Ukraine aims to end war by winter; Russia attacks Kyiv; France detains tanker

A deal to end the war against Russia by winter is a “realistic” outcome, Kyrylo Budanov said. The celebrated former Ukrainian spymaster, now Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said on Monday: “This is the president’s instruction: to try to end this war as soon as possible … preferably before winter. In my opinion, this is absolutely correct, timely, and realistic.”

Zelenskyy in an interview aired on Sunday called for reviving stalled talks with Russia before the onset of winter to take account of Kyiv’s improved strategic position. A senior Ukrainian commander said last week that Ukraine had a six-month window in which to seize the battlefield initiative and strengthen its hand for peace talks. Budanov said he expected a US delegation to visit Moscow and Kyiv in the near future, without giving details.

Kyiv came under heavy Russian attack early on Tuesday with authorities urging residents to seek shelter. The Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said a fire broke out in the Podil district on the grounds of a non-residential property, and a nine-storey apartment building was on fire after debris apparently struck the roof. “In the Obolon district, cars are burning after being struck by falling missile debris. There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten,” Klitschko posted.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported that air defences were at work in Kyiv according to their journalists and witnesses. Zelenskyy on Monday reiterated warnings of a possible massive Russian strike and urged residents to pay special attention to air raid alerts.

A suspected Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker has been detained by France in the Atlantic, Angelique Chrisafis writes. The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters more than 400 nautical miles (740km) west of Brittany with the help of the UK and other partners, said the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

French authorities said the ship had departed Murmansk in north-west Russia, and was headed for Cameroon under a false Cameroonian flag. It was being escorted to an anchorage for further inspection. Moscow complained of piracy. Macron said everything was conducted “in strict compliance with the law of the sea … It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military was capable of hitting Russian military logistics “across virtually the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territories … In practice, there are almost no safe roads left for the occupier in the south and east of our country.”

The Russian government intends to increase fuel supplies from Belarus and tighten oversight of exports of gasoline and diesel because of domestic fuel shortages, the RBC news outlet reported on Monday. RBC also reported that a complete ban on gasoline exports for two months, including under some inter-governmental agreements, is under discussion. Fuel sales in Sevastopol in illegally Russia-occupied Crimea would be limited on Tuesday, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed de facto governor, amid gasoline rationing caused by Ukrainian attacks. Russia on Monday also banned the export of aviation fuel until the end of November.

Dozens of countries denounced Russia at the UN on Monday after a Russian drone hit a Romanian apartment building, injuring two people. “Such behaviour is unacceptable under international law and must stop,” said the Romanian foreign minister, Oana-Silvia Toiu, in a statement representing 56 UN members, including from the EU and Nato.