Nov 8: E-Stories
Day621 OdesaMuseum Kherson CombatSit Kerch Avdiivka Zelensky 128Respect BehindLines Figo Kurmasheva RUoil Putin Allies Israel Trump CN A&P UKDef ISW Noel Pichler Herbst Kenyon
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.
Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Emine Dzheppar, said Kyiv was “deeply outraged” by the attack on Odesa’s National Art Museum and urged the UN’s Paris-based heritage agency, Unesco, to condemn the strike.
Stories we’re following…
Nov 6: Overnight, Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles. A total of 15 out of 22 Shahed drones were shot down and also a single KH-59 was shot down. In addition, launches of Kh-31, P-800 Onyx and Iskander missiles were recorded. The damage is being assessed..
Nov 6: Russian troops attack 19 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, damaging infrastructure. Local authorities received several reports of residential buildings and infrastructure facilities being damaged following the attacks.
Russia hits Donetsk Oblast’s Avdiivka with missiles, artillery. Russian troops launched a missile attack and "massive" artillery strike against Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of Nov. 5, acting Governor Ihor Moroz reported.
Nov 6 Sabotage mission: Explosion in an ammunition depot in occupied Siedove near Mariupol.
This is what Adviivka looks like now. Adviivka is the focus of the current front line battle at the moment.
Combat Situation Update
Zelensky: Ukraine's military considering new strategy to move forward.
Ukraine is considering a shift in its military strategy to "move forward faster" and strike Russia "unexpectedly," President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News on Nov. 5. Zelensky rebuffed recent suggestions that the war had entered an impasse, contrasting with the opinion of Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, expressed in an interview and an op-ed published by the Economist on Nov. 1.
Noel Reports: Footage emerged of the arrival of the SCALP/Storm Shadow missile on the Russian Project 22800 Karakurt-class corvette 'Askold'.
Military: Ukraine destroys Russian electronic warfare system. Ukrainian forces have destroyed a Russian "Pole-21" electronic warfare system, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria Group fighting on the southern front lines, reported on Nov. 5.
ISW: Ukrainian forces continued activity on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast on November 5 and made confirmed gains. Geolocated footage indicates that Ukrainian forces have made limited advances near Pidstepne and in Krynky.
Ukraine's 128th brigade confirms 19 of its soldiers were killed in Russian strike. Ukraine's 128th Mountain Assault Brigade reported on Nov. 6 that a Russian missile attack had killed 19 of their soldiers, likely referring to the Nov. 3 strike on a front-line village during a military award ceremony.
"The best of our fighters died... We express our sincere condolences to their families and promise to avenge our brothers a hundredfold," the brigade said on Facebook.
Zelensky: Soldiers' deaths at award ceremony 'could have been avoided.' Ukraine has launched an investigation into the deaths of soldiers in the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and changes will be made in the military to address negligence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Nov. 5.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has confirmed the death of his aide Hennadii Chastiakov under tragic circumstances, Zaluzhnyi stated on Telegram.
"Unspeakable pain and a heavy loss for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and for me personally. Today my aide and close friend Major Hennadii Chastiakov died under tragic circumstances on his own birthday. An unknown explosive device was activated in one of the presents. Hennadii is survived by his wife and four children. My deepest condolences to the family…"
Behind the Lines
Official: Russian ammunition depot on fire deep in occupied Donetsk Oblast. The depot is located in the coastal village Sedovo, less than 10 kilometers from the border with Russia’s Rostov Oblast.
Ukroboronprom has launched serial production of new long-range drones capable of flying 1000km. The technical and functional characteristics of domestic drones are higher than those of the Iranian analogues of the Shahed type.
Fico says he won't hinder arms sales from Slovak companies to Ukraine. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said his government will not prevent arms sales from Slovak companies to Ukraine, the Slovak news outlet Dennik N reported on Nov. 6. This implies that Bratislava's decision to halt arms supplies would concern only the weaponry from the Slovak military's current stocks, not newly produced arms provided on a commercial basis.
Several dozen owners of transport companies have today blocked three major Polish border crossings with Ukraine in protest at what they say is unfair competition from the neighbouring country’s businesses. Trucks lined up at the border checkpoint in Dorohusk, with almost all cargo traffic blocked by protesters who blamed the liberalisation of EU rules for the slump in their revenues. “We want the rules of fair competition to be restored,” Rafal Mekler, a co-organiser of the protest, told AFP in Dorohusk.
Monique: This smells like Russia. The farmer’s had also organised mass protests about a year ago against Ukrainian grain. More to come on this. You need to know that the Russians control a lot of the trucking industry.
Russian media: Construction begins on railway linking Rostov-on-Don to occupied Crimea. Yevhen Balytsky, the head of Russia's proxies in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, told reporters that the railway will run from Yakymivka, near Melitopol, to Rostov-on-Don via Berdiansk and Mariupol.
Zmina: The Russian authorities arranged a trip for a number of foreign journalists to a camp where children abducted from the occupied territories of Ukraine are kept. Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian president's commissioner for children's rights, who is suspected by the ICC of child deportations, told about it. Journalists from ABC News, Helsingin Sanomat, the Sankei Shimbun, and La Repubblica took part in a russian propaganda tour and visited camps where Ukrainian children are held.
Monique: while the Italians may think this is ‘reporting’, it’s not. It is giving the Russians a platform to spread their propaganda. I can bet that this was all arranged and that they spoke with ‘children’ and ‘social workers’ friendly to the regime. It reminds me of the ‘tours’ that were arranged in the Soviet period showcasing ‘the excellent progress of the socialist economy and society.’ Give me a break and the so-called journos should know better.
Radio Free Europe has claimed that it believes Russia may have taken one of its journalists “hostage” for a potential prisoner swap with the US and is appealing to Moscow not to treat her cruelly, the broadcaster’s acting president has said. Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has been in custody since 18 October. She was earlier briefly detained in June while trying to fly out of Russia after visiting her mother.
Meanwhile in Russia
Russia, Saudi Arabia to restrict supply of crude oil through end of year. Russia and Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporters, confirmed that their voluntary crude oil supply cuts would continue until the end of 2023, Reuters reported on Nov. 5. The cuts will drive up oil prices worldwide.
The Moscow healthcare system is faced with mass layoffs and a shortage of ambulance drivers, Vitaly Lupyrev, chairman of the capital's industry trade union, told RTVI . Now, according to him, about 3-3.5 thousand drivers work for ambulances in Moscow, although at the beginning of the year there were about 5 thousand. In the last two months alone, according to Lupyrev’s calculations, about 600 people have quit.
Due to rising demand, partially caused by large increases in military spending and ongoing pressure of a shrinking labor market, the Russian economy is "likely at risk of overheating," the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on Nov. 6.
Putin has decided to run in the March presidential election, a move that will keep him in power until least 2030, as he is said to feel he must steer Russia through the most perilous period in decades, six sources told Reuters.
In Russia, it is necessary to immediately adopt a law on universal happiness and create a corresponding ministry. Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko stated this during the marathon “Knowledge. First" on Monday.
“Immediately [it is necessary to pass] a law on general happiness. I dream and even suggested: let’s create a Ministry of Happiness in Russia. That department through which all decisions, all laws will pass on the subject of whether this new law or new government resolution makes people happier,” Matvienko explained the idea.
A Russian telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea suffered an outage last month and is now undergoing repairs by Russia, the Finnish economy ministry said today, adding to a spate of damage to the region’s subsea infrastructure. The 1,000 kilometre (620 miles) Baltika cable belonging to state-owned Rostelecom runs from the region of Saint Petersburg to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in the southern Baltic Sea.
Russians driving with fake nukes on their cars in front to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. This comes after the video the Russians released on social media which showed a nuclear attack on the U.S. If anyone thought they had changed at all, think twice. The video was clear intimidation which the Soviets had used for years to influence audiences in the West.
Allied Support
Ukraine may receive a green light for negotiations on EU membership this week. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will publish a report on Wednesday assessing progress achieved towards membership by EU candidates.
Metsola on support for Ukraine: We cannot afford fatigue, it is about security of Europe. The European Union countries cannot allow “fatigue” from providing support for Ukraine, where the future of European security is now being decided.
Ukraine has signed a €36 million contract with Verney-Carron, which is a subsidiary of the French defense company Cybergun, to supply 10.000 assault rifles. 400 grenade launchers and 2000 precision rifles. Delivery is planned in early 2024.
MoD Boris Pistorius said at a NATO conference in Berlin that he doubts that Taurus cruise missiles can radically change the situation at the front in Ukraine. Germany has still not decided on the issue of supplying Ukraine with these cruise missiles.
Around the World
Israeli fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets in Gaza and troops seized a militant compound in the past 24 hours, the IDF said, while the enclave's health ministry said the air strikes killed dozens of people.
The U.S. secretary of state traveled to the West Bank and Baghdad in an effort to contain the conflict. The CIA director is in Israel to meet with intelligence officials.
Official Readout: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan today in Ankara. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Fidan discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, including the need to prevent the spread of conflict throughout the region. Both agreed on the critical importance of protecting civilians and ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in Gaza. The Secretary and Foreign Minister Fidan emphasized the importance of the longstanding U.S.-Turkish cooperation as NATO Allies and Euro-Atlantic security priorities including Sweden’s NATO accession.
"This morning at 7.30 - reports the rector of the Orientale of Naples Roberto Tottoli - a group of hooded people entered the Palazzo Giusso headquarters, made the staff leave and barricaded themselves inside"
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkey's foreign minister in Ankara, hours after hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian protest tried to storm an air base that houses US troops.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that a "healthy and stable" relationship with Australia served each country's interests, and that it was important to move forward with strategic ties. Xi told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the first Australian leader to visit Beijing since 2016, that China wants mutual benefit.
Reuters: Half of the world's 2,000 biggest listed companies have set a target to get to net-zero emissions by mid-century, but just a fraction meet tough UN guidelines for what constitutes a quality pledge, a report showed. The pace of change among governments and corporates is set to form a central part of the COP28 talks.
Donald Trump testified in a case that could banish him from the world of New York real estate. A judge has already found that the Trump Organization’s financial statements were filled with fraud. The former president will try to distance himself from that conduct to avoid punishments, including a potential $250 million penalty.
In his civil fraud trial, Donald Trump assailed New York's attorney general and the judge, who repeatedly tried to rein in his meandering testimony. Mr. Trump acknowledged playing a role in valuing his family's property, seemingly undercutting his efforts to distance himself from questions at the heart of the case.
The Aurora Borealis over Ukraine last night. I was listening to a radio programme about this and the expert said that there could be a massive solar event that would knock out most of our tech. Not now please.
