Kyiv warns Russia plans to destroy hydroelectric dam; Ukrainians endure day of forced power cuts

Where have all the men in Moscow gone?

Friday afternoons at the Chop-Chop Barbershop in central Moscow used to be busy, but at the beginning of a recent weekend, only one of the four chairs was occupied.

Firefighters help a local woman evacuate from a residential building destroyed by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 17, 2022. (Reuters)

“We would usually be full right now, but about half of our customers have gone,” said the manager, a woman named Olya. Many of the clients — along with half of the barbers, too — have fled Russia to avoid President Vladimir Putin’s campaign to mobilise hundreds of thousands of men for the flagging military campaign in Ukraine.

Many men have been staying off the streets out of fear of being handed a draft notice. As Olya came to work last Friday, she said, she witnessed the authorities at each of the four exits of the metro station, checking documents. (Read more)

Ukraine moves to cut diplomatic ties with Iran after drone attacks

Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Tuesday he was submitting a proposal to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to formally cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after a wave of Russian attacks using what Kyiv says are Iranian-made drones.

“Tehran bears full responsibility for the destruction of relations with Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.