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Morning Headlines
Politico: Frustrated EU countries are ramping up pressure on Belgium to release €140 billion of frozen Russian reserves held in Brussels by accusing Bart De Wever's government of failing to fully disclose what it does with the tax income from those immobilized assets.
Reuters: Hungarian PM Orban said he would meet Putin in Moscow on Friday to discuss crude and gas supplies for Hungary and also peace efforts in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent: Explosions were reported in several Russian cities, including Taganrog, Smolensk, and Saratov, overnight on Nov. 28 amid a widespread drone attack.
BBC: A prominent former politician in Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has denied he took payments as part of a pro-Russian influence campaign in the European Parliament. David Coburn is named in a series of WhatsApp messages between an alleged "pawn" of the main security agency in Putin's Russia and disgraced former MEP Nathan Gill.
Reuters: Moldova's Parliament voted on Thursday to close a Russian cultural centre, a new bid to reduce Moscow's influence in the country a day after Russia's ambassador was summoned over drone intrusions that Moldova said were unacceptable.
More News
The Kyiv Independent: At least five Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed by Russian soldiers amid a chaotic withdrawal near Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, it was reported on Nov. 27. According to analytical organisation DeepState, Ukrainian soldiers were taken captive and shot dead on Nov. 26 near Zelenyi Hai village.
The Kyiv Independent: Approximately 400 Ukrainian children will be sent to Russia from occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast for a mandatory "exchange" program by year's end, the Center for National Resistance reported on Nov. 27.
Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukrainian and U.S. delegations are to meet this week to work out a formula discussed at talks in Geneva to bring peace and provide security guarantees for Kyiv.
NATO: On Monday, 1 December 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Mark Rutte, will meet the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Mr Denys Shmyhal, at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels.
The Moscow Times: Russian judokas are once again allowed to compete under their national flag, the International Judo Federation said Thursday, ending the neutral status imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Reuters: The International Olympic Committee on Thursday cleared one Belarusian and two Russian figure skaters to compete at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games as neutrals, the first athletes of their countries to be invited to take part amid sanctions.
Politico: North Korea has introduced Russian as a compulsory subject in schools from the 4th grade onward.
Bloomberg: Russia’s central bank signaled a deterioration in corporate finances and an increase in problem debt, though predicted even a sharper downturn won’t endanger financial stability (archive).
Reuters: Ukraine will need strong armed forces and security guarantees after any peace deal with Russia is agreed and Kyiv should not be forced to surrender territory, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday.
European Parliament has called on the EU to assume more responsibility for European security and to support peace in Ukraine in the most proactive way.
Reuters: "Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they hold, and then the fighting will cease. If they don't leave, then we shall achieve this by armed means. That's it," Putin said. He added that he considered the Ukrainian leadership to be illegitimate and so it was legally impossible to sign a deal with Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine and the U.K. have signed a licence agreement to produce Octopus interceptor drones, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Nov. 27.
Reuters: A Russian citizen suspected of hacking IT systems of Polish companies was arrested in Krakow, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said on Thursday.
The Guardian: A US group has identified several obscure but potentially key sanctions it says could seriously disrupt Russia’s war effort in Ukraine after last month’s targeting of the Kremlin’s biggest oil firms. Dekleptocracy, a civil society group that researches Russia’s war economy, says chemicals used to make mechanical lubricants and military-grade tyres are a vulnerability that US, UK and EU policymakers could exploit.
Reuters: Turkey's defence ministry said on Thursday that a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia must be achieved first before any discussions can take place on possible troop deployment for a potential reassurance force.
The Moscow Times: Ukraine launched dozens of drones at targets across Russia regions overnight, with media and Ukrainian-linked sources claiming that an oil refinery in the southern Samara region was among the sites hit.
worth mentioning
How Russian drones targeting civilians are turning one Ukrainian city into a 'human safari'
Netherlands buys drone detection radars after recent sightings
Italian defence group Leonardo unveils 'Michelangelo Dome' air defence system
Romania signs deal to buy French Mistral air defence systems
Launch pad damaged as Russian rocket blasts off for space station, agency says
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