Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers Anton Domaratskyi (2nd R) and Victor Nesterenkoi (2nd L), who were brought to New York by the non-profit organization Kind Deeds, receive prosthetics at an orthopedic clinic in Brooklyn, New York.

— Eren Abdullahogullari | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Russia’s central bank kept its interest rate unchanged at 7.5%, citing inflation expectations and geopolitical uncertainty following the “partial mobilization” of Russian troops in Ukraine and the prospect of a protracted conflict.

The move to keep interest rates on hold ended a months-long rate-cutting cycle that began in April. The central bank more than doubled interest rates to 20% shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine to prevent the ruble from plummeting.

The central bank has cut interest rates six times since then, reaching a pre-war rate of 9.5% by June, citing improving fiscal conditions and falling inflation. While inflation is still well above the bank’s 4% target, which stood at 13.7% in September, it has fallen significantly from the 20-year peak of 20.37% reached in April, when Western sanctions and freezes came into force exchange rates.

The decision on the interest rate at 7.5% was expected by the majority of analysts interviewed by Reuters, the news agency reports.

— Nataša Turak

The United States has dismissed Russian accusations that the Pentagon is helping Ukraine build banned biological weapons as lies.

The claims are “pure fabrications presented without an iota of evidence,” said US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, arguing that Russia was trying to “distract attention from the atrocities” being committed in Ukraine.

“Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. The United States does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian bioweapons laboratories supported by the United States,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN said Moscow would launch an investigation into what he described as US and Ukrainian violations of the arms convention.

— Nataša Turak

US President Joe Biden expressed skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims in a recent speech that he had no need or intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“If he has no intention, why does he keep talking about it? Why does he talk about the ability to use tactical nuclear weapons?” Biden said in an interview with NewsNation. “He was very dangerous when he got down to it.”

In a speech on Thursday, Putin played down the possibility of a nuclear conflict and denied that Russia was threatening to use nuclear weapons. He said Moscow was only responding to “nuclear blackmail” by the West.

In recent weeks, however, Putin and other senior Kremlin officials have expressed Russia’s readiness to use all available means, including nuclear weapons, to protect Russia’s territorial integrity, which is said to include illegally annexed territories of Ukraine.

— Nataša Turak

Russian President Vladimir Putin has poured cold water on claims that Russia will deploy nuclear weapons over Ukraine, despite repeatedly stating its ability to use such weapons if Russia’s “territorial integrity” was threatened.

“We don’t see the need for this,” Putin said Thursday, speaking at a conference of foreign policy experts. “It makes no sense, either politically or militarily.”

Putin had previously vowed to use “all available means to protect Russia,” which observers interpreted as nuclear weapons, but the president said in his latest remarks that this was only a response to what he called “nuclear blackmail.” western leaders.

He specifically referred to former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ comments in August that she would be prepared to use nuclear weapons as a leader.

— Nataša Turak

Russia is most likely using mobilized reservists to bolster its forces west of Ukraine’s Dnieper river, but troop numbers there are already very low, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its latest intelligence update on Twitter.

“In September 2022, Russian officers described troops in the Kherson sector consisting of six to eight people. The troops should deploy about 100 personnel,” the ministry tweeted.

“Over the past six weeks, there has been a clear shift by Russian ground forces to a long-term defensive posture in most areas of the front line in Ukraine,” the ministry said.

“This is probably due to a more realistic assessment that the severely underfed and poorly trained forces in Ukraine are currently only capable of defensive operations.”

It continued: “Even if Russia succeeds in consolidating long-term defense lines in Ukraine, its operational design will remain vulnerable.”

— Nataša Turak

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said its inspectors would arrive in Ukraine this week amid Russian accusations that Kyiv was preparing to use a “dirty bomb”.

“I’m very grateful for the openness that the Ukrainian government and I had a very comprehensive discussion with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba about this. He came to the conclusion, and I agree, that the best way to dispel any doubt is to allow the inspectors to enter and that’s what we’re going to do,” Grossi told reporters at the United Nations.

Grossi added that the inspections would likely last only a few days.

The US and its allies have rejected Russian accusations that Ukraine is building a “dirty bomb”.

— Amanda Macias

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told colleagues ahead of the UN Security Council meeting that she would keep her remarks brief because “quite frankly, this meeting is a waste of everyone’s time”.

“Russia has called us here again for the sole purpose of spreading disinformation. We all know these claims are pure fabrications, made without a shred of evidence,” Thomas-Greenfield said, referring to Moscow’s recent claims that Kyiv has biological weapons. .

“We hear that Russia is raising the alarm that biological weapons will be carried by birds and bats and now even mosquitoes. Birds and bats,” she said, calling the Russian accusations “absurd.”

“Russia’s claims are absurd for a number of reasons, not least because such types, even if they could be armed, would pose as much of a threat to continental Europe and Ukraine as any other country,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

— Amanda Macias