Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | via Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s armed forces are preparing a “countermeasure” to Russia’s advances that will surpass previous ones. Zelensky made the comment during his nightly address to the nation and after a meeting he had with the general staff of the Armed Forces. “We are analyzing the intentions of the occupiers and preparing a countermeasure – an even stronger countermeasure than it was,” he said, speaking in Ukrainian. Zelensky did not specify what the countermeasures would look like. But since September, Ukraine has recaptured large parts of the country seized by Russian forces earlier this year, including the key cities of Kharkiv and Kherson. —Christina Wilkie
American prisoner Paul Whelan has been missing in Russia for over a week
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and charged with espionage, stands inside a dock during his sentencing hearing in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020. Maxim Semetov | Reuters The White House said US officials were still working to locate and contact US detainee Paul Whelan, a former Marine imprisoned in Russia. “Our embassy in Moscow is working to fully understand Paul’s condition and why his family has not heard from him,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. “It’s a concern. We’re all concerned — we’re very concerned about Paul and Brittney Griner as well,” she said, referring to the American basketball player who is also being held in Russia. Whelan had been out of touch for more than a week after missing a scheduled call with his family on Thanksgiving, and another just before that, according to his brother, David Whelan. “It’s incredibly unusual for Paul to miss trying to go home on a holiday like Thanksgiving,” David said. Since then, American diplomats and the Whelan family have been trying to find out where he is and in what condition. Whelan was convicted of espionage in a Russian court in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The White House says it offered to swap prisoners with Russia, but talks stalled earlier this year. —Christina Wilkie
EU calls for specialized tribunal to investigate war crimes in Russia
A Russian ballistic weapon lies in the middle of a Ukrainian farmer’s field. Russia’s disruption of Ukrainian trade appears to be cutting a staggering 45.1% of Ukraine’s GDP this year, according to the World Bank. Anastasia Vlasova | News Getty Images | Getty Images The European Union has proposed setting up a UN-backed tribunal to investigate possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine and the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild the war-torn country. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message that the EU would work with international partners to get “the widest possible international support” for the court, while continuing to support the International Criminal Court. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, his military forces have been accused of abuses ranging from killings in the Kiev suburb of Bukha to deadly attacks on civilian facilities, including a March 16 theater bombing in Mariupoli. An Associated Press investigation found it likely killed nearly 600 people. Investigations into war crimes committed during the war in Ukraine are ongoing across Europe, and the Hague-based International Criminal Court has already launched an investigation. But because Russia does not accept the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, the European Commission said it presented the 27 EU countries with two options to hold the Kremlin accountable: either a “special independent international court based on a multilateral treaty or a specialized court embedded in a national judicial system with international judges — a hybrid court’. — Associated Press
Europe worried about Turkish hub to hide ‘made in Moscow’ gas
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Federal Medical-Biological Service, in Moscow, Russia, November 9, 2022. Sergey Bobylev | Sputnik | Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to make Turkey a hub for his country’s natural gas could allow Moscow to mask its exports with fuel from other sources, but that may not be enough to convince Europeans to buy , analysts and sources said. Russia supplied 40% of the European Union’s natural gas market until Moscow on February 24 sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what it calls a “special military operation”. Since then, the West has imposed sweeping sanctions, including on Russian oil and gas, reduced purchases of Russian-sourced fuel and sought alternatives. After explosions – the cause of which is under investigation – destroyed Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline system to Europe under the Baltic Sea, Putin in October proposed a gas hub in Turkey, building on a southern route for exports. Without being specific, Putin said a hub could be set up in Turkey relatively quickly and predicted that customers in Europe would want to sign contracts. So far there have been no public commitments to do so, and analysts say it will take investment as well as time. — Reuters
Ukraine’s foreign minister is pushing NATO to start its accession process
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba gives a press statement at the end of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Bucharest, Romania, November 30, 2022. Daniel Mihailescu AFP | Getty Images Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has pushed NATO to begin formally considering Ukraine’s application to join the military alliance, even with the country at war. “We will become a member state of NATO, but that does not mean that nothing should be done between now and when we become a member of NATO. Therefore, I am talking about the need to start a discussion on how to deal with our application. There it is a certain process. And we shouldn’t just sit still and do nothing until we win.” So far, NATO member states have strongly resisted Ukraine’s calls, even as the alliance sends hundreds of millions of dollars worth of defensive weapons to the country In June, NATO began fast-tracking the membership applications of Finland and Sweden. As of late November, 28 of the alliance’s 30 member states had ratified the applications. Turkey and Hungary did not. —Christina Wilkie
Clothing retailer H&M is closing its last stores in Russia
The world’s second largest clothing retailer H&M has closed its stores in Russia for the last time, Reuters reports. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, H&M operated about 170 stores across Russia, but closed them shortly after Russian troops invaded the country. The stores reopened in August to sell excess stock, but are now closed for good. H&M is one of dozens of global retailers that promised to exit the Russian market shortly after the invasion in February, but then took months to wind down operations. H&M told investors that the shutdown of its Russian operations cost the Swedish company about $200 million. —Christina Wilkie
Blinken says Russia will continue to attack Ukraine until its military is defeated
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press conference during a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, with the Foreign Ministers of Finland, Sweden and Ukraine, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the Palace of the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest, on November 30, 2022. Andrei Pungovschi | AFP | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Russia is not seeking a diplomatic solution to its war with Ukraine, but will continue to attack the country again and again until its own military is defeated. “Russia’s savage attacks on Ukrainian civilians are the latest evidence that President Putin is not currently interested in meaningful diplomacy,” Blinken told a meeting of NATO ministers in Bucharest. “In addition to erasing Ukraine’s independence, [Putin] it will try to force Ukraine into a frozen conflict, lock in its gains, rest and recuperate, and then, at some point, strike again.” Blinken’s statement represents one of the Biden administration’s two competing views on the way forward in Ukraine. The opposing view is supported by the nation’s top military adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who shared it in a recent interview with CNBC. “We’ve seen the Ukrainian military fighting the Russian military to a standstill,” Milley said during a Nov. 10 appearance on Squawk on the Street. “What the future holds is not known with any degree of certainty, but we believe there is some potential here for some diplomatic solutions.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that negotiations cannot begin until Russia returns Ukrainian territory it has seized or annexed, including Crimea. —Christina Wilkie
National Security Adviser to Brief US Senators on Ukraine Funding
Former State Department Director of Policy Planning Jake Sullivan speaks during a hearing on Iran before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017. Jose Luis Magana | AP National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will hold a special briefing for senior US senators on Capitol Hill where he will make the case for continuing to fund Ukraine’s defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, Punchbowl News reports. In attendance will be a bipartisan group of senators who lead key committees with jurisdiction over government funding, intelligence, defense and foreign relations. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The meeting comes as the Biden administration…
title: “Latest News From Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-06” author: “Jerome Jackson”
US Embassy in Ukraine | Reuters It will take 10-15 years to replenish depleted Western stockpiles of artillery ammunition to support Ukraine’s military as it fights an invasion by Russia, according to the owner of major arms maker Czechoslovakia Group. Despite the flow of ammunition to Ukraine, CSG owner Michal Strnad said Ukrainian forces were facing shortages as Western governments depleted their arsenals amid capacity constraints. Strnand told Reuters his company was now responsible for about 25-30% of European 155mm artillery production. “Artillery ammunition is a very scarce commodity today,” he said in an interview. “I estimate that it will take 10-15 years to replenish the stocks (of the Western armies)” as a result of the war in Ukraine. European governments have made significant use of their arsenals to support Ukraine, which Strnand said was firing 40,000 shells a week from several hundred Western-supplied shells against the Russian invaders. “Really a lot has been delivered to Ukraine,” he said. “But the fact is that today the Ukrainians are shooting less than they could because they don’t have enough ammunition.” — Reuters
Widespread Russian missile attacks leave at least two dead and others injured in Zaporizhzhia
A view shows a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on October 9, 2022. Stringer | Reuters At least two people were killed and two others injured, including a 1-year-old child, in the Zaporizhia region after Russian missile attacks nationwide, Ukrainian President Kirill Tymoshenko’s deputy chief of staff said. Several private houses were destroyed and there are probably more injured, Tymoshenko said in a Telegram post. He noted that emergency services are already working at the scene. The head of Kyiv’s regional military command, Oleksii Kuleba, urged residents to stay in shelters as Ukrainian air defenses began operating in the area. “There is an increased risk of rockets moving towards the area,” Kouleba posted on Telegram. The northeastern region of Sumy is also without power due to an emergency shutdown of the energy system following the attacks on the left, according to the region’s local energy company, NE Ukraine. The Odessa region was cut off from water supply due to the strikes, the local water company said. The spate of widespread missile strikes is part of Russia’s efforts to cut off Ukraine from vital energy resources by targeting vital infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving many Ukrainians in dire and uncertain conditions for the winter. Rocio Smith
Russia now controls 18% of Ukraine, according to the British ministry
Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in Donbass, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on November 22, 2022. Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Ukraine has released around 54% of the maximum amount of additional territory seized by Russia since the start of its invasion on February 24 this year, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. In a tweet, the ministry said Russia now controls about 18 percent of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territories, “including the Donbass and Crimea regions that have been under Russian control since 2014.” Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has supported a pro-Russian insurgency in two regions in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, home to two self-proclaimed autonomous “republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk. Since the start of the war, Russia has been pushed out of many areas by Ukrainian forces, mainly around Kharkiv in the country’s northeast. Russian forces have also withdrawn from areas around Kyiv, the capital, and Kherson in the south. Donetsk in eastern Ukraine is now the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in Ukraine as Russian forces attempt to advance and capture the city of Bakhmut, with the hope of moving on to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in a bid to consolidate their foothold in region. — Holly Elliott
Russia launched new wave of missile attacks, Ukrainian air force spokesman says
A fighter from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic inspects the remains of a rocket that fell on a road in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine on February 26, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko Reuters Russia launched another wave of missile attacks against Ukraine on Monday, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ikhnat said at a news conference amid air raid alerts in Kyiv and across the country. “This is not an exercise,” Ikhnat told reporters. “The missiles have already been launched.” The attacks used strategic aviation launched from three separate locations: the Volgodonsk region in western Russia, the Caspian Sea and from ships in the Black Sea, according to Ihnat. The latest missile launches are a continuation of Russia’s attacks on critical Ukrainian infrastructure that began in early October, he said. To date, Russian strikes have knocked out about half of Ukraine’s energy systems, leaving many Ukrainians without electricity as temperatures drop. Ilhnat warned that Monday’s launch could lead to several waves of strikes, warning Ukrainians to take shelter. “The Russians are doing this to disrupt and confuse our air defense forces,” he said of the launch waves. Several top Ukrainian officials have called for additional air defense capabilities, including fighter jets and advanced anti-missile systems, in recent weeks as Russia steps up its missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. Rocio Smith
The Kremlin has no further information on explosions at the air base
Saint Basil’s Cathedral and a Kremlin tower are visible on Red Square in Moscow. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images The Kremlin told reporters it had no further information on what caused explosions at two separate air bases in Russia on Monday. Explosions occurred at military airports in Russia’s Saratov and Ryazan regions earlier today. Russian state media reported that a fuel tanker exploded at an air base, killing three people and injuring several others. At the other airport, Ukrainian media reported that a possible drone attack had destroyed two Tu-95 strategic bombers. Asked whether President Putin had been briefed and what might be behind the incidents, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not comment further. “I don’t have accurate information. I’ve only seen the media reports, but I don’t have accurate information and I can’t comment on it,” he told reporters. “Of course, the president regularly receives information about everything that is happening from all relevant agencies,” he added. — Holly Elliott
The Russian bombing of Donetsk caused damage to kindergartens, houses
Ongoing Russian shelling of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, considered the epicenter of fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, has damaged a kindergarten, residential buildings and an administrative facility, a regional official said. The head of the Donetsk Regional Military Command, Pavlo Kirilenko, said on Telegram on Monday that the city of Kurakhove and the village of Gostre came under fire with “a kindergarten, 4 high-rise buildings and 7 private houses… destroyed.” Kyrylenko posted images of damaged buildings along with the information. He said Avdiivka was attacked overnight, as well as the center of Bakhmut, a town that has become a key target for Russian forces seeking to advance on Donetsk. There, an administrative building, a residential building and farm buildings were damaged, Kirilenko said. A Ukrainian soldier is seen in the trenches on the front line of Bakhmut in Donetsk, Ukraine on December 4, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Towards Lysychansk in Luhansk, the region bordering Donetsk, Kyrylenko said “many” shells hit the villages of Torsky and Zarichny. CNBC was unable to verify the information in the report. — Holly Elliott
Russia says it is preparing retaliation against the West’s oil price cap
The Kremlin says it is preparing retaliation after Ukraine’s western allies imposed a ceiling on the price of Russian-sourced offshore oil at $60. “Decisions are being prepared, but, of course, one thing is clear here – we will not recognize any upper limit,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. Mikhail Svetlov | News Getty Images | Getty Images Last week, Ukraine’s G-7 allies Australia and the EU (known as the “Price-Ceiling Coalition” in this case) agreed to a $60 cap on Russian offshore oil in a bid to curb revenues of Moscow from the oil exports that help finance its ongoing war. The price cap, which began on Monday, means third countries will only be able to access services such as insurance, shipping and brokerage from countries in the coalition (ie the EU and the G-7) if they trade Russian oil at or below the lid. The UK, US and EU will not make use of the cap as they have already imposed a ban on Russian oil imports. On Monday, Peskov did not specify what form “retaliatory” measures might take. Russia has already criticized the price cap, saying it will continue to find buyers for its oil and will not supply oil to countries that adhere to the price cap. — Holly Elliott
Explosions were reported at Russian airbases, damaging two bombers
Explosions have been reported at two Russian military air bases in Russia, with bomber aircraft reportedly damaged in one of the incidents. Earlier Monday morning, Russia’s Tass news agency reported that an explosion occurred Monday morning at an airbase near the city of Ryazan southeast of Moscow, killing three people and injuring…
