Ukraine Records 1,884 Alleged War Crimes in Last Week

Ukrainian officials said they recorded more than 1,800 alleged war crimes in the last week as Russia's war with Ukraine continues.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine shared an update Friday on alleged war crimes recorded between October 7 and 14. A total of 1,884 alleged war crimes were recorded in Ukraine during that time, the prosecutor general's office said.

The number brings the updated tally of alleged war crimes since the war began to 40,040, according to an infographic officials shared on social media. More than 17,600 alleged crimes against national security have also been recorded since late February.

In addition to its updated tally of alleged war crimes reported in the last week, the prosecutor general's office updated the number of children who have been either killed or injured over the course of the war. As of Friday, officials reported a total of 423 child deaths since the start of the war, with more than 810 others injured.

Officials said they expect the numbers of alleged war crimes and reported civilian deaths to change as the fighting continues.

Belarus Official Discusses Joint Troops With Russia

Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei discussed his country's ongoing relationship with Russia in an interview published Friday by a Russian media outlet.

Earlier this week, Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko announced Belarusian troops would be deploying with Russian troops near Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine. Makei said during his interview that Belarusian military officials will keep track of troops to make sure no issues arise and that everyone registered for service is able to do so.

Makei raised concerns in the interview about outside threats from other countries, saying that Belarus "needs to be aware of all threats" from "almost all the directions across the border, except for the East," according to a quote from the interview shared on social media by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Makei also addressed an import substitution loan Russia is providing Belarus as both countries face sanctions from other nations around the world. The money will be used to "start producing products previously purchased in the West" such as "microelectronics items, large bearings, lighting equipment," the foreign affairs ministry said.

Crimea Bridge Repairs to Take Months, Russia Says

Repairs to the bridge between the Crimean peninsula and southern Russia won't be completed until July 2023, Reuters reported Friday.

The bridge was damaged in an explosion last Saturday, Russia blames Ukraine for the attack. Ukraine, however, has not claimed responsibility.

Russian officials spoke about the damage and repair efforts during a meeting earlier this week.

"Last Saturday, a terrorist attack occurred in Crimea aimed at destroying the Russia's critical civilian infrastructure," Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during the meeting Monday.

"This resulted in the temporary suspension of transport links between the peninsula and the Krasnodar Territory. At the President's instruction, a government commission was created, headed by Marat Khusnullin, to organise relief efforts as soon as possible."

"The Crimean Bridge is crucial in connecting the peninsula with other regions of the country," he added, according to a transcript on the government website. "It is necessary to restore its full working capacity in the shortest possible time."

Russia Claims Ukraine Shelled Its Belgorod Region

Ukrainian forces have shelled the Belgorod region of Russia, Russian officials said Friday. Belgorod is across the border from Kharkiv.

The attack destroyed an ammunition depot, hit a multi-story residential building and knocked out power to several villages, Russian officials said, according to the Associated Press.

There are no deaths or injuries reported at this time. RT, a Russian state-controlled network, showed what they claimed was a fire caused by shelling at Russian power plant Friday.

Russian forces also launched missile strikes against Kharkiv, the city's mayor said Friday.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported at least four missile strikes against the city Friday afternoon, according to the AP. There were no details given in terms of damage or casualties.

Russia Reportedly Used Rape As 'Military Strategy'

A United Nations (UN) official said the organization has confirmed several reports of rape and other forms of sexual violence being used amid Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.

Pramila Patten, a UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict, said during a Thursday interview with Agence France-Presse that "all the indications" were present that incidents of sexual violence by Russian troops in Ukraine were part of Russia's "military strategy." These incidents were used as a "deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victims," she said.

"When women are held for days and raped, when you start to rape little boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it's clearly a military strategy," she told AFP.

As of June 3, the UN's Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said 124 alleged incidents of "conflict-related sexual violence" in Ukraine were reported to OHCHR officials since the start of the war in late February. Most of the reported incidents targeted women and girls, the human rights office said.

At a June meeting of the UN Security Council, the co-founder and director of strategic development for the Ukrainian Women's Fund told officials that sexual violence was "the most hidden crime" of the war.

In late September, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission said it was tracking reports of conflict-related rapes, as well as "sexual violence used as torture or ill-treatment against men; forced public stripping - and other forms of sexual violence, such as forced nudity, unwanted sexual touching, sexual abuse and threats of sexual violence."

SpaceX Asks US to Fund Starlink in Ukraine, Reports

Elon Musk's SpaceX company has reportedly asked the U.S. Department of Defense to step in and assist with funding Starlink in Ukraine.

Ukraine's vice prime minister asked Musk to provide internet throughout Ukraine using the Starlink system in the early days of the war with Russia, a request that was met quickly.

Some Ukrainian officials have credited Starlink with helping regions repair key civilian infrastructure in the wake of Russia's latest military strikes. But an unnamed U.S. government official told the Associated Press that Musk recently asked for help with paying for the Starlink network Ukraine is using.

Another unnamed official with the Pentagon told the AP that officials were "in touch with SpaceX" about Starlink but didn't provide details surrounding those communications.

In the last 24 hours, Musk posted a tweet saying that aside from satellite terminals and protecting against cyberattacks, "we have to create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations & pay telcos for access to Internet via gateways." He estimated that operational costs were close to $20 million each month.

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office credited Musk with helping Ukraine "survive the most critical moments of war" in a Friday tweet. "Business has the right to its own strategies," the adviser said, adding that Ukraine "will find a solution" and will "expect" SpaceX to keep Starlink working until that solution has been identified.

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov also appeared to weigh in on the reports about Musk seeking other funding options for Starlink, writing in a Friday tweet that Musk "is among the world's top private donors supporting Ukraine."

"Starlink is an essential element of our critical infrastructure," Fedorov wrote.

Russia Increases Forces at Zaporizhzhia Plant

Russian forces are increasing their presence at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to Ukraine's General Staff.

Russia is using the plant as a "personnel warehouse," Ukraine's General Staff said in an update Friday.

Power was restored at the plant Wednesday after its connection to the grid was cut for a second time in less than a week. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the outage was caused by shelling damage to a far off sub-station, saying it highlighted "how precarious the situation is."

Grossi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials in recent days to discuss the safety situation at ZNPP.

"Arriving in Poland on the night train from Ukraine after an intensive week of consultations with Russia and Ukraine," Grossi tweeted Friday.

"Moving closer to the establishment of a protection zone for Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant—the plant's situation is untenable and we need immediate action to protect it."

Grossi has voiced his concern for safety at ZNPP since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February.

Russian Troops Reportedly Block Vasylivka Border

Russian troops are reportedly blocking cross-border traffic in Vasylivka, slowing some Ukrainian citizens from leaving the area.

Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov spoke about the blocks on checkpoint traffic in Vasylivka during a Friday media briefing. Ukrinform, the state news agency of Ukraine, quoted Fedorov as saying that traffic "began to pile up" at the checkpoint in Vasylivka late last month. Of the area's estimated 6,000 residents, about 1,200 vehicles were attempting to leave, he said.

"Currently, there are more than 1,000 cars and more than 4,000 residents," Ukrinform quoted Fedorov as saying. "It has decreased not because it was released, but because people cannot wait."

Fedorov told reporters that many Ukrainians from nearby regions had been able to leave through the Vasylivka checkpoint earlier in the war but that traffic slowed significantly in recent weeks. While as many as 1,000 vehicles would pass through the checkpoint previously, many days now see only 20 to 30 vehicles cross the border, Ukrinform reported.

Red Cross Lacks Full Access to Prisoners of War

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling for full access to prisoners of war (POWs) amid Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.

The ICRC has been able to assess "hundreds" of prisoners "on both sides" of the conflict thus far, according to ICRC spokesperson Ewan Watson, but said it still has not seen "thousands" of POWs.

A statement released Friday by the ICRC and read aloud at a United Nations press briefing said people at the international committee "share the frustration regarding our lack of access to all prisoners of war" as the conflict continues. The ICRC said it has been trying to gain that access since the war began in February so that its workers can assess the POWs and keep those individuals' families updated on how they are faring.

The ICRC said in its update that full and fast access to all POWs is required through the Third Geneva Convention but that they cannot reach POWs "by force."

"We want to stress that our teams are ready on the ground—and have been ready for months—to visit the Olenivka penal facility and any other location where POWs are held," the ICRC's statement said. "However, beyond being granted access by high levels of authority, this requires practical arrangements to materialize on the ground."

The ICRC previously raised concerns about the Russian-controlled Olenivka facility in Ukraine's Donetsk region over the summer following a military strike at the location in late July.

The international committee's statement concluded by calling for all nations to "support the role we have been given" and grant access to all POWs.

"Our mission can only be achieved through coordinated efforts with parties to the conflict," the ICRC said.

Russia Has 'Severe Shortages' of Munition, Manpower

Russia continues to struggle with severe shortages of munitions and manpower, according to the latest British intelligence.

"Russia continues to prosecute offensive operations in central Donbas and is, very slowly, making progress," the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Friday. "However, its overall operational design is undermined by the Ukrainian pressure against its northern and southern flanks, and by severe shortages of munitions and manpower."

Russia intensified its attacks against Ukraine this week, killing and injuring civilians in several regions. Russian forces have made "tactical advances" toward Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, the ministry said.

"Elements of 2nd Army Corps, the pro-Russia militia of the Luhansk region, likely advanced into the villages of Opytine and Ivangrad to the south of the town," according to the ministry.

"There have been few, if any, other settlements seized by regular Russian or separatist forces since early July. However, forces led by the private military company Wagner Group have achieved some localised gains in the Donbas: Wagner likely remains heavily involved in the Bakhmut fighting. Russia likely views seizing Bakhmut as a preliminary to advancing on the Kramatorsk-Sloviansk urban area which is the most significant population centre of Donetsk Oblast held by Ukraine."

A map released Friday by the ministry shows areas in eastern and southern Ukraine under Russian control, depicted in pink.

Zaphorizhzhia Hit by Russian Missiles

A Russian missile strike hit the Zaphorizhzhia region late Thursday evening, according to Oleksandr Starukh, the governor of the Zaphorizhzhia oblast.

Starukh posted a warning about the strike on his Telegram channel, saying the missiles were impacting the regional center and encouraging local residents to seek shelter.

On Friday morning, Starukh updated the public on Telegram with a post that said the strike impacted local infrastructure and started fires at the locations where the missiles hit. Rescuers were already on scene, though Starukh said there were initially no reports of any victims. He said it was possible there would be additional missile strikes on Friday and told residents to follow safety precautions.

The latest missile strikes come at the end of week that has been packed with military activity, which picked up on Monday as Russia launched one of its largest offensives since the start of the war nearly eight months ago.

Russia's Partial Mobilization to End in Two Weeks

The partial mobilization of military reservists Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last month is expected to be completed in two weeks, according to the Associated Press and Russian state-owned media.

Putin first announced the partial mobilization to assist in Russia's war with Ukraine on September 21. At the time, Russia's Ministry of Defense did not cite an exact number of reservists that were to be called up for duty, but some experts speculated that the number could be around 1 million.

Speaking with reporters on Friday, Putin said Russia has drafted 222,000 reservists since the partial mobilization was announced and planned to draft another 80,000 reservists over the next two weeks to reach a goal of 300,000 additional troops, according to the AP.

TASS, a Russian state-owned news outlet, quoted Putin as telling reporters Friday that the partial mobilization "is already being completed."

"I think that all mobilization activities will be completed within about two weeks," Putin told reporters.

Putin also said there "are no additional plans" to continue with partial mobilization at this time once that 300,000-reservists goal has been reached, TASS reported.

"No proposals from the Defense Ministry have been received in this regard. In the foreseeable future, I do not see any need," Putin told reporters.