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Live Reporting

Edited by James FitzGerald and Ben Tobias

All times stated are UK

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  1. Ending our live coverage

    An exterior view of a damaged residential building in Kryvyi Rih

    Thanks for following today's updates on Ukraine. Before we go, here's a recap:

    • Russia again struck at Ukraine's energy grid amid freezing temperatures. It fired 76 missiles but most were shot down, according to the head of the Ukrainian military
    • Officials said "about nine" power plants were hit - and more than half of the country's energy consumers had been affected
    • The power went out in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, where the missiles caused "colossal... destruction" of infrastructure - according to the mayor
    • At least two people died after a residential building was hit in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, and a third was killed in Kherson in the south
    • Water supplies were disrupted in the capital Kyiv, and the metro temporarily suspended as people took shelter underground
    • As the explosions went off, the UK's Ministry of Defence observed that Russia appeared to be settling in for "traditional" trench warfare. Military expert Justin Crump told the BBC this reflected the fact the conflict had turned into a winter "slugfest"
    • Moscow has announced that President Vladimir Putin will visit his Belarusian counterpart and ally, Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Monday. The February invasion of Ukraine was launched in part from that country

    This page was written by Jack Burgess and James Harness, and edited by Ben Tobias, Jasmine Taylor-Coleman and James FitzGerald.

    Read our latest article here.

  2. Putin to visit Belarusian ally next week

    Russian President Vladimir Putin with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko
    Image caption: Russian President Putin (left) with his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko (right) in Kyrgyzstan earlier this month

    We've got a bit more detail now on Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Minsk on Monday, to meet his Belarusian counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko.

    The defence ministers of both countries will be taking part in negotiations, Russia's Tass state news agency has reported, quoting a Belarusian defence official.

    The visit comes as Ukraine warns that Russia could be planning a new offensive, possibly launched from Belarus.

    "The Russians are preparing some 200,000 fresh troops. I have no doubt they will have another go at Kyiv," the head of Ukraine's armed forces General Valery Zaluzhny said yesterday - adding that an attack could start "in the direction of Belarus".

    Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February was launched in part from that country, which shares a long border with Ukraine.

  3. How Kyiv residents are keeping their homes warm

    Temperatures in Kyiv are currently near 0C. People are resorting to unorthodox solutions as they attempt to keep their homes warm amid Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

    The improvised method seen below involves heating bricks and then stacking them in a triangular arrangement. It's not a technique the BBC can vouch for - but it shows the desperate measures people are turning to.

    Bricks are arranged in a pyramid
  4. Author on front line wins BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year award

    Dancing with Bones book in Ukrainian

    BBC News Ukraine has revealed the winners the winners of the BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year - an annual award presented in partnership with the Cultural Program of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

    Andriy Semyankiv, who is currently serving on the frontline with the Ukrainian army, found out his novel - Dances with Bones: A Medical Thriller - had won via a virtual ceremony.

    "This is Breaking Bad in Ukrainian," said Marta Shokalo, the head of BBC Ukrainian.

    Semyankiv reacted by saying he "can't believe it", adding that he admired people who continued to read during the war.

    "We must continue to do things for which are the reason we're fighting," he said.

  5. Air defence aid for Ukraine 'expected' - White House

    The next security assistance package for Ukraine is expected to include more air defence, the US national security spokesperson told journalists today.

    "As you have seen in previous packages, I think you can expect to see additional air defence capabilities in this," says John Kirby.

    Earlier this week, it was reported that the US is finalising plans to offer Ukraine the Patriot missile defence system. President Joe Biden is likely to announce the move this week, according to unnamed officials.

  6. Most Russian missiles shot down, says Ukraine commander

    Ukraine shot down 60 of 76 missiles launched by Russia in its latest wave of attacks, according to Ukraine's military commander, Valeriy Zaluzhny.

    Some missiles were launched from the Russian frigate Admiral Makarov in the Black Sea, he added.

    Areas close to the front line were targeted by about 27 S-300 missiles, he said.

  7. How would Kyiv operate with no power?

    People shelter in a metro underground shelter in Kyiv

    Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has posted a plan for how Ukraine's capital would live and work with no electricity to messaging app Telegram.

    He says buses would be free of charge and have necessary fuel supplies and railways will run diesel-powered trains roughly every 30 minutes.

    Klitschko adds that metro services would be suspended and underground stations would be used as shelters during air alerts.

    Heating points will be available around the city and mobile services will be limited to voice communication.

    If water supplies are disrupted, water will be available from drinking water fountains around the city.

    Klitschko's plans comes as Russia targets the Ukrainian energy grid with missile strikes, leaving millions of people without heat, power and water.

  8. Winter trench fighting makes for 'miserable' experience

    James FitzGerald

    BBC News

    A Ukrainian serviceman digs a trench

    As we reported earlier, Russia appears to be settling in for a winter of “traditional” trench-style fighting, according to observations from the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

    This reflects the fact the war has settled into a “slugfest”, military analyst Justin Crump tells the BBC.

    Although Russia’s initial ambition was to outmanoeuvre Ukraine’s troops, its battlefield setbacks mean it has had to “resort” to a more “attritional” style, he explains.

    Trenches are a key part of Russia’s “waiting game” as it looks to rebuild its forces and hang onto its territorial gains over the colder months, says Crump.

    “Digging in is about the first thing every soldier learns – and learns to hate – until you have to do it,” he remarks. “At that point your shovel becomes your best friend.”

    Crump - the head of security consultancy Sibylline - says trenches have been seen in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region since the start of conflict there in 2014.

    Russia is well-equipped to build them, he says, on account of its ex-Soviet engineering equipment.

    And for its part, the Ukrainian military occasionally looks to show off its more elaborate trench constructions - which may be “wood-lined with a sauna”, Crump jokes.

    But conditions in a trench can be “pretty miserable” at the best of times, says the former British serviceman, highlighting how soldiers are exposed to the elements.

    Crump recalls spending a few days in a trench during a training exercise in Yorkshire. “That was bad enough,” he remembers, “and that was without anyone actually trying to kill me”.

  9. 'I'm angry - they are destroying our lives'

    Hugo Bachega

    Ukraine correspondent in Kyiv

    People sit on the steps inside a Kyiv metro station
    Image caption: People shelter in the Kyiv metro system following the latest Russian strikes

    Across Ukraine, work is under way to restore electricity after another wave of Russian attacks targeting the country’s critical infrastructure. Ukrenergo, the energy operator, said the power system had lost more than half of its capacity due to the latest strikes.

    The frequent attacks mean that the work to repair the damage is getting harder. Temperatures in many parts of the country are below freezing, and cities have been left without electricity, heating and even water.

    The attacks, officials say, aim to destroy not only the country’s infrastructure but people’s determination to resist. Ukrainians are adjusting, but anger is rising amid the feeling that civilians have become the target.

    “It’s very stressful but now I’m used to this,” 42-year-old Oksana, who lives in Kyiv, said. “I don’t want our children to live through this, to be in basements, shelters, I don’t want this for them.”

    Elizavetta, who is 21, said: “I’m angry. They [Russia] are destroying our lives. We are used to it now. This [blackouts] isn’t the most important thing. The most important thing is that Russia isn’t here.”

  10. In pictures: Damage in Kryvyi Rih

    At least two people have died after a residential building was hit in the central city of Kryvyi Rih.

    Ukraine's state emergencies service has posted photos of rescue workers at the scene to messaging app Telegram.

    An ambulance outside a damaged residential building in Kryvyi Rih
    Medics and an ambulance outside a damaged residential building in Kryvyi Rih
    An exterior view of a damaged residential building
  11. WATCH: Singing in Kyiv metro as residents take shelter

    Video content

    Video caption: Singing in Kyiv metro as residents take shelter

    Kyiv residents took cover earlier today in the city's metro stations as Russia launched missile attacks on the capital.

    Video shows people calmly waiting on the station's platform. A man entertains some of them by singing and dancing with them.

  12. What's been happening today?

    A family take shelter inside the metro station during Russian missile attacks in Kyiv
    Image caption: People shelter inside Kyiv's metro station during a missile attack

    If you're just joining us, here are some of today's main developments with the war in Ukraine:

    • A huge new wave of Russian missile strikes have targeted the Ukrainian energy grid as the country faces plummeting winter temperatures
    • At least two people have died after a residential building was hit in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, and another death has been reported in the southern city of Kherson
    • Meanwhile, in the capital Kyiv the mayor says three areas have been hit with water supplies and metro services disrupted
    • Ukraine's governement says about nine of the country's power stations have been damaged today and more than half of energy consumers have been affected
    • Russia's President Putin will visit Belarus on Monday to meet ally Alexander Lunashenko, the Kremlin has announced
  13. Putin to visit Belarus on Monday

    It's been announced that President Vladimir Putin will travel to Minsk on Monday to meet his Belarusian counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko.

    The Kremlin says the two leaders will discuss the "strategic partnership" between their two countries. Lukashenko says they will also talk about "the military-political situation around our countries".

    Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February was launched in part from Belarus.

    Putin's trips outside Russia have been rare recently - and he last visited Belarus in the summer of 2019.

  14. Understanding the attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure

    A helicopter drops water on a smoking bridge
    Image caption: Putin says the strikes are as a response to October's attack on the Kerch Strait bridge

    Kyiv has previously accused Moscow of "weaponising winter" by striking essential energy facilities as temperatures plummet. So what has been happening?

    Russia has launched more than 1,000 missiles and Iranian-made attack drones since mid-October, although most of them have been intercepted by Ukrainian air defences.

    UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk warned on Thursday that further attacks on power facilities could "lead to a further serious deterioration in the humanitarian situation and spark more displacement".

    Some Western leaders have called the strategy a war crime, because of the huge amount of damage caused to civilian infrastructure. Russia denies committing such crimes.

    Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to continue attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, despite millions of people being left without electricity or water.

    He said the strikes were in response to a blast on the Russian bridge to annexed Crimea on 8 October. He also accused Ukraine of blowing up power lines from the Kursk nuclear power plant and of cutting water supply to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

  15. About 70 missiles fired on energy facilities - Ukraine

    Russia has been accused of a "massive attack" on energy facilities in Ukraine this morning.

    The Ukrainian state-owned energy company accuses Moscow of firing "around 70 rockets" on its infrastructure. It says northern, southern, and central regions suffered the greatest damage.

    The firm, Ukrenergo, says the result is an increased electricity shortage across the system, "which was significant even before that".

    It advises that restoring supplies could take "longer than before", because this is the ninth such wave of attacks.

    This morning's bombardment comes despite suggestions from Western military analysts that Russia's missile stockpiles are running low.

  16. Kharkiv resident describes 'endless torture'

    A resident of Kharkiv has been speaking to the BBC about this morning's attacks.

    The woman, Anastasia, describes heavy strikes and the lights going out - as well as an inability to get running water owing to power cuts for pumping stations.

    Speaking to the World Service's Newshour programme ahead of broadcast, she calls the situation "endless torture". Making the stress all the more acute is the fact she's a mother of a three-month-old baby.

    Anastasia laments the enmity between her country and Russia. She says "hatred" now feels natural against a neighbour that once felt like "a big brother".

  17. Dozens of missiles fired on Kyiv region - official

    About 40 missiles were fired on the Kyiv region this morning, according to Kyiv military spokesperson Mykhailo Shamanov.

    He says 37 of these were shot down.

    The attack was one of the largest Russian bombardments since the start of the war, he adds.

    A graphic showing Kyiv's location in northern Ukraine
  18. 'About nine' power plants hit in morning strikes

    About nine power plants were hit by Russian missiles today, according to an update from the energy minister.

    He adds that teams are still working out the scale of the damage.

    In a separate statement, Ukraine's national energy company says more than half of power consumers across the country have been affected by the strikes.

  19. In pictures: Frontline trench warfare in Ukraine

    Russia appears to be pursuing "traditional military plans for entrenchment", the UK's Ministry of Defence said earlier.

    It's a warfare tactic that's largely unchanged since the Second World War, says the MoD.

    Russia and Ukraine are using trenches as a means of defending the frontline, but it is a cold and uncomfortable time for military personnel surround by mud in wintry weather.

    Here's a look at some of the defensive constructions on the Ukrainian side.

    A Ukrainian soldier carries a try of dirt from a trench
    Image caption: A Ukrainian soldier cleans out dirt from a trench in Donetsk
    A Ukrainian soldier walks through a trench tunnel made from wood
    Image caption: This trench system was constructed from simple materials such as concrete and wood
    A Ukrainian serviceman climbs over a trench
    Image caption: Trenches are vulnerable to precision weapon strikes, so are now not favoured by modern Western militaries
    A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a trench
    Image caption: Plunging winter temperatures will make life harder for soldiers in areas of eastern Ukraine
  20. Russia suspected by Kyiv of planning major ground attacks

    Marita Moloney

    BBC News Live reporter

    The latest attacks come after Ukraine accused Russia of planning a wide-ranging ground offensive for early in the new year, despite Moscow's recent military setbacks.

    The offensive could come in the eastern Donbas region, in the south, or even towards Kyiv, senior generals say.

    Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has suggested that it could occur in February when half of the 300,000 troops conscripted by Russia in October to support the Ukraine war would complete training.

    "The Kremlin is trying to find new solutions [for] how to get the victory," Reznikov told The Guardian, stating that he expected Russia to mobilise more citizens.

    However, Western analysts say Russia's ability to conduct successful offensive ground operations is rapidly diminishing.

    Britain's most senior military officer Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said this week that the war would only get worse for Moscow, which he added was now facing a critical shortage of artillery munitions.

    Map showing Russian control in eastern and south-eastern Ukraine