Ukraine war latest: SBU releases footage of strikes near Pokrovsk
Hello, this is Tania Myronyshena reporting from Kyiv on day 1,352 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Nov. 6 released footage on Facebook showing recent operations by its Special Operations Center "Alpha" near Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, saying its troops have systematically destroyed Russian forces and equipment in the area.
According to the SBU, over the past year, the unit has inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in the Pokrovsk sector, claiming roughly 9,500 enemy personnel killed, and the destruction or damage of large amounts of equipment.
"We will continue to defend our land from the Russian occupiers, who will pay with their lives for invading our territory," the SBU said.
Russian partisan group 'Freedom of Russia' sabotages trains used for military logistics
Russian rebel group 'Freedom of Russia' sabotaged dozens of trains while targeting the logistics infrastructure of the Russian military, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on Nov. 6.
According to the report and an attached video set to some jaunty music, the partisans set fire to dozens of trains used by Russian forces to transport weapons, ammunition, and equipment to the front lines in Ukraine.
The attacks reportedly damaged key control and power systems, severely disrupting military freight operations. HUR did not specify where the attacks took place, only that it was "on territory of the aggressor state."
"The partisans’ incendiary cocktails incinerated the control and power supply systems of dozens of vehicles that provided transportation of military cargo," HUR said.
"These sabotage actions have significantly slowed the movement of Russian military supplies and undermined the stability of logistical support to enemy units on the front."
Ukraine sentences Russian soldier to life in prison for executing captured Ukrainian serviceman
Last updated 6:11 p.m. Kyiv time.
A court in Ukraine has sentenced a Russian soldier to life imprisonment for executing a captured Ukrainian serviceman in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Nov. 6.
This is the first life sentence in Ukraine’s history handed down to a Russian serviceman for executing a prisoner of war, SBU said.
According to the statement, the convict, 27-year-old Russian national Dmitry Kurashov, shot a Ukrainian soldier at point-blank range after he surrendered near the village of Pryiutne on Jan. 6, 2024.
Investigators established that during an assault on Ukrainian positions, a Ukrainian soldier who had run out of ammunition dropped his weapon and raised his hands, signaling surrender. Kurashov ordered him to kneel and then opened fire with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing him on the spot.
Ukrainian forces later recaptured the position and captured Kurashov along with four other Russian soldiers, the only survivors of the assault.
The court found Kurashov guilty under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code — violations of the laws and customs of war. The case was investigated under the procedural supervision of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Ukraine has documented widespread violations of the Geneva Conventions by Russian forces, including the execution of 322 сaptured Ukrainian soldiers as of October 2025.
South Africa investigating recruitment of citizens into 'mercenary activities' in Russia-Ukraine war
Last updated 4:07 p.m. Kyiv time.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an investigation on Nov. 6 into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of 17 South African men for suspected mercenary activity in the Russia-Ukraine war, the South African Presidency said in a statement cited by SAnews, the government’s official news agency.
According to the statement, the South African government received distress calls from 17 men aged 20 to 39 who found themselves trapped in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
"Seventeen men, 16 of them from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape province, were lured into joining mercenary forces engaged in the Russia-Ukraine war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts," the presidency said.
The statement did not specify which side the men were fighting for.
Ukraine’s defense of Pokrovsk on a knife-edge as high command resists calls to withdraw
Last updated 3:50 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukrainian forces continue to stubbornly defend the pocket around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, despite relentless Russian assaults in and around the two cities leading to an ever-increasing threat of encirclement.
Over two weeks since Russian soldiers were filmed breaking into the urban area of the mining city in Donetsk Oblast en masse, the city has descended into a deep gray zone, in which the concept of territorial control is lost in a fog of chaotic movement.
"The situation hasn't changed that much in Pokrovsk," a Ukrainian drone pilot fighting in the area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Kyiv Independent.
"It’s a mess, with a bunch of our soldiers and a bunch of bastards and all of them mixed together."
With more and more Russian forces flowing into Pokrovsk, after Ukrainian lines on the southern outskirts of the city quickly disintegrated, reversing the situation with large-scale clearing operations looks to be an increasingly impossible task.
Angelina Jolie visits front-line regions in southern Ukraine
Last updated 3:48 p.m. Kyiv time.
American actress Angelina Jolie visited medical staff, families, and volunteers in Kherson and Mykolaiv, the Legacy of War Foundation confirmed on Nov. 6.
During her visit, Jolie was shown how medical and educational institutions in Ukraine's southern front-line regions have been moved into reinforced underground spaces to continue their operations, according to a press release from the organization.
Jolie was also shown how netting has been placed above a number of roads in an effort to protect locals from near-daily targeting in Russian drone attacks.
"The people of Mykolaiv and Kherson live with danger every day, but they refuse to give in. At a time when governments around the world are turning their backs on the protection of civilians, their strength, and their support for each other is humbling," Jolie said in a statement released by the Legacy of War Foundation.
The actress previously visited Ukraine in the spring of 2022.
Ukraine confirms drone, missile strike on Russian Shahed base at Donetsk airport
Last updated 3:01 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine's armed forces have struck a hub for Russian drone logistics in occupied Donetsk, the General Staff confirmed on Nov. 6.
Late in the evening of Nov. 5 videos emerged on Telegram of explosions rocking the area around the Donetsk airport. Commentators called it a strike on a warehouse that housed long-range Shahed-type drones.
On Nov. 6 the General Staff confirmed the strikes on "a base of storage, assembly and launch of Shahed-type UAVs."
They further noted explosions and "a powerful secondary detonation" as well as the involvement of missile and artillery units and the Unmanned Systems Forces.
At least 1 killed, 33 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
Last updated 12:50 p.m. Kyiv time.
At least one person have been killed and 33 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 6.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 108 out of the 135 Shahed-type attack drones and other types of drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. In total, 27 drones hit thirteen locations.
In Sumy Oblast, one person was killed and two others injured in strikes throughout the night, according to local authorities.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, five people were injured during the mass attack, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov.
In Donetsk Oblast, ten people were injured, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko said eight people were injured in overnight air attacks.
In Kharkiv Oblast, six people were injured, including one child, in various Russian strikes over the past day, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Civil infrastructure was damaged in four settlements due to Russia`s attacks on the region.
In Kherson Oblast, two people were injured, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Strikes were reported in 22 settlements, including the city of Kherson.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,147,740 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,147,740 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Nov. 6.
The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 23,541 (+6) armored fighting vehicles, 66,658 (+84) vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,288 (+15) artillery systems, 78,430 (+172) drones, and 3,991 (+1) units of special equipment.
