Nov 19 The Saturday Edition
Day 269:Kherson train, Zelensky, UA energy, St Peterburg, Gepards, Erdogan, 437 children, Orban, Sunak, $68B, Israel-A&Ps-Gerashchenko, Zelenska, Kirillova, Atwood, Nelles, Reid Tallis, Tokariuk
Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukraine president’s office, wrote on his Telegram channel:
The first train left for Kherson! This is our victory train! There are 200 passengers in the carriages who bought tickets ‘to victory’ as part of the joint initiative by Ukrzaliznytsia and UNITED24.
Stories we’re following…
President Zelensky said on Friday in his nightly video address:
The situation with power supplies is difficult in 17 regions and in the capital. Things are very difficult in Kyiv region and the city of Kyiv, Odesa region and also Vynnitsia and Ternopil [areas in western and south-western Ukraine].
President Zelensky addressed the Halifax Security Forum via video: “Russia is looking for a short truce to regain strength. Such a respite will only worsen the situation. Immoral compromises will only lead to more blood.”
PM Shmyhal: Russian strikes disabled nearly half of Ukraine’s energy system. According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine needs support from European partners in the energy sector, such as the supply of additional equipment, and extra financial aid.
In an interview with the BBC, Maxim Timchenko, chief executive of the energy firm DTEK, said Ukraine’s electricity system becomes less reliable with each Russian attack. Reducing electricity consumption is the key to keeping it running, Timchenko said. He said:
If they can find an alternative place to stay for another three or four months, it will be very helpful to the system. If you consume less, then hospitals with injured soldiers will have guaranteed power supply. This is how it can be explained that by consuming less or leaving, they also contribute to other people.
State Emergency Service: Nearly 30% of Ukrainian territory is mined. "The area and volumes of mining in the territory of Ukraine have increased ten times compared to the pre-war period," said Serhii Kruk, who heads Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
German Embassy: Gepard anti-aircraft guns help Ukraine take down Iranian drones and defend critical infrastructure. Ukraine has received 30 Gepards from Germany since Russia started its full-scale invasion in February, the German Embassy in Ukraine said.
UK intelligence: After withdrawal from Kherson, Russia prepares for further Ukrainian breakthroughs. Russian troops have built up new trench systems near the administrative border with occupied Crimea and the Siverskyi Donets River in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Nov. 18.
ISW: Kremlin prepares for another round of mobilization while fall conscription cycle is still underway. The Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update that the continuation of covert mobilization and preparation for a new wave of mobilization will likely worsen the overall quality of Russian troops being sent to fight in Ukraine.
Erdogan talks to Putin about ‘grain deal,’ negotiations with Ukraine. The two leaders also discussed Putin’s proposal to create a natural gas hub in Turkey, Anadolu agency reported.
Putin met with the permanent members of the Security Council. The November 18 Security Council meeting discussed improving Russia’s civil defense. Alexander Kurenkov, the head of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (“MChS”), spoke at the meeting. In his opening remarks, the president emphasized that civil defense was being discussed as a routine, not emergency, matter.
Ombudsman: Even children were kept in torture chambers in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Nov. 18 that new facts of torture reportedly inflicted by Russian troops on Kherson Oblast residents during the occupation were discovered, including a torture chamber with a separate cell where teenagers were kept. “
Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office has said at least 437 Ukrainian children have been killed and more than 837 have also been injured as a result of Russia’s invasion.
Viktor Orban’s objection to a mammoth European Union aid package for Ukraine has drawn accusations Budapest is trying to “blackmail” Brussels into handing over billions in threatened funds. Moscow’s closest ally in the EU, said on Friday he was against the bloc taking out joint loans to finance a proposed €18bn ($18.6bn) package to keep Kyiv’s government operating, Agence France-Presse reported.
Ukroboronprom: Ukraine to produce weapons jointly with at least 6 NATO countries. Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, and other NATO countries will produce and develop heavy weapons and other military equipment jointly with Ukraine, Ukraine’s main defense company Ukroboronprom said on Nov. 18.
Rishi Sunak made a surprise visit to Kyiv today to meet President Zelensky in his first visit to the country since taking office. Zelensky posted a video on Saturday showing him meeting Sunak in the capital. “During today’s meeting, we discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Politico: EU freezes 68 billion euros in Russian assets. According to an internal European Commission document obtained by the media outlet Politico, most of the assets are in Belgium, which accounts for 50 billion euros out of the total figure.
Haaretz: Israel funds ‘strategic materials’ for Ukraine under US pressure. President Biden's administration initially asked Israel to provide Ukraine with anti-aircraft batteries, but after negotiations between the two governments, it was agreed to finance "strategic materials." Haaretz didn’t identify the materials’ nature upon the request of its sources.
Via AFP: EU rejects 'unacceptable' emissions proposal at COP27: French official.
Bulgaria charges five with helping Istanbul bombing suspect. "Five people have been charged" over their "logistical" help to one of the suspects to flee, Siyka Mileva, a spokeswoman for the Sofia prosecutor's office told AFP.
Kirillova, Russia Fears Return of a Criminal Army- Cepa
Russian propagandists and officials, from their leader down, are keen to argue that the war against Ukraine has “cleansed” Russian society by forcing out the “traitors” polluting the country. Those remaining have a unique opportunity to build not only a “new Russia”, but also a “new post-colonial world”, it is said.
They are right about one thing: Russia is indeed changing. But the moral, altruistic and patriotic society of the elite dream is elusive; instead, the country is increasingly suffering the consequences of the war, with a significant rise in crime and a complete blurring of moral standards.
Francis Scarr: This appears to be gaining momentum Sergei Markov writes on Telegram today that Prigozhin is becoming the "voice of the people" because "he tells the truth". https://t.me/logikamarkova/4311
Hiwatt, Ukrainian Winter is Coming- Militaryland
I posted this article roughly a month ago, and re-posting as it’s helpful to understand what the Ukrainian forces will have to deal with in the winter war. It’s worth your time.
As winter approaches Ukraine, it is an appropriate time to look at weather and its effects on the battlefield on both Ukrainian and Russian forces.
A military Intelligence Officer is primarily concerned with three things: Enemy, weather, and terrain. Average winter temperatures in Ukraine range from -7°С to +2°C and according to the U.S. Army, this fits the definition of a “Wet Cold.” The main problem with the ‘wet-cold’ environment is that the ground becomes slushy and muddy; it is never fully frozen or dry. The issue is well known, so much so that both nations have a name for it: Ukrainians call it “bezdorizhzhia,” or roadlessness, and Russians, “rasputitsa,” or disagreeable travel. Winter’s effects on army operations are numerous. These range from changes in operations, logistics, and personnel considerations.
Kiron Reid: “As I was tying internet went down as the district 3 hour blackout came on to save electricity. So we switch to hotspots on phones. My friends are teaching classes and one is talking to her student about different experiences of the missile attacks. How people carry on normally now.”
President Zelensky: “Just the end of the war does not guarantee peace. Russia is now seeking a short-term truce - a respite to regain its strength. Someone would call it the end of the war. But such a pause will only aggravate the situation."
Nor can any idea of giving up our land or our sovereignty that once sounded like peace. Immoral compromises will lead to new blood. The real long-term and honest peace can only be the result of the complete dismantling of all elements of Russian aggression.
Czech foreign minister: West ‘should not dictate’ peace terms to Kyiv as Ukraine defends all of Europe. “Ukrainians made the clear choice they didn’t want to be part of Moscow’s empire,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told The Guardian.
Benjamin Tallis, The Czech Republic may bring Babiš back again- Politico
Last month, the choice facing the Czech Republic became abundantly clearer.
On October 30, tens of thousands filled Prague’s Wenceslas Square, rallying for democracy and taking a stand against populism, fear mongering and fake news. That very same day, controversial oligarch, media owner and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also entered the race to become Czech president, jolting the upcoming January election to life.
FBI head: China has ‘stolen more’ US data ‘than every other nation combined’- The Hill
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday at a House committee hearing that China has stolen more American data “than every other nation combined.”
“China’s vast hacking program is the world’s largest, and they have stolen more Americans’ personal and business data than every other nation combined,” Wray said at the House Homeland Security Committee’s annual worldwide threats hearing.
Donations for Ukraine…
