berlin. ukrainian troops we take more territory as the advance against recruiting russian forces. president zelenskyy says ukrainian troops have liberated dozens of towns in the past weekend arpressing the counteroffensive in both east and south. meanwhile, the eu agrees fresh sanctions against russia after its illegal annexations in

ukraine. brussels promises a tough response with planned penalties for moscow to include a price cap on russian oil. also coming up, not backing down. more protests in iran as women and girls brave government crackdown to demand an end to oppression. and a nobel prize for three pioneers of >> chemistry -- cli ck chemistry, for discovering a way to snap molecules together, a technology that could help make cancer drugs more effective. ♪ nicole: i am nicole frolich. welcome to our viewers around the world. russian president vladimir putin has signed laws formalizing the corporation of four ukrainian regions illegally annexed after

a series of discredited votes. ukrainian president zelenskyy says forces are making "vast and powerful advances in the southern region." in the east, the regional governor said ukrainian forces have liberated six villages on wednesday. >> do ukrainian flag going up again in a recaptured village. just one of many places back on the ukrainian control as a result of recent advances. the blue and yellow flag is also back, flying overhead in the strategic eastern city, as locals q for aid. -- locals queue ukrainian troops for aid. ukrainian troops retook the region after president putin announced that legal annexation of the whole region. signs of the fierce battle

fought here recently, as well as the months of russian occupation, are everywhere. with russian troops forced to retreat here and across the south and east, and with a chaotic military mobilization sparking widespread criticism, putin said that changes would be made to the conscription rules for students. but despite all the recent setbacks moscow has not lost its power to strike far beyond the front lines. as presidents of the city -- residents of the city, 85 kilometers south of kiev were reminded on wednesday. -- kyiv were reminded on wednesday. translator: i woke up to a buzzing sound and heard that sound getting closer and closer, and somewhere near my house, it exploded. correspondent: according to officials, at least six so-called, because he drones struck buildings, including army base in the area, injuring one

rson. while moscow has ramped up its use of suicide drones, which kyiv claims are iranian made, since september, wednesday's attack was the closest they have come to the ukrainian capitol. nicole: earlier, i spoke with john spencer, who aids the urban warfare studies program at the policy forum in the u.s. and asked how he saw a near daily gains for ukraine and russian setbacks in the war. guest: yes, i see it as just that. every day we wake up or we watch as the line moves as ukraine still holds moments and they have had for weeks in advancing well russian formations are crumbling, to be honest. nicole: how long to think ukraine can keep up this momentum? guest: only the russians can say that the ukrainians have fought

this entire were smarter, taken advantage of your enemy's weaknesses, not interrupting your enemy when he makes a mistake, but ukrainians have to be careful not to overstretch themselves in being able to consolidate the gains they have achieved, but even in the south, some major advances. and everything that i have seen as they are just a higher quality formation than what the russians have been able to put together after their defeat back in april. nicole: vladimir putin has softened the criteria on who will be called up in this very unpopular draft. do you think throwing more people at the problem is going to solve this very bad situation for russia on the battlefield? guest: absolutely not. it is only going to get tens of thousands of more russian soldiers killed ukraine in -- in ukraine. they are taking draftees who may

have served at one point and forcing them. actually, they have had three times, four times the amount of people they have forced into ukraine leaving russia's, the number of russian men escaping russia, but just adding men to the military, there iso infrastructure there. there are no units cohesion is, there are no officers and ncos that can take these new soldiers and put them into a fighting formation. it is just going to get a lot more people killed. it will not help russia achieve any of its objectives. nicole: what is russia's strategy here at this point in the war? guest: i cannot answer that question, but it is beyond common sense what is happening. putin is really taking the entire country down a road of nation, failed state, a dark path. i cannot see any advances they

could put together in ukraine. ukraine getting stronger every day. the western support is flowing in and there fortions are actually getting smarter and stronger as they engage with the russians and learn from their operations that they are conducting. nicole: obviously, pushed into a corner in a way russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons, with the west stressing, it is taking putin's word seriously but also valley not to be intimidated. how big do you think the threat -- also vowing not to be debated. have a do think the threat is? guest: you have to take every threat from a nuclear armed country as a reasonable and as legitimate, but putin is a nuclear terrorist. he is a global leader who is threatening its neighbor with a nuclear weapon just because it is that desperate. even in his desperation, i honestly think that there is no way he will use it because every person -- every political leader

and regime has their number one interest of survival. in the west, and many nations ve been ear, tt if putin uses a weapon of mass destruction in ukraine, it will have catastrophic consequences for him, for his military i ukrainen, the black sea, and for russia as a state. it would just not make sense. it would not help putin get to his goals, even his legal goals. nicole: military expert john spencer in colorado, the united states, thank you for your time. guest: thank you. nicole: now i correspondent visited ukraine troops in the south close to the front line. despite looming fears of a cold winter ahead, he found soldiers and residents optimistic about further gains. correspondent: they are digging in. the soldiers have only recently moved forward to the new position.

now they are fortifying their defenses, preparing the trenches. it has been more than three months now since the ukrainian president zelenskyy announced kyiv's counteroffensive in the south. translator: we are constantly trying to drive the enemy from their positions. these attempts have been successful, and we are moving forward. we now have new positions and we are fortifying them. that is how we make constant progress forward. correspondent: for quite some time, ukraine successes in the south have been less spectacular than in the northeast of the country. recently, the army has been able to make significant gains down south, as well. ukrainians are convinced their tactics are more efficient and sustainable than the russians. but that does not mean it is a

walk in the park. translator: they just keep aggressively charging at us. they don't care about their own losses. you get the impression that they just don't give a damn about their soldiers. their tactics are simple. it is easy to read them, but for us it means we have to permanently be on watch. we can never ever lower our guard. correspondent: behind the lines, villages have come under fire. russian forces passed through the settlement earlier on in the war and later driven back. since the territory has been back under ukrainian control, russian shells have fallen all over the place. translator: in the beginning, when we first experienced incoming fire, there were explosions everywhere. i thought it would blow my house. i left at the time, but when i heard that things had calmed down a bit, i came back.

i repaired the roof because it started raining. then i decided to stay. correspondent: russia has seen tremendous losses of personnel and equipment. that is why president putin has started mobilizing more troops, but the soldiers here are calm about the prospect of more russian reinforcements. translator: they can draft whoever they want and however many they want. but their own morale in the opinion of the locals towards them will not allow them to relax. correspondent: now the soldiers are preparing for winter, hoping they can get in as much territory as they can, for as long as they can. nicole: the european union has agreed to impose new sanctions on russia in response to the latest developments in ukraine. those sanctions will include a cap on the price of russian oil exports. the security threat from russia is also on the table as members

of the european parliament meet in strasberg today. the eu commission president told mups that member states need to step up the security of their -- and peace that member states need to step up security. they are ready to discuss a price cap on gas as crisis sort and winter approaches -- prices soar and winter approaches. we followed the date in the european parliament in strasberg and have this update. correspondent: the european parliament this time around has not adopted a final position on russian's aggression against ukrainian, but from following the debates in the planetary, it seems evident that across party lines there is an understanding that russia's claims to ukraine are illegal, null and void, and they don't change facts on the ground. they have not seen strong statements, but some took to the stage to call russia terrorist state. the common understanding seems to be that sanctions are needed. some political groups have asked

for more in addition. the conservative bloc has asked for weapon deliveries from countries like germany and france to send tanks ukraine. the left, on the other hand, has asked to reopen diplomatic channels, in addition to sanctions, but the bottom line here is that after the european parliament and the eu met, they say russia's claims to ukraine, the annexation, is legal and should not be tolerated. nicole: the german chancellor and the spanish prime minister have held talks over a new pipeline to secure european gas supplies. the two leaders discussed the plan during a one-day summit in northwestern spain. energy supply security cooperation in the ongoing european response to russia's attack on ukraine were all on the agenda. dw political correspondent nina haase is traveling with the german chancellor. i asked her if the pipeline will go ahead. nina: it is not in fact a new

pipeline but something that was agreed upon a couple of years ago. but then the times wer different, and people looked at the money, and people expected it to be something that was not worth all the money that would have had to go io developing this peline, so spain has built its part. the iberian peninsula, consisting of spa and portugal, isn intensive importer of liquefied natural gas. for example, from nigeria, ey get a lot of ergy, but they don't have link to theurean continent yet. no the pla is to extend that pipeline to let it go into france, but the fnch president, emmanuel macron, has so far been against the plan. has voiced opposition because hergues such a pipeline could not in fact be transformedo that it could one day also transport hydrogen, green hydrog. that is onef the arguments that the people in fav of building the pipeline are using. that it wld not just be for

importing gas into europe, but, in fact,ny people are ying that emmanuel macron has been against because of the strg nuclear power in its country, and s today tre is a chance that you are hearing first signs from france that times have anged, and europe ds requir any source oenergy can get because of the fact tha russian gas exports have been cut off sentiallto europe, and euro needs toiversify, so it does seem there is movement in that direction. nicole: the two leaders also discussed strengthening cooperation on foreign policy and defense. what more can you tell us about that? nina: the was a date here in spain about whetr or not t german chancelloand government had in fact proposed to strain that they uld take part in a defense system that would help shield europe from potential

attacks. germany is in the planning phase, and we are expting such a system to be operatial quite soon because germany is potentially exposed to potential russian attacks from the neighborhood, but today, both leader say this issue is not on the agenda and spain is not going to pursue it. when it comes to foreign policy, both leaders agreed to intensify their ties. one concrete exampl as they are going to call ch other before important votes in the european union so they can coordinate. for example, one it comes to the topic of sanctions. that is something where these two voicesould gain a lot more impetus wednesday coordinate. they say they run the me page anyway, but to have it formalized like that is a clear sign that germany and spain are intensifying their ties. nicole: so possibly very

consequential meeting. thank you. let's now take a look at other stories making headlines around the world today. afghan officials say an explosion has rocked a mosque in kabul near the heavily fortified anterior ministry compound. it killed at least four people and wounded 25. officials did not immediately say what caused the explosion, but said the mosque was sometimes used by interior ministry employees. the opec+ oil cartel has agreed to a major cut in oil output in order to prop up prices. after meeting in began on wednesday, the top oil producers decided to cut production by 2 million barrels a day from november. the move comes despite western countries concerns about energy fueled inflation. to iran now, where there has been no let up in the

antigovernment protests that have been sweeping the country. the unrest was triggered by the death of mahsa amini, a 22-year-old woman, who died last month after being arrested by the country's so-called morality police. she was detained for allegedly violating iran's strict islamic dress code. her death has drawn international condemnation, and demonstrations of solidarity. correspondent: these university students in iran are chanting "women, life, and freedom a slogan touching the hearts of many, -- freedom." slogan touching hearts of many, including members of the european parliament. >> it is stained with blood. god almighty will not forgive you for the crimes against humanity you are committing, against our own citizens. to the women of -- until the women of iran are free, we are going to stand with you.

women, life, freedom! correspondent: friends are all extending their support. like this symbolic act. in iran, the leadership says western enemies are behind the antigovernment demonstrations. these people have taken to the streets to support iran's supreme leader, and the country's strict dress code. translator: he job was the excuse of our enemies to destroy our unity -- that he job was the excuse of our enemies to destroy our unity. they are trying to attack us by creating internal problems. but the antigovernment shows no sign of letting up for weeks on. this post online appears to show female students heckling a line of the iranian force, the much

feared military organization blamed for the violent crackdown on the demonstrations. the death of mahsa amini has clearly exposed the faultlines that exist in the islamic country, and iran's willingness to brutally crush any opposition that challenges its power. nicole: everything -- would you have to rob a bank to get your own money back? that is what is happening in lebanon, angry about the economic crisis. since 2019, people with savings have only been allowed to withdraw limited amounts in u.s. dollars or the lebanese pound, which has lost more than 95% of its value since the crisis began. correspondent: it is like a battle of nerves at this bank branch in beirut. one man wants his money back,

$210,000 from the family fortune. he has poured gasoline and is threatening to set it on fire and shoot the employees. the 42-year-old refused to be sent away after waiting for his money for three years. he had crushing debts and could not paper his father's urgent surgery. in mid-august, he finally lost patience. translator: i would have shot myself and the people in there with me. i told them, give me my money or we all die. you guys have a choice. when i spilled the gasoline, they knew i was serious. correspondent: after a 10 hour grueling struggle, the bank paid him $35,000. but he was satisfied for the time being and then turned himself into the police. the bank branch has been closed ever since. after five days in jail, he was released and celebrated like a hero in his neighborhood. a judge acquitted him.

his request had been legitimate. his life is part of him. he risked his life or her and his son, he says, and we do it again. translator: people here have tried everything to get their rights. nothing has worked. we are forced to do something like this to get our money. there was no other solution. correspondent: the symptoms of a country in crisis and freefall. the state is an sovereign. thanks have frozen customer assets, only a fraction released after long waits, so bank robberies with toy guns or real weapons have recently become more frequent. there have been many since august, always by people seeking their own savings. most were acquitted. nevertheless, the trend has been met with a divided response. translator: you had the right to do it. you have every right to do it.

i fully support you. translator: i am against it. it leads to vigilante justice. there was still money in the bank's. but if everyone does it, it will all collapse. correspondent: bankers also warned against taking the law into one's own hands. they blame politicians for running lebanon into the ground and say their hands are tied. >> most people who are throwing these accusations can tell me where this cash money is, i will go and get it and redistribute it. there is no liquidity in the banking sector. it is as simple as that. correspondent: the men used the money for his father's operation after a new hospital bed. now he dreams of a new home for the family and wants to get all his deposits back, at gunpoint again if necessary, even if things do not go so smoothly the second time around.

nicole: and some football news, bundesliga club has a new head coach, after the struggling team. the move comes after they lost their championship league/with a player, who won the world cup and won the european championship with spain, he also won the championship league with liverpool, real madrid, and three bundesliga titles. he now faces a daunting task being second to last in the standings. and the nobel prize in chemistry has been awarded to a trio of scientists further advances in chemistry that allows molecules to be snapped together like pieces of lego. the panel of judges in sweden praise the scientists for creating "an ingenious tool for building molecules." the process could have important applications in treating and diagnosing diseases like cancer. >> carolyn bertozzi from

stanford university in the u.s., and from the university of copenhagen, and very sharp, celebrated with the most prestigious prize in chemistry. >> thank you so much, all of you. i am absolutely stunned. i am sitting here and can hardly breathe. i am still not entirely positive that it is real, but it is getting realer by the minute. correspondent: the three scientists' work is about building blocks, slightly more complex than lego. sharpless found a way to click new mall close together, and was the first to come up with it more than years ago. it accelerates the reactions, m erdel's discovery. when it comes to human cells, copper is not a desirable way, but lichens can make molecules

stick to cells. this means the pathway of drugs can be eliminated to trace their effectiveness. >> the materials you have, you have the possibility of modified materials to click new activities on the surface, and suddenly you want this to be antibacterial, and then you click on the surface and it has compounded works against bacteria. or you want something that takes up some light, and then you click a molecule like that on the surface, so it is already here, and there is big interest from the industry. pippa: it has contributed a wealth of resources the study of diseases, including drug development, advances in dna sequencing, and a new immune there be for cancer. nicole: spacex has successfully launched a rocket into earth's orbit, carrying a four person crew bound for international space station.

the rocket lifted off from the cape canaveral launch site in florida. the crew includes two nasa astronauts, a japanese astronaut, and a russian cosmonaut. the first travel under a new agreement between the u.s. and russia. the deal allows mixed u.s. and russian crews to travel to the iss aboard each nation's spacecraft. >> you can see the fist bumps. >> two hours and 44 minutes. nicole: you are watching dw news from berlin. stay with us. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." hope to see you there.

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these are the headlines. joe biden says it will take years for florida to rebuild. he needs every level of government to help. winds of 250 kilometers per hour struck the sunshine state. opec plus cutting production by 2 million barrels