November 27, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Matt Meyer and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 1:35 a.m. ET, November 28, 2022
8 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
10:54 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Russian moms launch anti-war petition on Russia’s Mother’s Day

From CNN's Katharina Krebs

Ukrainian firefighters work at a damaged hospital maternity ward in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Wednesday, November 23.
Ukrainian firefighters work at a damaged hospital maternity ward in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Wednesday, November 23. (Kateryna Klochko/AP)

A group of mothers of Russian soldiers joined an activist group to demand the withdrawal of Moscow's troops from Ukraine, launching a petition online Sunday.

The drive, organized by the Russian Feminist Anti-War Resistance group, coincides with Mother's Day in Russia.

The petition is published on Change.org and addressed to parliamentarians on relevant committees of the State Duma and the Federation Council. The petition had over 1,500 signatures by 5:45 p.m. Moscow time (9:45 a.m. ET) Sunday, and the number was climbing.

"For nine months now, the so-called ‘special military operation’ has been going on, which brings destruction, grief, blood and tears," the petition reads. "Everything that happens in Ukraine and Russia worries our hearts. Regardless of what nationality, religion or social status we are, we — the mothers of Russia — are united by one desire: to live in peace and harmony, raise our children under a peaceful sky and not be afraid for their future."

"In many regions, the families of the mobilized had to independently collect gear for their men to be sent to die, buying everything at their own expense, even bulletproof vests. Who will provide for families that have lost their breadwinners? We know the answer — all these hardships will be an additional burden on the already overloaded shoulders of mothers!" the petition continues.

The appeal describes the mothers of conscripts and mobilized soldiers as being "forced to humiliatingly knock on the thresholds of city administrations,” trying to return their men home. They hold pickets, write collective appeals, file petitions, but "no one hears them."

“We are against the participation of our sons, brothers, husbands, fathers in this. Your duty is to protect the rights and freedoms of mothers and children, you should not turn a blind eye to all this,” the petition reads.

2:33 p.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Power, water, heat and internet "almost completely restored" in Kyiv, city officials say 

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko

Pedestrians cross a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, on November 27.
Pedestrians cross a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, on November 27. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Power, water, heat, internet and network coverage have "been almost completely restored" in Ukraine's capital Kyiv as of 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Sunday, the city military administration wrote on Telegram. 

Authorities said crews have entered the final stage of repair work on the power grid system.

Officials also said that most of the city's residents are no longer experiencing emergency blackouts — imposed last month to limit the consumption of energy — as a result of the restored and stable power supply and low consumption by citizens. 

"Water supply, heat supply, and communication — everything works normally. Only local emergency situations are possible," the administration said. 
9:29 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Russian missiles deal serious damage to rail line in Dnipro: Ukrainian official

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko

Russian missiles hit railroad infrastructure in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipro on Sunday morning, a local official said.

"There is considerable destruction. It is not possible to travel by rail now," said Yevhen Sytnychenko, head of Kryvyi Rih district military administration, in a live broadcast.

He said restoration will be "significant, big and long work" and that the tracks will not work "for some time."

Two missiles hit the rail line, according to the official, and the military is still identifying the specific type of weapons used.

Sytnychenko said the blast also damaged residential buildings, but that no one was wounded.

"There were no victims, thank God. But the destruction is very significant ... unfortunately, the tracks will not work for a long time," he said. 
9:04 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Russia shelled the Kherson region 54 times on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities say

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko

Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian region of Kherson 54 times on Saturday, a local official said.

Some residents have evacuated the recently liberated Kherson city and surrounding villages over the past week. More may follow, as authorities urge Ukrainians to heed warnings about Russian shelling and inconsistent power supply ahead of a harsh winter.

The latest round of shelling killed one person and left two other people, including a child, wounded, said Yaroslav Yanushevych, head of the Kherson region military administration.

The attacks hit residential buildings, a garage and a school building, Yanushevych said on Telegram.

Shelling was reported in at least eight other areas in the broader Kherson region, he added.

8:49 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Almost 80% of Ukraine's electricity needs restored, utility says

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko

Ukraine's national power supply company Ukrenergo said 80% of electricity needs nationwide had been restored by 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Sunday, after Russian attacks caused widespread blackouts last week.

The company said critical infrastructure consumes only about 10% of the 80% capacity restored. The rest is used to supply electricity to ordinary consumers, like homes and businesses.

Grid operators are still imposing restrictions on how much energy Ukrainians can consume, as a result of the remaining 20% power deficit.

The utility urged residents to continue to use power "sparingly" to allow fewer restrictions, and so energy companies can focus on repairing damaged facilities, "which becomes more difficult with each successive missile attack."

Meanwhile, a local leader in the Kherson region said power grids damaged by Russian shelling Saturday had been restored.

8:22 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Crews are gradually restoring electricity in the city of Kherson, Ukrainian officials say

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko and Chris Liakos

High-voltage power lines in Kherson on November 17.
High-voltage power lines in Kherson on November 17. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Crews are restoring electricity to the recently liberated city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, where concerns about power supply and ongoing Russian shelling have forced some residents to evacuate.

An official in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram Saturday that repair work was going "around the clock" to restore electricity.

“First of all, we supply power to the city's critical infrastructure and then immediately to household consumers,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko said, thanking crews for their efforts.

Ukraine's deputy minister for energy, Farid Safarov, added Saturday that more than 30 settlements in the Kherson region “have finally received light.”

Six million consumers across the country were without power as of Friday evening, but that the number “is decreasing thanks to the quick work of our energy workers,” Safarov said.

Earlier today, national power supply company Ukrenergo said that 75% of electricity demand is being met across Ukraine.

Millions of Ukrainians have been suffering power cuts across the country in recent weeks amid intensified Russian shelling. Last week saw some of the most devastating attacks yet on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, leaving millions in the dark.

8:22 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Attack leaves at least 13 injured in Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to official

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko, Manveena Suri and Chris Liakos

Rescue crews work on a site heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro on Saturday.
Rescue crews work on a site heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro on Saturday. (Mykola Synelnykov/Reuters)

An attack left at least 13 people wounded in Dnipro on Saturday, according to a local official.

Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, described the assault as a “rocket attack" on Telegram.

Four of the injured remain at the hospital, including a 17-year-old boy and a woman who was pulled out from under the rubble and is in serious condition, he said.

He added that seven homes were partially destroyed and that search and rescue operations are underway.

8:22 a.m. ET, November 27, 2022

Hunger must never be used as weapon again, German chancellor says on Holodomor Memorial Day

From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined global leaders in marking the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor famine in Ukraine.

“Hunger must never again be used as a weapon,” Scholz said Saturday, speaking on the memorial day for victims of the Soviet-era famine that killed millions of people during the winter of 1932-33.

In a speech in Berlin, Scholz drew comparisons between the Holodomor, or Terror Famine — which was engineered by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin by removing food stocks from Ukrainian peasants — and Russia’s current actions in Ukraine.

“The gruesome tactics applied back then entailed isolation and the confiscation of grain and food supplies, the forced deportation of Ukrainians. Today, we stand united in stating that hunger must never again be used as a weapon. That is why we cannot tolerate what we are witnessing,” the chancellor said.

“We know that by targeting agricultural infrastructure in Ukraine and blocking Black Sea ports for months, Russia has exacerbated this situation,” Scholz added. 

Scholz said that Germany would provide another $15.62 million for grain shipments from Ukraine in coordination with the World Food Programme. 

“You can count on our support. Each ship that sails under this initiative doesn't just carry grain. It carries hope for the world's hungry. And it carries an important message. The message that we are united, that we will overcome this war. And that our joint humanity will prevail,” Scholz added.