All the latest developments from the war in Ukraine.
Russian media inciting genocide - UN
ADVERTISEMENTA group of UN investigators warned on Monday the Russian media could be encouraging genocide in Ukraine.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Erik Mose, feared "certain comments transmitted by the Russian media... may constitute incitement to genocide".
Genocide is the deliberate killing of a particular national, racial or religious group with the intention to destroy it.
“The commission is continuing its investigations into these matters,” Mose said.
Asked at a press conference about the allegations, the UN official was cautious, stressing the commission had not yet reached any conclusions.
In a previous report, the Ukraine Commission accused Moscow of having committed a "considerable number" of war crimes, particularly in the first few weeks after the invasion.
Russia's Black Sea fleet commander killed, claims Kyiv
The Ukrainian army claimed on Monday to have killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet, when it struck a Russian HQ in Sevastopol, in annexed Crimea, on Friday.
"Thirty-four officers, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, died" as a result of the strike, Ukraine's special forces said on Telegram, without providing any proof.
"One hundred and five other occupants were injured. The headquarters building is beyond repair", said the same source.
Euronews cannot verify the authenticity of Kyiv's claim.
First US Abrams tanks arrives in Ukraine
The first US Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday, welcoming this as "good news".
The delivery of the heavy tanks to Kyiv was announced last week by US President Joe Biden during Zelenskyy's visit to the White House.
Ukraine's number one was seeking additional support in the counteroffensive to kick out Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory, while shoring up support in Washington.
Biden announced he had approved a new tranche of military assistance to Kyiv, valued by the Pentagon at some 325 million dollars.
Washington has pledged a total of 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, equipped with 120 mm depleted uranium ammunition. These munitions can pierce armour but are also controversial because of the toxic risks for soldiers and the public.
New Russian attack on Odesa
Russia has again attacked Ukraine's southern Odesa region with a barrage of drones and missiles, leaving one person injured and port facilities damaged, authorities reported on Monday morning.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia carried out the assault with 19 Iranian-made Shahed drones, two Onyx supersonic missiles and 12 other Kalibr missiles.
A submarine was also mobilised, it added.
ADVERTISEMENTAll the drones and 11 Kalibr were shot down by air defences, the army continued, revealing the seaside resort had suffered "significant" damage.
An Onyx missile hit an "empty" grain warehouse at the port said army spokeswoman Natalya Gumenyuknoing. Areas of Odesa were "actually destroyed", she noted.
The army also reported warehouses and businesses were damaged by falling debris in the city's suburbs.
Russian forces regularly target southern Ukraine, where crucial export infrastructure is located.
Attacks have increased since Moscow abandoned a landmark grain deal in July that allowed Ukraine to freely send agricultural products over the Black Sea.
ADVERTISEMENTOn Sunday, however, a second cargo of Ukrainian wheat arrived in Istanbul via the Black Sea through a maritime corridor set up by Kyiv, despite threats from Russia it would attack boats entering and leaving Ukraine.
China's Ukraine stance 'harms its image' - EU Commissioner
Beijing's refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine tarnishes how it is viewed, European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis warned on Monday.
"There is... a risk in terms of reputation for China,” declared the commissioner, speaking to students at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
He said this stance “harms the image of the country, not only towards European consumers but also businesses."
“Territorial integrity has always been a key principle for China in international diplomacy”, but “the war led by Russia constitutes a flagrant violation of this principle”, Valdis continued.
ADVERTISEMENT"China has always advocated that each country should be free to choose its own development path. So it is very difficult for us to understand China's position on Russia's war against Ukraine because it violates China's basic principles."
Moscow and Beijing are strategic allies. The pair often tout their “limitless” partnership in economic and military areas, especially against the West.
They have grown even closer since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which China refuses to condemn.
However, Beijing’s stance on the Ukraine war is complicated, pushed and pulled in competing directions.
Drones shot down in Russia
On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Telegram that four Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over the annexed Crimean peninsula and the northwest Black Sea.
ADVERTISEMENTTwo other drones were shot down over the Kursk region, according to the same source.
“There are no casualties”, but an administrative building suffered damage, noted regional governor Roman Starovoyt, claiming their “air defence worked”.
Though it keeps launching drones against Russian territory, which rarely hit strategic targets or cause significant damage, experts told Euronews in September there were significant strategic objectives behind Kyiv's drone war.