Thursday, November 21

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemembers stand during the ‘Light the Fire’ event on Nov. 19, 2024 in Kyiv. Ukrainians lit 1000 candles to observe the 1000th day of Russia’s full-scale war. (Olha Kharchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

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Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports. According to the source, the strikes were approved as a response to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a sign of escalation by Russia.

Biden approves delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in light of Russian gains in east. Washington is now concerned about Russia’s rapid advance in eastern Ukraine and sees the need to halt it.

‘Putin is weaker than US’ — Zelensky outlines US role in ending war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Ukraine risks losing the war if aid from the new U.S. administration is cut. “Of course, anyway, we will stay, and we will fight. We have production, but it’s not enough to prevail. And I think it is not enough to survive.”

Ukraine to pursue ‘diplomatic’ liberation of Crimea, will not acknowledge occupied territories as Russian, Zelensky says. “We cannot spend dozens of thousands of our people so that they perish for the sake of Crimea coming back … We understand that Crimea can be brought back diplomatically,” Zelensky told Fox News.

US Embassy in Kyiv temporarily closes due to ‘potential significant’ Russian strike on Nov. 20. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” the statement read.

Ukrainian drones allegedly strike Russian factories, weapons arsenal. Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed that drone wreckage damaged the premises of an enterprise in the town of Alekseevka on Nov. 19. Media reports identified the facility as an EFKO plant, officially a sauce manufacturer.

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Latest strikes on Ukraine’s electricity substations threaten ‘power failure,’ Greenpeace warns. Greenpeace has warned that Ukraine’s power grid faces a “heightened risk of catastrophic failure” after a mass missile and drone attack on Nov. 17 targeted electrical substations essential for nuclear power plants, the Guardian reported on Nov. 20.

Putin open to discussing Ukraine ceasefire with Trump, Reuters reports. For the first time, five current and former Russian officials outlined to Reuters the Kremlin’s potential terms for a Trump-brokered peace deal.

Russian officials threaten US over long-range strikes, allude to nuclear doctrine changes. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Nov. 19 that Moscow “will respond accordingly” to Washington’s permission for Ukraine to strike Russian soil with U.S. weapons.

North Korean troops in Russia to be led by secrecy-shrouded general close to Kim Jong Un, WSJ reports. Kim Yong Bok, officially the Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff, is expected to oversee the integration of North Korean troops into Russian forces, gain combat experience, and establish a framework for future deployments, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Russian forces attack 10 times per day as they push toward Kurakhove, military says. Russian military conducts up to 10 assaults daily in an attempt to approach the town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, Oleksandr Nevidomyi, head of the communications department of the 46th separate airmobile brigade, told Suspilne on Nov. 20.

No signs Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Pentagon says. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh dismissed Russia’s rhetoric surrounding its nuclear policy as a continuation of its behavior over the past two years.

Read our exclusives

Panic grips Kyiv as embassy closures and Telegram rumors fuel fears of imminent attack

Ukrainians woke up on Nov. 20 to a message that a number of foreign embassies were closing their offices — a stark reminder of the departure of foreign diplomats from Kyiv days before the start of the all-out war.

Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images

ATACMS, Trump, and the increasing importance of Kursk Oblast for Ukraine

Both Kyiv and Moscow will be looking to enter any possible peace talks in the most favorable position possible, with territory in Kursk Oblast potentially being some of the most politically valuable of all.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

‘Russia only wins if the West quits’ — an interview with retired U.S. Gen. Ben Hodges

A few hours before reports of the strikes in Bryansk Oblast, the Kyiv Independent sat down with retired U.S. General Ben Hodges for his take on ATACMS, the prospect of peace negotiations, and how he feels personally about Ukraine’s future.

Photo: Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Delayed by war, Ukraine’s long-awaited ‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’ surges to the top of video game purchases

Originally set for a release in April 2022, the game experienced several delays when many of its staff were forced to flee Ukraine that February. Ahead of the release this week, presales of the game took it to the top spot for games sold on the popular video game platform Steam.

Photo: Screenshot/GSC Game World

Human cost of war

Russian attack in Donetsk Oblast kills 11-year-old boy. The attack, carried out with Russian cluster munitions, also seriously injured a 13-year-old girl and wounded a 63-year-old man, according to regional police.

Russian troops killed 2 Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk, prosecutors say. They were stripped naked and shot dead, according to the prosecutors. In a picture published by the prosecutors, two blurred naked bodies are seen lying on the ground.

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 2, injure 30 over previous day. In Kherson Oblast, Russia attacked 21 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson. The attacks killed two people and injured 15 others, according to the local military administration.

General Staff: Russia has lost 725,740 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,690 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: Europe’s 2% defense benchmark is an illusion, not a solution

“Europe must now confront a new reality: it can no longer sit back, assuming the U.S. will handle its defense. Now is the time to act,” writes EU defense advisor Alexandre Krausse.

Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Images

International response

UK defense secretary does not confirm Ukraine’s Storm Shadow strike in Russia. “Ukraine’s action on the battlefield speaks for itself,” U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said in remarks to parliament on Nov. 20.

US announces $275 million military aid package for Ukraine. It will include HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) ammunition, artillery shells, and Javelin surface-to-air missiles, in addition to a wide range of spare parts and equipment.

Biden seeks to cancel over $4.5 billion of Ukraine’s debt. “We have taken the step that was outlined in the law to cancel those loans, provide that economic assistance to Ukraine, and now Congress is welcome to take it up if they wish,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Nov. 20.

Germany delivers new military aid to Ukraine, including howitzers, Gepards.

Germany has handed over ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles Marder, 41,000 rounds 155 mm ammunition, several reconnaissance drones, including Vector, Hornet XR, Golden Eagle, VT-4 Rochen, Songbird, and others.

UN World Food Program allocates $21 billion to Ukraine until 2027. “The plan provides for humanitarian assistance, support for civilians, continuation of the demining process and support for Ukraine’s export potential in supplying agricultural products to international markets,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Sweden investigating Chinese ship’s possible role in Baltic Sea cable damage, FT reports. Data from maritime tracking group MarineTraffic shows the Yi Peng 3, traveling from Russia to Egypt, passed near the Swedish-Lithuanian and Finnish-German cables on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, the dates the cables were damaged.

Trump names Matthew Whitaker as next US ambassador to NATO. Whitaker, who served briefly as acting U.S. attorney general during Trump’s first term, has no evident experience in national security, diplomacy, or foreign policy.

In other news

Automaker forecasts 30% collapse in Russian car market by 2025. Sales of new cars and light commercial vehicles in Russia could decline by 21-30% in 2025 if high interest rates persist, Avtovaz CEO Maxim Sokolov said on Nov. 19, according to the state-owned TASS news agency.

Russia’s FSB detains German citizen over alleged ‘terrorist plot.’ Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Nov. 20 the detention of German citizen Nikolai Gaiduk, accusing him of planning terrorist attacks on energy infrastructure in the Kaliningrad region.

Parliament backs bill to dissolve medical commissions in 1st reading after corruption scandals. President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree in October to liquidate the commissions in the wake of accusations of Ukrainian officials using corrupt schemes to acquire falsified disability certifications.

Court jails Russian actor in absentia, confiscates his Odesa apartment. Mashkov, who was convicted for war propaganda and for encouraging the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, owned a 147 square meter apartment on the seacoast in Odesa.

Parliament adopts bill to strip individuals supporting Russia of state awards. Ukraine’s parliament adopted a law on Nov. 20 allowing the deprivation of state awards from individuals who spread Russian propaganda or commit other illegal actions against the Ukrainian state.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Boldizsár Győri, Tim Zadorozhnyy, Oleg Sukhov, Kateryna Hodunova, Abbey Fenbert, and Olena Goncharova.

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