In October, the cost of making khachapuri in Georgia increased by 8% compared to last year. Yeast and butter went up the most, and the most expensive khachapuri is made in Telavi.
In October, the "Khachapuri Index" in Georgia increased by 8% compared to the same period last year. Currently, cooking a standard Imereti khachapuri costs 6.62 GEL (about 92 UAH), UNN reports with reference to the News of Georgia.
"The Khachapuri Index is the Georgian equivalent of the Big Mac Index, which is unofficially used as an indicator of exchange rates in various countries. It is measured monthly by the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET).
Almost all the products needed to make khachapuri have risen in price over the year. Yeast – by 21.8%, butter – by 16.4%, milk – by 13.2%, cheese – by 8.6%, and flour – by 4.6%. Only eggs fell in price (-1.5%).
Comparing different cities, Telavi stands out. Currently, cooking khachapuri there costs 7.17 GEL, which is 8.4% higher than the national average.
ISET explains this by the grape harvest season – rtveli. During this period, many tourists come to Kakheti, and as demand for goods and services grows, so do prices.
Compared to September, the Khachapuri Index grew by 2%. ISET believes that growth will continue in the coming months. Due to the seasonal decline in milk supplies, prices for the main ingredients of khachapuri (cheese and milk) will rise, they say.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has destroyed over 1,000 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, including those under the protection of UNESCO, according to the Culture Ministry.
Moscow destroys cultural monuments not only with missile or drone strikes. Several historical monuments are under occupation, where Russian occupation authorties carry out so-called restorations, changing the authentic appearance of sites or destroying them completely, erasing all possible references to Ukrainian or Crimean Tatar culture.
As of Oct. 16, UNESCO confirmed the damage to 457 sites, including 143 religious sites, 231 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 32 museums, 33 monuments, 17 libraries, and one archive.
"It's not only the killing of children, elderly people, or soldiers, not only the occupation of our land and expropriation of our assets, but the destruction of our cultural heritage and built environment and immovable heritage," Jenia Gubkina, a Ukrainian architect and architectural historian from Kharkiv, told the Kyiv Independent.
Lviv, a city in Ukraine's west known for its splendid architecture, lies just about 70 kilometers (approximately 43 miles) east of the Polish border and has become a relative safe haven for internally displaced Ukrainians.
Yet, Lviv saw a number of Russian drone and missile attacks, with at least two strikes damaging buildings located in the city’s historic area and the UNESCO buffer zone.
L: The building in a historic part of Lviv, Ukraine, before the attack. (Telegram) R: The aftermath of a Russian attack against Lviv, Ukraine, on Sept. 4, 2024. (Mayor Andrii Sadovyi/Telegram)
In early September, Russia struck Konovaltsia Street, which hosts buildings dating back to the late XIX-early XX century.
One of the residential buildings hit by a Russian Kinzhal ballistic missile was home to the Bazylevych family, a husband and wife and their three daughters.
The attack killed six people, including six-year-old Emilia Bazylevych along with her 43-year-old mother, Yevhenia, and two sisters, 21-year-old Daria and Yaryna, aged 18 and 21. Only their father, Yaroslav, survived.
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a missile attack in Lviv, Ukraine on Sep. 4, 2024. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)Yaroslav Bazylevch visits the graves of his wife and their three daughters, who were killed in a Russian missile attack on Sept. 4, 2024, that hit their home, at a cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sept. 15, 2024. (Oksana Parafeniuk/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa
The historical center of the southern city of Odesa was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in January 2023. In July of that year, a Russian missile strike damaged more than 20 architectural monuments in this part of the city and heavily damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral.
One person was killed and at least 22 injured, according to local authorities.
The Transfiguration Cathedral, Odesa's foremost Orthodox church, was built in 1794. The Soviet regime destroyed the original building in 1936, and the new cathedral was built in the early 2000s.
Italy and UNESCO signed an agreement under which Rome allocated 500,000 euros (about $542,000) for the restoration of the cathedral in Odesa.
Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine in early XX century. (Wikimedia)A worker walks outside the Transfiguration Cathedral, damaged as a result of a Russian missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine on July 24, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Oleksandr Gimanov / via Getty Images)ODESA, UKRAINE – JULY 23: Workers in action on the construction of the damaged Historical Transfiguration Cathedral after Russian missile strike as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Odesa, Ukraine on July 23, 2023. Historical Transfiguration Cathedral (Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral) the largest in Odesa and second largest in Ukraine was strike in the dawn by Russian forces. (Photo by Andre Alves/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The ancient city of Chersonesus
A number of Ukrainian cultural heritage sites have been in peril since Russia’s invasion in 2014.
Over the years, Russia has excavated huge areas in occupied Crimea and appropriated the found artifacts. It also demolished several cultural heritage sites that have been around.
R: The ancient city of Chersonesus in in Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine in an undated photo. (Wikimedia) L: The photo shows the foundation on the original site of the ancient city in an undated photo. (X)
Russia has partially destroyed the city of Chersonesus, an ancient Greek colony founded over 2,500 years ago, located within the city limits of occupied Sevastopol. The ancient city of Tauric Chersonesus were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013.
Throughout Russia's occupation, the original sights were replaced with new buildings.
L: A view of Chersonesus, an ancient Greek city and UNESCO heritage site in Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine on April 1, 2014. (Olga Maltseva /AFP via Getty Images) R: The photo shows construction on the original site of the ancient city in an undated photo. (Rada.gov)
Derzhprom in Kharkiv
Derzhprom, or the State Industry House, is the latest cultural site attacked by Russia.
An iconic 13-story building is located in the very heart of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and was hit by a guided aerial bomb on the evening of Oct. 28. The site was first damaged during a Russian attack in early January.
Completed in 1928, Derzhprom was one of the first skyscrapers built in Eastern Europe and is internationally renowned for its constructivist design using reinforced concrete and glass.
In 2017, Derzhprom was added to UNESCO's preliminary list, and after Russia's full-scale invasion, was placed under provisional enhanced UNESCO protection.
"It is the city's hallmark, so we will officially apply to UNESCO (to help recover the building). Our international department is working to get this process started," Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
The Derzhprom building (also known as the State Industry Building or the Palace of Industry), an example of constructivist architecture, in Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union, circa 1935. Completed in 1928 and designed by architects Sergei Serafimov, Samuil Kravets, and Mark Felger, the building's name is a shortening of two words meaning 'State Industry.' (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)A person takes a photo of the damaged Derzhprom building, a historic Soviet skyscraper, following a missile attack in Kharkiv on Oct. 29, 2024. (Ivan Samoilov / AFP via Getty Images)People clean up inside the damaged Derzhprom building after the Russian aerial bomb attack on the city center in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Ivan Samoilov/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Biosphere reserve Askania-Nova
The nature reserve was founded in 1898 and has been under Russian occupation since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Askania-Nova in the Kakhovka district of Kherson Oblast is a member of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, and its area is 333.08 square kilometers (128.6 square miles).
The reserve was home to 3,500 animal species before the start of the all-out war. Before the all-out war, Askania-Nova was visited by about 150,000 tourists a year.
Ukraine is currently unable to monitor the territory of the facility and take care of the animals, some of which have already been illegally transported to Russia and the Russian-occupied Crimea. The Russian military also hunts rare species, according to reserve's director, Viktor Shapoval.
"Firstly, some species are kept in small enclosures and require daily care. Secondly, there are heat-loving animals that are moved to winter quarters for the winter. It is clear that without proper support, these animals are simply doomed to die," Shapoval said.
A zebra calf drinks milk from his mother at the Friedrich-Jacob Falz-Fein Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on Aug. 1, 2021. (Oleksandra Butova/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)Buffaloes lie in the mud at the Friedrich-Jacob Falz-Fein Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve, Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. (Oleksandra Butova/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)Russian soldiers pose with killed animals and birds in Askania-Nova. (X)0:00/1×A video allegedly showing zebras from biosphere reserve Askania-Nova being transported to a zoo in an unknown location. (X)
Bakhchysarai Palace
The Bakhchysarai Palace or Khan's Palace, listed on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List, is the only preserved example of Crimean Tatar palace architecture worldwide. It was the main residence of Crimean khans, the leaders of the Crimean Khanate (1441–1783), and the state's administrative and political center from the the mid 16th century.
The palace in Bakhchysarai is a unique Crimean Tatar architectural monument.
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Russian forces had been destroying the Khan's palace in Bakhchysarai, calling it "repair and restoration work," former director of the Bakhchysarai Historical and Cultural Reserve Elmira Ablialimova told Ukrinform in January 2023.
The monument had undergone "irreversible changes," and Russians were carrying out repair and restoration work even where there was no need, Ablialimova said.
As a result of the actions of the Russian proxies, the roof of the Khan's Mosque was dismantled, causing severe damage to the building and destroying its authentic appearance. The frescoed walls and stained glass windows were also damaged, and a huge crack appeared on the wall of the Secular Building of the Khan's Palace due to violations of restoration requirements, according to the Ukrainian Institute.
For years, Russia has blocked all appeals and attempts by Ukrainian authorities and activists to allow specialists and the UNESCO monitoring mission to participate in the restoration.
Exterior of the Khan's Palace in Bakhchysarai, Crimea, Ukraine.(Prisma/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Damage on the exterior of the Khan's Palace in Bakhchysarai, Crimea, Ukraine. (X)
The Genoese fortress
The Genoese fortress in occupied Sudak, Crimea, like the Khan's Palace, has been under Russian occupation since 2014.
The construction of the Genoese fortress, which is on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List and is part of the National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv," lasted about a hundred years, from 1371 to 1469. The fortress stands on a 157-meter-high mountain called Kyz-Kule-Burun, an ancient fossilized coral reef. Due to its location, the fortress is almost unassailable.
In November 2015, a part of the ancient tower of the Genoese fortress collapsed, a local media QHA reported, citing its undisclosed source close to the committee for the protection of the cultural heritage of the Russian-occupied Crimea.
The alleged reason for the destruction is that Russian occupation authorities were building hotels and toilets on the territory of the site. Nelia Kukovalska, director general of the National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv," told Crimea.Realities, a project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, in May 2019 that the Genoese fortress was also at risk of landslides. "Since the annexation of the peninsula, illegal and unprofessional work has been carried out at the site, and no one is monitoring the landslide situation… We observe an increase in seismic activity there, and there is a danger," Kukovalska said.
The Genoese fortress (14th-15th century) in Sudak, Crimea, Ukraine in Dec. 24, 2013. (DeAgostini/Getty Images)
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Hostile drones have been spotted in the airspace of Kyiv region, and air defense forces are operating. Residents are urged to stay in shelters until the end of the air alert.
Enemy drones have been spotted in the sky over Kyiv region, air defense forces are operating, UNN reports, citing the Kyiv RMA.
"Kyiv region. A UAV was spotted in the airspace. Air defense forces are working on targets," the statement said.
The RMA urged residents of the Kyiv region to stay in shelters until the end of the air raid.
"Take care of your own safety. Observe information silence – do not record or post the work of our defenders online," the statement reads.
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An air alert has been declared in a number of regions.
Bryan Lanza, a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has announced that the new administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine rather than helping the country regain the territories occupied by Russia.
Source: Lanza on the BBC World Service's Weekend programme; BBC
Details: Lanza, a Trump adviser since 2016 and a Republican strategist, indicated that the incoming Trump administration plans to ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to detail his own "realistic vision for peace."
Quote from Lanza: "And if President Zelenskyy comes to the table and says, well we can only have peace if we have Crimea, he shows to us that he's not serious…
When Zelenskyy says we will only stop this fighting, there will only be peace once Crimea is returned, we've got news for President Zelenskyy: Crimea is gone… And if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you're on your own."
Details: He refrained from mentioning the occupied territories in Ukraine's east but asserted that Ukraine’s liberation of Crimea was unrealistic and "not the goal of the United States".
Importantly, Ukraine has never requested that the United States send troops to engage against Russia – only for military aid and support.
Lanza expressed deep admiration for the Ukrainian people, describing them as having "the hearts of lions". However, he emphasised that the United States' primary focus was "peace and to stop the killing".
"What we're going to say to Ukraine is, you know what you see? What do you see as a realistic vision for peace. It's not a vision for winning, but it's a vision for peace. And let's start having the honest conversation," he said.
The Trump adviser also criticised the support that the Biden-Harris administration and European countries have provided to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"The reality on the ground is that the European nation states and President Biden did not give Ukraine the ability and the arms to win this war at the very beginning and they failed to lift the restrictions for Ukraine to win," Lanza said.
Ray Parlour has compared Arsenal star Martin Odegaard to one of his former teammates and has urged Mikel Arteta to hand the playmaker a start against Chelsea, even if he’s “only 80 per cent” fit.
Odegaard returned at the very end of Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Inter on Wednesday, a game similar to many of the 12 games the Norway international has missed since his injury on international duty in September, in that they struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Arteta hasn’t revealed whether Odegaard will be in from the off against Chelsea, but Parlour believes he should be in the starting XI with defeat potentially leaving them ten points behind league leaders Liverpool, who play Aston Villa on Saturday night.
“He’s got the vision, he’s got that creativity,” Parlour said of Arsenal’s importance on talkSPORT.
“If you look at the midfield area, you’ve got [Thomas] Partey, Declan Rice when he’s playing, [Mikel] Merino’s come into the side as well, very similar players, really.
“All very good players, don’t get me wrong. I’d like to see Declan get forward a little bit more when Partey plays.
“But if Odegaard’s in there, he’s that player who takes the ball in tight little situations. He sees a pass, he creates chances.
“When I watched the Newcastle game, they needed that little bit of creativity because Newcastle were very comfortable sitting in front of the defence. The midfield for Newcastle had done a great job, by the way.
“He just can bring something else from the team, a little bit different to the other players they’ve got. He’s a big miss, but I don’t know how fit he is and if he’s recovered. If he’s 80 per cent, play him for 70 minutes, I would.”
Parlour reckons that while Odegaard isn’t at quite the same level of Bergkamp, whom he shared a dressing with at Arsenal for nine years, he does see similarities in style.
He added: “I look at Bergkamp when I played. I wouldn’t say he [Odegaard] is as good as Bergkamp, but he’s very similar in the way he can see vision and he will create chances.
“What I’m saying is he can get into little areas, he’s a very clever player. You watch his vision when he puts balls through. He knows where the runs are going to come from.
“Against Newcastle, I didn’t see that. I didn’t see the creativity from Arsenal’s midfield. That’s what he can bring to the team if he does come back on the weekend.”
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Paul Merson agreed with Parlour over Odegaard, urging Arteta to “take a chance” on the midfielder.
Asked whether Odegaard should start at Stamford Bridge, Merson replied: “I think that comes down to this weekend and the results.
“Arsenal play second on Super Sunday so they’ll know how Liverpool and City have got on. If they’ve both won then I think Odegaard has got to start the game.
“Ten and nine points, if both those teams win, that’s a lot of points and, for me, it would be a must-win football match and you take a chance [on Odegaard].
“Otherwise, what do you do? Do you bring him on for the last 20-30 minutes and then he goes and plays for Norway for a couple of games in seven or eight days? Unless he’s not going away with Norway and then maybe you sort of save him.
“But if not, I think he’s got to be thrown back in. He’s that important to Arsenal.”
Vyacheslav Uzelkov, a prize-winner at the World and European boxing championships, has passed away. After his sports career, he became a TV presenter, participated in various TV shows and ran for mayor of Vinnytsia.
Ukrainian boxer Vyacheslav Uzelkov has died at the age of 46, UNN reports, citing the Ukrainian Boxing Federation.
"…Ukrainian boxing has suffered a heavy loss – Vyacheslav Uzelkov has passed away. His name will forever remain in the history of sports, and his example of strength, resilience and dedication will inspire future generations," the statement said.
The Federation also expressed sincere condolences to Uzelkov's family and friends.
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Uzelkov is a Ukrainian professional boxer, winner of the World and European Amateur Championships. After retiring from boxing, he became a TV presenter.
In 2020, he ran for mayor of Vinnytsia from the pro-Russian party OPFL. Yurii Boyko came to support Viacheslav.
He bribed voters with porridge. He gained 4% in the October 25, 2020 elections, taking 4th place. After 2020, he began to speak Ukrainian.
He first took part in filming in 2008 in a melodrama directed by Lev Karpov.
In 2009, he took part in the second season of the dance show "Dancing for You".
In 2014-2015, Viacheslav was a member of the jury on the Ukraine's Got Talent program. Then, together with his wife Maryna, he starred in the program "Weighed and Happy".
The Ivan Mazepa corvette being built by Turkey for Ukraine has successfully passed artillery tests. The ship is equipped with modern weapons systems and enhanced air defense.
The Ukrainian Navy has tested the future flagship of the Ukrainian Navy, the Ivan Mazepa corvette. UNN reports with reference to the Navy Commander.
The Corvette continues to successfully pass state tests. During artillery firing, it demonstrated excellent results, accurately hitting air, sea and ground targets
– the statement said.
The ship is reportedly equipped with modern weapons systems that significantly increase its combat capabilities. All previous technical comments have been taken into account, and the modernization is focused on ensuring maximum efficiency and protection in combat. In particular, air defense capabilities have been strengthened.
Recall
The Hetman Ivan Mazepa , a multi-purpose corvette-class ship, is being built by Turkey for the Ukrainian Navy. This ship is to become the flagship of the Ukrainian Navy. The corvette is a type of anti-submarine corvette in the coastal zone. Such ships are part of the MILGEM project, designed primarily for the Turkish Navy.
Second Ukrainian corvette Hetman Vyhovsky launched in TurkeyAugust 1 2024, 07:43 PM • 88552 views
The Russians attacked the village of Krasnopillia in Sumy Oblast with guided bombs on 7 November. Three bombs hit the Krasnopillia lyceum, where Ukrainian biathletes Vita and Valentyna Semerenko studied. [A lyceum is a specialised secondary school – ed.]
Source: Vita Semerenko on Instagram
Details: Vita Semerenko reacted to yet another attack by the Russians in the stories on her Instagram page.
Quote: "My school, my beloved school, all my childhood, my youth… It hurts so much to realise that I will never see these familiar places as they were etched in my memory.
My first school memories are of those walls where we learned to write and read together, where every day began with laughter and children's games. Now that school is gone, destroyed by Russia – a terrorist state," she wrote.
For reference:
In early October, Vita Semerenko, 38, received a one-year suspension for breaching anti-doping rules. The Ukrainian last competed internationally in the 2021/22 season and has only participated in Ukrainian championships over the past two seasons.
The Semerenko twins famously won Olympic gold in the relay at the 2014 Sochi Games, with Vita also securing a bronze medal in the sprint. Valentina went on to claim the 2015 World Championship title in the mass start.
Neither sister has officially announced retirement from competitive sports, although they are currently not part of Ukraine's main or reserve national teams.
Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 563 soldiers who died fighting against Russia, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of the Prisoners of War reported on Nov. 8.
The Geneva Conventions stipulate that those who lose their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial. As of early March, Ukraine has identified more than 2,800 bodies and body fragments offallen soldiers, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
The bodies of 320 soldiers were recovered from Donetsk Oblast, while 89 were brought back from Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Another 154 bodies were repatriated from morgues in Russia.
“Law enforcement officials and forensic experts will identify the killed,” the headquarters wrote in a post on Telegram.
The operation to recover the fallen soldiers involved several government and military agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Interior Ministry, the State Emergency Service, and the Armed Forces.
The headquarters also thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance.
In late February, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that about 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed during the full-scale invasion.
Nancy Pelosi said Biden's late decision to withdraw from the presidential race hurt Democrats. She said an early exit could have given other candidates a chance in open primaries.
The slowness of Joe Biden with the withdrawal from the presidential election in 2024 cost the Democrats dearly. This was stated by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in an interview with The New York Times, writes UNN.
If the president had stepped down earlier, there could have been other candidates in the race. It was expected that if the president stepped down, there would be an open primary
– Pelosi stated.
She said if Kamala Harris had succeeded in the open primary, she would have been stronger in the future.
But we don't know that. It didn't happen. We live with what did happen. And because the president immediately endorsed Kamala Harris, it really made it virtually impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had happened much earlier, things would have been different
– she said.
Pelosi's words come amid Democrats shifting blame to each other for Harris' defeat and Trump's second presidency.
The Times reported that Pelosi “went to great lengths to defend the Biden administration's legislative accomplishments, most of which were achieved during his first two years as House speaker.
Pelosi reportedly played a key role in convincing Biden to step aside. She told the New Yorker in August that she had “never been more impressed with his political activity.
Recall
Joe Biden congratulated Donald Trump on his presidential election victory and promised a peaceful transition of power. The incumbent president emphasized the importance of accepting the country's choice regardless of the outcome.
Media: Trump's "peace plan" may include European troops in buffer zoneNovember 9 2024, 09:24 AM • 11936 views
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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