Category: War in Ukraine

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning appoint General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine's Ground Forces commander, the president announced on Nov. 29.

Drapatyi is expected to replace Oleksandr Pavliuk who has served in the position since Feb. 11, 2024.

"Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi successfully organized the defense in the Kharkiv sector and disrupted the Russian offensive," Zelensky said on social media, without elaborating on the reason for the reshuffle.

Drapatyi served as a commander of Ukraine's 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade from 2016-2019.

He has headed the "Kharkiv" operational grouping of troops since this May and "Luhansk" operational and tactical group of forces since September.

Andrei Belousov visited North Korea for talks with the country's military leadership. The United States claims that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia and is supplying military equipment.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders, as the countries deepen their cooperation regarding Russia's war in Ukraine, AP reports, writes UNN.

Details

Announcing the visit, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not say who Belousov would meet with or what the purpose of the negotiations was. North Korean state media did not immediately confirm the visit.

Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defense minister in May after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin began a fifth term in power.

In photos released by the Ministry of Defense, Belousov walks along the red carpet at Pyongyang Airport with North Korean Defense Minister Noh Kwang Chol. North Korean military officials were seen applauding under a banner reading "Full support and solidarity with the struggling Russian army and people.

After his arrival, Belousov noted that military cooperation between the two countries is expanding. He welcomed the strategic partnership agreement signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their June meeting in Pyongyang, which, he said, is aimed at reducing tensions by maintaining a "balance of power" in the region and reducing the risk of war, including with the use of nuclear weapons.

The June meeting demonstrated the "highest level of mutual trust" between the leaders, Belousov said, as well as the "mutual desire of our countries to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in a difficult international environment.

North Korean Defense Minister Noh reportedly also "praised the expanding cooperation between the countries' military forces and reaffirmed North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine," calling it a "just struggle to protect the country's sovereign rights and security interests.

The visit took place a few days after South Korean President Yun Seok-el met with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in the South Korean capital Seoul and called on the two countries to formulate countermeasures in response to North Korea sending thousands of soldiers to Russia to help fight against Ukraine.

The United States and its allies have said that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in recent weeks, and that some of those troops have been involved in combat.

North Korea is also accused of supplying artillery systems, missiles and other military equipment to Russia, which could help Putin further prolong the nearly three-year war. Seoul also fears that North Korea, in exchange for its troops and weapons supplies, may receive Russian technology that can improve its nuclear and missile programs.

"The Russian Defense Minister is visiting North Korea not only to celebrate bilateral ties," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ihwa University in Seoul. "This visit shows that Putin and Kim's military cooperation, which violates international law, is about to intensify even more.

Yun's national security adviser Shin Wonsik said in a television interview last week that Seoul believes Russia provided North Korea with air defense systems in exchange for sending its troops.

North Korea expands plant making missile used by Russia in Ukraine – ReutersNov 25 2024, 02:53 PM • 18402 views

Shin said Russia also appears to have provided North Korea with economic assistance and various military technologies, including those needed for North Korea's efforts to build a reliable space surveillance system, which Kim stressed is crucial to heighten the threat of nuclear missiles aimed at South Korea.

Yoon's office did not say whether the two governments discussed the possibility of South Korea supplying weapons to Ukraine during his talks with Umerov.

Yun said his government would take step-by-step countermeasures, linking the level of its response to the degree of Russian-North Korean cooperation.

At the time of writing, it was not clear whether Belousov would meet with Kim, the North Korean leader. Last year, Kim hosted a Russian delegation led by then-Defense Minister Shoigu.

The Russian report on Belousov's visit came as South Korea scrambled fighter jets to respond to six Russian and five Chinese military aircraft that temporarily entered the country's air defense identification zone around its eastern and southern seas, according to a report by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It said that Russian and Chinese aircraft did not violate the territorial airspace of South Korea.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said it had held telephone talks with Chinese and Russian military attaches in Seoul to protest the flights and urge countries to prevent a repeat of such cases.

Two journalists from the Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske came under Russian attack in Kharkiv Oblast on Nov. 25 while filming a story about volunteers evacuating abandoned horses.

Journalists Ksiusha Savoskina and Oleksii Nikulin went to film the evacuation of animals together with volunteers from Kharkiv Animal Rescue at an abandoned farm on the left bank of the Kupiansk district, Hromadske reported on Nov. 28.

The group was accompanied by a soldier, as he had spotted the horses from the Ukrainian forces' positions.

As the evacuation of the horses began, a Russian drone appeared overhead, forcing everyone inside a building. Later, an explosion occurred — the car, along with the journalists' backpack containing lenses for filming, were destroyed as a result of the attack.

"Since then, we tried not to leave the hangar. The volunteers were supposed to put the horses in a trailer, and we decided that we would not leave (the hangar) the whole day until it got dark because it was very dangerous — (the Russians) had probably already spotted us," Savoskina said.

Another explosion also set a neighboring building on fire. The journalist suggested that Russian forces might have dropped a mine on it.

"Despite this, everyone remained healthy. The horses are also unharmed — they are now in Kharkiv, then they will be transported to a children's equestrian school," Savoskina said.

Russian troops ramped up their efforts near Kupiansk in early September and approached the city’s industrial outskirts in the northeast. Earlier in November, Ukrainian forces successfully repelled Russian attempts to break into the city.

The crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState also reported on Nov. 26 that Ukrainian forces had completed clearing Kupiansk of Russian soldiers.

Kupiansk is a key logistics and railway hub in the eastern part of Kharkiv Oblast. With several highways and five railway lines running through it, the town was briefly occupied by Russian forces before it was liberated during a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the autumn of 2022.

Capturing the city would widen the north-to-south supply route from Russia's Belgorod Oblast, fuelling their attempt to take the entire Donbas region.

Once liberated Kupiansk braces for worst as Russian troops approach, and future Western support looks uncertainVolodymyr paused his Sunday stroll from a shopping center in Kupiansk to take pictures of rubble from a Russian strike that almost killed his wife late last month. “It was broad daylight when they struck,” he said. “Our only luck was that my wife was in the kitchen, soThe Kyiv IndependentBoldizsar Gyori

the Russian military in the eastern directions reports a shortage of ammunition, food and warm clothes. They also have difficulties using North Korean ammunition due to their inaccuracy.

Russian occupiers in the eastern directions complain about the lack of ammunition, food, water, warm clothes, as well as difficulties in using weapons supplied by North Korea. This was stated by the speaker of the OSU "Khortytsia" Nazar Voloshin on the air of the telethon, reports UNN.

Details

We have evidence that Russian military personnel, especially in the front lines and advanced units, complain about very poor logistics support. First of all, they complain about the lack of ammunition, food, and even water. This problem is especially acute for them with the onset of the cold season and a decrease in the temperature regime. They even complain about the lack of warm clothes. And we have information that Russian military personnel are complaining about difficulties in using ammunition supplied by North Korea, that is, they are flying in the wrong place. There are difficulties in using ammunition there

Voloshin said.

recall

Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky visited units and subunits in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhovsky directions of the front.

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia's Rostov Oblast, and destroyed a Buk-M3 radar station in Russian-occupied territories in Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight, Ukraine's General Staff said on Nov. 29.

Outmanned and outgunned on the battlefield, Ukraine has turned to homemade drones to try to exhaust Russian combat capabilities as much as possible from afar, targeting Russian military-industrial complex facilities, airbases, and oil refineries.

The Ukrainian military said that on the night of Nov. 29, they struck the Atlas oil depot in Rostov Oblast. As a result of the strike, fires broke out on the territory of the facility, the statement said.

According to the General Staff, Atlas is part of the Russian military-industrial complex, and supplies petroleum products to the Russian army. The oil depot was previously targeted in the summer of 2024.

Elsewhere, a radar station of the Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the General Staff reported.

The combat mission was carried out by units of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) in cooperation with other units of the Defense Forces.

On Nov. 16, a drone unit in the National Guard's 27th Pechersk Brigade destroyed another Russian anti-aircraft missile Buk-M1 system worth $10 million.

On the morning of Nov. 29, the General Staff reported that Russia had lost 1,006 air defense systems since the start of its full-scale invasion.

Russia’s reported daily losses in Ukraine pass 2,000 for the first timeThis surpasses the previous record of 1,950 set on Nov. 12. The total figure stands at 738,660.The Kyiv IndependentChris York

The president of Ukraine held a telephone conversation with the German Chancellor regarding air defense systems and further support. The leaders discussed increasing pressure on Russia and the details of Scholz's conversation with rutin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Stolz. In particular, they discussed steps that can strengthen Ukraine. This was announced by Zelensky in the social network on Friday, reports UNN.

I held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and thanked him for his leadership in helping Ukraine with air defense systems – very effective "Patriots" and IRIS-T, which have already saved thousands of lives. I am grateful to the chancellor for his readiness to continue supporting Ukraine, in particular our defense against Russian aggression and our resilience. We discussed what our bilateral steps and those of our partners can strengthen Ukraine

Zelensky wrote.

The president stressed that it is important that the pressure on Russia increases and that Ukrainian positions strengthen, because this is what will force Russia to real peace.

According to him, the German Chancellor spoke about the details of his call to Putin. "It is obvious that only the power of weapons and the power of diplomacy together can force the culprit of war to peace, and that peace is possible only through force," the president added.

Germany announces new deliveries of IRIS-T: when will Ukraine receive air defense systemsNov 25 2024, 10:15 PM • 13940 views

Russia has lost 738,660 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. 29.

This number includes 2,030 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 9,458 tanks, 19,339 armored fighting vehicles, 30,272 vehicles and fuel tanks, 20,886 artillery systems, 1,256 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,006 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 329 helicopters, 19,750 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.

Can Russia sustain its war effort as ruble plummets, inflation soars?With the purchasing power of the Russian ruble hitting the lowest point since March 2022, the economic toll of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine becomes glaring. Russia’s expanding spending on the war has fueled inflation, prompting Russia’s Central Bank to hike its interest rate to the highest le…The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

The chairman of the Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada named three factors that may lead to a lack of funds for defense in 2025. UAH 2.2 trillion is provided for the security and defense sector.

If the intensity of hostilities changes, there will be huge interruptions in the supply of weapons from international partners, then it will be necessary to make changes to the state budget for defense in 2025. This was announced by people's deputy, chairman of the parliamentary committee on budget issues Roksolana Pidlasa on the air of the telethon, the correspondent of UNN reports .

Pidlasa commented on how well defense spending is provided for in the state budget for 2025 and whether Ukraine will again find itself in a situation in the middle of the year when it is necessary to vote an additional 500 billion rubles in the Verkhovna Rada.

If conditions on the battlefield change dramatically, or the intensity of hostilities, or there are huge interruptions in the supply of weapons from our international partners, then we will be forced to make changes to the state budget. But if the conditions remain the same as this year, or the intensity of hostilities decreases, or we finally win, then of course the funds that are provided for 2025 will be enough

Pidlasa said.

Russia has moved to a new phase of War: Three disturbing facts from the Foreign MinisterNov 28 2024, 12:32 PM • 14516 views

She noted that more than UAH 2.2 trillion is planned for security and defense needs next year, which is even more than the expected actual expenditures this year.

The Ministry of Finance reported the other day that in January-October 2024, Ukraine spent UAH 1.6 trillion on the security and defense sector, which is more than half of the total state budget fund.

"For 2025, we set the probability that the fighting will continue throughout the year in order to be prepared for any development of events," Pidlasa said.

context

Prime minister Denys Shmyhol reported that when Ukraine planned the 2024 budget together with the IMF, one of the partners ' forecasts was that the war would continue until the summer of 2024. Therefore, the current budget required an additional 500 billion hryvnias for the army.

On November 19, the Rada adopted the state budget-2025.

The total resource, which will be directed to the security and defense sector, will amount to UAH 2.23 trillion. record funds will be used for the production and purchase of weapons. There will be more funding for the modernization of the military-industrial complex, as well as for the purchase of drones.

Add

Bloomberg reported that Europe is looking for ways to replace US military aid for Ukraine. After all, Donald Trump's statements cause concern, because there is speculation that the United States may reduce military aid to force Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Pyongyang for an official visit on Nov. 29, amid deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

After arriving in Pyongyang, Belousov was greeted by his North Korean counterpart No Kwang-chol, and members of North Korea's military, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Belousov will participate in meetings with "the military and political leadership of the DPRK," it added.

Belousov's visit to Pyongyang comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to the hermit country in June, where Russia formally deepened it military and economic cooperation with Pyongyang.

Pyongyang is believed to have dispatched over 10,000 troops to aid Russia's war, with the first clashes with Ukrainian forces reported in Kursk Oblast. North Korea has also become Moscow's leading supplier of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.

A source with Ukraine's General Staff also indicated to Reuters on Nov. 23 that the majority of North Korean soldiers were finalizing training.

In recent months, Russia has focused on regaining territory lost in the country's Kursk Oblast following a surprise Ukrainian incursion into the region in August. According to the source in Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine has lost over 40 percent of the territory it previously gained in Kursk Oblast due to Russian counterattacks.

NATO allies believe that Putin is aiming to recapture territory lost in Kursk Oblast before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the Telegraph reported, hoping to gain leverage in future peace negotiations.

Can Russia sustain its war effort as ruble plummets, inflation soars?With the purchasing power of the Russian ruble hitting the lowest point since March 2022, the economic toll of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine becomes glaring. Russia’s expanding spending on the war has fueled inflation, prompting Russia’s Central Bank to hike its interest rate to the highest le…The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Air defense forces repelled the attack of Russian drones on the Kiev region for almost 7 hours. Due to the wreckage of downed targets, a private house was damaged, there were no injuries.

For almost 7 hours, the air defense forces repelled the attack of Russian troops with drones on the Kiev region, a private house was damaged due to debris, there were no casualties, Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the Kiev RMA, said on Facebook on Friday, writes UNN.

Details

"The enemy does not stop daily UAV attacks on the Kiev region. Since the evening of November 28, the alarm in the region lasted almost 7 hours. Air defense forces were operating in the region. Enemy targets were destroyed," Kravchenko wrote.

According to him, there were no casualties among the population, no hits to critical or residential infrastructure facilities were allowed.

"As a result of falling debris from downed targets in one of the settlements, a private house and an outbuilding were damaged. The damage is minor – the glazing is broken, the facade of the house is split," said the chairman of the RMA.

Operational groups, according to him, continue to work to establish the consequences of the enemy attack.

As a result of the UAV attack on Kiev, the Polyclinic building caught fireNov 28 2024, 09:50 PM • 28579 views