Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha asked his NATO counterparts to invite Ukraine to join the alliance during a meeting in Brussels next week, Reuters reported on Nov. 29, citing a letter received.
"I urge you to endorse the decision to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance as one of the outcomes of the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting on Dec. 3-4," Sybiha wrote.
Kyiv submitted its application to join NATO in September 2022, and in July 2024, the alliance affirmed Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership" — although Ukraine has not received any definitive news about its future accession.
According to Sybiha, a NATO invitation will become "the Allies' adequate response to Russia's constant escalation of the war it has unleashed."
He mentioned "tens of thousands" of North Korean soldiers involved in the full-scale war and a recent attack against Ukraine with Oreshnik, Russia's new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
"We believe that the invitation should be extended at this stage," the minister wrote.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called on partners to issue a membership invitation to Kyiv, said that Ukraine will join NATO only after Russia's full-scale war ends.
However, inviting Kyiv to the alliance now would demonstrate to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he failed to achieve one of his main goals — to prevent Kyiv from joining NATO, Reuters reported, citing the letter.
In mid-October, Zelensky unveiled his five-point victory plan, which includes Kyiv's invitation to join NATO placed at the top of the list. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smithsaid in October that the alliance does not currently have such plans.
In the Kruglikovskaya School of the Luhansk region, children are forced to join pro-Russian movements and participate in ideological events. The occupiers put pressure on students and their families through threats and discrimination.
Russians use threats and discrimination to force schoolchildren in the temporarily occupied territories to swear allegiance to the occupation regime. This is reported by The Center for National Resistance, reports UNN.
Details
At the Kruglikivsky school in the Lutuginsky district of the Lugansk region, the schoolboys of the goiter have a lot of brothers in the so-called long-term visits and swearing in to the payback regime, joining the love of the "movement of the first" that "eaglets of Russia".
The central nervous system adds that such measures are not voluntary. Pressure on students and their families is accompanied by threats, discrimination and misrepresentation. And the so-called" ceremony " is an integral policy of Russians regarding the Russification of the population in the occupation.
"It should be noted that crimes against children are a significant tool of influence and the main part of the occupation policy. Such actions violate a number of international norms, in particular the UN Convention on the rights of the child, which guarantees the right to education without political or ideological pressure. The invaders are purposefully trying to destroy the Ukrainian national identity of children, forming a false idea of their history and culture",
– note in the central nervous system.
recall
In the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhia, "hero desks" are being installed to promote Soviet myths among students. The project is part of the Kremlin's program aimed at shaping the image of Soviet and Russian heroes among young people.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, most soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names or callsigns only. One soldier is mentioned by first and last name as he is permitted to use his full name with the press.
Ihor was glued to his computer past 1 a.m. playing “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” after the mega-hit video game was released on Nov. 20.
But unlike most of the estimated million and a half players around the world who downloaded the Ukrainian game in its first week, the young Ukrainian fighter was interrupted when he had to leave his glowing screen and camouflaged safe house for a nighttime combat mission.
“Many locations (in the game) are similar to real places where fighting took place. They spark memories,” he told the Kyiv Independent from the front lines.
“Burnt-out houses, abandoned factories or industrial facilities, abandoned buildings in general. Even just locations with fallen trees and scorched land.”
The long-awaited release of “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl” has been one of the biggest gaming events of the year. The game, developed by the Ukrainian company GSC Game World, quickly shot up to the top spot of global video game sales, with players of the post-apocalyptic first-person shooter game roaming a fictionalized Chornobyl exclusion zone with a weapon in their hand.
Nowhere has this cultural phenomenon been more pronounced than in Ukraine, where the game’s release was marked by congratulatory remarks in parliament, viral cross-promotion campaigns, and memes that the U.S. embassy’s closure that day due to a security threat was really so its employees could download “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.”
A screenshot from “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2,” the post-apocalyptic video game created by Ukrainian company GSC Game World released on Nov. 20. (GSC Game World)
But for members of the Ukrainian military, “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” is more than just a game — it’s a way to wind down from the stress of combat and a source of national pride.
Shooting enemies in a virtual Ukrainian landscape may seem like a surprising way for soldiers to relax, but “I always clearly understand where the game is and where it is not,” said Ihor.
“In these games, I do everything the same as in life, but without the fear of dying. It helps me accept traumatic experiences and realize that this is the past, and it needs to be let go.”
“You can’t feel the war through the monitor,” said Yevhen, a reconnaissance drone pilot in the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, who goes by the callsign “Teacher.” “The game helps me relax and take a break from everything around me.”
‘Dedicated to all who defended and are defending’
When the game was released, Yevhen was at a front-line position, excited to return to his base so he could download it.
“Several of my brothers-in-arms also bought the game. We only play at the base on rest days, not so much on combat missions,” the drone pilot said. “This game is our phenomenon, our pride.”
“S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” is the fourth release in the cult-classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, produced by Ukraine’s most famous video game company GSC Game World.
The series is so popular among soldiers that many have chosen “Stalker” as their callsign, including four fighters who died in battle.
While the first three games in the series have already been played by millions, “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” took on deeper significance after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
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Just ahead of an expected April 2022 release date, the new game was delayed indefinitely as GSC Game World employees suddenly faced displacement, Russian attacks, and blackouts. Some employees joined the Armed Forces, including Volodymyr Yezhov, a developer on the earlier S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games who was killed during the Battle of Bakhmut in Dec. 2022.
From a new office in Prague, the game’s creators had to build new motion capture and audio recording studios from scratch and restart their voiceover recording with new actors.
They changed the game’s name to use the Ukrainian spelling of Chornobyl rather than the Russian version, “Chernobyl.” They also removed Russian voiceovers and have refused to sell the game in Russia, sparking Russian threats and frequent hacking attempts.
Now, the game opens with a message from its creators, dedicating it “to all who have defended and are defending Ukraine. To everyone who made today possible. Eternal memory to all who have been taken by this war.”
‘In S.T.A.L.K.E.R., there aren’t mortar or artillery shells. Or drones’
But gaming at the frontline isn’t always easy, and the powerful hardware needed to run “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2” can place it out of reach for soldiers packing light.
One fighter in the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade who uses the callsign “Shtopor” (“Corkscrew”) describes himself as a “huge fan” of the series — he played the first three games several times as a kid, and even his ringtone is from the franchise.
In more peaceful times, when the game was scheduled to come out in April 2022, Shtopor paid for a brand-new PC on credit so that he’d be able to play the game. Instead, a month later, he was serving in the military carrying a laptop too weak to run the software.
“By coincidence, I even ended up with the same weapon as the main hero at the start of the game” in his favorite part in the series: an AK-74U.
The protagonist wields a weapon in a screenshot from "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2," set in a fictionalized Chornobyl exclusion zone. (GSC Game World)A photo of the AK-74U owned by callsign "Corkscrew" matches the weapon used by the protagonist in one of the earlier S.T.A.L.K.E.R. releases (Corkscrew's personal archive)
He hopes to try the new game when taking leave next March for his fiancee's birthday.
Still, “the experience of the game is unlikely to help in real life,” he noted from his position in Zaporizhzhia. “In S.T.A.L.K.E.R., there aren’t mortar or artillery shells. Or drones, either.”
Shtopor isn’t the only fighter who bought a new computer for this game. “Gringo,” an anti-tank specialist in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, bought his gaming laptop’s most powerful model ahead of the new “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.” release.
With his brigade currently recovering near Kherson, he said he spends “nearly all” of his free time gaming. Some in his brigade who don’t have the right equipment will often watch highlight reels of clips from the game on TikTok, he added.
“The weapons in my hands behave very much like the weapons in the game. They perfectly conveyed the most realistic shooting,” he said, echoing comments from other fighters.
Like others who spoke with the Kyiv Independent, he also pointed out the frequent bugs in the game, an issue raised in most early reviews of the release.
But the bugs were beside the point, many said. One fighter even noted that he and his friends jokingly compare glitches they discover. Glitches — a common complaint during new video game releases — are usually fixed with downloadable patches as developers update games. GSC Game World recently released a patch incorporating player feedback.
‘I see this pain in every pixel’
One thing that strikes most players of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is how much care its creators have taken to infuse the game with Ukrainian details — from a soundtrack containing hours of contemporary Ukrainian music to small accents like the blue-and-yellow matchboxes recognizable in most Ukrainian households and made by the Ukrainian Match Factory.
Mykyta Poturaiev, chair of parliament’s Humanitarian and Information Policy Committee, said that “in the modern world, computer games are a very powerful tool for conveying information about oneself and one’s country.”
When it became clear that the game had caused real international resonance, he helped organize a “spontaneous” celebration of the game during a plenary meeting in parliament the next day.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. release celebration during a plenary meeting in parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine on Nov. 21, 2024. (Goreniuk Oleksandr / Facebook)
“This is a very powerful message to the world — that Ukraine and Ukrainians, even during such deadly struggles, do not give up. They are able to produce world-class products,” Poturaiev said.
Petro Shuklinov remembers the 2007 first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game as “legendary” when he was growing up.
In Kyiv, where the former war correspondent and active service member is now, he downloaded the newest release as soon as it came out.
Shuklinov said part of what makes the game so meaningful to fighters is that it reminds them of their childhood: “As we keep this child within ourselves in our memories, our struggle makes sense.”
“And how much Ukrainian pain (the game) holds! No one will see this pain,” he added. “Unless they hear it on the radio in the game, where our songs are played.”
“But I see this pain in every pixel. For some, it's just a game,” said Shuklinov. “But for me, it's a manifesto: we are here, we are alive, we continue to fight.”
A delegation from 14 Latin American countries arrived in Kyiv to participate in the Parliamentary Conference. Zelensky discussed with representatives issues of cooperation, the formula for peace and the return of deported children.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with parliamentarians and diplomats from Latin America in Kiev. The parties discussed a number of issues, including deepening cooperation in the defense of Ukraine. This is stated on the president's website, writes UNN.
We want state borders to be respected. Absolutely. So that this is the rule for Ukraine and for other nations of the world. So that each nation can choose its own future – without compulsion. Without coercion by war, or by political coercion, or by economic coercion of any other country. And so that no one in the world can arrange deportations, so that no one can steal the children of some other people, as Russia does against the Ukrainians,
– stated in the statement of the president.
The meeting with the president of Ukraine was attended by parliamentarians and diplomats from Latin American countries. According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs the support of the world to solve and correct everything that was done by this war.
Representatives of Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica arrived in Kyiv to participate in the Parliamentary Conference "Ukraine-Latin American and Caribbean states: cooperation for the future".
The president informed the diplomats about the formula for peace, which fully complies with the UN Charter, and the results of the first Peace Summit. During the meeting, the parties also discussed in detail the prospects for cooperation in the defense of Ukraine.
"We are a group of your friends. We have come to tell you that Latin America is a friendly land for you. Our people, our people are with you," the representatives of the delegation assured.
Unfortunately, Russia rejects both the formula for peace and all other proposals, any proposals that are based on the UN Charter. They reject and will reject because they do not respect the UN Charter, do not recognize it. They recognize it only in words,
– Zelensky noted.
The Ukrainian president added that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin believes "in war, in his missiles.
But we need to force Russia to a fair peace,
Zelensky stressed.
The OP also informed that during the meeting, the parties discussed in detail the prospects for cooperation in the defense of Ukraine and relations with Latin American countries.
Zelensky called on representatives of states to join the peace process, cooperate "for the return of illegally deported Ukrainian children, in matters of food security and help Ukraine recover from the shelling.
In addition, the president outlined exactly how Ukraine and Latin America can deepen cooperation, in particular in economic, technological and educational areas.
The OP added that representatives of the delegation "assured of further support for Ukraine from Latin America.
Secretary General of the Organization of American States: Ukraine-Latin America Summit should cover issues of international peaceApr 15 2024, 10:37 AM • 16158 views
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Nov. 27 decision to choose Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia is not ideal for Kyiv but is an acceptable and reasonable choice for Ukraine, analysts say.
Kellogg has co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia.
At the same time, Kellogg has stated that Ukraine should negotiate from a position of strength.
According to his proposals, the U.S. will continue sending military aid to Ukraine and provide security guarantees to Kyiv to prevent further Russian aggression. The plan does not stipulate a reduction in the Ukrainian army's size or recognizing occupied territories as Russian de jure.
"There will be no (outright) pro-Ukrainian appointments (under Trump)," Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told the Kyiv Independent. "But it's good if an appointee is not anti-Ukrainian."
He argued that Kellogg is not anti-Ukrainian and that he is an experienced and competent professional.
In contrast with Kellogg, Trump's nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary was met with unease in Kyiv.
"From this standpoint, if you compare (Kellogg) with others, he's absolutely acceptable for Ukraine," Fesenko added. "His position is understandable (for Kyiv), and we can adapt to it."
Kellogg is a retired lieutenant general who served in the Vietnam War and the Gulf War and was the chief operating officer of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
During Trump's first presidency, Kellogg was the chief of staff of the National Security Council from 2017 to 2018 and national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence from 2018 to 2021.
"General Kellogg is very devoted to President Trump, having been with him in all three campaigns plus his time in office, but in my experience, he is a serious guy," Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, told the Kyiv Independent.
"General Kellogg is very devoted to President Trump, having been with him in all three campaigns plus his time in office."
Daniel Hamilton, another foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, also described Kellogg as "an experienced military leader" and "a strong supporter of President Trump."
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Keith Kellogg (R) after announcing him as chief of staff to national security adviser US Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, US on Feb. 20, 2017. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images)
"Kellogg is close to the president, which is a prerequisite for an effective special envoy. He's also considered to be thoughtful and measured … and is obviously experienced," Peter Rough, director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the conservative Hudson Institute, told the Kyiv Independent.
Charly Salonius-Pasternak, lead researcher at the Center on U.S. Politics and Power at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said "it's important that any such envoy has 'the ear' of the president and conversely is seen to genuinely represent/speak for Trump."
"In making deals, that's almost more important than any previous policy position Kellogg has had because people can then to some degree trust that what he says will also hold with Trump," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Kellogg co-chairs the Center on American Security at the America First Policy Institute.
In May, Kellogg and another Trump advisor, Frederick Fleitz, co-authored a report called An America First Approach to U.S. National Security for the America First Policy Institute. Among other things, the report presents their vision for a peace settlement in Ukraine.
In June, Reuters reported that Kellogg and Fleitz had proposed to Trump a plan that would cease military aid to Ukraine unless it agrees to hold peace negotiations with Russia.
Hamilton argued that "Kellogg is essentially coming in (to Ukraine) to implement his proposal."
"As someone who has helped draft a proposal for seeking a diplomatic end to the war, Kellogg is poised to push hard to fulfill Trump's pledge to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table," Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Kyiv Independent. "I expect a determined diplomatic effort to bring the war to an end very early in Trump's presidency."
Kellogg's plan, as outlined in his report, envisages freezing the current front line in Ukraine. According to the plan, Ukraine's NATO accession would be taken off the table for "an extended period."
The strategy includes partially lifting the Western sanctions on Russia to encourage the Kremlin to take steps toward peace.
"If Ukraine doesn't want to negotiate, fine, but then accept the fact that you can have enormous losses in your cities and accept the fact that you will have your children killed, accept the fact that you don't have 130,000 dead, you will have 230,000–250,000," Kellogg told the Voice of America in July. "Demographically, what does that do to the country?"
The paper by Kellogg and Fleitz also repeatedly referenced the unsubstantiated theory that NATO expansion triggered Russia's full-scale invasion, which Trump also mentioned in an interview in June.
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On the upside, Kellogg's plan envisages levies on Russian energy imports to fund Ukraine's reconstruction.
According to his strategy, Ukraine will not be asked to give up its ambition to regain all land seized by Russia, but Kyiv should agree to use diplomatic means only and realize that it might take a long time to regain all the territories.
The strategy also calls for "a comprehensive and verifiable peace deal with security guarantees."
The plan stipulates that, if Ukraine agrees to peace talks, the U.S. would continue sending military aid to Ukraine to deter Russia from attacking it. On the other hand, the U.S. would increase its military support for Ukraine if Russia refuses to accept a peace deal.
Kellogg has also made a number of statements that appear to favor Ukraine.
"We've said very clearly in our paper that Ukraine has fought valiantly," he told the Voice of America. "They are very well led. We think the Russians did clearly an unwarranted invasion of a sovereign state, and this must be addressed."
Kellogg also said that "you want to make sure that Ukrainians are not put at the position when they're operating from weaknesses, but from strength."
"you want to make sure that Ukrainians are not put at the position when they're operating from weaknesses, but from strength."
"Nobody is ever saying that: 'Oh, we just have to make Ukrainians give up land and give it to Russia,'" he continued.
"If the West had provided the equipment that (President Volodymyr) Zelensky asked for, then you probably could have finished the job. You could have gotten into the Sea of Azov through Kherson, splitting them in half, and that is what you wanted to do. So, I blame (U.S. President Joe Biden's) administration and the West to a degree for not supporting Ukraine when they should have," Kellogg said.
Crew members of the 56th motorized brigade fires a mortar at Russian positions near the occupied Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on Feb. 2, 2024. (Dmytro Larin /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
He lambasted the Biden administration for failing to provide F-16 fighters, tanks, and long-range weapons quickly enough and in sufficient quantities and to allow Ukraine to "shoot deep into Russia."
"You have to give more arms to them because you can't trust the Russians," Kellogg said. "Sometimes you have to look at what we call in America the long game. And that is security guarantees, financial support, and military support."
To guarantee Ukraine's security, he suggested concluding a "defense agreement" with Kyiv similar to the U.S. accords with South Korea and Taiwan.
Kellogg also said that Russia's demand for Ukraine's demilitarization and a reduction in the size of its army was "unacceptable."
The Ukrainian authorities reacted positively to Kellogg's nomination.
"Keith Kellogg is not a new person for Ukraine. The Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S. has maintained close ties with him, particularly within the framework of expert diplomacy in recent years, and has developed and maintained a good dialogue with him during this time," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on Nov. 28.
Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Kyiv Independent that Kellogg "should recognize the only way to have successful negotiations is to make Ukraine as strong as possible — peace through strength."
"That means continuing aid and getting Congress to pass another assistance package," he added.
"(Kellogg) seems like a reasonable choice," Roland Paris, professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa and a research associate at Chatham House, told the Kyiv Independent. "He has emphasized the importance of Ukraine negotiating from a position of strength, he seems to understand the threat that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin poses, and he has underscored the importance of providing Ukraine with ironclad U.S. security guarantees, along the lines of the U.S. commitment to South Korea, following any eventual peace negotiation."
Hamilton said Kellogg is "an experienced military professional, not a loose cannon."
"This means the exact nature of U.S. pressure, or the contours of any ceasefire, may evolve," he added.
O'Hanlon said that he was "more hopeful by this choice than" he would have been if it had been Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany, who was reportedly among the candidates for the job. He said he hopes Kellogg will help Ukraine to achieve peace from a position of strength.
Fesenko agreed, saying that "Grenell is more radical and more inclined to apply strong pressure (to Ukraine)," while "Kellogg is more pragmatic."
Keith Kellogg, former national security advisor, during the America First Policy Institute's America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., US, on July 25, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Reuters reported on Nov. 22 that Trump was considering appointing Grenell as his special envoy for Ukraine.
Grenell, who served as the acting director of national intelligence during Trump's first term, is seen as an isolationist and supporter of reducing military aid to Ukraine.
Back in 2022, Grenell said he "applauded" billionaire Elon Musk's peace proposal but added that he would like a "stronger (peace) deal." Musk prompted a scandal the same year by suggesting a peace plan that included Ukraine's neutral status, recognizing Crimea as Russian, and holding a UN-supervised vote on the status of other occupied territories.
In July 2024, Grenell also proposed creating "autonomous zones" in Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia. He did not elaborate but the statement was an apparent reference to autonomous zones in the Russian-occupied territories.
Even if Kellogg pushes for a pro-Ukrainian peace deal, it is unclear whether Trump will back him.
Fleitz said in July that Trump had reacted positively to the peace proposal by him and Kellogg but said he was not claiming that Trump agreed with every word of it.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung emphasized then that only statements from Trump or his campaign should be taken as official policy positions.
"It is Trump, not Kellogg, who will make decisions," Fesenko said. "Kellogg is just an instrument."
"And will Putin agree (to Kellogg's proposals)? I doubt it."
There were 172 military clashes at the front, most of them in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhovsky directions. The invaders lost 497 soldiers, destroyed 4 armored vehicles, an artillery system and 12 vehicles.
The situation in the Pokrovsky, Kurakhovsky and Vremovsky directions remains tense – the enemy is concentrating its main offensive efforts there. In addition, the invaders are now actively attacking in the Limansky and Kupyansky directions. This is stated in the summary of the General Staff as of 22.00 29.11.2024, reports UNN.
To date, there have been 172 military clashes. Today, the terrorist state launched a missile strike with one missile, 31 airstrikes, while dropping 53 kab. in addition, the invaders used 581 kamikaze drones for strikes and carried out more than 3,000 attacks on the positions of our troops and settlements,
– the message says.
In the Kharkiv direction, Russian terrorists stormed the positions of our units five times in the areas of Kudievka, Volchansk and Tikhy. Two clashes continue.
Seven times the enemy attacked our positions in Kupyansky direction. Near Kolesnikovka, Lozovaya, Pervomaisky and Zeleny Gai, units of the defense forces repelled all enemy attacks.
In the Limansky direction today, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian defenders 20 times in the areas of Grekovka, Novoegorovka, Ternov, Yampolovka, Dubrava, Torsky, Zarechny, Grigorovka and in the Serebryansky forest. Our soldiers repelled 18 enemy attacks, two clashes continue.
In the Kramatorsk direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled three attempts by the invaders to seize our positions in the area of Chasovy Yar and in the direction of Belaya Gora.
In the Toretsk direction, the invaders twice tried to move forward in the Druzhby and Toretsk areas, and were rebuffed.
In the Pokrovsky direction during these days, the aggressor attacked our positions 34 times in the areas of the settlements of Mirolyubovka, Luch, Lisovka, Dachenskoye, Chumatsky, Novy Trud and yellow. Ten clashes continue to this day.
At the same time, the losses of the occupiers, according to available information at present, amounted to 497 people killed and wounded, four armored combat vehicles, an artillery system, three UAV control points and 12 units of enemy vehicles were destroyed, as well as two cars and two artillery systems were damaged by our defenders.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, the invaders made 43 attempts to move forward at this time of day. 11 attacks continue. Most of the fighting continues near Solntsevka, Berestkov, Novodmitrovka, Zarya, Kurakhovo, Dachny, Dalny, Elizavetovka, Annovka and Uspenovka.
In the Vremovsky direction, where today the aggressor stormed the front line of our defense 24 times in the area of Veselogo Gai, Konstantinopolsky, Sukhoi Yaly, Razdolny and Novodarovka, three clashes are currently underway.
In the Dnieper direction, the enemy made three unsuccessful attempts to storm the positions of Ukrainian units.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct operations in the Kursk direction. Today, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 22 attacks of the invading army in this direction,
– reported in the General Staff.
Zelensky appointed a new commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: who is heNov 29 2024, 03:00 PM • 15444 views
To end the "hot phase of the war," NATO would have to offer membership to Ukrainian territory under government control, with the invitation recognizing the country's internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News
"If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should quickly take under NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That's what we need to do first, and then Ukraine can get back the other parts of its territory in a diplomatic way," Zelensky said during the interview, which was published on Nov. 29.
According to the president, Kyiv has never considered such a proposal, since "no one has ever offered that to us officially."
Donald Trump's election has intensified uncertainty around Ukraine's war effort. He criticized U.S. military support provided to Ukraine by Joe Biden's administration. Some reports also indicate this would entail forcing Ukraine to cede territory and at least temporarily give up on its NATO accession plans.
Zelensky's latest remarks are somewhat at odds with his previous statements. He said that the signals of Ukraine's accession to NATO in parts is "nonsense," and Ukraine "will never exchange any status for any of our territories."
The president's comments to Sky News imply that territories currently occupied by Russia would not fall under the "NATO umbrella" in this scenario.
Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are partially controlled by Russian troops. Russia claims to have annexed the whole territory of those regions in 2022 despite not controlling two regional capitals — Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow also controls all of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
Throughout 2024, Ukraine has faced a challenging situation in its defense of the front line, particularly in Donetsk Oblast, where Russia has consistently concentrated its offensive potential.
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 but has yet to receive a formal invitation.
Despite high expectations in Kyiv, the last two allied summits brought only new steps toward deepening Ukraine-NATO cooperation and a declaration that the country's membership path is "irreversible."
Volodymyr Zelensky appointed the commander of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade Pavlo Palisa as deputy head of the Presidential Office. The president stressed the importance of appointing a Combat Commander to obtain operational information from the front.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Commander of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade Pavlo Palisa as deputy head of the presidential office. Zelensky stated this in an evening address, reports UNN.
He also appointed Colonel Pavlo Palisa as deputy head of the Office – Combat Commander, Commander of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade. He is well aware that in the brigades, at the front, and I need just such a person to know exactly the information directly from the front on a daily basis
Zelensky said.
Recall
Mikhail Drapaty became the new Commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Oleg Apostol – deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine. Both military personnel have successful combat experience and have proven their effectiveness.
Ukraine has received $100 million as part of a loan from South Korea for budget assistance, the first time the country is providing aid to Ukraine's state budget, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Nov. 29.
According to Shmyhal, the funds will be devoted to Ukraine's social sector by supporting budget expenses.
In April of this year, Kyiv and Seoul signed an agreement enabling Ukraine to attract up to $2.1 billion in concessional loans over 2024-2029. The loan has a term of 20 years with an annual interest rate 1.0% and a five-year grace period.
Later in October, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko signed a loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea to attract the $100 million loan.
Ukraine faces a $35 billion budget deficit in 2025, and with Russia’s war continuing into its third year with no end in sight, the country has to rely on external financing to sustain its economy and war effort.
South Korea has provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid throughout Russia's full-scale war but not with lethal assistance, as the country's legislation prevents direct arms supplies to war zones.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Nov. 27 visited South Korea and met with the country's President Yoon Suk Yeol as Russian forces make their fastest gains in months and thousands of North Korean troops are stationed in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Although the South Korean president did not rule out supplying arms to Ukraine, there were no official announcements that Seoul had changed its stance after the visit of the Ukrainian delegation.
Experts told the Kyiv Independent that South Korea could provide the most significant support to Ukraine through ammunition supplies. The country fields not only 155 mm artillery but also stores 3.4 million 105 mm rounds compatible with some of Ukraine's guns.
A South Korean official recently said that direct supplies of 155 mm ammunition are not on the table.
8 children aged from 6 to 16 years were returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Seven children returned with the help of Qatar, one – through the humanitarian corridor.
Another 8 children were returned to Ukraine from the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, a boy was returned, who at the time of the Russian invasion was in a boarding school, whose pupils were taken by the occupation authorities to the city of Skadovsk and the Russian Federation, UNN informs.
"We managed to return 8 Ukrainian children to their homeland. Children from Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, who lived under the pressure of the Russian occupation, finally broke free. This was implemented within the framework of the implementation of the approved Action Plan of the president of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA," Lubinets said.
He noted that the Returned Children are from 6 to 16 years old, and some of them have illnesses, so they were met in Ukraine together with ambulances. Among those returned is a boy who at the time of the Russian invasion was in the "Oleshkovsky boarding school", whose pupils were taken by the occupation authorities to the city of Skadovsk and the Russian Federation.
According to him, family circumstances and the lack of prospects for the future of children prompted adults who were young Ukrainians to return to Ukraine.
"I note that 7 children were returned with the involvement of the intermediary country Qatar. Another boy was returned through the humanitarian corridor. But now these children will finally receive decent medical care, embrace their parents and relatives and implement their plans," Lubinets added.
Recall
6-year-old Maria from Donetsk region and 14-year-old Veronika from Kherson region were returned from the temporarily occupied territories. The girls were in danger because of the occupation, but are now safe with their families.
The Kyiv IndependentSonya Bandouil
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