Russia-Ukraine war live: Zelenskiy warns of new missile attacks; Russia may be preparing to leave Zaporizhzhia plant, nuclear chief says | Ukraine

The Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines, according to a Reuters report.

US and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated weapons as the war drags on. Boeing’s proposed system, dubbed Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is one of about a half-dozen plans for getting new munitions into production for Ukraine and America’s eastern European allies, industry sources told the news agency.

GLSDB could be delivered as early as spring 2023, according to a document reviewed by Reuters and three people familiar with the plan. It combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in US inventories.

Although a handful of GLSDB units have already been made, there are many logistical obstacles to formal procurement. The Boeing plan requires a price discovery waiver, exempting the contractor from an in-depth review that ensures the Pentagon is getting the best deal possible. Any arrangement would also require at least six suppliers to expedite shipments of their parts and services to produce the weapon quickly.

Although the United States has rebuffed requests for the 185-mile (297km) range Atacms missile, the GLSDB’s 94-mile (150km) range would allow Ukraine to hit valuable military targets that have been out of reach and help it continue pressing its counterattacks by disrupting Russian rear areas.

GLSDB is made jointly by Saab AB and Boeing Co and has been in development since 2019, well before the invasion, which Russia calls a “special operation”. In October, SAAB chief executive Micael Johansson said of the GLSDB: “We are imminently shortly expecting contracts on that.”

According to the document – a Boeing proposal to US European Command (Eucom), which is overseeing weapons headed to Ukraine – the main components of the GLSDB would come from current US stores.

The M26 rocket motor is relatively abundant, and the GBU-39 costs about $40,000 each, making the completed GLSDB inexpensive and its main components readily available. Although arms manufacturers are struggling with demand, those factors make it possible to yield weapons by early 2023, albeit at a low rate of production.

GLSDB is GPS-guided, can defeat some electronic jamming, is usable in all weather conditions, and can be used against armoured vehicles, according to Saab’s website. The Gbu-39 – which would function as the GLSDB’s warhead – has small, folding wings that allow it to glide more than 100km if dropped from an aircraft and targets as small as 3 feet in diameter.

Russia and the US have ways to manage nuclear risks at the level of intelligence agencies, chargée d’affaires of the US embassy in Moscow Elizabeth Rood told Russia’s state news agency Ria Novosti, adding that for now there were no meetings scheduled.

A video on RIA’s Telegram channel cited Rood as saying:

The United States has channels for managing risk with the Russian Federation, particularly nuclear risks and that was the purpose of CIA director Burns’ meeting with his Russian counterpart.

Director Burns did not negotiate anything and he did not discuss a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.”

Rood refers to a meeting CIA director William Burns has with Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russian foreign intelligence, earlier this month where he warned him about the consequences of any Russian use of nuclear weapons. Russia said the issues discussed were “sensitive” and declined to comment on them.

Rood said if there is need for another conversation in that channel it can happen.

“There is not anything scheduled that I know of.”

Russia said after Naryshkin’s meeting with Burns that Moscow was open to more high-level talks with the US, but the Kremlin dismissed the idea of a summit between President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden as “out of the question” for now.

Officials from the two countries were set to meet in the Egyptian capital of Cairo from 29 November to 6 December to discuss resuming inspections under the New Start nuclear arms reduction treaty, although Moscow has played down the prospect of a quick breakthrough.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has claimed Russia will soon launch a series of new missile strikes on his country, warning his defence forces and citizens to prepare for the attack.

He gave the ominous caution in his Sunday evening address:

We understand that terrorists are preparing new strikes. We know that for sure. And as long as they have missiles, they won’t stop, unfortunately.”

Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has warned his citizens and defence force to prepare for new missile strikes.

“We understand that terrorists are preparing new strikes. We know that for sure. And as long as they have missiles, they won’t stop, unfortunately,” he said in his Sunday evening address.

Meanwhile the head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy firm has suggested that there are signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

“In recent weeks we are effectively receiving information that signs have appeared that they are possibly preparing to leave the (plant),” Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on national television on Sunday. “One gets the impression they’re packing their bags and stealing everything they can.”

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If you have just joined us, here are all the latest developments:

• There are signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy firm has said. “In recent weeks we are effectively receiving information that signs have appeared that they are possibly preparing to leave the (plant),” Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on national television on Sunday.

• Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, claims Russia is planning to launch new missile attacks on his country, warning defence forces and citizens to prepare for the strikes. “We understand that terrorists are preparing new strikes. We know that for sure. And as long as they have missiles, they won’t stop, unfortunately,” he said in his Sunday evening address.

• The mayor of Kyiv has traded verbal jabs with Zelenskiy and his allies over how to help residents withstand power cuts. Former professional boxer Vitali Klitschko said 430 “warming centres” were helping residents cope with the effects of Russian attacks on power stations, and more than 100 extra centres were planned in case of extreme conditions. Klitschko said Zelenskiy’s allies had engaged in “manipulation” about the city’s efforts. “I do not want to become involved in political battles, particularly in the current situation,” he said in a video posted on Telegram on Sunday. “That is senseless. I have things to do in the city.” Zelenskiy had previously said Kyiv had not done enough to help residents.

• Hundreds of Ukrainians fled Kherson city on Sunday as Russian shelling intensified. The liberation of Kherson earlier this month marked a major battlefield gain for Kyiv, but the population has struggled with a lack of water, heating and electricity. Evacuations began last week amid fears that damage to infrastructure caused by the war was too severe for people to endure over Ukraine’s harsh winter. The exodus has been exacerbated by Russian shelling, which has killed 32 civilians since Russian forces left the city on 9 November.

• Britain will promise to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year, according to an extract of a speech released by the office of the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, which he plans to deliver on Monday. “We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will maintain or increase our military aid next year. And we will provide new support for air defence,” Sunak will reportedly say.

• The UK will provide Brimstone 2 missiles, a precision-guided missile, to Ukraine as part of its latest aid package. “This aid has played a crucial role in stalling Russian advancements,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

• Ukrainian authorities are gradually restoring power, aided by the reconnection of the country’s four nuclear plants, but millions of people are still without heat or electricity after the most devastating Russian airstrikes of the war. “We have been restoring electricity generation and supply day after day,” Zelenskiy said in his Sunday night address.

• Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s survival may depend on his value to Vladimir Putin as a future bargaining chip, his chief aide has said. Leonid Volkov, speaking on a visit to London, added that Navalny had lost access to his family and was being permanently detained in a “8 by 12ft” cell after being forced into indefinite solitary confinement by Russian authorities last week. Only Navalny’s lawyers were allowed to visit his prison colony on weekdays, and even then, Volkov said, “they are not allowed to see him; they only can talk to him through an opaque glass”, meaning they cannot determine his physical condition.