value”. … The only historical value came when two bombs fell. And the conquerors are now trying to hide this historical value.” Russian forces stormed the theater in March, killing about 300 people who were using the building as a shelter. Russia is increasing mobilization reserves and plans to mobilize about 90,000 troops, according to Ukrainian intelligence. The spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitsky, said in a statement on Sunday: At the same time, different approaches are used: so-called volunteer battalions and reserve battalions, battalions of the so-called “country fighting army reserve” (BARS), which are now recruiting in each military district to replace losses, increase their efforts and increase the number of the group itself that can be used against our state.” According to Skibitsky, Russia faces significant problems in equipping its armed forces. Time is running out, they didn’t accept blitzkrieg. Will mobilizing more people in the Russian Federation help? Probably not, after all. Because the morale of military personnel, as they conduct combat operations, decreases, first. Second, there are fewer and fewer willing to enter the ranks of the Soviet Union on a voluntary basis. In addition, panic has set in among the population of the big cities, because no one wants to simply go to serve in the armed forces, let alone go to war.”
Russia strikes city of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine says
Russian forces shelled Enerhodar, the town where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located, according to Ukraine’s armed forces. Russian forces are shelling residential areas of the city. Cars and civilian houses are burning,” the military said along with video purportedly of the attack posted on its official Telegram account. The video shows several cars engulfed in flames as firefighters rush to put out the blaze. Ukraine’s president’s chief of staff, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, also appeared to confirm the reports late Sunday on his Telegram channel along with a video of firefighters putting out burning cars. “They are provoking and trying to blackmail people,” said chief of staff Andriy Yermak. Russian forces have pounded Ukrainian towns across the river from the plant in recent days, according to…
