New foreign secretary David Cameron meets Zelensky
Ukraine’s long-range precision strikes are inflicting mass casualties among Vladimir Putin’s forces “well behind the frontline”, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has claimed.
The dire lack of rotation among frontline troops is leaving Russia’s commanders with “an acute dilemma” of whether to keep soldiers safely dispersed or gather them in groups to boost morale, the ministry claimed – pointing to two recent strikes which likely caused dozens of casualties in Russian-held territory.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military claimed to be inflicting major losses as Russia seeks to try and encircle the key strategic city of Avdiivka in the east, with Kyiv insisting its soldiers are “standing their ground” and “steadfastly holding the defence”.
However, president Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops face “difficult” defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in and snow already starting to fall.
“Difficult weather, difficult defence on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka fronts. Offensive actions in the south,” Mr Zelensky said.
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Putin’s troops suffering mass casualties ‘well behind the front line’, says UK
Ukrainian long-range precision strikes are inflicting mass casualties among Vladimir Putin’s forces gathering in large groups “well behind the frontline”, as lengthy deployments to the front leave commanders with “an acute dilemma” of whether to keep troops separate or arrange events to boost morale, the UK has claimed.
“Russian forces in Ukraine continue to suffer mass casualties from Ukrainian long-range precision strikes well behind the front line,” said Britain’s Ministry of Defence.
“On 10 November 2023, likely over 70 Russian troops were killed in a strike on a convoy of trucks 23km behind the front line in the village of Hladkivka, Kherson Oblast. Subsequently, on 19 November 2023, a strike on Russian troops attending an award ceremony or concert in Kumachove, 60km inside Russian-controlled territory, likely caused tens of casualties.
“Ukraine has also suffered similar incidents: a Russian ballistic missile killed 19 members of Ukraine’s 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade at a medal ceremony on 3 November 2023.
“Deployed soldiers are typically well aware of the ranges of their adversary’s weapons systems. However, faced with the reality of very long combat deployments, commanders face an acute dilemma.
“They must balance the best practice of keeping the troops dispersed, and less vulnerable to strikes, and the day-to-day requirement to gather units together to conduct administration and to maintain morale.”
Andy Gregory24 November 2023 08:36
Putin pardons two cannibals who joined Russia’s war in Ukraine – report
Vladimir Putin has reportedly pardoned two Russian men convicted of cannibalism after they deployed to the frontline in the war with Ukraine.
One of the men, Denis Gorin, was recruited into a private military company after signing a contract with the Russian ministry of defence but is known to have been convicted thrice for murdering at least four people between 2003 and 2022. He was also convicted of eating the remains of his victims along with his brother, reported Sibir Realii, a news outlet aligned with Radio Free Europe.
Another man, Nikolai Ogolobyak, was convicted of ritual murders, according to the Russian media reports.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2019 for murdering four teenagers and then consuming their remains. The 33-year-old man was reportedly pardoned this week by the Russian president for fighting in the invasion of Ukraine.
My colleague Arpan Rai has the full report here:
Andy Gregory24 November 2023 08:04
Estonia accuses Russia of weaponising immigration at Europe’s borders
Estonia has accused Russia of weaponising immigration on Europe’s eastern borders amid a rise in the number of asylum seekers trying to enter its territory and Finland.
Speaking during a meeting in Stockholm of Nordic and Baltic defence ministers, Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s defence minister, claimed the hundreds of people who had arrived at the borders of the two countries in recent weeks were a “fully state-orchestrated” operation by Moscow.
Latvia’s defence minister, Andris Sprūds, went a step further, blaming the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who he described as the “puppet master”.
Alexander Butler24 November 2023 06:00
Ukrainian embassy asks Warsaw to unblock border following 2nd driver’s death
The Ukrainian embassy in Poland appealed to Warsaw to end a haulers’ blockade at the Polish-Ukrainian border after a second trucker died while waiting in the line, Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych said.
Polish protesters have been blocking the movement of cargo vehicles at several border crossings with Ukraine since early November in a protest against the EU’s liberalization of transport rules for Ukrainian trucks.
Alexander Butler24 November 2023 05:00
EU border agency to bolster Finland’s border
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) plans to deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff, as well as equipment, to Finland amid a growing migrant crisis on the border with Russia, the agency announced on Nov. 23.
November saw an unusually high number of third-country asylum seekers coming to the Finnish border from Russia.
Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating the migrant influx as retribution for the country’s entry to NATO and moved to close all but one border crossing with its eastern neighbor.
Alexander Butler24 November 2023 04:00
Ukraine sanctions over 300 Russian, foreign companies
Ukraine has introduced economic sanctions against more than 300 companies around the world, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.
A number of energy companies from across Russia have been targeted by five-year sanctions, while sanctions lasting 10 years were imposed on 87 individuals, among them Ukrainian citizens.
A separate decree imposed 10-year sanctions on Swiss, Cypriot, British, Uzbek, and Russian citizens, as well as companies based in Malta, China, Turkey, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Russia.
Alexander Butler24 November 2023 03:00
Zelensky wishes Americans a happy Thanksgiving
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has wished Americans a happy thanksgiving and said Ukraine was “grateful” for the country’s support.
“On behalf of all Ukrainians, Olena and I wish all Americans a happy Thanksgiving. We thank you, the people of America. We know how many of you sincerely sympathize with our struggle and wish Ukraine victory.
“We saw how many of you took to heart the illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine and felt that it was also an attack on your values.
“Thanks to American support and global leadership, millions of Ukrainian lives have been saved. Ukraine is grateful to you!
“And we have faith that the unity of the free world will always overcome any threats to freedom. Freedom must not, and will not, fall. We guarantee it together,” Zelensky said on X.
Alexander Butler24 November 2023 02:00
UK has trained 30,000 Ukrainian recruits, MoD says
The UK has trained 30,000 Ukrainian recruits since June of last year, the UK ministry of defence said.
It has been aided by military personnel from “10 partner nations”, it added.
Those include Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.
Alexander Butler24 November 2023 01:00
ICYMI – Zelensky says Putin has made ‘five or six’ attempts on his life
The wartime leader, speaking from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, said the volume of attempts had turned him almost numb to the danger. He compared the later attempts to catching the Covid-19 infection.
“The first one is very interesting, when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid,” he said in a new interview. The first attempt carried panic, he added.
“First of all people don’t know what to do with it and it’s looking very scary,” he told The Sun. “And then after that, it is just intelligence sharing with you that one more group came to Ukraine to [attempt] this.”
Lydia Patrick24 November 2023 00:00
ICYMI – Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic Avdiivka town after heavy Russian losses
Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyiv’s military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.
“Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.
Avdiivka, that has a vast coking plant, has seen fierce fighting and is now down to just 1,500 residents compared to its pre-war population of about 32,000.
Lydia Patrick23 November 2023 23:00