According to British calculations, Ukraine was able to recapture 54 percent of the territory occupied by Russia since February 24. Already in the company
+++ 07:30 Ukraine’s army reports heavy fighting, but no front shifts +++
According to a report by the Ukrainian general staff, the Russian army fired on Ukrainian military and civilian targets along almost the entire conflict line on Friday. Russia fired five rockets, carried out 20 airstrikes and carried out more than 60 multiple rocket launcher attacks during the day. The Ukrainian armed forces managed to destroy four Russian army checkpoints with the help of rockets and artillery. In addition, Russian soldiers, weapons and equipment were hit in attacks in five areas. The Russian army is also suffering further losses from so-called friendly fire, fire from your own people. This is the result of poor training and communication within the Russian troops. Accordingly, there were no changes in the course of the front. This Saturday marks the beginning of the 290th day of the war, counted from the day of the large-scale Russian invasion, February 24th.
+++ 07:06 Ukraine reports new Russian rocket attacks on civilian infrastructure +++
Russia fired rockets at civilian targets once more on Friday evening. This is reported by the military administration of the Sumy region, northeast of Kiev. Accordingly, the projectiles struck at Welyka Pysarivka, near the Russian border. “Significant damage” was caused. Personal injuries were not reported.
+++ 06:40 am First African country delivers tanks to Ukraine +++
The negotiations between Morocco and the USA have been known for days, and now the decision has been made: the government in Rabat has agreed to be the first on the African continent to deliver tanks to Ukraine. The country therefore wants to provide T-72 tanks, of which it has dozens. Officially, Morocco has so far been neutral in the conflict. Rabat abstained from UN votes on the war. The Soviet-made T-72 is the most used tank in the war. While technically outdated, it is robust and familiar to Ukrainian forces.
+++ 06:14 Norway gives Ukraine 95 million euros for infrastructure reconstruction +++
Norway’s government has announced that it will support the construction of the infrastructure destroyed by Russia with 100 million crowns (around 95 million euros). The money will flow through the World Bank’s relief and reconstruction fund for Ukraine, to which other states have already transferred amounts to support the attacked country. According to the World Bank, commitments totaling $17.8 billion (€16.9 billion) were collected through the fund by the end of November.
+++ 04:48 Forced to recruit? “Memorial” reports on kidnapped men +++
Although partial mobilization in Russia has officially ended, several men are said to have been forcibly taken to a draft office in Moscow on Friday. This is what the human rights organization Memorial, which is banned in Russia, writes on Telegram. “More than ten men” were picked up directly on the street or at work, and one was kidnapped from a café. The men are probably still in the recruiting office, but there is no longer any contact with them.
+++ 03:19 Krauss-Maffei boss: “Bundeswehr squeezed like a lemon” +++
Frank Haun, head of Europe’s largest tank builder Krauss-Maffei Nexter, sees the Bundeswehr as only partially ready to defend itself. The war in Ukraine has shown that we need the Bundeswehr, he told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. But it was “squeezed like a lemon in recent years. We shouldn’t think that what’s left over will become a lemon once more if we just pump in fruit juice worth 100 billion euros.” The Bundeswehr is currently lacking everything, “above all rocket and barrel artillery”, that is the lesson to be learned from the war in Ukraine. For Haun, the 100 billion euro special fund decided by the government can only be the beginning of the retrofitting of the Bundeswehr.
+++ 01:57 Nahles praises the willingness of Ukrainian refugees to integrate +++
Employment agency boss Andrea Nahles certifies that refugees from the Ukraine have a great will to integrate in Germany. 59,000 now have a job that is subject to social security contributions, and another 18,000 have a mini job. 116,000 are currently taking integration courses. One problem when looking for a job is the language. “According to our survey, regarding 15 percent of the Ukrainian refugees speak some German, but they often don’t speak English,” the former federal labor minister told the newspapers of the Funke media group. That is why the “majority” of the refugees found themselves in low-skilled jobs.
+++ 00:44 Putin: Russia might include pre-emptive strikes in its military doctrine +++
Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering including the possibility of pre-emptive strikes once morest other countries in the country’s military doctrine. Such an attack might be possible to disarm another state, says the Kremlin chief in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. “The United States has the concept of a pre-emptive strike,” Putin said when asked by a journalist. Perhaps Moscow should “adopt the US ideas in order to guarantee its own security”. At the same time, the Kremlin boss adds: “We’re just thinking regarding it at the moment.”
+++ 23:18 Belarus allows Ukrainian grain deliveries to pass +++
Belarus wants to allow Ukrainian grain to be transported through its own territory for export from Lithuanian ports. A UN spokesman said there were no preconditions for the agreement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had previously met with Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich in New York. Ambrazevich repeated his government’s request to be allowed to export its own fertilizers, which are currently subject to sanctions.
+++ 22:18 EU countries freeze almost 19 billion euros in Russian assets +++
EU member states have frozen assets of Russian oligarchs and companies worth 18.9 billion euros as part of sanctions. According to EU statistics available to AFP news agency, Belgium tops the list with frozen assets worth 3.5 billion euros, followed by Luxembourg with 2.5 billion euros, Italy with 2.3 billion and Germany with 2.2 billion. Ireland, Austria, France and Spain have also each frozen more than €1 billion worth of Russian assets, according to data reported up to November 25.
+++ 21:51 Russia faces record surplus in current account +++
Russia is heading towards a record current account surplus on high earnings from exports of oil, gas and other commodities. According to the central bank in Moscow, this more than doubled between January and November. The surplus totals $225.7 billion, up from $108.6 billion a year earlier. The current account records all transactions with other countries, from goods to services. Russia is benefiting from high global commodity prices, which are boosting its export earnings. At the same time, however, imports are falling as a result of Western sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. According to the Institute of International Finance, exports are responsible for much of the current account surplus. Imports are recovering only gradually. Russia is trying to find new partners.
+++ 21:25 Zelenskyj: Russians destroyed Bachmut +++
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the situation in important areas of Donbass in eastern Ukraine remains very difficult. The Ukrainian armed forces repelled the Russian attacks, says Zelenskyj in his evening video address. The Russian army suffered heavy casualties. However, the Russian soldiers destroyed the city of Bakhmut, one of the epicenters of the recent fighting, Zelenskyy adds.
+++ 20:52 All thermal and hydroelectric power plants of Ukraine damaged +++
Because of the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, people can expect power cuts throughout the winter. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal said this at a cabinet meeting in Kiev. Although the situation is currently “under control”, there are still shortcomings in the power supply due to the damage. “All thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the country were damaged.” In addition, around 40 percent of the high-voltage grid systems were damaged to varying degrees. “Therefore, the power supply restrictions are still significant in most regions,” he sums up. “Let’s face it, this winter we will constantly live in the conditions of limited electricity consumption,” he said, according to the state agency Unian. Priorities would have to be set.
Read more regarding this here.
+++ 20:32 Rheinmetall is developing new anti-aircraft systems for Ukraine +++
The German armaments manufacturer Rheinmetall is making a new development for the Ukrainian military. According to the “HandelsblattThey are to be delivered at the beginning of 2024 and cost a total of 182 million euros. Skynex is similar to the German Gepard tank, which repels attacks from drones or cruise missiles. The federal government is to bear the costs.
Read earlier developments in the Ukraine war here.
