Nov 26 The Saturday Edition
Day 276: UAEnergyGrid Dnipro Wagner S.Korea Lavrov Makei Lukashenko Croatia NOR Azerbaijian Merkel Holodomor- A&Ps - Avdeeva Tokariuk UKDef Zelensky Mongelli Kuleba LiberiOltre Chalupa AC
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.
Deputy Chief of Staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Pres Zelensky’s office: Power has now been restored to the city of Kherson.
Stories we’re following…
Ukraine repels Russian attacks near 8 settlements over past day. Ukraine’s military repelled Russian attacks near Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Opytne, Pervomaiske, Krasnohorivka, and Nevelske in Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed reported.
According to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast governor Valentyn Reznichenko, Russian troops fired almost 60 shells at Nikopol and surrounding villages in the south of the country overnight on 26 November. No casualties have been reported, Reznichenko said, the Kyiv Independent reports.
Russia hits Dnipro. According to Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov, Russia attacked the regional capital in central Ukraine on Nov. 26. Filatov said that infrastructure wasn't damaged, but some power outages may take place. Filatov added that city communications and infrastructure were not affected since precautions had been taken.
More than 6m households in Ukraine are still affected by power cuts, two days after targeted Russian strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure, President Zelensky said. “As of this evening, blackouts continue in most regions [of Ukraine] and in Kyiv. In total, more than 6 million subscribers,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Friday.
Kyiv is provided with electricity by 30%, — said Oleksandr Fomenko, CEO of DTEK. "In other words, there will be light for 4 hours and no light for 8 hours," — he said.
Ukrenergo: Ukraine to import electricity from EU. “Special mechanisms are needed to guarantee these imports since the price of electricity in Europe is higher than in Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, board head of Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo.
IAEA: All Ukraine-controlled nuclear power plants reconnected to the country's power grid. The Rivne, South Ukraine, and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants have been reconnected to the power grid and are now operating to generate electricity for the country's needs, Ukraine confirmed to the International Atomic Agency on Nov. 25, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
Natalia Humeniuk: The Russian Army will not be able to hold the left-bank part of the Kherson region, says the head of the press centre of Operational Command “Pivden” (South). Ukrainian artillery can already reach the frontiers they (Russians) are building on the left bank of the Dnipro River. The Russians have mined the coastline and set up firing positions in a depth of 15-20 km because they understand that they will have to retreat, she says.
Prigozhin says that the Wagner Group's offensive operations in Bakhmut are aimed at creating a "meatgrinder" that weakens the Ukrainian Armed Forces Prigozhin has created a strategic rationale for the Wagner Group's extremely slow progress in Bakhmut.
UK Defence: “Russia likely removes nuclear warheads from 'aging' cruise missiles, attacks Ukraine with 'unarmed munitions.' The Defense Ministry said the warhead of an allegedly shot down Kh-55 air-launched cruise missile had "probably been substituted for ballast." (see full information below)
Official: South Korea to provide high-voltage generators for Ukraine. First Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, Oleksandr Korniienko, said that South Korea will send 20 high-voltage generators and 5 electric mini-excavators to Ukraine.
Russian FM Lavrov: “The people of Ukraine will be liberated from neo-Nazi rulers, they deserve to live in friendship next to their Slavic brothers.” I rarely post statements from official Russian authorities because their narratives and lies have changed little from the onset of the Big War: references to Ukrainians as ‘nazis’ still persist, peppered with Russia’s mission defined as a holy war. When changes to Russian narratives occur, I’ll publish the sources and how they are being spread through the information vectors.
The Russian Central Bank reported this week that a record $14.7 billion in hard currency was withdrawn from the Russian banking system in October, amid increasing anxiety over mobilization and the state of the economy.
Will Lukashenko survive much longer? Sources within the Russian military leadership say that Putin may opt to have the Belarusian dictator eliminated so that the Putin can take control of the Belarusian military and bring Belarus into the conflict directly. At present, it is claimed that 12,000 Russian troops are stationed in Belarus, and Russian missile strikes originate from Belarusian positions. I’ll keep an eye on this story.
14:51 CET: The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Volodymyr Makei, has died, Belarusian media reports. Mackay was 64 years old at the time of his death.
If Ukraine will agree for negotiations without defeating Russia on the battlefield, then it is impossible to build a strong peace, — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “If the West allows Putin to win, the price will be higher than the terrible beginning of winter for Ukraine and Europe: other authoritarian leaders will see that force is rewarded and use it to achieve their goal. This would make our world more dangerous,” — he stressed.
Ukrainian delegation to boycott OSCE parliamentary assembly. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada permanent delegation to the OSCE parliamentary assembly will boycott the parliamentary assembly after the standing committee failed to change the rules to expel Russia, member of the delegation Yevheniia Kravchuk said.
Germany and France have pledged to provide each other mutual support in preventing a possible energy crisis after supplies from Russia dried up amid the war in Ukraine. As part of a joint agreement signed by the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the French prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, Germany will provide France with electricity while getting much-needed natural gas in return, Associated Press reported.
Minister of Defence of Ukraine Reznikov: “The Government of Croatia has approved a decision to train the Ukrainian Army in Croatia. A modern, well-trained army with powerful partners will definitely defeat a pack of russian murderers, looters and rapists. Thank you to Andrej Plenkovic and Minister of Defense Mario Banožić for your support!”
The EU will intensify efforts to provide Ukraine with support to restore and maintain power and heating, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said. In a statement following a phone call with President Zelenskiy, she said the EU would provide 200 medium-sized transformers and a large autotransformer from Lithuania, a medium-sized autotransformer from Latvia and 40 heavy generators from the EU reserve in Romania.
Norway provides Ukraine with winter clothing, howitzer in new military aid package. The package includes 55,000 units of winter clothing, an M109 self-propelled howitzer, and spare parts for military equipment repairs, the country's government announced on Nov. 25.
Azerbaijan will help Ukraine to supply electrical equipment to restore the energy infrastructure after Russia’s attacks, reports the press service of the Ministry of Energy.
Angela Merkel has insisted that her position as a lame duck in the last months of her time in office made it more or less impossible for her to influence the behaviour of Putin. Merkel appeared defensive and quietly defiant about her inability to change the course of Putin’s decision-making in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine, telling German news magazine Spiegel she felt acutely aware that her ability to negotiate with Putin was minimal because it was known she would not stand for a fifth term.
As part of a large-scale counterintelligence operation of the SSU, the escape route for evaders through the self-proclaimed Transnistria was exposed - the SSU. The cost of the "service" was from 5.5 thousand dollars per client.
Two Swedish brothers, one who worked for the country’s security police and armed forces, went on trial in Stockholm today accused of spying for Russian intelligence between 2011 and 2021. Payam Kia, 35, and his brother Peyman Kia, 42, could face life sentences if found guilty.
Forbes identified 23 profiles that appear to represent current employees at Google or YouTube, and 14 profiles of current employees at Meta, Facebook, and Instagram, who previously worked for Chinese state media.
US authorities announced a ban Friday on the import or sale of communications equipment deemed "an unacceptable risk to national security" - including gear from Chinese giants Huawei Technologies and ZTE.
Nigel Farage “to return to politics with Reform UK as Conservatives row over Brexit, migrants.” Farage’s political comeback in said to be a bid to take advantage of the Tories divisions over Brexit and migration, his allies who believe.
Sanctions: An Effective Tool for Justice Delivery- Eleonora Mongelli
Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began, many countries around the world have imposed a flood of sanctions on Russian politicians, government officials, companies, banks, and private individuals, under various sanction regimes and following different criteria. In addition, over 1,000 foreign companies have suspended operations in Russia. These sanctions have been led by the U.S., E.U and U.K., working jointly with the goal of limiting Russia's ability to continue its war against Ukraine and punishing those who finance it. Such scenario represents an unprecedented level in the use of sanctions: many countries, including the EU, for the first time targeted members of Putin’s inner circle, because of their direct or un-direct relation to the war crimes in Ukraine.
New Russian narratives gaining traction…
The Italian infosphere continues to feature Russian narratives advocating a stop to arms deliveries to Ukraine by the Italian government, without proposing that Russia stop its attacks on Ukraine. This amounts to unilateral disarmament, and as Ambassador Melnyk has stated, “Those who are in favor of stopping the supply of military aid to Ukraine for its defense are actually advocating the destruction of Ukraine & the extermination of its population.”
On Twitter, KimDot.com has been holding spaces re-proposing the Russian narratives of the multipolar world as the new international world order, and the importance of expanding the BRICS economic alliance. As Livia Ponzio has pointed out, Russian disinformation vectors in the BRICS member states have been on warp speed since the beginning of the Big War.
In the legacy media in the West, two narratives emerged this week: 1) US-EU disunity, proposed in a Politico article penned by Moens, Vela and Barigazzi; 2) the US Congress should not allow further arms supplies to Ukraine because Russia is not a threat to European security, published as an opinion piece by Bruce Fein in The Hill yesterday. Bruce Fein was associate deputy attorney general under President Reagan, is the author of “American Empire Before The Fall”, and drew up the impeachment papers for President Obama.
'History according to Russia…
Light a candle…
Polish Prime Minister arrives in Kyiv, commemorates victims of Holodomor. Mateusz Morawiecki arrived in Kyiv on Nov. 26, the day Ukraine commemorates the victims of Holodomor — the man-made famine of Ukrainians ordered by the Soviet regime, which killed millions in 1932-1933.
By Ukrainian presidential decree, Holodomor Remembrance Day is commemorated on the 4th Saturday of November. This year that falls on Saturday, November 26th. Please light a candle to remember the millions of Ukrainians who Stalin starved to death in 1932-33.
The Holodomor was genocide against the Ukrainian people. The German parliament has introduced a resolution that recognizes the Holodomor a heinous crime as such. Romania, Moldova and Ireland already recognise the Holodomor as a crime against humanity, and the Italian government will be presenting a resolution to be voted on in parliament on Tuesday on recognising the Holodomor as genocide.
The Holodomor- National Awareness Day
Programming notes:
