Key developments on Nov. 27:
- Governor: Russia using 'terror tactics' to threaten lives in liberated parts of Kherson Oblast
- General Staff: Russia concentrates main offensive to capture Bakhmut and Avdiivka
- UK Defense Ministry: Russia unlikely to achieve breakthrough in Donetsk Oblast
- Law enforcement raids Moscow-linked Orthodox church in western Ukraine
Russia is using its "terror tactics" to purposefully attack residential areas in the liberated territory of Kherson Oblast, where utilities are slowly being restored, the regional governor said on Nov. 27.
Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported that Russian forces shelled Kherson Oblast 54 times over the past day, killing one person and wounding two, including a child.
Residential buildings, a garage, and an educational institution were hit in the recently liberated Kherson, while eight nearby villages also came under fire, the official added.
Many residents who survived the Russian occupation are now forced to flee their homes due to bombardment fears.
Between Nov. 20-25, Russian shelling of Kherson killed 15 people, including a child, and wounded 35, according to Kherson City Council Head Halyna Luhova.
The ramped-up shelling comes amid Ukraine's ongoing efforts to restore utilities in the recently liberated southern territories on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Residents have been living in dire conditions without electricity, heat, and water since early November.
Electricity supplies were partially restored in Kherson on Nov. 26, with critical infrastructure such as hospitals being the priority, Deputy Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said.
Governor Yanushevych said the power supply has already been restored for 17% of households, but a complete restoration in Kherson will take a few days.
Tough battle ahead
Russia is conducting its main offensive operations in the direction of Bakhmut and Avdiivka in eastern Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's General Staff said.
Another heavy fighting is taking place in the south-central sector of the region, near the Pavlivka and Vuhledar area, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry's report.
Both Russia and Ukraine have massed "significant forces" in the area for the past two weeks, but neither side has made much progress, the report said.
Russia sees the area as a launching pad for a further offensive into the Ukrainian-held territories of Donetsk Oblast, but a breakthrough is unlikely due to the lack of quality, the report added.
In the country's south, the Russian military is on the defensive while shelling Ukrainian units on the west bank of the Dnipro River, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Nov. 26 that the pace of operations has slowed down due to rain and mud, but it will likely intensify in the coming week when the ground freezes.
Another raid on Moscow Patriarchate church
Law enforcement said it conducted a search in a Moscow-linked cathedral in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk to counter the possible "subversive activities of the Russian special services in Ukraine."
In comments to public broadcaster Suspilne, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed that the raid was being carried out inside the Cathedral of the Nativity.
The religious site belongs to the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which the Russian Orthodox Church controls.
The search comes a few days after SBU's nationwide raid on the grounds of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery and other UOC-MP premises in Ukraine, including Korets Monastery in Rivne Oblast.
The Council of the Russian-led church said in May that it had cut ties with the Russian church governed by Moscow, but there remains a high level of scrutiny over its "independence."
