The advisor to the head of the OP criticizes the Western media for publications about forcing Ukraine to unfavorable negotiations with russia. Podolyak believes this is an incentive for the aggressor and a humiliation of international law.
Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, noted that Western media often publish stories about scenarios where the Ukrainian side is forced to negotiate peace with russia on terms unfavorable to Ukraine. He called it an incentive for russia to continue its aggression. UNN writes about this with a link to the advisor's post on the X network.
Forcing Ukraine to negotiate on any unfavorable terms (as the Western media constantly report) looks extremely strange
– the post says.
In his opinion, in this way they are trying to force Ukraine to give up resistance and do not discuss real scenarios for forcing russia, which is the aggressor, to stop this aggression and pay the maximum financial and legal price for the aggression.
What kind of absurd "moral imperative" is this – peace only at the expense of the victim, the country that was attacked. And at the expense of openly encouraging the aggressor to continue aggression, because there will be no cost for aggression? Where does this come from? And why should this strange construction lead to peace, and not to increased aggression and the ultimate humiliation of international law?
– He added.
Recall
President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is ready to consider real peace proposals from other countries. He called on Western officials to openly discuss the idea of exchanging territory for NATO membership.
As reported by The Telegraph, Donald Trump may call on European and British troops to provide an 800-mile (1,200-kilometer) buffer zone between the russian and Ukrainian armies as part of a plan to freeze the war between the two countries.
Ukraine expects further US leadership in achieving a just peace – SibigaNov 9 2024, 04:15 PM • 21401 view
Russia has lost 716,070 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Nov. 14.
This number includes 1,690 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 9,319 tanks, 18,947 armored fighting vehicles, 29,090 vehicles and fuel tanks, 20,472 artillery systems, 1,252 multiple launch rocket systems, 997 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 329 helicopters, 18,852 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
Enemy forces shelled 19 settlements in Kherson region, including the regional center. As a result of the attacks, residential buildings and cars were damaged, and 15 people were injured.
Yesterday, a number of settlements in the Kherson region came under fire as a result of enemy air strikes and shelling. This was reported by the head of the Kherson RMA Oleksandr Prokudin, according to UNN.
Details
According to the information, Beryslav, Poniativka, Stanislav, Tyahyntsi, Odradokamyanka, Antonivka, Vesele, Kozatske, Mylove, Kachkarivka, Komyshany, Sadove, Tomyna Balka, Novovorontsovka, Tomaryne, Bilozerka, Zelenivka, Inzhenerne and the city of Kherson were hit.
Terrorists struck residential areas, utility companies and the local fire department.
The shelling damaged a multi-storey building, seven private houses, outbuildings and vehicles, including an ambulance and private cars. As a result of the aggression, 15 people sustained injuries of varying severity.
Russians attack ambulance with drone during evacuation of wounded in Kherson regionNov 13 2024, 01:39 PM • 13657 views
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's first team picks have both positive and negative implications for Ukraine, with Kyiv left guessing what kind of policy they will pursue, according to Ukrainian and Western analysts.
Some appointments seem to lean in Kyiv’s favor, while others hint at a more Moscow-friendly stance.
Analysts say that Trump has assembled a team of China hawks focused primarily on countering Beijing, which they see as the main economic and military threat to the U.S. They are less concerned with opposing Russia and view its war against Ukraine as a distraction from China.
"These are not the best choices (for Ukraine) but not the worst either," Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told the Kyiv Independent.
On Nov. 12, Trump chose Peter Hegseth, a conservative talk show host on Fox News, as his defense secretary. The move prompted concerns in Kyiv because Hegseth is an isolationist who has called for reducing the U.S. commitment to the NATO military alliance.
On the same day, Trump also picked billionaire Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to run a new Department of Government Efficiency. The department, which is supposed to cut bureaucracy and reduce regulation, will “provide advice and guidance from outside of government,” Trump said.
Ramaswamy has made statements highly critical of Ukraine. Musk has prompted controversy by suggesting that Ukraine cede the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula to Russia and agree to a vote on the status of other occupied territories accounting for some 20% of state territory. However, it is not clear if Ramaswamy and Musk will have any influence on Trump’s foreign policy.
The decisions on Hegseth, Ramaswamy, and Musk were preceded by Trump's announcement on Nov. 9 that ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley would not join his team.
Pompeo and Haley are among the most pro-Ukrainian Republicans, and analysts say that Trump's decision not to hire them may point in the direction of a more Kremlin-friendly policy and a peace deal on Russia's terms.
Trump’s other decisions are seen as less negative for Ukraine.
He said on Nov. 12 that Michael Waltz would be appointed as his national security advisor. Reuters and other media also reported on Nov. 12 that Trump was expected to appoint Marco Rubio as secretary of state but this decision has not been officially announced yet.
Some commentators described Rubio and Waltz as more pro-Ukrainian and hawkish on Russia than other Trumpists. Others warned, however, that their record on Ukraine has been ambiguous, and it has yet to be seen to what extent they will back Kyiv.
"(Rubio and Waltz understand) that the U.S.' global position depends in part on its network of allies and partners, and on collaborating with them, which is good news for Ukraine," Charly Salonius-Pasternak, lead researcher at the Center on U.S. Politics and Power at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told the Kyiv Independent.
"Both (Waltz and Rubio) do think Europe should spend more on its own defense and have become more skeptical of unlimited assistance to Ukraine… so both Waltz and Rubio have aligned themselves more with Trump’s policy ideas during the recent past. I think it’s reasonable news for Ukraine, but doesn’t change the overall picture," Salonius-Pasternak said.
Trump's pick for defense secretary, Hegseth, is a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, a talk show on the conservative TV channel Fox News.
Hegseth previously served as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and as the executive director of two veteran organizations, Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.
Hegseth's views on foreign policy and Ukraine in particular are controversial.
He has defended Trump's statement made during the invasion of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "savvy" and a "genius." Hegseth argued that Trump was solely trying to "troll" the media amid the coverage of the war.
Hegseth has also stirred controversy by suggesting that Russia's full-scale invasion "pales in comparison" to "wokeness" — a conservative pejorative term for left-wing ideology in the U.S.
Pete Hegseth as Nick Lachey Visits "Fox & Friends" to discuss the "American Kennel Club" show at Fox News Channel Studios on Feb. 5, 2019, in New York City, U.S. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
He is also skeptical about the NATO military alliance.
"Why should America, the European 'emergency contact number' for the past century, listen to self-righteous and impotent nations asking us to honor outdated and one-sided defense arrangements they no longer live up to?" Hegseth wrote in his 2024 book titled "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free."
Unlike Rubio and Waltz, Hegseth is an outsider without any prior background in government. Fesenko, the Ukrainian political analyst, said that Trump’s decision on Hegseth was “surprising,” adding that it’s not clear what to expect from him.
Musk, who will co-run the Department of Government Efficiency, also has controversial views on Ukraine.
Musk helped Ukraine in 2022 by providing Starlink satellite Internet terminals. But he prompted a scandal the same year by suggesting a peace plan that included Ukraine's neutral status, recognizing occupied Crimea as Russian, and holding a UN-supervised vote on the status of other occupied territories.
Musk’s portfolio will be focused on domestic policy. But Volodymyr Dubovyk, an expert on U.S.-Ukrainian relations and head of Odesa National University's Center for International Studies, argued that he could have considerable influence on foreign policy as well.
Musk joined Trump's call with Zelensky on Nov. 6, CNN and the New York Times reported, citing their sources.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Ramaswamy, Musk’s future colleague at the Department of Government Efficiency, was a candidate in the Republican primaries for the 2024 presidential election. He has made a number of virulently anti-Ukrainian statements.
"Joe Biden needs to man up to his bully-friend (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky and clearly state that we are dead-set opposed to the Ukrainian admission to NATO,” Ramaswamy wrote on X in 2023. “This should be a hard red line.”
In another attack on Zelensky, he said that, if elected president, he would “refuse to be bullied by an anti-democratic comedian-turned-leader and it’s truly mystifying to me that the rest of the West is eating out of this Pied Piper’s hand every day.”
Trump's decisions on Ramaswamy, Musk, and Hegseth mean that "all policy will be under the White House's direct control," Dubovyk said.
"All of them are loyal to Trump," he added.
Trump's Nov. 11 decision to nominate U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the UN has also triggered concerns because she voted against a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in April. A group of Republicans blocked U.S. military aid for Ukraine for half a year from late 2023 to early 2024, hampering Ukraine’s defense.
Trump’s other personnel decisions are seen in a more positive light.
Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics and former advisor to Zelensky’s office, wrote on X on Nov. 12 that both Rubio and Waltz were "good for Ukraine,” adding that Waltz had called for stepping up support for Kyiv.
Peter Rough, director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the conservative Hudson Institute, told the Kyiv Independent that Rubio and Waltz were "foreign policy professionals of the highest order" who "will defend U.S. interests vigorously, which requires a clear-eyed understanding of the threat posed by Russia."
Daniel Kochis, a senior fellow in the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, told the Kyiv Independent that he “wouldn’t read the expected appointments of Rubio and Waltz as necessarily a bad sign for Ukraine.”
"The appointment of Rubio in particular may bode well" for Ukraine, he said.
Others were more skeptical about Trump's first picks.
"I would not read too much into Trump’s picks for specific posts," Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Kyiv Independent.
"Unlike during his first term, when he to some extent followed the advice of his more experienced advisers, in his second term, I expect Trump to call the shots. He is picking people that he believes will be loyal and follow the leader."
Waltz, Trump's pick for national security advisor, is a congressman from Florida and a retired Army Green Beret.
His views on Ukraine have changed since 2022.
In 2022, he called on Biden's administration to provide more weapons to Kyiv and argued that the majority of the Republican caucus supported U.S. assistance to Ukraine amid concerns that they could block aid.
“I think the vast majority of the conference realizes that we either pay now or pay later, that Russian President Vladimir Putin fully intends, if he takes Ukraine, to move on to NATO-allied countries like the Baltics, Poland, and Finland,” he said.
In this July 15th photo Rep. Mike Waltz speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
However, in October 2024, Waltz said that there must be a reassessment of the United States’ aims in Ukraine.
“Is (involvement in Ukraine) in America’s interest, are we going to put in the time, the treasure, the resources that we need in the Pacific right now badly?” Waltz asked.
Waltz is one of the leading U.S. critics of China, with Trump and his allies focusing more on opposing China than the Kremlin.
"The Trump-aligned foreign policy world has been hyper-focused on China and defense policy, as well as reducing U.S. commitments to NATO," Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Kyiv Independent.
"There is not a prominent Russia hand that I can think of in his orbit. Russia policy has not been a focus at all. As for Ukraine, there is some sympathy but it is also seen as a distraction from the China focus and there is a general desire to shift responsibility for supporting Ukraine to Europe."
Dubovyk said that Waltz "has both expressed support for Ukraine and voiced doubts about continuing it.”
"I think we’ll also need to wait and see which sentiments prevail overall in the White House, as Waltz could go either way regarding Ukraine," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Oleksandr Kraiev, head of the North America program at the Ukrainian Prism think-tank, also said that it was difficult to say to what extent Waltz would support Ukraine. He told the Kyiv Independent that Waltz was seen as a staunch Trump loyalist.
Rubio, a senator from Florida and a Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential election, initially condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supported its efforts to push back Russian troops.
However, in April, he voted against the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine passed by Congress.
Kochis emphasized that, according to Rubio, he voted against the bill due to a lack of compromise with Biden on immigration, not due to his opposition to support for Ukraine.
In September, Rubio also called for achieving a peaceful settlement instead of helping Ukraine regain Russian-occupied territories.
“I’m not on Russia’s side — but, unfortunately, the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Rubio told NBC.
Dubovyk and Kraiev said that Rubio is considered to be more pro-Ukrainian, compared to other Trump supporters.
"For us, it's a positive signal," Kraiev said. "He has made statements supportive of Ukraine."
Kraiev argued that Rubio, who criticized Trump in the Republican primaries, is seen as independent and is not a Trumpist "fanatic."
However, according to Dubovyk, he will likely coordinate his actions with Trump’s close allies.
"So he (Rubio) may not be one of those making key decisions," Dubovyk said.
Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in post-Soviet security at King's College London, argued that, regardless of Rubio's possible appointment, Trump's administration "seems likely to be dominated by individuals – including the president and vice president – who maintain positions so strongly favorable to the Kremlin."
"Even some of those individuals mentioned as possible picks who used to be very hawkish on Russia, such as Rubio, have changed their positions in recent years, aligning themselves much more with Trump," she told the Kyiv Independent.
Donald Trump watches as U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on November 04, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Another Trump pick, John Ratcliffe, also has a mixed record.
Ratcliffe, who is expected to become director of the CIA, was a Congressman from 2015 to 2020 and Trump's director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021. Like Waltz, he is known as a China hawk.
In 2020, Ratcliffe sparked controversy by declassifying Russian disinformation that Hillary Clinton had personally approved a scheme to associate Trump with Putin and the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee.
In 2022, however, Ratcliffe was supportive of Ukraine and criticized the Biden administration for what he saw as its weak response to Russia's full-scale invasion.
Dubovyk described Ratcliffe as a Trump loyalist who has “no independent political weight.”
Both Waltz and Rubio are seen as more ambiguous on Ukraine than Pompeo and Haley, who are among the most pro-Ukrainian Republicans, according to analysts. As a result, Trump's decision not to hire them has prompted concerns in Kyiv.
Pompeo was a member of Trump's team during his first term: as head of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2017 to 2018 and as secretary of state from 2018 to 2021.
In July, Pompeo published an op-ed claiming that Trump would support Ukraine if elected. He suggested driving down energy prices to shrink "Putin’s war-crimes budget," imposing “real” sanctions on Russia, revitalizing NATO, creating "a $500 billion lend-lease program for Ukraine," and lifting "all restrictions on the type of weapons Ukraine can obtain and use."
"(Trump's) early disclosure that he does not intend to tap Haley or Pompeo suggests he will stay away from more hawkish Republicans," Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said.
"That news is hardly surprising given Trump’s apparent determination to steer clear of the 'adults in the room' that tried to tame his isolationist and unilateralist impulses during his first term."
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024. Donald Trump will get a hero's welcome Thursday as he accepts the Republican Party's nomination to run for US president in a speech capping a convention dominated by the recent attempt on his life. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) #forowen
Deyermond agreed with this assessment.
"The announcement that Trump won't be appointing either Pompeo or Haley (together with H.R. McMaster, the strongest critics of Russia in the first Trump administration) is a confirmation of what was already obvious,” he said.
“The new Trump administration is likely to align much more with Russia than with the U.S. allies on Ukraine," he added.
Commenting on Trump's decision not to appoint Pompeo and Haley, Bergmann said that "few in his administration will want to prioritize or focus on Ukraine because of where Trump is on Russia."
"Any committed Russia hawks in the administration – if there are any – are unlikely to have much influence," he added. "The challenge will be convincing Trump to ask Congress for more military aid to Ukraine."
Meanwhile, Mykhailo Minakov, head of the Ukrainian Research Program at the Kennan Institute, said that he "would have been surprised if (Pompeo and Haley) had been invited (to join Trump's team)" because they "strongly criticized Donald Trump and did not actively support him during his campaign."
"I think it's more personal than ideological," he told the Kyiv Independent.
On the night of November 14, Russian occupants attacked Kharkiv and the surrounding area with guided aerial bombs. Local authorities are urging residents to stay in shelters because of the possibility of repeated attacks.
On the night of November 14, Kharkiv again came under enemy attack. This was reported by Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, UNN reports.
Details
According to the mayor, the occupiers fired guided aerial bombs at Kharkiv and its outskirts.
The local authorities urged residents to be careful and stay in shelters, as the shelling may recur.
Information on the extent of the destruction and possible casualties is currently being clarified.
Ukrainian Air Force detects groups of enemy drones over eastern UkraineNov 14 2024, 02:34 AM • 3781 view
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Nov. 13 denied media reports suggesting that Kyiv was planning to develop weapons of mass destruction.
"Ukraine is committed to the NPT (the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons); we do not possess, develop, or intend to acquire nuclear weapons," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said via X.
"Ukraine works closely with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and is fully transparent to its monitoring, which rules out the use of nuclear materials for military purposes."
The Times reported on Nov. 13 that Ukraine could develop a rudimentary nuclear bomb "within months" if U.S. military assistance under President-elect Donald Trump were to cease, according to a briefing paper prepared for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry seen by the outlet.
The report suggests that Ukraine could swiftly build a basic device using plutonium and technology similar to that of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.
"Creating a simple atomic bomb, as the United States did during the Manhattan Project, would not be a difficult task 80 years later," the document reads.
The Foreign Ministry has previously denied media reports that Ukraine plans to develop its own weapons of mass destruction. Speculation about Ukraine's nuclear options increased after President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 17 said that he told Trump in September that Ukraine must either join NATO or pursue nuclear capabilities for the country's protection.
Zelensky later walked back the comments, saying that Kyiv is not pursuing nuclear weapons and the remarks were made to emphasize the failures of the Budapest Memorandum.
Under the 1994 agreement, Ukraine willingly surrendered its nuclear arsenal in exchange for receiving security guarantees from the U.S., the U.K., and Russia.
Enemy forces fired 68 times at the border areas of Sumy region, 175 explosions were recorded. As a result of the attacks, two civilians were wounded, cars and residential buildings were damaged.
During the day, enemy troops fired 68 times at the border areas and settlements of Sumy region. 175 explosions were recorded. This was reported by the Sumy Regional Military Administration, UNN reports.
Details
The communities of Khotyn, Yunakivka, Miropil, Bilopil, Krasnopil, Velykopysarivsk, Putivl, Shalyhyne, Esman, Seredyno-Budsk and Znob-Novhorosk were shelled.
The enemy attacks were carried out using various types of weapons, including mortars, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and FPV drones. In particular, the largest number of attacks was recorded in Khotyn community, where the enemy carried out 40 artillery strikes, 5 mortar attacks and several attacks from UAVs. As a result of these attacks, a car was damaged. In Myropilska community, two civilians were injured and a car was damaged.
The shelling also affected other communities in the region, including Krasnopilska, Yunakivska and Seredyna Budska communities. Civilian infrastructure, including shops and residential buildings, was damaged by enemy attacks. In the Esman community, a private residential building was damaged by mortar fire.
russia fired 67 times at Sumy region: which communities suffered the mostNov 13 2024, 03:47 AM • 72212 views
Trump to appoint Ukrainian peace envoy 'soon' to lead talks on ending war with Russia, Fox News reports
6th German IRIS-T to arrive in Ukraine by end of 2024, Zelensky says
Putin cuts payments for wounded in war against Ukraine
Military donations in Ukraine plummet as war pressure mounts, Bloomberg reports
President-elect Donald Trump may "soon" appoint a Ukrainian peace envoy to lead negotiations on ending Russia's war, Fox News reported on Nov. 13, citing its multiple undisclosed sources.
"You're going to see a very senior special envoy, someone with a lot of credibility, who will be given a task to find a resolution, to get to a peace settlement," one of the sources said, adding that the appointment will happen "in short order."
Kurt Volker held a similar position and served as the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine on a volunteer basis from 2017 to 2019. The post of Ukrainian peace envoy is also expected to be unpaid.
Over the past few days, Trump has announced new members of his future administration. Meanwhile, some of Trump's picks have made controversial statements about the war in Ukraine and opposed further provision of military aid for Kyiv.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 12 selected Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the "Department of Government Efficiency," a new body designed to "drive large-scale structural reform."
Ramaswamy, a wealthy entrepreneur, and Musk, one of the world's richest people and owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly known as Twitter), have no background in politics apart from Ramaswamy’s brief running for the Republican presidential nomination.
While Musk has repeatedly echoed pro-Russian talking points on Ukraine, including proposals to cede territory to Moscow, Ramaswamy was among the most vocal opponents of military aid for Kyiv.
Trump also named South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as the leader of Homeland Security, who earlier called Russia's invasion of Ukraine "Europe's fight, not ours."
Earlier, Trump named Michael Waltz his national security advisor. Waltz's views on Ukraine evolved from an ardent supporter of U.S. military aid to questioning it and advocating for relocating these resources against China.
Trump's defense secretary is confirmed to be Pete Hegseth, an army veteran and current Fox News host. His secretary of state, overseeing U.S. diplomacy, is reported to be Marco Rubio.
6th German IRIS-T to arrive in Ukraine by end of 2024, Zelensky says
Ukraine will receive the sixth German IRIS-T air defense system by the end of the year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 13 after a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Ukraine has lobbied international partners for more air defense capabilities in the wake of intensifying Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure.
Germany ordered an additional 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, Scholz said on Sept. 4. Berlin handed over the most recent IRIS-T system to Kyiv in early October.
During the call, Zelensky and Scholz discussed further cooperation in the defense sector, particularly the volume of air defense supplies for the next year and possible additional assistance with air defense systems from Germany.
The counterparts also agreed that the meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format, should be maintained, the Presidential Office's statement read.
Zelensky also said that Ukraine's vision of a just and lasting peace should be presented at the Group of Twenty (G20) meeting in Brazil and thanked Germany for its support.
Initially a hesitant partner, Berlin has become Ukraine's second-largest military donor after the U.S. However, Scholz is still reluctant to supply some key capabilities, namely Taurus long-range missiles.
Putin cuts payments for wounded in war against Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin approved on Nov. 13 a reduction in compensation for wounded soldiers participating in the war against Ukraine.
The current maximum amount of compensation is 3 million rubles (nearly $29,000), but the severity of the injury is not considered for its allocation. The change approved by Putin classifies injuries into three categories.
The payment for a "severe" injury is 3 million rubles (nearly $29,000), and for a "minor" injury, 1 million rubles (nearly $10,000). For "other minor injuries," soldiers will receive compensation of 100,000 rubles ($960), according to Russian state news agency TASS.
The decree signed by Putin does not specify how the severity of a given injury is classified.
Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva said at a meeting with the ministry's head, Andrei Belousov, on Nov. 13 that the current rules on payments for injuries create a "sense of distortion" among the soldiers.
In October, Russian forces in Ukraine suffered their deadliest month since the start of the full-scale invasion. U.K. Defense Minister John Healey said that Moscow's troops suffered 41,980 killed and wounded during October, according to British defense intelligence figures.
While Russian forces are suffering record losses, they're also making increasingly swift gains in the east of Ukraine.
According to a Bloomberg analysis published on Nov. 1, Ukraine has lost 1,146 square kilometers of its own territory since the launch of the Kursk Oblast incursion in early August, with the week up until Nov. 1 reported as the worst in terms of lost territory in all of 2024.
Meanwhile, Russia encourages its citizens to sign contracts with the army, offering financial benefits.
Instead of ordering a new wave of conscription, Putin ordered an increase in the sign-on bonus for new military recruits to serve in Ukraine to 400,000 rubles (over $4,600), effectively doubling the lump-sum payment of 195,000 ($2,260) rubles initially promised to recruits in September 2022.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Oct. 7 that residents in the region will be paid a nationwide record 3 million rubles (about $31,200) through a one-time signing bonus for joining the military.
The additional payments are in line with efforts by Russian officials to entice more citizens to join the military as the country seeks to replenish its military, decimated by high losses in Ukraine.
Military donations in Ukraine plummet as war pressure mounts, Bloomberg reports
Military donations in Ukraine have fallen sharply amid rising financial pressures and war weariness, with major charities reporting drops by 20% or more in 2024, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 13.
Prominent organizations such as Come Back Alive and the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, headed by the well-known Ukrainian TV personality of the same name, have seen contributions decrease by approximately one-fifth in 2024, Bloomberg reported.
Other groups supporting the Armed Forces report even steeper declines.
While these charities provide essential support, they cover only a fraction of Ukraine’s total military needs. In 2024, Prytula’s foundation raised Hr 1.4 billion ($34 million), a figure that pales in comparison to Ukraine’s $50 billion military budget.
Come Back Alive, one of Ukraine's largest charitable foundations, reported a 15% drop in donations in the same year, based on its reports on the receipt of donations.
Meanwhile, Reactive Post, another non-governmental organization, told Bloomberg that its contributions have decreased by over 40% this year compared to the same period in 2023.
Prytula cited economic challenges and the hardships brought on by power outages as likely reasons for the downturn.
In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Taras Chmut, the head of Come Back Alive, expressed concern over 2024’s fundraising efforts, saying they "have not started as well as we would like."
Chmut explained that as more Ukrainians leave the country, incomes decline, and living costs rise, donations are inevitably impacted.
Oleh Karpenko, the head of partnerships at Come Back Alive, told the BBC that donation patterns vary based on events such as shelling in Ukraine, drone strikes in Russia, power outages, battlefield developments, and military successes or setbacks.
On Oct. 25, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new eSupport initiative scheduled to launch on Dec. 1.
Under this program, each Ukrainian will receive Hr 1,000 ($24) in aid, which can be used for specific expenses. Deputy Economy Minister Oleksii Soboliev clarified that these funds could be redirected to the military through donations, even if foreign aid itself cannot be directly allocated for military purposes, as reported by the NV news outlet.
In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, a new propaganda subject, “family studies,” has been introduced. It is taught by collaborators and “veterans of the illegal armed conflict” without a pedagogical education to foster anti-Western sentiment.
The occupiers are engaging "veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine" to teach propaganda in schools in the temporarily occupied territories. This is reported by the Center for National Resistance, UNN reports.
Details
In the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian authorities have begun to engage local collaborators and "veterans of the armed conflict" to teach a course on "family history" in schools. This subject was introduced as part of a propaganda campaign aimed at fostering anti-Western sentiment among Ukrainian children and reinforcing a positive image of the terrorist country.
Due to the absence of qualification requirements, this subject is taught by anyone loyal to the occupation authorities, often without pedagogical experience. In the classroom, children are taught a distorted picture of the world, where the West is portrayed as a threat and Russia is seen as a model of "prosperous life.
Ombudsman: Russian passports issued to orphans in TOTApr 27 2024, 01:30 AM • 82345 views
For the second time in his life, Friedrich Merz is a step away from taking charge of Germany.
Losing the fight to control the Christian Democratic Union in 2002 to future Chancellor Angela Merkel and forced to retire from politics a few years later, Merz is now the frontrunner to lead the Union back into government.
With Germany's ruling center-left coalition in tatters, Ukraine's leading European backer is heading toward snap elections set for Feb. 23. And it's all but certain that Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, will lose his post as a result.
The domestic turmoil comes at a critical moment for Ukraine as Russia holds the upper hand on the battlefield, and Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House may lead to a decreased U.S. involvement in the war.
Polls predict a sweeping victory for the center-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), whose leader Merz seems ready to ditch Scholz's cautious Ukraine strategy.
Merz has called for an ultimatum to Moscow after which Ukraine could receive the much-desired Taurus missiles, powerful weapons that Scholz refused to provide. He also urged Europe to take up leadership in the pro-Kyiv coalition amid uncertainty about Trump's presidency.
For that, the 69-year-old conservative has his work cut out for him.
With a real possibility of a U.S. withdrawal, rising Ukraine-skeptic parties in Germany on the left and right, and an increasingly tight budget, Merz must cross a string of obstacles to deliver on his plans.
"Even an outspoken Merz and a strong CDU/CSU showing in the next elections will not be able to defy gravity when it comes to providing Ukraine with additional military capabilities, defense-industrial capacity, and budgetary support," Jorn Fleck, senior director with the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, told the Kyiv Independent.
"Germany's capacity on all three is lagging and shifting the needle in all these areas — more kit, more ammo, more macro-financial assistance — is measured in years, not weeks or months."
But for Merz, whose main rival Merkel has pushed the country into a painful dependence on Russia, solving the problems ultimately created by the former chancellor's policies is worth the fight.
The coalition of Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), and The Greens fell apart on Nov. 6 after the chancellor dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the FDP leader.
Scholz and Lindner were at odds on nearly all questions concerning the way to handle the staggering budget deficit and the country's vast economic problems.
According to Lindner, however, the final nail in the coffin of mounting disputes was the ex-finance minister's proposal to send Ukraine Taurus missiles instead of an additional 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in military aid requested by Scholz.
The chancellor now leads a minority government and will have to seek Merz's party support to pass the budget.
While the government's dramatic collapse sparked some concern about the flow of support from Europe's largest military donor, arms for Ukraine seem to be safe at the moment. Both Scholz and Merz agree to provide Kyiv with the necessary aid.
Germany allocated around 8 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine in 2024. The federal budget for 2025 contains only half of that, with Berlin hoping that the G7 loan can cover additional assistance.
"The previously planned and initiated support for Ukraine can continue without restriction," and additional aid can be theoretically approved under provisional budget management, said Michael Wustmann, a research assistant to German lawmaker Sebastian Schäfer, who sits on Bundestag's budget committee.
But Germany heads towards months of political wrangling that will keep its leaders distracted from Ukraine. Even if Merz's CDU/CSU secures the expected victory, difficult coalition negotiations are likely to follow.
"Germany will be preoccupied with itself until the election and then for another four to six months, depending on how long it takes to form a coalition," says Martin Bialecki, editor-in-chief of the journals Internationale Politik (IP) and Internationale Politik Quarterly (IPQ).
"There will be no momentum, no leadership in Europe, and also no reaching out to France, Poland, and the U.K., which is so urgently needed. And all this before (and after) Trump takes office, under whom freezing of the war would be the most likely scenario," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Merz, a former corporate lawyer and multimillionaire representing CDU/CSU's right wing is the most likely candidate to enter the chancellery early next year. His party currently enjoys the support of 32% of Germans, more than the entire ruling coalition combined.
Ascending to the party leadership in early 2022, Merz presents a sharp break from the 16-year era of his centrist predecessor, Merkel, who ruled Germany from 2005 until 2021.
Merkel's legacy has been tainted by Germany's deepened energy dependence on Russia and the neglect of the Bundeswehr, the country's military. In contrast, her main critic within the CDU/CSU Merz has called on Europe to stand up decisively to Russian aggression and pledged to maintain defense spending above 2% of GDP, as per NATO's requirements.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks as former Chancellor Angela Merkel (seated) listens during the official transfer of office at the chancellery on Dec. 8, 2021 in Berlin, Germany.(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Former Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and current Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend a state banquet in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron at Schloss Bellevue palace on May 26, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Germany expects to hit the 2% threshold in 2024 for the first time in three decades, though its ability to maintain this level remains in question.
In a recent op-ed, Merz also rejected Scholz's policy of caution as a "desperate hope of being able to portray himself as a 'peace chancellor'" while urging Europe to assert leadership in aiding Ukraine.
"I believe Merz thinks more 'European' than is currently apparent… Among the many mistakes Scholz has made, his lack of interest in Europe is one of the more consequential," Bialecki said.
The CDU/CSU leader addressed the most widely discussed subject to highlight his differences with the incumbent chancellor: the Taurus missiles.
Lawmakers from Merz's party have repeatedly urged the government to provide Ukraine with the following cruise missiles, which can strike targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles). Scholz has been adamant, however, fearing such a move could draw Berlin into the war.
"The delivery of Taurus is anything but an entry into war," Merz said last month on the ARD television channel.
In an interview with the Stern magazine, Merz proposed giving Russian President Vladimir Putin an ultimatum — if he does not stop his war within 24 hours, Kyiv's partners would lift restrictions on long-range strikes. If even that step is not sufficient, Germany would deliver Taurus missiles a week later.
Ukraine's military currently operates long-range missiles like SCALP/Storm Shadow and ATACMS provided by the U.S., the U.K., and France but is not allowed to use them against targets on Russian soil.
Under Merz's helm, "Kyiv could expect more vocal and decisive messaging… on why Germany should see it in its vital national interest that Ukraine succeeds," Fleck commented.
"Making the case to the German public will be crucial if Berlin is to sustain its support for Ukraine in the long term, and such public diplomacy at home is where the outgoing government failed significantly."
Will Merz deliver German leadership?
The question remains to what extent Merz's rhetoric will transform into real steps beyond the electoral campaign.
Whoever becomes chancellor in 2025 will face serious obstacles, namely the economic downturn and budget constraints.
"Merz maintains the CDU/CSU's key tenet, which is upholding the debt brake," said Zuzana Zavadilova, a Germany researcher at the Prague-based Association for International Affairs think tank.
The opposition leader "has called for an enormous defense budget hike, but it remains unclear how it will be funded without increasing the debt."
Another challenge is the growing support for Ukraine-skeptic parties like the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) or the left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).
Some AfD members are under investigation for allegedly taking money from Russian agents, while Wagenknecht sought to leverage her success in regional elections to undermine support for Ukraine.
Merz has previously said that a pro-NATO, pro-Kyiv course is non-negotiable in any coalition talks.
Friedrich Merz, head of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) political party, is pictured on stage after he spoke on day two of the party congress of the Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party on Oct. 12, 2024 in Augsburg, Germany. (Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
But the rising support for BSW and the AfD signals a growing Ukraine fatigue in Germany, with some hesitant voices growing louder also within the CDU itself, said Jakub Eberle, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague.
A recent poll showed that the popular support for German military aid for Ukraine has dropped from 66% to 57% compared to last year, while 43% of respondents said that Kyiv should cede territory to achieve peace.
The question of a post-election coalition remains open. Some prominent CDU/CSU leaders have rejected an alliance with decisively pro-Ukraine Greens, while the FDP may struggle to even cross the 5% threshold to enter parliament.
Paradoxically, the SPD now appears to be Merz's most likely coalition partner, "which puts additional constraints on any significant moves away from the status quo," Eberle told the Kyiv Independent.
The expert also raised doubts about how feasible Merz's aim of an independent European leadership is: "The position of the Trump administration will have a way larger impact on Germany's policies than whether the next German chancellor will be Friedrich Merz, Olaf Scholz, or any other of the probable candidates."
While it may be more decisive in some concrete issues like Taurus missiles, Merz's government will likely "stick with Germany's current policies (of) steady support of Ukraine with both military and financial assistance, but probably also the reluctance to move in much quicker or decisive manner," Eberle concluded.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk
