Nov 24 Buonasera Mag
Day 274: UA energy UA NPPs ground battle UK Def ArcelorMittel Poland EU G7 LITH Boris Lukashenko Orban -A&Ps- Gerashchenko Niland Cuda Kirillova EU justice Sotnyk
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.
All Ukrainian regions reconnected to electricity after losing power due to Russia's missile attacks. Critical infrastructure is getting reconnected first, said Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko. Restoring power for households and businesses comes next.
Stories we’re following…
Ukraine expects three nuclear power plants that were switched off because of Russian missile strikes on Wednesday will be operating again by Thursday evening, energy minister German Galushchenko said. “We expect that by evening the nuclear power plants will start working, providing energy to the network, and this will significantly reduce the [energy] deficit,” he said in comments broadcast on national television.
Border checkpoints with Hungary, Romania shut down due to power outages. The Solotvyno checkpoint on the Ukrainian border with Romania and the Kosyno and Dzvinkove checkpoints on the border with Hungary had to stop operations, Ukraine’s State Border Service said on Nov. 24.
Ground battles continue to rage in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is pressing an offensive along a stretch of frontline west of the city of Donetsk, which has been held by its proxies since 2014.
Intelligence: Russia needs a week to prepare for next mass attack on Ukraine. Their reserves of high-precision weapons are exhausted, but Russia still has many less precise missiles left, according to Andrii Yusov, spokesman of Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate.
In a interview with the Financial Times, President Zelensky said Russia’s new strategy to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure would not weaken the country’s resolve to liberate all occupied land, describing the conflict as a “war of strength and resilience” and pushing back against western fears of escalation.
Largest steel company suspends operation in Ukraine due to power outages. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih suspended most production processes due to Russia's Nov. 23 massive missile attack on energy infrastructure, which resulted in an electricity shortage in Ukraine.
"We understand that the price everybody (in the world) is paying is high, but it's not the price for helping Ukraine, it is the price for holding Russia accountable (for war crimes)," Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna tells the Kyiv Independent.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine skillfully use new technologies in war. And this gives them an advantage on the battlefield, said the head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer. "One of the reasons that the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to repel the Russian invasion.
Poland asks Germany to send Patriot missile launchers to Ukraine. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Nov. 23 he had asked Germany to send Patriot missile launchers offered to Poland to western Ukraine.
EU governments remained split over what level to cap Russian oil prices at to curb Moscow’s ability to pay for its war in Ukraine without causing a global oil supply shock, with further talks expected on Friday. Six of the EU’s 27 countries are said to be opposed the price cap level proposed by the G7, which will come into force on 5 December.
The EU is pressing ahead with a ninth sanctions package on Russia, EU Commission chief, von der Leyen, said during a visit to Finland. She said the EU would “hit Russia where it hurts to blunt even further its capacity to wage war on Ukraine”.
G7 foreign ministers to discuss further support for Ukraine’s energy system. Germany has initiated a meeting of G7 foreign ministers next week to consider further assistance for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Lithuanians complete crowdfunding for 3rd maritime drone for Ukraine. The Lithuanian public has crowdfunded $750,000 to purchase three maritime drones for Ukraine, according to Lithuanian TV anchor Andrius Tapinas.
The head of Ukraine’s football association, who served on Fifa’s disciplinary body until 2020, has been accused of fraud and money laundering related to the construction of an artificial grass factory. Andriy Pavelko was served with papers by Ukraine’s national police on Tuesday, notifying him that he was suspected of abuse of power and conspiracy to misappropriate and launder funds.
Mayor: Boris Johnson becomes honorary Kyiv citizen. The Kyiv City Council has given former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson the title of Honorary Citizen of Kyiv, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on Nov. 24.
Lukashenko provoked ire in Ukraine by suggesting that the end of the war is Ukraine’s responsibility, and that if it does not “stop”, it will end in the “complete destruction” of the country. He said that similar to relations with Germany following the second world war, once the Ukraine war has concluded “we will make it all up”.
Orban said that Hungary’s parliament will ratify Nato membership for Finland and Sweden early next year. Hungary and Turkey are the only members of the alliance who have not yet cleared the accession.
Hungary will provide €187m ($195m) in financial aid to Ukraine as its contribution to a planned EU support package worth up to €18bn in 2023, according to a government decree.
Hungary has obtained an exemption from the proposed Russian oil price cap during talks in Brussels, according to the country’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó.
Russia does not plan to supply oil to countries supporting a price cap on Russian oil, the Kremlin has said.
This tweet from Euromaidan Press comes from yesterday’s feed. Due to the attacks on critical infrastructure, many Ukrainians were left with no electricity or connectivity.
Paul Niland, The Putin Regime: An Obituary- Byline Times
This may seem premature, but, it is not. The Putin regime is dead. It has been killed off because of the folly of the man that has sat at the top of the mafia pyramid for over two decades, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin himself. His barrage of missile strikes across Ukraine on 15 November was, as well as a war crime by depriving civilians of heat and electricity, a sign of desperation not a sign of strength.
Here’s the fundamental problem. There is absolutely nothing attractive about the model of rule that has evolved during the Putin era. It is not an alternative to how democracies, however imperfect, are managed. There is nothing about Russia today that attracts willing adherents. Certainly not in the parts of Ukraine that Putin has attempted to conquer by force this year.
Kseniya Kirillova, Can the Kremlin Capture Russia’s Restless Ultra-Nationalists? Cepa
Russian opposition media suggests that Evgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary company leader known as Putin’s Chef, plans to create a “patriotic conservative movement.” The stories noted that among the indications were more frequent appearances of Prigozhin in the public arena and his increasingly strong attacks on the Russian “elite”, as well as information from sources described as close to the Kremlin.
Resistance, resilience and determination…
Happy Thanksgiving! I’d like to extend my heartfelt wishes to my friends and family in the US today, hoping that you’re about to tuck into a fabulous meal in the loving embrace of family and friends. Auguri!
