Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,350

Here is how things stand on Wednesday, November 5:

Fighting

  • Russian and Ukrainian troops have fought battles in the ruins of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub in eastern Ukraine, with Ukraine’s military reporting fierce fighting under way in a part of the city that was key for Kyiv’s front-line logistics.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he visited troops fighting near the eastern city of Dobropillia, where Ukrainian forces are conducting a counteroffensive against Russian troops.

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that allows the use of military reservists to guard oil refineries after Ukrainian drone strikes have led to fuel shortages in some regions of the country.

Weapons

  • Putin lauded his country’s development of new weapons, including the Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon super torpedo, describing them as faster and more effective, with the Burevestnik said to be capable of reaching more than three times the speed of sound.
  • Putin also said that Russia was proceeding with the mass production of its Oreshnik missile, which Moscow said was first used to attack Ukraine in November 2024.
  • Norwegian munitions maker Nammo has signed a letter of intent with a Ukrainian industrial partner to produce, develop and sell ammunition in Ukraine, Norway’s government said.

Sanctions

  • Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil and gas company Kazmunaygaz and the sanctioned Russian oil and gas firm Lukoil are continuing work on joint projects in accordance with contractual obligations, despite Western sanctions, Russia’s Interfax agency reported.

Politics and diplomacy

  • Zelenskyy called on Hungarian leader Viktor Orban to stop blocking Kyiv’s bid to join the European Union.
  • The European Commission said that the EU could welcome new member countries as early as 2030, as it praised Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova for their progress on reforms needed to join the bloc.
  • The EU may need to come up with a bridging solution to keep Ukraine financed in early 2026 if a deal on an EU loan, based on frozen Russian assets held in EU accounts, continues to be delayed, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis said.
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is constantly working as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia over Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, including in Zaporizhzhia, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
A Ukrainian serviceman patrols a front-line position near Chasiv Yar amid the ongoing Russian invasion]Handout: EPA]

RSF digging mass graves in Sudan’s el-Fasher to ‘clean up massacre’: Expert

According to a researcher at Yale University in the United States, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are digging mass graves in El-Fasher, a city in western Sudan where there have been numerous massacres and displacements since the RSF took control of the area last month.

The RSF “have begun to dig mass graves and gather bodies throughout the city,” according to Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale’s School of Public Health, on Tuesday.

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According to Raymond, “They are doing the massacre clean up.”

After the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) retreated, which has been fighting the paramilitary group for control of Sudan since April 2023, the RSF seized control of El-Fasher, the state capital, on October 26.

Since the RSF’s takeover, more than 70, 000 people have fled the city and surrounding areas, according to the UN, and there have also been reports of “summary executions,” sexual abuse, and civilian massacres, according to witnesses and human rights organizations.

Additionally, a report from Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab on October 28 revealed “mass killings” since the RSF’s control of El-Fasher, including apparent pools of blood that were visible in satellite imagery.

Additionally, UN officials issued a warning this week that el-Fasher is believed to have trapped thousands of people.

According to Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet, a senior UN refugee agency (UNHCR) official in Sudan, “the current insecurity continues to impede the delivery of life-saving assistance to those trapped in the city without food, water, and medical care.”

Before the RSF’s full takeover, el-Fasher was already suffering from an 18-month siege imposed by the paramilitary group, according to Sudanese journalist Abdallah Hussain.

Hussain told Al Jazeera from Khartoum, the city’s capital, on Tuesday, that “no medical facilities]were] operating and that no aid was allowed access to the city.” The situation is getting worse for the citizens who are still trapped right now.

The RSF and its supporters have attempted to minimize the atrocities committed in El-Fasher by blaming allied armed groups for their actions as a result of widespread condemnation.

Hemedti, the RSF’s leader, has also promised an investigation.

However, Raymond from the Humanitarian Research Lab stated that “they must leave the city [and] allow UN personnel, the Red Cross, and humanitarians to go house-to-house to see who is still alive.

We can’t let the RSF do their own investigation at this point, he said.

According to Raymond, “more people could have died [in 10 days] than have died in the past two years of the war in Gaza,” according to UN figures and what can be seen on the ground in el-Fasher.

“That’s what we’re talking about,” the statement read. He emphasized that thousands of people require emergency assistance, and he told Al Jazeera, “That’s not hyperbole.”

Mac Allister gives Liverpool 1-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid

In a battle between the European giants at Anfield, Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister scored a second-half winner to defeat Real Madrid. The team is grateful to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for holding the score at a low level.

On his late-season return to Liverpool on Tuesday, Trent Alexander-Arnold received a hostile reception, and the home crowd roared the Reds over the line for what might turn the team’s season into a turning point.

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From their first four league games, both teams are currently tied for ninth place.

Liverpool had lost six of their previous eight games, but Arne Slot’s team selection, which had been more tried and tested, was able to stop the rot with a Saturday victory over Aston Villa.

In the only change from the weekend, Cody Gakpo, who had been replaced, was replaced by Florian Wirtz, who Liverpool looked more like the team that won the Premier League title last year.

Since former Liverpool manager Xabi Alonso took over, Madrid had only lost once this season, winning 5-2 at Atletico Madrid, but they rely on Courtois to avoid a scoreline that was comparable to that of their only previous defeat.

When Los Blancos won the 2022 Champions League final with a man-of-the-match performance, the Belgian broke Liverpool’s hearts in Paris by winning 1-0.

Dominik Szoboszlai, who was a former Chelsea stopper, was a failure to beat the former Chelsea stopper from point blank range, which was the start of Courtois’ busy night.

A VAR review determined that Aurelien Tchouameni’s arm was in a natural position as he blocked a shot inside his own box, saving Madrid.

As Liverpool pressed for the opener, a thunderous Szoboszlai shot put Courtois on the line once more.

When he skewed wide from the edge of the box, Kylian Mbappe wasted the visitors’ best chance to equalize.

Madrid’s excellent campaign start has been largely due to Mbappe’s scintillating form. In his 17 previous games for the club and nation, the French striker had only managed to score once.

When Jude Bellingham jacked clear inside the box and fired a low effort that Giorgi Mamardashvili had blocked with his feet, Madrid’s star-studded forward line managed to pull one back in 45 minutes.

In a blistering opening half, Courtois continued to defy Slot’s men by denying Szoboszlai once more from a free kick as he deflected away powerful headers from Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitike.

The giant Madrid number one was eventually defeated when Mac Allister fired in a header from Szoboszlai’s free kick after an hour-long battle between the English champions.

[Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters] Mac Allister celebrates scoring with Ekitike.

Nine minutes prior to the start of Alexander-Arnold’s first game since September 16 when he was injured in his hamstrings, a chorus of boos greeted him. In the hours leading up to the game, an Alexander-Arnold mural had been vandalized.

Conor Bradley, Alexander-Arnold’s once-deputy, performed well for Vinicius Junior despite the Spanish giants’ first goal of the season.

For their first Champions League clean sheet of the season, Courtois kept one more impressive stop from Gakpo for a raunchy finale, but Liverpool’s highly critical defense held on.

After the game, Mac Allister declared, “It was a good game against a really good team.”

We know it’s important, but we know it doesn’t mean much because we finished first in the Champions League’s first half last year and then came out a while early. Therefore, we must continue.”

Courtois argued that Madrid needed to play more composed and composed, not to mention making too many errors in the penalty area.

We need to improve against big teams away from home, he said, but “a match like this is determined by the small details.”

Bayern Munich defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 away on Tuesday to show their credentials as early Champions League favorites thanks to Luis Diaz’s two goals and red card. The result was also noteworthy as Bayern Munich recorded 16 victories from 16 games this season.

On the stroke of half-time, the Colombian winger struck twice before being violently offended for a tackle on Achraf Hakimi.

After the break, PSG dominated possession but did not make it fully count, falling to their first defeat in the competition since last season’s quarterfinal second leg defeat Aston Villa.

Brennan Johnson was sent off after scoring the opener for Tottenham, but they still came out on top with a 4-0 win over Copenhagen.

In other matches, Bodo/Glimt defeated Atletico Madrid 3-1, Juventus held on for a 1-1 draw against Sporting, Olympiacos and PSV held on goal, and Monaco held on.

Can peace return to Sudan after thousands killed in el-Fasher?

The most recent wave of atrocities allegedly committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher has been described as “a nightmare of violence and a horrifying crisis,” according to UN secretary-general.

After the paramilitary group took control of the army’s hq and other important installations in El-Fasher last month, thousands of people are reportedly dead and many others have been forced to flee.

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According to the United States, Sudan’s conflicting parties have in principle agreed to work toward a three-month humanitarian truce.

Can Washington’s plan succeed, though, given that violence is already robbing other areas besides North Darfur?

Presenter:

Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Fikra for Studies and Development executive director, Amgad Fareid

Norwegian Refugee Council – Mathilde Vu, manager of advocacy for Sudan

‘Race against time’: Palestinians suffer from hunger in Gaza despite truce

As Israeli restrictions continue to obstruct deliveries across the bombarded enclave, aid organizations are “in a race against time” to get food and other humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, according to a UN official.

A senior UN official noted that aid deliveries have increased since Israel and Hamas’ ceasefire came into effect last month during a news briefing on Tuesday.

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However, only two crossings into Gaza are currently open, which severely limits the amount of aid available to WFP and other organizations, according to Abeer Etefa.

“We require full access. Everything must move quickly for us. We are competing against time. Winter is upon us. She said that the needs are “overwhelming” and that people are still suffering from hunger.

Since the ceasefire broke out on October 10, WFP, which currently operates 44 food distribution centers throughout Gaza, has distributed food parcels to more than one million Palestinians.

However, Etefa told reporters that getting to northern Gaza, where the world’s top hunger monitor confirmed famine conditions in August, still takes time because the food flow into the country is still insufficient.

The continued closure of northern crossings into the Gaza Strip poses a significant challenge. She said aid convoys are required to follow a winding, challenging route from the south.

WFP requires all crossings to be accessible, especially those in the north, for it to scale. To ensure that food is transported quickly and effectively to where it is needed, it is also crucial to have full access to important roads throughout Gaza.

As part of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army withdrew to the so-called “yellow line” and thousands of Palestinians have since returned to their homes in Gaza’s north.

However, the majority of those who were bombarded by Israel for two years discovered that their homes and neighborhoods had been completely destroyed. Many families are still living in tents and other temporary shelters because of this.

Palestinian father-of-five Khalid al-Dahdouh returned to Gaza City to find his home in ruin. Since then, he has used rubble-recycled bricks to hold his family together and a small shelter.

He told Al Jazeera, “We tried to rebuild because winter is approaching.”

Since there is no cement, “we built a primitive structure out of mud,” according to the statement “we don’t have tents or anything else.”

As outlined in the ceasefire agreement, the UN and other aid organizations have been pressing Israel to allow more supplies into the Strip, especially given how harsh winter conditions are expected for Palestinians.

Between October 10 and October 31, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, 3, 203 commercial and aid trucks brought supplies into Gaza on average every day, or just 24 percent of the 600 trucks that are scheduled to enter daily as part of the deal.

In addition to destroying homes and other structures, the Israeli army has continued to attack Gaza.

After an Israeli quadcopter opened fire in the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City on Tuesday, one person was killed and one was hurt. A source at al-Ahli Arab Hospital also reported to Al Jazeera that a person had been killed by Israeli army fire in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire’s implementation, the Gaza-based Ministry of Health has claimed that at least 240 Palestinians have died and 607 have been injured in Israeli attacks.

Hamas is accused of breaking the deal by not releasing all the bodies of Israeli captives who had died from the territory, but Israeli leaders have refuted criticism of those attacks and the ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid.